1.Treatment of Liver Cancer by Intervening TGF-β Signaling Pathway with Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Review
Hao CHENG ; Haohao GUO ; Jun SUN ; Juan XUE ; Chunyan JI ; Shiyi LI ; Yuxue DING ; Huaqiang YUE
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):318-326
Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the digestive system and ranks sixth among newly diagnosed malignant tumors worldwide. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) regulates cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and other physiological and pathological mechanisms and exerts cancer-suppressive and pro-cancerous dual effects in the process of tumor development. In recent years, with the continuous exploration of the mechanism of liver cancer, it has been found that the conversion of the cancer-suppressive effect into a pro-cancerous effect of this pathway plays a key role in the development of liver cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides a unique perspective for the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of liver cancer with its comprehensive regulatory effects of multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways. This paper summarized that the cancer-suppressive mechanisms of the TGF-β signaling pathway included promoting cancer cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, autophagy, et al, while the pro-cancerous mechanisms included promoting cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, immunosuppression, angiogenesis, et al. The TCM compounds intervening this pathway were sorted out, including Jianpi Huayu compound, Fuyang Baoyuan compound, Yipi Yanggan compound, Fuzheng Jiedu compound, compound Astragalus and Salvia, Biejia Jianwan, Dahuang Zhechong pill, and Qingxiang powder. The single TCMs mainly included Schizocapsa plantaginea, Dendrobii Caulis, Gleditsia sinensis, and Dracaena cochinchinensis. The active ingredients of TCM are mainly concentrated on flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, phenolics, terpenoids, polysaccharides, and other kinds of compounds. At the same time, it summarized that the liver cancer inhibition mechanism of TCM by regulating this pathway mainly included promoting apoptosis of liver cancer cells, blocking the cell cycle, and inhibiting liver cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, immune escape, etc. The mechanism aims to give full play to the advantages of TCM and precisely regulate the TGF-β signal, thereby exerting positive anti-tumor effects, opening up a new direction for the precise targeted treatment of liver cancer, and providing a scientific basis and a new strategy for the application of TCM in the treatment of liver cancer.
2.Treatment of Liver Cancer by Intervening TGF-β Signaling Pathway with Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Review
Hao CHENG ; Haohao GUO ; Jun SUN ; Juan XUE ; Chunyan JI ; Shiyi LI ; Yuxue DING ; Huaqiang YUE
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):318-326
Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the digestive system and ranks sixth among newly diagnosed malignant tumors worldwide. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) regulates cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and other physiological and pathological mechanisms and exerts cancer-suppressive and pro-cancerous dual effects in the process of tumor development. In recent years, with the continuous exploration of the mechanism of liver cancer, it has been found that the conversion of the cancer-suppressive effect into a pro-cancerous effect of this pathway plays a key role in the development of liver cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides a unique perspective for the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of liver cancer with its comprehensive regulatory effects of multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways. This paper summarized that the cancer-suppressive mechanisms of the TGF-β signaling pathway included promoting cancer cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, autophagy, et al, while the pro-cancerous mechanisms included promoting cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, immunosuppression, angiogenesis, et al. The TCM compounds intervening this pathway were sorted out, including Jianpi Huayu compound, Fuyang Baoyuan compound, Yipi Yanggan compound, Fuzheng Jiedu compound, compound Astragalus and Salvia, Biejia Jianwan, Dahuang Zhechong pill, and Qingxiang powder. The single TCMs mainly included Schizocapsa plantaginea, Dendrobii Caulis, Gleditsia sinensis, and Dracaena cochinchinensis. The active ingredients of TCM are mainly concentrated on flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, phenolics, terpenoids, polysaccharides, and other kinds of compounds. At the same time, it summarized that the liver cancer inhibition mechanism of TCM by regulating this pathway mainly included promoting apoptosis of liver cancer cells, blocking the cell cycle, and inhibiting liver cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, immune escape, etc. The mechanism aims to give full play to the advantages of TCM and precisely regulate the TGF-β signal, thereby exerting positive anti-tumor effects, opening up a new direction for the precise targeted treatment of liver cancer, and providing a scientific basis and a new strategy for the application of TCM in the treatment of liver cancer.
3.Role of Innate Trained Immunity in Diseases
Chuang CHENG ; Yue-Qing WANG ; Xiao-Qin MU ; Xi ZHENG ; Jing HE ; Jun WANG ; Chao TAN ; Xiao-Wen LIU ; Li-Li ZOU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):119-132
The innate immune system can be boosted in response to subsequent triggers by pre-exposure to microbes or microbial products, known as “trained immunity”. Compared to classical immune memory, innate trained immunity has several different features. Firstly, the molecules involved in trained immunity differ from those involved in classical immune memory. Innate trained immunity mainly involves innate immune cells (e.g., myeloid immune cells, natural killer cells, innate lymphoid cells) and their effector molecules (e.g., pattern recognition receptor (PRR), various cytokines), as well as some kinds of non-immune cells (e.g., microglial cells). Secondly, the increased responsiveness to secondary stimuli during innate trained immunity is not specific to a particular pathogen, but influences epigenetic reprogramming in the cell through signaling pathways, leading to the sustained changes in genes transcriptional process, which ultimately affects cellular physiology without permanent genetic changes (e.g., mutations or recombination). Finally, innate trained immunity relies on an altered functional state of innate immune cells that could persist for weeks to months after initial stimulus removal. An appropriate inducer could induce trained immunity in innate lymphocytes, such as exogenous stimulants (including vaccines) and endogenous stimulants, which was firstly discovered in bone marrow derived immune cells. However, mature bone marrow derived immune cells are short-lived cells, that may not be able to transmit memory phenotypes to their offspring and provide long-term protection. Therefore, trained immunity is more likely to be relied on long-lived cells, such as epithelial stem cells, mesenchymal stromal cells and non-immune cells such as fibroblasts. Epigenetic reprogramming is one of the key molecular mechanisms that induces trained immunity, including DNA modifications, non-coding RNAs, histone modifications and chromatin remodeling. In addition to epigenetic reprogramming, different cellular metabolic pathways are involved in the regulation of innate trained immunity, including aerobic glycolysis, glutamine catabolism, cholesterol metabolism and fatty acid synthesis, through a series of intracellular cascade responses triggered by the recognition of PRR specific ligands. In the view of evolutionary, trained immunity is beneficial in enhancing protection against secondary infections with an induction in the evolutionary protective process against infections. Therefore, innate trained immunity plays an important role in therapy against diseases such as tumors and infections, which has signature therapeutic effects in these diseases. In organ transplantation, trained immunity has been associated with acute rejection, which prolongs the survival of allografts. However, trained immunity is not always protective but pathological in some cases, and dysregulated trained immunity contributes to the development of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Trained immunity provides a novel form of immune memory, but when inappropriately activated, may lead to an attack on tissues, causing autoinflammation. In autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis, trained immunity may lead to enhance inflammation and tissue lesion in diseased regions. In Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, trained immunity may lead to over-activation of microglial cells, triggering neuroinflammation even nerve injury. This paper summarizes the basis and mechanisms of innate trained immunity, including the different cell types involved, the impacts on diseases and the effects as a therapeutic strategy to provide novel ideas for different diseases.
4.Overview of the amendments and revisions to the General Technical Requirements adopted by the Volume Ⅳ of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition
ZHANG Jun ; NING Baoming ; WEI Shifeng ; SHEN Haoyu ; SHANG Yue ; ZHU Ran ; XU Xinyi ; CHEN Lei ; LIU Tingting ; MA Shuangcheng
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(1):034-044
To introduce the general thinking, guidelines, work objectives and elaboration process of the general technical requirements adopted by volume Ⅳ of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition, and to summarize and figure out the main characteristics on dosage forms, physico-chemical testing, microbial and biological testing, reference standards and guidelines The newly revised general chapters of pharmacopoeia give full play to the normative and guiding role of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia standard, track the frontier dynamics of international drug regulatory science and the elaboration of monographs, expand the application of state-of-the-art technologies, and steadily promote the harmonization and unification with the ICH guidelines; further enhance the overall capacity of TCM quality control, actively implement the 3 R principles on animal experiments, and practice the concept of environmental-friendly; replace and/or reduce the use of toxic and hazardous reagents, strengthen the requirements of drug safety control This paper aims to provide a full-view perspective for the comprehensive, correct understanding and accurate implementation of general technical requirements included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition.
5.The role of corticosterone pretreatment on LPS-activated microglia and the inhibitory effect of biochanin A
Gengchen Niu ; Jun Wang ; Yue Zhang ; Yanyan Yin
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(9):1712-1718,1729
Objective:
To investigate the regulatory effect of corticosterone(CORT) pretreatment on the activation of microglia by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) and the inhibitory effect of Biochanin A(Bio A) on microglia activation.
Methods:
The MTT method was used to select the optimal concentrations for LPS,CORT and Bio A on BV2 cells;BV2 cells were divided into 5 groups: Control group,CORT(50 nmol/L) group,LPS(1 μg/mL) group,LPS(1μg/mL) + CORT(50 nmol/L) group,and LPS(1 μg/mL) + CORT(50 nmol/L) + Bio A(5 μmol/L) group;Except for the control group,each group was first incubated with CORT(50 nmol/L) for 2 h,and then each group was co-incubated with the corresponding concentrations of LPS(1 μg/mL) and Bio A(5 μmol/L) for 36 h;DCFH-DA probe method was used to detect reactive oxygen species(ROS) content; Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of inflammatory cytokines,5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HTT),glucocorticoid receptor(GR),mineralocorticoid receptor(MR),NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3),apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD(ASC) and cysteine-aspartic protease 1(Caspase-1).
Results:
Compared with the CORT(50 nmol/L) and LPS(1 μg/mL) groups,cells in the CORT(50 nmol/L) + LPS(1 μg/mL) group showed increased cell viability,higher levels of ROS,and increased levels of inflammatory cytokines,NLRP3,ASC,and Caspase-1 protein expression( P<0. 05 ) .
Conclusion
A low dose of CORT pretreatment reinforces LPS- induced BV2 cell activation; Bio A inhibits CORT-pretreated LPS-induced BV2 cell activation.The mechanism of which may be related to the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
6.Overview of the amendments and revisions to the General Technical Requirements adopted by the Volume Ⅳ of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition
Jun ZHANG ; Baoming NING ; Shifeng WEI ; Haoyu SHEN ; Yue SHANG ; Ran ZHU ; Xinyi XU ; Lei CHEN ; Tingting LIU ; Shuangcheng MA
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(1):34-44
To introduce the general thinking,guidelines,work objectives and elaboration process of the general technical requirements adopted by volume Ⅳ of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition,and to summarize and figure out the main characteristics on dosage forms,physico-chemical testing,microbial and biological testing,ref-erence standards and guidelines.The newly revised general chapters of pharmacopoeia give full play to the norma-tive and guiding role of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia standard,track the frontier dynamics of international drug regu-latory science and the elaboration of monographs,expand the application of state-of-the-art technologies,and stead-ily promote the harmonization and unification with the ICH guidelines;further enhance the overall capacity of TCM quality control,actively implement the 3 R principles on animal experiments,and practice the concept of environ-mental-friendly;replace and/orreduce the use of toxic and hazardousreagents,strengthen the requirementsofdrug safety control.This paper aims to provide a full-view perspective for the comprehensive,correct understanding and accurate implementation of general technical requirements included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition.
7.Current status of active health data collection devices applied in healthcare field
Yuan-yuan QIAO ; Yue GAO ; Jun-ge LIANG
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(2):68-73
The current status of the active health data collection devices was reviewed when applied in the field of healthcare such as dynamic monitoring of physiological parameter monitoring,disease monitoring and management,disease early prediction,rehabilitation therapy and personalized health management.It's pointed out the future development of the active health data collection devices would involve in data cloudization,device intellectualization and product specialization.The challenges faced by the active health data collection devices were analyzed,and some suggestions were put forwared accordingly.References were provided for the application of the active health data collection devices in the field of healthcare in China.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(2):68-73]
8.Clinical features and prognostic analysis of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the external auditory canal
Jun WU ; Xi ZHAO ; Tingyao MA ; Guoliang YANG ; Shujing ZHANG ; Yue ZHAO ; Yixuan LIU ; Xiaohong CHEN
Journal of Capital Medical University 2025;46(3):559-566
Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics,treatment strategies,and prognostic factors of adenoid cystic carcinoma(ACC)of the external auditory canal(EAC),and to provide evidence for optimizing surgical extent and adjuvant therapy.Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 58 patients with pathologically confirmed ACC of the EAC treated in Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery,Beijing Tongren Hospital,Capital Medical University,between January 2001 and December 2021.All patients underwent surgical treatment,with some receiving adjuvant radiotherapy.The primary outcome was local recurrence,while secondary outcomes included overall survival(OS)and local recurrence-free survival(LRFS).Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method,and Cox regression models were used to identify risk factors for recurrence.Results The median follow-up time for the entire cohort was 6.27(3.25,11.30)years.The 1-year,3-year,and 5-year OS rates were 96.55%,91.37%,and 89.66%.43.10%of cases were classified as T4 stage at diagnosis,indicating advanced local progression.Local recurrence occurred in 23 patients(39.66%),and distant metastasis was observed in 28 patients(48.28%),with pulmonary metastasis accounting for 92.86%of cases.Multivariate analysis revealed that the solid histological pattern(HR=2.729,95%CI:1.025-7.226,P=0.044)and perineural invasion(PNI)(HR=9.891,95%CI:3.525-27.752,P<0.01)were independent risk factors for local recurrence.Conclusion ACC of the EAC is characterized by a high propensity for local recurrence and distant metastasis.The solid histological pattern and perineural invasion are critical prognostic determinants.Multimodal therapy(surgery combined with adjuvant radiotherapy)may improve clinical outcomes,and early diagnosis and intervention are pivotal for enhancing survival rates.
9.Influencing factors of glycemic fluctuation in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with real-time dynamic glucose monitoring
Ying SHEN ; Chaoyang XU ; Bei SHEN ; Bei ZHOU ; Yue LI ; Ting PAN ; Jun CHEN ; Jun XIA
Chinese Journal of Diabetes 2025;33(3):189-193
Objective To explore the factors affecting the coefficient of variation(CV)of glucose in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)patients based on real-time dynamic glucose monitoring system.Methods A total of 354 patients with T2DM hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology of Jiangsu Shengze Hospital were enrolled in this study from March 2023 to March 2024 and divided into two groups:the glycemic variability(GV,CV>36%)group(n=118)and the glucose stable(GS,CV≤36%)group(n=236).The clinical data of the two groups were compared,and the influencing factors for CV>36%were analyzed.Results The DM duration and HbA1c were higher(P<0.05),while BMI,visceral fat area,subcutaneous fat area(SFA),FC-P,serum uric acid(SUA),and TG were lower in the GV group than in the GS group(P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that CV was positively correlated with diabetes duration and HbA1c(P<0.05),and negatively correlated with FC-P,SFA and SUA(P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that DM duration,HbA1c,SFA,FC-P and SUA were the influencing factors for GV.Scatter plot analysis showed that there was a linear trend between CV level and log HbA1c and log SFA in T2DM patients.CV level increased with the increase of log HbA1c,and decreased with the increase of log SFA.ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of FC-P was 0.703(95%CI:0.640~0.765,P<0.001)for predicting GV in T2DM patients,and the cut-off value was 1.095 ng/ml.The AUC of SUA was 0.622(95%CI:0.555~0.688,P<0.001)for predicting GV,and the cut-off value was 280.5 μmol/L.Conclusions The DM duration,HbA1c,SFA,FC-P and SUA are important factors for GV,and FC-P and SUA have predictive value for GV.
10.Investigation and analysis of the etiology of suspected occupational asthma caused by toluene diisocyanate
Yao WU ; Yingchun HE ; Jun ZHANG ; Yaling SONG ; Yue HUA ; Zenghong ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(6):466-468
Objective:To conduct an occupational hygiene investigation and simulated sampling and testing on welding positions in a company in a certain province, and to perform a simulated analysis of the concentration of occupational hazard factors in workers suspected of occupational asthma.Methods:In November 2023, the investigation and analysis of workers' exposure to occupational hazard factors were carried out through occupational hygiene surveys, laboratory simulated sampling and testing, and a combination of qualitative and quantitative detection methods.Results:Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) was present in the workplace air of the employer. TDI was detected in the raw materials provided by the workers. Laboratory simulations of the production process and working conditions at the position were conducted with sampling at different distances, revealing a maximum TDI concentration of 0.49 mg/m 3 and a minimum concentration of 0.01 mg/m 3. The results showed that the closer the sampling distance was to the breathing zone, the more significantly the TDI concentration increased. The laboratory simulated sampling and testing results were highly consistent with the on-site sampling and testing results from a testing agency in Beijing. Conclusion:The occupational hazard factor TDI is present in the workers' workplace, and TDI may be the cause of the suspected occupational asthma in the workers.


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