1.Application of Zebrafish in Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Jiaqi LI ; Xiaolu CHEN ; Jiarui WU ; Xiaoyu TAO ; Qiqi FAN ; Shengyun DAI ; Chongjun ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):58-70
As a new type of model organism, zebrafish is gradually gaining prominence in the field of scientific research. The unique biological characteristics and advantages of zebrafish make them play an increasingly important role in the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine. Compared with other common experimental animals, zebrafish have a fast reproductive and growth speed and high embryo transparency, making them an ideal model for evaluating the quality of traditional Chinese medicine. This provides a new perspective and method for research on traditional Chinese medicine. With the growing global interest in traditional Chinese medicine, it has become crucial to find scientific and accurate methods to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine. The introduction of the zebrafish model has brought new breakthroughs in the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine. To further promote the application of zebrafish in evaluating the quality of traditional Chinese medicine, this article systematically searched and sorted out the previous studies related to the application of zebrafish for this purpose since 2023. The commonly used disease models and indicators of zebrafish in evaluating the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the mechanism of zebrafish in exploring the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine, were primarily reviewed. The application of zebrafish in evaluating the safety of traditional Chinese medicine and the typical examples in ensuring the quality of traditional Chinese medicine were demonstrated. The limitations encountered by zebrafish models in evaluating the quality of traditional Chinese medicine were highlighted. The resolution of these problems will help further improve the accuracy and reliability of zebrafish in evaluating the quality of traditional Chinese medicine. The article discussed the evaluation of effectiveness, safety, and quality control of zebrafish applied in traditional Chinese medicine, so as to provide a reference for establishing standards for traditional Chinese medicine and promoting its modernization in the future.
2.Evaluation of Safety of Compound Kushen Injection and Efficacy in Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Based on Zebrafish Model
Xiaolu CHEN ; Jiaqi LI ; Linzhen CHEN ; Qi CHEN ; Zhiqiang MA ; Chongjun ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):71-78
ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety/efficacy of compound Kushen injection (CKI) by zebrafish model and explore the possible mechanism. MethodsZebrafish were exposed to different concentrations of CKI solution, and the mortality rate after 24 h was calculated. After exposure to sublethal concentration (
3.Hepatotoxicity and Anti-osteoporotic Mechanism of Evodiamine
Jiaqi LI ; Xiaolu CHEN ; Xiaoyu TAO ; Shan LU ; Qiqi FAN ; Jiarui WU ; Chongjun ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):79-86
ObjectiveBased on the zebrafish model, the hepatotoxicity and anti-osteoporotic activity of evodiamine (EVO) were studied. The mechanism of EVO in treating osteoporosis was explored by using network pharmacology and real-time polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR). MethodsThree days after fertilization (3 dpf), zebrafish were randomly selected and exposed to different concentrations of EVO solution for 96 hours. The mortality rate of zebrafish at different concentrations was calculated at the exposure endpoint, and a "dose-toxicity" curve was drawn. The 10% lethal concentration (LC10) was calculated. Liver phenotype, acridine orange staining, and pathological tissue sections of liver-transgenic zebrafish [CZ16 (gz15Tg.Tg (fabp 10a: ds Red; ela31: EGFP))] were used to confirm hepatotoxicity of EVO. On this basis, prednisolone was used to create a model of osteoporosis in zebrafish. The skull development, area of the skull stained by alizarin red, and cumulative optical density were used as indicators to evaluate the anti-osteoporotic activity of EVO in a safe dose. Based on network pharmacology, the mechanism of action of EVO in the treatment of osteoporosis was predicted and verified through Real-time PCR. ResultsThe LC10 of EVO on zebrafish (7 dpf) was determined to be 0.4 mg·L-1. Compared with the control group, sublethal concentrations (
4.Prognostic analysis of genes related to pyroptosis in prostate cancer cells and the regulatory role of NLRP1
Xiaolu MA ; Jiaqin CHEN ; Junlong FENG ; Qi ZHAO ; Bin WANG
Journal of Modern Urology 2025;30(1):73-81
[Objective] To analyze the prognostic value of prostate cancer (PCa) pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) using gene expression databases and to explore the regulatory mechanism of nucleotidebinding oligomerization domain-like receptor containing pyrin domain 1 (NLRP1) in the pyroptosis of PCa cells. [Methods] Fragments per kilobase of exon model per million reads mapped (FPKM) data and clinical information from PCa and adjacent tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were obtained. Differentially expressed PRGs between PCa and adjacent tissues, classified subtypes and plotted survival curves were analyzed. Univariate Cox regression analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis were conducted to screen prognosis-related PRGs, risk scores were calculated, and a prognostic risk model was constructed and validated. Patients were divided into high and low risk groups based on the median risk scores from the training and validation sets, and gene ontology (GO) enrichment and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis were conducted on differentially expressed PRGs. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of NLRP1 in PCa cell lines, and pyroptosis was induced in DU145 and LNCaP cells while morphological changes were observed. Western blot (WB) was performed to detect the expression of pyroptosis-related molecules. [Results] A total of 6 prognostic-related PRGs were obtained, including CHMP4C, CYCS, GPX4, GSDMB, NLRP1, and PLCG1. The risk score was positively correlated with the risk of recurrence but negatively correlated with the progression-free survival (P<0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) for the training set at 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.769 (95%CI: 0.652-0.878), 0.804 (95%CI: 0.736-0.882), and 0.772 (95%CI: 0.631-0.905), respectively, while those for the validation set were 0.731 (95%CI: 0.647-0.826), 0.753 (95%CI: 0.674-0.818), and 0.763 (95%CI: 0.626-0.849), respectively. Differences in expression levels of the 6 PRGs were observed between the high and low risk groups in both the training and validation sets (P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that T stage, prostate specific antigen (PSA), Gleason grade, and risk score were independent predictors of PCa prognosis (P<0.05). Differences in risk scores were observed among patients of different ages, T stages, and Gleason grades (P<0.05). NLRP1 was found to be lowly expressed in PCa cell lines and was involved in the regulation of pyroptosis in DU145 and LNCaP cells. [Conclusion] The prognostic risk model constructed based on PRGs has a certain predictability for the prognosis of PCa patients, and NLRP1 may be involved in the regulation of pyroptosis in PCa cells.
5.Clinical characteristics and risk factors for adverse outcomes in omphalocele
Wei SHI ; Mingyu HAN ; Zheng CHEN ; Xiaoying CHENG ; Junjin CHEN ; Peng WANG ; Jinfa TOU ; Liping SHI ; Xiaolu MA
Chinese Journal of Pediatrics 2025;63(1):43-49
Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of omphalocele, and to assess the risk factors associated with adverse outcomes.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data of 224 patients diagnosed with omphalocele, who were hospitalized at Children′s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2013 to December 2022, were collected. Based on their discharge outcomes, the patients were classified into 2 groups: favorable outcomes and unfavorable outcomes. Chi-square test or continuity correction χ2 test or Fisher exact probability method, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for intergroup comparisons. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with adverse outcomes in omphalocele. Results:Among the 224 patients with omphalocele, 126 were male. A total of 208 patients (92.9%) had favorable outcomes, while 16 patients (7.1%) had unfavorable outcomes. In the unfavorable outcomes group, 14 patients had giant omphaloceles, while 100 patients had giant omphaloceles in the favorable outcomes group. The rates of herniation of more than two intra-abdominal organs in the hernial sac, congenital heart defects, patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonary hypertension, sepsis and infection of the hernial sac, were all higher in the unfavorable outcomes group compared to the favorable outcomes group (all P<0.05). Patients with unfavorable outcomes had longer mechanical ventilation time, duration of oxygen use, duration of parenteral nutrition, hospital stays, and higher rates of parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis compared to those with favorable outcomes (all P<0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that pulmonary hypertension ( OR=9.39, 95% CI 1.20-73.32), sepsis ( OR=8.59, 95% CI 1.32-55.86), and congenital heart defects ( OR=6.55, 95% CI 1.11-38.73) were all independent risk factors for adverse outcomes in omphalocele (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Infants with omphalocele are prone to complications such as cardiovascular malformations, infections, and pulmonary hypertension. Adverse outcomes in omphalocele are associated with pulmonary hypertension, sepsis, and congenital heart defects.
6.Meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of apatinib combined with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of malignant solid tumors
Chen WANG ; Jun LI ; Ning WANG ; Xinjuan YU ; Xiaolu YU ; Tingtian LI
China Pharmacy 2025;36(16):2067-2072
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of apatinib combined with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of malignant solid tumors. METHODS Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on apatinib combined with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors (combination group) versus monotherapy (apatinib or PD-1/PD-L1)combined with (or) chemotherapy/other treatments (control group) in the treatment of malignant solid tumors were collected from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Data and China Biomedical Literature Database. The search time limit was from the establishment of the databases to May 2025. After literature screening, data extraction and literature quality evaluation, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 14.0. RESULTS A total of 28 RCTs involving 2 974 patients were included. The objective response rate [RR=1.639, 95%CI(1.452,1.851), P<0.000 01], disease control rate [RR=1.284, 95%CI(1.178,1.399), P<0.000 01] and CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ as well as the incidence of ADR such as hypertension, fatigue, proteinuria, thrombocytopenia were significantly higher in the combination group than control group (P<0.05 or P<0.000 01). The progressive disease rate [RR= 0.497, 95%CI(0.437, 0.566), P<0.000 01] and serum tumor + marker levels and CD8 were significantly lower in the combination group than control group (P<0.05 or P<0.000 01). Subgroup analysis results of different types of tumors showed that the objective response rate and disease control rate were significantly higher in the combination group than control group (P<0.05). The results of sensitivity analysis showed that the stability of this study was good. The results of publication bias analysis showed that there was a high possibility of publication bias in this study. CONCLUSIONS Apatinib combined with PD-1/ PD-L1 inhibitors has a significant efficacy in the treatment of different types of tumors, but attention should be paid to the occurrence of hypertension, fatigue, proteinuria and thrombocytopenia.
7.Alterations in functional connectivity density resulted from mild cognitive impairment and their correlations with cognitive scores in various cognitive domains in Parkinson's disease patients
Qi WANG ; Haihua SUN ; Hengheng LIU ; Tianchi MU ; Xiaolu XU ; Lihuan LI ; Congsong DONG ; Zhenyu DAI ; Fei CHEN
Chinese Journal of Neuromedicine 2024;23(8):777-784
Objective:To explore the alterations in functional connectivity density (FCD) resulted from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their correlations with cognitive scores in various cognitive domains in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).Methods:Forty-three PD patients admitted to Department of Neurology, Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from January 2022 to April 2024 were selected and divided into PD-MCI group (MoCA scores<26) and PD with normal cognition (PD-NC) group (MoCA scores≥26) according to Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Another 23 middle-aged and elderly healthy volunteers (HC group) matched with PD patients in age, gender and education level were recruited at the same period. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data were collected and whole brain FCD was calculated. Differences of clinical data, whole brain FCD, and FCD in brain regions with significantly different FCD among the 3 groups were compared. Efficiency of FCD in brain regions with significantly different FCD between PD-MCI group and PD-NC group in differentially diagnosing PD-MCI and PD-NC was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Pearson correlation was used to the analyze the correlations of FCD in brain regions with significantly different FCD with MoCA score and cognitive scores in various cognitive domains.Results:Among the 43 patients, 23 were into the PD-MCI group and 20 into the PD-NC group. PD-MCI group had significantly lower scores in the visuospatial and executive function, abstraction, and delayed memory cognitive domains than PD-NC group ( P<0.05). Brain regions with significantly different FCD among the 3 groups were the right parahippocampal gyrus, left gyrus rectus, right rolandic operculum, left middle occipital gyrus, right precentral gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and left medial superior frontal gyrus. Compared with the HC group, the PD-MCI group and PD-NC group had significantly increased FCD at the right parahippocampal gyrus, left gyrus rectus and right rolandic operculum, statistically decreased FCD at the right precentral gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and left medial superior frontal gyrus ( P<0.05). Compared with the HC group, the PD-MCI group had significantly increased FCD at the left middle occipital gyrus ( P<0.05). Compared with the PD-NC group, the PD-MCI group had significantly decreased FCD at the right parahippocampal gyrus, and statistically increased FCD at the left middle occipital gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus ( P<0.05). Area under ROC curve (AUC) of FCD in brain regions with significantly different FCD in discriminating PD-MCI and PD-NC was 0.878, with sensitivity of 90.0% and specificity of 91.3%. FCD at right parahippocampal gyrus, left middle occipital gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus was negatively correlated with MoCA score ( P<0.05); FCD at right parahippocampal gyrus was positively correlated with cognitive scores in the visuospatial and executive function, and delayed memory domains ( P<0.05); FCD at left middle occipital gyrus was negatively correlated with cognitive scores in the executive function and visual-spatial skills, and abstraction domains ( P<0.05); FCD at the left medial frontal gyrus was negatively correlated with cognitive scores in the visuospatial and executive function, abstraction and delayed memory domains ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Abnormal FCD can be noted in some brain regions of PD patients, enjoying differences between PD-MCI patients and PD-NC patients. Combined FCD in brain regions with significantly different FCD has high value in differentially diagnosing PD-MCI and PD-NC, and FCD in brain regions with significantly different FCD is correlated with cognitive function changes in PD patients.
8.Regulation mechanism of ischemic preconditioning renal tubular cell-derived exosomes on PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in rats with renal ischemia reperfusion injury
Jiahui CHEN ; Yanzi ZHANG ; Aisha ZHANG ; Xiaolu SUI ; Yunpeng XU ; Tingfei XIE ; Jihong CHEN
Chinese Journal of Nephrology 2024;40(9):732-740
This study aims to establish a rat model of renal ischemia reperfusion injury (RIRI) to observe the alterations in the expression of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway following various exosome treatments. Additionally, differential miRNA expression analysis will be conducted to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of exosomes derived from ischemic preconditioned (IPC) renal tubular cells in mitigating RIRI in rats. Initially, ten SD rats were subjected to bilateral nephrectomy under general anesthesia to prepare primary renal tubular cells. The second-generation renal tubular cells were then subjected to the following treatments for 12 hours: normoxia (38% O 2, 5% CO 2), hypoxia (1% O 2, 5% CO 2), and hypoxia plus inactivation (heated at 65 ℃ for 30 minutes). Following these treatments, exosomes were extracted, yielding normoxic exosomes, IPC exosomes, and inactivated exosomes, respectively. A subsequent cohort of 50 SD rats was randomly divided into five groups: Sham group, RIRI group, RIRI + normoxic exosome group (NC group), RIRI + IPC exosome group (IPC group), and RIRI + inactivated exosome group (INA group). RIRI model was established in the latter four groups. Twenty-four hours after RIRI modeling, the NC, IPC, and INA groups received intravenous injections of 200 μg of normoxic exosomes, IPC exosomes, and inactivated exosomes via the tail vein, respectively. Six days later, venous blood samples were collected, and both kidneys were excised to observe renal function, histopathological changes in kidney tissue, and alterations in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway among the five groups. Furthermore, differential miRNA expression analysis [ P<0.05, |log 2(Fold Change)|≥1] was conducted between the NC and IPC groups to investigate the changes in the miRNA expression profile. Subsequently, GO analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed. The results revealed that: (1) Compared with the Sham group, the RIRI and INA groups exhibited elevated levels of serum creatinine and urea nitrogen (all P<0.01). Histopathological examination of kidney tissues showed substantial inflammatory cell infiltration in the interstitium accompanied by varying degrees of edema, degenerative swelling of tubular structures, necrosis, and detachment of tubular epithelial cells. Notably, the number of TUNEL-positive cells was significantly increased, while the number of Ki67-stained positive cells was markedly decreased. Additionally, the mRNA and protein expression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in RIRI group and INA group were down-regulated. (2) Compared to the NC group, the IPC group demonstrated lower levels of serum creatinine and urea nitrogen (both P<0.01). Notably, there was a significant decrease in the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the renal interstitium, and tissue edema was markedly improved. Moreover, the number of TUNEL-positive cells was reduced, while the number of Ki67-stained positive cells was significantly increased. Additionally, the mRNA and protein expressions of PI3K, PDK1, AKT, and mTOR were all up-regulated (all P<0.05). (3) Compared to the NC group, 56 miRNAs were up-regulated and 42 miRNAs were down-regulated in the IPC group. The target genes of GO enrichment analysis were PIK3C2A, PIK3CA, PIK3CB, PIK3CD, PIK3C2G, AKT1, mTOR, Rheb, and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed significant enrichment in PI3K/AKT signal pathway and mTOR signal pathway. In conclusion, this study reveals that during the course of RIRI, exosomes derived from IPC renal tubular cells induce differential miRNA expression in kidney tissues, resulting in enhanced expression of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, which plays a pivotal role in mitigating RIRI in rats.
9.Efficacy and prognostic factors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of secondary acute myeloid leukemia
Xiaolin YUAN ; Yibo WU ; Xiaolu SONG ; Yi CHEN ; Ying LU ; Xiaoyu LAI ; Jimin SHI ; Lizhen LIU ; Yanmin ZHAO ; Jian YU ; Luxin YANG ; Jianping LAN ; Zhen CAI ; He HUANG ; Yi LUO
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2024;45(1):41-47
Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and prognostic factors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) .Methods:In this multicenter, retrospective clinical study, adult patients aged ≥18 years who underwent allo-HSCT for sAML at four centers of the Zhejiang Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Collaborative Group from January 2014 to November 2022 were included, and the efficacy and prognostic factors of allo-HSCT were analyzed.Results:A total of 95 patients were enrolled; 66 (69.5%) had myelodysplastic syndrome-acute myeloid leukemia (MDS-AML) , 4 (4.2%) had MDS/MPN-AML, and 25 (26.3%) had therapy-related AML (tAML) . The 3-year CIR, LFS, and overall survival (OS) rates were 18.6% (95% CI 10.2%-27.0%) , 70.6% (95% CI 60.8%-80.4%) , and 73.3% (95% CI 63.9%-82.7%) , respectively. The 3-year CIRs of the M-AML group (including MDS-AML and MDS/MPN-AML) and the tAML group were 20.0% and 16.4%, respectively ( P=0.430) . The 3-year LFSs were 68.3% and 75.4%, respectively ( P=0.176) . The 3-year OS rates were 69.7% and 75.4%, respectively ( P=0.233) . The 3-year CIRs of the groups with and without TP53 mutations were 60.0% and 13.7%, respectively ( P=0.003) ; the 3-year LFSs were 20.0% and 76.5%, respectively ( P=0.002) ; and the 3-year OS rates were 40.0% and 77.6%, respectively ( P=0.002) . According to European LeukmiaNet 2022 (ELN2022) risk stratification, the 3-year CIRs of patients in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups were 8.3%, 17.8%, and 22.6%, respectively ( P=0.639) . The three-year LFSs were 91.7%, 69.5%, and 65.6%, respectively ( P=0.268) . The 3-year OS rates were 91.7%, 71.4%, and 70.1%, respectively ( P=0.314) . Multivariate analysis revealed that advanced disease at allo-HSCT and TP53 mutations were independent risk factors for CIR, LFS, and OS. Conclusion:There was no significant difference in the prognosis of patients who underwent allo-HSCT among the MDS-AML, MDS/MPN-AML, and tAML groups. Advanced disease at transplantation and TP53 mutations were poor prognostic factors. ELN2022 risk stratification had limited value for predicting the prognosis of patients with sAML following allo-HSCT.
10.Clinical analysis of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in 9 patients with hematological malignancies complicated by Gilbert’s syndrome
Xiaolu ZHU ; Jingzhi WANG ; Meng LYU ; Tingting HAN ; Fengmei ZHENG ; Yuhong CHEN ; Yuanyuan ZHANG ; Huan CHEN ; Xiaohui ZHANG ; Lanping XU ; Xiaojun HUANG ; Yu WANG
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2024;45(9):851-855
From January 1, 2013, to March 1, 2024, nine patients with hematological malignancies complicated by Gilbert’s syndrome in Peking University People’s Hospital underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The patients comprised seven male and two female cases, with a median age of 38 (13-60) years old. Among them, three cases were acute myeloid leukemia, three cases were acute lymphocytic leukemia, two cases were myelodysplastic syndrome, and one case was chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. None of the patients had viral hepatitis. Of the nine cases, seven cases received the Bu-Cy+ATG regimen, while the other two cases received the TBI-Cy+ATG regimen (Bu, busulfan; Cy, cyclophosphamide; ATG, antithymocyte immunoglobulin; and TBI, total body irradiation). All patients achieved neutrophil engraftment, and eight received platelet engraftment. The median total bilirubin level was 45.4 (22.5-71.2) μmol/L before transplantation and 22.0 (18.0-37.2) μmol/L on -1d of preconditioning. The total bilirubin level on +20d after the transplantation of eight patients decreased compared with the baseline level before transplantation. Moreover, one patient had a transient increase in the total bilirubin level on +5d after transplantation, which was considered to be attributed to the toxicity of Bu. No patients were complicated by hepatic veno-occlusive disease. The median follow-up time was 739 (42-2 491) days. During the follow-up period, one patient died of recurrence, and the remaining eight patients had disease-free survival events.

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