1.Pharmacological Review, Challenges, and Future Prospects of Zhusha Anshenwan
Xiaosong HU ; Zhou LAN ; Ping WANG ; Li DING ; Chun GUI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(9):329-335
Zhusha Anshenwan is a classical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula originating from LI Dongyuan's Treatise on the Differentiation of Endogenous and Exogenous Injuries (Nei Wai Shang Bian Huo Lun) of the Jin-Yuan period. It is composed of five medicinal ingredients: Cinnabaris (Zhusha), Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Danggui), Rehmanniae Radix (Shengdihuang), and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gancao). Under the guidance of TCM theory, this formula is used to treat syndromes of disturbed spirit, including insomnia, palpitations, and anxiety, caused by hyperactivity of heart fire and deficiency of Yin-blood, and it also exerts auxiliary anticonvulsant effects in epilepsy and related conditions. However, the potential neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity of its monarch drug, Cinnabaris (mainly composed of mercuric sulfide, HgS), together with the risk of in vivo accumulation, have rendered its clinical application controversial, and it has not yet been formally included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. In addition, restrictions imposed by the Minamata Convention on Mercury have led to an increasing shortage of natural medicinal Cinnabaris resources, making the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of synthetic Cinnabaris particularly urgent. This contradiction highlights the complexity of safety evaluation for traditional medicines. Existing studies indicate that Zhusha Anshenwan exhibits definite pharmacological activities in calming the mind, improving sleep, and regulating emotional disorders. Moreover, other components of the formula may exert antagonistic effects on the toxicity of Cinnabaris, and reports of severe mercury poisoning caused by standardized clinical use of this prescription are extremely rare. Research suggests that other ingredients in the compound formula, such as Rehmanniae Radix, Coptidis Rhizoma, and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, may effectively alleviate the hepatorenal toxicity of Cinnabaris through mechanisms including modulation of the gut microbiota, formation of mercury complexes, and direct protection of target organs. This article aims to systematically review the progress in pharmacodynamic research on Zhusha Anshenwan, to explore its mechanisms of action in depth, and to analyze the toxicokinetic characteristics and safety risks of Cinnabaris, as well as the scientific connotations of toxicity reduction and efficacy enhancement achieved through compound compatibility. In addition, it compares Zhusha Anshenwan with other commonly used sedative formulas, with the aim of providing a scientific basis and forward-looking perspectives for the safe and rational application and in-depth development of this classical prescription in a modern context, and of emphasizing the important value of holistic research on TCM compound formulas in addressing the challenges of single-component toxicity.
2.Engineered Bacteriophages for The Treatment of Multidrug-resistant Bacterial Infections
Yu-Ying CHEN ; Chun-Mei HUANG ; Jin-Zhi PAN ; De-Liang LIU ; Yang ZHOU ; Gui-Qin DAI ; Peng-Fei ZHAO ; Hong-Zhou LU ; Ming-Bin ZHENG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1581-1596
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections have emerged as a serious challenge of global public health crisis. The overuse and misuse of conventional antibiotics have dramatically accelerated the emergence, evolution and worldwide spread of drug-resistant bacterial strains, necessitating urgent exploration of novel antibacterial strategies. Bacteriophages serve as natural bacterial predators offering distinct advantages including high host specificity, autonomous self-replication capabilities and cost-effective large-scale production. However, wild-type phages present significant clinical limitations due to their narrow host ranges, susceptibility to rapid immune clearance and poor penetration of bacterial biofilms, which severely restrict their therapeutic applications. The convergence of synthetic biology, nanotechnology and advanced gene editing technologies has accelerated the development of engineered bacteriophage platforms, providing programmable, scalable and clinically translatable pathways to overcome these inherent biological constraints. Here, we systematically delineate four fundamental strategies for engineered bacteriophage development. Chemical modification utilizes reactive functional groups such as amino, carboxyl and thiol moieties on capsid proteins through esterification, amidation or click chemistry reactions to achieve precise drug conjugation and surface functionalization. In vivo editing encompasses ultraviolet or chemical mutagenesis for random mutation induction, homologous recombination for targeted genetic alterations, recombineering methodologies including electroporation-mediated bacteriophage recombination engineering, and CRISPR-Cas systems for precise genome editing to enable exact genetic reconstruction and host range reprogramming. In vitro synthesis leverages genome engineering platforms where intact phage genomes are transferred into yeast or host bacteria to facilitate highly efficient homologous recombination, enabling large DNA fragment assembly and cross-gene host range expansion without bacterial toxicity constraints. Directed evolution combines artificial selection through mutation library screening with rational design approaches involving chimeric receptor binding protein construction or site-specific mutagenesis, effectively balancing the discovery of unknown adaptive pathways with targeted host specificity modification. Moreover, we comprehensively discuss therapeutic applications across diverse clinical scenarios. Engineered bacteriophage effectively disrupt bacterial biofilms through sophisticated functionalized delivery platforms including nanozyme-conjugated phages, phage-liposome nanoconjugates and bio-responsive hydrogels, demonstrating significantly enhanced bactericidal efficiency compared to unmodified free phages. These bioengineered vectors attenuate bacterial virulence and resensitize pathogens to antibiotics by delivering CRISPR-Cas systems or base editors to disrupt critical virulence factors such as pili, capsule synthesis machineries and quorum sensing systems, or by inactivating antibiotic resistance determinants including beta-lactamase genes. As an intelligent nanomedicine delivery platform, engineered bacteriophage enable precise pathogen elimination an through photocatalytic reactive oxygen species generation, immunomodulatory interventions, or controlled release of antibacterial drugs. Furthermore, oral administration of engineered bacteriophage facilitates microbiota modulation, which selectively eliminate intestinal pathogens while preserve beneficial commensal microbiota, thereby restoring microbial community balance and preventing complications associated with dysbiosis. Finally, we critically analyze persistent challenges including host strain matching complexity, evolution of bacterial resistance mechanisms, pharmacokinetic optimization requirements, optimal administration route selection, large-scale production quality control standards and clinical dosing determination protocols. Through multidisciplinary integration of synthetic biology, infectious disease medicine and immunology, future translational medicine studies of bacteriophage should establish comprehensive technical platforms encompassing rapid phage screening, intelligent rational design, rigorous in vivo evaluation and standardized clinical validation processes, ultimately advancing engineered bacteriophage from laboratory innovations to clinically approved therapeutics for effectively combating MDR bacterial infections.
3.Research on Electrical Impedance and Microwave Dual-modality Tomography Algorithm Based on Conditional Diffusion Models
Jin-Zhen LIU ; Xiang-Qian MENG ; Hui XIONG ; Li-Min ZHOU ; Chun-Chan LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1780-1792
ObjectiveStroke poses a heavy burden due to its high mortality and morbidity rates. Accurate and real-time detection of lesions is pivotal for prompt clinical intervention and favorable prognosis. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) and microwave tomography (MWT) have emerged as compelling alternatives for stroke screening, owing to their non-ionizing, non-invasive and portable nature. EIT provides information on tissue conductivity, and MWT offers high sensitivity to changes in dielectric properties. However, single-modality imaging is inherently limited, EIT suffers from low sensitivity to deep-seated tissues and severe ill-posedness of inverse problems, whereas MWT is challenged by strong nonlinearity in inverse scattering and susceptibility to modeling errors. Consequently, the clinical utility of standalone EIT or MWT for stroke diagnosis remains constrained by poor spatial resolution and imaging artifacts. To improve the accuracy and robustness of stroke imaging, a dual-modality fusion conditional denoising diffusion probabilistic model (DM-DDPM) was proposed for high-precision dual-modality image reconstruction. MethodsA dual-encoder network with a symmetric architecture and independently trained parameters was constructed to extract heterogeneous features separately from EIT boundary voltage measurements and MWT scattered field signals. Attentional feature fusion (AFF) is employed to integrate complementary information from the two modalities adaptively, generating robust fused priors that suppress redundant noise while preserving key physical characteristics. Subsequently, the fused priors are embedded into a Transformer-based diffusion model via a cross attention mechanism to guide the reverse denoising process. This approach effectively reduces artifacts and enhances the stability of conductivity distribution reconstruction. Time step embedding is introduced to enable the network to perceive the diffusion stage and further improve the accuracy of noise prediction. ResultsSimulated experiments demonstrated that DM-DDPM significantly outperforms single-modality and multi-modality networks under various noise levels. A head model simulation dataset was constructed based on COMSOL Multiphysics, and tests were carried out under 50 dB, 40 dB and 30 dB signal-to-noise ratio levels. At 30 dB, the average relative error (RE) was below 0.20, while the structural similarity index measure (SSIM) and correlation coefficient (CC) remained above 0.90 and 0.89, respectively. Compared with single-modality and multi-modality networks, artifacts were significantly reduced, lesion edges were clearer, and localization was more accurate. The model maintains high reconstruction quality and strong robustness for single, double, and triple lesions simultaneously. Furthermore, physical experiments were conducted using a 16-electrode EIT system and a 16-antenna MWT system with asynchronous data acquisition. These experiments confirmed the feasibility of the method in real-world scenarios and demonstrated that it can robustly reconstruct simulated lesions despite environmental interference and measurement noise, validating its reliability for practical clinical applications. ConclusionThe proposed method effectively combines complementary dual-modality information with a conditional diffusion model. Low accuracy and poor noise resistance in single-modality imaging were effectively addressed, while the noise amplification issue caused by direct multimodal data fusion was avoided. The proposed algorithm exhibits strong anti-noise interference ability and high imaging stability in both simulation and physical experiments. Precise localization of stroke lesions with different quantities was achieved, providing a high-precision, and practical technical support for clinical stroke detection.
4.Seasonal variation of adult mosquitoes in Yantai, Shandong Province, China: a study based on the circular distribution method
Chun-hui LI ; Cheng-juan LIU ; Ting WANG ; Xiao-ge ZHOU ; Pei-Jun GUO
Acta Parasitologica et Medica Entomologica Sinica 2026;33(2):108-113
Objective This study aimed to investigate the seasonal variation of mosquitoes in Yantai, Shandong Province, and provide a scientific basis for mosquito and mosquito-borne disease control. Methods From March to November for each of the years between 2020 and 2023, adult mosquitoes were collected from different habitats, including parks, hospitals, urban residential areas, rural households and livestock sheds, in 13 counties of Yantai City using a mosquito trap lamp method, among which, female mosquitoes were separated and identified, and the numbers were counted. We used the circular distribution method to analyze the temporal distribution characteristics of mosquito density. Results The γ values obtained for mosquitoes in Yantai from 2020 to 2023, the distribution of mosquitoes in different habitats, and dominant mosquito species in different months showed strong seasonality, with values ranging from 0.7461 to 0.8531(P < 0.05). The peak period of seasonal variation in mosquitoes occurred from June 28thto September 13th, with August 5thbeing identified as the peak day. The peak periods of seasonal variation in mosquitoes in residential areas, parks, hospitals, peasant households, and animals sheds were observed from June 24thto September 14th, June 25thto September 10th, June 22ndto September 12th, July 1stto September 9th, and July 2ndto September 17th, respectively, with corresponding peak days on August 4th,3rd, 2nd, 5th, and 9th, respectively. The peak periods of Culex pipiens pallens, Aedes albopictus, and Anopheles sinensis were from June 26thto September 11th, June 28thto September 17th, and July 12thto September 17th, respectively, with corresponding peak days on August 3rd,7th, and 14th, respectively. Conclusions Our findings in this study revealed that the peak of mosquito activity in Yantai was concentrated in early August, with a peak period extending from June 28thto September 13th, and there were differences between different habitats(with peak periods for rural households and livestock sheds occurring later than those in residential areas, parks, and hospitals). Moreover, with respect to the mosquito species, populations of Cx. pipiens pallens and Ae. albopictus peaked earlier than those of An. sinensis. Based on these findings, we recommend that city-wide mosquito control work should commence in late June, and include appropriate early prevention and control measures for key habitats, such as livestock sheds, and dominant mosquito species, such as Cx. pipiens pallens, to minimize the density of mosquito vectors and the risk of disease transmission.
5.Lysosomal Homeostasis and Chemoresistance in Liver Cancer: Natural Product-based Combination Strategies Targeting Lysosomes
Chun-Ping HUANG ; Yong-Zhuo LI ; Jing ZHOU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(7):1867-1883
Liver cancer is one of the world's serious diseases today because of its high frequency and fatality rate, genetic differences, and limited effectiveness of late-stage therapy. Although chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, ablation and transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) have improved the disease control of some patients, recurrence and acquired resistance are still common, especially for tumors that are hypoxic, nutrient-deprived, acidic-stressed, vascularly insufficient and exposed to repeated drug pressure. A bad environment will cause a change in the quality-control system and metabolism of cancer cells, and as a result, lysosomes have started to alter. In addition to the above catabolic functions of lysosomes, they also take part in autophagic flux, substrate recycling, iron and lipid metabolism, nutrient sensing, drug distribution, membrane repair and cell death signalling. Under the stress of therapy in liver cancer cells, increased lysosomal acidification and enhanced terminal degradation lead to prolonged autophagy; TFEB/TFE3 promotes the formation of new lysosomes and lysophagosomes to sequester weakly basic drugs, thereby reducing the concentration of active drugs and mitigating proteotoxicity and oxidative stress to promote cell survival. The above processes produce a lysosome-dependent resistant phenotype that is particularly relevant to sorafenib and doxorubicin and other drugs whose effectiveness can be reduced by protective autophagy or changes in intracellular location. Conversely, the same dependency on lysosomal homeostasis is also a vulnerability. Natural products and monomeric compounds derived from Chinese herbal medicines have various structures, multiple target regulation capabilities, and the potential to act on several lysosome-related nodes simultaneously. Based on the evidence in this review, it is believed that such compounds may sensitise liver cancer cells by inhibiting V-ATPase-mediated acid hydrolysis, obstructing late-stage autophagy-mediated degradation, disrupting lysosomal calcium or membrane homeostasis, causing lysosomal membrane permeabilisation, reducing compensatory lysosomal biogenesis, promoting ferritin degradation and ferroptosis, or enhancing acid-responsive intracellular delivery. Agents that impair lysosomal function and protective autophagy, compounds that convert enlarged or drug-sequestering lysosomes into lethal targets, and nanodelivery systems that exploit the acidic environment of endolysosomes to co-deliver natural products with chemotherapeutic drugs are examples. Lysosome-targeted intervention will have different effects under different circumstances; for example, inhibiting autophagy may result in an increase in cytotoxic stress in some areas, whereas overstimulation of autophagy or iron release from lysosomes may induce autophagic cell death or ferroptosis in other areas. Therefore, the design of therapy should take into account the status of the tumour microenvironment, autophagic flux, lysosomal pH, TFEB/TFE3 activity, drug sequestration capacity, ferroptosis sensitivity, dosing sequence and delivery route. This review systematically examines the lysosomal homeostasis in the microenvironment of liver cancer, the mechanisms through which lysosomal adaptation contributes to chemoresistance, and the rationale for combining natural products with standard agents such as sorafenib and doxorubicin. Based on basic lysosome biology, pharmacodynamic and delivery data have also been collected; as a result, some applications for future studies have been proposed, such as dynamic monitoring of autophagy flux, in vivo spatial measurements of lysosomal functions, rational optimisation of combination therapy timings, and safety assessments in immunocompetent liver cancer models prior to clinical translation. Translation difficulties are also evident, such as insufficient tumour selectivity, pharmacokinetic limitations, compensatory lysosomal regeneration, toxicity to normal liver and immune cells, and a lack of validated predictive biomarkers. A new way will be found to use biomarkers to divide the patient group, optimize nanoparticles for better delivery, design specific schedules for combined treatments based on the problem they cause within the cell, etc., thereby overcoming drug resistance and reducing the harm patients suffer from toxic treatments. This system can help select biomarkers and rational drug pairs for the next round of lysosome-centred precision trials.
6.4 Weeks of HIIT Modulates Metabolic Homeostasis of Hippocampal Pyruvate-lactate Axis in CUMS Rats Improving Their Depression-like Behavior
Yu-Mei HAN ; Chun-Hui BAO ; Zi-Wei ZHANG ; Jia-Ren LIANG ; Huan XIANG ; Jun-Sheng TIAN ; Shi ZHOU ; Shuang-Shuang WU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(6):1468-1483
ObjectiveTo investigate the role of 4-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in modulating the metabolic homeostasis of the pyruvate-lactate axis in the hippocampus of rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) to improve their depressive-like behavior. MethodsForty-eight SPF-grade 8-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: the normal quiet group (C), the CUMS quiet group (M), the normal exercise group (HC), and the CUMS exercise group (HM). The M and HM groups received 8 weeks of CUMS modeling, while the HC and HM groups were exposed to 4 weeks of HIIT starting from the 5th week (3 min (85%-90%) Smax+1 min (50%-55%) Smax, 3-5 cycles, Smax is the maximum movement speed). A lactate analyzer was used to detect the blood lactate concentration in the quiet state of rats in the HC and HM groups at week 4 and in the 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h after exercise, as well as in the quiet state of rats in each group at week 8. Behavioral indexes such as sucrose preference rate, number of times of uprightness and number of traversing frames in the absenteeism experiment, and other behavioral indexes were used to assess the depressive-like behavior of the rats at week 4 and week 8. The rats were anesthetized on the next day after the behavioral test in week 8, and hippocampal tissues were taken for assay. LC-MS non-targeted metabolomics, target quantification, ELISA and Western blot were used to detect the changes in metabolite content, lactate and pyruvate concentration, the content of key metabolic enzymes in the pyruvate-lactate axis, and the protein expression levels of monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). Results4-week HIIT intervention significantly increased the sucrose preference rate, the number of uprights and the number of traversed frames in the absent field experiment in CUMS rats; non-targeted metabolomics assay found that 21 metabolites were significantly changed in group M compared to group C, and 14 and 11 differential metabolites were significantly dialed back in the HC and HM groups, respectively, after the 4-week HIIT intervention; the quantitative results of the targeting showed that, compared to group C, lactate concentration in the hippocampal tissues of M group, compared with group C, lactate concentration in hippocampal tissue was significantly reduced and pyruvate concentration was significantly increased, and 4-week HIIT intervention significantly increased the concentration of lactate and pyruvate in hippocampal tissue of HM group; the trend of changes in blood lactate concentration was consistent with the change in lactate concentration in hippocampal tissue; compared with group C, the LDHB content of group M was significantly increased, the content of PKM2 and PDH, as well as the protein expression level of MCT2 and MCT4 were significantly reduced. The 4-week HIIT intervention upregulated the PKM2 and PDH content as well as the protein expression levels of MCT2 and MCT4 in the HM group. ConclusionThe 4-week HIIT intervention upregulated blood lactate concentration and PKM2 and PDH metabolizing enzymes in hippocampal tissues of CUMS rats, and upregulated the expression of MCT2 and MCT4 transport carrier proteins to promote central lactate uptake and utilization, which regulated metabolic homeostasis of the pyruvate-lactate axis and improved depressive-like behaviors.
7.Four Weeks of HIIT Modulates Lactate-mediated Synaptic Plasticity to Improve Depressive-like Behavior in CUMS Rats
Yu-Mei HAN ; Zi-Wei ZHANG ; Jia-Ren LIANG ; Chun-Hui BAO ; Jun-Sheng TIAN ; Shi ZHOU ; Huan XIANG ; Yong-Hong YANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(6):1499-1510
ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effects of 4-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and to explore its potential mechanisms. MethodsA total of 48 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control (C), model (M), control plus HIIT (HC), and model plus HIIT (HM). Rats in groups M and HM underwent 8 weeks of CUMS to establish depression-like behaviors, while groups HC and HM received HIIT intervention beginning from the 5th week for 4 consecutive weeks. The HIIT protocol consisted of repeated intervals of 3 min at high speed (85%-90% maximal training speed, Smax) alternated with one minute at low speed (50%-55% Smax), with 3 to 5 sets per session, conducted 5 d per week. Behavioral assessments and tail-vein blood lactate levels were measured at the end of the 4th and 8th weeks. After the intervention, rat PFC tissues were collected for Golgi staining to analyze synaptic morphology. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were employed to detect brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1), lactate, and glutamate levels in the PFC, as well as serotonin (5-HT) levels in serum. Additionally, Western blot analysis was conducted to quantify the expression of synaptic plasticity-related proteins, including c-Fos, activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc), and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR1). ResultsCompared to the control group (C), the CUMS-exposed rats (group M) exhibited significant reductions in sucrose preference rates, number of grid crossings, frequency of upright postures, and entries into and duration spent in open arms of the elevated plus maze, indicating marked depressive-like behaviors. Additionally, the group M showed significantly reduced dendritic spine density in the PFC, along with elevated levels of c-Fos, Arc, NMDAR1 protein expression, and increased concentrations of lactate and glutamate. Conversely, BDNF and MCT1 contents in the PFC and 5-HT levels in serum were significantly decreased. Following HIIT intervention, rats in the group HM displayed considerable improvement in behavioral indicators compared with the group M, accompanied by significant elevations in PFC MCT1 and lactate concentrations. Furthermore, HIIT notably normalized the expression levels of c-Fos, Arc, NMDAR1, as well as glutamate and BDNF contents in the PFC. Synaptic spine density also exhibited significant recovery. ConclusionFour weeks of HIIT intervention may alleviate depressive-like behaviors in CUMS rats by increasing lactate levels and reducing glutamate concentration in the PFC, thereby downregulating the overexpression of NMDAR, attenuating excitotoxicity, and enhancing synaptic plasticity.
8.Role of the PTTG3P/miR-146a-3p/PTTG1 pathway in castration-resistant progression of prostate cancer
Shengquan HUANG ; Min JIA ; Chun ZHOU ; Yi ZHI ; Weibing LI
Chongqing Medicine 2025;54(11):2544-2551
Objective To investigate the role of the pituitary tumor-transforming gene 3(PTTG3P)/microRNA-146a-3p(miR-146a-3p)/pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1(PTTG1)pathway in the castration-resistant transformation of prostate cancer(PCa).Methods Real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR)was used to detect the differences in PTTG3P mRNA expression between androgen-dependent PCa cells LNCaP and cas-tration-resistant PCa(CRPC)cells PC3 and DU145,as well as between primary PCa tissues and CRPC tis-sues.PTTG3P overexpression vectors and PTTG1 interference vectors(shPTTG1)were constructed and transfected into LNCaP cells.The cells were divided into the LNCaP group(control),LNCaP/PTTG3P group(transfected with PTTG3P overexpression vector),and LNCaP/PTTG3P/shPTTG group(transfected with PTTG3P overexpression vector and shPTTG).Under castrated conditions,qPCR was used to detect the ex-pression levels of PTTG3P mRNA and miR-146a-3p in each group of LNCaP cells.Cell viability assays in vitro were conducted to assess the growth status of each group of LNCaP cells,colony formation assays were performed to evaluate the tumorigenic ability of each group of LNCaP cells,and Western blotting was used to detect PTTG1 protein expression levels in each group of LNCaP cells.To investigate the role of miR-146a-3p in the PTTG3P/PTTG1 pathway,LNCaP cells were transfected with a miR-146a-3p mimic to establish a miR-146a-3p mimic cell line,and then transfected with the PTTG3P overexpression plasmid to create a miR-146a-3p mimic+PTTG3P cell line.A luciferase reporter assay was conducted to verify the relationship between miR-146a-3p and PTTG1.Results Compared with androgen-dependent PCa cells LNCaP and treatment-naive PCa tissues,PTTG3P mRNA expression was higher in CRPC cells PC3,DU145,and tissues(P<0.05).Un-der castration conditions,the cell viability and colony formation ability of the LNCaP/PTTG3P group were higher than those of the LNCaP group(P<0.05);cell viability and colony formation ability in the LNCaP/PTTG3P/shPTTG group were lower than those in the LNCaP/PTTG3P group(P<0.05);miR-146a-3p ex-pression was lower in CRPC than in treatment-naive PCa tissues(P<0.05).Overexpression of miR-146a-3p inhibited PTTG1 expression in LNCaP cells,and overexpression of PTTG3P reversed this effect(P<0.05).Conclusion Overexpression of PTTG3P promotes the progression of PCa to CRPC through the miR-146a-3p/PTTG1 pathway.The mechanism may involve PTTG3P competitively binding to miR-146a-3p,thereby upreg-ulating PTTG1 expression.
9.Effects of dihydroartemisinin on cognitive behavior,β-amyloid and autophagy proteins in brain and retina of 5×FAD mice
Yi-Wei HOU ; Yu YANG ; Zhi-Xin WANG ; Li YI ; Hang ZHOU ; Bei-Han LI ; Hong-Bo YAO ; Han GAO ; Yu-Chun WANG ; Ke-Shuang ZHANG
Acta Anatomica Sinica 2025;56(3):270-276
Objective To explore the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease by examining the effects of dihydroartemisinin(DHA)on cognitive behavior,hippocampal,cerebral cortex and retinal cell morphology,β-amyloid(Aβ)and autophagy-related proteins in 5×FAD mice.Methods Twenty 5×FAD mice and 5 wild type(WT)mice were selected,all of which were female.The 5×FAD mice were randomly divided into model(M)group,donepezil(D)group,low-dose DHA(DHA-L)group,and high-dose DHA(DHA-H)group.The WT and M groups were not treated,and the D group was given donepezil 0.1 mg/kg per day.DHA-L group and DHA-H group were given 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg DHA per day,respectively.Group D,group DHA-L and group DHA-H were given intragastric administration once a day for 3 months.The changes of in cognitive behavior were measured by Morris experiment.HE staining was used to observe the arrangement and morphology of nerve cells in cerebral cortex,hippocampus and retina.The expressions of Aβ protein in cerebral cortex,hippocampus and retina were detected by immunohistochemistry.Western blotting detected the expression of autophagy related proteins(LC3-Ⅰ,LC3-Ⅱ,Beclin-1,P62,β-actin).Results The DHA-H group and the D group exhibited more frequent adoption of both linear and trending exploration routes.Compared to the model group,significant differences in the contents of Aβ in the hippocampal CA1,cerebral cortex S1,and retinal were observed(P<0.0001)in the other four groups.The analysis also showed significant differences in autophagy-associated proteins between the DHA-L,DHA-H,and model groups(P<0.01).Conclusion DHA improves cognitive function and increases the number of nerve cells in mice.It also reduces Aβ content in the cerebral cortex,hippocampus,and retina,along with improving autophagy-associated protein deposition in mice.
10.Gender differences and age-related changes in body composition of Miao adults in Guangxi Rongshui
Zhi-Hong LIAO ; Ling LAN ; Peng LIU ; Li-Ning ZHOU ; Ji-Chun GONG ; Lin XU ; Qiong-Ying DENG ; Hong-Rong YU
Acta Anatomica Sinica 2025;56(3):329-335
Objective To investigate gender differences and age-related changes in body composition(BC)among Miao adults in Rongshui,Guangxi Province,and to provide the basis for assessing nutritional status and health.Methods With informed consent,630 Miao adults(218 males,412 females)were randomly selected for this study.Body composition was assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis(BIA).Results Weight,fat-free mass,muscle mass,trunk muscle mass,limb muscle mass,waist-to-hip ratio(WHR),body water,presumtion of bone mass and protein were significantly higher in males than in females.And the fat mass,trunk fat mass,limb fat mass,visceral fat content,subcutaneous fat content and percentage of body fat were significantly higher in females than in males.According to the evaluation of body mass index(BMI)and WHR,the proportion of overweight and obesity of Miao adults was higher than the average level of Miao residents,and their obesity was characterized by central obesity.With age,weight,fat mass,muscle mass,fat-free mass,limb muscle mass,limb fat mass,subcutaneous fat content,percentage of body fat,body water,presumtion of bone mass,and protein of Rongshui Miao adults showed a gradual decreasing trend,while visceral fat content and WHR increased progressively.BMI in male Miao adults,along with BMI,fat mass,trunk fat mass,subcutaneous fat content,percentage of body fat,and body water in female Miao adults,showed a trend of increasing followed by decreasing,peaking at the age of 40-49 years.Conclusion The body composition of Miao adults in Rongshui,Guangxi,exhibits significant gender differences and age-related variation change patterns,which may increase the risk of sarcopenia and metabolic diseases with aging.


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail