1.Volatile Component Differences in Xihuangwan Prepared with Natural and Artificial Musk Based on Non-targeted and Targeted Metabolomics
Jing WANG ; Fangzhu XU ; Li MENG ; Qizhen ZHU ; Huanjun ZHAO ; Caina YU ; Xuelian CHEN ; Hui GAO ; Zimin YUAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):194-201
ObjectiveHeadspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC-MS) and GC-triple quadrupole MS(GC-QqQ-MS) in combination with non-targeted and targeted metabolomics were employed to systematically analyze the chemical composition differences of Xihuangwan prepared with natural musk and artificial musk, and establish an identification system for them. MethodsThe volatile components of 9 batches of Xihuangwan samples from 8 manufacturers were analyzed by HS-SPME-GC-MS non-targeted metabolomics, and identified by comparing their MS data with the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) spectral library. Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) was used to identify differential volatile components of Xihuangwan prepared with natural musk and artificial musk. Additionally, GC-QqQ-MS targeted metabolomics was applied to quantify the levels of α-pinene, β-elemene, muscone, dehydroepiandrosterone, bornyl acetate, and octyl acetate in 27 batches of samples from 9 manufacturers. Cluster analysis, principal component analysis(PCA), and partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) were conducted to further explore the differences in volatile components between Xihuangwan samples prepared with natural musk and artificial musk. ResultsNon-targeted metabolomics identified 291 volatile compounds in Xihuangwan, including alkanes, esters, alkanes, alcohols, ketones, naphthalenes and others. OPLS-DA analysis revealed distinct separation between Xihuangwan samples containing artificial musk(A1, C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, I1) and those containing natural musk(H1, H3). A total of 30 differential metabolites were identified. The relative contents of these 30 differential metabolites were visualized using a radar chart, revealing significant differences in the levels of octanol, borneol acetate and muscone. Cluster analysis and PCA results from targeted metabolomics indicated that Xihuangwan could be classified into two distinct groups:one composed of natural musk(H1, H3) and the other of artificial musk, sample H2. PLS-DA identified muscone, octyl acetate, and dehydroepiandrosterone as key differential volatile components. Although no significant difference was observed in the content of octyl acetate between the two groups, statistically significant differences were found for muscone and dehydroepiandrosterone(P<0.05). ConclusionMuscone and dehydroepiandrosterone can be used for the differentiation of Xihuangwan samples containing natural musk from those containing artificial musk. This study systematically and comprehensively analyzed the differences in the types and contents of major volatile components in Xihuangwan prepared with natural musk and artificial musk, providing a scientific basis for quality evaluation and control of Xihuangwan.
2.Volatile Component Differences in Xihuangwan Prepared with Natural and Artificial Musk Based on Non-targeted and Targeted Metabolomics
Jing WANG ; Fangzhu XU ; Li MENG ; Qizhen ZHU ; Huanjun ZHAO ; Caina YU ; Xuelian CHEN ; Hui GAO ; Zimin YUAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):194-201
ObjectiveHeadspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC-MS) and GC-triple quadrupole MS(GC-QqQ-MS) in combination with non-targeted and targeted metabolomics were employed to systematically analyze the chemical composition differences of Xihuangwan prepared with natural musk and artificial musk, and establish an identification system for them. MethodsThe volatile components of 9 batches of Xihuangwan samples from 8 manufacturers were analyzed by HS-SPME-GC-MS non-targeted metabolomics, and identified by comparing their MS data with the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) spectral library. Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) was used to identify differential volatile components of Xihuangwan prepared with natural musk and artificial musk. Additionally, GC-QqQ-MS targeted metabolomics was applied to quantify the levels of α-pinene, β-elemene, muscone, dehydroepiandrosterone, bornyl acetate, and octyl acetate in 27 batches of samples from 9 manufacturers. Cluster analysis, principal component analysis(PCA), and partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) were conducted to further explore the differences in volatile components between Xihuangwan samples prepared with natural musk and artificial musk. ResultsNon-targeted metabolomics identified 291 volatile compounds in Xihuangwan, including alkanes, esters, alkanes, alcohols, ketones, naphthalenes and others. OPLS-DA analysis revealed distinct separation between Xihuangwan samples containing artificial musk(A1, C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, I1) and those containing natural musk(H1, H3). A total of 30 differential metabolites were identified. The relative contents of these 30 differential metabolites were visualized using a radar chart, revealing significant differences in the levels of octanol, borneol acetate and muscone. Cluster analysis and PCA results from targeted metabolomics indicated that Xihuangwan could be classified into two distinct groups:one composed of natural musk(H1, H3) and the other of artificial musk, sample H2. PLS-DA identified muscone, octyl acetate, and dehydroepiandrosterone as key differential volatile components. Although no significant difference was observed in the content of octyl acetate between the two groups, statistically significant differences were found for muscone and dehydroepiandrosterone(P<0.05). ConclusionMuscone and dehydroepiandrosterone can be used for the differentiation of Xihuangwan samples containing natural musk from those containing artificial musk. This study systematically and comprehensively analyzed the differences in the types and contents of major volatile components in Xihuangwan prepared with natural musk and artificial musk, providing a scientific basis for quality evaluation and control of Xihuangwan.
3.Facilitators and barriers to work-related musculoskeletal disorder prevention behaviors among healthcare professionals: A comprehensive review
Haijing MA ; Su’e YUAN ; Hui ZHU ; Yujia CHEN ; Ping SONG ; Huiqin YU ; Yunxia LI
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2026;43(3):387-394
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) represent a significant occupational health challenge among healthcare professionals globally, posing substantial threats to physical and mental well-being as well as work sustainability. Adopting preventive behaviors—including ergonomic postural adjustments, optimized work-rest scheduling, proper use of protective and assistive equipment, and regular physical activity—is essential for mitigating the risk of WMSDs. Guided by the social ecological model, the review synthesized current evidence on the determinants of WMSDs preventive behaviors across four levels: intrapersonal characteristics, work environment conditions, interpersonal support, and policy/institutional factors. The findings suggest that higher educational attainment, favorable health-related behavioral patterns, optimized ergonomic work environments, adoption of supportive collaborative systems, strong organizational support, as well as policy safeguards facilitate preventive behavior adoption. Conversely, limited prevention-related knowledge, low risk perception, insufficient physical activity, excessive workload, lack of appropriate protective equipment, inadequate ergonomic training, a prevailing culture of presenteeism, and inadequate policy implementation constitute significant barriers. Multi-dimensional intervention strategies targeting these determinants are warranted to enhance preventive behaviors, reduce the risk of WMSDs, and strengthen occupational health protection for healthcare professionals.
4.Research progress and clinical challenges in immunosuppressive regimens for xenotransplantation
Yu ZHANG ; Kun WANG ; Xuyuan ZHU ; Yuxiang CHEN ; Tao LI ; Xiaojie MA ; Hongtao JIANG
Organ Transplantation 2026;17(1):28-35
As a pivotal strategy to alleviate the shortage of organ donors, xenotransplantation has achieved remarkable advances in both pre-clinical and clinical studies in recent years, driven by continuous optimization of gene modification techniques and immunosuppressive regimens. Nevertheless, clinical translation still confronts formidable challenges, including rejection and heightened infection risks, which severely compromise long-term graft survival. Consequently, the role of immunosuppressive regimens in xenotransplantation has become increasingly prominent. This article summarizes the mechanisms underlying xenogeneic immune rejection, the latest developments in immunosuppressive regimens, cutting-edge strategies for inducing immune tolerance and the major hurdles facing clinical xenotransplantation. It delves into potential optimization strategies and directions for future clinical research, aiming to offer theoretical insights and practical guidance for the safe and effective application of clinical xenotransplantation.
5.A bibliometric and visual analysis of the literature published in the journal of Organ Transplantation since its inception
Xi CAO ; Tao HUANG ; Qiwei YANG ; Lin YU ; Xiaowen WANG ; Wenfeng ZHU ; Haoqi CHEN ; Ning FAN ; Genshu WANG
Organ Transplantation 2026;17(1):133-142
Objective To systematically analyze the literature characteristics of Journal of Organ Transplantation since its inception. Methods Using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) academic journal full-text database as the data source, all articles published in the Journal of Organ Transplantation from January 2010 to August 2025 were retrieved. After excluding non-academic papers, a total of 1 568 research papers were included. R language 4.3.0, Bibliometrix package 3.2.1, and Citespace software were used to analyze the number of publications, publishing institutions, authors, keywords and other aspects. Results The number of publications in Journal of Organ Transplantation increased from an average of 82 articles per year in the early years after its inception to 113 articles per year in recent years, a growth of 37.8%. The geographical distribution of publishing institutions covers 32 provinces, cities and autonomous regions nationwide, mainly concentrated in the South China, East China and North China regions, and has now basically covered the central and western regions in recent years. The author collaboration network includes 45 authors distributed across 7 major collaboration clusters, forming a stable multi-level national research system centered on key university-affiliated hospitals. The high-frequency keywords are dominated by "liver transplantation" (425 times) and "kidney transplantation" (396 times). The theme evolution shows a clear three-stage characteristic: initially focusing on clinical technology application, deepening to immune mechanism exploration in the middle stage, and recently (since 2022) focusing on cutting-edge research areas such as xenotransplantation. Conclusions Journal of Organ Transplantation has witnessed the rapid development of China's organ transplantation cause, fully reflecting the research status and trends in China's organ transplantation field, and has provided an important platform for the future development and international cooperation in China's organ transplantation field.
6.Clinical Application of Harmonizing and Regulating Pivot Method in Pulmonary Fibrosis:Based on the Characteristics of Essence-Attribute-Function
Mingsheng LYU ; Hongsheng CUI ; Jia ZHU ; Weibo BI ; Ruifeng JIN ; Zhijie ZHANG ; Qiuyi CHEN ; Siyang YU
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(4):381-385
Based on the theory of "shaoyang(少阳) resembling the pivot" and collateral diseases, this article proposes that pulmonary fibrosis (PF) can be divided into three stages including wind bi (痹), constraint bi, and atrophy bi. The core pathogenesis of PF is the obstruction of the pivot and pulmonary collateral obstruction. In terms of treatment, the basic principles are to harmonize and regulate the pivot, and to promote the circulation of the lung collaterals. Depending on the different characteristics of the "essence-attribute-function", treatment methods such as harmonizing and regulating the pivot, resolving phlegm and removing stasis, supplementing deficiency and harmonizing collaterals are suggested. This approach ensures the regulation of the pivot, smooth circulation of qi and blood, unblocking of the lung collaterals and nourishing the lung body, achieving the goals of balancing the ascending and descending of qi, removing phlegm and stasis, and relieving cough and wheezing.
7.Preparation,characterization,and in vitro antitumor activity of Gambogic acid-loaded intelligent responsive liposome-hydrogel nanopreparation
Yu CHEN ; Shengnan HUANG ; Ziang WANG ; Yunlong ZHAO ; Gaojian WEI ; Sinan WU ; Yanbin GUAN ; Xiali ZHU
China Pharmacy 2026;37(5):613-619
OBJECTIVE To prepare an intelligent responsive liposome-hydrogel nanopreparation co-loaded with gambogic acid (GA), and characterize its antitumor activity in vitro . METHODS GA-ICG-Lip-gel was prepared by ethanol injection and cold dissolution, incorporating GA and the photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG). The appearance and microscopic morphology of GA-ICG-Lip-gel were observed, its encapsulation efficiency and drug loading capacity were measured, and its photothermal conversion performance, photothermal stability, and infrared imaging properties were investigated, along with the determination of its in vitro release profile. Human breast cancer MCF-7 cells were used as objects to investigate the effects of GA-ICG-Lip-gel (or with near-infrared light irradiation) on cell viability, migration ability, and the cellular uptake capacity of GA-ICG-Lip-gel. RESULTS GA-ICG-Lip-gel existed in a solution state at room temperature and transformed into a gel state at 37 ℃. Its microstructure was dense with small pores, and its encapsulation efficiency and drug loading were (96.07±0.86) % and (6.28±1.16) %, respectively. After exposure to near-infrared light, the temperature of GA-ICG-Lip-gel rose above 42 ℃, with no significant attenuation observed in the heating curve. The heating efficiency was dependent on both the irradiation time and drug concentration. Compared to media without gelatinase, the cumulative release rate of GA-ICG-Lip-gel increased in media containing gelatinase. In vitro studies showed that GA-ICG-Lip-gel could be efficiently taken up by MCF-7 cells; GA-ICG-Lip-gel significantly inhibited the viability and migration ability of MCF-7 cells ( P <0.05), and this inhibitory effect was further enhanced under near-infrared light irradiation. CONCLUSIONS This study successfully prepares GA-ICG-Lip-gel, which exhibits favorable photothermal conversion properties and temperature/enzyme dual-responsive drug release characteristics, and demonstrates significant inhibitory effects on the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells.
8.Research progress on engineered tumor whole-cell vaccines
Weifan WANG ; Fengze MIAO ; Zongguang TAI ; Quangang ZHU ; Zhongjian CHEN ; Cuiyun YU
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2026;44(5):221-227
The emergence of immunotherapy has provided new optimism for cancer treatment. Tumor vaccine, a promising immunotherapy strategy, can be categorized into those with identified single or multiple antigens and those with unidentified whole-tumor antigens as their antigenic sources. Currently, mainstream tumor vaccines are still based on identified antigens. However, due to their limitations, tumor vaccines prepared based on whole tumor antigens have unique advantages. However, the low immunogenicity of whole-tumor antigen vaccines affected their clinical efficacy. To improve the immunogenicity, researchers have employed various strategies such as immunogenic death, genetic engineering modifications, cell membrane modifications, and tumor cell lysates, which demonstrated significant clinical potential. The research progress of engineering whole-cell vaccines based on tumor cells in recent years was reviewed in this paper, with a focus on their clinical progress and application prospects.
9.Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulates Gut Microbiota to Intervene in Digestive System Malignant Tumors: A Review
Yu ZHU ; Ju HUANG ; Nianzhi CHEN ; Cheng LUO ; Xianbo WU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(13):261-270
Digestive system malignant tumors (DT) are one of the leading causes of death globally and carry a heavy economic burden. Gut microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining host health, including providing nutrition, defending against pathogens, and promoting immune development. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that dysbiosis of gut microbiota is closely associated with DT such as gastric cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer. Therefore, targeted regulation of gut microbiota plays a potential role in inhibiting the growth and metastasis of DT, while its specific regulatory mechanism remains unclear. As the studies about the anti-tumor effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), especially the basic and clinical studies on the regulation of gut microbiota by TCM in tumor treatment, have been growing, the therapeutic effects of TCM on DT have attracted much attention. This paper provides a systematic review of the relationship between gut microbiota and DT, as well as the related studies on the modulation of gut microbiota by TCM against DT, with the aim of providing a foundation and direction for future basic and clinical studies on DT. The literature review shows that gut microbiota influence the occurrence and development of DT through multiple pathways. These pathways include triggering chronic inflammation, producing oncogenic metabolites, inducing genomic instability, regulating the immune system, and altering the tumor microenvironment. TCM can exert anti-DT effects by regulating the composition of gut microbiota, modulating gut microbiota metabolites, repairing intestinal barrier function, and influencing immune functions. Therefore, understanding the relationship between gut microbiota and DT and the regulatory mechanisms of TCM may provide new strategies for future prevention and treatment of DT.
10.Invasion and Metastasis in Colorectal Cancer Mediated by Traditional Chinese Medicine via Cell Signaling Pathway: A Review
Min GUO ; Wenyan YU ; Naicheng ZHU ; Yuwei YAN ; Chen ZHONG ; Xiudan CHEN ; Nanxin LI ; Guojuan WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):323-330
Colorectal cancer is a common and malignant tumor in the digestive tract. Invasion and metastasis of cancer cells are key factors leading to the high mortality rate and postoperative recurrence of colorectal cancer. Chemotherapy is the main treatment method for preventing recurrence of this disease. However, there are many toxic side effects in clinical application, which seriously hinder the treatment process. Therefore, it is imperative to search for efficient and low-toxicity drugs. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history of treating colorectal cancer and offers advantages such as safety, effectiveness, multiple targets, multiple pathways and minimal toxic side effects, which have made it increasingly popular worldwide. According to TCM, the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer is rooted in both deficiency and excess. TCM formulas mainly focus on tonifying the body to address the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer, such as Jianpi compound, Jianpi Xiaoai decoction, and Bushen Jiedu Sanjie decoction. TCM monomers, such as emodin, berberine, and tanshinone, mainly focus on clearing heat and removing toxin, circulating blood and transforming stasis, and resolving swelling and dispersing nodules. Signaling pathways play a crucial role for analyzing invasion and metastasis, and research has shown that pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase (PI3K/Akt), Janus kinase 2/signal transduction and transcription activating factor 3 (JAK2/STAT3), nuclear factors-κB (NF-κB), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) play important roles in the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer. The invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer can be inhibited via regulating the key proteins and related factors in these pathways. In this review, we searched various literature databases, such as PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and VIP, using keywords such as "colorectal cancer", "signaling pathway", "invasion and metastasis", and "traditional Chinese medicine", to summarize and analyze the relevant pathways of TCM compounds and monomers against invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer published in the past five years. The review aims to provide new insights and references for in-depth research on the therapy for invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer and new drug development.

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