At present， the systematic excavation of the clinical experience and academic thought of the Sichuan school of Chinese medicine vis-à-vis its dominant disease entities remains fragmentary， and replicable paradigms are scarce. Confronted with empirical fragmentation， data heterogeneity and decision-making subjectivity， the standardised distillation， inheritance and clinical translation of these distinctive experiences has become a critical bottleneck constraining the development of the Sichuan school. The integration of artificial-intelligence technologies in data processing， pattern recognition and intelligent decision-making has rendered deep mining of traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） clinical knowledge and patterns imperative. Constructing an intelligent modern TCM diagnostic-therapeutic-evaluative system is now the obligatory route for inheritance and innovation in Chinese medicine， and simultaneously provides a technological breakthrough for intelligent decision paradigms in the dominant diseases of the Sichuan school. Accordingly， this study adopts the regional academic school as its point of entry， focuses on the dominant diseases of the Sichuan school， and proposes an innovative pathway of "four-dimensional data-multi-modal fusion-multi-agent decision-making". Specifically， four data dimensions are defined and instantiated： （Ⅰ） knowledge from classical medical literature and historical case records. （Ⅱ） objective four-diagnosis phenotypic data. （Ⅲ） master physicians' prescribing regularities. （Ⅳ） characteristic mechanisms of renowned formulae. Leveraging multi-modal data fusion and generative artificial intelligence， the entire causal chain of Famous Physicians and Renowned Formulas is explicated to reconstruct the diagnostic-therapeutic cognitive logic of the regional school. Finally， a multi-agent collective-decision model is established and refined for the dominant diseases of the Sichuan school， capable of generating precise， individualised treatment regimens and thereby advancing an intelligent diagnostic-therapeutic paradigm that delivers more efficient and accurate clinical decision support.

The elevated polyamines, amine-rich molecules with diverse functions in pathophysiology processes, are implicated in contributing to tumorigenesis and progression. Whether and how they affect the efficacy of chemotherapy is incompletely understood. Our screening assays reveal that the supplement with a low dose of spermidine (Spd), one of the polyamines, enhances ferroptosis in prostate cancer cells as evidenced by increased lipid peroxidation and intracellular Fe²⁺ levels in vitro. Combination treatment with Spd and a low dose of ferroptosis inducer erastin synergistically augments anti-tumor efficacy with undetectable toxicity in mice. Analysis of RNA-seq data indicates that heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1), an enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of heme to release Fe²⁺, is significantly upregulated in response to Spd and erastin cotreatment. Spd mediated the hypusine modification of the eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (EIF5A) promotes the translation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), subsequently leading to elevation of HMOX1. Moreover, Spd and erastin significantly inhibit proteasome activity which results in a decrease in proteasomal degradation of NRF2, although many proteasome-related genes are induced either by Spd or Spd plus erastin. Thus, in addition to its pro-oncogenic activity, the supplement of Spd improves antitumor activity in combination with ferroptosis inducers and offers an optional approach to cancer treatment.

Tailored lipid nanoparticles (LNPs)-mediated small interfering RNA (siRNA) nanomedicines show promise in treating liver disease, such as acute liver injury (ALI) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, constructing LNPs that address biosafety concerns, ensure efficient delivery, and target specific hepatic subcellular fractions has been challenging. To evade above obstacles, we develop three novel self-degradable "gemini-like" ionizable lipids (SS-MA, SS-DC, SS-MH) by incorporating disulfide bonds and modifying the length of ester bond and tertiary amino head. Our findings reveal that the disulfide-bond-bridged LNPs exhibit reduction-responsive drug release, improving both biosafety and siRNA delivery efficiency. Furthermore, the distance of ester bond and tertiary amino head significantly influences the LNPs' pK _a, thereby affecting endosomal escape, hemolytic efficiency, absorption capacity of ApoE, uptake efficiency of hepatocytes and liver accumulation. We also develop the modified-mannose LNPs (M-LNP) to target liver macrophages specifically. The optimized M-MH_LNP@TNFα exhibits potential in preventing ALI by decreasing tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) levels in the macrophages, while MH_LNP@DGAT2 could treat NASH by selectively degrading diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) in the hepatocytes. Our findings provide new insights into developing novel highly effective and low-toxic "gemini-like" ionizable lipids for constructing LNPs, potentially achieving more effective treatment for hepatic diseases.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening gastrointestinal disorder for which no effective pharmacological treatments are currently available. One of the pharmacological targets that merits further research is the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R), which is found on pancreatic acinar cells and responds to the neuropeptide substance P (SP) that participates in AP. Although a few studies have stated the involvement of SP/NK1R in neurogenic inflammation in AP development, the regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that following activation of NK1R by SP, β-arrestin1, a scaffold protein of NK1R, down-regulated transcription of Adss, Adsl, and Ampd in the purine nucleotide cycle, thereby inhibiting mitochondrial function through fumarate depletion. Interestingly, we identified magnolol as a new and natural NK1R inhibitor with a non-nitrogenous biphenyl core structure. It exhibited a beneficial effect on AP by restoring purine nucleotide cycle metabolic enzymes and fumarate levels. Our study not only provides new therapeutic strategies, leading compounds, and drug translation possibilities for AP, but also provides important clues for the study of downstream mechanisms driven by SP in other diseases.

Perimenopause raises the risk and incidence of depression, whereas the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Disturbed glucose regulation has been widely documented in depressive disorders, which renders the brain susceptible to various stresses such as estrogen depletion. However, whether and how glucose dysfunction regulates depression-like behaviors and neuronal damage in perimenopausal transition remains unexplored. Here, a prominent depressive phenotype was found in perimenopausal mice induced by the ovarian toxin 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD). The VCD depression susceptible group (VCD^SS) and the VCD depression resilient group (VCD^RES) were determined using a ROC-based behavioral screening approach. We found that the hippocampus, a crucial region linked to depression, had hyperglycemia and mitochondrial abnormalities. Interestingly, oral administration of the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin (EMPA) and intrahippocampal glucose infusion suggest a close relationship between hyperglycemia in the hippocampus and the susceptibility to depression. We verified that cytochrome c oxidase 7c (COX7C) downregulation is a potential cause of the high glucose-induced neuronal injury using proteomic screening and biochemical validations. High glucose causes COX7C to be ubiquitinated in a S-phase kinase associated protein 1 (SKP1)-dependent manner. According to these results, SKP1/COX7C represents a unique therapeutic target and a novel molecular route for treating perimenopausal depression.

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OBJECTIVE: Resveratrol (Res) is a promising anticancer drug against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but whether its anti-HCC effects implicate mitophagy remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to explore the specific role of Res in mitophagy and the related mechanisms during the treatment of HCC. METHODS: HepG2 cells and tumor-grafted nude mice were used to investigate the effects of low-, middle- and high-dose of Res on HCC progression and mitophagy in vitro and in vivo, respectively. A series of approaches including cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, wound healing and transwell assays were used to evaluate tumor cell functions. Transmission electron microscopy, immunofluorescence and Western blotting were used to assess mitophagy. Mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate, reactive oxygen species and membrane potential were used to reflect mitochondrial function. After disrupting the expression of metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), miR-143-3p, and ribonucleoside reductase M2 (RRM2), the effects of the MALAT1/miR-143-3p/RRM2 axis on cell function and mitophagy under Res treatment were explored in vitro. Additionally, dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation were used to confirm interactions between target genes. RESULTS: Res significantly inhibited the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of HCC cells in vitro, while significantly suppressing tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner and inducing mitophagy and mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo. Interestingly, MALAT1 was highly expressed in HCC cells and its knockdown upregulated miR-143-3p expression in HCC cells, which subsequently inhibited RRM2 expression. Furthermore, in nude mice grafted with HCC tumors and treated with Res, the expression of MALAT1, miR-143-3p and RRM2 were altered significantly. In vitro data further supported the targeted binding relationships between MALAT1 and miR-143-3p and between miR-143-3p and RRM2. Therefore, a series of cell-based experiments were carried out to study the mechanism of the MALAT1/miR-143-3p/RRM2 axis involved in mitophagy and HCC; these experiments revealed that MALAT1 knockdown, miR-143-3p mimic and RRM silencing potentiated the antitumor effects of Res and its activation of mitophagy. CONCLUSION Res facilitated mitophagy in HCC and exerted anti-cancer effects by targeting the MALAT1/miR-143-3p/RRM2 axis. Please cite this article as: Feng CY, Cai CS, Shi XQ, Zhang ZJ, Su D, Qiu YQ. Resveratrol promotes mitophagy via the MALAT1/miR-143-3p/RRM2 axis and suppresses cancer progression in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(1): 79-91.
Humans ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Liver Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism* ; Mitophagy/drug effects* ; Resveratrol/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Mice, Nude ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Mice ; Disease Progression ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the sequential mediating roles of body pain and self-reported health in the association between sleep duration and self-reported life satisfaction among elderly Chinese adults. METHODS: Data from the fifth wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) were used to analyse the relationships between sleep duration and body pain, self-reported health, and life satisfaction through logistic regression and Restricted Cubic Spline (RCS) analyses. The sequential mediation effects of body pain and self-reported health status were examined via chain mediation analysis. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that sleeping fewer than 6 hours or 6-7 hours was linked to higher risks of body pain, poor health, and dissatisfaction with life compared to sleeping 7-8 hours (all P < 0.05). Additionally, those sleeping more than 9 hours also had increased risks of poor health and dissatisfaction with life compared to those sleeping 7-8 hours (all P < 0.05). Chain mediation analysis showed that body pain and self-reported health status sequentially mediated 46.15% of the association between sleep duration and life satisfaction. CONCLUSION Body pain and self-reported health may shape the relationship between sleep duration and life satisfaction in elderly Chinese adults.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Personal Satisfaction ; Sleep ; Health Status ; Self Report ; China ; Middle Aged ; Longitudinal Studies ; Pain/psychology* ; Sleep Duration