1.Diabetic Kidney Disease and Gut-kidney Axis: A Review
Yingchao WANG ; Yexin CHEN ; Hua ZHANG ; Jiangteng LIU ; Zhichao RUAN ; Xingru PAN ; Weijun HUANG ; Jinxi ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(7):310-320
With the rising incidence of diabetes, diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has become a significant global health burden. Although current prevention and treatment strategies can partially delay the progression of DKD, the risk of patients advancing to end-stage renal disease remains high. Since the concept of the "gut-kidney axis" was first introduced at the International Congress on Dialysis in 2011, research on the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of DKD has received increasing attention. This review summarizes the current research on gut microbiota, explores the mechanisms through which it contributes to DKD development, and outlines clinical approaches for DKD prevention and treatment based on the "gut-kidney axis" theory. Evidence indicates that dietary interventions, intake of probiotics or prebiotics, use of metformin and novel antidiabetic drugs, and application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound formulas can effectively improve gut microbiota composition, influence metabolite production, and restore the intestinal mucosal barrier. These interventions can further regulate intestinal innate immunity and inflammatory responses, thereby modulating the progression of DKD. Despite challenges posed by the traditional oral administration of water-decocted TCM compound formulas and the complexity of their ingredients, increasing evidence suggests that TCM may indirectly affect the occurrence and development of DKD by modulating gut microbiota. This finding provides a new perspective on the potential mechanisms of TCM in DKD treatment and may offer novel strategies for DKD prevention and therapy.
2.Mechanism of Huangqi Xiayuxue Decoction Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma via PI3K/Akt/FoxO Signaling Pathway
Xingru XING ; Yuanzhou SHI ; Jiawei WANG ; Di WU ; Yuyao ZHANG ; Yalin WU ; Du CHEN ; Zhen ZHANG ; Sha TIAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(20):131-141
ObjectiveTo explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction against hepatocellular carcinoma based on network pharmacology, animal experiments, and cell experiments. MethodsThe active ingredients and corresponding targets of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction were screened via databases including the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM). Hepatocellular carcinoma-related targets were retrieved from the GeneCards database. The common targets shared by Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction and hepatocellular carcinoma were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma was prepared. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was adopted to observe the effects of different volume fractions (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma on the proliferation of HepG2, MHCC-97H, Hepa1-6, and Huh-7 cells, and the concentration for subsequent experiments was determined. Flow cytometry was adopted to detect the effects of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) on the apoptosis of MHCC-97H cells. A mouse model of subcutaneous xenograft hepatocellular carcinoma was established. The model mice were assigned into low-, medium-, and high-dose (4.63, 9.25, 18.5 g·kg-1) Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction and sorafenib (20 mg·kg-1) groups. Body mass and tumor volume of mice were dynamically monitored during the intervention period. After 3 weeks of intervention, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe tumor morphology. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay was employed to detect cell apoptosis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was adopted to examine the expression of cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 (Caspase-3), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) in the tumor tissue. Real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to verify the changes in apoptosis-related factors and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/forkhead box O1 (PI3K/Akt/FoxO1) signaling pathway. ResultsA total of 220 common targets shared by Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction and hepatocellular carcinoma were screened out by network pharmacology, among which tumor protein p53 (TP53), Akt1, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were the core targets. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the common targets were involved in cell apoptosis and proliferation, as well as the PI3K/Akt and FoxO signaling pathways. Cell experiments showed that compared with the blank plasma group, all volume fractions of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma inhibited the proliferation of HepG2, MHCC-97H, Hepa1-6, and Huh-7 cells (P<0.01). The proportion of early apoptotic cells in MHCC-97H cells was increased after treatment with different volume fractions of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma (P<0.01). Animal experiments revealed that Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction inhibited the growth of tumor volume, promoted tumor cell apoptosis in the high-dose group, up-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of Bax and Caspase-3, down-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of Bcl-2, and reduced the phosphorylation level of the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionHuangqi Xiayuxue decoction exerts anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects by inhibiting the activation of the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway and promoting hepatocellular carcinoma cell apoptosis.
3.Mechanism of Huangqi Xiayuxue Decoction Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma via PI3K/Akt/FoxO Signaling Pathway
Xingru XING ; Yuanzhou SHI ; Jiawei WANG ; Di WU ; Yuyao ZHANG ; Yalin WU ; Du CHEN ; Zhen ZHANG ; Sha TIAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(20):131-141
ObjectiveTo explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction against hepatocellular carcinoma based on network pharmacology, animal experiments, and cell experiments. MethodsThe active ingredients and corresponding targets of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction were screened via databases including the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM). Hepatocellular carcinoma-related targets were retrieved from the GeneCards database. The common targets shared by Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction and hepatocellular carcinoma were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma was prepared. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was adopted to observe the effects of different volume fractions (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma on the proliferation of HepG2, MHCC-97H, Hepa1-6, and Huh-7 cells, and the concentration for subsequent experiments was determined. Flow cytometry was adopted to detect the effects of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) on the apoptosis of MHCC-97H cells. A mouse model of subcutaneous xenograft hepatocellular carcinoma was established. The model mice were assigned into low-, medium-, and high-dose (4.63, 9.25, 18.5 g·kg-1) Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction and sorafenib (20 mg·kg-1) groups. Body mass and tumor volume of mice were dynamically monitored during the intervention period. After 3 weeks of intervention, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe tumor morphology. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay was employed to detect cell apoptosis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was adopted to examine the expression of cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 (Caspase-3), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) in the tumor tissue. Real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to verify the changes in apoptosis-related factors and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/forkhead box O1 (PI3K/Akt/FoxO1) signaling pathway. ResultsA total of 220 common targets shared by Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction and hepatocellular carcinoma were screened out by network pharmacology, among which tumor protein p53 (TP53), Akt1, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were the core targets. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the common targets were involved in cell apoptosis and proliferation, as well as the PI3K/Akt and FoxO signaling pathways. Cell experiments showed that compared with the blank plasma group, all volume fractions of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma inhibited the proliferation of HepG2, MHCC-97H, Hepa1-6, and Huh-7 cells (P<0.01). The proportion of early apoptotic cells in MHCC-97H cells was increased after treatment with different volume fractions of Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction-containing plasma (P<0.01). Animal experiments revealed that Huangqi Xiayuxue decoction inhibited the growth of tumor volume, promoted tumor cell apoptosis in the high-dose group, up-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of Bax and Caspase-3, down-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of Bcl-2, and reduced the phosphorylation level of the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionHuangqi Xiayuxue decoction exerts anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects by inhibiting the activation of the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway and promoting hepatocellular carcinoma cell apoptosis.
4.Research progress on the mechanism of nucleoside antiviral drugs
Mengting LIU ; Yifan ZHU ; Zi ' ; an WANG ; Yicheng JIA ; Huixian WANG ; Xingru HE
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2025;56(6):678-688
As an important strategy in antiviral drug development, nucleoside analogs (NAs) have attracted considerable attention due to their unique mechanisms of action and favorable safety profile. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in the mechanisms of action of NAs, focusing on the following four aspects: (1) Targeting viral polymerases, inhibiting viral replication through mechanisms such as non-absolute termination, delayed chain termination and induction of viral RNA mutations in addition to classical chain termination, which has been newly discovered; (2) Regulating RNA methylation modifications—for instance, competitively inhibiting methyltransferases, which significantly reduces viral replication efficiency; (3) Depleting nucleotide pools—by affecting host cell purine nucleotide synthesis pathways, thereby indirectly inhibiting viral replication; and (4) Immunomodulatory functions—including activation of the STING pathway to promote interferon production. Furthermore, this review systematically discusses the breakthrough progress in prodrug technologies for addressing key clinical challenges such as drug resistance and off-target toxicity of NAs. These advances provide crucial technical support for the clinical translation of NAs. These advances provide key technical support for the clinical translation of NAs. This review clarifies the multi-target action rules of NAs and provides a theoretical framework for the design of next-generation broad-spectrum antiviral agents.
5.Emerging advances in clinical diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma:evolution of comprehensive treatment strategies
Journal of Army Medical University 2025;47(17):1981-1993
Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)ranks as the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide,characterized by high incidence and mortality.Recent advancements in multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment have accelerated the shift toward personalized therapeutic strategies,with significant progress in combining targeted therapy,immunotherapy,and locoregional therapies,which has achieved remarkable results and significantly improved the prognosis of patients.Moreover,advancements in comprehensive treatment have enabled disease downstaging in selected advanced-stage patients,ultimately qualifying them for curative-intent interventions such as anatomic hepatectomy or liver transplantation.The evolving HCC treatment paradigm continuously reshapes surgical approaches while introducing novel clinical challenges.Moving forward,advancements in HCC diagnosis and treatment must balance technological innovation with rigorous clinical validation,while proactively implementing evidence-based standardization of emerging techniques such as minimally invasive surgery and molecular subtyping.Multicenter clinical research should further define optimal patient cohorts for specific therapeutic strategies,ultimately establishing reliable evidence-based frameworks for clinical practice.
6.Screening and validation of glucose metabolism genes in osteoarthritis
Kexin LIU ; Chao MA ; Kai LIU ; Maochen HAO ; Xingru WANG ; Lingting MENG ; Mei DONG ; Jianzhong WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(20):4181-4189
BACKGROUND:Glucose metabolism plays a crucial role in maintaining the normal physiological function of the body.Glucose metabolism disorder can lead to a range of health problems.At present,the molecular mechanism of glucose metabolism and potential gene targets in osteoarthritis need to be further studied.OBJECTIVE:To analyze the genes related to glucose metabolism in osteoarthritis by bioinformatics methods,and to verify them by cell experiments in vitro,so as to provide new ideas for prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis from the perspective of glucose metabolism.METHODS:Differentially expressed genes and glucose metabolism related genes were screened out from GEO database and GeneCards database.The genes related to both osteoarthritis and glucose metabolism were obtained.Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis were used to screen the functions and pathways of these genes.To further investigate the interactions between these genes,a protein-protein interaction network was constructed and computational methods using Cytoscape software were utilized to identify key genes(Hub genes)for osteoarthritis glucose metabolism.In addition,CIBERSORT algorithm was used to analyze immune cell infiltration in GSE98918 data set.Finally,the expression of Hub gene was verified by cell experiment in vitro.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 134 osteoarthritis glucose metabolism-related genes were obtained.GO enrichment analysis showed that GO was mainly involved in the reaction of toxic substances,the positive regulation of inflammatory reaction,the reaction of lipopolysaccharide and so on.KEGG enrichment analysis showed that it was closely related to PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,interleukin-17 signaling pathway,and AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications.Macrophages,monocytes,resting natural killer cells,regulatory T cells,and CD8+T cells were the main infiltrating cells obtained by immune infiltration analysis.In vitro cell experiments showed that the expression of Hub genes SERPINF1,TAC1,GLUL,APOE,and TMEM176A in the experimental group was significantly different from that in the control group.The mRNA expression of HLA-DRA was not statistically significant.The results show that SERPINF1,TAC1,Glul,APOE,and TMEM176A may be the key genes of glucose metabolism in osteoarthritis,and may be potential new targets for the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis.
7.Evaluation on the Operation Management of Public Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals in Shandong Province Based on Ecological Niche Width and Situation Model
Yingzhe ZHAO ; Xingru LIN ; Ya LIU ; Xiaolei WANG ; Shuying CHEN ; Zhiwei DONG ; Jingjie SUN ; Jianhua ZHANG ; Qi JING
Chinese Health Economics 2025;44(5):58-63
Objective:Using ecological niche width and situation model,the operation and management of public Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)hospitals in 16 cities in Shandong Province were evaluated to put forward countermeasures.Methods:The relevant index data of public TCM hospitals in 16 cities in Shandong Province from 2019 to 2022 were collected to analyze the development status.The ecological niche width model and niche situation model were applied to evaluate the operation and management of public TCM hospitals in 16 cities in Shandong.Results:The top three public TCM hospitals in terms of average ecological niche width were City G,City P and City F.The ecological niche situation value of public TCM hospitals in City K,City A and City J ranked the top three.Conclusion:The dimensions of operation management structure of public TCM hospitals in Shandong need to be enhanced and the development of operation management space needs to be balanced.It is feasible to evaluate operation management by using ecological niche width and situation model.It is suggested to improve the allocation efficiency of health personnel,facilities,funds and other resources;promote the spatial balanced development of operation management;promote the application of ecological niche width and situation model in the field of medicine and health management.
8.Evaluation on the Operation Management of Public Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals in Shandong Province Based on Ecological Niche Width and Situation Model
Yingzhe ZHAO ; Xingru LIN ; Ya LIU ; Xiaolei WANG ; Shuying CHEN ; Zhiwei DONG ; Jingjie SUN ; Jianhua ZHANG ; Qi JING
Chinese Health Economics 2025;44(5):58-63
Objective:Using ecological niche width and situation model,the operation and management of public Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)hospitals in 16 cities in Shandong Province were evaluated to put forward countermeasures.Methods:The relevant index data of public TCM hospitals in 16 cities in Shandong Province from 2019 to 2022 were collected to analyze the development status.The ecological niche width model and niche situation model were applied to evaluate the operation and management of public TCM hospitals in 16 cities in Shandong.Results:The top three public TCM hospitals in terms of average ecological niche width were City G,City P and City F.The ecological niche situation value of public TCM hospitals in City K,City A and City J ranked the top three.Conclusion:The dimensions of operation management structure of public TCM hospitals in Shandong need to be enhanced and the development of operation management space needs to be balanced.It is feasible to evaluate operation management by using ecological niche width and situation model.It is suggested to improve the allocation efficiency of health personnel,facilities,funds and other resources;promote the spatial balanced development of operation management;promote the application of ecological niche width and situation model in the field of medicine and health management.
9.Streptococcus gallolyticus infection in children:a systematic review based on case reports
Ruili WANG ; Xingru TAO ; Yabing XING
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2025;24(2):193-200
Objective To systematically evaluate the clinical characteristics of Streptococcus gallolyticus(SG)in-fection in children.Methods PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang,and VIP databases were systematically retrieved,retrieval time was from database establish-ment to March 15,2024.Case reports or case series reports of SG infection in children were included,while re-views,abstracts that couldn't obtain the full text,and literatures outside of Chinese and English language were ex-cluded.Two researchers independently evaluated the quality of the included literatures,extracted literature informa-tion,and summarized the clinical characteristics of SG infection by adopting Joanna Briggs Institute(JBI)quality evaluation tools.Results 35 literatures were included in analysis,involving 65 pediatric patients,including 40 males and 22 females,with 3 cases not reporting gender.The age of onset ranges from 20 hours to 3.5 years old.Bacteremia,bacterial meningitis,infective endocarditis,urinary tract infection,and liver abscess were 53,38,4,2 cases,and 1 case,respectively.SG had a high susceptibility rate to penicillin(96.1%).Bacteremia and meningitis were often treated with monotherapy of penicillin G,ampicillin,or cefotaxime,with a few cases using two antimi-crobial combination.Four cases of endocarditis were all treated with two antimicrobial combination,and one case of liver abscess was treated with three antimicrobial combination;60 cases survived,4 cases died,and 1 case had no reported clinical outcome.Seven children with meningitis developed neurological complications,and one child with endocarditis developed glomerulonephritis.Conclusion Low-age children is the main population of SG infection in children,especially neonate,with bacteremia and meningitis being the most common.Most children have good clini-cal outcomes,and minority of children with bacteremia may die from septic shock.
10.Bioinformatics screening of key genes for endoplasmic reticulum stress in osteoarthritis and experimental validation
Maochen HAO ; Chao MA ; Kai LIU ; Kexin LIU ; Lingting MENG ; Xingru WANG ; Jianzhong WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(26):5632-5641
BACKGROUND:Endoplasmic reticulum stress is closely associated with the occurrence and progression of osteoarthritis,but the key genes and regulatory mechanisms remain unclear.OBJECTIVE:Utilizing bioinformatics to identify crucial endoplasmic reticulum stress-related genes in osteoarthritis,followed by experimental validation in cell models,aiming to offer new strategies for the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis from the perspective of endoplasmic reticulum stress.METHODS:Osteoarthritis-related dataset GSE55235 was downloaded from the GEO database.Differential genes in synovial tissue of osteoarthritis were obtained through WGCNA machine learning algorithm and intersected with endoplasmic reticulum stress-related genes from the GeneCard database to acquire differential endoplasmic reticulum stress-related genes in osteoarthritis(ERSDEGs).These genes underwent GO and KEGG enrichment analysis,construction of a protein-protein interaction network,and validation of diagnostic efficiency in external datasets.Human primary synovioblast model of osteoarthritis was constructed.The control group was not treated,and the experimental group received 20 ng/mL lipopolysaccharide to simulate osteoarthritic synoviocyte modeling.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was then performed to validate the expression level of each differential gene followed by immune infiltration analysis.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 27 key endoplasmic reticulum stress-related genes in osteoarthritis were identified.GO enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were mainly enriched in collagen metabolism,chemokine,antigen binding,and immunoglobulin receptor binding processes.KEGG analysis indicated that they were mainly enriched in pathways such as rheumatoid arthritis and relaxin signaling pathways.The protein-protein interaction network was constructed,and the top five genes with the highest scores were identified using the Degree algorithm in Cytoscape software,including matrix metallopeptidase 1,tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 11,matrix metallopeptidase 9,collagen type 1 alpha 1,and chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 12.Immune infiltration analysis showed that immune cells were mainly distributed in M2 macrophages,chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 12 showed a significant positive correlation with resting mast cells(r=0.70,P<0.001)and a significant negative correlation with resting memory CD4+T cells(r=-0.72,P<0.001).Matrix metallopeptidase 9 showed a significant positive correlation with MO macrophages(r=0.94,P<0.001).Collagen type 1 alpha 1 was significantly positively correlated with resting NK cells(r=0.77,P<0.001)and MO macrophages(r=0.76,P<0.001).Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis in external datasets GSE77298 and GSE1919 showed that the five key genes had good disease prediction value.In vitro cell experiments demonstrated significant differences in the expression levels of matrix metallopeptidase 1,tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 11,matrix metallopeptidase 9,and chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 12 in the osteoarthritic cell model compared to the control group.These results showed that the key genes related to endoplasmic reticulum stress in osteoarthritis,including matrix metallopeptidase 1,tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 11,matrix metallopeptidase 9,and chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 12,influence the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis through the links of collagen degradation and immune regulation,which are expected to provide new insights into the targeted treatment of osteoarthritis.

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