1.Role and pathogenesis of pyroptosis and inflammatory factors in osteoporosis
Jiamu XU ; Cheng YANG ; Weimin LI ; Chunqing WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(3):691-700
BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that there is a close relationship between pyroptosis,inflammatory factors and osteoporosis.OBJECTIVE:To review the effects of pyroptosis and inflammatory factors on the pathogenesis of osteoporosis from the perspectives of osteogenic differentiation and osteoclastic differentiation,based on an overview of pyroptosis in relation to the interaction of relevant inflammatory factors.METHODS:The first author used the computer to search the literature published by each database until 2024,and searched CNKI,WanFang,VIP and PubMed databases with the search terms of"pyroptosis,inflammatory factors,osteoporosis,osteoblast,osteoclast,bone metabolism,signaling pathway,review"in Chinese and English.A total of 79 papers were finally included according to the inclusion criteria.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The progression of osteoporosis is closely related to inflammation,in which pyroptosis plays a key role.Immune cells induce pyroptosis through apoptosis pathway,promote the secretion of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-18,interleukin-1β and NLRP3,build an inflammatory immune microenvironment,and regulate bone metabolism through complex signaling pathways,resulting in enhanced bone absorption and reduced bone formation,thereby leading to osteoporosis.Previous studies have shown that inhibiting pyroptosis is anti-inflammatory and slows the progression of osteoporosis,and it has been shown to improve inflammatory bone loss in vitro and in animal models.At present,research on pyroptosis and osteoporosis is limited.On the one hand,the exact mechanism of osteoporosis and the pathogenesis of pyroptosis are unknown,and the specific pathways and regulatory mechanisms remain to be understood.On the other hand,therapeutic strategies targeting pyroptosis are still theoretical,not clinically proven,and drug side effects are unknown.In the future,the research focus is to further explore the pathogenesis,especially the mechanism of pyroptosis,identify potential therapeutic targets,further study the pyroptosis signaling pathway and Gasdermin protein,and develop new drugs to improve the therapeutic effect in patients with osteoporosis.
2.Role and pathogenesis of pyroptosis and inflammatory factors in osteoporosis
Jiamu XU ; Cheng YANG ; Weimin LI ; Chunqing WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(3):691-700
BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that there is a close relationship between pyroptosis,inflammatory factors and osteoporosis.OBJECTIVE:To review the effects of pyroptosis and inflammatory factors on the pathogenesis of osteoporosis from the perspectives of osteogenic differentiation and osteoclastic differentiation,based on an overview of pyroptosis in relation to the interaction of relevant inflammatory factors.METHODS:The first author used the computer to search the literature published by each database until 2024,and searched CNKI,WanFang,VIP and PubMed databases with the search terms of"pyroptosis,inflammatory factors,osteoporosis,osteoblast,osteoclast,bone metabolism,signaling pathway,review"in Chinese and English.A total of 79 papers were finally included according to the inclusion criteria.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The progression of osteoporosis is closely related to inflammation,in which pyroptosis plays a key role.Immune cells induce pyroptosis through apoptosis pathway,promote the secretion of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-18,interleukin-1β and NLRP3,build an inflammatory immune microenvironment,and regulate bone metabolism through complex signaling pathways,resulting in enhanced bone absorption and reduced bone formation,thereby leading to osteoporosis.Previous studies have shown that inhibiting pyroptosis is anti-inflammatory and slows the progression of osteoporosis,and it has been shown to improve inflammatory bone loss in vitro and in animal models.At present,research on pyroptosis and osteoporosis is limited.On the one hand,the exact mechanism of osteoporosis and the pathogenesis of pyroptosis are unknown,and the specific pathways and regulatory mechanisms remain to be understood.On the other hand,therapeutic strategies targeting pyroptosis are still theoretical,not clinically proven,and drug side effects are unknown.In the future,the research focus is to further explore the pathogenesis,especially the mechanism of pyroptosis,identify potential therapeutic targets,further study the pyroptosis signaling pathway and Gasdermin protein,and develop new drugs to improve the therapeutic effect in patients with osteoporosis.
3.Ferroptosis and osteoporosis
Cheng YANG ; Weimin LI ; Dongcheng RAN ; Jiamu XU ; Wangxiang WU ; Jiafu XU ; Jingjing CHEN ; Guangfu JIANG ; Chunqing WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(3):554-562
BACKGROUND:It has also been confirmed that ferroptosis is closely related to a variety of musculoskeletal diseases,such as rheumatoid arthritis,osteosarcoma,and osteoporosis.The pathophysiological mechanisms of ferroptosis and osteoporosis need to be further studied and elucidated to broaden our understanding of iron metabolism and osteoporosis.It will provide research ideas for the future elucidation of new mechanisms of osteoporosis and the development of new technologies and drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis. OBJECTIVE:To provide an overview of the current status of research on ferroptosis in osteoporosis,to provide a new direction for future research on the specific molecular mechanisms of osteoporosis,and to provide more effective and better options for osteoporosis treatment strategies. METHODS:The first author used the computer to search the literature published from 2000 to 2024 in CNKI,WanFang,VIP,and PubMed databases with search terms"ferroptosis,iron metabolism,osteoporosis,osteoblast,osteoclast,bone metabolism,signal pathway,musculoskeletal,review"in Chinese and English.A total of 68 articles were finally included according to the selection criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Ferroptosis is a new type of cell death discovered in recent years,which is usually accompanied by a large amount of iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation during cell death,and its occurrence is iron-dependent.This is distinctly different from several types of cell death that are currently being hotly studied(e.g.,cellular pyroptosis,necrotic apoptosis,cuproptosis,and autophagy).(2)Intracellular iron homeostasis is manifested as a balance between iron uptake,export,utilization,and storage.The body's iron regulatory system includes systemic and intracellular regulation.The main factor of systemic regulation is hepcidin produced by hepatic secretion,and cellular regulation depends on the iron regulatory protein/iron response element system.Of course,intracellular iron homeostasis can be controlled by other factors,such as hypoxia,cytokines,and hormones.(3)Lipid peroxidation causes oxidative damage to biological membranes(plasma membrane and internal organelle membranes),lipoproteins,and other lipid-containing molecules.Polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing phospholipids are important targets of lipid peroxidation.Free polyunsaturated fatty acid is an important substrate for lipid oxidation and can bind to the phospholipid bilayer,leading to over-oxidation and thus triggering lipid apoptosis.(4)Several studies have shown that osteoblasts are overloaded with iron in different ways,resulting in the accumulation of unstable ferrous iron and the generation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxides,causing ferroptosis of osteoblasts and ultimately a decrease in bone formation,affecting bone homeostasis and the development of osteoporosis.(5)Osteoclasts are large multinucleated cells formed by the fusion of mononuclear macrophage cell lines or bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells induced by nuclear factor-κB ligand receptor activator,and they have the function of bone resorption.Iron ions can promote osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption through the production of intracellular lipid reactive oxygen species,while iron chelators can inhibit osteoclast formation in vitro and thus affect the occurrence and development of osteoporosis.
4.Studies on the effect of methotrexate on blood uric acid level in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases
Fang YANG ; Xiaowei ZHANG ; Yifei LI ; Yu ZHANG ; Chunqing DAI ; Guihong WANG
Chinese Journal of Rheumatology 2025;29(11):930-935
Objective:To clarify the effect of methotrexate on blood uric acid levels and the incidence of hyperuricemia in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs).Methods:The clinical data were collected from 349 patients with RMDs who took methotrexate for more than 52 weeks and 429 patients with RMDs who did not take methotrexate, who were treated at Anqing Medical Center of Auhui Medical University from June 1, 2022 to June 30, 2024, to compare the differences in serum uric acid concentration and the incidence of hyperuricemia before and after 24 weeks of methotrexate administration in the two groups of patients with RMDs. The changes in serum uric acid concentration and serum creatinine value in the MTX na?ve patients who had taking MTX for 0, 24 and 52 weeks were compared. The relationship between serum uric acid concentration and methotrexate dosage was analyzed. Measurement data were compared using t-test or ANOVA, repeated measures analysis of variance, and count data were compared using χ2 test. Results:①At week 0, there was no significant difference in serum uric acid concentration [(300±63)μmol/L vs. (306±64)μmol/L, t=-1.416, P=0.157] and the incidence of hyperuricemia [9.3%(40/429) vs. 10.3%(36/349) , χ2=0.215, P=0.643] between the two groups. At week24, the serum uric acid concentration (307±70)μmol/L vs. (246±89)μmol/L was statistically significantly ( t=10.909, P<0.001) different. The incidence of hyperuricemia (11.0%, 47/429) vs. (4.6%, 16/349), was statistically significantly different ( χ2=10.497, P<0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in serum uric acid concentration between week 0 and week 24 in the methotrexate group ( t=10.237, P<0.001), and there was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of hyperuricemia ( χ2=8.312, P=0.004). ②The overall serum uric acid concentrations at week 0, weeks 24, and weeks 52 were (306±64)μmol/L, (246±89)μmol/L, and (247±66)μmol/L, respectively. The difference in overall serum uric acid concentration was statistically significant ( F= 29.506, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in serum uric acid concentration between weeks 24 and 52 ( P=1.000). There were significant differences in serum creatinine levels between weeks 0, 24 and 52 ( P<0.001). There was no significant difference in serum creatinine levels between weeks 0 ,52, weeks 24 and 52 ( P=0.077, P=1.000). There were statistically significant differences in the overall serum uric acid concentration and serum creatinine value at weeks 0, 24 and 52 of medication ( P<0.001).③ There was no significant difference in serum uric acid concentration before and after taking hydroxychloroquine, cyclosporine, tripterygium wilfordii, mycophenolate mofetil, tofacitinib, etanercept and adalimumab alone for weeks 0 and 24(all P>0.05). ④There was no significant difference in serum uric acid concentration between patients taking different doses of methotrexate (7.5 mg once weekly, 10 mg once weekly, 12.5 mg once weekly, 15 mg once weekly) at weeks 0 and 24 weeks(all P>0.05). Conclusion:MTX, as an anti-rheumatic drug, reduces the serum uric acid level and the incidence of hyperuricemia in patients with RMDs during the treatment.
5.Effects of different viscosity of bolus on the swallowing physiological components,penetration and aspira-tion in patients with dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Chunqing XIE ; Ziji-an WU ; Chen YANG
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2025;40(11):1660-1665
Objective:To explore the correlation between bolus of different viscosity and swallowing physiological components,as well as penetration and aspiration,in patients with dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Method:Total 67 patients with dysphagia after NPCR were evaluated by videofluoroscop.They were required to swallow 5 ml bolus per mouth,in the order of medium-low-zero-high consistency.Modified barium swal-low impairment profile(MBSImP)and penetration-aspiration scale(PAS)were used for semi-quantitative analysis.Result:Wide probability ranges(>0.2)can be observed between different swallowing tasks for 7 physiologi-cal components:oral residue,initiation of pharyngeal swallow,laryngeal elevation,laryngeal vestibular clo-sure,pharyngeal contraction,tongue base retraction,and pharyngeal residue.The risk of penetration and aspira-tion increased with lower viscosity.There was a significant positive correlation between the penetration aspira-tion scale and epiglottic movement,laryngeal vestibular closure,bolus transpor,initiation of pharyngeal swal-low and tongue base retraction.Conclusion:The performance of swallowing physiological components in patients with dysphagia after NPCR are closely related to the viscosity of the bolus being swallowed.
6.Effects of different viscosity of bolus on the swallowing physiological components,penetration and aspira-tion in patients with dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Chunqing XIE ; Ziji-an WU ; Chen YANG
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2025;40(11):1660-1665
Objective:To explore the correlation between bolus of different viscosity and swallowing physiological components,as well as penetration and aspiration,in patients with dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Method:Total 67 patients with dysphagia after NPCR were evaluated by videofluoroscop.They were required to swallow 5 ml bolus per mouth,in the order of medium-low-zero-high consistency.Modified barium swal-low impairment profile(MBSImP)and penetration-aspiration scale(PAS)were used for semi-quantitative analysis.Result:Wide probability ranges(>0.2)can be observed between different swallowing tasks for 7 physiologi-cal components:oral residue,initiation of pharyngeal swallow,laryngeal elevation,laryngeal vestibular clo-sure,pharyngeal contraction,tongue base retraction,and pharyngeal residue.The risk of penetration and aspira-tion increased with lower viscosity.There was a significant positive correlation between the penetration aspira-tion scale and epiglottic movement,laryngeal vestibular closure,bolus transpor,initiation of pharyngeal swal-low and tongue base retraction.Conclusion:The performance of swallowing physiological components in patients with dysphagia after NPCR are closely related to the viscosity of the bolus being swallowed.
7.Studies on the effect of methotrexate on blood uric acid level in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases
Fang YANG ; Xiaowei ZHANG ; Yifei LI ; Yu ZHANG ; Chunqing DAI ; Guihong WANG
Chinese Journal of Rheumatology 2025;29(11):930-935
Objective:To clarify the effect of methotrexate on blood uric acid levels and the incidence of hyperuricemia in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs).Methods:The clinical data were collected from 349 patients with RMDs who took methotrexate for more than 52 weeks and 429 patients with RMDs who did not take methotrexate, who were treated at Anqing Medical Center of Auhui Medical University from June 1, 2022 to June 30, 2024, to compare the differences in serum uric acid concentration and the incidence of hyperuricemia before and after 24 weeks of methotrexate administration in the two groups of patients with RMDs. The changes in serum uric acid concentration and serum creatinine value in the MTX na?ve patients who had taking MTX for 0, 24 and 52 weeks were compared. The relationship between serum uric acid concentration and methotrexate dosage was analyzed. Measurement data were compared using t-test or ANOVA, repeated measures analysis of variance, and count data were compared using χ2 test. Results:①At week 0, there was no significant difference in serum uric acid concentration [(300±63)μmol/L vs. (306±64)μmol/L, t=-1.416, P=0.157] and the incidence of hyperuricemia [9.3%(40/429) vs. 10.3%(36/349) , χ2=0.215, P=0.643] between the two groups. At week24, the serum uric acid concentration (307±70)μmol/L vs. (246±89)μmol/L was statistically significantly ( t=10.909, P<0.001) different. The incidence of hyperuricemia (11.0%, 47/429) vs. (4.6%, 16/349), was statistically significantly different ( χ2=10.497, P<0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in serum uric acid concentration between week 0 and week 24 in the methotrexate group ( t=10.237, P<0.001), and there was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of hyperuricemia ( χ2=8.312, P=0.004). ②The overall serum uric acid concentrations at week 0, weeks 24, and weeks 52 were (306±64)μmol/L, (246±89)μmol/L, and (247±66)μmol/L, respectively. The difference in overall serum uric acid concentration was statistically significant ( F= 29.506, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in serum uric acid concentration between weeks 24 and 52 ( P=1.000). There were significant differences in serum creatinine levels between weeks 0, 24 and 52 ( P<0.001). There was no significant difference in serum creatinine levels between weeks 0 ,52, weeks 24 and 52 ( P=0.077, P=1.000). There were statistically significant differences in the overall serum uric acid concentration and serum creatinine value at weeks 0, 24 and 52 of medication ( P<0.001).③ There was no significant difference in serum uric acid concentration before and after taking hydroxychloroquine, cyclosporine, tripterygium wilfordii, mycophenolate mofetil, tofacitinib, etanercept and adalimumab alone for weeks 0 and 24(all P>0.05). ④There was no significant difference in serum uric acid concentration between patients taking different doses of methotrexate (7.5 mg once weekly, 10 mg once weekly, 12.5 mg once weekly, 15 mg once weekly) at weeks 0 and 24 weeks(all P>0.05). Conclusion:MTX, as an anti-rheumatic drug, reduces the serum uric acid level and the incidence of hyperuricemia in patients with RMDs during the treatment.
8.Molecular genetic analysis and identification of novel alleles of ABO subtypes
Jun SU ; Xigang WANG ; Hongxia YANG ; Lingling CHE ; Tiantian REN ; Chunqing YANG ; Ling ZHAO ; Sheng WANG
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2024;37(2):145-150
【Objective】 To study the molecular mechanism of 95 samples of serological ABO subtypes. 【Methods】 A total of 95 samples with discrepancy between forward and reverse blood grouping were subjected to serological confirmation, and genotyped by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). For those subtype alleles could not be detected by PCR-SSP, ABO gene exon 1-7 sequencing and gene single strand sequencing were performed successively to determine the mutation site and the gene location. 【Results】 A total of 34 ABO alleles were detected in 95 samples. Five common ABO alleles (ABO*A1.01, ABO*A1.02, ABO*B.01, ABO*O.01.01 and ABO*O.01.02) and 29 rare ABO alleles were identified, including 16 named alleles by ISBT (ABO*A2.01, ABO*A2.05, ABO*A2.13, ABO*A3.07, ABO*AW.37, ABO*AEL.05, ABO*B3.01, ABO*B3.05, ABO*BW.03, ABO*BW.07, ABO*BW.27, ABO*BEL.03, ABO*cisAB.01, ABO*cisAB.05, ABO*BA.02, ABO*BA.04) and 5 named alleles by dbRBC(A223, B309, Bw37, Bel09, Bw40)and eight unnamed alleles [ABO*B.01+ 978C>A, ABO*A1.02+ 248A>T, ABO*B.01+ 125dupT, ABO*B.01+ (98+ 1G>A), ABO*A1.02/ABO*B.01+ 1A>G, ABO*A1.02/ABO*O.01.01+ 28G>T, ABO*A1.02/ABO*B.01+ 538C>T, ABO*A1.02/ABO*O.01.01+ 797insT] .The last four samples could not be verified by single strand because of insufficient samples. In 95 samples, 76 samples (21 named alleles of ISBT and dbRBC) were identified by PCR-SSP, and the remaining 19 samples were identified by exon 1-7 sequencing of ABO gene, of which 8 were identified as unnamed alleles, and the remaining 11 samples were not identified as subtype alleles. 【Conclusion】 The molecular genetic mechanism of 95 serological ABO subtypes was revealed, and 8 rare novel alleles were identified. The detection of ambiguous blood groups is influenced by factors such as patient pathology and physiology, therefore the combination of serological testing and genetic testing is suggested for the identification of ABO subtype.
9.Study on relationship between severe COVID-19 and delayed onset myasthenia gravis based on Mendelian randomization
Xiaofeng ZHANG ; Minglu CHE ; Li YANG ; Chunqing ZHANG
Chongqing Medicine 2024;53(21):3228-3232,3239
Objective To investigate the potential causal relationships between coronavirus disease-2019(COVID-19)susceptibility,hospitalization and severe case with late-onset myasthenia gravis(LOMG)based on Mendelian randomization(MR).Methods The public data from non-overlapping genome-wide association studies were screened,COVID-19 susceptibility,hospitalization and severe case served as the exposure data,and LOMG as the outcome data.The inverse-variance weighted(IVW)method was mainly adopted to evalu-ate the causal effect,which was supplemented by the methods such as MR-Egger method,weighted median method,weighted model and simple model.The sensitivity analysis was performed.Results The genetically predicted severe case of COVID-19 had the positively causal relationship with LOMG(OR=1.01,95%CI:1.00-1.03,P=0.046).The sensitivity analysis results revealed the study results were steady(P>0.05).No heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was found.Conclusion Severe case of COVID-19 may be associated with an increased risk of LOMG.
10.Tracking of Stem Cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth Labeled with Molday ION Rhodamine-B during Periodontal Bone Regeneration in Rats
Nan ZHANG ; Li XU ; Hao SONG ; Chunqing BU ; Jie KANG ; Chuanchen ZHANG ; Xiaofei YANG ; Fabin HAN
International Journal of Stem Cells 2023;16(1):93-107
Background and Objectives:
Chronic periodontitis can lead to alveolar bone resorption and eventually tooth loss. Stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are appropriate bone regeneration seed cells. To track the survival, migration, and differentiation of the transplanted SHED, we used super paramagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) Molday ION Rhodamine-B (MIRB) to label and monitor the transplanted cells while repairing periodontal bone defects.
Methods:
and Results: We determined an appropriate dose of MIRB for labeling SHED by examining the growth and osteogenic differentiation of labeled SHED. Finally, SHED was labeled with 25 μg Fe/ml MIRB before being transplanted into rats. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to track SHED survival and migration in vivo due to a low-intensity signal artifact caused by MIRB. HE and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that both MIRB-labeled and unlabeled SHED could promote periodontal bone regeneration. The colocalization of hNUC and MIRB demonstrated that SHED transplanted into rats could survive in vivo. Furthermore, some MIRB-positive cells expressed the osteoblast and osteocyte markers OCN and DMP1, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that SHED could secrete protein factors, such as IGF-1, OCN, ALP, IL-4, VEGF, and bFGF, which promote bone regeneration. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the transplanted SHED was surrounded by a large number of host-derived Runx2- and Col II-positive cells that played important roles in the bone healing process.
Conclusions
SHED could promote periodontal bone regeneration in rats, and the survival of SHED could be tracked in vivo by labeling them with MIRB. SHED are likely to promote bone healing through both direct differentiation and paracrine mechanisms.

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