Objective To test the cardiac toxicity of new compound HMS-01 and evaluate the safety profile for clinical trials. Methods Manualpatch clamp method was used to measure human Ether-a-go-go-Related Gene (hERG) potassium channel currents with different concentrations of HMS-01. Cisapride was selected as the positive control drug. HMS-01 was diluted to the concentration of 0.3, 1, 3, 10 and 30 µmol/L and applied to the cells. The changes in electrical currents were recorded and the inhibition rate was calculated. Results At the highest concentration of 30µmol/L, the inhibitory rate of HMS-01 on hERG channel was less than 30%. There was no obvious inhibitory effect compared with cisapride. Conclusion Compared with the cisapride, HMS-01 has no obvious inhibitory effect on hERG channel and has no cardiotoxicity.

Metabolic homeostasis is a basic function necessary for the survival of the organism. α₁-acid glycoprotein (AGP) is an acute phase protein with a glycosylation degree of up to 45%. It has high affinity and low capacity. Although the biological role of AGP is not fully understood, it has been proven that it can regulate immunity and metabolism, and play an important role in transporting drugs and maintaining capillary barrier function. In this review, the structural characteristics, biochemical characteristics and the regulation of AGP expression were reviewed, with emphasis on the regulatory role of AGP in metabolism, suggesting that AGP may be a potential key factor in metabolic pathways, which provides a new research direction for metabolic diseases.

α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) belongs to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), which is the key receptor in cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and plays an important role in the neural regulation of immune system. Recent studies have found that α7nAChR is also involved in the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes other than immunity, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver, angiogenesis, heart protection, etc. In addition, α7nAChR is closely related to energy metabolism in neurodegenerative diseases. This article reviews the role of α7nAChR in treating inflammation and improving energy metabolism, and the new direction of α7nAChR involved in therapy.

Objective To study the pharmacokinetics of HMS-01 in mice and provide support for subsequent studies. Methods Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to establish a sensitive and specific method for the determination of the concentration of HMS-01 in plasma and other biological samples. The pharmacokinetics of HMS-01 in C57BL/6J mice were studied by the established method. To obtain the basic pharmacokinetic parameters, three doses of HMS-01 were given orally and one dose of HMS-01 was given intravenously. Results The pharmacokinetic results of mice showed that the intestinal absorption of HMS-01 was fast, the oral bioavailability of HMS-01 in mice was moderate (50% to 70%). The exposure levels (AUC and c_max) of HMS-01 in mice increased with the increase of dosage, while the AUC was linearly correlated with the increase of dosage. After intravenous administration of HMS-01, the half-life period in mice was about 1 h which was not long. The plasma clearance rate (CL_total.p) was 2.8 L/h·kg, which was similar to the hepatic blood flow of mice. The apparent volume of distribution (V_SS) was 5 L/kg, which was much larger than the total mouse fluid. There were significant differences in AUC and F (P<0.05), but no significant differences in parameters such as c_max,AUC_0−∞,t_1/2,CL_tot,p,MRT,Vss in male and female mice which were given 30 and 60mg/kg HWS-01 orally. Conclusion The pharmacokinetic process of HMS-01 in mice showed gender differences, and the area under the curve of blood concentration time and bioavailability of female mice were higher than that of male mice. As oral bioavailability was reasonable, further in vivo studies on HMS-01 in mice with heart failure by oral administration could be considered to provide evidence.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common microvascular complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)，which is also the main cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, the treatment methods are limited at present. More and more evidences have indicated that inflammatory response is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of DN. Several anti-inflammatory strategies that target specific inflammatory mediators (transcription factors, pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules) and intracellular signaling pathways have shown benefits in the DN rodent model. The mechanisms related to inflammation in the development and progression of DN were summarized and new strategies to prevent or treat DN based on inflammation were briefly discussed in this review.