1.Research advances in hepatitis B virus genome integration
Yaoxin WANG ; Xiaomei WANG ; Junqi NIU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(1):21-25
HBV DNA integration (iDNA) is the core barrier that must be overcome to achieve functional cure for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and to prevent the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). During reverse transcription, 5% — 10% of viral genomes are converted into double-stranded linear DNA that is randomly inserted into host chromosomes, generating stable iDNA and continuously producing HBsAg, thereby driving B- and T-cell immune exhaustion and locking the host in an immune-tolerant state. The process of iDNA runs throughout the entire natural history of HBV infection, and the viral enhancers it carries can promote clonal hyperplasia of indeterminate potential, accumulate pre-neoplastic mutations, and ultimately lead to HCC. Although long-term nucleos(t)ide analog or interferon therapy can suppress viral replication and reduce the formation of new integrations, existing therapies still fail to eliminate existing iDNA. Therefore, there is an urgent need for innovative strategies that can precisely target integration breakpoints, epigenetically silence iDNA, or eradicate integrated clones, so as to significantly increase the functional cure rate of CHB and fundamentally reduce the risk of HCC.
2.Astragalus polysaccharide ameliorates diabetic retinopathy by inhibiting the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 signaling pathway in streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats
Jingrong QU ; Bo WANG ; Yulong WANG ; Hao LI ; Xiaomei AN
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2025;29(1):21-32
This study aims to investigate the effects of astragalus polysaccharide (APS) on diabetic retinopathy through the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 pathway. The anti-type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) targets of APS were identified through comprehensive searches of drug and disease-related databases. A protein-protein interaction network was then constructed, followed by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses.Molecular docking simulations were performed to evaluate the interactions of APS and metformin with Gli1 and AQP1. An in vivo T2DM rat model was established via streptozotocin (STZ) injection and treated with metformin and varying doses of APS for 12 weeks. Histological changes in retinal cells were assessed using H&E and PAS staining. The expression levels of AQP1, Gli1, and SHH in the retina were measured using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and ELISA. Additionally, mRNA expression of AQP1, Gli1, and SHH was quantified by RT-qPCR. Bioinformatic analyses indicated that Gli1 and AQP1, key components of the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 signaling pathway, may be associated with T2DM. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that the STZ-induced T2DM rats exhibited significant retinal damage, which was notably mitigated by both APS and metformin treatments. Furthermore, the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 signaling pathway was found to be overactivated in STZ-induced T2DM rats. Treatment with APS and metformin significantly reduced the elevated expression levels of SHH, Gli1, and AQP1. APS effectively inhibits retinal damage of STZinduced T2DM rats by restraining the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 signaling pathway.
3.Geraniin attenuates isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting inflammation, oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis
Jiaqi DING ; Shenjie ZHANG ; Qi LI ; Boyu XIA ; Jingjing WU ; Xu LU ; Chao HUANG ; Xiaomei YUAN ; Qingsheng YOU
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2025;29(3):307-319
Geraniin, a polyphenol derived from the fruit peel of Nephelium lappaceum L., has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in the cardiovascular system. The present study explored whether geraniin could protect against an isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac hypertrophy model. Mice in the ISO group received an intraperitoneal injection of ISO (5 mg/kg) once daily for 9 days, and the administration group were injected with ISO after 5 days of treatment with geraniin or spironolactone. Potential therapeutic effects and related mechanisms analysed by anatomical coefficients, histopathology, blood biochemical indices, reverse transcription-PCR and immunoblotting. Geraniin decreased the cardiac pathologic remodeling and myocardial fibrosis induced by ISO, as evidenced by the modifications to anatomical coefficients, as well as the reduction in collagen I/III á1mRNA and protein expression and cross-sectional area in hypertrophic cardiac tissue. In addition, geraniin treatment reduced ISO-induced increase in the mRNA and protein expression levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, whereas ISO-induced IL-10 showed the opposite behaviour in hypertrophic cardiac tissue.Further analysis showed that geraniin partially reversed the ISO-induced increase in malondialdehyde and nitric oxide, and the ISO-induced decrease in glutathione, superoxide dismutase and glutathione. Furthermore, it suppressed the ISO-induced cellular apoptosis of hypertrophic cardiac tissue, as evidenced by the decrease in Bcell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X/caspase-3/caspase-9 expression, increase in Bcl-2 expression, and decrease in TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling-positive cells.These findings suggest that geraniin can attenuate ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting inflammation, oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis.
4.Analysis on Pharmacodynamic Material Basis and Mechanism of Famous Classical Formula Renshen Wuweizi Tang in Treatment of Spleen and Lung Qi Deficiency Syndrome
Shanshan LI ; Yute ZHONG ; Xiaomei XIANG ; Wei KANG ; Shufan ZHOU ; Ping WANG ; Haiyu XU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(8):31-39
ObjectiveBased on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS), network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques, to explore the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism of Renshen Wuweizi Tang in treating spleen-lung Qi deficiency syndrome. MethodsThe chemical components in the decoction of Renshen Wuweizi Tang were systematically characterized and identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and network pharmacology was used to screen potential active ingredients, collect component targets and gene sets related to spleen-lung Qi deficiency syndrome, and obtain protein interaction relationships through STRING. Cytoscape 3.9.1 was used to construct a "formula-syndrome" association network and calculate topological feature values. Gene ontology(GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed on core genes to explore potential pharmacodynamic links, the average shortest path between the formula-drug target network and the pharmacodynamic link gene network was calculated to discover dominant pharmacodynamic links, and MCODE plugin was used to identify core gene clusters from the dominant pharmacodynamic links, which were validated using Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO), and molecular docking was performed between key components and core targets. ResultsOne hundred and thirty-seven components were identified in the negative ion mode, and eighty components were identified in the positive ion mode. After deduplication, a total of 185 components were identified, mainly composed of triterpenoid saponins(49) and flavonoids(54). Based on the "formula-syndrome" correlation network analysis, energy metabolism was determined to be the dominant pharmacodynamic link of Renshen Wuweizi Tang in the treatment of spleen-lung Qi deficiency syndrome. The results of molecular docking showed that 7 components(adenosine, atractylenolide Ⅱ, atractylenolide Ⅲ, ginsenoside Rg1, glycyrrhizin B2, glycyrrhizin E2 and campesterol) from 4 medicinal materials(Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Poria) in this formula might regulate energy metabolism by acting on 6 targets, namely cyclic adenosine monophosphate-response element binding protein 1(CREB1), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase(GAPDH), interleukin(IL)-6, nuclear transcription factor(NF)-κB1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α(PPARα), and tumor necrosis factor(TNF), thus improving the symptoms of diseases related to spleen-lung Qi deficiency syndrome. ConclusionThis study established a UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS for rapid characterization and identification of chemical components in the decoction of Renshen Wuweizi Tang, expanding the understanding of the material composition of this formula, and found that 7 components might act on the key advantageous pharmacodynamic link "energy metabolism" through 6 targets to improve the related symptoms of spleen-lung Qi deficiency syndrome. This can provide a reference for the subsequent exploration of the material benchmark and mechanism of the famous classical formula.
5.Dietary nutrition status and nutritional intervention strategy of 1302 patients with Alzheimer's disease
Yufang WANG ; Yuanfang ZHAO ; Xiaomei HAO ; Yining LIANG
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;36(2):47-51
Objective To explore the dietary nutrition status and nutritional intervention strategy of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods Among the 1 332 patients with AD diagnosed at Xijing Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023 were enrolled as the study subjects. The dietary intake data of patients were collected through questionnaire surveys and dietary reviews. During the study period, 30 patients did not complete the intervention due to withdrawal or loss of follow-up. Based on the actual number of people who completed the intervention, AD patients were randomly divided into intervention group (n=651, individualized nutritional intervention strategy) and control group (n=651, routine nutritional intervention), and both groups were intervened for 3 months. The cognitive function (MMSE score and MoCA score), nutritional status (MNA scale, NRS-2002 scale), and quality of life (GQOL-74) of the two groups of AD patients were compared to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention strategies. Results A total of 1 332 questionnaires were distributed, and 1 302 valid questionnaires were finally recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 97.75% (1 302/1 332). The survey results showed that there were no statistical differences in baseline characteristics and dietary nutrition status between the two groups of AD patients before intervention (P>0.05). After nutritional intervention, the cognitive function, quality of life, and nutritional status of patients in the intervention group were significantly improved. The MMSE score, MoCA score, MNA score, and GQOL-74 score of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group, while the NRS-2002 score was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Nutritional intervention strategy has a significant effect on improving nutritional status, cognitive function, and quality of life of AD patients.
6.Network meta-analysis of Insulin degludec and liraglutide injection versus Insulin glargine and lixisenatide injection in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus
Xiaomei WANG ; Xiaoyan YOU ; Jiali QIN ; Yang LIU ; Xianying WANG
China Pharmacy 2025;36(7):874-880
OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Insulin degludec and liraglutide injection (IDegLira) and Insulin glargine and lixisenatide injection(iGlarLixi) in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM), and provide an evidence-based basis for the clinical treatment of T2DM. METHODS Computerized searches of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang data and VIP were conducted with a time frame from the inception to August 2024. Randomized controlled trials(RCTs) were rigorously screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, from which information was extracted and included studies were evaluated for risk of bias. Network meta-analysis was performed using Stata 14.0 software. RESULTS A total of 15 RCTs, including 9 513 patients, were included, involving four treatment regimens: IDegLira, iGlarLixi, insulin degludec(IDeg), and insulin glargine(iGlar). The differences between IDegLira and iGlarLixi were not statistically significant(P>0.05) for the outcome indexes of glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c), fasting blood glucose, body weight, and the incidence of adverse events(P>0.05); for the outcome index of the incidence of hypoglycemic events, IDegLira was significantly superior to iGlarLixi [OR=0.41,95%CI(0.18,0.91),P<0.05]. Surface under the cumulative ranking curve(SUCRA) results showed that iGlarLixi(84.5%)>IDegLira(81.7%) in lowering HbA1c; IDegLira(71.3%)>iGlarLixi(20.0%) in lowering fasting blood glucose; IDegLira(90.7%)>iGlarLixi(61.8%) in lowering body weight; IDegLira(95.5%)>iGlarLixi(9.7%) in reducing the incidence of hypoglycemic events; and IDegLira(27.1%)>iGlarLixi(14.5%) in reducing the incidence of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS iGlarLixi has better therapeutic efficacy in reducing HbA1c; IDegLira has better therapeutic efficacy in reducing fasting blood glucose and body weight. IDegLira has the lowest risk of hypoglycemia.
7.Direct antiglobulin test positive blood donors and blood transfusion safety
Xiaomei JIE ; Ziyi HE ; Yingming HU ; Menghui BEI
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2025;38(4):578-584
Direct antiglobulin test (DAT), also known as Coomb's test, is a method used in blood immunology to detect whether the surface of red blood cells is sensitized by immunoglobulin or complement. It is mainly used in the diagnosis of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), neonatal hemolytic anemia, hemolytic transfusion reaction and blood matching during blood transfusion. DAT positive has always been the focus of researchers, because it has an important impact on the efficacy of blood transfusion. In recent years, there has been extensive research on the identification of DAT positivity types and the distribution characteristics of diseases in clinical patients, and the study on hemolytic disease of the newborn has also been popular. However, the transfusion safety of DAT-positive blood donors has been a hot topic in the field of blood transfusion for many years. Moreover, there is no clear requirement from the state on the handling of DAT-positive blood and whether DAT-positive blood donors should be deferred from donation. Therefore, this article reviews the serological studies on DAT immunotyping and IgG subtype typing of voluntary blood donors, as well as the impact of DAT-positive blood on blood transfusion safety, in order to provide references for the blood issuance strategy of DAT-positive blood and whether DAT-positive blood donors should be deferred.
8.CD36-mediated immune response and transfusion safety
Xiaomei JIE ; Ziyi HE ; Yingming HU ; Menghui BEI
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2025;38(5):637-643
Cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) is a highly glycosylated double transmembrane glycoprotein, which is involved in the inflammatory response and immune regulation of the body. It plays a key role in mediating the mechanism of immune-related blood transfusion reactions and regulating the function of immune cells. It has an important impact on blood transfusion safety and has become a current research hotspot. This article reviews and comprehensively analyzes the research progress of the specific role of CD36 in the immune response of blood transfusion and its regulatory mechanism at home and abroad. Combined with clinical cases and experimental data, the pathophysiological mechanism of CD36 in immune response and its immune-mediated blood transfusion safety issues are reviewed. It is expected to provide new theoretical support and practical guidance for the field of blood transfusion safety and promote the further development of blood transfusion medicine.
9.Astragalus polysaccharide ameliorates diabetic retinopathy by inhibiting the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 signaling pathway in streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats
Jingrong QU ; Bo WANG ; Yulong WANG ; Hao LI ; Xiaomei AN
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2025;29(1):21-32
This study aims to investigate the effects of astragalus polysaccharide (APS) on diabetic retinopathy through the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 pathway. The anti-type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) targets of APS were identified through comprehensive searches of drug and disease-related databases. A protein-protein interaction network was then constructed, followed by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses.Molecular docking simulations were performed to evaluate the interactions of APS and metformin with Gli1 and AQP1. An in vivo T2DM rat model was established via streptozotocin (STZ) injection and treated with metformin and varying doses of APS for 12 weeks. Histological changes in retinal cells were assessed using H&E and PAS staining. The expression levels of AQP1, Gli1, and SHH in the retina were measured using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and ELISA. Additionally, mRNA expression of AQP1, Gli1, and SHH was quantified by RT-qPCR. Bioinformatic analyses indicated that Gli1 and AQP1, key components of the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 signaling pathway, may be associated with T2DM. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that the STZ-induced T2DM rats exhibited significant retinal damage, which was notably mitigated by both APS and metformin treatments. Furthermore, the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 signaling pathway was found to be overactivated in STZ-induced T2DM rats. Treatment with APS and metformin significantly reduced the elevated expression levels of SHH, Gli1, and AQP1. APS effectively inhibits retinal damage of STZinduced T2DM rats by restraining the SHH-Gli1-AQP1 signaling pathway.
10.Geraniin attenuates isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting inflammation, oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis
Jiaqi DING ; Shenjie ZHANG ; Qi LI ; Boyu XIA ; Jingjing WU ; Xu LU ; Chao HUANG ; Xiaomei YUAN ; Qingsheng YOU
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2025;29(3):307-319
Geraniin, a polyphenol derived from the fruit peel of Nephelium lappaceum L., has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in the cardiovascular system. The present study explored whether geraniin could protect against an isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac hypertrophy model. Mice in the ISO group received an intraperitoneal injection of ISO (5 mg/kg) once daily for 9 days, and the administration group were injected with ISO after 5 days of treatment with geraniin or spironolactone. Potential therapeutic effects and related mechanisms analysed by anatomical coefficients, histopathology, blood biochemical indices, reverse transcription-PCR and immunoblotting. Geraniin decreased the cardiac pathologic remodeling and myocardial fibrosis induced by ISO, as evidenced by the modifications to anatomical coefficients, as well as the reduction in collagen I/III á1mRNA and protein expression and cross-sectional area in hypertrophic cardiac tissue. In addition, geraniin treatment reduced ISO-induced increase in the mRNA and protein expression levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, whereas ISO-induced IL-10 showed the opposite behaviour in hypertrophic cardiac tissue.Further analysis showed that geraniin partially reversed the ISO-induced increase in malondialdehyde and nitric oxide, and the ISO-induced decrease in glutathione, superoxide dismutase and glutathione. Furthermore, it suppressed the ISO-induced cellular apoptosis of hypertrophic cardiac tissue, as evidenced by the decrease in Bcell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X/caspase-3/caspase-9 expression, increase in Bcl-2 expression, and decrease in TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling-positive cells.These findings suggest that geraniin can attenuate ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting inflammation, oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis.


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