1.Inhibitory effect of penfluridol on melanoma growth by targeting HSPA6
Heng GE ; Pan JIANG ; Xin ZHANG ; Zhaohai PAN ; Defang LI
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2026;57(1):68-77
This study employed the drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) technique to investigate the molecular mechanism of the antipsychotic drug penfluridol against melanoma, revealing the biological pathway to exert its effect on the HSPA6/p53/p21 signaling axis. Experiments such as the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and cell colony formation ability assay confirmed that penfluridol could significantly downregulate the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) in melanoma A375 and B16 cells, induce cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, and thus inhibit the proliferation of melanoma cells. Meanwhile, the results of Western blot, Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining experiments showed that penfluridol could significantly downregulate the expression of Bcl-2 and upregulate the expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3, inducing cell apoptosis. Further, the DARTS technique was used to identify heat shock 70 kD protein 6 (HSPA6) as the key target bound by penfluridol. Penfluridol activates the p53/p21 pathway by upregulating HSPA6. Knocking down HSPA6 reverses not only the activation of the p53/p21 pathway mediated by penfluridol but also the associated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Animal experiments on tumor-bearing mice also confirmed that knocking down HSPA6 could reverse the in vivo anti-tumor activity of penfluridol. This study clarified that penfluridol can inhibit the progression of melanoma by targeting HSPA6 to activate the p53/p21 signaling axis, providing a new perspective for the repositioning of antipsychotic drugs in cancer treatment.
2.L-Mimosine Modulates the ROS/JNK/c-Jun Signaling Axis to Trigger Mitochondrial Apoptosis in Melanoma Cells
Ying ZHAO ; Pan JIANG ; Dan LEI ; Haiyan LIN ; Zhaohai PAN ; Defang LI
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;41(5):678-688
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of L-mimosine on the proliferation and apoptosis of melanoma cells and its molecular mechanisms.METHODS The effects of different concentrations of L-mimosine on the viability of melanoma A375 and B16 cells were examined by the MTT assay.The ability of L-Mimosine to affect colony formation was assessed by the plate colony for-mation assay.The effects of L-mimosine on cell apoptosis,reactive oxygen species(ROS),and mitochondrial membrane potential were analyzed by flow cytometry.The changes in the expression levels of intracellular proteins such as Bcl-2,Bax,Cyt C,Cleaved Caspase-3,Cleaved Caspase-9,Bim-EL,Bad,p-JNK,p-c-Jun,p-MKK4,and p-ASK1 were detected by Western blot.The tumor-bearing mouse model was subjected to histological and TUNEL staining analysis of tumor tissues after treatment with normal saline,L-mimosine alone,and L-mimosine in combination with N-acetylcysteine(NAC).RESULTS L-mimosine significantly inhibited the prolifera-tion of A375 and B16 cells and significantly promoted cell apoptosis.Western blot analysis showed that L-mimosine could significantly increase the content of Apaf-1 and Cyt C in the cytoplasm,up-regulate the expression of Cleaved PARP,Cleaved Caspase-3,Cleaved Caspase-9,Bax,Bim-EL and Bad,and down-regulate the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2.Further experiments showed that L-mimosine significantly induced the accumulation of ROS in A375 cells and activated the JNK/c-Jun signaling pathway,which was manifested by the significant increase of p-JNK,p-c-Jun,p-MKK4 and p-ASK1.Additionally,the antioxidant NAC could significantly antagonize the ROS accumulation induced by L-mimosine,thereby reversing the pro-apoptotic effects of L-mi-mosine on melanoma cells.In vivo experiments,NAC also significantly antagonized the tumor growth inhibition induced by L-mi-mosine,as evidenced by increased tumor volume and reversed expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins.CONCLUSION L-mi-mosine induces apoptosis in melanoma cells by increasing ROS levels and activating the JNK/c-Jun signaling pathway.
3.L-Mimosine Modulates the ROS/JNK/c-Jun Signaling Axis to Trigger Mitochondrial Apoptosis in Melanoma Cells
Ying ZHAO ; Pan JIANG ; Dan LEI ; Haiyan LIN ; Zhaohai PAN ; Defang LI
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;41(5):678-688
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of L-mimosine on the proliferation and apoptosis of melanoma cells and its molecular mechanisms.METHODS The effects of different concentrations of L-mimosine on the viability of melanoma A375 and B16 cells were examined by the MTT assay.The ability of L-Mimosine to affect colony formation was assessed by the plate colony for-mation assay.The effects of L-mimosine on cell apoptosis,reactive oxygen species(ROS),and mitochondrial membrane potential were analyzed by flow cytometry.The changes in the expression levels of intracellular proteins such as Bcl-2,Bax,Cyt C,Cleaved Caspase-3,Cleaved Caspase-9,Bim-EL,Bad,p-JNK,p-c-Jun,p-MKK4,and p-ASK1 were detected by Western blot.The tumor-bearing mouse model was subjected to histological and TUNEL staining analysis of tumor tissues after treatment with normal saline,L-mimosine alone,and L-mimosine in combination with N-acetylcysteine(NAC).RESULTS L-mimosine significantly inhibited the prolifera-tion of A375 and B16 cells and significantly promoted cell apoptosis.Western blot analysis showed that L-mimosine could significantly increase the content of Apaf-1 and Cyt C in the cytoplasm,up-regulate the expression of Cleaved PARP,Cleaved Caspase-3,Cleaved Caspase-9,Bax,Bim-EL and Bad,and down-regulate the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2.Further experiments showed that L-mimosine significantly induced the accumulation of ROS in A375 cells and activated the JNK/c-Jun signaling pathway,which was manifested by the significant increase of p-JNK,p-c-Jun,p-MKK4 and p-ASK1.Additionally,the antioxidant NAC could significantly antagonize the ROS accumulation induced by L-mimosine,thereby reversing the pro-apoptotic effects of L-mi-mosine on melanoma cells.In vivo experiments,NAC also significantly antagonized the tumor growth inhibition induced by L-mi-mosine,as evidenced by increased tumor volume and reversed expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins.CONCLUSION L-mi-mosine induces apoptosis in melanoma cells by increasing ROS levels and activating the JNK/c-Jun signaling pathway.
4.Rapid visual detection method for duck astrovirus type 2 based on RPA-CRISPR/Cas13a-LFD
Shuhai HE ; Mengxiao TAO ; Luyao WANG ; Defang ZHOU ; Jing ZHOU ; Ziqiang CHENG ; Li HUANG
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(7):1372-1377
To achieve efficient and rapid detection of duck astrovirus type 2(DAstV-2),RPA prim-ers and crRNA were designed and synthesized based on the conserved sequence of the ORF2 gene of DAstV-2.A detection method for DAstV-2 was constructed,integrating RPA nucleic acid ampli-fication,LwCas13a cleavage,and colloidal gold lateral flow dipstick visualization.The specificity,sensitivity,and concordance of this detection method were evaluated.The experimental results showed that the detection limit for the DAstV-2 recombinant plasmid standard was 1.2×101 cop-ies/μL,which is superior to the conventional RT-PCR method.The method can specifically detect DAstV-2 pathogenic nucleic acids without cross-reactivity with DAstV-1,DAstV-3,DAstV-4,duck plague virus(DEV),and duck tembusu virus(DTMUV).When testing liver tissue samples from ducks suspected of being infected with DAstV-2,the results obtained using this method were com-pletely consistent with those from real-time quantitative PCR,with a 100%concordance rate.How-ever,this method is simpler and faster to perform.The research indicates that the established RPA-CRISPR/Cas13a-LFD detection system has high sensitivity,strong specificity,and high accuracy,capable of completing rapid visual detection of DAstV-2 nucleic acids within 1 h at a constant tem-perature of 37 ℃,providing a new technical platform for the rapid diagnosis of DAstV-2.
5.Rapid visual detection method for duck astrovirus type 2 based on RPA-CRISPR/Cas13a-LFD
Shuhai HE ; Mengxiao TAO ; Luyao WANG ; Defang ZHOU ; Jing ZHOU ; Ziqiang CHENG ; Li HUANG
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(7):1372-1377
To achieve efficient and rapid detection of duck astrovirus type 2(DAstV-2),RPA prim-ers and crRNA were designed and synthesized based on the conserved sequence of the ORF2 gene of DAstV-2.A detection method for DAstV-2 was constructed,integrating RPA nucleic acid ampli-fication,LwCas13a cleavage,and colloidal gold lateral flow dipstick visualization.The specificity,sensitivity,and concordance of this detection method were evaluated.The experimental results showed that the detection limit for the DAstV-2 recombinant plasmid standard was 1.2×101 cop-ies/μL,which is superior to the conventional RT-PCR method.The method can specifically detect DAstV-2 pathogenic nucleic acids without cross-reactivity with DAstV-1,DAstV-3,DAstV-4,duck plague virus(DEV),and duck tembusu virus(DTMUV).When testing liver tissue samples from ducks suspected of being infected with DAstV-2,the results obtained using this method were com-pletely consistent with those from real-time quantitative PCR,with a 100%concordance rate.How-ever,this method is simpler and faster to perform.The research indicates that the established RPA-CRISPR/Cas13a-LFD detection system has high sensitivity,strong specificity,and high accuracy,capable of completing rapid visual detection of DAstV-2 nucleic acids within 1 h at a constant tem-perature of 37 ℃,providing a new technical platform for the rapid diagnosis of DAstV-2.
6.Comparison and related factors of suicide risk among patients with schizophrenia,major depressive disorder,and bipolar disorder
Chuanlin LUO ; Yuanyuan LI ; Zhaorui LIU ; Yanling HE ; Liang ZHOU ; Bo LIU ; Jie ZHANG ; Yuandong GONG ; Yan LIU ; Jin LU ; Yanping ZHOU ; Changqing GAO ; Qing DONG ; Defang CAI ; Runxu YANG ; Tingting ZHANG ; Yueqin HUANG
Chinese Mental Health Journal 2024;38(1):1-8
Objective:To describe and analyze suicide risk of patients with schizophrenia,major depressive disorder,and bipolar disorder.Methods:A total of 2 016 patients with schizophrenia,903 patients with major de-pressive disorder,and 381 patients with bipolar disorder from inpatients,clinics,or communities who met the diag-nostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Fifth Edition were recruited.All patients were interviewed by psychiatrists using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview to diagnose mental disor-ders and assess suicide risk,as well as Clinical-Rated Dimensions of Psychosis Symptom Severity(CRDPSS)to as-sess symptoms.Differences and risk factors of suicide risk among three types of mental disorders were explored u-sing multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results:In the past one month,37 patients with schizophrenia(1.8%),516 patients with major depressive disorder(57.1%),and 102 patients with bipolar disorder(26.8%)had suicide risk.Compared with patients with schizophrenia,suicide risk in patients with major depressive disorder(OR=36.50)and bipolar disorder(OR=20.10)increased.Female(OR=1.87),smoking(OR=1.76),family history of suicide(OR=5.09),higher score of CRDPSS hallucination(OR=1.80),and higher score of CRDPSS depression(OR=1.54)were risk factors of suicide risk of patients.Conclusions:Suicide risk of patients with ma-jor depressive disorder and bipolar disorder is higher than that of patients with schizophrenia.In clinical practice,it is important to regularly assess suicide risk of patients.Patients who experience symptoms of hallucination and de-pression should be paid more attention to.
7.Norcantharidin induces apoptosis through autophagosome accumulation in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells
Yuan XIA ; Qingling JIANG ; Xiaoting WANG ; Minjing LI ; Qiusheng ZHENG ; Defang LI
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2023;54(6):757-768
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of norcantharidin (NCTD) on the proliferation and apoptosis of triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231.Western blot was used to detect the effect of NCTD on the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins Bax/Bcl-2, cleaved-PARP/PARP/PARP, cleved-caspase-9, cleaved-caspase-3 and MCL-1 in MDA-MB-231 cells.Also, the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins LC3-II/LC3-I, Parkin and PINK1 in MDA-MB-231 cells were measured by Western blot.Flow cytometry was used to measure the effect of NCTD on the changes of mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS).The effect of NCTD on autophagy flow in cells expressing mCherry-EGFP-LC3 was detected by a confocal microscope.Moreover, the effects of NCTD combined with chloroquine (CQ) or 3-methyladenine (3-MA) on the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells were detected by flow cytometry.The results showed that NCTD significantly increased the expression levels of Bax/Bcl-2, cleaved-PARP/PARP, cleaved-caspase-9, cleasved-caspase-3 and LC3-II/LC3-I proteins, and promoted the mitochondrial translocation of Parkin, and blocked the autophagic flow in MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, NCTD combined with CQ accelerated apoptosis, while NCTD combined with 3-MA decreased apoptosis.These results suggest that NCTD can induce autophagy accumulation and lead to apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells.
8.Clinical Effect and Mechanism of Modified Danshenyin Against Chronic Atrophic Gastritis with Syndrome of Stasis in Stomach Collateral: Based on Theory of Collateral Diseases
Defang WANG ; Ming ZHAO ; Xiaoyi DONG ; Xiaoyan LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2022;28(23):122-127
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effect of Danshenyin on chronic atrophic gastritis and explore the mechanism. MethodA total of 152 patients with chronic atrophic gastritis who were treated in Xining No. 1 People's Hospital were selected and randomized into control group (76 cases) and observation group (76 cases). The control group was given conventional western medicine treatment, and the observation group was given Danshenyin (oral). The treatment lasted 8 weeks for both groups. The clinical effect, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score, and pathological score of gastric mucosa were compared between two groups. The content of pepsinogenⅠ (PGⅠ), pepsinogenⅡ (PGⅡ), proinflammatory cytokines [soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)], and gastric mucosa-proteting factors [prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)] was determined, and the adverse reactions and recurrence rates were recorded. ResultThe effective rate (91.18%, 62/68) in the observation group was higher than that (7.61%, 52/67) in the control group (χ2=4.727, P<0.05). The TCM syndrome score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group showed low pathological scores of glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia (P<0.05). The observation group had higher serum PGⅠ content and PGⅠ/PGⅡ value and lower PGⅡ content than the control group (P<0.05). The content of sIL-2R and TNF-α decreased (P<0.05) and that of PGE2 and CGRP increased (P<0.05) in the observation group as compared with those in the control group. The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was 7.35% (5/68), as compared with the 14.93% (10/67) in the control group. The recurrence rates in the 6-month and 12-month follow-up in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (Fisher's exact test). ConclusionDanshenyin shows satisfactory effect in relieving TCM syndrome, regulating PG secretion, and improving gastric mucosal lesions in the treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis. The mechanism is the likelihood that it modulates sIL-2R, TNF-α, PGE2, and CGRP to alleviate inflammatory damage of gastric mucosa and protect gastric mucosa. The medicine is safe and reduces the recurrence of chronic atrophic gastritis.
9.Multicenter study on the effect of early screening skills training for autism spectrum disorders in primary care hospitals in Chengdu
Wenxu YANG ; Jiao LE ; Lan ZHANG ; Ying ZHANG ; Ping YANG ; Chunxia ZHAO ; Chunhua DU ; Junni HE ; Yanmei CAO ; Jia SHANG ; Li LI ; Yan LIU ; Shenglan WU ; Xia LI ; Xiujin CHEN ; Hai LAN ; Hua LI ; Xiang KONG ; Hengli LI ; Defang MI ; Jie ZHAO ; Yang NIE ; Jinxiu GAO ; Ling LI
Sichuan Mental Health 2022;35(4):337-342
ObjectiveTo investigate effect of conducting training of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) early screening skill on improving the ability to early identify ASD of medical staffs in primary care hospitals. MethodsIn September 2021, the training of ASD early screening skills was carried out for medical staffs from 20 primary care hospitals in Chengdu. After training, the training effect was evaluated. The numbers of referrals from primary care hospitals to superior hospitals, confirmed ASD as well as their average diagnostic age of children with ASD before and after training were used as evaluation indicators. ResultsAfter training, the number of children with suspected ASD referred by primary care hospitals was more than that before training [(16.65±11.60) vs. (3.40±2.23), t=5.431, P<0.01], the number of children diagnosed with ASD was more than that before training[(6.85±4.93) vs. (2.45±1.67), t=4.171, P<0.01], and the differences were statistically significant. As for the diagnosed age of ASD children, after training, the average age was lower than that before training [(34.95±11.67) vs. (42.2±14.64), t=-2.553, P=0.019]. ConclusionTraining of ASD early screening skills for medical staffs in primary care hospitals may help to improve their ability to early screening ASD children.
10.Integrated
Haoshi GAO ; Haoyue JIA ; Jie DONG ; Xinggang YANG ; Haifeng LI ; Defang OUYANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2021;11(11):3585-3594
The drug formulation design of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) often requires numerous experiments, which are time- and money-consuming. This research aimed to rationally design the SEDDS formulation by the integrated computational and experimental approaches. 4495 SEDDS formulation datasets were collected to predict the pseudo-ternary phase diagram by the machine learning methods. Random forest (RF) showed the best prediction performance with 91.3% for accuracy, 92.0% for sensitivity and 90.7% for specificity in 5-fold cross-validation. The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams of meloxicam SEDDS were experimentally developed to validate the RF prediction model and achieved an excellent prediction accuracy (89.51%). The central composite design (CCD) was used to screen the best ratio of oil-surfactant-cosurfactant. Finally, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was used to investigate the molecular interaction between excipients and drugs, which revealed the diffusion behavior in water and the role of cosurfactants. In conclusion, this research combined machine learning, central composite design, molecular modeling and experimental approaches for rational SEDDS formulation design. The integrated computer methodology can decrease traditional drug formulation design works and bring new ideas for future drug formulation design.

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