1.Construction and practice of the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis” and related prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy in traditional Chinese medicine/Zhuang medicine
Zhipeng WU ; Yuqin ZHANG ; Chun YAO ; Minggang WANG ; Na WANG ; Mengru PENG ; Ningfang MO ; Yaqing ZHENG ; Rongzhen ZHANG ; Dewen MAO
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(2):370-374
Hepatic encephalopathy is a difficult and critical disease with rapid progression and limited treatment methods in the field of liver disease, and it is urgently needed to make breakthroughs in its pathogenesis. Selection of appropriate prevention and treatment strategies is of great importance in delaying disease progression and reducing the incidence and mortality rates. This article reviews the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis” and related prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy in traditional Chinese medicine/Zhuang medicine, proposes a new theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”, analyzes the scientific connotations of “turbid”, “toxin”, and the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”, and constructs the “four-step” prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy, thereby establishing the new clinical prevention and treatment regimen for hepatic encephalopathy represented by “four prescriptions and two techniques” and clarifying the effect mechanism and biological basis of core prescriptions and techniques in the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy, in order to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy.
2.Exploration on the relation between tumors and anaphylactic reaction from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine constitution
Yuhan ZONG ; Huaiyu WANG ; Mengru ZHOU ; Haoyue JIANG ; Luyao JIN ; Xihuan ZHU ; Ji WANG
Journal of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;48(2):240-245
The etiology of tumors is complex and influenced by multiple factors, including the host and environmental conditions. Allergy is primarily driven by the immune response of helper T cell 2 (Th2). Research has shown that the Th2 immune response is closely related to tumors, which is specifically manifested through Th2 antibodies, allergy-related effector cells and mediators within the tumors, as well as tumor immune-related functions. This internal interaction mechanism will increase the complexity and challenges associated with the clinical diagnosis and treatment of tumors and allergy. The formation of allergic constitution is shaped by both congenital and acquired factors, and its physical state is closely linked to the occurrence and progression of allergic diseases. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the relationship between tumors and allergic reactions from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution theory. Based on the four basic principles of the TCM constitution, including endowment inheritance theory, environment constraint theory, body-spirit composition theory, and life process theory, this exploration will focus on four aspects: genetic factors and internal disease causes, inflammatory environments and functional regulation, psychological disorders and emotional pathogenesis, as well as age structure and disease risk. Furthermore, from the perspective of constitution-disease relation of chronic disease prevention, this paper will discuss the significant importance of adjusting allergic constitution to improve both subjective symptoms and objective indicators of allergic reactions in tumor patients.
3.Luteolin improves myocardial cell death induced by serum from rats with spinal cord injury
Wenwen ZHANG ; Mengru XU ; Yuan TIAN ; Lifei ZHANG ; Shu SHI ; Ning WANG ; Yuan YUAN ; Li WANG ; Haihu HAO
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(1):38-43
BACKGROUND:Cardiac dysfunction due to spinal cord injury is an important factor of death in patients with spinal cord injury;however,the specific mechanism is still not clear.Therefore,revealing the mechanism of cardiac dysfunction in spinal cord injury patients is of great significance to improve their quality of life and survival rate. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the mechanism of luteolin in improving serum-induced myocardial cell death in spinal cord injury rats. METHODS:Allen's impact instrument was used to damage the spine T9-T11 of male SD rats to establish a spinal cord injury model meanwhile a sham operation group was set as the control group.The serum of rats of each group was collected.H9c2 cells were divided into a blank control group,a sham operated rat serum group,a spinal cord injury rat serum group and a luteolin pretreatment group.The cells in blank control group were only cultured with ordinary culture medium.The cells in the sham operated rat serum group were treated with medium containing 10%serum from sham operated rat.The cells in the spinal cord injury rat serum group were treated with medium containing 10%serum from spinal cord injury rat.The cells in the luteolin pretreatment group were precultured with a final concentration of 20 μmol/L luteolin for 4 hours and then changed to a medium containing 10%rat serum from spinal cord injury rat.After 24 hours of culture,the survival rate of each group of H9c2 cells was measured by CCK-8 assay.Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of autophagy related protein LC3 and p62 in H9c2 cells in each group. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the blank control group,there was no significant change in cell survival rate in the sham operated rat serum group(P>0.05).Compared with the sham operated rat serum group,the cell survival rate(P<0.01)and the expression of LC3 protein(P<0.05)in spinal cord injury rat serum group was significantly reduced,and the expression of p62 protein was significantly increased(P<0.05).Compared with the spinal cord injury rat serum group,the survival rate of cells in the luteolin pretreatment group significantly increased(P<0.000 1);the expression of LC3 protein significantly increased(P<0.05),and the expression of p62 protein significantly decreased(P<0.05).The results indicate that luteolin may improve myocardial cell death induced by serum from rats with spinal cord injury by promoting autophagy.
4.Hyssopus cuspidatus extract inhibited OVA-sensitized allergic asthma through PI3K/JNK/P38 signaling pathway and lipid homeostasis regulation.
Yali ZHANG ; Huiming PENG ; Jingjing LI ; Pan LV ; Mengru ZHANG ; Xu WANG ; Siyu WANG ; Siying ZHU ; Jiankang LU ; Xuepeng FAN ; Jinbo FANG
Chinese Herbal Medicines 2025;17(3):539-547
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effect and mechanism of Hyssopus cuspidatus Boriss. extract (HCE) in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma.
METHODS:
Components identification of HCE was conducted using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry. Mice were sensitized with OVA to establish asthmatic model, and dexamethasone was used as positive control. Respiratory reactivity, white cells counting in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and peripheral blood, cytokine level measurement in serum and lung tissue, and histologic examination were performed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of HCE on asthma. Network pharmacology approach was used for mechanism prediction. Western blotting and untargeted lipidomics method were applied for mechanism validation.
RESULTS:
Fifty-two compounds were identified in HCE, predominantly terpenoids and flavonoids. HCE markedly reduced airway resistance, the eosinophil infiltration in lung tissues, and the levels of immunoglobulin E, interleukin-4, interleukin-5, and interleukin-13. Network pharmacology analysis suggested phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) may be key proteins of HCE in the treatment of allergic asthma. Western blot results indicated that the levels of phosphorylated PI3K, JNK, and P38 were downregulated in HCE-treated group. Moreover, HCE significantly upregulated the levels of ceramide and sphingomyelin and downregulated the level of phosphatidylcholine.
CONCLUSION
HCE inhibited allergic asthma via PI3K/JNK/P38 signaling pathway and lipid homeostasis regulation.
5.Identifying purgative targets of sennoside A via in situ biotransformation of prodrug-based probes.
Zhen LIU ; Xinyue GENG ; Xinyue LIU ; Mengru LI ; Xiang LI ; Zhixin ZHANG ; Gan LUO ; Ying WANG ; Xiaoyan GAO
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(4):101078-101078
•A strategy for in situ metabolically synthesized active drug-based probes was proposed.•The potential purgative targets of SA were successfully hooked and identified.•The work provided a new insight for studying the direct targets of unstable active drugs.
6.The Mechanism of Action of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Inducing Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(6):1555-1562
7.Association of dietary patterns with serum uric acid and hyperuricemia in Chinese adults
Mengru DONG ; Yifei OUYANG ; Yanli WEI ; Huijun WANG ; Aidong LIU ; Zhihong WANG ; Xiaorong YUAN ; Xiaohui DONG ; Jiguo ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2024;45(10):1403-1409
Objective:To analyze the dietary patterns of Chinese adults and explore the relationship with serum uric acid (SUA) and hyperuricemia (HUA).Methods:A total of 9 358 adults were selected in the 2018 China Health and Nutrition Survey. Dietary intake data were collected by three consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls and weighing method. The social demographic information of the survey subjects was obtained through questionnaire surveys. The dietary patterns were extracted using factor analysis, and the relationship between dietary patterns and SUA was analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis. The correlation between HUA and dietary patterns was analyzed using logistic regression analysis models.Results:Four dietary patterns were identified: northern (high intakes of wheat, other cereals,and tubers); modern (high intakes of fruit, dairy, eggs, and nuts); southern (high intakes of rice and vegetables);animal food-wine (high intake of organ meats, seafood, and wine). The multiple linear regression analysis results showed that the northern pattern was negatively correlated with SUA ( β=-0.438, 95% CI: -0.500--0.376); the modern pattern was negatively correlated with SUA ( β=-0.134, 95% CI: -0.219--0.049); the southern model was significantly correlated with higher SUA ( β=0.146, 95% CI: 0.079-0.214); the animal food-wine pattern was positively correlated with SUA ( β=0.188, 95% CI: 0.123-0.252). Logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the northern model score Q1 group, the risk of developing HUA was reduced in Q3 and Q4 groups, with ORs values of 0.777 (95% CI: 0.650-0.929) and 0.509 (95% CI: 0.423-0.613), respectively; and compared with the modern model score Q1 group, the higher the scores in Q3 and Q4 groups, the HUA was lower, with ORs of 0.793 (95% CI: 0.660-0.953) and 0.768 (95% CI: 0.631-0.934), respectively. Compared with the animal food-wine pattern score Q1 group, the risk of developing HUA was increased in both Q3 and Q4 groups ( Q3 group: OR=1.224, 95% CI: 1.012-1.480; Q4 group: OR=1.312, 95% CI: 1.086-1.584). Conclusions:Dietary patterns are associated with HUA. The northern and modern patterns are related to lower SUA levels and reduced risk of HUA, while the animal food-wine pattern increases the risk of HUA.
8.Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Rehmanniae Radix and Its Decoction Pieces Based on Sugar Spectrum
Mengru DAI ; Chun LI ; Raorao LI ; Limei LIN ; Chunxiu SHEN ; Yongxin ZHANG ; Weihong FENG ; Zhimin WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(18):157-163
ObjectiveTaking the oligosaccharides in Rehmanniae Radix(RR) as the research object, the content determination method based on high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection(HPLC-ELSD) and thin layer chromatography(TLC) identification method were established to explore the content and distribution of oligosaccharides in different RR herbs and decoction pieces. MethodA total of 10 batches of fresh and raw RR, 12 batches of RR decoction pieces and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata(RRP) were collected. A TLC identification method for fructose, sucrose, manninotriose, raffinose and stachyose in RR was established by using silica gel G thin-layer plates with ethyl acetate-water-anhydrous formic acid-glacial acetic acid(12∶6∶5∶4) as the developing agent and 10% sulfuric acid-ethanol solution as chromogenic agent. A HPLC-ELSD was used to determine the contents of fructose, glucose, sucrose, melibiose, raffinose, manninotriose and stachyose in different RR herbs and decoction pieces. Then principal component analysis(PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) were used to analyze the contents of 7 kinds of saccharides in RR herbs and decoction pieces, and the differential components were screened with the value of variable importance in the projection(VIP)>1. ResultThe results of TLC identification showed that fresh RR, raw RR and its decoction pieces showed spots of the same color on the corresponding positions with the control products of stachyose, raffinose and sucrose, while the TLC of RRP showed spots of the same color at corresponding positions to manninotriose and fructose controls. The results of methodological investigations of 7 analytes met the requirements of determination. Only glucose, sucrose, raffinose and stachyose were detected in 10 batches of fresh RR and 10 batches of raw RR herbs, the average contents of which were 0.84%, 4.62%, 2.42% and 57.90% in fresh samples, while those were 3.16%, 9.36%, 7.05% and 38.10% in raw samples, respectively. In 12 batches of RR decoction pieces, the contents of the above seven sugars(fructose, glucose, sucrose, melibiose, raffinose, manninotriose and stachyose) were 1.68%, 4.27%, 9.96%, 0.53%, 6.85%, 3.05% and 37.52%, respectively. In 12 batches of RRP, the contents of the above seven sugars were 10.62%, 11.01%, 1.25%, 3.35%, 1.12%, 28.16% and 6.39%, respectively. The results of multivariate statistical analysis showed that fresh RR, raw RR and RRP could be distinguished from each other by the contents of the 7 sugars, and the main differential components were stachyose, sucrose, raffinose and manninotriose. ConclusionIn terms of oligosaccharides, the contents and types of saccharides in different herbs and decoction pieces of RR are quite different, and the TLC identification method based on this can be used to distinguish raw RR from RRP, which can lay a foundation for improving the quality standard of RR and developing and applying oligosaccharides in different processed products of RR.
9.Body hydration status and decompression sickness
Mengru ZHOU ; Baoliang ZHU ; Long QING ; Yingjie ZHOU ; Hongjie YI ; Yewei WANG ; Kun ZHANG ; Weigang XU
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2024;41(7):834-840
Hydration status refers to the balance between the intake and discharge of water in the body. When the ingested and discharged water are roughly equal and the body is in water balance, it is the normal hydration status, and when the water intake is too little or too much, it is the "dehydration" or "overhydration status". The hydration status of the body not only affects metabolism, but also affects the functions of the urinary system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, etc. In order to further clarify the relationship between body hydration status and decompression sickness (DCS), this paper reviewed relevant studies and analyzed the interaction between hydration and decompression safety during diving. The primary causes of dehydration in diving are "hyperbaric diuresis", "immersion diuresis", breathing dry gas, heat, and cold. Dehydration not only promotes the occurrence of DCS but also reduces the aerobic work efficiency and athletic performance of divers, as well as affects cognition and mood. A study found that appropriate rehydration before and during diving can reduce the risk of DCS, which possibly associates with the increase of blood volume, plasma surface tension, and vasoconstriction. Fluid therapy is also important for those who already have DCS. This paper analyzed the amount, nature, timing, and effect of rehydration involved in the above links, comprehensively sorted out the relationship between hydration and diving safety, summarized the existing problems, and provided reference for practical application and future research.
10.Epidemiology and associated factors of Helicobacter pylori infection in Tibetan families on the Western Sichuan Plateau
Dingjian WU ; Rui WANG ; Hengqi LIU ; Feng XIAN ; Xianjin BI ; Mengru WEI ; Yonghong XIE ; Chunhui LAN
Chinese Journal of Infectious Diseases 2024;42(1):35-40
Objective:To investigate the Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori) infection of Tibetan families and individuals in the Western Sichuan Plateau region and explore the related factors which affected H. pylori infection. Methods:This was a single-center cross-sectional study. Questionnaires were collected from 50 Tibetan families including 155 individuals in Western Sichuan Plateau region during March to May 2023. The 13C-urea breath test was performed to confirm the current infection status of participants. Binary logistic regression were used to analyze the related factors associated with H. pylori infection. Results:Among the 50 Tibetan households, the individual-based H. pylori infection rate was 47.10%(73/155), with two out of nine children and 48.63%(71/146) adults infected. The age group of 18 to 40 years had the highest infection rate (55.00%, 11/20). The prevalence of infection based on family was 80.00%(40/50), of which 16.00%(8/50) had all family members infected. Of the 59 couples surveyed, 23.73%(14/59) were both infected, and 45.76%(27/59) had one person infected. Of the six families which had children and adolescents, two households had their children infected. Logistic regression analysis showed that size of the family was a factor related to H. pylori infection (odds ratio=3.038, 95% confidence interval 1.043 to 10.491, P=0.042). Conclusions:The family-based H. pylori infection rate is relatively high in Tibetan residents in the Western Sichuan Plateau, and larger family size is related with higher risk of H. pylori infection within the family.


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