ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism of Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） in treating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） by regulating cell cycle and inhibiting proliferation， using bioinformatics technology and animal experiments. MethodsDifferential expressed genes （DEGs） related to CAG were screened using GEO database and GEO2R tool. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis （WGCNA） was employed to search for hub genes of CAG. These hub genes were intersected with cell cycle proliferation based on GeneCards database. Eenrichment analysis of the intersecting genes was performed to obtain signaling pathways and biological processes related to CAG. Protein protein interaction （PPI） analysis of genes was conducted using the Protein Interaction Platform （STRING） database to search the super hub gene （hub 2.0）， and animal experiments were conducted for further validation. Fourteen of 70 male Wistar rats were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining 56 rats were prepared by the combined modeling method of "starvation disorder+N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） + sodium salicylate". The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group， XLHZ-H， XLHZ-M， and XLHZ-L groups （36， 18， 9 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and Morodan group （1.4 g·kg^-1）. Each group was given corresponding intervention for 60 days. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa in rats. The ultrastructure of gastric mucosal tissue cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The relative expression levels of TGF-β₁， Smad2 and Smad3 proteins， S/G₂/M phase marker geminin and proliferation marker MCM2 were detected by Western blot in gastric mucosal tissue， and Spearman correlation analysis was performed. ResultsA total of 15 hub 2.0 genes were identified， including TGF-β₁， suggesting the involvement of the TGF-β₁ signaling pathway in the CAG pathogenesis. Compared with the normal group， the expressions of TGF-β₁， Smad2， geminin and MCM2 proteins in the gastric mucosa tissue of the model group were increased （P<0.05）， and the expression of Smad3 protein was decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the expressions of TGF-β₁ and geminin in the gastric mucosa were decreased in the drug groups （P<0.05）. The XLHZ-M group， XLHZ-H group and Morodan group had significantly decreased protein expression of Smad2 and MCM2 （P<0.05）. The protein expression of Smad3 was significantly increased in XLHZ-M， XLHZ-H， and Morodan groups （P<0.05）. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Smad3 was negatively correlated with other indicators， and positively correlated with other indicators （P<0.01）. ConclusionXLHZ may inhibit TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway， regulate cell cycle， and inhibit proliferation in the treatment of CAG.

AIM:To observe the morphological and structural changes of foveal cone photoreceptors in patients with age-related macular degeneration(ARMD)using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy(AOSLO)and to evaluate its application value in ARMD.METHODS:This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. Patients with ARMD who visited the Department of Ophthalmology, Army Medical Center of PLA, Army Medical University, and underwent AOSLO examination between September 2025 and October 2025 were enrolled as the experimental group(ARMD group). Age-matched individuals who underwent AOSLO examination during the same period and had either age-related cataract or pseudophakia with a normal macular region were selected as the control group(CON group). The AOSLO device was used to image a 2.4°×2.4° area of the fovea, and parameters including parafoveal cone photoreceptor density(PCPD), average inter-cell spacing, cell dispersion, and cell regularity were analyzed.RESULTS:A total of 53 participants(66 eyes)were included, comprising 24 patients(33 eyes)in the ARMD group [comprising 6 participants(6 eyes)in the intermediate ARMD group and 22 participants(27 eyes)in the late ARMD group(4 participants had one eye in the intermediate group and the other in the late ARMD group)], and 29 participants(33 eyes)in the CON group. The ARMD group included 13 males and 11 females, with a mean age of 69.36±9.79 y. The control group included 17 males and 12 females, with a mean age of 64.64±10.31 y. Compared to the CON group, the ARMD group exhibited significantly lower PCPD(31635±4887 vs 38524±3578 cells/mm2, P<0.01)and cell regularity(95.16%±0.75% vs 96.07%±0.67%, P<0.01), along with significantly greater average inter-cell spacing(4.43±0.26 vs 4.22±0.23 μm, P<0.01)and cell dispersion(20.23%±2.72% vs 16.47%±1.85%, P<0.01). Subgroup analysis within the ARMD group revealed that PCPD was significantly lower in the late ARMD subgroup(30831±4826 cells/mm2)compared to the intermediate ARMD subgroup(35254±3534 cells/mm2, P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Photoreceptor pathology in ARMD patients, as assessed by AOSLO, is characterized by decreased PCPD and cell regularity, as well as increased inter-cell spacing and dispersion. These structural alterations are closely associated with photoreceptor cell lesions. AOSLO, as a non-invasive and quantitative imaging modality, demonstrates promising application prospects in the clinical diagnosis of ARMD.

ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism of Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） in treating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） by regulating cell cycle and inhibiting proliferation， using bioinformatics technology and animal experiments. MethodsDifferential expressed genes （DEGs） related to CAG were screened using GEO database and GEO2R tool. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis （WGCNA） was employed to search for hub genes of CAG. These hub genes were intersected with cell cycle proliferation based on GeneCards database. Eenrichment analysis of the intersecting genes was performed to obtain signaling pathways and biological processes related to CAG. Protein protein interaction （PPI） analysis of genes was conducted using the Protein Interaction Platform （STRING） database to search the super hub gene （hub 2.0）， and animal experiments were conducted for further validation. Fourteen of 70 male Wistar rats were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining 56 rats were prepared by the combined modeling method of "starvation disorder+N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） + sodium salicylate". The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group， XLHZ-H， XLHZ-M， and XLHZ-L groups （36， 18， 9 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and Morodan group （1.4 g·kg^-1）. Each group was given corresponding intervention for 60 days. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa in rats. The ultrastructure of gastric mucosal tissue cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The relative expression levels of TGF-β₁， Smad2 and Smad3 proteins， S/G₂/M phase marker geminin and proliferation marker MCM2 were detected by Western blot in gastric mucosal tissue， and Spearman correlation analysis was performed. ResultsA total of 15 hub 2.0 genes were identified， including TGF-β₁， suggesting the involvement of the TGF-β₁ signaling pathway in the CAG pathogenesis. Compared with the normal group， the expressions of TGF-β₁， Smad2， geminin and MCM2 proteins in the gastric mucosa tissue of the model group were increased （P<0.05）， and the expression of Smad3 protein was decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the expressions of TGF-β₁ and geminin in the gastric mucosa were decreased in the drug groups （P<0.05）. The XLHZ-M group， XLHZ-H group and Morodan group had significantly decreased protein expression of Smad2 and MCM2 （P<0.05）. The protein expression of Smad3 was significantly increased in XLHZ-M， XLHZ-H， and Morodan groups （P<0.05）. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Smad3 was negatively correlated with other indicators， and positively correlated with other indicators （P<0.01）. ConclusionXLHZ may inhibit TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway， regulate cell cycle， and inhibit proliferation in the treatment of CAG.

Objective To explore the related functional mechanism of Xihuang pill containing serum inter-vention in breast cancer cells based on microRNA(miR)21-5p targeting FAM13A gene.Methods Bioinfor-matics websites was used to predict potential miRNAs of FAM13A gene,double luciferase reporter experi-ments were conducted to verify the binding site relationship between FAM13A and predicted miRNAs.The Xihuang pill containing serum was prepared,and human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured.The proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells was interfered by the Xihuang pill containing serum with different dilution ratios by CCK-8 test,and the best dilution ratio concentration of Xihuang pill containing serum to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells was selected.Real time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)was ap-plied to detect the relative expression levels of FAM13A mRNA,as well as the relative expression levels of miR21-5p,in MDA-MB-231 cells after intervention with Xihuang pill containing serum.Cell proliferation(Edu)assay and cell apoptosis detection(TUNEL)assay were used to detect the effects of Xihuang pill con-taining serum intervention on cell proliferation and apoptosis function in MDA-MB-231 cells.The siRNA lentiviral transfection on MDA-MB-231 cells was performed to knock down the FAM13A gene,and Edu assay and TUNEL assay were used to detect changes in proliferation and apoptosis ability of MDA-MB-231 cells af-ter lentiviral transfection.The expression level of miR21-5p in MDA-MB-231 cells after FAM13A gene knock-out was detected by RT-qPCR technology.Results Target Scan online website predicted the potential miR-21-5p binding sequence in the 3'UTR of FAM13A mRNA,and dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed the in-teraction between miR-21-5p and FAM13A.After intervention of MDA-MB-231 cells with Xihuang pill drug containing serum,RT-qPCR results showed that compared with the control group(NC group),the Xihuang pill drug containing serum group(XHW group)downregulated the expression levels of FAM13A mRNA(P＜0.05),and upregulated the expression level of miR21-5p(P＜0.05).Compared with the NC group,the XWH group showed reduced cell proliferation ability and promoted cell apoptosis.(P＜0.05).After silencing the FAM13A gene in MDA-MB-231 cells,compared with the control group(shCtrl group),the shFAM13A group showed a significant decrease in cell proliferation ability and promoted cell apoptosis.The RT-qPCR re-sults showed that compared with the shCtrl group,the expression level of miR21-5p was significantly upregu-lated in the shFAM13A group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Xihuang pill could participate in the anti-tumor treat-ment of breast cancer by regulating miR21-5p to affect the expression level of FAM13A gene.

Objective To conduct a bibliometric analysis of domestic and international literature on the research of Sijunzi Decoction over the past 20 years,and to explore the research status,hotspots,and development trends of Sijunzi Decoction.Methods This article retrieved journal articles related to the research of Sijunzi Decoction from 2004 to 2024 in the CNKI,Wanfang,VIP,and Web of Science databases.Microsoft Excel was used for publication volume analysis,while CiteSpace software was employed for keyword co-occurrence,clustering,and burst analysis,and then the analysis results were visualized.Results After literature retrieval and screening,3 573 Chinese articles and 113 English articles were included.Over the past two decades,the publication volume showed a trend of steadily increasing.The most frequent keywords in Chinese and English literature on the research of Sijunzi Decoction were spleen deficiency syndrome and gene expression,while the keywords with strongest burst were experimental research and data mining.Conclusion The research of Sijunzi Decoction in the last 20 years was mainly through animal experiments and clinical applications,and the research hotspots focus on the treatment of diseases of spleen deficiency syndrome and on the improvement of immune function of cancer patients.The extraction and identification of active components in Sijunzi Decoction and the study on the therapeutic mechanism in diseases of spleen deficiency syndrome are probably the future research trends.

The present study aimed to explore whether hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) improved hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) in rats by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis-pyroptosis. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal group, normal+NaHS group, hypoxia group, and hypoxia+NaHS group, with 6 rats in each group. The control group rats were placed in a normoxic (21% O₂) environment and received daily intraperitoneal injections of an equal volume of normal saline. The normal+NaHS group rats were placed in a normoxic environment and intraperitoneally injected with 14 μmol/kg NaHS daily. The hypoxia group rats were placed in a hypoxia chamber, and the oxygen controller inside the chamber maintained the oxygen concentration at 9% to 10% by controlling the N₂ flow rate. An equal volume of normal saline was injected intraperitoneally every day. The hypoxia+NaHS group rats were also placed in an hypoxia chamber and intraperitoneally injected with 14 μmol/kg NaHS daily. After the completion of the four-week modeling, the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) of each group was measured using right heart catheterization technique, and the right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) was weighed and calculated. HE staining was used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue, Masson staining was used to observe fibrosis of lung tissue, and Western blot was used to detect protein expression levels of hexokinase 2 (HK2), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), GSDMD-N-terminal domain (GSDMD-N), Caspase-1, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18 in lung tissue. ELISA was used to detect contents of IL-1β and IL-18 in lung tissue. The results showed that, compared with the normal control group, there were no significant changes in all indexes in the normal+NaHS group, while the hypoxia group exhibited significantly increased mPAP and RVHI, thickened pulmonary vascular wall, narrowed lumen, increased collagen fibers, up-regulated expression levels of aerobic glycolysis-related proteins (HK2 and PKM2), up-regulated expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins (NLRP3, GSDMD-N, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18), and increased contents of IL-1β and IL-18. These changes of the above indexes in the hypoxia group were significantly reversed by NaHS. These results suggest that H₂S can improve rat HPH by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis-pyroptosis.
Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/metabolism* ; Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Hydrogen Sulfide/therapeutic use* ; Hypoxia/complications* ; Rats ; Pyroptosis/drug effects*

Evidence mapping was used to systematically analyze the clinical research evidence of oral Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage(ICH), thus revealing the distribution and quality of evidence in this field. The relevant articles were retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to July 5, 2024. The distribution characteristics of evidence were presented numerically and graphically. A total of 35 Chinese patent medicines were identified, involving 261 articles. The basic information of the 35 Chinese patent medicines, publication trend, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndromes, interventions, and outcome indicators were compared and analyzed, and the methodological quality of the articles was evaluated. The results indicated that the clinical scope of Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of ICH was broad. However, the available studies inadequately emphasized the advantages and characteristics of TCM, lacked the safety information and the standards for evaluating outcome indicators, and paid insufficient attention to cognitive ability and neuropsychology. In addition, these articles demonstrated low quality. It is recommended that follow-up clinical research should be standardized and highlight the characteristics of TCM. In the analysis of outcome indicators, TCM syndrome evaluation should be taken as an important outcome indicator, and the evaluation criteria should be unified. Moreover, more attention should be paid to patients' cognitive ability and neuropsychology. The holder of marketing license of Chinese patent medicines should standardize the clinical position and improve the safety information in the medicine instructions according to the relevant requirements of the National Medical Products Administration. Additionally, the proportion of Chinese patent medicines in the category A list of medical insurance should be increased, and the limited medical resources should be rationally allocated.
Cerebral Hemorrhage/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Nonprescription Drugs/administration & dosage* ; Administration, Oral

This study aims to explore the effects and mechanisms of the traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps sinensis(CS) in ameliorating heart aging and injury in mice based on animal experiments and network pharmacology. A mouse model of heart aging was established by continuously subcutaneous injection of D-galactose(D-gal). Thirty mice were randomly assigned into a normal group, a model group, a low-dose CS(CS-L) group, a high-dose CS(CS-H) group, and a vitamin E(VE) group. Mice in these groups were administrated with normal saline, different doses of CS suspension, or VE suspension via gavage daily. After 60 days of treatment with D-gal and various drugs, all mice were euthanized, and blood and heart tissue samples were collected for determination of the indicators related to heart aging and injury in mice. Experimental results showed that both high and low doses of CS and VE ameliorated the aging phenotype, improved the heart index and myocardial enzyme spectrum, restored the expression levels of proteins associated with cell cycle arrest and senescence-associated secretory phenotypes(SASP), and alleviated the fibrosis and histopathological changes of the heart tissue in model mice. From the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP),259 active ingredients of CS were retrieved. From Gene Cards and OMIM, 2 568 targets related to heart aging were identified, and 133common targets shared by CS and heart aging were obtained. The Gene Ontology(GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes( KEGG) pathway enrichment revealed that the pathways related to heart aging involved oxidative stress,apoptosis, inflammation-related signaling pathways, etc. The animal experiment results showed that both high and low doses of CS and VE ameliorated oxidative stress and apoptosis in the heart tissue to varying degrees in model mice. Additionally, CS-H and VE activated the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) pathway and inhibited the expression of key proteins in the nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) pathway in the heart tissue of model mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrated based on network pharmacology and animal experiments that CS may alleviate heart aging and injury in aging mice by reducing oxidative stress,apoptosis, and inflammation in the heart via the Nrf2/HO-1/NF-κB pathway.
Animals ; Cordyceps/chemistry* ; Mice ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics* ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Aging/genetics* ; Male ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Network Pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Heme Oxygenase-1/genetics* ; Heart/drug effects* ; Humans ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Membrane Proteins/genetics*

The triterpenoid saponins of Centella asiatica, including asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid, are pivotal bioactive compounds of the plant. These constituents exhibit a spectrum of pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, antitumor, and antidepressant effects, promotion of wound healing, and enhancement of microcirculation. Owing to these therapeutic properties, C. asiatica is widely employed in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. However, the escalating global demand for its extracts has led to potential supply shortages, prompting researchers to use multiple strategies such as multi-omics, molecular biology, and synthetic biology to conduct extensive studies. These studies encompass the elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways of triterpenoid saponins in C. asiatica, metabolic regulation, the hormonal induction of secondary metabolite synthesis, and the application of biotechnological strategies for natural product production to increase the yield of secondary metabolites in C. asiatica, or to produce active components via microbial chassis, thus satisfying market demands and promoting the sustainable exploitation of wild C. asiatica resources. This article first introduced the triterpenoid saponins of C. asiatica and their biological activities, then summarized the latest research advancements in their biosynthetic pathways, metabolic regulation, and heterologous biosynthesis, and provided an outlook on future development directions, with the aim of providing reference for comprehensive resource development and biotechnological synthesis of active components from C. asiatica.
Centella/genetics* ; Triterpenes/chemistry* ; Biosynthetic Pathways ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Plant Extracts

Haematitum and Limonitum are two iron-containing mineral medicines included in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. They have similar main components and major differences in their property, flavor, channel tropism, and clinical uses. In this study, we investigated the surface properties, mineral composition, mineral dissociation, elemental composition, and iron state of Haematitum and Limonitum to explore their mineralogical differences. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM), specific surface and porosity analyzer, X-ray diffractometer(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer(XPS), and advanced mineral identification and characterization system(AMICS) were used to analyze the mineralogy of Haematitum and Limonitum. The results showed that Haematitum had an angular surface with granular attachments and a specific surface area of 17.04 m~2·g~(-1). In comparison, Limonitum had a smooth and flat surface with a bundled acicular crystal structure and a specific surface area of 46.29 m~2·g~(-1). Haematitum consists of 31 detectable minerals containing 18 elements, with the major element, iron(44.5% Fe~(2+) and 55.5% Fe~(3+)) distributed in 17 minerals, including hematite, iron oxide, knebelite, siderite, and magnesioferrite. Limonitum consists of 32 detectable minerals containing 17 elements, with the major element, iron(14.5% Fe~(2+) and 85.5% Fe~(3+)) distributed in 19 minerals, including limonite, iron oxide, chlorite, and knebelite. In summary, the elemental composition of Haematitum and Limonitum does not differ greatly, but there are large differences in the mineral composition and iron state. The large specific surface area and strong adsorption capacity of Limonitum may be one of the mechanisms of its anti-diarrheal action. The Fe_2O_3 and illite contained in Haematitum and Limonitum may be the key substances for their hemostasis effects. The mineralogical differences are expected to provide a reference for explaining the scientific connotation of mineral medicine and laying a material foundation for studying its mechanism of action.
Iron/analysis* ; Minerals/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; X-Ray Diffraction ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Photoelectron Spectroscopy