1.Modified Xiaoyaosan Alleviates Neuronal Dysfunction in Rat Model of Post-myocardial Infarction Depression by Regulating Mitochondrial Quality Control Through Drp1/PINK1/Parkin Signaling Pathway
Zhen ZHONG ; Dongsheng WEI ; Xinyue XIONG ; Lin LI ; Mingli YAO ; Xinnuan SHI ; Youming JIANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(13):20-31
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of modified Xiaoyaosan (JJXYS) on behavioral abnormalities and hippocampal mitochondrial quality control (MQC) in the rat model of post-myocardial infarction depression (PMD) and preliminarily explore its potential mechanism. MethodsA rat model of PMD was established by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Rats were randomized into a control group, a model group, a fluoxetine (FLX, 10 mg·kg-1) group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose JJXYS (JJXYS-L/M/H, 1.12, 2.24, 4.48 g·kg-1, respectively) groups. Depressive-like behaviors were evaluated by body weight monitoring, sucrose preference test, open field test, and forced swimming test. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to observe hippocampal histomorphology and neuronal changes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was conducted to determine the serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), dopamine (DA), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The mRNA levels of MQC-related genes including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α), nuclear respiratory factor 1 (Nrf1), and transcription factor A, mitochondrial (TFAM) in the hippocampal tissue were measured by real-time PCR. The expression of proteins related to the dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1)/PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin signaling pathway was determined by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group showed restricted body weight gain, aggravated depressive-like behaviors, declined serum 5-HT and DA levels, evident hippocampal neuronal damage and reduced Nissl bodies, as well as downregulated expression of MQC-related genes and proteins (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, both FLX and JJXYS alleviated the above changes to varying degrees. Moreover, the JJXYS-M and JJXYS-H groups showed more pronounced effects, improving behavioral performance, restoring 5-HT and DA levels, alleviating hippocampal pathological injury, and upregulating the expression of PGC-1α/Nrf1/TFAM mRNA and Drp1/PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway-related proteins (P<0.05). ConclusionJJXYS can significantly alleviate depressive-like behaviors and neurotransmitter imbalance in the rat model of PMD by regulating hippocampal MQC and upregulating the Drp1/PINK1/Parkin-related pathway. This study provides experimental evidence for the intervention of PMD with JJXYS.
2.Exploration on the liver depression and fire syndrome of anxiety disorder and its treatment based on microglia
Xinnuan SHI ; Lin LI ; Mingli YAO ; Youming JIANG
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;47(4):439-443
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) belongs to the category of emotional diseases in TCM, and its occurrence is closely related to liver depression and qi stagnation, and liver depression and fire syndrome is one of the TCM syndromes of GAD. With the deepening of modern medical research on GAD, microglia have been found to play an important role in the development of liver depression and fire syndrome of GAD. Excessive activation of microglia and transformation to M1 type would cause inflammatory mediator secretion up-regulation and destruction of neurons, etc. When using liver-soothing and heat-clearing medicines such as Bupleuri Radix, Gardeniae Fructus, Dangzhi Xiaoyao San, Yuejiu Pills and other Chinese materia medica or compounds, activation of microglia would be suppressed, and the inflammatory mediators mediated by microglia would also be suppressed, and the neurons could be protected. Therefore, this article discussed the modern biological connotation of the liver depression and fire syndrome of GAD from the perspective of microglia, and summarized the effects of TCM modulation of microglia on the liver depression and fire syndrome of GAD, and concluded that microglia could mediate the development of liver depression and fire syndrome of GAD.
3.Experimental study of c-Myc affecting the metabolism of oral squamous cell carcinoma by regulating LINC01578
Junyi Du ; Xiangyang Li ; Youming Zhu
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(12):2281-2288
Objective:
To investigate the regulatory relationship between long non-coding RNA LINC01578 and c-Myc, and to explore the effect of LINC01578 on the metabolic process of oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC).
Methods:
After c-Myc was knocked down in OSCC cell line CAL27, LINC01578, a long non-coding RNA that is positively regulated by c-Myc, was identified by high-throughput sequencing technology. qRT-PCR was employed to measure the expression levels of c-Myc and LINC01578 in OSCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Following overexpression or knockdown of c-Myc in CAL27 and HN6 cells, qRT-PCR was conducted to validate the consistency with sequencing results. The binding of c-Myc to the LINC01578 promoter was confirmed using a dual luciferase reporter assay. Seahorse, ATP production and lactate production assays were utilized to examine the impact of c-Myc on glucose metabolism in OSCC via LINC01578. Colony formation assays assessed the proliferative capacity of OSCC cell lines.
Results:
qRT-PCR analysis revealed significantly higher expression levels of c-Myc LINC01578 in OSCC tissues compared to adjacent tissues( P < 0. 05 ) , confirming that c⁃Myc positively regulates LINC01578 expression. Consistent with sequencing data , c⁃Myc overexpression markedly upregulated LINC01578 (P < 0. 001) , while c⁃Myc knockdown led to a significant decrease in LINC01578 levels(P < 0. 000 1) . Dual lu ciferase reporter gene assays demonstrated that c⁃Myc directly targets and transcriptionally enhanced LINC01578 ex⁃ pression(P < 0. 001) . Seahorse experiments indicated that c⁃Myc promoted glucose metabolism in OSCC through LINC01578 regulation(P < 0. 05) . Colony formation assays showed that LINC01578 overexpression enhanced OS⁃ CC cell proliferation , whereas LINC01578 knockdown inhibited it.
Conclusion
c⁃Myc upregulates LINC01578 expression in OSCC cells , thereby modulating glycolysis and promoting cell proliferation.
4.Experimental research on LIF promoting lipopolysaccharide-induced pulpal inflammatory response
Hao Liu ; Youming Zhu ; Song Li
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(11):2124-2130
Objective:
To explore the role of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in dental pulp inflammation .
Methods:
Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) were cultured in vitro as the target cells , the inflammatory response was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) , and high-throughput sequencing was used to detect relevant highly ex- pressed genes in the inflammatory state . The expression of LIF under graded concentrations of LPS stimulation was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR) . The expression levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) , inter- leukin-1β(IL-1β) , and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) were detected after LIF knockdown and overexpression in hDPSCs by qPCR . Normal and inflammatory pulp tissues were collected , and the expression of LIF in both tis- sues was detected by qPCR and immunofluorescence (IF) .
Results:
The expression level of LIF increased in hu- man dental pulp cells after LPS stimulation . The expression level of LIF was subsequently elevated in inflammatory pulp induced by graded concentrations of LPS . The expression of IL-6 , IL-1β, and TNF-αwas significantly down- regulated in hDPSCs after LIF knockdown in response to LPS stimulation , while LIF overexpression upregulated the expression of these cytokines . qPCR and IF assays showed high expression of LIF in inflamed pulp tissue .
Conclusion
LIF is involved in dental pulp inflammation and promotes the development of pulpitis .
5.Prohibitin 2 exacerbates lipopolysaccharide-induced periodontal bone inflammation via the NF-κB signaling pathway
Jingxin Zhao ; Jiamin Hu ; Jike Gao ; Ming Cheng ; Youming Zhu ; Xiaoyu Sun
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(10):1781-1789
Objective:
To elucidate the molecular mechanism by which prohibitin 2(PHB2) mediates periodontitis-induced bone tissue inflammation through regulating the nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB) signaling pathway and its role in irreversible alveolar bone resorption.
Methods:
Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry(IHC) were used to detect the expression differences of inflammatory factors and PHB2 in healthy and inflamed alveolar bone tissues of mice in vivo. In vitro, an inflammatory model was established using lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced a mouse calvaria-derived preosteoblastic cell line, subclone E1(MC3T3-E1) cells. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to clarify the regulatory relationship between PHB2 and inflammatory factors, and immunofluorescence staining was performed to observe changes in PHB2 subcellular localization. PHB2 overexpression plasmids were constructed using molecular cloning, and RNA interference was employed to knock down PHB2 expression to assess its regulatory role in inflammation. Based on RNA-seq data, differential expression analysis based on the negative binomial distribution, version 2(DESeq2) was used for differential expression analysis, and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment along with gene ontology(GO) functional annotation were performed to identify key signaling pathways and differentially expressed genes.
Results:
In the mouse periodontitis model, PHB2 expression was significantly upregulated in alveolar bone tissues. In the in vitro inflammatory cell model, PHB2 levels positively correlated with interleukin(IL)-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α) levels, and its subcellular localization shifted during inflammation. RNA-seq data and the detection of the level of phosphorylation of p65 protein(p-p65) demonstrated that PHB2 exacerbated inflammatory responses through the NF-κB signaling pathway and was mechanistically linked to upregulation of the upstream chemokine C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10(CXCL10).
Conclusion
PHB2 aggravates LPS-induced periodontitis inflammation via the NF-κB signaling pathway, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of periodontitis.
6.Mapping Brain-Wide Neural Activity of Murine Attentional Processing in the Five-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task.
Yin YUE ; Youming TAN ; Pin YANG ; Shu ZHANG ; Hongzhen PAN ; Yiran LANG ; Zengqiang YUAN
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(5):741-758
Attention is the cornerstone of effective functioning in a complex and information-rich world. While the neural activity of attention has been extensively studied in the cortex, the brain-wide neural activity patterns are largely unknown. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of neural activity across the mouse brain during attentional processing using EEG and c-Fos staining, utilizing hierarchical clustering and c-Fos-based functional network analysis to evaluate the c-Fos activation patterns. Our findings reveal that a wide range of brain regions are activated, notably in the high-order cortex, thalamus, and brain stem regions involved in advanced cognition and arousal regulation, with the central lateral nucleus of the thalamus as a strong hub, suggesting the crucial role of the thalamus in attention control. These results provide valuable insights into the neural network mechanisms underlying attention, offering a foundation for formulating functional hypotheses and conducting circuit-level testing.
Animals
;
Attention/physiology*
;
Mice
;
Brain/physiology*
;
Male
;
Electroencephalography
;
Reaction Time/physiology*
;
Brain Mapping
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Choice Behavior/physiology*
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism*
7.Analysis of Potential Active Components and Molecular Mechanism of Baoxin Granules Regulating Ferroptosis in Treatment of Heart Failure
Yu CHEN ; Maolin WANG ; Yun WANG ; Yifan ZHAO ; Jing XU ; Hongwei WU ; Fang WANG ; Xiaoang ZHAO ; Youming LI ; Jixiang TIAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(12):202-209
ObjectiveBased on ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), network pharmacology, molecular docking and cell experiments, the active ingredients, possible targets and molecular mechanisms of Baoxin granules(BXG) regulating ferroptosis in the treatment of heart failure(HF) were explored. MethodsBXG intestinal absorption fluid was prepared by everted gut sac and the chemical composition contained therein were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. According to the obtained components, the potential targets of BXG were predicted, and the HF-related targets and related genes of ferroptosis were retrieved at the same time, and the intersecting targets were obtained by Venn diagram. In addition, the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network and the component-target network were constructed, and the core components and core targets were obtained by topological analysis. Then Gene Ontology(GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analysis were performed on the core targets, and molecular docking validation of the key targets and main components was carried out by AutoDockTools 1.5.7. H9c2 cells were used to establish a oxygen-glucose deprivation model, and the protective effect of BXG on cells was investigated by detecting cell viability, cell survival rate and reactive oxygen species(ROS) level. The protein expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3), phosphorylation(p)-STAT3 and glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) were detected by Western blot to clarify the regulatory effect of BXG on ferroptosis. ResultsA total of 61 chemical components in BXG intestinal absorption fluid were identified, and network pharmacology obtained 27 potential targets of BXG for the treatment of HF, as well as 139 signaling pathways. BXG may act on core targets such as STAT3, tumor protein p53(TP53), epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), JUN and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2(PTGS2) through core components such as glabrolide and limonin, which in turn intervene in lipid and atherosclerosis, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/Akt), endocrine resistance and other signaling pathways to exert therapeutic effects on HF. Molecular docking showed that the docking results of multiple groups of targets and compounds were good. In vitro cell experiments showed that compared with the blank group, the cell viability and survival rate of the model group were significantly decreased, the level of ROS was significantly increased(P<0.01), the expression levels of STAT3, p-STAT3, p-STAT3/STAT3 and GPX4 proteins were significantly decreased(P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the cell viability and survival rate of the BXG group were significantly increased, the ROS level was significantly decreased(P<0.01), the STAT3, p-STAT3, p-STAT3/STAT3 and GPX4 protein levels were significantly increased(P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionBXG may inhibit the occurrence of ferroptosis by up-regulating the expression of STAT3 and GPX4, thus exerting a therapeutic effect on HF, and flavonoids may be the key components of this role.
8.Analysis of Potential Active Components and Molecular Mechanism of Baoxin Granules Regulating Ferroptosis in Treatment of Heart Failure
Yu CHEN ; Maolin WANG ; Yun WANG ; Yifan ZHAO ; Jing XU ; Hongwei WU ; Fang WANG ; Xiaoang ZHAO ; Youming LI ; Jixiang TIAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(12):202-209
ObjectiveBased on ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), network pharmacology, molecular docking and cell experiments, the active ingredients, possible targets and molecular mechanisms of Baoxin granules(BXG) regulating ferroptosis in the treatment of heart failure(HF) were explored. MethodsBXG intestinal absorption fluid was prepared by everted gut sac and the chemical composition contained therein were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. According to the obtained components, the potential targets of BXG were predicted, and the HF-related targets and related genes of ferroptosis were retrieved at the same time, and the intersecting targets were obtained by Venn diagram. In addition, the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network and the component-target network were constructed, and the core components and core targets were obtained by topological analysis. Then Gene Ontology(GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analysis were performed on the core targets, and molecular docking validation of the key targets and main components was carried out by AutoDockTools 1.5.7. H9c2 cells were used to establish a oxygen-glucose deprivation model, and the protective effect of BXG on cells was investigated by detecting cell viability, cell survival rate and reactive oxygen species(ROS) level. The protein expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3), phosphorylation(p)-STAT3 and glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) were detected by Western blot to clarify the regulatory effect of BXG on ferroptosis. ResultsA total of 61 chemical components in BXG intestinal absorption fluid were identified, and network pharmacology obtained 27 potential targets of BXG for the treatment of HF, as well as 139 signaling pathways. BXG may act on core targets such as STAT3, tumor protein p53(TP53), epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), JUN and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2(PTGS2) through core components such as glabrolide and limonin, which in turn intervene in lipid and atherosclerosis, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/Akt), endocrine resistance and other signaling pathways to exert therapeutic effects on HF. Molecular docking showed that the docking results of multiple groups of targets and compounds were good. In vitro cell experiments showed that compared with the blank group, the cell viability and survival rate of the model group were significantly decreased, the level of ROS was significantly increased(P<0.01), the expression levels of STAT3, p-STAT3, p-STAT3/STAT3 and GPX4 proteins were significantly decreased(P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the cell viability and survival rate of the BXG group were significantly increased, the ROS level was significantly decreased(P<0.01), the STAT3, p-STAT3, p-STAT3/STAT3 and GPX4 protein levels were significantly increased(P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionBXG may inhibit the occurrence of ferroptosis by up-regulating the expression of STAT3 and GPX4, thus exerting a therapeutic effect on HF, and flavonoids may be the key components of this role.
9.Research on Lean Operation of Specialized Diagnosis and Treatment Centers in Public Hospitals from the Perspectives of Value-based Healthcare and Cost Benefit Analysis
Ludan ZHANG ; Jianjun LI ; Zhiqin LEI ; Youming CAO ; Yang YANG
Chinese Health Economics 2025;44(8):82-87
In order to meet the demand of the high-end medical market,some public hospitals have explored the establishment of specialized diagnosis and treatment centers,providing high-end customized medical services at special registration prices.The establishment of the International Medical Center is an effective supplement to public welfare healthcare and an important measure for public hospitals to innovate and enhance themselves under the concept of value based healthcare.It conducts pioneering research and exploration on the cost-benefit accounting of international medical centers in public hospitals,and compares it with the accounting situation of conventional departments.By analyzing and calculating cost-effectiveness,medical indicators,and DRG data,the key points and difficulties of lean operation in international medical centers are explored.Innovative methods and ideas for platform fine accounting are proposed,which have guiding significance for its development direction.
10.Radiomics-semantic models based on multicenter MRI to predict the treatment resistance of brain gliomas to chemoradiotherapy
Zhaotao ZHANG ; Yun PENG ; Youming ZHANG ; Di WU ; Binyan QIAN ; Lan LIU ; Yawen XIAO ; Jiman SHAO ; Xinlan XIAO
Journal of Practical Radiology 2025;41(9):1432-1436,1466
Objective To construct radiomics-semantic models to predict the treatment resistance of chemoradiotherapy in brain gliomas based on MRI and clinical data of multicenter patients.Methods Among 2 108 brain gliomas patients from five medical institutions,132 patients had residual gliomas after surgery.The clinical risk factors and multimodal MRI were collected.All patients were divided into training set(n=95)and validation set(n=37).The treatment response of gliomas after standardized chemoradiotherapy were divided into resistant and non-resistant types.The semantic features of MRI were evaluated by two radiologists.Three different segmentation regions of interest(ROI)were delineated to extract radiomics features.And that three groups of radiomics models were con-structed based on different sequence MRIs.The radiomics model with the best predictive efficacy in each group was selected and combined with MRI semantic features,three radiomics-semantic models(combined models)were established.Finally,a MRI semantic model,three groups of radiomics models and three combined models were developed.Results Comparisons between the different models showed that the radiomics-semantic model based on pre-operative T2-fluid attenuated inversion recovery(FLAIR)sequence,had the best predictive efficacy,the area under the curve(AUC)in the training and validation sets were 0.866[95%confidence interval(CI)0.790-0.942]and 0.810(95%CI 0.667-0.952),respectively.The radiomics-semantic model based on postoperative T1 WI sequence performed the second best,with the AUC of the training and validation sets being 0.812(95%CI 0.726-0.898)and 0.711(95%CI 0.541-0.881),respectively.Conclusion The combined models based on MRI radiomics and semantic features are able to predict the treatment resistance of chemoradiotherapy in brain gliomas patients,and may be used as an important basis for optimizing treatment.


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail