1.A Systematic Strategy for Discovering First-in-class Anti-fibrotic Drugs from Traditional Chinese Medicine
Wen HUANG ; Guang XIN ; Sanyin ZHANG ; Tao WANG ; Wei CHEN ; Zeliang WEI ; Qilong ZHOU ; Ke LI ; Dan SUN ; Kui YU ; Shilin CHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(10):296-307
Pulmonary fibrosis(PF) is a progressive and life-threatening disease with limited therapeutic options, highlighting the urgent need for innovative drug discovery strategies. To address this challenge, the authors propose the formula-originated rational intelligent screening&translation(FIRST), a systematic framework for developing anti-fibrotic monomers derived from classical traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). The strategy integrates three key dimensions, including tissue-oriented intelligent screening of active compounds, structural optimization based on drug-target spatial interactions and plant biosynthetic pathways, and cross-scale validation of drug. We further highlight its applications in discovering tissue-oriented novel drugs from clinically validated TCM, the development and mechanistic elucidation of anti-fibrotic therapeutics, as well as the clinical translation and secondary development of candidate drugs. This strategy paves the way for first-in-class, formula-derived monomeric drugs with defined structures, clarified mechanisms, and proven safety, offering a transformative avenue to meet the urgent therapeutic needs of PF and setting a new paradigm for TCM-based drug innovation.
2.A Systematic Strategy for Discovering First-in-class Anti-fibrotic Drugs from Traditional Chinese Medicine
Wen HUANG ; Guang XIN ; Sanyin ZHANG ; Tao WANG ; Wei CHEN ; Zeliang WEI ; Qilong ZHOU ; Ke LI ; Dan SUN ; Kui YU ; Shilin CHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(10):296-307
Pulmonary fibrosis(PF) is a progressive and life-threatening disease with limited therapeutic options, highlighting the urgent need for innovative drug discovery strategies. To address this challenge, the authors propose the formula-originated rational intelligent screening&translation(FIRST), a systematic framework for developing anti-fibrotic monomers derived from classical traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). The strategy integrates three key dimensions, including tissue-oriented intelligent screening of active compounds, structural optimization based on drug-target spatial interactions and plant biosynthetic pathways, and cross-scale validation of drug. We further highlight its applications in discovering tissue-oriented novel drugs from clinically validated TCM, the development and mechanistic elucidation of anti-fibrotic therapeutics, as well as the clinical translation and secondary development of candidate drugs. This strategy paves the way for first-in-class, formula-derived monomeric drugs with defined structures, clarified mechanisms, and proven safety, offering a transformative avenue to meet the urgent therapeutic needs of PF and setting a new paradigm for TCM-based drug innovation.
3.Phase Change and Quantity-quality Transfer Analysis of Medicinal Materials, Decoction Pieces and Standard Decoction of Haliotidis Concha (Haliotis discus hannai)
Zhihan YANG ; Jingwei ZHOU ; Weichao WANG ; Yu HUANG ; Chuang LUO ; Lian YANG ; Chenyu ZHONG ; Hongping CHEN ; Fu WANG ; Yuan HU ; Youping LIU ; Shilin CHEN ; Lin CHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):206-214
ObjectiveTo explore the quantity-quality transfer process of medicinal materials, decoction pieces and standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha(Haliotis discus hannai) by analyzing the physical phase and compositional changes, so as to provide references for the effective control of its quality. MethodsA total of 20 batches of Haliotidis Concha(H. discus hannai) from different habitats were collected and prepared into corresponding calcined products and standard decoction, and the content of CaCO3 of the three samples were determined and the extract yield and transfer rate of CaCO3 were calculated. The changes in elemental composition and their relative contents were investigated by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry(XRF), X-ray diffraction(XRD) was used to study the changes in the phase compositions of the three samples and to establish their respective XRD specific chromatogram. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(FTIR) was used to study the changes in the chemical composition and content changes of the three samples and to establish their respective FTIR specific chromatogram, while combining hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA), principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) to find the common and differential characteristics, in order to explore the quantity-quality transfer relationship in the preparation process of standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha(H. discus hannai). ResultsThe CaCO3 contents of the 20 batches of medicinal materials, decoction pieces and standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha(H. discus hannai) were 93.87%-98.95%, 96.02%-99.97% and 38.29%-51.96%, respectively, and the extract yield of standard decoction was 1.71%-2.37%, and the CaCO3 transfer rate of decoction pieces-standard decoction was 0.68%-1.27%. XRF results showed that the elemental species and their relative contents contained in Haliotidis Concha and its calcined products had a high degree of similarity, and although there was no obvious difference in the elemental species contained in decoction pieces and standard decoction, the difference in the relative contents was obvious, which was mainly reflected in the decrease of the relative content of element Ca and the increase of the relative content of element Na. XRD results showed that Haliotidis Concha mainly contained CaCO3 of aragonite and calcite, while calcined Haliotidis Concha only contained CaCO3 of calcite, and standard decoction mainly contained CaCO3 of calcite and Na2CO3 of natrite. FTIR results showed that there were internal vibrations of O-H, C-H, C=O, HCO3- and CO32- groups in Haliotidis Concha, while O-H, HCO3- and CO32- groups existed in the calcined products and standard decoction. ConclusionThe changes of Haliotidis Concha and calcined Haliotidis Concha are mainly the increase of CaCO3 content, the transformation of CaCO3 aragonite crystal form to calcite crystal form and the absence of organic components after calcination, and the changes of calcined products and standard decoction are mainly the decrease of CaCO3 content and the increase of Na2CO3 relative content. The method established in the study is applicable to the quality control of the shellfish medicines-decoction pieces- standard decoction, which provides a new idea for the study of quality control of dispensing granules of shellfish medicines.
4.Phase Change and Quantity-quality Transfer Analysis of Medicinal Materials, Decoction Pieces and Standard Decoction of Haliotidis Concha (Haliotis discus hannai)
Zhihan YANG ; Jingwei ZHOU ; Weichao WANG ; Yu HUANG ; Chuang LUO ; Lian YANG ; Chenyu ZHONG ; Hongping CHEN ; Fu WANG ; Yuan HU ; Youping LIU ; Shilin CHEN ; Lin CHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):206-214
ObjectiveTo explore the quantity-quality transfer process of medicinal materials, decoction pieces and standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha(Haliotis discus hannai) by analyzing the physical phase and compositional changes, so as to provide references for the effective control of its quality. MethodsA total of 20 batches of Haliotidis Concha(H. discus hannai) from different habitats were collected and prepared into corresponding calcined products and standard decoction, and the content of CaCO3 of the three samples were determined and the extract yield and transfer rate of CaCO3 were calculated. The changes in elemental composition and their relative contents were investigated by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry(XRF), X-ray diffraction(XRD) was used to study the changes in the phase compositions of the three samples and to establish their respective XRD specific chromatogram. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(FTIR) was used to study the changes in the chemical composition and content changes of the three samples and to establish their respective FTIR specific chromatogram, while combining hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA), principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) to find the common and differential characteristics, in order to explore the quantity-quality transfer relationship in the preparation process of standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha(H. discus hannai). ResultsThe CaCO3 contents of the 20 batches of medicinal materials, decoction pieces and standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha(H. discus hannai) were 93.87%-98.95%, 96.02%-99.97% and 38.29%-51.96%, respectively, and the extract yield of standard decoction was 1.71%-2.37%, and the CaCO3 transfer rate of decoction pieces-standard decoction was 0.68%-1.27%. XRF results showed that the elemental species and their relative contents contained in Haliotidis Concha and its calcined products had a high degree of similarity, and although there was no obvious difference in the elemental species contained in decoction pieces and standard decoction, the difference in the relative contents was obvious, which was mainly reflected in the decrease of the relative content of element Ca and the increase of the relative content of element Na. XRD results showed that Haliotidis Concha mainly contained CaCO3 of aragonite and calcite, while calcined Haliotidis Concha only contained CaCO3 of calcite, and standard decoction mainly contained CaCO3 of calcite and Na2CO3 of natrite. FTIR results showed that there were internal vibrations of O-H, C-H, C=O, HCO3- and CO32- groups in Haliotidis Concha, while O-H, HCO3- and CO32- groups existed in the calcined products and standard decoction. ConclusionThe changes of Haliotidis Concha and calcined Haliotidis Concha are mainly the increase of CaCO3 content, the transformation of CaCO3 aragonite crystal form to calcite crystal form and the absence of organic components after calcination, and the changes of calcined products and standard decoction are mainly the decrease of CaCO3 content and the increase of Na2CO3 relative content. The method established in the study is applicable to the quality control of the shellfish medicines-decoction pieces- standard decoction, which provides a new idea for the study of quality control of dispensing granules of shellfish medicines.
5.Exploration on the Application of Insect Drugs in the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure Based on the Theory of"Collateral Deficiency and Tonifying"
Lanshuan FENG ; Bo NING ; Yiming WANG ; Hubin YU ; Shilin LI ; Yuting WANG ; Mingjun ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;32(1):35-39
Different insect drugs have their own characteristics in terms of efficacy,including removing blood stasis and promoting blood circulation,dispelling phlegm and dispersing lumps,and nourishing the body.This article discussed the use of insect medicines in the treatment of chronic heart failure(CHF)based on the theory of"collateral deficiency and tonifying".Taking the TCM theory of"collateral deficiency and tonifying"as the entry point,this article categorized the pathogenesis of CHF into deficiency of qi and yang,deficiency of collaterals,phlegm retention and dampness stagnation,and accumulation of collaterals,and believes that the treatment should be based on resolving blood stasis and promoting collaterals,eliminating phlegm and promoting collaterals,dispersing lumps and promoting collaterals,and tonifying heart collaterals,thus achieving the effect of"collateral deficiency and tonifying".It also summarized the efficacy and modern pharmacological mechanisms of insect drugs,providing medication ideas for the treatment of CHF.
6.Exploration on the Application of Insect Drugs in the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure Based on the Theory of"Collateral Deficiency and Tonifying"
Lanshuan FENG ; Bo NING ; Yiming WANG ; Hubin YU ; Shilin LI ; Yuting WANG ; Mingjun ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;32(1):35-39
Different insect drugs have their own characteristics in terms of efficacy,including removing blood stasis and promoting blood circulation,dispelling phlegm and dispersing lumps,and nourishing the body.This article discussed the use of insect medicines in the treatment of chronic heart failure(CHF)based on the theory of"collateral deficiency and tonifying".Taking the TCM theory of"collateral deficiency and tonifying"as the entry point,this article categorized the pathogenesis of CHF into deficiency of qi and yang,deficiency of collaterals,phlegm retention and dampness stagnation,and accumulation of collaterals,and believes that the treatment should be based on resolving blood stasis and promoting collaterals,eliminating phlegm and promoting collaterals,dispersing lumps and promoting collaterals,and tonifying heart collaterals,thus achieving the effect of"collateral deficiency and tonifying".It also summarized the efficacy and modern pharmacological mechanisms of insect drugs,providing medication ideas for the treatment of CHF.
7.Strategies on biosynthesis and production of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants.
Miaoxian GUO ; Haizhou LV ; Hongyu CHEN ; Shuting DONG ; Jianhong ZHANG ; Wanjing LIU ; Liu HE ; Yimian MA ; Hua YU ; Shilin CHEN ; Hongmei LUO
Chinese Herbal Medicines 2024;16(1):13-26
Medicinal plants are a valuable source of essential medicines and herbal products for healthcare and disease therapy. Compared with chemical synthesis and extraction, the biosynthesis of natural products is a very promising alternative for the successful conservation of medicinal plants, and its rapid development will greatly facilitate the conservation and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants. Here, we summarize the advances in strategies and methods concerning the biosynthesis and production of natural products of medicinal plants. The strategies and methods mainly include genetic engineering, plant cell culture engineering, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology based on multiple "OMICS" technologies, with paradigms for the biosynthesis of terpenoids and alkaloids. We also highlight the biosynthetic approaches and discuss progress in the production of some valuable natural products, exemplifying compounds such as vindoline (alkaloid), artemisinin and paclitaxel (terpenoids), to illustrate the power of biotechnology in medicinal plants.
8.Quantitative analysis of macular capillaries in diabetic patients using optical coherence tomography angiography
Nan LU ; Dongni YANG ; Yu GU ; Jian LIU ; Shilin YANG ; Ying GUO ; Zhiming SHAN ; Li LIU ; Wei ZHAO
International Eye Science 2024;24(1):10-17
AIM: To quantify early changes of macular capillary parameters in type 2 diabetic patients using optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA).METHODS: Retrospective case study. A total of 49 healthy subjects, 52 diabetic patients without retinopathy(noDR)patients, and 43 mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy(mNPDR)patients were recruited. Capillary perfusion density, vessel length density(VLD), and average vessel diameter(AVD)were calculated from macular OCTA images(3 mm×3 mm)of the superficial capillary plexus after segmenting large vessels and the deep capillary plexus. Parameters were compared among control subjects, noDR, and mNPDR patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve estimated the abilities of these parameters to detect early changes of retinal microvascular networks.RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the VLD and AVD among the three groups(P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the noDR group had significantly higher AVD(P<0.05). VLD of both layers in patients of mNPDR group was significant decreased compared with that of noDR group(all P<0.01). Deep AVD had a higher area under the curve(AUC)of 0.796 than other parameters to discriminate the noDR group from the healthy group. Deep AVD had the highest AUC of 0.920, followed by that of the deep VLD(AUC=0.899)to discriminate the mNPDR group from the healthy group.CONCLUSIONS: NoDR patients had wider AVD than healthy individuals and longer VLD than mNPDR patients in both layers. When compared with healthy individuals, deep AVD had a stronger ability than other parameters to detect early retinal capillary impairments in noDR patients.
9.Study on predictive value of multiple indicators for left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with acute myocardial infarction under different body mass indexes stratification
Shilin HE ; Wenqiang LI ; Yu PENG ; Zheng ZHANG
Chongqing Medicine 2024;53(19):2916-2922,2929
Objective To investigate the predictive value of heart rate(HR),C-reactive protein(CRP),amino-probrain natriuretic hormone(NT-proBNP),myoglobin(MYO)and other clinical indicators for left ventricular systolic dysfunction(LVSD)in the patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI)after percuta-neous coronary intervention(PCI)under different body mass index(BMI)stratification.Methods A total of 353 patients with AMI admitted and treated in the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2020 to December 2020 were selected as the study subjects.The Simpson method was adopted to detect the left ven-tricular ejection fraction(LVEF).The study subjects with LVEF<0.05 were included in the LVSD group,while those with LVEF ≥0.5 were included in the control group.The AMI patients were divided into the lean/normal type(BMI<24 kg/m2)and overweight/obese type(BMI≥24 kg/m2)according to BMI.The general data of the patients,laboratory indexes and myocardial enzyme indicators were collected.The different groups with different BMI stratifications conducted the comparison.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and the area under the curve(AUC)were adopted to analyze the predictive efficiency of differ-ent indicators.Results There were 153 cases of lean/normal type AMI,in which there were 54 cases in the LVSD group and 99 cases in the control group.Among 200 cases of overweight/obese type AMI,60 cases were in the LVSD group and 140 cases were in the control group.In the patients with lean/normal AMI,HR,CRP,NT-proBNP,MYO and cTnl levels in the LVSD group were higher than those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).In the patients with overweight/obese type AMI,HR,CRP,NEUT,PLT and NT-proBNP levels in the LVSD group were higher than those in the control group,the age was lower than that in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).In the patients with the lean/normal type AMI,HR was the best factor for single index prediction effect,AUC was 0.701(95%CI:0.612-0.790).HR+MYO+CRP was the best factors combination of com-bination prediction for LVSD in the patients with lean/normal type AMI.AUC was 0.769(95%CI:0.690-0.849).In the patients with overweight/obese AMI,NT-proBNP was the best factor for the best effect of sin-gle indicator prediction,AUC was 0.706(95%CI:0.613-0.786);NT-proBNP+CRP was the best factor combination in the combination for predicting LVSD in the patients with overweight/obese type AMI,AUC was 0.761(95%CI:0.687-0.833).Conclusion In the patients with different BMI stratifications of AMI,the combination prediction has a better predictive effect than the single indicator.HR+MYO+CRP has the better pre-dictive effect for LVSD in the patients with lean/normal type AMI,while NT-proBNP-+CRP has better predictive effect for LVSD in the patients with overweight/obese type AMI.
10.Chaihu Longgu Mulitang in Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease Complicated with Anxiety and Depression: A Review
Bo NING ; Xishu TAN ; Hongwei HE ; Hao WEN ; Teng GE ; Yongqing WU ; Hubin YU ; Lanshuan FENG ; Shilin LI ; Jiongdong XIE ; Mingjun ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2023;29(18):218-228
Coronary heart disease (CHD) with atherosclerosis is a common chronic disease worldwide, and anxiety and depression are potential and crucial risk factors for adverse prognosis in CHD. Chaihu Longgu Mulitang (CLMT), first mentioned in the Shang Han Lun (《伤寒论》), is a classic prescription for treating Shaoyang diseases combined with disturbance of the mind and spirit, with the effects of harmonizing Shaoyang and calming the mind. Current research on mechanisms has shown that CLMT can play a role in CHD complicated with anxiety and depression through multiple pathways, including regulating related signaling pathways, inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors, improving oxidative stress damage, modulating neurotransmitter levels, suppressing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, promoting mobilization of mesenchymal stem cells from the bone marrow, and inhibiting platelet activation. Clinical studies have demonstrated that CLMT significantly improves symptoms such as angina and insomnia caused by CHD complicated with anxiety and depression, effectively reduces negative emotions, improves traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores, and decreases levels of inflammatory factors. Furthermore, it has fewer adverse reactions and higher safety than conventional western medicine treatments. This article provides a review of the mechanisms and clinical studies of CLMT in the treatment of CHD complicated with anxiety and depression based on a comprehensive analysis of literature from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, VIP, PubMed, and other databases in the past 15 years, in order to provide references for further research on the use of CLMT in the management of CHD complicated with anxiety and depression.

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