1.Circadian mechanisms underlying cardiometabolic dysfunction induced by chronic PM2.5 exposure
Wenqing ZHANG ; Biao WU ; Jianshu GUO ; Dongxia FAN ; Ge WANG ; Lu YU ; Chihang ZHANG ; Xianying LIAO ; Xihao DU ; Yuquan XIE ; Jinzhuo ZHAO
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2026;43(8):926-935
Background Long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a significant risk factor for cardiometabolic disorders. However, the mechanisms of its interaction with the endogenous circadian system remain incompletely understood. Objective To investigate whether chronic PM2.5 exposure interferes with the rhythmic expression of the cardiac circadian clock, thereby disrupting downstream antioxidant defenses and metabolic homeostasis, and ultimately driving cardiometabolic dysfunction. Methods Seventy-two male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a PM2.5 exposure group (PM group) and a filtered air control group (FA group). Whole-body exposure was conducted for 8 weeks in a meteorological environmental animal exposure system. Samples were collected at six distinct zeitgeber time (ZT) points post-exposure. The 24 h ambulatory blood pressure and serum lipid profiles were monitored. Rhythm parameters were derived via cosinor analysis to compare differences in Midline statistic of rhythm (Mesor), amplitude, and phase between the two groups. The rhythmic expression of core circadian clock genes and antioxidant genes in the myocardium was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Myocardial reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and downstream pathway protein expression were analyzed by immunofluorescence and Western blot (WB), respectively. The expression changes of the clock gene retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor α (RORα) were assessed at both the mRNA and protein levels. Finally, Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the relationships among myocardial RORα expression, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress indicators. Results Compared to the FA group, mice in the PM group exhibited a blunted circadian rhythm in blood pressure, characterized by sustained elevation throughout the day. Chronic PM2.5 exposure showed a significant interaction with ZT on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) (F-interaction=9.11, 5.70, and 6.02, respectively; P<0.05), as well as on serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (T-CHO), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (F-interaction=16.32, 11.12, 15.39, and 28.09, respectively; P<0.05). Cosinor analysis further revealed that the Mesor values of T-CHO, TG, and LDL-C were significantly increased (P<0.05), while that of HDL-C was significantly decreased in the PM group (P<0.05). The oscillation amplitudes of SBP, DBP, and MAP showed a decreasing trend, whereas those of TG and LDL-C were significantly increased (P<0.05). Furthermore, SBP, T-CHO, and HDL-C all exhibited a significant phase delay (P<0.05). Mechanistically, PM2.5 exposure significantly suppressed the expression of the positive circadian regulator RORα in the myocardium, leading to disordered rhythmic expression of core clock genes (Bmal1, Clock, Per1/2, and Cry1/2). This exposure also inhibited the rhythmic expression of antioxidant genes (GPX1, SOD2, and CAT), resulting in increased ROS generation and elevated expression of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) proteins. Correlation analysis further revealed that myocardial RORα expression level was negatively correlated with T-CHO, TG, and LDL-C (r=−0.55, −0.63, and −0.51, respectively; P<0.001), and positively correlated with HDL-C (r=0.37, P=0.010), and antioxidant genes GPX1, SOD2, and CAT expression (r=0.34, 0.35, and 0.56, respectively; P < 0.001). Conclusion Chronic PM2.5 exposure induces cardiometabolic dysfunction by suppressing myocardial RORα expression. This suppression disrupts the cardiac circadian clock and the diurnal balance of oxidative stress, triggering oxidative damage and elevating expression of CaMKII/NADPH pathway proteins. Collectively, these alterations precipitate the loss of cardiac metabolic rhythms and subsequent functional impairment.
2.Research progress on effect of ambient particulate matters on Alzheimer's disease and potential mechanisms
Lu YU ; Chihang ZHANG ; Jianshu GUO ; Dongxia FAN ; Jinzhuo ZHAO
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(6):748-755
With the accelerating aging of world population, the prevalence and disease burden of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease is increasing annually. As one of the major risk factors for dementia, air pollution is still an urgent global concern. Studies on the association between ambient particulate matter (PM), one of the major air pollutants, and dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, are gaining attention. This paper reviewed the current evidence of relevant epidemiological and toxicological studies to illustrate the possible mechanisms underlying the effects of PM exposure on Alzheimer's disease through inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, excitatory neurotoxicity, glial cell activation, and intestinal flora disruption, which may provide clues for mitigating the health risks of air pollution and preventing Alzheimer's disease.
3.Molecular mechanism of adipose tissue inflammation induced by acute exposure to cooking oil fumes
Ge WANG ; Biao WU ; Jianshu GUO ; Dongxia FAN ; Lu YU ; Chihang ZHANG ; Lan MI ; Lina WANG ; Jinzhuo ZHAO
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2024;41(4):349-355
Background Cooking oil fumes are closely related to immune response, and adipose tissue also plays an important role in immune regulation. At present, the biological effect and mechanism of inflammation of adipose tissue induced by oil fume exposure are not clear yet. Objective To investigate the inflammatory effect of different exposure duration of cooking fumes on adipose tissue in mice and explore the role of Nod-like receptor pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3)/cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1 (Caspase 1)/interleukin (IL)-1β signaling pathway. Methods Forty 8-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 3-day control group (CON3 group), 7-day control group (CON7 group), 3-day oil fume exposure group (COF3 group), and 7-day oil fume exposure group (COF7 group), with 10 mice in each group. The mice were exposed to oil fumes in a cooking oil fume formation and exposure equipment (COFFEE) for 20 min, followed by a 10-min pause, 1 h a day for consecutive 3 d or 7 d. General condition of mice was observed and body weight was measured every day. After exposure, blood was sampled from the eyeball. Serum levels of IL-6, IL-27, and IL-1β were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The adipose tissue of mice was collected and observed after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The percentages of CD4+ and CD8+T cells in adipose tissue were detected by flow cytometry. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose. Results Compared with the corresponding control group, serum IL-6, IL-27, and IL-1β contents in the COF3 group and the COF7 group were significantly increased (P<0.05) except IL-6 in the COF3 group, and the levels in the COF7 group were significantly higher than those in the COF3 group (P<0.05). Vacuolar lipid droplets in adipocytes decreased, cytoplasm shrank, and inflammatory cells infiltrated in the COF7 group after HE staining. The flow cytometry results showed that the proportions of CD4+ and CD8+T cells in adipocytes of the COF3 group and the COF7 group were increased compared to the corresponding control group, with a significant increase in the COF7 group (P<0.05), and the CD4+/CD8+T ratio also significantly increased progressively in the two groups (P<0.05). The results of RT-qPCR showed that compared with the corresponding control group, the mRNA expression levels of NF-κB, NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose tissue of mice in the COF3 group and the COF7 group were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The mRNA expression levels of mice in each exposure group gradually increased over time. The Western blot results showed that compared with the corresponding control group, the protein expressions of NLRP3 and Caspase 1 in the COF3 group were significantly increased (P<0.01), and the expression of IL-1β protein also increased but without statistical significance. The protein expressions of NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in the COF7 group were significantly higher than those in the CON7 group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion Acute exposure to cooking oil fumes can induce significant inflammatory response in adipose tissue, and the effect gradually increases with the extension of exposure time. The mechanism of action may be related to the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway.
4.Effects of PM2.5 and heat/cold exposure on AKT/GLUT4 pathway in mouse skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue
Biao WU ; Dongxia FAN ; Jia ZHANG ; Jianshu GUO ; Ge WANG ; Lu YU ; Chihang ZHANG ; Jinzhuo ZHAO
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2024;41(4):356-361
Background It is unclear if there is any combined effect of air pollutants and non-optimal temperature on metabolic syndrome, or any molecular mechanisms of related signaling pathways in the process, which requires urgent systematic research. Objective To observe the effects of combined exposure to PM2.5 and non-optimal temperature on metabolic damage at gene and protein levels in mice, and elucidate the role of related signaling pathway in crucial organs. Methods A total of 60 six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into six groups: a normal temperature-filter air group (TN-FA), a normal temperature-concentrated PM2.5 group (TN-PM), a heat-filter air group (TH-FA), a heat-concentrated PM2.5 group (TH-PM), a cold-filter air group (TC-FA), and a cold-concentrated PM2.5 group (TC-PM). The Shanghai Meteorological and Environmental Animal Exposure System (Shanghai-METAS) was used to provide combined exposure settings of air types [concentrated PM2.5 and filter air (FA)] and temperatures [normal (22°C), cold (4°C), and heat (30°C)] for 4 weeks. Skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue (WAT) of the mice were sampled at the end of exposure, and transcriptomics and Western blot (WB) assay were adopted to observe selected gene and protein expression levels in the samples respectively. Results The transcriptomics results indicated that the PM2.5 exposure enhanced the number of differentially expressed genes. Specifically, 4820 genes were differentially expressed in the TN-PM mice compared to the TN-FA mice at normal temperature, and 1143 genes were differentially expressed in the Tc-PM mice compared to the Tc-FA mice in the cold environment. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway and the endoplasmic reticulum protein processing pathway were identified as the most significant pathways in metabolic injury resulting from combined exposure to PM2.5 and non-optimal temperature exposure. The WB results showed that exposure to PM2.5 in the normal temperature and the cold environments led to a significant increase in the expression of p-AKT in WAT (P<0.01, P<0.05) and a significant decrease in the expression of GLUT4 (P<0.05, P<0.01). In skeletal muscle, exposure to PM2.5 led to a significant decrease in GLUT4 (P<0.05) in all environments, with a consistent trend of change as observed in WAT. Conclusion Cold/heat exposure might promote PM2.5-induced metabolic disorder through suppression of the AKT/GLUT4 pathway, aggravating metabolic damage.
5.Effect of Early Cognitive and Speech Intervention on Developmental Delay
Jihong HU ; Pingqiu ZHOU ; Chunguang GUO ; Lijun LIU ; Jianshu CHEN ; Huijia ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2016;22(1):88-91
Objective To observe the effect of early cognitive and speech intervention on children with developmental delay. Methods 58 inpatient or outpatient children with developmental delay from June, 2014 to June, 2015 were diveded into observation group (n=32) and control group (n=26). The observation group accepted early cognitive and speech therapy and routine rehabilitation training, while the con-trol group accepted the routine rehabilitation only. They were assessed with Gesell Development Schedule before and 3 months after treat-ment. Results The developmental quotient of the gross movement, fine movement, language and peasonal-social improved in both groups af-ter treatment (t>2.90, P<0.001), and improved more in the observation group than in the control group (t>2.84, P<0.05), especially in chil-dren of 1 year old than those of 1-2 or 2-3 years old (F>36.52, P<0.01). Conclusion Early cognitive and speech intervention may improve development of many dimensions in children with developmental delay. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome.
6.Application of Spiral CT in Orthodontic Micro-implant Anchorage Implantation Diagnosis
Hong LIU ; Yunxue DUAN ; Haimei LIU ; Jianshu GUO
Journal of Kunming Medical University 2014;(2):108-111
Objective To evaluate the results of orthodontic micro- implant anchorage implantation by application of Spiral CT and three-dimensional reconstruction techniques,so as to explore its application value in assisting clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods 20 orthodontic patients were implanted with 48 micro-planting screws. SOMATOM Sensation40/64 helical CT scan was performed . The axial unenhanced helical CT data were given multi-planar reconstruction (MPR),maximum intensity projection (MIP),volume rendering (VR) and surface multidimensional reconstruction (CPR) by using the Siemens 3D post-processing software. The axial scanning images and reconstructed images were compared, observed and analyzed . Results The planting results of 37 micro screws were satisfactory without injuring the vital tissues surrounding the root. The planting results of 11 micro-screw were not ideal, and these micro-screws were observed or reimplanted and got success. Spiral CT axial scan showed better the tooth root interval and the relationship between tooth root and the planting screws. VR can directly showed the overall relationship between the planting screws and teeth , jaw contour appearance. The relationship between the screw and tooth was showed satisfactorily by MIP which could rotate freely and observe from different angles. MPR could clearly show the structural relationships between micro-root planting screws and tooth root and surrounding tissues from the cross section, and could make up for the shortcomings of axial limitations, and was easy to measure the distance and tilt angle of the long axis . Conclusion Spiral CT and three-dimensional reconstruction can accurately show the jaw micro planting screw shape,location and spatial relationships with adjacent teeth , the image is clear,intuitive and definite,and spiral CT and three-dimensional reconstruction has high application value in orthodontics micro-implant anchorage clinic as a powerful auxiliary examination means.
7.The mediation of immune activation on serotonin and glutamate systems in pathological process of depression
Jianshu LOU ; Xiaochun YANG ; Jie FANG ; Jianli PAN ; Jianyou GUO
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2009;25(12):1555-1558
Immunological alterations and changes in neurotransmission are considered to be crucial in the pathological process of depression. An immune activation including increased production of proinflammatory cytokines has repeatedly been described in depression, which shines a clue for new anti-depression therapy. Immune activation will lead to depression through serotonin and glutamate systems. This paper is attempted to review the immune mediated alterations on serotonin and glutamate systems.
8.Difference between industrial hemp and marijuana hemp and industrial hemp's use value
Yanxu LU ; Peng DONG ; Xiaoguang CUI ; Jianshu GUO ; Yan WANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2003;0(08):-
This paper reviewed the classification of hemp,distinction between industrial hemp and marijuana hemp,and the use value of industrial hemp.Some research problems and future research trends were also discussed.

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