1.The therapeutic effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction on acute lung injury in rats with severe acute pancreatitis model and its mechanism
Min-Chao FENG ; Fang LUO ; Xi-Ping TANG ; Kai LI ; Xiao-Dong ZHU ; Bing-Yu ZHANG ; Guo-Zhong CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(5):975-983
Aim To investigate the possible mechanism of action of Qingjie Huagong decoction(QJHGD)on acute lung injury(ALI)associated with severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)using network pharmacology,and to verify it by animal experiments.Methods The TC-MSP,BATMAN-TCM,ETCM,and SwissTargetPredic-tion databases were searched to obtain the action tar-gets of the blood-entering active ingredients of each drug in the QJHGD.The GeneCard database was searched to obtain SAP-ALI disease targets.The drug targets and disease targets were intersected to obtain common targets.Subsequently,the common targets were analyzed by STRING database and Cytoscape 3.7.1 software for protein interaction network analysis.GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was performed with the help of DAVID database.Finally,the key signa-ling pathways were verified by animal experiments.Results A total of 28 active ingredients were screened out for the treatment of SAP-ALI with 42 common tar-gets.PPI network analysis showed that STAT3,IL-6,and TGFB1 might be core targets;GO and KEGG en-richment analysis mainly involved cell proliferation,PI3K/AKT signaling pathways,etc.Animal experi-ments confirmed that QJHGD could improve the pathol-ogy of pancreas and lung tissues in SAP-ALI rat mod-el,down-regulate the expression levels of α-amylase,lipase,IL-1 β,IL-6,and TNF-α in serum,and down-regulate the expression levels of proteins and mRNAs related to PI3K/AKT1 signaling pathway in lung tis-sues.Conclusion QJHGD synergistically treats SAP-ALI through multi-component,multi-target,and multi-pathway,with a mechanism that may be related to the inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway activation.
2.Exploration of the Mechanism of Toddalia asiatica in the Treatment of Ischemic Stroke:Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation
Jian-Hong GAO ; Dan YANG ; Gang WANG ; Tian-Ying SONG ; Fang-Yu ZHAO ; Xian-Bing CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(7):1375-1383
Aim This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of Todda-lia asiatica in the treatment of ischemic stroke(IS),utilizing network pharmacology,molecular docking technology,and animal experiments.Methods To screen the chemical components of Toddalia asiatica and its targets related to IS,a database was utilized.A protein-protein interaction(PPI)network was con-structed,followed by KEGG pathway enrichment anal-ysis.Molecular docking was performed to investigate the interaction between the components and target pro-teins.Finally,the effects of the drug on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and autophagy were validated through animal experiments.We established a middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)rat model and di-vided the rats into the model group,Donepezil hydro-chloride group,Toddalia asiatica group,and sham op-eration group randomly.Observed the pathological changes in neurons of the rat hippocampal and cortical regions induced by the drug,performed immunohisto-chemical analysis to detect and localize mTOR expres-sion,and used Western blot to assess the expression levels of PI3K,p-PI3K,AKT,p-AKT,mTOR,as well as autophagy markers(LC3-Ⅱ and p62).Re-sults A total of 22 active ingredients from Toddalia asiatica,including AKT1 and MAPK3,were identified through screening.Additionally,194 signaling path-ways,such as PI3K/AKT and MAPK,were analyzed.The active compounds in Toddalia asiatica demonstra-ted stable binding affinity with targets associated with ischemic stroke.The results of the animal experiment indicated that,compared to the sham-operated group,the neuronal distribution in the hippocampal and corti-cal regions of the model group rats became sparser and more disorganized.There was a decrease in the number of Nissl bodies and cytoplasmic vacuolization.The ex-pression of mTOR-positive cells in the hippocampal and cortical regions was reduced.Additionally,the ex-pression levels of p-PI3K,p-AKT,mTOR,and p62 in the rat hippocampal tissue decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),while the expression of LC3-Ⅱ increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the rats in the Toddalia asiatica and the Donepezil hydrochloride groups effectively improved the aforementioned indica-tors in rats.Conclusions Network pharmacology a-nalysis has revealed the promising potential of Toddalia asiatica in treating ischemic stroke,attributed to its di-verse components,targets,and pathways.The animal experiment showed that Toddalia asiatica can protect the neuronal structure in the hippocampal and cortical regions,which may be related to the inhibition of ex-cessive autophagy mediated by the PI3 K/AKT/mTOR pathway.
3.Research progress on mechanism of interaction between traditional Chinese medicine and intestinal flora
Jing WU ; Wei-Yi TIAN ; Kun CAI ; Su-Fang ZHOU ; Yao-Feng LI ; Xiang-Yun CHEN ; Hai-Bing QIAN ; Sha-Sha YANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(10):1823-1829
Modern Chinese medicine studies have confirmed that the interaction between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)and intestinal flora is the key to the treatment of diseases with tradi-tional Chinese medicine.This interplay includes such activities as:traditional Chinese medicine can be metabolized by intestinal flora into effective components with different biological activities from its precursors;TCM chemicals improve the composition of gut microbiota,consequently ameliorating its dysfunction as well as associated pathological conditions;and gut microbiota mediate the interactions between the multiple chemicals in TCM.There-fore,it becomes an important way to understand the modern sci-entific connotation of traditional Chinese medicine theory to study the pharmacological mechanism of the efficacy of traditional Chi-nese medicine by targeting Gut microbiota.
4.Total saponins from Trillium tschonoskii maxim alleviates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting ferroptosis through Keap-1/Nrf2/HO-1 and Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathways
Jian-Hong GAO ; Tian-Ying SONG ; Chao-Xi TIAN ; Fang-Yu ZHAO ; Yi-Duo HE ; Xin LIU ; Xian-Bing CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(10):1850-1857
Aim To examine the neuroprotective im-pacts of total saponins from Trillium tschonoskii maxim(TST)on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury(CIRI)in rats and delve into the mechanisms of ferroptosis.Methods The CIRI model was prepared by dividing male SD rats into the model group,TST(0.1 g·kg-1)group,Donepezil hydrochloride(0.45 mg·kg-1)group,and sham group.The cognitive functions of rats in each group were assessed through the Morris water maze test,the changes in neurological function were evaluated using the Zea-Longa method,the infarct area was observed via TTC staining,and the pathologi-cal alterations in brain tissue were analysed using HE and Nissl staining.To further investigate the underly-ing mechanism,the mitochondrial structural changes were examined using transmission electron microscopy,and the levels of GSH-PX,MDA,and SOD were ana-lyzed.Additionally,the expressions of GPX4 and Nrf2 proteins were evaluated through immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence.Furthermore,the protein lev-els of Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 and Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathways in rats were examined using Western blot-ting.Results The rats in the model group displayed diminished learning and memory capabilities in com-parison to those in the sham group,as well as a signifi-cantly increased cerebral infarction area and higher neurological function scores(P<0.01),significantly increased cerebral infarct area,disordered and loosely arranged neurons,and reduced Nissl bodies.Addition-ally,mitochondria showed typical signs of ferroptosis.Changes related to ferroptosis included decreased activ-ities of SOD and GSH-PX(P<0.01)and increased MDA levels(P<0.01).The expression of GPX4 and Nrf2-positive cells was significantly reduced,along with decreased fluorescence intensity of GPX4.Further-more,the protein expression of Keap1,Nrf2,HO-1,GPX4,SLC7A11 in the hippocampus decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Following the administration of TST,these effects showed improvement.Conclusions TST has neuroprotective effects,enhancing learning and memory abilities while reducing oxidative stress levels.The mechanism may involve the inhibition of ferroptosis through the Keap-1/Nrf2/HO-1 and Nrf2/SLC7 A11/GPX4 pathways.
5.Key points and standard status of quality evaluation of oromucosal drug delivery preparations
Liuliu YANG ; Mingyan LI ; Junqi ZHANG ; Bing WANG ; Yue SHANG ; Fang CHEN
Drug Standards of China 2024;25(3):220-226
Oromucosal drug delivery preparations offer advantages such as convenient administration,suitability for patients with dysphagia,rapid onset of action,and avoidance of first-pass metabolism in the liver.The 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia,EP11.0,BP2022,USP44-NF39,and JP18 all include relevant standards for the quality control of different oromucosal drug delivery systems.This article compares the differences in general re-quirements for oromucosal formulations among different countries and provides an overview of inspection items for marketed oral mucosal formulations and those documented in pharmacopoeias both domestically and internationally.Foreign pharmacopoeias include a wide range of oromucosal drug delivery formulations,with more refined quality control measures for systemic action.These findings can serve as a reference for the improvement and enhancement of standards for oromucosal drug delivery systems in China.
6.Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Patients with Acute Leukemia Complicated with Mucormycosis after Chemotherapy
Ping-Ping ZHANG ; Meng WANG ; Yan JIN ; Jun-Feng ZHU ; Fang-Bing ZHU ; Li-Li HAN ; Yan-Li YANG ; Feng ZHANG ; Jia-Jia LI
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2024;32(3):685-692
Objective:To analyze the characteristics and prognosis of patients with mucormycosis after chemotherapy for acute leukemia,and to strengthen understanding of the disease.Methods:7 cases of acute leukemia(AL)patients diagnosed with mucormycosis by metagenomic next generation sequencing(mNGS)after chemotherapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from October 2021 to June 2022 were collected,and their clinical data,including clinical characteristics,diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis,were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among the 7 patients with AL complicated with mucormycosis,there were 3 males and 4 females,with a median age of 52(20-59)years.There were 6 cases of acute myeloid leukemia(AML)and 1 case of acute lymphocytic leukemia(ALL).Extrapulmonary involvement in 4 cases,including 1 case suspected of central nervous system involvement.The median time for the occurrence of mucor infection was 16(6-69)days after chemotherapy and 19(14-154)days after agranulocytosis.The main clinical manifestations of mucormycosis were fever(7/7),cough(3/7),chest pain(3/7)and dyspnea(1/7).The most common chest CT imaging findings were nodules,patchy or mass consolidation(6/7).All patients were treated with posaconazole or voriconazole prophylaxis during neutropenia phase.5 patients died within 8 months,and the median time from diagnosis to death was 1 month.Conclusion:Although prophylactic antifungal therapy is adopted,patients with acute leukemia still have a risk of mucor infection during the neutropenia phase.Fever is the main manifestation in the early stage of mucor infection.The use of intravenous antifungal drugs alone is ineffective and there is a high mortality rate in acute leukemia patients with mucormycosis.
7.Clinical value of immature granulocyte percentage in pre-dicting severity of acute appendicitis in children
Xin-Li ZHANG ; Kai-Jiang LI ; Pu-Yu ZHAO ; Liang ZHAO ; Bing LIANG ; Dong-Fang LU ; Yu-Cheng SHI
Chinese Journal of Current Advances in General Surgery 2024;27(7):533-537
Objective:To investigate the clinical value immature granulocyte percentage(IG%)and other inflammatory indicators in the severity of acute appendicitis.Methods:A total of 201 pediatric patients undergoing appendicitis surgery admitted to Zhoukou Central Hospital from June 2022 to August 2023 were included.Patients with pathologically confirmed actue appendici-tis were divided two subgroups:actue simple appendicitis(ASA)group and actue complicated ap-pendicitis(ACA)group,The variables that included IG%,white blood cell(WBC)count,absolute neutrophil count(ANC),absolute lymphocyte count(ALC),neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio(NLR),pro-calcitonin(PCT),C-reactive protein(CRP),platelet to lymphocyte(PLR)and other indexes were ana-lyzed between ASA and ACA group.The logistic regression model for diagnosis of ACA was es-tablished,and the diagostic value of this model and other inflammtory indicators for ACA was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Results:The levels of IG%,WBC,ANC,ALC,NLR,PCT and PLR were higher and the level of ALC was lower in ACA group than those in ASA group(all P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that IG%,NLR and CRP were three diagnostic determinants of ACA(all P<0.05).The AUC of the established logistic model and IG%,NLR,CRP were 0.868,0.821,0.691 and 0.790(all P<0.001).The logistic model was vali-dated by independent cohorts,and the AUC was 0.872,the sensitivity was 90.0%and the speci-ficity was 75.6%.Conlusions:The IG%value can early indicator for pediatric ACA,and the es-tablished logistic regression model based on biomarkers including IG%,NLR and CRP has clinical value in diagnosing ACA in children.
8.Effect of long non-coding RNA FGD5-AS1 on high glucose-induced myocardial cell injury through regulation of the miR-195-5p/PIM1 axis
Bing TAN ; Lingyan FANG ; Minghua CHEN ; Qiaoli ZENG ; Runmin GUO
Journal of China Medical University 2024;53(6):487-494
Objective To investigate the effect of the long non-coding RNA FGD5 antisense RNA1(lncRNA FGD5-AS1)on myocar-dial cell injury induced by high glucose levels through regulation of the miR-195-5p/Pim-1 proto-oncogene(PIM1)axis.Methods The rat myocardial cell line H9c2 and human myocardial cells were randomly allocated to the control,model,lncRNA FGD5-AS1 overex-pression,miR-195-5p inhibitor,negative control,and lncRNA FGD5-AS1 overexpression+miR-195-5p mimic groups to determine the expression of lncRNA FGD5-AS1,miR-195-5p,and PIM1.In addition,cell proliferation,apoptosis,and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels of the cells in each group were analyzed.Results Compared with the control group,the protein and mRNA expressions of lncRNA FGD5-AS1 and PIM1 and the survival and proliferation rates in H9c2 and human myocardial cells in the model group decreased(P<0.05),and the expression of miR-195-5p,apoptosis rate,and production levels of tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)increased(P<0.05).Overexpression of the lncRNA FGD5-AS1 reversed these pathological changes in model group cells,whereas upregulation of miR-195-5p could weaken the effects of overexpression of lncRNA FGD5-AS1.Conclusion Overexpression of lncRNA FGD5-AS1 enhances the expression of PIM1 by downregulating miR-195-5p,thereby inhibiting high glucose-induced myocyte inflamma-tion,promoting survival and growth,and alleviating apoptotic injury.
9.Simultaneous content determination of twelve nucleosides in Cervi Cornu slices by LC-MS/MS
Xiao-Li SHI ; Bing-Qian FANG ; Wei LIU ; Jie SHEN ; Jin LIU ; Li LIU
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2024;46(11):3552-3557
AIM To establish an LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous content determination of guanine,adenosine,2′-deoxyuridine,uridine,uracil,thymine,cytidine,xanthine,hypoxanthine,guanosine,inosine and thymidine in Cervi Cornu slices.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 30℃thermostatic Waters X select HSS T3 column(2.1 mm×100 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of methanol and 0.1%formic acid flowing at 200 μL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in positive ion scanning with multiple reaction monitoring mode.RESULTS Twelve nucleosides showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 0),whose average recoveries were 92.46%-104.16%with the RSDs of 2.92%-6.14%.CONCLUSION This stable and feasible method can be used for the quality control of Cervi Cornu slices.
10.Two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis of the causal relationship between human inhalation injury and circulating inflammatory proteins
Zhanzhan DAI ; Qin ZHU ; Xirui TONG ; Bing MA ; Zhaofan XIA ; He FANG
Chinese Journal of Burns 2024;40(11):1043-1051
Objective:To explore the causal relationship between human inhalation injury and circulating inflammatory proteins.Methods:This research was based on two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. With inhalation injury as the exposure factor and circulating inflammatory proteins as the result, data on inhalation injury (216 993 samples) and 91 circulating inflammatory proteins (14 824 samples) were obtained from the genome-wide association study database, and analysis was conducted by two-sample MR analysis methods. Based on linkage disequilibrium analysis, independent site single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were significantly associated with inhalation injury were identified as the instrumental variables. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was mainly used to analyze the causal relationship between inhalation injury and 91 circulating inflammatory proteins, which were further verified using the weighted median method, weighted pattern method, MR-Egger method, and simple pattern method. Based on the aforementioned IVW method analysis results, SNPs of inhalation injury conformed to the hypothesis were subjected to Cochran's Q test for heterogeneity assessment, the MR-Egger regression test and MR-PRESSO outlier test for assessment of horizontal pleiotropy, and the leave-one-out method analysis for reliability assessment.Results:Six SNPs with a significant threshold ( P<5×10 -5) were identified as representative instrumental variables of inhalation injury, with F values greater than 10, indicating strong correlated instrumental variables. Based on the 6 inhalation injury SNPs, the IVW method analysis revealed a significant causal relationship between inhalation injury and interleukin-20 (IL-20), IL-20 receptor subunit alpha (IL-20RA), IL-5, and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 9 (TNFRSF9), with odds ratios of 1.01, 1.01, 1.02, and 1.01, respectively, and 95% confidence intervals of 1.00-1.02, 1.00-1.03, 1.01-1.03, and 1.00-1.03, respectively, P<0.05. Verification through the weighted median method and MR-Egger method confirmed that the causal relationships between inhalation injury and IL-5 (with odds ratios of 1.02 and 1.03, respectively, confidence intervals of 1.00-1.04 and 1.01-1.04, respectively, P<0.05) as well as TNFRSF9 (with odds ratios of 1.02 and 1.03, respectively, confidence intervals of 1.00-1.04 and 1.01-1.04, respectively, P<0.05) were statistically significant. Conversely, verification through the weighted pattern method and simple pattern method indicated that the causal relationships between inhalation injury and IL-20, IL-20RA, IL-5, and TNFRSF9 were not statistically significant (with all P values >0.05), thus still needing IVW method results as standards. Based on the aforementioned IVW method analysis results, the Cochran's Q test demonstrated there was no significant heterogeneity in the 6 inhalation injury SNPs that had significant causal relationships with IL-20, IL-20RA, IL-5, and TNFRSF9 (with Q values of 2.67, 5.00, 5.17, and 5.29, respectively, P>0.05); assessments using the MR-Egger regression test along with MR-PRESSO outlier test showed that none of the 6 inhalation injury SNPs that had significant causal relationships with IL-20, IL-20RA, IL-5, and TNFRSF9 had significant horizontal pleiotropy (with intercepts of 0.01, <0.01, -0.02, and -0.03, respectively, RSSobs values of 3.33, 9.00, 7.88, and 7.26, respectively, P>0.05); the leave-one-out method analysis showed that the significant causal relationship between inhalation injury and IL-20, IL-20RA, IL-5, and TNFRSF9 was stable and reliable after removing the 6 inhalation injury SNPs one by one. Conclusions:Through two-sample MR analysis, it is clear that there is a significant causal relationship between inhalation injury and four circulating inflammatory proteins, namely IL-20, IL-20RA, IL-5, and TNFRSF9, suggesting the production of the above four circulating inflammatory proteins is in an increasing trend following inhalation injury.

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