Chronic liver diseases with common causes including viral infections， alcohol abuse， and autoimmune diseases. Alkaloids， as a class of plant-derived compounds， have shown significant potential in regulating chronic liver diseases. Recent studies have shown that alkaloids are able to exert a therapeutic effect on chronic liver diseases through multiple pathways. These compounds have a regulatory effect on key pathological processes such as liver fibrosis， inflammatory response， oxidative stress， and cell apoptosis， and they also regulate the metabolic homeostasis of hepatocytes by modulating multiple signaling pathways， thereby playing a role in regulating chronic liver diseases. This article reviews the role and mechanism of alkaloids in the treatment of chronic liver diseases， in order to provide new ideas and directions for the treatment of chronic liver diseases.

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of action of curcumol on mitochondrial autophagy in hepatic stellate cells and its molecular mechanism against liver fibrosis. Methods : Hepatic stellate cells were divided into blank group, model group(lipopolysaccharide 5 mg/L), and low, medium and high curcumol group(12.5, 25 and 50 mg/L); Thiazolyland(MTT) was used to detect the effects of curcumol on the viability of hepatic stellate cells; flow cytometry was used to detect the effects of curcumol on apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells; 5,5′,6,6′-Tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethylimidacarbocyanine iodide(JC-1) was used to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential; effects of curcumol on mitochondrial morphology and autophagosome were detected by transmission electron microscopy; effect of curcumol on mitochondrial localisation were detected by fluorescent probe; Immunoblotting assay was performed to detect the effects of curcumin on PTEN-induced putative kinase 1(PINK1), Parkinson's disease protein(Parkin), microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3), autophagy-associated protein(Beclin1), mitochondrial inner membrane translocase 23(Timm23), mitochondrial outer membrane translocase 20(Tomm20), Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax), B lymphocytoma-2(Bcl2), cleaved-cysteine protease 3(Caspase3), α-smooth muscle actin(ɑ-SMA), collagen type Ⅰ(Collagen Ⅰ), and collagen type Ⅲ(Collagen Ⅲ) protein expression. Results : Compared with the blank control group, cell proliferation rate, Caspase3, Bcl2, LC3Ⅱ, Beclin1, PINK1, Parkin, ɑ-SMA, CollagenⅠ, CollagenⅢ proteins significantly increased in the model group(P<0.01), co-localisation of mitochondria and lysosomes increased, and the number of mitochondrial autophagosome significantly increased(P<0.01), while Timm23 and Tomm20 proteins, mitochondrial membrane potential decreased significantly(P<0.01), apoptosis rate decreased, and Bax protein expression decreased. Compared with the model group, after curcumol intervention, cell proliferation rate, Bcl2, Timm23, Tomm20, α-SMA, CollagenⅠ and CollagenⅢ protein expression significantly decreased in the curcumol low-, medium-and high-concentration groups(P<0.01), and the mitochondrial membrane potential significantly decreased(P<0.01), whereas apoptosis rate, Caspase3, Bax, LC3Ⅱ, Beclin1, PINK1 and Parkin proteins significantly increased(P<0.05), the co-localisation of mitochondria and lysosomes increased, and the number of mitochondrial autophagosome significantly increased(P<0.01). Conclusion Curcumol exerts ameliorative effects on hepatic fibrosis by modulating mitochondrial hyperautophagy mediated by the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway, and promoting hepatic stellate cell apoptosis.

A 11-year old female patient with severe thalassemia, receipt a lentivirus-based cell and gene therapy (CGT) therapy in Shenzhen Children′s Hosptial on July 27th, 2021. At the two follow-up visits after discharge, patient were continuously tested positive for HIV screening through HIV Ag/Ab Combo assay (chemiluminescence Immunoassay), and the viral load results of HIV-1 nucleic acid testing (NAT) were both>5 000 copies/ml. The patient can be diagnosed with HIV infection according to the National Guideline for Detection of HIV/AIDS(2020 Revised Edition). The thorough investigation findings and supplementary experiment results indicated that the false-positive HIV-1 NAT results was caused by cross-reactivity between the target sites detected by conventional HIV-1 NAT reagents and the lentiviral vectors fragments integrated into the genome of patient′s hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. In conclusion, it is important for laboratories to select appropriate HIV-1 NAT testing platforms which won′t cause cross-reactivity for the testing of samples from patients who have been treated with HIV-derived vectors. It is also recommended to design and develop NAT testing platforms with multiple target regions labeled by different fluorescents for HIV NAT supplementation experiment to reduce the risk of false-positive diagnoses of HIV infection.

Chronic liver disease(CLD)tends to have a high incidence rate and impose a serious burden on society and families.Studies have shown that metal ion metabolism is closely associated with CLD,and some Chinese herbal medicines can play a role in the prevention and treatment of CLD by regulating metal ion metabolism.At present,the synthetic drugs currently used for the treatment of CLD fail to achieve a satisfactory effect,and therefore,a variety of Chinese herbal medicines are being used as supplementary and alternative therapies for CLD.This article introduces the role of metal ion metabolism in CLD and the regulatory effect of Chinese herbal medicines and their active components on CLD,and the analysis shows that metal ion metabolism is expected to provide new ideas for the research on CLD and a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of CLD.For the role of metal ion metabolism in the treatment of CLD,more prospective clinical study data are needed in the future to provide effective and safe treatment regimens for patients with CLD.

BACKGROUND:In recent years,the development of liver organoids has made it a hot spot in the field of international liver disease research,but there is still no article on the bibliometric analysis of liver organoids. OBJECTIVE:To explore the hot trends in liver organoids in the last 20 years based on bibliometrics and visualization analysis. METHODS:We searched the articles about liver organoids in the Web of Science Core Collection from January 1,2002 to November 12,2022.Origin,Office,and CiteSpace software were used for bibliometrics and visualization analysis.We statistically analyzed the number of annually published articles,countries,institutions,authors,journals,and keywords of the articles by generating charts. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The number of articles,citation frequency,institutions and personnel involved in the research about liver organoids showed an overall upward trend in the last 20 years,indicating that the field was growing rapidly and attention was increasing.The USA had published the most papers and had the strongest influence in this field.Although it had invested a lot of time and energy,the number of papers published by a single research institution in the USA was not the highest among many research institutions.China was second only to the USA in the number of publications,with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fudan University leading the list.Utrecht University in the Netherlands was the institution with the most publications.Clevers H was the author with the highest number of articles.The article with the highest co-citation frequency was"Long-term culture of genome-stable bipotent stem cells from adult human liver".The main fields of study for liver organoids were Molecular Science,Biology,and Immunology.The most frequently occurring keywords were stem cell,in vitro,and culture.The research hotspots in the liver organoids field were mainly focused on in vitro stem cell three-dimensional culture,differentiation and gene expression.

Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism of Lizhong Wan in treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) using network pharmacology and in vitro experimental method. Methods The active ingredients of Lizhong Wan were screened by Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform,and the related targets were obtained from PubChem and Swiss Target Prediction databases. The CAG-related targets were obtained from GeneCards,OMIM and DisGeNET databases. The drug-disease common targets of Lizhong Wan and CAG were obtained by Venn tool. The interaction network of common targets of Lizhong Wan and CAG was constructed with the help of STRING database,and the drug-disease-target-pathway network was constructed with the help of Cytoscape software. Gene function and pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the common targets. The molecular docking and binding ability of the active ingredients of the drug and the key targets were predicted by using Moe software. The mice of spleen and stomach deficiency cold syndrome CAG was established. The effects of Lizhong Wan on the morphological changes of gastric tissue,apoptosis of gastric mucosa cells and the expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein of the key target of CAG were observed. Results A total of 57 active ingredients of Lizhong Wan were screened,including arachidonic acid,ginsenoside Rg5,gomisin B,aposiopolamine and ginsenoside Rh2. 869 active targets of Lizhong Wan were obtained. CAG and Lizhong Wan had 47 common targets,the key common targets including tumor protein P53 (TP53),interleukin-6 (IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR),B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2),etc.. A total of 135 pathways were obtained by enrichment analysis,mainly including tumor pathogenesis,proteoglycan in tumor,cholinergic synapse,phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway,etc.. Molecular docking results showed that TP53,IL-6,TNF-α,EGFR,Bcl-2 had good binding activity with gomisin B and ginsenoside Rh2. Meanwhile,in vitro experimental found that the scores of spleen and stomach deficiency cold syndrome in model group were significantly higher than those in blank group. Lizhong Wan could improve the pathological changes of CAG mice,could significantly reduce the apoptosis of gastric mucosa cells,could significantly reduce the expression of mRNA and protein of TP53,IL-6,TNF-α,EGFR,Bcl-2. Conclusion The effect of Lizhong Wan in treating CAG with spleen and stomach deficiency cold syndrome may be related to regulating the expression of TP53,IL-6,TNF-α,EGFR and Bcl-2,alleviating inflammation and reducing apoptosis of gastric mucosa cells.

Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism of Lizhong Wan in treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) using network pharmacology and in vitro experimental method. Methods The active ingredients of Lizhong Wan were screened by Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform,and the related targets were obtained from PubChem and Swiss Target Prediction databases. The CAG-related targets were obtained from GeneCards,OMIM and DisGeNET databases. The drug-disease common targets of Lizhong Wan and CAG were obtained by Venn tool. The interaction network of common targets of Lizhong Wan and CAG was constructed with the help of STRING database,and the drug-disease-target-pathway network was constructed with the help of Cytoscape software. Gene function and pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the common targets. The molecular docking and binding ability of the active ingredients of the drug and the key targets were predicted by using Moe software. The mice of spleen and stomach deficiency cold syndrome CAG was established. The effects of Lizhong Wan on the morphological changes of gastric tissue,apoptosis of gastric mucosa cells and the expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein of the key target of CAG were observed. Results A total of 57 active ingredients of Lizhong Wan were screened,including arachidonic acid,ginsenoside Rg5,gomisin B,aposiopolamine and ginsenoside Rh2. 869 active targets of Lizhong Wan were obtained. CAG and Lizhong Wan had 47 common targets,the key common targets including tumor protein P53 (TP53),interleukin-6 (IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR),B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2),etc.. A total of 135 pathways were obtained by enrichment analysis,mainly including tumor pathogenesis,proteoglycan in tumor,cholinergic synapse,phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway,etc.. Molecular docking results showed that TP53,IL-6,TNF-α,EGFR,Bcl-2 had good binding activity with gomisin B and ginsenoside Rh2. Meanwhile,in vitro experimental found that the scores of spleen and stomach deficiency cold syndrome in model group were significantly higher than those in blank group. Lizhong Wan could improve the pathological changes of CAG mice,could significantly reduce the apoptosis of gastric mucosa cells,could significantly reduce the expression of mRNA and protein of TP53,IL-6,TNF-α,EGFR,Bcl-2. Conclusion The effect of Lizhong Wan in treating CAG with spleen and stomach deficiency cold syndrome may be related to regulating the expression of TP53,IL-6,TNF-α,EGFR and Bcl-2,alleviating inflammation and reducing apoptosis of gastric mucosa cells.

Objective To study the effect and mechanism of pearl hydrolysate on hepatic sinusoidal capillarization in liver fibrosis. Methods Hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HSEC) and hepatic stellate cells (HSC-LX2) were incubated with Hepu pearl hydrolysate.The proliferation of HSEC and HSC-LX2 was examined by MTT colorimetry.The cell cycle and apoptosis of HSC-LX2 were measured by flow cytometry.The changes of the microstructures such as fenestra and basement membrane of HSEC were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Results The intervention with leptin increased the viability of HSC-LX2 (P=0.041),decreased the viability of HSEC (P=0.004),and caused capillarization signs such as decreased number and diameter of fenestrae and formation of continuous basement membrane.The treatment with pearl hydrolysate at different doses increased and expanded the fenestrae of HSEC (low dose:P=0.020;medium dose:P=0.028;high dose:P=0.032),disintegrated the extracellular basement membrane of HSEC (low dose:P=0.020;medium dose:P=0.028;high dose:P=0.032),decreased the viability of HSC-LX2 (low dose:P=0.018;medium dose:P=0.013;high dose:P=0.009),and induced the apoptosis of HSC-LX2 (low dose:P=0.012;medium dose:P=0.006;high dose:P=0.005).Pearl hydrolysate exerted therapeutic effect on capillarization in a dose-dependent manner (low dose:P=0.020;medium dose:P=0.028;high dose:P=0.032).Moreover,high-dose pearl hydrolysate showed stronger effect on capillarization of hepatic sinuses than colchicine (P=0.034) and salvianolic acid B (P=0.038). Conclusion Hepu pearl hydrolysate can increase the viability of HSEC,restore the area of fenestrae,disintegrate the basement membrane,and decrease the viability and induce the apoptosis of HSC-LX2,demonstrating significant pharmacological effects on the capillarization of HSEC and HSC-LX2.
Humans ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver/pathology*

Objective To investigate the role of miR-125b on hepatic angiogenesis,with the hope of providing new targets for the prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis.Methods The human hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells were transfected with miR-125b mimics and inhibitors,and the mRNA and protein expression of vascular endotheli-al growth factor(VEGF),cluster of differentiation antigens 31(CD31),von Willebrand factor(vWF),collagenⅣ,and laminin(LN)were detected by qRT-PCR and ELISA,and the expression of nitric oxide(NO)was detec-ted by fluorescent probe,scanning electron microscopy detected the alteration of the window holes on the surface of human hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells,angiogenesis assay was performed to observe the neovascularization of each group,and dual luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to validate the targeting relationship between miR-125b and VEGF.Results qRT-PCR and ELISA showed that compared with the negative control group,the mRNA and protein expressions of VEGF,CD31,vWF,Collagen Ⅳ,and LN significantly decreased after miR-125b mimic transfection(P＜0.05),while the mRNA and protein expressions of VEGF,CD31,vWF,CollagenⅣ,and LN were significantly increased after transfection with miR-125 b mimics(P＜0.05);fluorescent probe detection showed that compared with the negative control group,the average fluorescence of intensity expression NO decreased significantly(P＜0.05),while the average fluorescence intensity expression of NO increased significant-ly after miR-125b inhibitor transfection(P＜0.05);the number of fenestrations on the surface of human liver sinu-soidal endothelial cells significantly increased after miR-125b mimic transfection(P＜0.05),while the number of fenestrations on the surface of human liver sinusoidal endothelial cells decreased significantly after miR-125 b inhibi-tor transfection(P＜0.05);angiogenesis assay showed that compared with the negative control group,the number of angiogenesis significantly decreased after miR-125b mimic transfection(P＜0.05),while the number of angio-genesis significantly increased after miR-125b inhibitor transfection(P＜0.05);dual luciferase reporter gene assay showed that compared with negative control group,the expression of relative fluorescence intensity after transfection of miR-125b mimics in VEGF wild-typ significantly decreased(P＜0.05),while the expression of relative fluores-cence intensity after transfection of miR-125b mimics in VEGF mutant significantly decreased(P＞0.05).Con-clusion miR-125b can inhibit liver angiogenesis and thus play an anti-fibrosis role,which can provide a new ref-erence for the prevention and treatment of chronic liver disease and the development of new drugs.

Exosomes have the dual characteristics of promoting and inhibiting cancer and can induce the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of hepatoma cells by altering tumor microenvironment, promoting neovascularization, and regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Exosomes can regulate hepatocellular carcinoma and inhibit the growth and metastasis of hepatoma cells by regulating a variety of physiological and pathological processes, thus playing an important role in clinical diagnosis and treatment. It is pointed out that exosomes may become an effective antitumor treatment method through immune regulation and remodeling of tumor microcirculation.