1.Pharmacological Effect and Preparation Development of Geniposide: A Review
Yongmei GUAN ; Yidan LIU ; Hua ZHANG ; Haiyan ZHANG ; Zhenzhong ZANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(1):317-326
Geniposide, the primary active component of the traditional Chinese medicine Gardeniae Fructus, is a water-soluble iridoid glycoside. Pharmacological studies have demonstrated that geniposide exhibits various biological activities, including hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, neuroprotective, antidepressant effects, and inhibitory activity against ischemia-reperfusion injury. Recent research has revealed its promising potential in preventing and treating diseases such as atherosclerosis and osteoporosis, indicating broad application prospects. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that the pharmacodynamic mechanisms of geniposide are primarily associated with the inhibition of inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, improvement of lipid metabolism, and regulation of apoptosis. However, due to its high water solubility and rapid metabolism in vivo, geniposide suffers from low oral bioavailability, which limits its therapeutic efficacy and clinical application. In recent years, various formulations, such as creams, cubic liquid crystals, hydrogels, and liposomes, have been developed to address its bioavailability issues. This article reviewed the latest research progress on the pharmacological activities and formulation development of geniposide by analyzing domestic and international literature from the past decade, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for further research, development, and utilization of geniposide and its formulations.
2.In Vitro and In Vivo Chemical Composition Analysis of Reference Sample of Jinshui Liujunjian Based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS
Xinyue YANG ; Huiyu LI ; Yaqi LOU ; Xingxing WANG ; Guifang YU ; Chenfeng ZHANG ; Zhenzhong WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):166-173
ObjectiveTo elucidate the chemical composition of the reference sample of Jinshui Liujunjian and its distribution characteristics in blood and tissues of rats. MethodsUltra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was used to detect the reference sample solution, plasma, and tissue samples of Jinshui Liujunjian under positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Qualitative Analysis 10.0 software and a self-constructed database were employed for primary mass spectrum matching.Compound identification was further validated by comparing retention times, secondary mass spectral fragments, reference standards, and literature data to deduce fragmentation pathways. ResultsA total of 122 compounds were identified in the reference sample of Jinshui Liujunjian, including 47 flavonoids, 5 amino acids, 13 iridoids, 16 triterpenoid saponins, etc., of which 42 compounds were confirmed by comparison with reference substances. A total of 21 prototype components were identified in blood components; 50 prototype components were identified in different tissues, among which 13, 10, 7, 21, 11, 6, 14, and 40 prototype components were identified in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, brain, large intestine, and stomach, respectively. Among them, 7 compounds such as ferulic acid, glycyrrhizic acid, and nobiletin were exposed in the target organs of lung and kidney. ConclusionThis study elucidates the material basis of the reference samples of Jinshui Liujunjian, primarily composed of flavonoids and triterpenoid saponins, along with their in vivo distribution characteristics. These findings provide a scientific basis for establishing quality evaluation indicators and offer references for subsequent pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic investigations.
3.In Vitro and In Vivo Chemical Composition Analysis of Reference Sample of Jinshui Liujunjian Based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS
Xinyue YANG ; Huiyu LI ; Yaqi LOU ; Xingxing WANG ; Guifang YU ; Chenfeng ZHANG ; Zhenzhong WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):166-173
ObjectiveTo elucidate the chemical composition of the reference sample of Jinshui Liujunjian and its distribution characteristics in blood and tissues of rats. MethodsUltra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was used to detect the reference sample solution, plasma, and tissue samples of Jinshui Liujunjian under positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Qualitative Analysis 10.0 software and a self-constructed database were employed for primary mass spectrum matching.Compound identification was further validated by comparing retention times, secondary mass spectral fragments, reference standards, and literature data to deduce fragmentation pathways. ResultsA total of 122 compounds were identified in the reference sample of Jinshui Liujunjian, including 47 flavonoids, 5 amino acids, 13 iridoids, 16 triterpenoid saponins, etc., of which 42 compounds were confirmed by comparison with reference substances. A total of 21 prototype components were identified in blood components; 50 prototype components were identified in different tissues, among which 13, 10, 7, 21, 11, 6, 14, and 40 prototype components were identified in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, brain, large intestine, and stomach, respectively. Among them, 7 compounds such as ferulic acid, glycyrrhizic acid, and nobiletin were exposed in the target organs of lung and kidney. ConclusionThis study elucidates the material basis of the reference samples of Jinshui Liujunjian, primarily composed of flavonoids and triterpenoid saponins, along with their in vivo distribution characteristics. These findings provide a scientific basis for establishing quality evaluation indicators and offer references for subsequent pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic investigations.
4.Endoscopic-assisted median nerve decompression combined with one-stage tendon transfer for reconstruction of thumb abduction in treatment of severe carpal tunnel syndrome.
Jiaxing SUI ; Yong YANG ; Zhenzhong WANG ; Xingjian HUANG ; Xuanyu JIANG ; Lihui ZHANG ; Haiyang LI
Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery 2025;39(12):1510-1515
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effectiveness of endoscopic-assisted median nerve decompression with one-stage extensor indicis proprius (EIP) tendon transfer for reconstruction of thumb abduction in patients with severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
METHODS:
The clinical data of 12 patients with severe CTS who met the selection criteria between December 2019 and December 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 2 males and 10 females with an average age of 55.4 years ranging from 35 to 67 years. The symptom duration of CTS was 12-120 months (mean, 48.7 months) and the thenar muscle atrophy duration was 6-48 months (mean, 13.4 months). The median nerve was released with the help of endoscope, and the EIP tendon was transferred to reconstruct the abduction function of the thumb. The operation time and complications were recorded. Two-point discrimination, palmar abduction angle of the thumb, radial abduction angle of the thumb, and pinch force of the thumb were measured and compared before operation and at last follow-up, and the effectiveness was evaluated by Kapandji score and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score. The satisfaction of the operation was evaluated at last follow-up.
RESULTS:
All surgeries were successfully completed with a mean operation time of 54 minutes (range, 45-68 minutes). All patients were followed up 6-50 months, with an average of 15.3 months. There was no complications such as wound infection, scar pain of wrist, or tendon rupture of transposition, and there were 3 cases of mild limitation of finger extension in the donor site of index finger. At last follow-up, two-point discrimination, palmar abduction angle of the thumb, radial abduction angle of the thumb, Kapandji score, and DASH score were significantly better than those before operation ( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in thumb pinch force between pre- and post-operation ( P>0.05). The evaluation of surgical satisfaction showed that 7 cases were very satisfied and 5 cases were satisfied.
CONCLUSION
The combination of endoscopic-assisted median nerve decompression and one-stage EIP tendon transfer effectively improves hand function and quality of life in patients with severe CTS by restoring thumb abduction and alleviating neurological symptoms.
Humans
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Tendon Transfer/methods*
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome/physiopathology*
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Female
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Decompression, Surgical/methods*
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Aged
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Adult
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Thumb/physiopathology*
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Endoscopy/methods*
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Retrospective Studies
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Median Nerve/surgery*
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Treatment Outcome
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Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods*
5.A novel anti-ischemic stroke candidate drug AAPB with dual effects of neuroprotection and cerebral blood flow improvement.
Jianbing WU ; Duorui JI ; Weijie JIAO ; Jian JIA ; Jiayi ZHU ; Taijun HANG ; Xijing CHEN ; Yang DING ; Yuwen XU ; Xinglong CHANG ; Liang LI ; Qiu LIU ; Yumei CAO ; Yan ZHONG ; Xia SUN ; Qingming GUO ; Tuanjie WANG ; Zhenzhong WANG ; Ya LING ; Wei XIAO ; Zhangjian HUANG ; Yihua ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(2):1070-1083
Ischemic stroke (IS) is a globally life-threatening disease. Presently, few therapeutic medicines are available for treating IS, and rt-PA is the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. In fact, many agents showing excellent neuroprotection but no blood flow-improving activity in animals have not achieved ideal clinical efficacy, while thrombolytic drugs only improving blood flow without neuroprotection have limited their wider application. To address these challenges and meet the huge unmet clinical need, we have designed and identified a novel compound AAPB with dual effects of neuroprotection and cerebral blood flow improvement. AAPB significantly reduced cerebral infarction and neural function deficit in tMCAO rats, pMCAO rats, and IS rhesus monkeys, as well as displayed exceptional safety profiles and excellent pharmacokinetic properties in rats and dogs. AAPB has now entered phase I of clinical trials fighting IS in China.
6.Locally producing antibacterial peptide to deplete intratumoral pathogen for preventing metastatic breast cancer.
Shizhen GENG ; Tingting XIANG ; Yaru SHI ; Mengnian CAO ; Danyu WANG ; Jing WANG ; Xinling LI ; Haiwei SONG ; Zhenzhong ZHANG ; Jinjin SHI ; Junjie LIU ; Airong LI ; Ke SUN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(2):1084-1097
Metastatic dissemination is the major cause of death from breast-cancer (BC). Fusobacterium nucleatum (F.n) is widely enriched in BC and has recently been identified as one of the high-risk factors for promoting BC metastasis. Here, with an experimental model, we demonstrated that intratumoral F.n induced BC aggressiveness by transcriptionally activating Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated genes. Therefore, the F.n may be a potential target to prevent metastasis. Given the fact that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are abundant in BC and located near blood vessels, we report an optogenetic system that drives CAF to in situ produce human antibacterial peptide LL37, with the characteristics of biosafety and freely intercellular trafficking, for depleting intratumoral F.n, leading to a 72.1% reduction in lung metastatic nodules number without affecting the balance of the systemic flora. Notably, mild photothermal treatment was found that could normalize CAF, contributing to synergistically inhibiting BC metastasis. In addition, the system can also simultaneously encode a gene of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand to suppress the primary tumor. Together, our study highlights the potential of local elimination of tumor pathogenic bacteria to prevent BC metastasis.
7.Analysis of Chemical Constituents and Blood-Absorbed Ingredients of Heihuang Chizhu Granules by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS
Yiwei HUANG ; Lijiao HUANG ; Junhua HU ; Zhenzhong WANG ; Chenfeng ZHANG ; Zhongkun XU ; Yat-ing LI ; Juan FU ; Wei XIAO
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;41(6):749-765
OBJECTIVE To analyze the chemical constituents of Heihuang Chizhu Granules and the blood composition of rats af-ter administration by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS.METHODS A Waters ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column(3 mm×100 mm,1.8 μm)was eluted with acetonitrile-0.1%formic acid as mobile phase,and the data were collected in electrospray ion source positive and neg-ative ion mode and then identified with the reference retention time,precise molecular weight,secondary fragment ions,and references to relevant literature.RESULTS A total of 104 chemical components were identified from Heihuang Chizhu Granules,including 26 flavonoids,24 organic acids,14 triterpenoids,8 terpenoids,7 phenylpropanoids,11 monoglycosides,and 14 other components(phe-nols,alkaloids,etc.).On this basis,39 blood-entering components were identified in the plasma of rats administered via gavage,in-cluding 28 prototypes and 11 metabolites.CONCLUSION The chemical constituents of Heihuang Chizhu Granules and the compo-nents entering the blood of rats are analyzed and identified for the first time in this study,and the results provide a scientific basis for the basic research of Heihuang Chizhu Granules and the establishment of process quality control standards.
8.Effect of large artery atherosclerosis subtype on the efficacy of Ginkgo Diterpene Lactone Meglumine in acute ischemic stroke
Jiao JING ; Siyao ZHANG ; Yanling LIU ; Fen WANG ; Wei XIAO ; Zhenzhong WANG
Journal of Capital Medical University 2025;46(2):228-233
Objective To investigate the effect of large artery atherosclerosis(LAA)and non-LAA subtypes on the efficacy of Ginkgo Diterpene Lactone Meglumine(GDLM)in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods This was a post-hoc analysis of multicenter,randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled,and parallel-group trial.A total of 3 448 patients who had acute ischemic stroke were randomly assigned in a 1∶1 ratio to receive the injection of GDLM or the placebo once day within 48 h after symptoms and continued for 14 d.The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a modified Rankin Scale(mRS)of 0 or 1 on day 90 after randomization.Results A total of 3 448 patients were enrolled,with 1 604(46.52% )patients with non-LAA and 1 844(53.48% )with LAA.Compared to the placebo treatment.GDLM injection effectively improve the functional prognosis,with a higher proportion of mRS score of 0-1 in both non-LAA(OR=1.24,95% CI:1.02-1.51;P=0.03)and LAA(OR=1.37,95% CI:1.14-1.65;P<0.001)group.There was no significant interaction between LAA subtypes with treatment(P=0.48 for interaction).Conclusion Among patients with acute ischemic stroke in this randomized clinical trial,GDLM might improve the favorable clinical outcomes at 90 d compared with placebo,regardless of LAA subtypes.Nevertheless,it is necessary to confirm the findings in the future.
9.The expression of LAMB3 and ITGB4 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and their relationship with clinicopathological features
Yali ZHAO ; Sheng WU ; Wei PENG ; Wanxiang WANG ; Haoran ZHANG ; Zhenzhong FENG ; Li MA ; Xian WANG
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(10):1301-1307,1313
Purpose To investigate the expression of LAMB3 and ITGB4 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)and analyze their associations with clinicopathological features.Methods Bioinformatics was used to assess the expression of LAMB3 and ITGB4 in pan-cancer and ESCC.Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate their expression and distribution in ESCC tissues,and correlations clinicopathological features were analyzed.Follow-up data were collected to construct Kaplan-Meier survival curves,and Cox regression analysis was proformed to determine their prognostic significance.Results Bioinformatics analysis showed that LAMB3 and ITGB4 were highly expressed in ES-CC tissues(P<0.001).Immunohistochemistry confirmed that both proteins were localized in the cytoplasm and membrane of tumor cells.High LAMB3 expression was significantly associated with poor differentiation(P<0.001),lymph node metastasis(P=0.015),and T staging(P<0.001).High ITGB4 expression was significantly correlated with poor differentiation(P=0.004)and advanced T staging(P=0.004).Cox regression analysis identified high ex-pression of LAMB3 and ITGB4 as independent prognostic factors for overall survival[HR=4.97(95%CI:2.73-9.02);HR=2.33(95%CI:1.36-3.99)].Conclusion LAMB3 and ITGB4 are highly expressed in ESCC.High LAMB3 expression is associated with tumor differentiation,lymph node metastasis,and T staging,while high ITGB4 expression is correlated with tumor differentiation and T staging.Patients with high expression of LAMB3 or ITGB4 have poorer overall survival,suggesting that these proteins may serve as prognostic biomarkers for unfavorable outcome in ESCC.
10.Mechanism of Congrong Zonggan Capsules in Improving Neuroinflammation and Cognitive Impairment in 5×FAD Mice Based on NF-κB/NLRP3 Signaling Pathway
Yanru ZHOU ; Xinru GU ; Yuru LIU ; Shun ZHANG ; Yaozhong LYU ; Zhenzhong WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(10):130-138
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Congrong Zonggan capsules (CRZG) on cognitive impairment in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) model of mice and its related mechanisms. MethodsSPF grade 4-week-old 5×FAD mice were divided into a model group, low-dose CRZG (0.819 g·kg-1) and high-dose CRZG (1.638 g·kg-1) groups, and Donepezilepezil hydrochloride group (2 mg·kg-1), with eight mice in each group. Eight C57 mice with the same background were set as the normal group. After one week of adaptive feeding, mice were orally administered continuously for six months. On the 5th month of drug administration, Y maze, new object recognition, and Morris water maze tests were conducted separately. After administration, mouse brain tissue was taken, and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in brain tissue were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immunofluorescence (IF) was used to detect the expression of small glial cell markers Iba1, astrocyte markers GFAP, and amyloid protein 1-42 (Aβ1-42) in the hippocampus of the brain tissue. The hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to detect pathological changes in the hippocampus of brain tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65, NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), cleaved Caspase-1, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), and other proteins in the brain tissue. ResultsCompared with those in the normal group, the mice in the model group had obvious cognitive impairment. The spontaneous alternation rate of the Y maze was decreased, and the discrimination index of novel object recognition was decreased significantly (P<0.01). The escape latency in the water maze was shortened significantly (P<0.01). The contents of IL-6 and TNF-α in brain tissue were increased. The fluorescence levels of Iba1 and Aβ1-42 in the hippocampus were significantly increased (P<0.01). There was a significant increase in neuronal lesions, neuronal atrophy, loose arrangement of tissue structure, and abnormal erythrocyte aggregation in the hippocampus. The protein expressions of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65, cleaved Caspase-1, ASC, IL-6, and IL-1β were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the spontaneous alternation rate and discrimination index of the high-dose CRZG group were increased significantly (P<0.01), and the escape latency was shortened significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01). The content of IL-6 decreased in the brain, and that of TNF-α dropped significantly (P<0.01). The expression of Iba1 protein and Aβ1-42 in the hippocampus decreased significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01). The hippocampal neurons were densely arranged, and the pyramidal nuclei were clear and centered. The abnormal aggregation of red blood cells was alleviated. The value of p-NF-κB/NF-κB proteins and the expression of ASC, cleaved Caspase-1, IL-6, and IL-1β were significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionCRZG can effectively improve cognitive impairment in 5×FAD mice with Alzheimer's disease, and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway to reduce the abnormal activation of microglia and inhibit neuroinflammation.

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