1.New trends and new strategies of drug repurposing: 2020–2024
Fangsu CHEN ; Junjie YANG ; Jiayu DU ; Shimiao HUANG ; Yuxuan ZHANG ; Qidong YOU ; Lei WANG ; Qiuyue ZHANG
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2026;57(1):11-18
The research and development of innovative drug have progressed remarkably, but the long development circle and high failure rate have become the bottleneck. Drug repurposing, discovering new indications of approved drugs, is a strategy to overcome these obstacles. By exploring new indications for approved drugs, rapid progress has been made in basic research and clinical translation in recent years. Rich resources of drugs, proven security, efficient development workflow and reduced cost are core advantages of this strategy, making the strategy a crucial direction of optimizing the pipeline of drug research and development. This review systematically summarizes drug repurposing cases that have received clinical approval over the past five years, and proposes core strategies for drug repurposing, including approaches based on targets, pathways, drug similarity, post-treatment phenotypes, and clinical side effects, aiming to provide some strategic guidance for drug repurposing efforts.
2.Preliminary application of histological evaluation of donor pancreas biopsy tissue in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation
Jiao WAN ; Hui GUO ; Jiali FANG ; Guanghui LI ; Luhao LIU ; Yunyi XIONG ; Wei YIN ; Tong YANG ; Junjie MA ; Zheng CHEN
Organ Transplantation 2026;17(2):250-256
Objective To preliminarily investigate the safety and efficacy of donor pancreas needle biopsy in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 7 cases undergoing donor pancreas biopsy were collected retrospectively. All cases underwent donor pancreas biopsy before or during simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation. Frozen section or paraffin sectioning techniques were used for tissue preparation, and hematoxylin-eosin and Masson staining were performed to histologically evaluate the donor pancreas. The quality of donor pancreas was comprehensively assessed by combining histological findings with the donor's clinical data. Postoperative follow-up data of 5 simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant recipients were collected to summarize the safety of donor pancreas biopsy and the prognosis of transplant recipients. Results The 7 pancreas donors were aged 28 to 62 years, with a body mass index ranging from 20.76 to 27.68 kg/m2. Liver ultrasound indicated fatty liver in 3 cases, while pancreatic ultrasound did not reveal any significant abnormalities. Among them, biopsy was performed on 2 donors after completion of pancreatic procurement and processing, and the frozen section histology showed moderate acute pancreatitis changes (edema of acinar cells, necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration). Combined with a serum amylase level elevated more than 3 times the upper limit of normal value, these two donor pancreases were finally discarded. The remaining 5 cases underwent biopsy immediately after pancreatic vascular anastomosis during simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation, and histological evaluation was performed on paraffin-embedded sections. No biopsy-related complications (such as bleeding, pancreatic fistula, etc.) occurred after transplantation. One recipient died of severe infection 2 months after transplantation, while the other 4 recipients were followed up for more than 5 years, with well-functioning transplant kidneys and pancreases. Conclusions Donor pancreas biopsy is relatively safe, and the risk of biopsy-related complications after transplantation is controllable. Comprehensive assessment of donor pancreas quality by combining histological evaluation with the donor's clinical indicators is conducive to improving the accuracy of donor pancreas selection and organ utilization.
3.HerbGL: a network propagation and graph regularization-based framework for herb pairs prediction in traditional Chinese medicine
Weixiang Liu ; Qian Yuan ; Junjie Zhang ; Xinliang Sun ; Kongfa Hu ; Tao Yang
Digital Chinese Medicine 2026;9(2):265-277
Objective:
To address the challenges of systematically identifying herb pairs in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), we proposed HerbGL, a framework for predicting potential herb pairs that integrates network propagation and graph regularization.
Methods:
Based on the assumption that herbal actions induce subtle perturbations in biological systems, a framework named HerbGL was proposed. Random walk with restart (RWR) was first applied to the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network to reconstruct herb-specific perturbation effects and generate weighted subnetworks. Then, to quantify affinity between herb pairs, two network-proximity metrics, Closeness and PageRank, were computed from the weighted subnetworks to construct herb-pair affinity matrices. Finally, these matrices, together with known herb pairs (derived from co-occurrence analysis of TCM formulas with a threshold determined from the inflection point of the frequency distribution), were incorporated into a graph regularization model to predict potential herb pairs. Model performance was assessed through baseline comparison, ablation and robustness experiment under different ratios of positive and negative samples, using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), the area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC), accuracy, and precision as evaluation metrics. Furthermore, the predicted herb pairs were validated through both literature evidence and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses.
Results:
The weighted subnetworks constructed by RWR provided a refined simulation of herb-specific perturbation effects, which formed the basis for subsequent affinity modeling and prediction. Analysis of herb pair co-occurrence frequencies revealed a marked change around 150, which was selected as the threshold to distinguish herb pairs from non-herb pairs. HerbGL exhibited superior predictive performance compared with baseline models (AUROC = 0.970 5, AUPRC = 0.955 5, accuracy = 0.726 6, precision = 0.970 6). Ablation results showed that removing the Closeness and PageRank metrics substantially degraded performance (AUROC = 0.819 1, AUPRC = 0.876 8), confirming their necessity. Robustness evaluation under an imbalanced positive-to-negative sample ratio of 1 : 5 yielded AUROC = 0.969 6 and AUPRC = 0.840 4, indicating stable predictive ability. Moreover, multiple case studies further validated the rationality of the predicted herb pairs, such as Fangfeng (Saposhnikoviae Radix) and Qingpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride) which are recorded in Liangpeng Huiji (《良朋汇集》, Collection of Excellent Recipes) Vol. 3: Fangfeng Shengma Tang (防风升麻汤). Additionally, pathway enrichment analysis of the Renshen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma) and Lianqiao (Forsythiae Fructus) pair further supported the biological plausibility of their compatibility.
Conclusion
HerbGL offers an effective and biologically informed framework for identifying herb pairs in TCM. Beyond improving herb pair prediction, the framework also provides data support for research on herb compounds and mechanisms, thereby supporting data-driven exploration of TCM compatibility.
4.Research progress on immune cells in cold ischemia-reperfusion injury of renal allografts
Kangyu LIU ; Zikai FANG ; Chengcheng YANG ; Jixian LIU ; Junjie ZHANG ; Zongyao FAN ; Bin NI ; Ming ZHENG ; Baixin SHEN
Journal of Modern Urology 2026;31(6):580-585
Cold ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) is a major contributor to delayed graft function and long-term graft failure after kidney transplantation.Its pathogenesis involves multiple mechanisms, including energy metabolism disorders, oxidative stress and sterile inflammatory responses.Increasing evidence indicates that immune cells play a central regulatory role in the initiation and progression of CIRI.Damage-associated molecular patterns released during cold ischemia and reperfusion activate innate immunity, leading to the rapid recruitment of neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells and amplification of inflammatory cascades.Subsequently, adaptive immune cells, including T cells and B cells, are activated and further contribute to sustained inflammation, disruption of immune tolerance and graft injury.Through cytokine signaling, chemokine-mediated recruitment and antigen presentation, different immune cell subsets form a complex interactive network that ultimately determines the severity and outcome of CIRI.This review summarizes the roles and mechanisms of innate and adaptive immune cells in renal allograft CIRI, highlights their interconnections, and discusses emerging immune cell-targeted therapeutic strategies, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for improving clinical outcomes in kidney transplantation.
5.Comparison of the efficacy of remimazolam and propofol in the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy
Chun LIU ; Juan HU ; Yu HUANG ; Jinqiu YANG ; Junjie LI ; Ping YANG ; Pengfei PAN
China Pharmacy 2025;36(16):2040-2045
OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of remimazolam and propofol in general anesthesia induction and maintenance for elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy. METHODS A total of 86 elderly lung cancer patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy at Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from February to July 2024 were selected and divided into the propofol group and the remimazolam group according to the randomized numerical table method, with 43 cases in each group. During anesthesia induction, patients in the propofol group and the remimazolam group were intravenously administered 2 mg/kg of Propofol medium- and long-chain fat emulsion injection or 0.25 mg/kg of Remimazolam tosilate for injection, respectively; during anesthesia maintenance, the two groups received intravenous infusion of 6-10 mg/(kg·h) of Propofol medium- and long- chain fat emulsion injection or 1-3 mg/(kg·h) of Remimazolam tosilate for injection, respectively. The anesthesia effects, anesthesia-related indicators, intraoperative opioid and muscle relaxant dosages, Ramsay sedation score, numerical rating scale (NRS) score, and hemodynamic parameters were compared between the two groups, and the occurrence of adverse drug reactions was recorded. RESULTS A total of 41 patients in the propofol group and 43 patients in the remimazolam group completed the trial. The proportion of patients with grade Ⅰ anesthesia effect in the remimazolam group was significantly higher than that in the propofol group, while the proportion of patients with grade Ⅱ anesthesia effect was significantly lower than that in the propofol group (P<0.05). In this group, the disappearance time of eyelash reflex, the time taken for the bispectral index to drop to 60, and the Ramsay sedation scores (2 and 6 hours after operation) were all significantly prolonged or increased, while the recovery time, NRS scores (2 and 6 hours after operation), and the incidence of intraoperative hypotension were all significantly shortened or reduced; moreover, the improvements of the above sedation/NRS scores exhibited a time-dependent pattern within 2 to 24 hours after operation (P<0.05). Compared with before anesthesia induction (T0), the heart rate [except at 2 min after medication (T1), 60 min after anesthesia (T4), and at the end of surgery (T5) in the remimazolam group] and mean arterial pressure [except at T1 in the remimazolam group] of patients in both groups significantly decreased at T1, 5 min after medication (T2), at the start of surgery (T3), T4, and T5 (P<0.05). Meanwhile, regional cerebral oxygen saturation significantly increased in both groups. Furthermore, the heart rate and mean arterial pressure of patients in the remimazolam group were significantly higher than those in the propofol group at T1, T2 and T4 (P<0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of postanesthesia care unit stay time, dosage of opioids and muscle relaxants, regional cerebral oxygen saturation, or peripheral oxygen saturation at various time points (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Compared to propofol, remimazolam demonstrates superior anesthesia effects when used for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy. It not only provides more stable intraoperative hemodynamics and shortens the postoperative recovery time but also effectively reduces the incidence of intraoperative hypotension.
6.Preliminary Construction of Comprehensive Evaluation System for TCM Clinical Practice Guidelines Based on Bibliometric Analysis and Core Element Extraction
Xue CHEN ; Gezhi ZHANG ; Danping ZHENG ; Fangqi LIU ; An LI ; Junjie JIANG ; Nannan SHI ; Wei YANG ; Xinghua XIANG ; Mengyu LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(24):209-219
ObjectiveTo construct a comprehensive evaluation indicator system for clinical practice guidelines of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that is scientific, systematic, and reflects the characteristics of TCM. MethodsA systematic search was conducted in Chinese and English databases, including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, to include literature on domestic and international guideline evaluation tools and TCM-related research. Document analysis and CiteSpace were utilized for keyword co-occurrence and clustering analysis. ResultsA total of 65 relevant studies were included, from which seven core thematic domains were identified. Based on the research objectives, a two-step construction strategy was adopted: first, an external evaluation framework was established by referencing international tools to cover methodological rigor and procedural standardization; second, an internal evaluation framework was developed to reflect the distinctive features of TCM clinical practice, including syndrome differentiation and efficacy feedback. Through expert consensus, the indicator system was refined, resulting in a dual-layered structure comprising 8 primary indicators, 22 secondary indicators, and 62 evaluation criteria. ConclusionThe comprehensive evaluation system for TCM clinical practice guidelines, based on bibliometric analysis and core element extraction, integrates both theoretical integrity and practical applicability. This study provides a preliminary research foundation for further optimization, validation, and development of a refined comprehensive evaluation system.
7.Compound Centella asiatica formula alleviates Schistosoma japonicum-induced liver fibrosis in mice by inhibiting the inflammation-fibrosis cascade via regulating the TLR4/MyD88 pathway.
Liping GUAN ; Yan YAN ; Xinyi LU ; Zhifeng LI ; Hui GAO ; Dong CAO ; Chenxi HOU ; Jingyu ZENG ; Xinyi LI ; Yang ZHAO ; Junjie WANG ; Huilong FANG
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(6):1307-1316
OBJECTIVES:
To explore the therapeutic mechanism of compound Centella asiatica formula (CCA) for alleviating Schistosoma japonicum (Sj)-induced liver fibrosis in mice.
METHODS:
The active components and targets of CCA were identified using the TCMSP database with cross-analysis of Sj-related liver fibrosis targets. A "drug-component-target-pathway-disease" network was constructed using Cytoscape 3.9.1. Functional enrichment analysis (GO/KEGG) was performed using DAVID. Molecular docking study was carried out to validate interactions between the core targets and the key compounds. For experimental validation of the results, 36 mice were divided into control group, Sj-infected model group, and CCA-treated groups. In the latter two groups, liver fibrosis was induced via abdominal infection with Sj cercariae for 8 weeks, followed by 8 weeks of daily treatment with CCA decoction or saline. Hepatic pathology of the mice was assessedwith HE and Masson staining, and hepatic expressions of collagen-I and collagen-III were detected using immunohistochemistry; serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels were determined with ELISA. Hepatic expressions of TLR4 and MyD88 proteins were analyzed with Western blotting.
RESULTS:
We identified a total of 107 bioactive CCA components and 791 targets, including 37 intersection targets linked to Sj-induced fibrosis. The core targets included TNF, TP53, JUN, MMP9, and CXCL8, involving the IL-17 signaling, lipid metabolism, TLR4/MyD88 axis, and cancer pathways. Molecular docking study confirmed strong binding affinity between quercetin (a primary CCA component) and TNF/TP53/JUN/MMP9. In Sj-infected mouse models, CCA treatment significantly attenuated hepatic inflammatory cell infiltration, reduced collagen-I and collagen-III deposition, improved tissue architecture, reduced serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels, and downregulated TLR4 and MyD88 expressions in the liver.
CONCLUSIONS
CCA mitigates Sj-induced liver fibrosis by targeting TNF, TP53, JUN, and MMP9 to modulate the TLR4/MyD88 pathway, thereby suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokine release, inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation, reducing collagen deposition, and preventing granuloma formation in the liver.
Animals
;
Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism*
;
Mice
;
Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88/metabolism*
;
Schistosoma japonicum
;
Liver Cirrhosis/parasitology*
;
Schistosomiasis japonica
;
Signal Transduction
;
Molecular Docking Simulation
;
Inflammation
;
Centella/chemistry*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
;
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism*
8.Liquiritin improves macrophage degradation of engulfed tumour cells by promoting the formation of phagolysosomes via NOX2/gp91phox.
Caiyi YANG ; Kehan CHEN ; Yunliang CHEN ; Xuting XIE ; Pengcheng LI ; Meng ZHAO ; Junjie LIANG ; Xueqian XIE ; Xiaoyun CHEN ; Yanping CAI ; Bo XU ; Qing WANG ; Lian ZHOU ; Xia LUO
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(5):101093-101093
The incomplete degradation of tumour cells by macrophages (Mϕ) is a contributing factor to tumour progression and metastasis, and the degradation function of Mϕ is mediated through phagosomes and lysosomes. In our preliminary experiments, we found that overactivation of NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) reduced the ability of Mϕ to degrade engulfed tumour cells. Above this, we screened out liquiritin from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, which can significantly inhibit NOX2 activity and inhibit tumours, to elucidate that suppressing NOX2 can enhance the ability of Mϕ to degrade tumour cells. We found that the tumour environment could activate the NOX2 activity in Mϕ phagosomes, causing Mϕ to produce excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus prohibiting the formation of phagolysosomes before degradation. Conversely, inhibiting NOX2 in Mϕ by liquiritin can reduce ROS and promote phagosome-lysosome fusion, therefore improving the enzymatic degradation of tumour cells after phagocytosis, and subsequently promote T cell activity by presenting antigens. We further confirmed that liquiritin down-regulated the expression of the NOX2 specific membrane component protein gp91 phox, blocking its binding to the NOX2 cytoplasmic component proteins p67 phox and p47 phox, thereby inhibiting the activity of NOX2. This study elucidates the specific mechanism by which Mϕ cannot degrade tumour cells after phagocytosis, and indicates that liquiritin can promote the ability of Mϕ to degrade tumour cells by suppressing NOX2.
9.Effect of brinzolamide-timolol maleate eye drops on the metabolism of vancomycin hydrochloride in rabbit eyes
Tianyang ZHOU ; Jingjing YANG ; Xiang LI ; Huiyun XIA ; Jijun HE ; Junjie ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Ophthalmology 2025;43(1):27-31
Objective:To investigate the effect of brinzolamide-timolol maleate eye drops on the metabolism of intravitreally injected vancomycin hydrochloride (VH) in rabbit eyes.Methods:Nine healthy male New Zealand white rabbits were selected.Among them, three were used to extract blank aqueous humor and the right eyes of the remaining six were set as experimental eyes.The experimental eye was topically administered 30 μl of brinzolamide-timolol maleate eye drops twice a day.The fellow eyes were set as control eyes.The intraocular pressure of both eyes was measured before the initial application of the eye drops and 1 hour after application of the eye drops next day.Both eyes of each rabbit were intravitreally injected with 0.5 mg of VH (10 mg/ml) solution.The aqueous humor was drawn at 2 hours and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 days after intravitreal injection.VH concentrations in aqueous humor were measured by high performance liquid chromatography.The time of peak concentrations ( tmax), peak concentration ( Cmax), elimination half-life ( t1/2) and the area under the concentration-time curve ( AUC) of VH in rabbit eyes were calculated by the average concentrations.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Henan Eye Hospital (No.HNEECA-2023-01). Results:The intraocular pressure after eye drop was significantly lower than that before eye drop in experimental eyes ( P<0.01).The tmax of VH in experimental eyes and control eyes were both 1 day.The Cmax of VH in experimental eyes and control eyes were (61.40±13.48) and (51.56±5.07)μg/ml, respectively.The VH aqueous concentrations in the experimental eyes on days 4, 6 and 8 after injection were all significantly higher than those in the control eye ( t=2.378, 3.150, 2.694; all P<0.05).The t1/2 of VH in the aqueous humor of the experimental eyes was 2.69 days, which was 31% longer than 2.05 days of the control eyes.The AUC0-10 d of experimental eyes increased by 24.3% relative to the control eyes. Conclusions:Brinzolamide-timolol maleate eye drops can significantly extend the ocular residence time of intravitreally injected VH.
10.Surveillance of bacterial resistance in Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University,2020-2023
Xin XIANG ; Ehmeti REZEWANGULI ; Hua WEI ; Li YANG ; Jian YIN ; Junjie MA ; Xue FENG
Chinese Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy 2025;25(2):187-194
Objective To investigate the distribution and antibiotic resistance of clinical isolates in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University.Methods Bacterial strains were collected from January 1,2020,to December 31,2023,and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using automated systems and disk diffusion methods.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints recommended in the CLSI M100.Results Over the four-year period,22 121 bacterial strains were analyzed,including Gram-positive bacteria(24.1%,5 338/22 121)and Gram-negative bacteria(75.9%,16 783/22 121).The prevalence of methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA)and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus(MRCNS)was 26.4%and 68.9%,respectively.MRSA and MRCNS strains showed higher resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents compared to methicillin-susceptible strains(MSSA and MSCNS).No Staphylococcus strains were found resistant to linezolid or vancomycin.E.faecium showed higher resistance rates to most of the antimicrobial agents tested than E.faecalis.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in E.faecium and limited number of linezolid-resistant strains were identified in E.faecalis.All S.pneumoniae isolates were isolated from specimens other than cerebrospinal fluid.The prevalence of penicillin-resistant S.pneumoniae(PRSP)was 9.4%.Overall,13.2%of Klebsiella isolates were resistant to imipenem and 13.1%to meropenem,while the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant strains was less than 10%in Escherichia coli or other genera of Enterobacterales.As for non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria,P.aeruginosa was largely susceptible to most antimicrobial agents.Overall,11.8%and 10.9%of P.aeruginosa strains were resistant rates to imipenem and meropenem,respectively.However,47.1%of Acinetobacter strains were resistant to imipenem and 47.9%to meropenem,while 14.9%to 53.2%of the strains were resistant to other antimicrobial agents tested.Conclusions The clinical strains isolated in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were predominantly Gram-negative bacteria.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant strains in Klebsiella spp.was higher than that in other species of Enterobacterales.Acinetobacter spp.showed high resistance rate to carbapenems.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains was high in Staphylococcus.Vancomycin-resistant and linezolid-resistant strains were identified in Enterococcus spp.Infection prevention and control and stewardship of antimicrobial agents should be strengthened to contain the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria.

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