1.Protective Effect of Bushen Zhuyun Prescription on Abortion Rats with Kidney Deficiency-Corpus Luteum Inhibition Syndrome via ERα/PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathwa
Changyue SONG ; Siyu LI ; Fengyu HUANG ; Mingzhu QI ; Daiyue DING ; Shuangfei DENG ; Heqiao LI ; Jinghong XIE ; Guohua WANG ; Chen ZANG ; Hong XU ; Xiaohui SU ; Xiangying KONG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(24):107-116
ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of Bushen Zhuyun prescription (BSZY) on abortion rats with kidney deficiency-corpus luteum inhibition syndrome. MethodsAn abortion rat model with kidney deficiency-corpus luteum inhibition syndrome was constructed. Pregnant mice aged 8-10 weeks were randomly divided into a control group (Control), a model group (Model), low-dose BSZY (BSZY-L), medium-dose BSZY (BSZY-M), and high-dose BSZY (BSZY-H) groups (2.57, 5.14, 10.28 g·kg-¹), and a Zishen Yutai Pill (ZSYT) group (1.575 g·kg-¹). Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to evaluate histopathological changes in ovarian and decidual tissue of rats in each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to measure levels of estrogen (E₂), progesterone (P), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in serum. The candidate targets of BSZY were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Platform (TCMSP) and Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCMIP) v2.0 databases, while disease targets for recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) were retrieved from GeneCards, DrugBank, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), and Therapeutic Target Database (TTD). The intersection targets were identified by the Venny 2.1.0 platform. Pathway enrichment analysis was conducted based on the Metascape database to predict the potential mechanisms of BSZY. Additionally. Western blot was used to verify the effects of BSZY on the expression of estrogen receptor (ERα), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and protein kinase B (Akt) and explore its protective mechanism on RSA rats. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group exhibited significantly decreased uterine, ovarian, and embryonic wet weights (P<0.05, P<0.01), with an abortion rate of 57.18%. The ovarian tissue showed varying degrees of reduction in primordial follicles, primary follicles, mature follicles, and corpora lutea, along with a large number of atretic follicles. The endometrium was thinner, and decidual tissue exhibited cellular edema and disorganized arrangement. In contrast, compared with the model group, the BSZY groups at all doses and the ZSYT group demonstrated increased uterine, ovarian, and embryonic wet weights, along with a reduced abortion rate. The number of primordial follicles, primary follicles, mature follicles, and corpora lutea increased, while atretic follicles decreased. The endometrium thickened, and decidual tissue displayed normal cellular structure with tight arrangement. Additionally, the model group showed significantly decreased levels of E₂, P, PRL, and FSH in serum (P<0.05, P<0.01), along with a decreasing trend in LH level. In contrast, the BSZY groups at all doses exhibited significantly elevated levels of E₂, P, LH, PRL, and FSH in serum (P<0.05, P<0.01). Network pharmacology predictions suggested that BSZY may exert protective effects against abortion in rats by activating the ERα/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Western blot results confirmed that BSZY significantly upregulated the expression of ERα, PI3K, and p-Akt proteins (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionBSZY has a protective effect on the abortion rats with kidney deficiency-corpus luteum inhibition syndrome, possibly by activating the ERα/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to reduce ovarian apoptosis and regulate endocrine function, thereby lowering the abortion rate.
2.Investigation and discrimination on the characteristics of contralateral bloodletting technique.
Ruiqing WANG ; Mingzhu YE ; Feng YANG
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2025;45(7):1008-1012
Based on the analysis of the relevant records of the contralateral bloodletting technique, it is believed that this needling technique has 3 key characteristics, including "contralateral selection of points", "points on the four extremities dominated" and "collaterals selected rather than meridian points". Through the studies on philology and the annotation by the doctors in the past dynasties, a part of point prescriptions for the contralateral bloodletting is investigated, and those not belonged to the category of this needling technique in Suwen: Miuci Lun (On Contralateral Bloodletting) are distinguished. It is concluded that the failure of consensus-making in classifying point prescriptions is due to the lack of understanding on the characteristics of contralateral bloodletting and the misunderstanding on the errors of sentences and words. It is suggested that the study on theoretic concepts should lay on the problems relevant with the generalization and alienation of concepts. The mode of "combination of the detail with the whole" should be adopted. It starts from grasping the overall by systematic review, and followed by deliberating in details, so as to correctly identify the original concept and connotation.
Humans
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Bloodletting/methods*
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Acupuncture Points
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History, Ancient
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Meridians
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China
3.Divergent activation patterns of BRS3 revealed by two Chinese herb-derived agonists.
Jie LI ; Changyao LI ; Qingtong ZHOU ; Wei HAN ; Mingzhu FANG ; Youwei XU ; Yiting MAI ; Yao ZHANG ; Jiahua CUI ; H Eric XU ; Yan ZHANG ; Wanchao YIN ; Ming-Wei WANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(10):5231-5243
Bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BRS3) is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that plays critical roles in energy homeostasis, glucose metabolism, and insulin secretion. Recent structural studies have elucidated BRS3 signaling mechanisms using synthetic ligands, including BA1 and MK-5046. However, the molecular basis of BRS3 activation by bioactive natural compounds and their derivatives, particularly those derived from traditional Chinese medicine, remains unclear. Here, we present high-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the human BRS3-Gq complex in both unliganded and active states bound by two herb-derived compounds (DSO-5a and oridonin), at resolutions of 2.9, 2.8, and 2.9 Å, respectively. These structures display distinct ligand recognition patterns between DSO-5a and oridonin. Although both compounds bind to the orthosteric pocket, they differentially engage the interaction network of BRS3, as demonstrated by mutagenesis studies assessing calcium mobilization and inositol phosphate 1 (IP1) accumulation. These findings enhance our understanding of BRS3 activation and provide valuable insights into the development of small-molecule BRS3 modulators with therapeutic potential.
4.Research progress in tolerance of petroleum hydrocarbon pollutant-degrading strains.
Shanshan WANG ; Xiaoqian ZHU ; Zhibei CAO ; Lu WANG ; Mingzhu DING
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(1):199-215
Petroleum hydrocarbon pollution has become one of the global environmental problems, posing a serious threat to the environment and human health. Microbial remediation plays an important role in the remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated environment. Nevertheless, the stress factors present in the environment polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons limit the effectiveness of microbial remediation. This paper reviews the common stress factors in petroleum hydrocarbon-polluted environment and the response mechanisms of microorganisms to these factors. Furthermore, we introduce the methods to improve microbial tolerance, such as irrational modification, rational modification based on systems biology tools or tolerance mechanisms, and the construction of microbial consortia. The application of these methods is expected to improve the viability and remediation efficiency of microorganisms in petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated environment and provide new perspectives and technical support for environmental remediation.
Biodegradation, Environmental
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Petroleum/metabolism*
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Hydrocarbons/isolation & purification*
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Bacteria/genetics*
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Environmental Pollutants/isolation & purification*
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Petroleum Pollution
5.Identification, characterization, substrate binding mode prediction, and modification of a novel amidohydrolase from Microbulbifer thermotolerans.
Nana XU ; Mingzhu YAN ; Hao WANG ; Xiao LIANG ; Weidong LIU ; Huimin QIN ; Jian GAO
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(9):3567-3578
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is ubiquitous in the food and feed fields. It has strong hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, seriously threatening the health of humans and animals. Enzymatic degradation of mycotoxins is considered to be a promising method to control mycotoxin contaminations. In this study, a new ochratoxin A amidohydrolase from Microbulbifer thermotolerans (MiADH) was obtained. After heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and purification, the recombinant protein was studied regarding the hydrolysis activity, hydrolysis products, enzymatic properties, and substrate binding mode. MiADH can degrade OTA into ochratoxin α (OTα) and phenylalanine, demonstrating a detoxifying ability. It demonstrated the best performance at 70 ℃ and pH 8.0, and Cu2+ had the strongest inhibitory effect on the activity of MiADH. MiADH with good thermal stability exhibited huge potential for industrial application. Rational design guided by three-dimensional structural models and substrate docking analysis revealed the important amino acids affecting substrate binding and obtained multiple mutants with improved activity. Among these mutants, V324A had the highest activity, which was 4.2-fold that of the wild type. The identification of MiADH enriches the ochratoxin A degradation enzyme library and provides a new candidate enzyme for the biological detoxification of ochratoxin A in the food and feed industry.
Amidohydrolases/chemistry*
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Ochratoxins/metabolism*
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Substrate Specificity
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Escherichia coli/metabolism*
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Recombinant Proteins/metabolism*
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Actinomycetales/genetics*
6.Identification of in Vitro and in vivo Chemical Constituents of Ruyi Zhenbaowan Based on UHPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap HRMS
Kedian CHEN ; Zhaochen MA ; Bingbing CAI ; Ying LIU ; Yudong LIU ; Tao LI ; Mingzhu XU ; Haiping WANG ; Na LIN ; Yanqiong ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(24):78-84
ObjectiveTo identify the chemical constituents of Ruyi Zhenbaowan in vitro and in vivo. MethodThe chemical constituents of Ruyi Zhenbaowan were identified based on UHPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap HRMS. A total of 12 male SD rats were randomized into two groups: control (pure water) and Ruyi Zhenbaowan (1.8 g·kg-1). The rats were administrated with the suspension of Ruyi Zhenbaowan or pure water by gavage. After 1.5 h, the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were collected. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 mm × 150 mm, 1.7 μm) with a mixture of 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution (A) and acetonitrile (B) as the mobile phase. Gradient elution was carried out according to the procedure of 0~15 min,97%~80%A;15~30 min ,80%~60%A;30~40 min,60%~30%A;40~45 min,30%~5%A. The ion source was electrospray ionization, and scan range was m/z 100-1 500. The prototype components and the components in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were analyzed qualitatively by scanning in positive and negative ion modes and identified by comparison with the data in published literature and the information of standard substances. ResultA total of 126 chemical constituents were identified from the 80% methanol solution of Ruyi Zhenbaowan, and 14 and 7 prototype constituents were detected in the plasma and the cerebrospinal fluid, respectively. In addition, the fragmentation rules of apigenin, apigenin-7-O-glucuronide, galangin, liquiritin, piperine, glycyrrhizic acid, eugenol, gallic acid, and cholic acid were deduced. ConclusionThis study achieved rapid multicomponent characterization and identification of Ruyi Zhenbaowan in vitro and in vivo, providing theoretical support for exploring active substances and performing quality control.l.
7.Effects of electroacupuncture with"Zhi San Zhen"on Notch signaling pathway and synaptic plasticity in 5xFAD mice
Huaneng WEN ; Run LIN ; Yixiao WANG ; Bingshui WANG ; Lu LIU ; Chuanyao LIU ; Canxin CAI ; Shaoyang CUI ; Mingzhu XU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2024;28(32):5148-5153
BACKGROUND:Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder characterized primarily by cognitive impairment.Acupuncture is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine therapy for treating Alzheimer's disease,but its mechanism is not yet clear. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of electroacupuncture with"Zhi San Zhen"on the Notch signaling pathway,β-amyloid protein(Aβ)and synaptic plasticity in 5xFAD mice. METHODS:Sixteen male,6-month-old 5xFAD mice,SPF-grade,were randomly divided into the electroacupuncture with"Zhi San Zhen"group(electroacupuncture group)and the model group,with eight mice in each group.Eight SPF-grade,male,6-month-old C57BL/6 mice were used as the wild control(wild)group.The electroacupuncture group received electroacupuncture with"Zhi San Zhen"intervention,5 times a week for 4 consecutive weeks.The model group and the wild group did not receive electroacupuncture intervention.The Morris water maze was used to preliminarily assess their learning and memory abilities.Thioflavin S staining was performed to detect Aβ plaque deposition.Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)were used to measure the expression levels of transmembrane receptor protein Notch-1,Notch 1 intracellular domain(NICD),hairy and enhancer of split 1(Hes 1),hairy and enhancer of split 5(Hes 5),synaptophysin(SYN),postsynaptic density protein-95(PSD-95),and Aβ. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the model group,the wild group and the electroacupuncture group showed shortened escape latency,increased platform crossing times,and longer target quadrant dwell time(P<0.05).Compared with the wild group,the model group had significantly increased deposition of Aβ plaques,while electroacupuncture with"Zhi San Zhen"inhibited the deposition of Aβ plaques in the hippocampus of 5xFAD mice(P<0.05).Compared with the wild group,the model group had decreased mRNA levels of SYN,PSD-95,Notch 1,NICD,Hes 1,and Hes 5 in the hippocampal tissue of mice,and increased mRNA levels of Aβ(P<0.05).Electroacupuncture with"Zhi San Zhen"increased the mRNA levels of SYN,PSD-95,Notch 1,NICD,Hes 1,and Hes 5 in the hippocampal tissue,and decreased the mRNA level of Aβ(P<0.05).Compared with the Wild group,the model group had decreased protein expression levels of SYN,PSD-95,Notch 1,NICD,Hes 1,and Hes 5 in the hippocampal tissue of mice,and increased protein expression levels of Aβ(P<0.05).Electroacupuncture with"Zhi San Zhen"upregulated the protein expression levels of SYN,PSD-95,Notch 1,NICD,Hes 1,and Hes 5,and inhibited the protein expression of Aβ(P<0.05).To conclude,electroacupuncture with"Zhi San Zhen"can improve the learning and memory abilities of 5xFAD mice,possibly by inhibiting the deposition of Aβ protein and activating the Notch signaling pathway in the hippocampus to enhance synaptic plasticity.
8.Establishment and Initial Application of YOLO-V5 Deep Learning Prediction Model for Accurate Identification of Drug Packaging in Outpatient and Emergency Pharmacies
Herald of Medicine 2024;43(4):661-666,后插1
Objective To develop an accurate deep learning prediction model of YOLO-V5 capable of accurately iden-tifying medication packaging boxes in outpatient and emergency pharmacies,aiming to assist pharmacists in achieving"zero dis-pensing error".Methods A total of 2 560 images of packaging boxes from 136 different drugs were collected and labeled to form the deep learning dataset.The dataset was split into training and validation sets at a ratio of 4∶1.YOLO-V5 deep-learning algorithm was employed for training the data using images from our dataset(train epochs:500,batch size:4,learning rate:0.01).The values of the precision(Pr)and mean average precision(mAP)were used as measures for model performance evaluation.Results The Pr of the four sub-models of YOLO-V5 in the training set all reached 1.00.The mAP_0.5 of YOLO-V5x was 0.95,which was higher than those of YOLO-V5s(0.94),YOLO-V5l(0.94),and YOLO-V5m(0.94).The mAP_0.5:0.95 of YOLO-V5l and YOLO-V5x were 0.85 which were higher than those of YOLO-V5s(0.84)and YOLO-V5m(0.84).Training time and model size were 82.56 hours and 166.00MB for YOLO-V5x which were the highest among the four models.The speed of detection in one im-age was 11ms for YOLO-V5s which was the fastest among the four models.Conclusion YOLO-V5 can accurately identify the packaging of drugs in outpatient and emergency pharmacies.Implementing an artificial-intelligence-assisted drug dispensation sys-tem is feasible for pharmacists to achieve"zero dispensing error".
9.Relationship between GTSE1 and Cell Cycle and Potential Regulatory Mechanisms in Lung Cancer Cells
WANG CHUANLIN ; XU JIALI ; LIU MINGZHU ; LIU JIAYU ; HUANG YUNCHAO ; ZHOU LAN
Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer 2024;27(6):451-458
The regulation of the cell cycle is essential for maintaining normal cellular function,especially in the development of diseases such as lung cancer.The cell cycle consists of four major phases(G1,S,G2 and M phases),which are characterized by a series of precise molecular events to ensure proper cell proliferation and division.In lung cancer cells,cell cycle dysregulation can lead to disordered proliferation and increased invasiveness of cancer cells.G2 and S-phase expressed 1(GTSE1)is a regulatory protein found in the cytoplasm of the cell,which plays a key role in the cell cycle distribution of a wide range of cancer cells and is involved in life processes such as cell proliferation and apoptosis.GTSE1 affects cell cycle progres-sion by interacting with cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A(p21)and maintaining the stability of p21,which in turn inhibits the activity of cyclin-dependent kinase 1/2(CDK1/2).In addition,GTSE1 is also involved in the regulation of tumor protein 53(p53)signaling pathway.With the assistance of mouse double minute 2 homolog(MDM2),GTSE1 is able to transport p53 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and promote its ubiquitination and degradation,thus affecting cell cycle and cell death-related signaling pathways.This paper reviews the expression of GTSE1 in lung cancer cells and its effects on lung cancer,as well as its potential mechanisms involved in cell cycle regulation.
10.New interpretation of the theoretical connotation of the correspondence between prescription and syndrome from the longitudinal perspective of"traditional Chinese medicine state"
Shijie QIAO ; Chao FU ; Ziyao CAI ; Wen TANG ; Zhanglin WANG ; Zhibin WANG ; Kang TONG ; Mingzhu LI ; Hairui HAN ; Duoduo LIN ; Shaodong ZHANG ; Huangwei LEI ; Yang WANG ; Candong LI
Journal of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;47(6):760-764
The correspondence between prescription and syndrome is the advantage and characteristic of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)treatment.However,the pathogenesis of clinical diseases is complex and the condition is changeable,and the clinical application is difficult to achieve the maximum effect under the existing cognition of the correspondence between prescription and syndrome.In this paper,the five categories of physiological characteristics,pathological characteristics,constitution,syndrome,and disease of the longitudinal classification of"TCM state"are introduced into the correspondence of prescription and syndrome.Under the vertical perspective of"TCM state",the theoretical connotation of the correspondence between prescription and syndrome is interpreted as"correspondence between prescription and state",namely correspondence of"prescription-physiological characteristics",correspondence of"prescription-pathological characteristics",correspondence of"prescription-constitution",correspondence of"prescription-syndrome",and correspondence of"prescription-disease".It is hoped to accurately grasp the corresponding connotation of the correspondence between prescription and syndrome,in order to deepen the clinical thinking mode of TCM.

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