1.Mechanism of action of estrogen deficiency in autoimmune hepatitis via the intestinal barrier
Mingzhu SONG ; Ling LI ; Jinxia ZHU ; Shu ZHANG ; Guangwei LIU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(2):438-444
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an immune-mediated chronic liver inflammatory disease with unknown pathogenesis, and intestinal barrier dysfunction is considered an important factor. Meanwhile, there are sex and age differences in the incidence rate of AIH, suggesting that hormone may be involved in regulation. On this basis, this article focuses on the association between estrogen, intestinal barrier, and immune homeostasis, systematically reviews the evidence that estrogen deficiency disrupts intestinal barrier homeostasis, and further summarizes the potential mechanism of estrogen in regulating the development and progression of AIH via intestinal barrier.
2.Effect of Oral Sodium Butyrate on Skeletal Muscle Atrophy via The Gut-muscle Axis in Antibiotic-pretreated CT26 Tumor-bearing Mice and Its Mechanism
Shu-Ling ZHANG ; Jun-Wei WANG ; Shi-Liang HU ; Tu-Tu WANG ; Shun-Chang LI ; Jia FAN ; Jun-Zhi SUN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(3):724-739
ObjectiveTo explore the effect of oral sodium butyrate on skeletal muscle atrophy in CT26 tumor mice through the gut microbiota-skeletal muscle axis and its potential mechanism. MethodsSixty SPF BALB/c male mice aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into a normal control group (NC, n=18) and a ABX-depleted group (ABX, n=42). The ABX mice were pretreated with a quadruple antibiotic cocktail via oral gavage (0.2 ml per administration, once daily, 6 d per week, for 2 weeks), whereas NC received an equal volume of sterile water. The quadruple antibiotic cocktail consisted of metronidazole (1 g/L), vancomycin (0.5 g/L), ampicillin (1 g/L), and gentamicin (1 g/L). Following successful pretreatment, six mice from each group were randomly selected for gut microbiota sequencing analysis and designated as the Abx group and the NC0 group, respectively. Theremaining mice in ABX were subcutaneously inoculated in the dorsum with 0.2 ml of CT26 cell suspension (at a cell density of 1×107/ml). Then these mice were randomly allocated into three subgroups: a control tumor bearing model group (0_NaB, n=12), a tumor-bearing model group receiving low-dose oral sodium butyrate (L_NaB, n=12), a tumor-bearing model group receiving high-dose oral sodium butyrate (H_NaB, n=12). And mice in NC were inoculated at the same site with 0.2 ml of normal saline. The administration dose for L_NaB was 0.3 g/(kg·d), that for H_NaB was 0.5 g/(kg·d), while NC and 0_NaB were given the same volume of normal saline (0.2ml per time, once daily, 6 d per week, for 4 weeks). The general condition of mice was monitored, and forelimb grip strength gastrocnemius muscle mass and its muscle fiber cross-sectional area were measured for each group. The structural changes in gut microbiota were assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing of cecal contents. Pathological alterations in the intestinal wall were examined via HE staining. Serum and gastrocnemius muscle levels of TNF‑α, IL-6, IL-1β, and LPS were quantified using ELISA. The protein expression of ZO-1 and occludin in the small intestine, as well as proteins associated with the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in the gastrocnemius muscle, were detected by Western blot analysis. Results(1) The alpha-diversity in Abx was significantly lower than that in NC0 (P<0.01), a significant decrease of the mass and muscle fiber cross-sectional area of the gastrocnemius (P<0.01), with the majority of gut microbiota being effectively depleted. (2) Compared with NC, the subcutaneous tumors of mice in 0_NaB were prominent, a significant increase of the mass and muscle fiber cross-sectional area of the gastrocnemius, accompanied by a significant decrease in body weight at the end of the 3th and 4th week (P<0.05), and a significant weakening of the forelimb grasping strength at the 5th and 6th week (P<0.01). Compared with 0_NaB, the tumor mass of mice in L_NaB and H_NaB showed a significant decreasing trend, and the grip strength of the forelimbs significantly increased at the 5th and 6th week (P<0.05, P<0.01). (3) Compared with 0_NaB, the Shannon and Observed species indices in α diversity of L_NaB and H_NaB were significantly increased (P<0.05). At the genus level, compared with 0_NaB, L_NaB exhibited a significant decrease in the relative abundance of Parasutterella (P< 0.01), while H_NaB showed significant reductions in the relative abundances of both Escherichia-Shigella and Parasutterella (P < 0.01). (4) Compared with 0_NaB, the small intestinal tissue structure in L_NaB and H_NaB was more intact, the infiltration of inflammatory cells was significantly reduced, and the capillaries were slightly dilated. The expression levels of ZO-1 and occludin proteins in L_NaB were significantly increased (P<0.01). (5) The LPS concentration in the gastrocnemius muscle and the protein expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, p-IκBα, and p-NF‑κB p65 in L_NaB and H_NaB were significantly lower than those in 0_NaB (P<0.05). The serum TNF‑α concentration in H_NaB and TNF-α concentration in the gastrocnemius muscle of the L_NaB and H_NaB were significantly lower than those in 0_NaB (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.01). ConclusionOral administration of NaB can improve gut microbiota α diversity, adjusting its composition, improving intestinal mucosal barrier function, reducing the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory response, and delaying skeletal muscle atrophy. The underlying mechanism may involve down regulation of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling in skeletal muscle.
3.Luteolin alleviates liver fibrosis by inhibiting autophagy of hepatic stellate cells
Shu-ling CHEN ; Xi-xuan WANG ; Rui-qi LI ; Da-wei YANG ; Hui CAO ; Yong-feng YANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(10):1875-1883
Aim To explore the mechanism of luteolin in alleviating hepatic fibrosis.Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control group,CCl4 group,silybin group(100 mg·kg-1)and luteo-lin group(100 mg·kg-1).After 10-week modeling and 2-week treatment,the serum levels of aminotrans-ferase and liver histopathology were examined.Hepatic fibrosis and autophagy-related gene expression were as-sessed using immunohistochemistry and immunofluores-cence.Human hepatic stellate cell line(LX2)was cultured and divided into control,TGF-β1(10 mg·L-1),TGF-β1+silybin(40 μmol·L-1),TGF-β1+luteolin(40 μmol·L-1).Fibrotic and autophagy-re-lated markers were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR,Western blot,immunofluorescence and MDC staining.Results Compared with the CCl4 group,the treatment groups showed significantly improved liver function and reduced hepatic fibrosis,with markedly downregulated COL1A1 and α-SMA expression,and luteolin demonstrated superior efficacy.Compared with TGF-β1 group,luteolin treatment significantly de-creased mRNA levels of COL1A1,ACTA2 and MAP1LC3B,while increasing the mRNA level of SQSTM1,the protein levels of COL1A1 and α-SMA de-creased,p62 was enhanced,the LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio was downregulated,and autophagy was reduced.These effects of luteolin were reversed by autophagy inducer rapamycin.Conclusion Luteolin alleviates liver fi-brosis by decreasing the autophagy of hepatic stellate cells.
4.Preparation of anisamide-modified ursolic acid self-assembled nanoparticles and their anti-drug resistance effect of enzalutamide on prostate cancer via regulation of CAFs
Ling-xi CHEN ; Shu-ting NI ; Wen-yang ZHAO ; Lei CHEN ; Kai-li HU
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(1):28-35
AIM To prepare anisamide-modified ursolic acid self-assembled nanoparticles,and to evaluate their anti-drug resistance effect of enzalutamide on prostate cancer.METHODS Nanoparticle precipitation method was adopted in the preparation of anisamide-modified and non-anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles,respectively,after which the particle size,Zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency were determined,and the morphology was observed under transmission electron microscope.The intake of cancer-associated fibroblasts(CAFs)was investigated,after which the model for enzalutamide resistance in prostate cancer was established,CCK8 assay was applied to analyzing the sensitization effect of self-assembled nanoparticles on enzalutamide,and Western blot was used for the detection of NRG1,HER3,AKT expressions.RESULTS The anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles demonstrated the average particle size,Zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency of(195.13±8.06)nm,(-29.07±0.55)mV and(94.58±0.84)%,respectively.CAFs displayed higher intake in the anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles than that in the non-modified preparation and free Cy5(P<0.05).Meanwhile,anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles were able to inhibit enzalutamide resistance caused by CAFs,reduce NRG1 expression on CAFs,and anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles-treated conditioned medium of CAFs could reduce HER3 and AKT expression on LNCaP cells(P<0.05,P<0.01).CONCLUSION Anisamide-modified ursolic acid self-assembled nanoparticles can enhance the targeting of CAFs,alleviate the drug resistance effect of enzalutamide on prostate cancer caused by CAFs,and reduce NRG1 expression in CAFs.
5.Effect of cholesterol on distribution,cell uptake,and protein corona of lipid microspheres at sites of cardiovascular inflammatory injury
Lingyan LI ; Xingjie WU ; Qianqian GUO ; Yu'e WANG ; Zhiyong HE ; Guangqiong ZHANG ; Shaobo LIU ; Liping SHU ; Babu GAJENDRAN ; Ying CHEN ; Xiangchun SHEN ; Ling TAO
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(7):1542-1564
Cholesterol(CH)plays a crucial role in enhancing the membrane stability of drug delivery systems(DDS).However,its association with conditions such as hyperlipidemia often leads to criticism,overshadowing its influence on the biological effects of formulations.In this study,we reevaluated the delivery effect of CH using widely applied lipid microspheres(LM)as a model DDS.We conducted comprehensive in-vestigations into the impact of CH on the distribution,cell uptake,and protein corona(PC)of LM at sites of cardiovascular inflammatory injury.The results demonstrated that moderate CH promoted the accumulation of LM at inflamed cardiac and vascular sites without exacerbating damage while partially mitigating pathological damage.Then,the slow cellular uptake rate observed for CH@LM contributed to a prolonged duration of drug efficacy.Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses revealed that CH depended on LM and exerted its biological effects by modulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPAR-γ)expression in vascular endothelial cells and estrogen receptor alpha(ERα)protein levels in myocardial cells,thereby enhancing LM uptake at cardiovascular inflam-mation sites.Proteomics analysis unveiled a serum adsorption pattern for CH@LM under inflammatory conditions showing significant adsorption with CH metabolism-related apolipoprotein family members such as apolipoprotein A-V(Apoa5);this may be a major contributing factor to their prolonged circu-lation in vivo and explains why CH enhances the distribution of LM at cardiovascular inflammatory injury sites.It should be noted that changes in cell types and physiological environments can also influence the biological behavior of formulations.The findings enhance the conceptualization of CH and LM delivery,providing novel strategies for investigating prescription factors' bioactivity.
6.Preparation of anisamide-modified ursolic acid self-assembled nanoparticles and their anti-drug resistance effect of enzalutamide on prostate cancer via regulation of CAFs
Ling-xi CHEN ; Shu-ting NI ; Wen-yang ZHAO ; Lei CHEN ; Kai-li HU
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(1):28-35
AIM To prepare anisamide-modified ursolic acid self-assembled nanoparticles,and to evaluate their anti-drug resistance effect of enzalutamide on prostate cancer.METHODS Nanoparticle precipitation method was adopted in the preparation of anisamide-modified and non-anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles,respectively,after which the particle size,Zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency were determined,and the morphology was observed under transmission electron microscope.The intake of cancer-associated fibroblasts(CAFs)was investigated,after which the model for enzalutamide resistance in prostate cancer was established,CCK8 assay was applied to analyzing the sensitization effect of self-assembled nanoparticles on enzalutamide,and Western blot was used for the detection of NRG1,HER3,AKT expressions.RESULTS The anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles demonstrated the average particle size,Zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency of(195.13±8.06)nm,(-29.07±0.55)mV and(94.58±0.84)%,respectively.CAFs displayed higher intake in the anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles than that in the non-modified preparation and free Cy5(P<0.05).Meanwhile,anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles were able to inhibit enzalutamide resistance caused by CAFs,reduce NRG1 expression on CAFs,and anisamide-modified self-assembled nanoparticles-treated conditioned medium of CAFs could reduce HER3 and AKT expression on LNCaP cells(P<0.05,P<0.01).CONCLUSION Anisamide-modified ursolic acid self-assembled nanoparticles can enhance the targeting of CAFs,alleviate the drug resistance effect of enzalutamide on prostate cancer caused by CAFs,and reduce NRG1 expression in CAFs.
7.Construction of a prediction model for seroma after endoscopic thyroid-ectomy by breast approach
Sheng-fei YANG ; Yun-da ZHANG ; Ming LIU ; Shi-ran QIAN ; Shu-xiong LI ; Man ZHANG ; Meng-ling WEI ; Dong-wei LI
Chinese Journal of Current Advances in General Surgery 2025;28(5):337-342
Objective:To explore the prognostic factors of seroma after endoscopic thyroidectomy by breast ap-proach,and construct a nomogram to predict the possibility of cervical seroma.Methods:Data of patients undergoing endoscopic thyroid surgery in Dongguan Tungwah Hospital from January 2022 to May 2024 and Dongguan Songshan Lake Tungwah Hospital from May 2023 to August 2024 were retrospectively analyzed,and 1493 patients meeting the in-clusion criteria were selected.Among them,there were 1048 patients in Dongguan Tungwah Hospital as the training co-hort,1015 patients without seroma group and 33 patients with seroma group.There were 445 patients in Dongguan Songshan Lake Tungwah Hospital as the verification cohort,including 424 patients without seroma and 21 patients with seroma.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to obtain relevant independent prognostic factors,and R soft-ware established a nomogram model.Calibration curves,Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit,ROC curves were used to evaluate the calibrability of the nomogram model,and clinical utility was assessed by clinical decision curves.Results:Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that central lymph node dissection,diabetes,hyperthyroidism,and nod-ule size were independent prognostic factors related to seroma.Based on the prognostic factors,the nomogram of se-roma after ETBA was constructed.The calibration curves of the training and the verification group were in good agree-ment with the observed results,and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test was good,with the training cohort P=0.244 and the verification cohort P=0.803.The ROC curve of the training cohort showed that the area under the curve was 0.810(95%CI:0.740~0.879),and the ROC curve of the verification cohort showed that the area under the curve was 0.815(95%CI:0.722~0.909).Conclusion:The nomogram model based on the relevant prognostic factors ob-tained by multivariate logistic regression analysis has a good prediction effect on the seroma after ETBA,and can provide reasonable and individualized treatment plan for patients.
8.Selection of exosomal microRNA biomarkers for brucellosis diagnosis and construction of a potential miRNA-mRNA regulation network
Jin ZHAO ; Zhi-qiang CHEN ; Bing-Li WANG ; Shu-ling LI ; Xiao-yu ZHU ; Jin-tong JIA ; Ye-zi LIU ; Zhi-wei LI
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2025;41(3):269-277
This study was aimed at exploring novel auxiliary diagnostic biomarkers for brucellosis and their potential miR-NA-mRNA regulatory networks.High-throughput sequencing was used to compare miRNA expression differences in serum ex-osomes between patients with brucellosis and healthy controls.Subsequently,RT-qPCR was used to validate the expression of significantly upregulated exosomal miRNAs.The diagnostic value of these miRNAs was assessed with ROC curves,and bioin-formatics analyses were performed to investigate the potential roles of the miRNAs in brucellosis infection.The ROC curve a-nalysis indicated that the area under the curve for exosomal hsa-miR-11400(P<0.05),hsa-miR-199a-5p(P<0.05),and hsa-miR-148a-5p(P<0.05)was 0.79,0.81,and 0.74,respectively.A total of 465 differentially expressed miRNAs and their tar-get genes were predicted,including 25 immune-related target genes,most of which were closely associated with cancer-related proteoglycans,NF-kappa B signaling pathways,and IL-17 signaling pathways.The constructed differentially expressed gene network indicated that the immune genes PLXNA2,IL17RA,PRKCA,CD22,ACVR1B,and CBL might be regulated by hsa-miR-199a-5p and hsa-miR-148a-5p.These findings suggest that exosomal miRNAs might serve as auxiliary diagnostic indicators for brucellosis.Our exosomal miRNA-mRNA regulatory network provides new insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of brucellosis.
9.Luteolin alleviates liver fibrosis by inhibiting autophagy of hepatic stellate cells
Shu-ling CHEN ; Xi-xuan WANG ; Rui-qi LI ; Da-wei YANG ; Hui CAO ; Yong-feng YANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(10):1875-1883
Aim To explore the mechanism of luteolin in alleviating hepatic fibrosis.Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control group,CCl4 group,silybin group(100 mg·kg-1)and luteo-lin group(100 mg·kg-1).After 10-week modeling and 2-week treatment,the serum levels of aminotrans-ferase and liver histopathology were examined.Hepatic fibrosis and autophagy-related gene expression were as-sessed using immunohistochemistry and immunofluores-cence.Human hepatic stellate cell line(LX2)was cultured and divided into control,TGF-β1(10 mg·L-1),TGF-β1+silybin(40 μmol·L-1),TGF-β1+luteolin(40 μmol·L-1).Fibrotic and autophagy-re-lated markers were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR,Western blot,immunofluorescence and MDC staining.Results Compared with the CCl4 group,the treatment groups showed significantly improved liver function and reduced hepatic fibrosis,with markedly downregulated COL1A1 and α-SMA expression,and luteolin demonstrated superior efficacy.Compared with TGF-β1 group,luteolin treatment significantly de-creased mRNA levels of COL1A1,ACTA2 and MAP1LC3B,while increasing the mRNA level of SQSTM1,the protein levels of COL1A1 and α-SMA de-creased,p62 was enhanced,the LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio was downregulated,and autophagy was reduced.These effects of luteolin were reversed by autophagy inducer rapamycin.Conclusion Luteolin alleviates liver fi-brosis by decreasing the autophagy of hepatic stellate cells.
10.Chinese guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of heatstroke(2025 edition)
Jing-Chun SONG ; Qing SONG ; Wei ZHANG ; Wei-Qin LI ; Xi-Jing ZHANG ; Shu-Yuan LIU ; Yan GAO ; Hai-Ling LI
Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army 2025;50(4):367-386
In recent years,the incidence and mortality of heatstroke have been increasing annually alongside global warming,with a marked rise in cases exhibiting atypical symptoms.To address the increasingly complex challenges in heatstroke prevention and treatment,Heatstroke Prevention and Treatment Research Center of Chinese PLA,Expert Group of Heatstroke Prevention and Treatment of Chinese PLA,and Chinese PLA Professional Committee of Critical Care Medicine have jointly developed this guideline(2025 edition).Utilizing the Grading of Recommendations Assessment,Development and Evaluation(GRADE)system,Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation(AGREE)criteria,and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare(RIGHT)standards,and based on the 2015 draft"Expert Consensus on the Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Heatstroke"and the 2019"Chinese Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Heatstroke",this guideline has been crafted.This guideline provides 25 evidence-based recommendations to guide the prevention,treatment and research of heatstroke,which thoroughly covers 8 critical domains:clinical classification,pathophysiological mechanisms,clinical manifestations,diagnostic criteria,differential diagnosis,treatment protocols,rehabilitation and return to work,and prevention.

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