1.Advancements in herbal medicine-based nanozymes for biomedical applications.
Mei YANG ; Zhichao DENG ; Yuanyuan ZHU ; Chenxi XU ; Chenguang DING ; Yujie ZHANG ; Mingxin ZHANG ; Mingzhen ZHANG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(9):1037-1049
Nanozymes are a distinct category of nanomaterials that exhibit catalytic properties resembling those of enzymes such as peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Nanozymes derived from Chinese herbal medicines exhibit the catalytic functions of their enzyme mimics, while retaining the specific medicinal properties of the herb (termed "herbzymes"). These nanozymes can be categorized into three main groups based on their method of synthesis: herb carbon dot nanozymes, polyphenol-metal nanozymes, and herb extract nanozymes. The reported catalytic activities of herbzymes include POD, SOD, CAT, and GPx. This review presents an overview of the catalytic activities and potential applications of nanozymes, introduces the novel concept of herbzymes, provides a comprehensive review of their classification and synthesis, and discusses recent advances in their biomedical applications. Furthermore, we also discuss the significance of research into herbzymes, including the primary challenges faced and future development directions.
Nanostructures/chemistry*
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Humans
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Herbal Medicine/methods*
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Superoxide Dismutase/chemistry*
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Catalase/chemistry*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*
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Catalysis
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Glutathione Peroxidase/chemistry*
2.Mechanism of Cnidii Fructus in the treatment of periodontitis with osteoporosis based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation.
Miaomiao FENG ; Xiaoran XU ; Ningli LI ; Mingzhen YANG ; Yuankun ZHAI
West China Journal of Stomatology 2025;43(2):249-261
OBJECTIVES:
This study aimed to explore the active components, potential targets, and mechanism of Cnidii Fructus in the treatment of periodontitis with osteoprosis through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation technology.
METHODS:
The main chemical constituents and targets of Cnidii Fructus were screened using the TCMSP and SwissTargetPrediction databases, as well as literature reports. Targets of periodontitis and osteoporosis were predicted using different databases. The intersection targets of Cnidii Fructus, periodontitis, and osteoporosis were obtained using Venny 2.1. The protein-protein interaction network was formed on the STRING platform. Cytoscape 3.9.1 was used to construct the active component-intersection target interaction network, perform the topological analysis, and screen key targets and core active components. Furthermore, the Metascape database was used to perform gene ontology (GO) function and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis on the intersection targets. The top five key targets and core active components were selected as receptor proteins and ligand small molecules. Discovery Studio 2019 was used to dock ligands and receptors and visualize the docking results. Molecular dynamics simulation was conducted using Gromacs2022.3 to assess the stability of the interactions between the core active components and the main targets.
RESULTS:
A total of 20 potential active ingredients of Cnidii Fructus were screened, and 116 targets of Cnidii Fructus were obtained for treating periodontitis and osteoporosis. GO and KEGG analyses of the 116 targets showed that Cnidii Fructus may play a therapeutic role through the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) and advanced glycation end products-receptor for advanced glycation end products (AGE-RAGE) signaling pathways. Molecular docking showed that the core constituents were well bound to the main targets. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the stability of the Diosmetin-AKT1 complex system.
CONCLUSIONS
The preliminary discovery of the potential molecular pharmacological mechanism of Cnidii Fructus extract in the targeted treatment of periodontitis with osteoporosis through a multi-component, multitarget, and multi-pathway approach can serve as a theoretical foundation for future drug-development research and clinical application.
Molecular Docking Simulation
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Molecular Dynamics Simulation
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Network Pharmacology
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Periodontitis/complications*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*
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Osteoporosis/complications*
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Humans
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Protein Interaction Maps
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Cnidium/chemistry*
3.Consensus statement on research and application of Chinese herbal medicine derived extracellular vesicles-like particles (2023 edition).
Qing ZHAO ; Tong WANG ; Hongbin WANG ; Peng CAO ; Chengyu JIANG ; Hongzhi QIAO ; Lihua PENG ; Xingdong LIN ; Yunyao JIANG ; Honglei JIN ; Huantian ZHANG ; Shengpeng WANG ; Yang WANG ; Ying WANG ; Xi CHEN ; Junbing FAN ; Bo LI ; Geng LI ; Bifeng LIU ; Zhiyang LI ; Suhua QI ; Mingzhen ZHANG ; Jianjian ZHENG ; Jiuyao ZHOU ; Lei ZHENG ; Kewei ZHAO
Chinese Herbal Medicines 2024;16(1):3-12
To promote the development of extracellular vesicles of herbal medicine especially the establishment of standardization, led by the National Expert Committee on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Vesicles, research experts in the field of herbal medicine and extracellular vesicles were invited nationwide with the support of the Expert Committee on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Vesicles, Professional Committee on Extracellular Vesicle Research and Application, Chinese Society of Research Hospitals and the Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Chinese Herbal Vesicles. Based on the collation of relevant literature, we have adopted the Delphi method, the consensus meeting method combined with the nominal group method to form a discussion draft of "Consensus statement on research and application of Chinese herbal medicine derived extracellular vesicles-like particles (2023)". The first draft was discussed in online and offline meetings on October 12, 14, November 2, 2022 and April and May 2023 on the current status of research, nomenclature, isolation methods, quality standards and research applications of extracellular vesicles of Chinese herbal medicines, and 13 consensus opinions were finally formed. At the Third Academic Conference on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Vesicles, held on May 26, 2023, Kewei Zhao, convenor of the consensus, presented and read the consensus to the experts of the Expert Committee on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Vesicles. The consensus highlights the characteristics and advantages of Chinese medicine, inherits the essence, and keeps the righteousness and innovation, aiming to provide a reference for colleagues engaged in research and application of Chinese herbal vesicles at home and abroad, decode the mystery behind Chinese herbal vesicles together, establish a safe, effective and controllable accurate Chinese herbal vesicle prevention and treatment system, and build a bridge for Chinese medicine to the world.
4.Safety of high-carbohydrate fluid diet 2 h versus overnight fasting before non-emergency endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: A single-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled trial
Wenbo MENG ; W. Joseph LEUNG ; Zhenyu WANG ; Qiyong LI ; Leida ZHANG ; Kai ZHANG ; Xuefeng WANG ; Meng WANG ; Qi WANG ; Yingmei SHAO ; Jijun ZHANG ; Ping YUE ; Lei ZHANG ; Kexiang ZHU ; Xiaoliang ZHU ; Hui ZHANG ; Senlin HOU ; Kailin CAI ; Hao SUN ; Ping XUE ; Wei LIU ; Haiping WANG ; Li ZHANG ; Songming DING ; Zhiqing YANG ; Ming ZHANG ; Hao WENG ; Qingyuan WU ; Bendong CHEN ; Tiemin JIANG ; Yingkai WANG ; Lichao ZHANG ; Ke WU ; Xue YANG ; Zilong WEN ; Chun LIU ; Long MIAO ; Zhengfeng WANG ; Jiajia LI ; Xiaowen YAN ; Fangzhao WANG ; Lingen ZHANG ; Mingzhen BAI ; Ningning MI ; Xianzhuo ZHANG ; Wence ZHOU ; Jinqiu YUAN ; Azumi SUZUKI ; Kiyohito TANAKA ; Jiankang LIU ; Ula NUR ; Elisabete WEIDERPASS ; Xun LI
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(12):1437-1446
Background::Although overnight fasting is recommended prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the benefits and safety of high-carbohydrate fluid diet (CFD) intake 2 h before ERCP remain unclear. This study aimed to analyze whether high-CFD intake 2 h before ERCP can be safe and accelerate patients’ recovery.Methods::This prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial involved 15 tertiary ERCP centers. A total of 1330 patients were randomized into CFD group ( n = 665) and fasting group ( n = 665). The CFD group received 400 mL of maltodextrin orally 2 h before ERCP, while the control group abstained from food/water overnight (>6 h) before ERCP. All ERCP procedures were performed using deep sedation with intravenous propofol. The investigators were blinded but not the patients. The primary outcomes included postoperative fatigue and abdominal pain score, and the secondary outcomes included complications and changes in metabolic indicators. The outcomes were analyzed according to a modified intention-to-treat principle. Results::The post-ERCP fatigue scores were significantly lower at 4 h (4.1 ± 2.6 vs. 4.8 ± 2.8, t = 4.23, P <0.001) and 20 h (2.4 ± 2.1 vs. 3.4 ± 2.4, t= 7.94, P <0.001) in the CFD group, with least-squares mean differences of 0.48 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26–0.71, P <0.001) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.57–0.95, P <0.001), respectively. The 4-h pain scores (2.1 ± 1.7 vs. 2.2 ± 1.7, t = 2.60, P = 0.009, with a least-squares mean difference of 0.21 [95% CI: 0.05–0.37]) and positive urine ketone levels (7.7% [39/509] vs. 15.4% [82/533], χ2 = 15.13, P <0.001) were lower in the CFD group. The CFD group had significantly less cholangitis (2.1% [13/634] vs. 4.0% [26/658], χ2 = 3.99, P = 0.046) but not pancreatitis (5.5% [35/634] vs. 6.5% [43/658], χ2 = 0.59, P = 0.444). Subgroup analysis revealed that CFD reduced the incidence of complications in patients with native papilla (odds ratio [OR]: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39–0.95, P = 0.028) in the multivariable models. Conclusion::Ingesting 400 mL of CFD 2 h before ERCP is safe, with a reduction in post-ERCP fatigue, abdominal pain, and cholangitis during recovery.Trail Registration::ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT03075280.
5.ICP-MS determination of elemental impurities in pharmaceutical excipient sucrose
Mingzhen WU ; Yue LI ; Jianping ZHU ; Zhuangwei LIU ; Rui YANG ; Xia ZHAO
Drug Standards of China 2024;25(4):423-429
Objective:An ICP-MS method was established for the determination of arsenic(As),cadmium(Cd),mercury(Hg),lead(Pb),cobalt(Co),nickel(Ni),vanadium(V),lithium(Li),antimony(Sb),copper(Cu)and other 10 elements in pharmaceutical excipients sucrose to assess their risks.Methods:The pharmaceuti-cal excipient sucrose was dissolved in 0.1%HN03 solution directly,and the contents of 75 As,111Cd,202Hg,208Pb,59 Co,60 Ni,51V,7 Li,121 Sb,and 63 Cu in sucrose were determined by the ICP-MS method with the optimized instru-mental parameters in the STD mode.Results:The results showed that the linearity of the method was great in the range of 0-100 ng·mL-1 for As,Cd,Pd,Co,Ni,V,Li,Sb and Cu(the correlation coefficient r was not less than 0.99),and the linearity of the method was good in the range of 0-2 ng·mL-1 for Hg(r=0.999 1).The average recoveries for the 10 elements were in the range of 99.8%-100.0%,and the RSDs were less than 5%(n=6).Conclusion:The method is easy to operate and has high accuracy.It can be used for the determination of 10 elemental impurities in pharmaceutical excipient sucrose.It can be seen that the content of the above ten elements in sucrose is much lower than the specified value in ICH Q3D,and the risk is small.The heavy metal item can no longer be considered separately when revising the standard.
6.Glucose starvation promotes hnRNPA2B1 cytoplasmic translocation and activates AKT to maintain prostate cancer cell survival
Liangbo SUN ; Meng HE ; Dong LIU ; Fengtian HE ; Jiqin LIAN ; Mingzhen YANG
Journal of Army Medical University 2024;46(20):2284-2290
Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism of translocation of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2B1 (hnRNPA2B1 )to the cytoplasm after glucose starvation and the effects of increased cytoplasmic translocation of hnRNPA2B1 on the survival of prostate cancer PC3 cells. Methods Human prostate cancer PC3 cells were divided into normal control group (cultured conventionally with glucose-containing medium,RPMI 1640 Medium)and glucose starvation group (cultured with glucose-free medium,RPMI 1640 Medium).The 2 types of cells were treated with deacetylase inhibitor,trichostatin A (TSA ) combined with nicotinamide (NAM),AKT inhibitor BEZ235,si-NC transfection,and si-hnRNPA2B1 transfection,respectively.Cytoplasmic and nuclear protein separation,immunoprecipitation and Western blotting were used to detect changes in hnRNPA2B1 acetylation,total AKT protein and its phosphorylation level,and expression levels of hnRNPA2B1 in the cytoplasm and nucleus.CCK-8 assay was employed to observe cell survival in each group.Results After 3~5 h of glucose starvation treatment,the acetylation of hnRNPA2B1 protein was reduced (P<0.01 ),and its cytoplasmic translocation was increased in PC3 cells (P<0.01 ),which was accompanied by enhanced AKT phosphorylation and activation of the AKT signaling pathway.TSA/NAM treatment,BEZ235 treatment,and si-hnRNPA2B1 transfection all resulted in obvious increase in acetylation of hnRNPA2B1 protein when compared with glucose starvation treated cells (P<0.01 ),which could inhibit the glucose starvation-mediated cytoplasmic translocation of hnRNPA2B1,suppress AKT phosphorylation,and consequently decrease the cell survival rate after glucose starvation (P<0.01).Conclusion Glucose starvation can maintain the survival of PC3 cells by inducing the activation of the Ac-hnRNPA2B1-AKT signaling pathway.
7.Advances in basic and clinical research of flumatinib
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2024;45(6):621-624
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a hematological malignancy originating from the pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells. Imatinib is the first generation of small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) that revolutionized the treatment of CML. Flumatinib, as a novel oral TKI that independently developed in China, which can be used as a preferred treatment for CML. Basic researches suggested that the inhibitory effect of flumatinib on CML cell lines is stronger than imatinib. Flumatinib demonstrated that it has better efficacy than imatinib on CML in clinical trials and in real world studies. Flumatinib also showed a higher potency against CML with specific mutations, Ph + acute lymphoblastic leukemia and some solid tumors. The adverse events are manageable and tolerable.
8.Investigation and analysis of a food poisoning incident caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Lili YAO ; Ping HE ; Rong ZHANG ; Mingzhen YANG ; Yun LIU ; Lunhui XIANG
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2023;35(10):982-986
ObjectiveTo ascertain the causes of a food poisoning incident and provide references for the prevention of similar incidents in the future. MethodsCase investigation was conducted through field epidemiological investigation methods, and suspicious meals and foods were searched by the analytical epidemiological method. A food hygiene investigation was conducted in the establishment involved and samples of suspicious food, processing steps, and cases were collected for laboratory testing. ResultsA total of 91 individuals meeting the case definition were identified, resulting in an attack rate of 14.97% (91/608). The main clinical manifestations included abdominal pain (97.80%), diarrhea (84.62%), nausea (62.64%), vomiting (72.53%), fever (12.09%), and increased white blood cells (90.11%). The peak incidence occurred from 16:00 to 18:00 on June 15. The epidemic curve showed a point-source exposure pattern, with an incubation period of 1 h minimum and 10 h maximum, and an average of 5 h. Analytical epidemiological studies indicated that lunch on June 15 was the suspicious meal (χ2=38.78, P<0.001), and those who consumed cold-dressed tofu with preserved eggs had a significantly higher risk of falling ill compared to non-consumers (χ2=105.21, P<0.001). Laboratory testing results revealed Vibrio parahaemolyticus detected in 1 employee’s anal swab and 18 cases’ anal swabs. Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 1 food ingredient and 1 case’s anal swab. The remaining samples tested negative. ConclusionThe cause of this food poisoning incident is Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The cause is the canteen’s supply of cold-dressed tofu with preserved eggs beyond its permissible business scope, potentially leading to cross-contamination during food processing. Regulatory authorities should strengthen routine law enforcement inspections and monitoring. Food service establishments should strengthen food safety awareness, standardize operational procedures in strict accordance with relevant national laws and regulations and food safety standards, and strive to reduce the occurrence of foodborne disease incidents at their source.
9.An outbreak of school influenza complicated with mycoplasma pneumoniae infection
Chinese Journal of School Health 2023;44(2):266-268
Objective:
To describe the clinical features, causal agent and transmission mode of a fever outbreak in a school in Shanghai.
Methods:
Field epidemiological approaches including case definition development, searching for contacts, distribution of diseases description, environmental sampling and laboratory testing.
Results:
A total of 16 influenza like cases were included, all concentrated in the one class of grade two, including 15 students and 1 teacher. Among student cases, the incidence rate was 36.59% (15/41), the average age was 7.4 years, the incidence rate was 36.84%(7/19) for boys, 36.36%(8/22) for girls. The clinical course was 5-15 days, with the median of 9 days, and 18.75%(3/16) of the cases stayed studying while sick. The nasopharyngeal swab specimens in 16 cases all tested positive for influenza B, of which 11 tested positive for mycoplasma pneumoniae and 1 case also tested positive for coronavirus OC43. Body temperature, number of mononuclear cells, and treatment time of patients infected with Influenza B and mycoplasma pneumoniae were higher than those of patients infected with influenza B alone( P <0.05). The outbreak lasted for 12 days, all sick students were treated and discharged from hospital, with no severe cases or death, and the outbreak was effectively controlled.
Conclusion
This campus cluster outbreak caused by influenza B and mycoplasma pneumoniae. Patients with influenza B with mycoplasma pneumoniae have severe symptoms and a long course of illness, suggesting the importance of early management of the epidemic.
10.Expression of SIRT3 in acute myeloid leukemia
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2022;57(11):1826-1830
Objective :
To observe the dynamic changes of reactive oxygen species ( ROS) ,isocitrate dehydrogen- ase 2 (IDH2) and sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) before and after chemothera- py,and to explore the differences of ROS,IDH2 and SIRT3 levels in different AML patients and their application value in clinical diagnosis and efficacy evaluation.
Methods :
Bone marrow and peripheral blood samples were taken from 20 newly diagnosed AML ( non-APL) patients who had not received chemotherapy ( new diagnosis group) ; bone marrow and peripheral blood samples were taken from 40 AML (non-APL) patients who had received chemotherapy (by Treatment group) ; 20 normal human bone marrow and peripheral blood samples were taken as control (control group) .The expression of ROS in bone marrow mononuclear cells and mitochondria of bone mar- row mononuclear cells in each group was observed under a fluorescence microscope,and the expressions of IDH2 and SIRT3 in peripheral blood of each group were determined by ELISA.The expression of AML1-ETO fusion gene in patients was summarized ,and the expression of SIRT3 in different groups was compared. The expression of SIRT3 in different treatment effects and treatment courses in the treated patients were compared.
Results :
The ex- pression of mitochondrial ROS in bone marrow mononuclear cells and cells in the three groups was higher in the newly diagnosed group than that in the control group (P<0. 05) ,and lower in the treated group than that in the newly diagnosed group (P<0. 05) .The expression of IDH2 in peripheral blood of the three groups was higher in the newly diagnosed group than that in the control group (P<0. 000 1) ,and lower in the treated group than that in the newly diagnosed group (P <0. 05 ) .After peripheral blood samples were diluted 5 times ,the expression of SIRT3 in the newly diagnosed group was lower than that in the control group (P <0. 000 1 ) ; the expression of SIRT3 in the treated group was higher than that in the newly diagnosed group (P<0. 01) .The SIRT3 expression of fusion gene-positive patients was higher than that of fusion gene-negative patients ; the SIRT3 expression of partial remission patients was higher than that of complete remission patients ; the SIRT3 expression of patients with com- plete remission in the subgroup of previously treated patients was higher than that of patients with a longer treatment course than those with a short treatment course.
Conclusion
SIRT3 is an important protein that regulates metabol- ic function in the mitochondria of cells.Its expression is down-regulated in patients with acute myeloid leukemia, and the expressions of IDH2 and ROS increased accordingly.In AML,the abnormal expression of SIRT3 can accel- erate the occurrence and development of tumor and reduce the therapeutic effect.


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