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.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 (
3.Heat stress affects expression levels of circadian clock gene Bmal1 and cyclins in rat thoracic aortic endothelial cells.
Xiaoyu CHANG ; Hanwen ZHANG ; Hongting CAO ; Ling HOU ; Xin MENG ; Hong TAO ; Yan LUO ; Guanghua LI
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(7):1353-1362
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the structural changes of rat thoracic aorta and changes in expression levels of Bmal1 and cyclins in thoracic aorta endothelial cells following heat stress.
METHODS:
Twenty male SD rats were randomized equally into control group and heat stress group. After exposure to 32 ℃ for 2 weeks in the latter group, the rats were examined for histopathological changes and Bmal1 expression in the thoracic aorta using HE staining and immunohistochemistry. In the cell experiments, cultured rat thoracic aortic endothelial cells (RTAECs) were incubated at 40 ℃ for 12 h with or without prior transfection with a Bmal1-specific small interfering RNA (si-Bmal1) or a negative sequence. In both rat thoracic aorta and RTAECs, the expressions of Bmal1, the cell cycle proteins CDK1, CDK4, CDK6, and cyclin B1, and apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were detected using Western blotting. TUNEL staining was used to detect cell apoptosis in rat thoracic aorta, and the changes in cell cycle distribution and apoptosis in RTAECs were analyzed with flow cytometry.
RESULTS:
Compared with the control rats, the rats exposed to heat stress showed significantly increased blood pressures and lowered heart rate with elastic fiber disruption and increased expressions of Bmal1, cyclin B1 and CDK1 in the thoracic aorta (P<0.05). In cultured RTAECs, heat stress caused significant increase of Bmal1, cyclin B1 and CDK1 protein expression levels, which were obviously lowered in cells with prior si-Bmal1 transfection. Bmal1 knockdown also inhibited heat stress-induced increase of apoptosis in RTAECs as evidenced by decreased expression of Bax and increased expression of Bcl-2.
CONCLUSIONS
Heat stress upregulates Bmal1 expression and causes alterations in expressions of cyclins to trigger apoptosis of rat thoracic aorta endothelial cells, which can be partly alleviated by suppressing Bmal1 expression.
Animals
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ARNTL Transcription Factors/genetics*
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Male
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Aorta, Thoracic/metabolism*
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Rats
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Endothelial Cells/metabolism*
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Apoptosis
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Cells, Cultured
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Heat-Shock Response
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Cyclin B1/metabolism*
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CDC2 Protein Kinase/metabolism*
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Cyclins/metabolism*
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RNA, Small Interfering
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bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism*
4.Optimized derivation and culture system of human naïve pluripotent stem cells with enhanced DNA methylation status and genomic stability.
Yan BI ; Jindian HU ; Tao WU ; Zhaohui OUYANG ; Tan LIN ; Jiaxing SUN ; Xinbao ZHANG ; Xiaoyu XU ; Hong WANG ; Ke WEI ; Shaorong GAO ; Yixuan WANG
Protein & Cell 2025;16(10):858-872
Human naïve pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) hold great promise for embryonic development studies. Existing induction and culture strategies for these cells, heavily dependent on MEK inhibitors, lead to widespread DNA hypomethylation, aberrant imprinting loss, and genomic instability during extended culture. Here, employing high-content analysis alongside a bifluorescence reporter system indicative of human naïve pluripotency, we screened over 1,600 chemicals and identified seven promising candidates. From these, we developed four optimized media-LAY, LADY, LUDY, and LKPY-that effectively induce and sustain PSCs in the naïve state. Notably, cells reset or cultured in these media, especially in the LAY system, demonstrate improved genome-wide DNA methylation status closely resembling that of pre-implantation counterparts, with partially restored imprinting and significantly enhanced genomic stability. Overall, our study contributes advancements to naïve pluripotency induction and long-term maintenance, providing insights for further applications of naïve PSCs.
Humans
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DNA Methylation/drug effects*
;
Genomic Instability
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Pluripotent Stem Cells/metabolism*
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Cell Culture Techniques/methods*
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Cells, Cultured
5.Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervening in Pyroptosis to Prevent and Treat Bone and Joint Related Diseases: A Review
Jutang CHAI ; Hongxia NING ; Yongzhang LI ; Xiaoyu LIU ; Xiaotao WEI ; Tao LIU ; Zhigang WEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(6):289-298
Osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), gouty arthritis (GA), and intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) are the most common bone and joint-related diseases in clinical practice. They can all affect related joints, leading to joint pain, swelling, dysfunction, and other symptoms. The difference is that OA is mainly caused by joint wear and age-related degradation and is manifested as joint pain, stiffness, and limited movement. RA is an autoimmune disease, manifested as joint pain, swelling, morning stiffness, and systemic symptoms. GA is caused by abnormal uric acid metabolism, manifested as acute arthritis, and IVDD is caused by intervertebral disc degeneration. Studies have shown that the mechanism of the occurrence and development of these bone and joint diseases is extremely complex. Pyroptosis is closely related to these bone and joint-related diseases by participating in bone and joint inflammation, cartilage metabolism imbalance, extracellular matrix degradation, and pathological damage of bone and joint. Inhibition of bone and joint-related pyroptosis will effectively prevent and treat bone and joint-related diseases. At the same time, many studies have confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a prominent curative effect and obvious advantages in the prevention and treatment of bone and joint-related diseases. TCM can reduce the inflammatory reaction of bone and joints, improve the pathological damage of bone and joint diseases, and relieve bone and joint pain by inhibiting pyroptosis. Therefore, this article aims to briefly explain the relationship between pyroptosis and the occurrence and development of bone and joint-related diseases and summarize the latest research reports on the intervention of pyroptosis in the treatment of bone and joint-related diseases by TCM monomers, TCM extracts, and TCM compounds. It offers new ideas for the in-depth study of the pathogenesis and drug treatment of bone and joint diseases and provides a basis for the clinical use of TCM to prevent and treat bone and joint diseases.
6.Constitution identification model in traditional Chinese medicine based on multiple features
Anying XU ; Tianshu WANG ; Tao YANG ; Xiao HAN ; Xiaoyu ZHANG ; Ziyan WANG ; Qi ZHANG ; Xiao LI ; Hongcai SHANG ; Kongfa HU
Digital Chinese Medicine 2024;7(2):108-119
Objective To construct a precise model for identifying traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitutions,thereby offering optimized guidance for clinical diagnosis and treatment plan-ning,and ultimately enhancing medical efficiency and treatment outcomes. Methods First,TCM full-body inspection data acquisition equipment was employed to col-lect full-body standing images of healthy people,from which the constitutions were labelled and defined in accordance with the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire(CCMQ),and a dataset encompassing labelled constitutions was constructed.Second,heat-suppres-sion valve(HSV)color space and improved local binary patterns(LBP)algorithm were lever-aged for the extraction of features such as facial complexion and body shape.In addition,a dual-branch deep network was employed to collect deep features from the full-body standing images.Last,the random forest(RF)algorithm was utilized to learn the extracted multifea-tures,which were subsequently employed to establish a TCM constitution identification mod-el.Accuracy,precision,and F1 score were the three measures selected to assess the perfor-mance of the model. Results It was found that the accuracy,precision,and F1 score of the proposed model based on multifeatures for identifying TCM constitutions were 0.842,0.868,and 0.790,respectively.In comparison with the identification models that encompass a single feature,either a single facial complexion feature,a body shape feature,or deep features,the accuracy of the model that incorporating all the aforementioned features was elevated by 0.105,0.105,and 0.079,the precision increased by 0.164,0.164,and 0.211,and the F1 score rose by 0.071,0.071,and 0.084,respectively. Conclusion The research findings affirmed the viability of the proposed model,which incor-porated multifeatures,including the facial complexion feature,the body shape feature,and the deep feature.In addition,by employing the proposed model,the objectification and intel-ligence of identifying constitutions in TCM practices could be optimized.
7.Interpretation and Elaboration for the ARRIVE Guidelines 2.0—Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments (V)
Zhengwen MA ; Xiaying LI ; Xiaoyu LIU ; Yao LI ; Jian WANG ; Jin LU ; Guoyuan CHEN ; Xiao LU ; Yu BAI ; Xuancheng LU ; Yonggang LIU ; Yufeng TAO ; Wanyong PANG
Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine 2024;44(1):105-114
Improving the reproducibility of biomedical research results is a major challenge. Transparent and accurate reporting of the research process enables readers to evaluate the reliability of the research results and further explore the experiment by repeating it or building upon its findings. The ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines, released in 2019 by the UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), provide a checklist that is applicable to any in vivo animal research report. These guidelines aim to improve the standardization of experimental design, implementation, and reporting, as well as enhance the reliability, repeatability, and clinical translation of animal experimental results. The use of the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines not only enriches the details of animal experimental research reports, ensuring that information on animal experimental results is fully evaluated and utilized, but also enables readers to understand the content expressed by the author accurately and clearly, promoting the transparency and completeness of the fundamental research review process. At present, the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines have been widely adopted by international biomedical journals. This article is based on the best practices following the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines in international journals, and it interprets, explains, and elaborates in Chinese the fifth part of the comprehensive version of the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines published in PLoS Biology in 2020 (the original text can be found at
8.Efficacy and safety of budesonide combined with pulmonary surfactant in the treatment of neonatal meconium aspiration syndrome:a systematic review
Yiwei ZHANG ; Xiaoyu TANG ; Sheng LI ; Tao LIU ; Liang LEI ; Lu TAN ; Juan HU
Chinese Journal of Pharmacoepidemiology 2024;33(1):85-94
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of budesonide combined with pulmonary surfactant(PS)in the treatment of meconium aspiration syndrome(MAS)in neonates.Methods PubMed,Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials(Central),Embase,Web of Science,SinoMed,VIP,WanFang Data and CNKI databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of budesonide combined with PS in the treatment of neonatal MAS from inception to September 2,2023.Two researchers independently screened literature,extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies,meta-analyses were performed by using the RevMan 5.4 software.Results A total of 6 RCTs involving 544 patients were included.The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with PS group,budesonide combined with PS group had higher overall effective rate(RR=1.29,95%CI 1.17 to 1.41,P<0.001),shorter hospital stay(MD=-6.35,95%CI-9.25 to-3.46,P<0.001)and shorter time of oxygen inhalation(MD=-1.61,95%CI-2.23 to-0.98,P<0.001),shorter the duration of ventilator use(MD=-26.46,95%CI-35.98 to-16.95,P<0.001),improved the blood gas analysis indexes at each time after treatment(P<0.05);In terms of safety,the incidence of total complications and adverse reactions in budesonide combined with PS group was significantly lower(RR=0.35,95%CI 0.25 to 0.47,P<0.001).Subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn(PPHN)in the budesonide combined with PS group was decreased(RR=0.38,95%CI 0.19 to 0.74,P=0.004),and the incidence of pneumorrhagia was decreased(RR=0.26,95%CI 0.10 to 0.69,P=0.007),and the difference was statistically significant;the incidence of heart failure and sepsis was not statistically significant compared with the PS group(P>0.05).Conclusion Current evidence shows that budesonide combined with PS in the treatment of neonatal meconium aspiration syndrome can improve the symptoms and signs of MAS children,improve the blood gas analysis index,accelerate disease rehabilitation,shorten the course of the disease,can help reduce the risk of complications and PPHN,pneumorrhagia,and doesn't increase the incidence of heart failure,sepsis.Due to the limited quantity of the included studies,more high-quality and large-sample RCTs are needed to further validate the above conclusions.
9.Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulates Autophagy to Prevent and Treat Osteoarthritis: A Review
Jutang CHAI ; Qian YANG ; Hongxia NING ; Wenjuan LIU ; Tao LIU ; Xiaotao WEI ; Xiaoyu LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(2):287-298
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic, highly prevalent, painful, and disabling degenerative joint disease. It has imposed a heavy burden on social healthcare and patients' psychology and economy due to its clinical symptoms such as impaired joint mobility and severe joint pain and the immature therapies. Studies have shown that OA is closely associated with articular cartilage dysfunction, synthesis and degradation disorders of chondrocyte extracellular matrix (ECM), and joint inflammation. Moderate autophagy can restore the function of damaged chondrocytes, regulate chondrocyte apoptosis, and promote the synthesis and metabolism of ECM to alleviate the inflammation of joints and delay the onset and progression of OA. According to the clinical symptoms, OA can be classified into the category of impediment in traditional Chinese medicine. With the theories of holistic conception, treatment based on syndrome differentiation, and individualised diagnosis and treatment, traditional Chinese medicine has demonstrated definite effects in the treatment of OA in thousands of years of practice. Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine causes mild adverse reactions, and the patients have high tolerance and acceptance. This paper briefly explains the roles of autophagy and the related regulatory proteins, such as Unc-51-like autophagy-activated kinase 1 (ULK1), Beclin-1, and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), and details the latest research achievements in the prevention and control of OA by traditional Chinese medicines and its related markers via the regulation of autophagy, so as to provide a idea for the in-depth research in this field and the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine in preventing and treating OA.
10.Analysis on Components Absorbed into Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus Based on Sequential Metabolism
Shuang YU ; Yanli PAN ; Huining LIU ; Xueyan LI ; Xinyu WANG ; Dongying QI ; Fulu PAN ; Qianqian WANG ; Xiaoyu CHAI ; Guopeng WANG ; Tao MA ; Yang LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(3):114-123
ObjectiveTo identify the prototypical components and metabolites absorbed into blood and cerebrospinal fluid of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus(SCF) based on sequential metabolism combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. MethodBlood and cerebrospinal fluid samples of integrated metabolism, intestinal metabolism and hepatic metabolism were collected from male SD rats after gavage and in situ intestinal perfusion administration, and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry(UPLC Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS) was used to analyze and compare the differences in the spectra of SCF extract, blank plasma, administered plasma, blank cerebrospinal fluid and administered cerebrospinal fluid with ACQUITY UPLC BEH Shield RP18 column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 µm), the mobile phase was acetonitrile(A)-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution(B) for gradient elution(0-7 min, 95%B; 7-12 min, 95%-35%B; 12-17 min, 35%-15%B; 17-20 min, 15%-12%B; 20-22 min, 12%-5%B; 22-23 min, 5%B; 23-25 min, 5%-95%B; 25-28 min, 95%B). And heated electrospray ionization(HESI) was used with positive and negative ion modes, the scanning range was m/z 100-1 500. The prototypical constituents and their metabolites absorbed into blood and cerebrospinal fluid of SCF were identified according to the retention time, characteristic fragments, molecular formulae and the information of reference substances. ResultA total of 42 chemical components were identified in the extract of SCF, including lignans, flavonoids, amino acids, tannins, and others, of which lignans were the main ones. A total of 27 prototypical components and 14 metabolites were identified in plasma samples from different sites. A total of 15 prototypical components and 9 metabolites were identified in cerebrospinal fluid. The main metabolic reactions involved in the formation of metabolites were mainly demethylation, methylation, demethoxylation and hydroxylation. ConclusionThrough the systematic identification of the prototypical components and metabolites of SCF in rats, it provides data support for further better exploring the material basis of SCF in the treatment of central nervous system diseases.

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