1.Pathogenesis Evolution and Treatment Strategies of Inflammation-Cancer Transformation in Helicobacter Pylori-Associated Gastritis:Based on the Theory "Latent Wind in Stomach Collaterals"
Chuanyang LIU ; Lin CHENG ; Xinqiao CHU ; Shuxuan CHEN ; Zhihua TIAN ; Shaoli WANG ; Zhen LIU
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(13):1383-1389
It is considered that "latent wind in stomach collaterals" is the core pathogenesis underlying the inflammation-caner transformation of helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis (HpAG). The concept of "latent wind in stomach collaterals" integrates stomach wind theory, latent pathogen theory, and collateral disease theory, referring to wind pathogen deeply hidden in the stomach collaterals, characterized by both external and internal wind pathogen as well as latent pathogen that remain concealed and may be triggered under certain conditions. Accordingly, the Correa cascade is reclassified into four stages including the prodromal stage, progressive stage, transitional stage and carcinogenic stage. In the prodromal stage, the fundamental pathogenesis is described as "wind toxin invading externally with collateral deficiency and stirring of wind". In the progressive stage, wind is accompanied by qi constraint, fire pathogen, and dryness pathogen, manifesting as "wind pathogen complicated by constraint" "wind-fire agitation" and "wind-dryness interaction". In the transitional stage, "wind transforming into phlegm-drool and stomach collaterals being obstructed by stasis" is identified as a critical window for disease reversal. In the carcinogenesis stage, "wind-qi hyperactivity leading to pathological transformation, and collateral damage resulting in abdominal masses" drives tumor progression and metastasis. This paper proposes the treatment principle of "wind-dispelling throughout the entire process and stage-based treatment", according to the pathological evolution of "collateral deficiency-collateral stagnation-collateral accumulation". In the prodromal stage, it is suggested to dispel wind and resolve toxin, fortify spleen and tonify collaterals; in the progressive and transitional stage, the method of dispelling wind pathogen, clearing phlegm and eliminating stasis should be used; in the carcinogenesis stage, it is suggested to expel wind and remove pathogens from collaterals, disperse concretions and eliminate tumors.
2.Management Strategy for Full-course Chain of Gastric Precancerous Lesions Based on Core Pathogenesis of Deficiency, Stagnation, Phlegm, Stasis, and Toxin
Zhen LIU ; Shaoli WANG ; Xinqiao CHU ; Hongzheng LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(19):120-128
Gastric precancerous lesions, often presenting as decreased appetite, weight loss, fatigue, epigastric fullness, and upper abdominal pain, pose challenges to treatment and considerably affect patients' quality of life. Pathologically, these lesions are characterized by alterations in the gastric mucosa accompanied by intestinal metaplasia or dysplasia, which markedly elevate the risk of developing gastric cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners have explored various therapeutic approaches focusing on invigorating the spleen, resolving dampness, clearing heat, addressing phlegm accumulation, activating blood, and detoxifying. For contemporary populations suffering from gastric precancerous lesions, our team has innovatively proposed a core pathogenesis theory encompassing deficiency, stagnation, phlegm, stasis, and toxin. Furthermore, our team has developed a comprehensive prevention and treatment framework: Invigorating the spleen and harmonizing the stomach (foundational principles), balancing and restoring Qi movement (primary objectives), resolving phlegm and unblocking collaterals (routine practices), detoxifying and dissipating nodules (critical interventions), and comprehensive health management (supportive care). This framework provides a robust theoretical foundation along with practical guidance for preventing and treating diseases related to the spleen-stomach axis. From a pathological perspective, key interventions for managing gastric precancerous lesions include restoring integrity of the gastric mucosae while regulating its microenvironmental conditions and enhancing mucosal circulation, which are integral throughout the entire treatment process. On this basis, a full-course chain of prevention and treatment has been established within clinical practice, encompassing functional gastrointestinal disorders-superficial gastritis-atrophic gastritis-gastric precancerous lesions-prevention and treatment post-endoscopic submucosal dissection. The guiding principles of this treatment approach involve invigorating the spleen, regulating Qi movement, resolving phlegm, unblocking collaterals, and detoxifying. TCM compound formulas such as Jianpi Tongluo Jiedu prescription and Hezhong Xiaopi granules, as well as Chinese patent medicines like Weifuchun and Moluodan, can be used for treating gastric precancerous lesions at different stages. Through medicinal regulation, the state of the gastric mucosa can be improved, and thus the development of gastric precancerous lesions can be curbed from the perspective of full-course prevention and treatment.
3.Hezhong Xiaopi Granules Regulate Ncln-CHOP Axis to Inhibit Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Reduce Gastric Mucosal Cell Apoptosis
Hongzheng LI ; Shaoli WANG ; Zucheng SHANG ; Mengfan LI ; Zhen LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(19):129-138
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Hezhongxiaopi granules (HZXPG) on methylnitronitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-mediated gastric mucosal cell apoptosis and the regulatory effects on the Nicalin (Ncln)-C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) axis and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). MethodsThe cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was employed to examine the inhibitory effect of MNNG on the proliferation of GES-1 cells, and the optimal effective dose of MNNG was selected. Human gastric mucosal GES-1 cells were allocated into the control, model (MNNG, 1.562 5 mmol·L-1), and low/high-dose HZXPG (5% and 10% HZXPG-containing serum) groups. Phalloidin staining was employed to detect MNNG-induced morphological changes in human gastric mucosal cells. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay was adopted to assess cell apoptosis. Annexin Ⅴ/propidium iodide (Annexin Ⅴ/PI) flow cytometry was utilized to measure the alterations in the apoptotic cycle of human gastric mucosal cells. Western blot was performed to determine the expression levels of proteins related to apoptosis, ERS, and the Ncln/CHOP axis. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group exhibited a reduction in the surface area of GES-1 cells, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dilation, increased early and late apoptosis rates of gastric mucosal cells, upregulated protein levels of truncated Bid (tBid), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cleaved-cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase (Caspase)-3, and cleaved-Caspase-8, and downregulated protein level of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) (P<0.01). In addition, the expression levels of binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP), Ncln, and CHOP were upregulated (P<0.01), with enhanced Ncln expression in the ER and elevated CHOP expression in the nucleus. Compared with the model group, the high-dose HZXPG group showed a significant increase in the surface area of gastric mucosal cells. Both dose groups exhibited inhibited ER dilation and reduced early and late apoptosis rates of gastric mucosal cells (P<0.01). Low-dose HZXPG decreased the expression of tBid and Bax (P<0.05, P<0.01) and promoted Bcl-2 expression (P<0.01). High-dose HZXPG reduced the expression levels of tBid, Bax, cleaved-Caspase-3, and cleaved-Caspase-8 (P<0.05, P<0.01) and increased the Bcl-2 expression level (P<0.05). Furthermore, high-dose HZXPG downregulated the expression levels of BiP, Ncln, and CHOP (P<0.05, P<0.01), while decreasing the nuclear translocation of CHOP. ConclusionHZXPG alleviates MNNG-induced ERR-mediated apoptosis of gastric mucosal cells by inhibiting the Ncln-CHOP axis, thereby relieving gastric mucosal cell damage caused by precancerous gastric lesions.
4.Theoretical and Practical Analyses of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of Senile Chronic Atrophic Gastritis
Hongzheng LI ; Xinqiao CHU ; Shaoli WANG ; Zhen LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(19):139-146
Senile chronic atrophic gastritis (SCAG) is a condition characterized by high prevalence, prolonged duration, and difficulty in treatment, along with a significant risk of carcinogenesis. This severely impacts the quality of life among the elderly population in China. The prevention and management of SCAG represent one of the most urgent and prominent needs within the current health care and elderly care sectors. However, existing treatment options are limited, with insufficient mucosal repair following Helicobacter pylori eradication, as well as a lack of effective methods to reverse atrophy or intestinal metaplasia. The primary objectives in treating chronic gastritis in older adults are symptom relief and alleviation of mucosal histological abnormalities. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers unique advantages for managing patients with SCAG. Therefore, utilizing TCM methodologies underpinned by TCM theory to prevent and treat the progression of SCAG holds considerable clinical significance. Our research team has been dedicated to theoretical, clinical, and fundamental investigations into gastric precancerous lesions and SCAG for an extended period. This article systematically reviews the intricate causal relationship between the spleen-stomach system and aging while elucidating TCM pathogenesis of SCAG as internal deficiency coupled with excess in manifestations. It explores evolutionary patterns of dampness, stagnation, stasis, toxicity, and deficiency and proposes a progressive pathogenic evolution chain: Aging-deficiency of spleen and kidney-imbalance of Qi and blood-phlegm turbidity accompanied by Qi stagnation-accumulation of phlegm, stasis, and toxicity-weakness of stomach collaterals. The core treatment principle emphasizes simultaneous treatment targeting both spleen and kidney as its foundation while employing strategies such as promoting Qi movement to resolve dampness, alongside efforts aimed at removing stasis and detoxifying as primary approaches. Finally, this article summarizes current research achievements in TCM interventions for SCAG, aiming to provide new insights for clinical practice and scientific research in TCM interventions for SCAG.
5.From Spleen Deficiency with Dampness Excess to Stasis-toxin Damaging Collaterals: Dynamic Management Path in Whole-course Treatment Strategies for Ulcerative Colitis
Zhili ZHENG ; Hongzheng LI ; Shaoli WANG ; Tiantong JIANG ; Yuan DING ; Qiongqiong LU ; Zhen LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(19):147-153
Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease characterized by unclear etiology, complex contributing factors, and a refractory course with malignant transformation potential, imposes a substantial burden on both individual patients and healthcare systems. There is an urgent need to explore effective therapeutic strategies and pharmacological interventions. Professor LIU Zhen, based on years of clinical practice, proposed a dynamic pathogenesis chain of UC: Spleen deficiency with dampness excess as the foundation, dampness obstruction as the nexus, stasis-toxin interaction as the key, and stasis-toxin damaging intestinal collaterals as the terminal outcome. The treatment, following the progression of deficiency (depression)-dampness-toxin-stasis (toxin), should focus on invigorating the spleen and resolving dampness. A stage-specific treatment approach is emphasized. During the susceptible stage, prevention is recommended, which relies on regulating the diet, maintaining a positive mental state, and adjusting daily routines to invigorate the spleen and replenish Qi. During the acute attack and remission stages, the treatment should be tailored according to clinical typing and disease severity, flexibly employing therapeutic strategies such as tonifying deficiency, resolving depression, eliminating dampness, clearing heat, detoxifying, arresting bleeding, and resolving stasis in order to interrupt disease progression. In the recovery stage, latent pathogenic factors should be addressed while the postnatal constitutional foundation be preserved to prevent recurrence. According to the TCM principle of treating disease before its onset, a whole-course management path of early protection-interception-stratified care-consolidation has been developed, covering all stages of UC, to inform its clinical prevention and treatment.
6.TCM network pharmacology: new perspective integrating network target with artificial intelligence and multi-modal multi-omics technologies.
Ziyi WANG ; Tingyu ZHANG ; Boyang WANG ; Shao LI
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2025;23(11):1425-1434
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) demonstrates distinctive advantages in disease prevention and treatment. However, analyzing its biological mechanisms through the modern medical research paradigm of "single drug, single target" presents significant challenges due to its holistic approach. Network pharmacology and its core theory of network targets connect drugs and diseases from a holistic and systematic perspective based on biological networks, overcoming the limitations of reductionist research models and showing considerable value in TCM research. Recent integration of network target computational and experimental methods with artificial intelligence (AI) and multi-modal multi-omics technologies has substantially enhanced network pharmacology methodology. The advancement in computational and experimental techniques provides complementary support for network target theory in decoding TCM principles. This review, centered on network targets, examines the progress of network target methods combined with AI in predicting disease molecular mechanisms and drug-target relationships, alongside the application of multi-modal multi-omics technologies in analyzing TCM formulae, syndromes, and toxicity. Looking forward, network target theory is expected to incorporate emerging technologies while developing novel approaches aligned with its unique characteristics, potentially leading to significant breakthroughs in TCM research and advancing scientific understanding and innovation in TCM.
Artificial Intelligence
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Medicine, Chinese Traditional
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Humans
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Network Pharmacology/methods*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
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Animals
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Multiomics
7.Danggui Shaoyaosan Regulates Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 Signaling Pathway to Inhibit Ferroptosis in Rat Model of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Xinqiao CHU ; Yaning BIAO ; Ying GU ; Meng LI ; Tiantong JIANG ; Yuan DING ; Xiaping TAO ; Shaoli WANG ; Ziheng WEI ; Zhen LIU ; Yixin ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(16):35-42
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Danggui Shaoyaosan on ferroptosis in the rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and explore the underlying mechanism based on the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11)/glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) signaling pathway. MethodsThe sixty SD rats were randomly grouped as follows: control, model, Yishanfu (0.144 g·kg-1), and low-, medium-, and high-dose (2.44, 4.88, and 9.76 g·kg-1, respectively) Danggui Shaoyaosan. A high-fat diet was used to establish the rat model of NAFLD. After 12 weeks of modeling, rats were treated with corresponding agents for 4 weeks. Then, the body weight and liver weight were measured, and the liver index was calculated. At the same time, serum and liver samples were collected. The levels or activities of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and Fe2+ in the serum and TC, TG, free fatty acids (FFA), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and Fe2+ in the liver were measured. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and oil red O staining were employed to observe the pathological changes in the liver. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content in the liver. Mitochondrial morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The protein levels of Nrf2, SLC7A11, GPX4, transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1), and divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) in the liver were determined by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group showed increases in the body weight, liver weight, liver index, levels or activities of TC, TG, ALT, AST, and Fe2+ in the serum, levels of TC, TG, FFA, MDA, Fe2+, and ROS in the liver, and protein levels of TFR1 and DMT1 in the liver (P<0.01), and decreases in the activities of SOD, GPX and the protein levels of Nrf2, SLC7A11, and GPX4 in the liver (P<0.05, P<0.01). Meanwhile, the liver tissue in the model group presented steatosis, iron deposition, mitochondrial shrinkage, and blurred or swollen mitochondrial cristae. Compared with the model group, all doses of Danggui Shaoyaosan reduced the body weight, liver weight, liver index, levels or activities of TC, TG, ALT, AST, and Fe2+ in the serum, levels of TC, TG, FFA, MDA, Fe2+, and ROS in the liver, and protein levels of TFR1 and DMT1 in the liver (P<0.01), while increasing the activities of SOD and GPX and the protein levels of Nrf2, SLC7A11, and GPX4 in the liver (P<0.01). Furthermore, Danggui Shaoyaosan alleviated steatosis, iron deposition, and mitochondrial damage in the liver. ConclusionDanggui Shaoyaosan may inhibit lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis by activating the Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway to treat NAFLD.
8.Off-the-shelf human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cell product in acute-on-chronic liver failure: A multicenter phase I/II clinical trial.
Lina CUI ; Huaibin ZOU ; Shaoli YOU ; Changcun GUO ; Jundong GU ; Yulong SHANG ; Gui JIA ; Linhua ZHENG ; Juan DENG ; Xiufang WANG ; Ruiqing SUN ; Dawei DING ; Weijie WANG ; Xia ZHOU ; Guanya GUO ; Yansheng LIU ; Zhongchao HAN ; Zhibo HAN ; Yu CHEN ; Ying HAN
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(18):2347-2349
9.Research advances in the immunomodulatory mechanism of galectin-9 and its role in liver diseases
Jun LING ; Bing ZHU ; Weiwei CHEN ; Zhuoran WANG ; Limei YU ; Shaoli YOU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(1):193-198
Galectin-9 (Gal-9) is a member of the galectin family that can specifically recognize and bind to galactosides. Recent studies have shown that Gal-9 is highly expressed in the liver and can help to maintain intrahepatic immune homeostasis and perform biological functions in various liver diseases. This article reviews the immunomodulatory functions of Gal-9 and its role in different liver diseases. Studies have shown that Gal-9 has important biological functions in different liver diseases through multiple pathways. Research on the specific immunomodulatory mechanisms and functions of Gal-9 may help to discover the therapeutic role of Gal-9 in liver diseases.
10.Expert consensus on clinical application of 177Lu-prostate specific membrane antigen radio-ligand therapy in prostate cancer
Guobing LIU ; Weihai ZHUO ; Yushen GU ; Zhi YANG ; Yue CHEN ; Wei FAN ; Jianming GUO ; Jian TAN ; Xiaohua ZHU ; Li HUO ; Xiaoli LAN ; Biao LI ; Weibing MIAO ; Shaoli SONG ; Hao XU ; Rong TIAN ; Quanyong LUO ; Feng WANG ; Xuemei WANG ; Aimin YANG ; Dong DAI ; Zhiyong DENG ; Jinhua ZHAO ; Xiaoliang CHEN ; Yan FAN ; Zairong GAO ; Xingmin HAN ; Ningyi JIANG ; Anren KUANG ; Yansong LIN ; Fugeng LIU ; Cen LOU ; Xinhui SU ; Lijun TANG ; Hui WANG ; Xinlu WANG ; Fuzhou YANG ; Hui YANG ; Xinming ZHAO ; Bo YANG ; Xiaodong HUANG ; Jiliang CHEN ; Sijin LI ; Jing WANG ; Yaming LI ; Hongcheng SHI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine 2024;31(5):844-850,封3
177Lu-prostate specific membrane antigen(PSMA)radio-ligand therapy has been approved abroad for advanced prostate cancer and has been in several clinical trials in China.Based on domestic clinical practice and experimental data and referred to international experience and viewpoints,the expert group forms a consensus on the clinical application of 177Lu-PSMA radio-ligand therapy in prostate cancer to guide clinical practice.

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