1.Protective effect of novel phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor CPD1 on promoting autophagy activation in hearts of rats with pathological myocardial hypertrophy
Xuedi ZHANG ; Huasui CUI ; Yeding SONG ; Haoyan CHEN ; Xiping CUI ; Fanghong LI ; Yunping MU ; Zijian ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2025;35(8):29-38
Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of the newly developed phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor,CPD1,on pathological myocardial hypertrophy induced by abdominal aortic constriction(AAC)in rats,and its impact on activation of the autophagy signaling pathway in myocardial tissue.Methods Male Sprague Dawley rats weighing 180~200 g were divided randomly into five groups:Control,Sham,model(AAC),CPD1 treatment(AAC-CPD1,5 mg/kg),and sildenafil treatment(AAC-Sif,20 mg/kg)groups.Rats in all groups except the Control group underwent blunt dissection of the abdominal aorta at the branch point of the left renal artery.Rats in the AAC and treatment groups also underwent constriction and ligation surgery,while rats in the Sham group underwent dissection without ligation.After 3 days of modeling,rats in the treatment groups received either CPD1 or sildenafil via gavage,while rats in the Control,Sham,and AAC groups received an equal volume of physiological saline by gavage,once daily for 8 weeks.Small-animal ultra-high-resolution echocardiography and left ventricular catheterization were employed to assess left heart function and the heart mass index,and expression levels of the hypertrophy indicator,atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP),the key autophagy pathway factor,p62,and LC3A/B in rat left heart tissue were evaluated by Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.Results Abdominal aortic stenosis affected left heart function in rats,characterized by an increased cardiac mass index and significant enlargement of myocardial cell cross-sectional area.ANP expression levels in left heart tissue were significantly elevated(P<0.05),while autophagy signaling activity was reduced,with notable accumulation of LC3Ⅰprotein and reduced conversion to LC3Ⅱ.Expression levels of p62 protein were significantly increased.CPD1 and sildenafil significantly improved left ventricular function in AAC rats,reduced cardiac hypertrophy,inhibited expression levels of ANP and p62 proteins(P<0.05),activated autophagy signaling,and promoted the conversion of LC3Ⅰ to LC3Ⅱ.Notably,low-dose CPD1 treatment was equivalent to high-dose sildenafil.Conclusions CPD1 promotes the activation of the autophagy signaling pathway in left heart tissue,inhibits the expression of p62 and ANP,reduces the cross-sectional area of myocardial cells,and improves pathological myocardial hypertrophy and left heart function impairment caused by AAC.CPD1 also has the advantage of a lower effective dose compared with sildenafil,offering a new treatment option for pathological myocardial hypertrophy.
2.Mechanism of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis in severe acute pancreatitis and intervention effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction
Minchao FENG ; Fang LUO ; Baijun QIN ; Xiping TANG ; Kai LI ; Guozhong CHEN
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2025;41(4):792-797,802
Objective:To investigate the mechanism of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis in severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)and the in-terventional effect of the Qingjie Huagong decoction(QJHGD).Methods:A rat model of SAP was established by injecting sodium tau-rocholate into the retrograde pancreatic duct.The blank group,model group,different doses of QJHGD administration groups and posi-tive group were set up respectively.HE staining was used to observe the pathology of pancreatic tissue.ELISA was used to detect serum lipase,α-amylase and inflammatory markers.By combining RT-qPCR,IHC,Western blot,and IF techniques,we elucidated the mechanism of QJHGD in protecting pancreatic tissue in SAP rats.Results:The levels of amylase,lipase,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-17,IL-23,TNF-α and TGF-β in the serum of SAP model rats in all dose groups of QJHGD were significantly reduced,and the effect was the best in medium dose group(P<0.05).The results of IHC and RT-qPCR revealed that the medium-and high-dose groups of QJHGD sig-nificantly reduced the expression of IL-23,STAT3,IL-17 protein and mRNA in the pancreatic tissue of this model(P<0.05).More-over,the Western blot results demonstrated that the expression of IL-23,STAT3,p-STAT3,and IL-17 proteins in SAP rats were sig-nificantly decreased in the medium-dose group of QJHGD(P<0.05);the IF assay indicated that Th17 cell differentiation in SAP rats was inhibited by all dose groups of QJHGD,with the most significant inhibition effect in the middle dose(P<0.05).Conclusion:QJH-GD regulates the activation of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis,thereby inhibiting Th17 cell differentiation and exerting a protective effect on pancreatic tissue.
3.Effects of light color on serum reproductive hormones and reproductive perform-ance of Fujian white rabbits
Dongjin CHEN ; Shikun SUN ; Lei SANG ; Chengfang GAO ; Jinxiang WANG ; Jie ZHANG ; Ming LIU ; Xiping XIE
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(8):1776-1783
Healthy female rabbits aged 3.5 to 4.0 months were randomly divided into four groups:the white light group(control group A),the green light group(treatment group B),the red light group(treatment group C)and the blue light group(treatment group D)with 3 replicates in each group,and 12 rabbits in each replicate.The light intensity was set to 80 lx,and the light was 16 h per day for 6 days before artificial insemination.Three reproductive cycles were carried out to de-termine the reproductive performance of female rabbits under different light colors,such as the number of fetuses,total litter size,weaning litter weight and serum reproductive hormone content.The results showed that,according to the comprehensive statistics of three breeding cycles:(1)the melatonin levels in the green group and red group were significantly lower than those in white group(P<0.01),and the green group was significantly lower than the blue group(P<0.05);the levels of luteinizing hormone in green group and red group were significantly higher than those in white group(P<0.01);the follicle stimulating hormone in the green group was significantly high-er than in white group(P<0.05);the estradiol content in the green group was significantly higher than that in the white group and blue group(P<0.01),and significantly higher than that in the red group(P<0.05).(2)the conception rate of the group was significantly higher than that of the white group(P<0.01),and significantly higher than that of the red group and blue group(P<0.05).(3)the number of rabbits in the green group at 30 days of age was significantly higher than that in the red group and the blue group(P<0.05),and the litter weight at 30 days of age was significantly higher than that in the red group and the blue group(P<0.01),and significantly higher than that in the white group(P<0.05).In conclusion,the LED light belt is controlled by a dynamic light control system,the light intensity is set to 80 lx,and the light is 16 h a day for 6 d before artificial insemination.Green light can reduce the serum melatonin of Fujian white rabbits,which has the best comprehensive effect on the same period of conception rate and reproductive performance of Fujian white rabbits.
4.CT Skull Image Reconstruction Using Deep Learning Method Based on Magnetic Resonance Dixon Images:A Comparative Study
Hongfei ZHAO ; Haipeng DONG ; Qiong HUANG ; Yuan QU ; Keming LIU ; Xiaomeng WU ; Yurong SHANG ; Xiping CHEN
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging 2025;33(4):428-432,438
Purpose Based on a variety of combinations of cranial MR Dixon images,the deep learning method is used to generate CT images,and the reconstruction efficiency is evaluated by comparing with the corresponding CT images.Materials and Methods A total of 77 cranial CT and MR images were collected retrospectively in Ruijin Hospital,Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from June to December 2021.The U-Net neural network was used for network training,with 62 cases in the training set and 15 cases in the test set.CT image reconstruction was performed using four kinds of Dixon images and a total of seven models among the various combinations.Mean absolute error,mean squared error,Pearson correlation coefficient and skull area Dice similarity coefficient were used to evaluate the image reconstruction efficiency.Results The generated CT images of the various Dixon image combination models showed strong correlation with the corresponding CT images(R>0.75,P<0.05),and the CT images reconstructed by the four-channel model had the closest value to the actual CT images[mean absolute error=147.516±30.802,mean squared error=(8.648±3.403)×104],the highest correlation coefficient(R=0.796±0.055),and the highest similarity coefficient in the cranial region(Dice similarity coefficient=0.800±0.036).Conclusion Deep learning training through Dixon images can be used to generate CT images,and the combination of four kinds of Dixon contrast images can improve the CT image reconstruction efficiency.
5.Effects of light color on serum reproductive hormones and reproductive perform-ance of Fujian white rabbits
Dongjin CHEN ; Shikun SUN ; Lei SANG ; Chengfang GAO ; Jinxiang WANG ; Jie ZHANG ; Ming LIU ; Xiping XIE
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(8):1776-1783
Healthy female rabbits aged 3.5 to 4.0 months were randomly divided into four groups:the white light group(control group A),the green light group(treatment group B),the red light group(treatment group C)and the blue light group(treatment group D)with 3 replicates in each group,and 12 rabbits in each replicate.The light intensity was set to 80 lx,and the light was 16 h per day for 6 days before artificial insemination.Three reproductive cycles were carried out to de-termine the reproductive performance of female rabbits under different light colors,such as the number of fetuses,total litter size,weaning litter weight and serum reproductive hormone content.The results showed that,according to the comprehensive statistics of three breeding cycles:(1)the melatonin levels in the green group and red group were significantly lower than those in white group(P<0.01),and the green group was significantly lower than the blue group(P<0.05);the levels of luteinizing hormone in green group and red group were significantly higher than those in white group(P<0.01);the follicle stimulating hormone in the green group was significantly high-er than in white group(P<0.05);the estradiol content in the green group was significantly higher than that in the white group and blue group(P<0.01),and significantly higher than that in the red group(P<0.05).(2)the conception rate of the group was significantly higher than that of the white group(P<0.01),and significantly higher than that of the red group and blue group(P<0.05).(3)the number of rabbits in the green group at 30 days of age was significantly higher than that in the red group and the blue group(P<0.05),and the litter weight at 30 days of age was significantly higher than that in the red group and the blue group(P<0.01),and significantly higher than that in the white group(P<0.05).In conclusion,the LED light belt is controlled by a dynamic light control system,the light intensity is set to 80 lx,and the light is 16 h a day for 6 d before artificial insemination.Green light can reduce the serum melatonin of Fujian white rabbits,which has the best comprehensive effect on the same period of conception rate and reproductive performance of Fujian white rabbits.
6.Protective effect of novel phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor CPD1 on promoting autophagy activation in hearts of rats with pathological myocardial hypertrophy
Xuedi ZHANG ; Huasui CUI ; Yeding SONG ; Haoyan CHEN ; Xiping CUI ; Fanghong LI ; Yunping MU ; Zijian ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2025;35(8):29-38
Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of the newly developed phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor,CPD1,on pathological myocardial hypertrophy induced by abdominal aortic constriction(AAC)in rats,and its impact on activation of the autophagy signaling pathway in myocardial tissue.Methods Male Sprague Dawley rats weighing 180~200 g were divided randomly into five groups:Control,Sham,model(AAC),CPD1 treatment(AAC-CPD1,5 mg/kg),and sildenafil treatment(AAC-Sif,20 mg/kg)groups.Rats in all groups except the Control group underwent blunt dissection of the abdominal aorta at the branch point of the left renal artery.Rats in the AAC and treatment groups also underwent constriction and ligation surgery,while rats in the Sham group underwent dissection without ligation.After 3 days of modeling,rats in the treatment groups received either CPD1 or sildenafil via gavage,while rats in the Control,Sham,and AAC groups received an equal volume of physiological saline by gavage,once daily for 8 weeks.Small-animal ultra-high-resolution echocardiography and left ventricular catheterization were employed to assess left heart function and the heart mass index,and expression levels of the hypertrophy indicator,atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP),the key autophagy pathway factor,p62,and LC3A/B in rat left heart tissue were evaluated by Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.Results Abdominal aortic stenosis affected left heart function in rats,characterized by an increased cardiac mass index and significant enlargement of myocardial cell cross-sectional area.ANP expression levels in left heart tissue were significantly elevated(P<0.05),while autophagy signaling activity was reduced,with notable accumulation of LC3Ⅰprotein and reduced conversion to LC3Ⅱ.Expression levels of p62 protein were significantly increased.CPD1 and sildenafil significantly improved left ventricular function in AAC rats,reduced cardiac hypertrophy,inhibited expression levels of ANP and p62 proteins(P<0.05),activated autophagy signaling,and promoted the conversion of LC3Ⅰ to LC3Ⅱ.Notably,low-dose CPD1 treatment was equivalent to high-dose sildenafil.Conclusions CPD1 promotes the activation of the autophagy signaling pathway in left heart tissue,inhibits the expression of p62 and ANP,reduces the cross-sectional area of myocardial cells,and improves pathological myocardial hypertrophy and left heart function impairment caused by AAC.CPD1 also has the advantage of a lower effective dose compared with sildenafil,offering a new treatment option for pathological myocardial hypertrophy.
7.NUP62 alleviates senescence and promotes the stemness of human dental pulp stem cells via NSD2-dependent epigenetic reprogramming.
Xiping WANG ; Li WANG ; Linxi ZHOU ; Lu CHEN ; Jiayi SHI ; Jing GE ; Sha TIAN ; Zihan YANG ; Yuqiong ZHOU ; Qihao YU ; Jiacheng JIN ; Chen DING ; Yihuai PAN ; Duohong ZOU
International Journal of Oral Science 2025;17(1):34-34
Stem cells play a crucial role in maintaining tissue regenerative capacity and homeostasis. However, mechanisms associated with stem cell senescence require further investigation. In this study, we conducted a proteomic analysis of human dental pulp stem cells (HDPSCs) obtained from individuals of various ages. Our findings showed that the expression of NUP62 was decreased in aged HDPSCs. We discovered that NUP62 alleviated senescence-associated phenotypes and enhanced differentiation potential both in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, the knocking down of NUP62 expression aggravated the senescence-associated phenotypes and impaired the proliferation and migration capacity of HDPSCs. Through RNA-sequence and decoding the epigenomic landscapes remodeled induced by NUP62 overexpression, we found that NUP62 helps alleviate senescence in HDPSCs by enhancing the nuclear transport of the transcription factor E2F1. This, in turn, stimulates the transcription of the epigenetic enzyme NSD2. Finally, the overexpression of NUP62 influences the H3K36me2 and H3K36me3 modifications of anti-aging genes (HMGA1, HMGA2, and SIRT6). Our results demonstrated that NUP62 regulates the fate of HDPSCs via NSD2-dependent epigenetic reprogramming.
Humans
;
Dental Pulp/cytology*
;
Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins/genetics*
;
Cellular Senescence/genetics*
;
Stem Cells/metabolism*
;
Epigenesis, Genetic
;
Cell Proliferation
;
Cell Differentiation
;
Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/metabolism*
;
Cells, Cultured
;
Cellular Reprogramming
;
Cell Movement
;
Proteomics
8.Mechanism of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis in severe acute pancreatitis and intervention effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction
Minchao FENG ; Fang LUO ; Baijun QIN ; Xiping TANG ; Kai LI ; Guozhong CHEN
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2025;41(4):792-797,802
Objective:To investigate the mechanism of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis in severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)and the in-terventional effect of the Qingjie Huagong decoction(QJHGD).Methods:A rat model of SAP was established by injecting sodium tau-rocholate into the retrograde pancreatic duct.The blank group,model group,different doses of QJHGD administration groups and posi-tive group were set up respectively.HE staining was used to observe the pathology of pancreatic tissue.ELISA was used to detect serum lipase,α-amylase and inflammatory markers.By combining RT-qPCR,IHC,Western blot,and IF techniques,we elucidated the mechanism of QJHGD in protecting pancreatic tissue in SAP rats.Results:The levels of amylase,lipase,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-17,IL-23,TNF-α and TGF-β in the serum of SAP model rats in all dose groups of QJHGD were significantly reduced,and the effect was the best in medium dose group(P<0.05).The results of IHC and RT-qPCR revealed that the medium-and high-dose groups of QJHGD sig-nificantly reduced the expression of IL-23,STAT3,IL-17 protein and mRNA in the pancreatic tissue of this model(P<0.05).More-over,the Western blot results demonstrated that the expression of IL-23,STAT3,p-STAT3,and IL-17 proteins in SAP rats were sig-nificantly decreased in the medium-dose group of QJHGD(P<0.05);the IF assay indicated that Th17 cell differentiation in SAP rats was inhibited by all dose groups of QJHGD,with the most significant inhibition effect in the middle dose(P<0.05).Conclusion:QJH-GD regulates the activation of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis,thereby inhibiting Th17 cell differentiation and exerting a protective effect on pancreatic tissue.
9.CT Skull Image Reconstruction Using Deep Learning Method Based on Magnetic Resonance Dixon Images:A Comparative Study
Hongfei ZHAO ; Haipeng DONG ; Qiong HUANG ; Yuan QU ; Keming LIU ; Xiaomeng WU ; Yurong SHANG ; Xiping CHEN
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging 2025;33(4):428-432,438
Purpose Based on a variety of combinations of cranial MR Dixon images,the deep learning method is used to generate CT images,and the reconstruction efficiency is evaluated by comparing with the corresponding CT images.Materials and Methods A total of 77 cranial CT and MR images were collected retrospectively in Ruijin Hospital,Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from June to December 2021.The U-Net neural network was used for network training,with 62 cases in the training set and 15 cases in the test set.CT image reconstruction was performed using four kinds of Dixon images and a total of seven models among the various combinations.Mean absolute error,mean squared error,Pearson correlation coefficient and skull area Dice similarity coefficient were used to evaluate the image reconstruction efficiency.Results The generated CT images of the various Dixon image combination models showed strong correlation with the corresponding CT images(R>0.75,P<0.05),and the CT images reconstructed by the four-channel model had the closest value to the actual CT images[mean absolute error=147.516±30.802,mean squared error=(8.648±3.403)×104],the highest correlation coefficient(R=0.796±0.055),and the highest similarity coefficient in the cranial region(Dice similarity coefficient=0.800±0.036).Conclusion Deep learning training through Dixon images can be used to generate CT images,and the combination of four kinds of Dixon contrast images can improve the CT image reconstruction efficiency.
10.Protective effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction on pancreatic tissue of mice with severe acute pancreatitis by regulating the NOD-like receptor protein 3/Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway
Minchao FENG ; Baijun QIN ; Fang LUO ; Kai LI ; Ning WANG ; Guozhong CHEN ; Xiping TANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(2):343-350
ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction (QJHGD) on a mouse model of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and the mechanism of action of QJHGD against inflammatory response. MethodsA total of 36 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group, Western medicine group (ulinastatin), and low-, middle-, and high-dose QJHGD groups, with 6 mice in each group. All mice except those in the blank group were given 5% sodium taurocholate by retrograde pancreaticobiliary injection to establish a model of SAP. After modeling, the mice in the low-, middle-, and high-dose groups were given QJHGD (1, 2, and 4 g/kg, respectively) by gavage, and those in the Western medicine group were given intraperitoneal injection of ulinastatin (5×104 U/kg), for 7 days in total. HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of the pancreas; ELISA was used to measure the levels of α-amylase, lipase, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in mice; RT-qPCR was used to measure the mRNA expression levels of NOD-like receptor protein3 (NLRP3), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in pancreatic tissue; immunohistochemistry was used to measure the positive expression rates of NLRP3, TLR4, and NF-κB in pancreatic tissue; Western blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-6. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the blank group, the model group had diffuse destruction of pancreatic tissue structure, focal dilatation of pancreatic lobular septum, pancreatic acinar atrophy, and massive inflammatory cell infiltration, as well as significant increases in the content of α-amylase, lipase, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, and TNF-α (all P<0.05), the mRNA expression levels and positive expression rates of NLRP3, TLR4, and NF-κB (all P<0.05), and the protein expression levels of NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-6 (all P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the low-, middle-, and high-dose QJHGD groups and the Western medicine group had slightly tighter and more intact structure of pancreatic tissue, ordered arrangement of pancreatic acinar cells, a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration, and hemorrhagic foci of pancreatic lobules, as well as significant reductions in the content of α-amylase, lipase, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, and TNF-α (all P<0.05), the mRNA expression levels and positive expression rates of NLRP3, TLR4, and NF-κB (all P<0.05), and the protein expression levels of NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-6 (all P<0.05). ConclusionQJHGD may exert a protective effect on the pancreatic tissue of SAP mice by inhibiting the activation of NLRP3/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins, reducing the release of inflammatory mediators, and preventing the enhancement of inflammatory cascade response.

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