Cholesterol (CH) plays a crucial role in enhancing the membrane stability of drug delivery systems (DDS). However, its association with conditions such as hyperlipidemia often leads to criticism, overshadowing its influence on the biological effects of formulations. In this study, we reevaluated the delivery effect of CH using widely applied lipid microspheres (LM) as a model DDS. We conducted comprehensive investigations into the impact of CH on the distribution, cell uptake, and protein corona (PC) of LM at sites of cardiovascular inflammatory injury. The results demonstrated that moderate CH promoted the accumulation of LM at inflamed cardiac and vascular sites without exacerbating damage while partially mitigating pathological damage. Then, the slow cellular uptake rate observed for CH@LM contributed to a prolonged duration of drug efficacy. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses revealed that CH depended on LM and exerted its biological effects by modulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) expression in vascular endothelial cells and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) protein levels in myocardial cells, thereby enhancing LM uptake at cardiovascular inflammation sites. Proteomics analysis unveiled a serum adsorption pattern for CH@LM under inflammatory conditions showing significant adsorption with CH metabolism-related apolipoprotein family members such as apolipoprotein A-V (Apoa5); this may be a major contributing factor to their prolonged circulation in vivo and explains why CH enhances the distribution of LM at cardiovascular inflammatory injury sites. It should be noted that changes in cell types and physiological environments can also influence the biological behavior of formulations. The findings enhance the conceptualization of CH and LM delivery, providing novel strategies for investigating prescription factors' bioactivity.

Cholesterol(CH)plays a crucial role in enhancing the membrane stability of drug delivery systems(DDS).However,its association with conditions such as hyperlipidemia often leads to criticism,overshadowing its influence on the biological effects of formulations.In this study,we reevaluated the delivery effect of CH using widely applied lipid microspheres(LM)as a model DDS.We conducted comprehensive in-vestigations into the impact of CH on the distribution,cell uptake,and protein corona(PC)of LM at sites of cardiovascular inflammatory injury.The results demonstrated that moderate CH promoted the accumulation of LM at inflamed cardiac and vascular sites without exacerbating damage while partially mitigating pathological damage.Then,the slow cellular uptake rate observed for CH@LM contributed to a prolonged duration of drug efficacy.Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses revealed that CH depended on LM and exerted its biological effects by modulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPAR-γ)expression in vascular endothelial cells and estrogen receptor alpha(ERα)protein levels in myocardial cells,thereby enhancing LM uptake at cardiovascular inflam-mation sites.Proteomics analysis unveiled a serum adsorption pattern for CH@LM under inflammatory conditions showing significant adsorption with CH metabolism-related apolipoprotein family members such as apolipoprotein A-V(Apoa5);this may be a major contributing factor to their prolonged circu-lation in vivo and explains why CH enhances the distribution of LM at cardiovascular inflammatory injury sites.It should be noted that changes in cell types and physiological environments can also influence the biological behavior of formulations.The findings enhance the conceptualization of CH and LM delivery,providing novel strategies for investigating prescription factors' bioactivity.

AIM:A mouse model of acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(AE-IPF)was estab-lished.METHODS:One hundred and twenty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a negative control group,an IPF group,and an acute exacerbation of interstitial fibrosis(AE-IPF)group.The IPF group received a low dose(3 mg/kg)of bleomycin(BLM)by endotracheal drip on days 0,14,and 28.The AE-IPF group received a high dose(5 mg/kg)of BLM by endotracheal drip on day 56.The control group received an equal volume of saline at different time points.The AE-IPF group was injected with a high dose(5 mg/kg)of BLM via tracheal drip on day 56 on top of the initial IPF induction,while the control group received equal amounts of saline at different time points.Experiments were con-ducted on the 57th,59th,63rd,and 70th days after the initial modeling.Mice were observed for general conditions,CT imaging changes,HE,and Masson staining to assess the degree of alveolitis and fibrosis in lung tissues.Lung function,hydroxyproline(HYP)content in lung tissues,and interleukin-6(IL-6)content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)were also measured.RESULTS:Mice in the AE-IPF group exhibited wheezing,shortness of breath,dyspnea,and weight loss.CT imaging revealed that IPF group mice showed patchy,subpleural reticular fuzzy shadows with irregular thickening of interlobular septa and intralobular linear shadows,along with tractional bronchiectasis.In the AE-IPF group,new ground-glass shadows and solid shadows appeared in addition to the IPF features.AE-IPF group mice demon-strated decreased lung function,elevated lung index,and acute pulmonary edema.HE and Masson staining of AE-IPF group mice showed consistent pathological manifestations of AE-IPF.HYP content in lung tissues,total cell count in BALF,and IL-6 concentration were significantly higher in the AE-IPF group compared to the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The use of multiple tracheal drip administrations of bleomycin successfully established an AE-IPF ani-mal model in mice.The 63rd day of the experiment was identified as the optimal observation point,as it exhibited the most significant pathological features and clinical symptoms.This model provides ideal conditions for studying AE-IPF patho-genesis and evaluating therapeutic efficacy.

AIM:A mouse model of acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(AE-IPF)was estab-lished.METHODS:One hundred and twenty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a negative control group,an IPF group,and an acute exacerbation of interstitial fibrosis(AE-IPF)group.The IPF group received a low dose(3 mg/kg)of bleomycin(BLM)by endotracheal drip on days 0,14,and 28.The AE-IPF group received a high dose(5 mg/kg)of BLM by endotracheal drip on day 56.The control group received an equal volume of saline at different time points.The AE-IPF group was injected with a high dose(5 mg/kg)of BLM via tracheal drip on day 56 on top of the initial IPF induction,while the control group received equal amounts of saline at different time points.Experiments were con-ducted on the 57th,59th,63rd,and 70th days after the initial modeling.Mice were observed for general conditions,CT imaging changes,HE,and Masson staining to assess the degree of alveolitis and fibrosis in lung tissues.Lung function,hydroxyproline(HYP)content in lung tissues,and interleukin-6(IL-6)content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)were also measured.RESULTS:Mice in the AE-IPF group exhibited wheezing,shortness of breath,dyspnea,and weight loss.CT imaging revealed that IPF group mice showed patchy,subpleural reticular fuzzy shadows with irregular thickening of interlobular septa and intralobular linear shadows,along with tractional bronchiectasis.In the AE-IPF group,new ground-glass shadows and solid shadows appeared in addition to the IPF features.AE-IPF group mice demon-strated decreased lung function,elevated lung index,and acute pulmonary edema.HE and Masson staining of AE-IPF group mice showed consistent pathological manifestations of AE-IPF.HYP content in lung tissues,total cell count in BALF,and IL-6 concentration were significantly higher in the AE-IPF group compared to the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The use of multiple tracheal drip administrations of bleomycin successfully established an AE-IPF ani-mal model in mice.The 63rd day of the experiment was identified as the optimal observation point,as it exhibited the most significant pathological features and clinical symptoms.This model provides ideal conditions for studying AE-IPF patho-genesis and evaluating therapeutic efficacy.

Objective To design and synthesize the conjugate (compound 1) of chlorin e₆ (compound 3) with fluorouracil (5-Fu) as novel pH-responsive dual-mode antitumor photosensitizer by acyl hydrazone bond coupling, based on literature reports that combination of 5-Fu and photosensitizer possess synergistic anti-tumor effect, and investigate its photodynamic antitumor activity and mechanism. Methods Lead compound 3 was obtained by alkali degradation with 25% KOH-CH₃OH on pheophorbide a (compound 4) which was prepared through acid hydrolysis of chlorophyll a in crude chlorophyll extracts from silkworm excrement. Reflux reaction of 5-Fu with P₂S₅ in pyridine formed crude 4-thio-5-fluorouracil which was followed to react with hydrazine hydrate (N₂H₄·H₂O) in CH₃OH to give 5-fluorouracil-4-hydrazone (compound 2). Then, treatment of compound 3 i.e. acid alkali degradation product of chlorophyll a in silkworm excrement with EDC·HCl generated its 17¹- and 15² cyclic anhydride which was followed to directly react with intermediate compound 2 to successfully get title compound 1. In addition, its pH-responsive 5-Fu release and photodynamic antitumor activity and their mechanisms in vitro were investigated. Results Compound 1 could responsively release 5-Fu at pH 5.0, with a cumulative release rate of 60.3% within 24 h. It exhibited much higher phototoxicity against melanoma B16-F10 and liver cancer HepG2 cells than talaporfin and its precursor compound 3, with IC₅₀ value being 0.73 μmol/L for B16-F10 cells and 0.90 μmol/L for HepG2 cells, respectively. Upon light irradiation, it also could significantly induce cell apoptosis and intracellular ROS level and block cell cycle in S phase. Its structure was confirmed by UV, ¹H-NMR, ESI-MS and elemental analysis data. Conclusion The conjugate compound 1 of compound 3 and 5-Fu has the advantages of strong PDT anticancer activity, high therapeutic index (i.e. dark toxicity/phototoxicity ratio) and responsively release 5-Fu at pH 5.0 etc. which shows “unimolecular” dual antitumor effects of PDT and chemotherapy and is worthy of further research and development.

Objective:To construct an evaluation the index system of entrustable professional activities for resident training doctors in psychiatric department,and to provide reference for formulating training strategies and assessment standards.Entrustable professional activities refers to the ability of trainees to perform and complete spe-cific clinical tasks independently after they have been trusted.Methods:Through documental analysis and semi-structured interviews,the item database of entrustable professional activities for psychiatric resident training physi-cians was established.Delphi consultation was conducted among 63 experts in the field of psychiatry from 7 national resident training bases and 3 medical colleges in China.Indicators were comprehensively screened and sorted out,and indicators at all levels and their weights were determined by the analytic hierarchy process.Results:A hierarchi-cal evaluation index system of entrustable professional activities for psychiatric resident training doctors was con-structed,including 4 first-level indicators,17 second-level indicators and 68 third-level indicators.The weights of the first-level,second-level and third-level indicators were determined.Conclusion:The evaluation index system of en-trustable professional activities is comprehensive and systematic,which is suitable for clinical work and convenient for practical application.It could provide quantitative standards for the assessment of psychiatric residents and pro-mote the improvement of training quality.

AIM:To establish a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by multiple intratracheal instilla-tions of bleomycin(BLM).METHODS:C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into five groups:control group(n=5),multiple high-dose BLM(BLM-MH)group(n=10),multiple medium-dose BLM(BLM-MM)group(n=8),multiple low-dose BLM(BLM-ML)group(n=7),and single medium-dose BLM(BLM-SM)group(n=6).The pulmonary fibrosis mod-el was induced by single or multiple intratracheal instillations of BLM.Survival curves were plotted at day 56,and lung tis-sue was collected for lung coefficient calculation.Pathological changes in lung tissue were assessed using hematoxylin-eo-sin(H&E)staining and Masson staining.Indicators of lung fibrosis,such as hydroxyproline(HYP),were measured.Dif-ferentially expressed genes in patients with IPF were screened using the GEO database,and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis was performed to identify pathways associated with IPF.Western blot was used to detect changes in these pathways in the lung tissues of the model mice.RESULTS:The survival rates were 50%in the BLM-MH group and 87.5%in the BLM-MM group,with no deaths in other groups.Compared with the control group,the BLM-MH and BLM-MM groups showed significantly increased lung coefficients(P＜0.05),lung tissue dam-age,inflammation levels,degree of pulmonary fibrosis(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),and HYP content.The BLM-MH and BLM-MM groups,compared with the BLM-SM group,showed significantly elevated levels of inflammation,fibrosis,and HYP content(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).GEO database and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the extracellular matrix-recep-tor interaction pathway(ECM-RIP)may be involved in IPF development.The expression levels of ECM-RIP pathway-re-lated proteins,such as phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase(p-FAK)and phosphorylated Src protein(p-Src),were in-creased in the lung tissues of the model mice compared with the control group.Compared with the BLM-SM group,the BLM-MH group exhibited significant increases in the protein levels of p-FAK and p-Src in the lung tissue(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:The murine model of pulmonary fibrosis established through repeated intratracheal instillations of BLM effectively mimics the pathological characteristics of the disease,providing a valuable experimental model for the investiga-tion of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis pathogenesis and for the development of therapeutic agents.

AIM:To establish a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by multiple intratracheal instilla-tions of bleomycin(BLM).METHODS:C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into five groups:control group(n=5),multiple high-dose BLM(BLM-MH)group(n=10),multiple medium-dose BLM(BLM-MM)group(n=8),multiple low-dose BLM(BLM-ML)group(n=7),and single medium-dose BLM(BLM-SM)group(n=6).The pulmonary fibrosis mod-el was induced by single or multiple intratracheal instillations of BLM.Survival curves were plotted at day 56,and lung tis-sue was collected for lung coefficient calculation.Pathological changes in lung tissue were assessed using hematoxylin-eo-sin(H&E)staining and Masson staining.Indicators of lung fibrosis,such as hydroxyproline(HYP),were measured.Dif-ferentially expressed genes in patients with IPF were screened using the GEO database,and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis was performed to identify pathways associated with IPF.Western blot was used to detect changes in these pathways in the lung tissues of the model mice.RESULTS:The survival rates were 50%in the BLM-MH group and 87.5%in the BLM-MM group,with no deaths in other groups.Compared with the control group,the BLM-MH and BLM-MM groups showed significantly increased lung coefficients(P＜0.05),lung tissue dam-age,inflammation levels,degree of pulmonary fibrosis(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),and HYP content.The BLM-MH and BLM-MM groups,compared with the BLM-SM group,showed significantly elevated levels of inflammation,fibrosis,and HYP content(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).GEO database and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the extracellular matrix-recep-tor interaction pathway(ECM-RIP)may be involved in IPF development.The expression levels of ECM-RIP pathway-re-lated proteins,such as phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase(p-FAK)and phosphorylated Src protein(p-Src),were in-creased in the lung tissues of the model mice compared with the control group.Compared with the BLM-SM group,the BLM-MH group exhibited significant increases in the protein levels of p-FAK and p-Src in the lung tissue(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:The murine model of pulmonary fibrosis established through repeated intratracheal instillations of BLM effectively mimics the pathological characteristics of the disease,providing a valuable experimental model for the investiga-tion of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis pathogenesis and for the development of therapeutic agents.

OBJECTIVE Alzheimer's disease(AD)is the most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide.Neuroinflammation is a potential target for the patients with AD.It is attributed to activated microglia and the release of various inflammatory mediators from infec-tion,ischemia and toxin accumulation.Accumulating evi-dence has indicated that the cGAS-STING pathway driven neuroinflammation in neurological disease.TSG is a main natural active ingredient that derived from polyg-onum multiflorum.Previous research from our group found that TSG has beneficial effects of anti-aging,anti-inflammatory action and improving memory function in APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice.Here,we investigated the effects of TSG on cognitive impairment and neuroinflam-mation in APP/PS1-AD mice and explore the underly-ing mechanism by which TSG ameliorates memory func-tion in the cGAS-STING-mediated inflammatory response.METHODS The Morris water mace test and the novel object recognition test were performed to test the effects of TSG on spatial learning and cognitive and memory abil-ity in APP/PS1 double transgenic AD mice model.In addi-tion,real-time quantitative PCR,Western blotting,ELISA analysis,and flow cytometry to examine gene and pro-tein expression of cGAS-STING related pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.Statistical analyses were ana-lyzed using the SPSS 25.0 package by analysis of vari-ance(ANOVA).Neuman-Keuls or Tukey's multiple-com-parisons test were conducted as ANOVA justified post hoc comparisons between group means.RESULTS We demonstrated that AD transgenic mice exhibited cognitive deficits accompanied by the elevated serum and brain inflammation.The expressions of serum inflammatory cytokines and the activation of microglia in cerebral cor-tex and hippocampus were suppressed after TSG treat-ment,which was probably attributable to the decrease of cyclic GMP-AMP synthase(cGAS)and stimulator of interferon genes(STING)triggered immune response.Additionally,the data showed that TSG treatment reduced the expression level of inflammatory cytokines(IL-1β,TNF-α,IFN-β,IFN-α)in microglial cells BV2 primed with LPS and IFN-γ.CONCLUSION TSG implicated the health benefits in preventing cognitive disorders by inhib-iting neuroinflammation via cGAS-STING signalling path-way in AD.

Objective To designe, synthesize a series of chlorin p₆ ether photosensitizers and preliminarily investigate their photodynamic antitumor activity based on previous research results that alkoxyl ether derivatives of 3-vinyl on chlorin f exhibited stronger photosensitive antitumor activity than parent compound. Methods Purpurin-18 (4) was obtained by oxidative degradation with air and alkali on pheophorbide a (5) which was prepared through acid hydrolysis of chlorophyll a from crude chlorophyll extracts in Chinese traditional herb named Silkworm excrement. Then, chlorin p₆ trimethylester (2) were formed via basic hydrolysis of internal anhydride ring for lead compound 3 and following immediately methylation with CH₂N₂. The intermediate 2 reacted with 33% HBr, following nucleophilic substitution with various alkoxyl alcohol to get six title compounds (1). All title compounds were subjected to photodynamic antitumor activity screening for melanoma B16-F10 cell in vitro. Results All title compounds showed much higher phototoxicity against melanoma B16-F10 cells than talaporfin and verteporfin. Their structures were confirmed by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, ESI-MS and ESI-HRMS spectra. Conclusion Chlorin p₆ ether compounds were promising candidate photosensitizers for PDT applications due to theirs high dark toxicity/phototoxicity ratio and excellent phototoxicity, which were worthy of further research and development.