1.Correlation between fundus blood flow parameters and carotid artery ultrasound blood flow parameters in patients with hypertensive retinopathy
Fang YUAN ; Wenxiu XIA ; Peiqiu XU ; Yawei LI ; Junchen CHEN ; Xiaoling ZHANG
International Eye Science 2025;25(2):306-310
AIM: To investigate the correlation between fundus blood flow parameters and carotid artery ultrasound blood flow parameters in patients with hypertensive retinopathy(HRP).METHODS: A total of 50 patients(22 left eyes and 28 right eyes)with HRP admitted to our hospital from June 2021 to June 2023 were retrospectively included as the experimental group, and 50 healthy physical examination subjects(22 left eyes and 28 right eyes)during the same period were included as the healthy group. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between fundus blood flow parameters and carotid artery ultrasound blood flow parameters.RESULTS: The AUC values of fundus blood flow parameters and carotid artery ultrasound blood flow parameters and their combined diagnosis of HRP were 0.853, 0.844 and 0.935, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis showed that carotid systolic peak blood flow velocity was negatively correlated with foveal avascular zone(FAZ)area, FAZ circumference and non-circularity index, and positively correlated with macular vascular density(all P<0.05). The end-diastolic blood flow velocity was positively correlated with FAZ area and macular vascular density(all P<0.05). The internal carotid artery resistance index was positively correlated with FAZ area(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The combination of fundus blood flow parameters and carotid artery ultrasound blood flow parameters in the diagnosis of HRP has good application value in the diagnosis of HRP.
2.Establishment and stress analysis of a finite element model for adolescent cervical disc herniation
Yuxin ZHAO ; Liang LIANG ; Feng JIN ; Yangyang XU ; Zhijie KANG ; Yuan FANG ; Yujie HE ; Xing WANG ; Haiyan WANG ; Xiaohe LI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(3):448-454
BACKGROUND:Cervical disc herniation can cause pain in the neck and shoulder area,as well as radiating pain in the upper limbs.The incidence rate is increasing year by year and tends to affect younger individuals.Fully understanding the biomechanical characteristics of the cervical spine in adolescents is of great significance for preventing and delaying the onset of cervical disc herniation in this age group. OBJECTIVE:To reconstruct cervical spine models for both healthy adolescents and adolescent patients with cervical disc herniation utilizing finite element analysis techniques,to analyze the motion range of the C1-T1 cervical vertebrae as well as the biomechanical characteristics of the annulus fibrosus,nucleus pulposus,endplates,and the cartilage of the small joints. METHODS:A normal adolescent's cervical spine and an adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation were selected in this study.The continuous scan cervical spine CT raw image data were imported into Mimics 21.0 in DICOM format.The C1-T1 vertebrae were reconstructed separately.Subsequently,the established models were imported into the 3-Matic software for disc reconstruction.The perfected models were then imported into Hypermesh software for meshing of the vertebrae,nucleus pulposus,annulus fibrosus,and ligaments,creating valid geometric models.After assigning material properties,the final models were imported into ABAQUS software to observe the joint motion range of the C1-C7 cervical vertebrae segments under different conditions,and to analyze the biomechanical characteristics of the annulus fibrosus,nucleus pulposus,endplates,and small joint cartilage of each cervical spine segment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)In six different conditions,the joint motion range of the C1 vertebra in the cervical spine models of both normal adolescent and adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation was higher than that of the other vertebrae.Additionally,the joint motion range of each cervical spine segment in normal adolescent was greater than that in adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation.(2)In the cervical spine model of normal adolescent,the maximum stress values in the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus were found on the left side during C2-3 flexion conditions(0.43 MPa and 0.17 MPa,respectively).In the cervical spine model of adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation,the maximum stress values were found on the left side during C7-T1 flexion conditions(0.54 MPa and 0.18 MPa,respectively).(3)In the cervical spine model of normal adolescent,the maximum stress value on the endplate was found on the left side of the upper endplate of C3 during flexion conditions(1.46 MPa).In the model of adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation,the maximum stress value on the endplate was found on the left side of the lower endplate of C7 during flexion conditions(1.32 MPa).(4)In the cervical spine model of normal adolescent,the maximum stress value in the small joint cartilage was found in the C2-3 left rotation conditions(0.98 MPa).In adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation,the stress in the small joint cartilage significantly increased under different conditions,especially in C1-2,with the maximum stress found during left flexion(3.50 MPa).(5)It is concluded that compared to normal adolescent,adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation exhibits altered cervical curvature and a decrease in overall joint motion range in the cervical spine.In adolescent with cervical disc herniation,there is a significant increase in stress on the annulus fibrosus,nucleus pulposus,and endplates in the C7-T1 segment.The stress on the left articular cartilage of the C1-2 is notable.Abnormal cervical curvature may be the primary factor causing these stress changes.
3.Adolescent Smoking Addiction Diagnosis Based on TI-GNN
Xu-Wen WANG ; Da-Hua YU ; Ting XUE ; Xiao-Jiao LI ; Zhen-Zhen MAI ; Fang DONG ; Yu-Xin MA ; Juan WANG ; Kai YUAN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2393-2405
ObjectiveTobacco-related diseases remain one of the leading preventable public health challenges worldwide and are among the primary causes of premature death. In recent years, accumulating evidence has supported the classification of nicotine addiction as a chronic brain disease, profoundly affecting both brain structure and function. Despite the urgency, effective diagnostic methods for smoking addiction remain lacking, posing significant challenges for early intervention and treatment. To address this issue and gain deeper insights into the neural mechanisms underlying nicotine dependence, this study proposes a novel graph neural network framework, termed TI-GNN. This model leverages functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to identify complex and subtle abnormalities in brain connectivity patterns associated with smoking addiction. MethodsThe study utilizes fMRI data to construct functional connectivity matrices that represent interaction patterns among brain regions. These matrices are interpreted as graphs, where brain regions are nodes and the strength of functional connectivity between them serves as edges. The proposed TI-GNN model integrates a Transformer module to effectively capture global interactions across the entire brain network, enabling a comprehensive understanding of high-level connectivity patterns. Additionally, a spatial attention mechanism is employed to selectively focus on informative inter-regional connections while filtering out irrelevant or noisy features. This design enhances the model’s ability to learn meaningful neural representations crucial for classification tasks. A key innovation of TI-GNN lies in its built-in causal interpretation module, which aims to infer directional and potentially causal relationships among brain regions. This not only improves predictive performance but also enhances model interpretability—an essential attribute for clinical applications. The identification of causal links provides valuable insights into the neuropathological basis of addiction and contributes to the development of biologically plausible and trustworthy diagnostic tools. ResultsExperimental results demonstrate that the TI-GNN model achieves superior classification performance on the smoking addiction dataset, outperforming several state-of-the-art baseline models. Specifically, TI-GNN attains an accuracy of 0.91, an F1-score of 0.91, and a Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.83, indicating strong robustness and reliability. Beyond performance metrics, TI-GNN identifies critical abnormal connectivity patterns in several brain regions implicated in addiction. Notably, it highlights dysregulations in the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex, consistent with prior clinical and neuroimaging findings. These regions are well known for their roles in emotional regulation, reward processing, and impulse control—functions that are frequently disrupted in nicotine dependence. ConclusionThe TI-GNN framework offers a powerful and interpretable tool for the objective diagnosis of smoking addiction. By integrating advanced graph learning techniques with causal inference capabilities, the model not only achieves high diagnostic accuracy but also elucidates the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction. The identification of specific abnormal brain networks and their causal interactions deepens our understanding of addiction pathophysiology and lays the groundwork for developing targeted intervention strategies and personalized treatment approaches in the future.
4.Research status of anti-inflammatory effect of traditional Chinese medicine based on NLRP3 inflammatory body
Fu-Mei XU ; Jun-Yuan ZENG ; Lei ZHAO ; Qi-Li ZHANG ; Peng-Fei XIA ; Yin-Qiang JIA ; Jie WANG ; Peng-Xia FANG ; Yan-Li XU
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(6):923-927
Inflammasome is a kind of intracellular polyprotein complex,which is an important component of the complex system of local inflammatory microenvironment after human tissue damage.When the inflammasome is activated,it induces the activation of cysteine aspartate proteinase 1(caspase-1),mediates the maturation and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines,such as interleukin(IL)-1 β and IL-18,and induces cell death,which plays an important role in regulating the host immune response to pathogen infection and tissue repair of cell damage.Nod-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)inflammatory body,which is composed of NLRP3,pro-cysteine aspartic acid specific protease-1(pro-caspase-1)and apoptosis-related spot-like protein(ASC),is the most deeply and widely studied type of inflammatory body,which plays an important role in the regulation of inflammation.When NLRP3 inflammatory bodies are activated,inflammatory mediators are produced and released,which participate in the occurrence and development of a variety of inflammatory diseases.Some studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine can improve the pathological state of a variety of diseases by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammatory bodies,and play a role in the prevention and treatment of a variety of inflammatory diseases,including cardiovascular diseases,joint inflammation,diabetes and so on.This paper systematically combs the mechanism of NLRP3 inflammatory bodies,and summarizes the latest research reports on the effects of traditional Chinese medicine compound prescription,traditional Chinese medicine monomers and traditional Chinese medicine extracts on NLRP3 inflammatory bodies in the treatment of inflammatory diseases,in order to provide new ideas for the further study of the pathogenesis and drug treatment of many inflammatory diseases.
5.Analysis of correlation between serum tislelizumab concentration and immune-related adverse events in patients with malignant tumors
Hui ZHU ; Yong-Fang YUAN ; Ying XU
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(8):1217-1221
Objective To investigate the correlation between blood concentration of tislelizumab and immune-related adverse events(irAEs)in patients with malignant tumors,and to analyze the factors affecting blood concentration.Methods Blood concentration of patients with malignant tumors treated with tislelizumab was detected by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method,and the occurrence of irAEs during treatment was observed,and the correlation between blood concentration and irAEs was analyzed.At the same time,the diagnosis and treatment data of patients were collected to analyze the influence on blood drug concentration.Results Among the 50 malignant tumor patients treated with tislelizumab included in the analysis,34 cases developed irAEs,with an incidence of 68%,including hypothyroidism,rash,liver function impairment,etc.The mean blood concentration of 16.69 μg·mL-1 in the irAEs group was higher than that in the non-irAEs group of 8.41 μg·mL-1,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The mean blood concentration of 20.98 μg·mL-1 in patients with hypothyroidism was higher than that in the group without hypothyroidism(11.04 μg·mL-1),and the mean blood concentration of 23.47 μg·mL-1 in patients with liver function damage was higher than that in the group without liver function damage(12.06 μg·mL-1),with statistical significance(all P<0.05),and the threshold concentrations of associated risks were 14.61 and 13.19 μg·mL-1,respectively.At the same time,through the analysis of clinical characteristics of patients,the results showed that the mean blood concentration of 9.67 μg·mL-1 in the combined chemotherapy group was lower than that in the non-combined chemotherapy group(19.03μg·mL-1),and the blood concentration of 12.74 μg·mL- in the non-small cell lung cancer group was lower than that in the other groups(20.31 μg·mL-1),with statistical significance(all P<0.05).Conclusion High blood concentration of tislelizumab can increase the risk of hypothyroidism and liver function damage in patients.
6.Visual analysis of research hotspots and development trends of Polygoni Multiflori Radix(processed)based on CiteSpace
Fang TANG ; Li-Yuan QU ; Bo-Hong CEN ; Ping WANG ; Dong-Mei SUN ; Zhong-Yuan XU
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(9):1363-1367
Objective This study aims to explore the research hotspots and trends of Polygoni Multiflori Radix(processed)and provide a reference for follow-up research by bibliometric visualization analysis.Methods Relevant Polygoni Multiflori Radix literatures were collected through databases such as PubMed,Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure.Use CiteSpace 6.1.R6 software to do bibliometric analysis on the number and years of articles,research fields,countries/regions,institutions,authors,keywords,co-citation references,and build visual maps.Results A total of 1 517 literatures(1 131 Chinese literatures and 386 English literatures)were searched through databases in this review.We therefore conducted a quantitative analysis of accessible literature published over the last 30 years found that a very modest upward trend in publication volume from Chinese and a notable increase in publication over the world.Among the author teams,there was some cooperation,and the author team with the most published papers cooperated more closely,such as XIAO Xiao-he and WANG Jia-bo's team.In particular reducing toxicity and increasing efficiency by processing,and the toxicity and the rationalusage of Polygoni Multiflori Radix were a main research direction for nearly ten years.Meanwhile,through the co-occurrence analysis of keywords,we constructed and visualized a keyword network to explore the hotspots and future directions of Polygoni Multiflori Radix.We clearly found that effective and toxic homologous components,molecular mechanisms and early warning surveillance of hepatotoxicity might be the next topics for Polygoni Multiflori Radix.Conclusion The research on the homologous chemical components of Polygoni Multiflori Radix(processed)has been very active.The research on the conversion relationship and mechanism of homologous components of Polygoni Multiflori Radix(processed)and the mechanism of hepatotoxicity will be the research focus and development trend in this field.
7.Finite element model establishment and stress analysis of lumbar-sacral intervertebral disc in ankylosing spondylitis
Zhijie KANG ; Zhenhua CAO ; Yangyang XU ; Yunfeng ZHANG ; Feng JIN ; Baoke SU ; Lidong WANG ; Ling TONG ; Qinghua LIU ; Yuan FANG ; Lirong SHA ; Liang LIANG ; Mengmeng LI ; Yifei DU ; Lin LIN ; Haiyan WANG ; Xiaohe LI ; Zhijun LI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2024;28(6):840-846
BACKGROUND:Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease with chronic rheumatic immunity.Soft tissue ossification and fusion and spinal stiffness can cause biomechanical changes. OBJECTIVE:To reconstruct the lumbar-sacral intervertebral disc in ankylosing spondylitis patients with lumbar kyphosis by finite element analysis,and to study the range of motion of each segment of T11-S1 and the biomechanical characteristics of annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. METHODS:The imaging data were obtained from an ankylosing spondylitis patient with lumbar kyphosis.The original CT image data of continuously scanned spine were imported into Mimics 21.0 in DICOM format,and T11-S1 was reconstructed respectively.The established model was imported into 3-Matic software in the format of"Stl"to reconstruct the intervertebral disc,and the fibrous intervertebral disc model was obtained.The improved model was further imported into Hypermesh software,and the vertebra,nucleus pulposus,annulus fibrosus and ligament were mesh-divided.After the material properties were given,the model was imported into ABAQUS software to observe the range of motion of each vertebral body in seven different working conditions of T11-S1,and analyze the biomechanical characteristics of each segment of annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The range of motion of L1 vertebrae was higher than that of other vertebrae under six different working conditions:extension,forward flexion,rotation(left and right),and lateral flexion(left and right).The maximum range of motion was 2.18° during L1 vertebral flexion,and the minimum range of motion was 0.12° during L5 vertebral extension.(2)The annular fiber flexion at L2-L3 segments was greater than the extension(P<0.05),and the annular fiber flexion at L3-L4 and L4-L5 segments was less than the extension(P<0.05).The left rotation of L1-L2 annular fibers was greater than the right rotation(P<0.05).The left flexion of the annulus was greater than the right flexion in L1-L2,L2-L3,L3-L4,L4-L5 and L5-S1 segments(P<0.05).(3)The nucleus pulposus stresses of T11-L12,L1-L2,L2-L3,L3-L4 and L4-L5 segments in forward flexion were greater than in extension(P<0.05).The left rotation of T12-L1 and L3-L4 segments was smaller than the right rotation(P<0.05),and that of T11-T12,L1-L2,and L2-L3 segments was larger than the right rotation(P<0.05).The left flexion was larger than the right flexion in the T11-S1 segment.(4)It is concluded that in ankylosing spondylitis patients with lumbar kyphosis,the minimum range of motion of the vertebral body is located at the L5 vertebral body in extension.To prevent fractures,it is recommended to avoid exercise in the extension position.During the onset of lumbar kyphosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis,the maximum stress of the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus is located in the L1-L2 segment,which is fixed and will not alter with the change of body position.The late surgical treatment and correction of deformity should focus on releasing the pressure of the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus in this segment to avoid the rupture of the annulus fibrosus and the injury of the nucleus pulposus.
8.Mechanism of Qianyang Yuyin Granules Regulating NR3C2/ROS/ERK Pathway to Alleviate Aldosterone-induced Podocyte Injury
Yin LI ; Fang YUAN ; Junyao XU ; Cheng NING ; Yixuan WANG ; Lichao QIAN ; Haitao LI ; Jie LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(13):95-105
ObjectiveTo investigate the protective mechanism of Qianyang Yuyin granules (QYYY) on aldosterone-induced podocyte injury. MethodA total of 30 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into five groups: control group, model group, QYYY low dose (QYYY-L) group, QYYY high dose (QYYY-H) group, and spironolactone (SPL) group, with six mice in each group. Except for the control group, mice were implanted with osmotic minipumps and injected continuously with aldosterone (300 μg·kg-1·d-1) to induce renal injury. The drug administration group was given low and high doses (2.6, 5.2 g·kg-1·d-1) of QYYY and SPL (18 mg·kg-1·d-1) for 28 days. The renal pathological changes of mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining. The expression levels of Nephrin, Desmin, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X (Bax), cleaved Caspase-3, nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 2 (NR3C2), extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK), and phospho-ERK (p-ERK) in kidney tissue were detected by Western blot. The apoptosis levels of kidney tissue were detected by TdT-mediated dUTP nick and labeling (TUNEL) staining, and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were detected. In vitro, the mice were divided into five groups: Control group, model group (aldosterone concentration of 200 nmol·L-1), QYYY-L group, QYYY medium dose (QYYY-M) group, and QYYY-H group (25, 50, and 100 mg·L-1). The effect of different concentrations of QYYY on the relative viability of aldosterone-induced podocytes was detected by cell proliferation and viability assay (CCK-8). The expressions of Nephrin, Desmin, Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved Caspase-3, NR3C2, and p-ERK/ERK were detected by Western blot. AnnexinV-FITC/PI flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis levels of podocytes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in podocytes were observed by DCFH-DA. ResultCompared with the control group, the model group showed structural pathological changes and fibrotic conditions in the kidney, increased apoptosis levels (P<0.01), and decreased SOD levels (P<0.01). Aldosterone concentration at 200 nmol·L-1 showed a significant decrease in podocyte activity (P<0.05). Podocytes in the model group showed structural pathological changes, disordered arrangement of intercellular microfilaments, increased apoptosis levels (P<0.01), and increased intracellular ROS levels (P<0.01). The protein expressions of Nephrin, Bcl-2, and p-ERK/ERK in kidney tissue and podocytes were decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The protein expressions of Desmin, Bax, cleaved Caspase-3, and NR3C2 were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, QYYY alleviated the structural damage and fibrosis of the kidney, decreased the apoptosis levels (P<0.05, P<0.01), and enhanced the SOD content of the kidney (P<0.05, P<0.01). QYYY improved the activity of podocytes (P<0.05, P<0.01), restored the foot process structure of podocytes, and decreased apoptosis levels (P<0.01) and ROS levels of podocytes (P<0.01). The protein expressions of Nephrin, Bcl-2, and p-ERK/ERK in kidney tissue and podocytes were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the protein expressions of Desmin, Bax, cleaved Caspase-3, and NR3C2 were down-regulated (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionQYYY improves aldosterone-induced podocyte injury by regulating the NR3C2/ROS/ERK pathway.
9.Effects of Changweiqing (肠胃清) on Transplanted Tumor Growth of Colorectal Cancer Cells and Expression of STAT3 and Bcl-2 Gene Splicing Isoforms
Bin CHEN ; Wanli DENG ; Fang LIANG ; Xu YUAN ; Manli XIE ; Hui LIU
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;65(8):849-857
ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanism of Changweiqing (肠胃清) in the treatment of colorectal cancer. MethodsHCT 116 cancer cells were used to prepare intestinal cancer cells with silenced polypyrimidine region binding protein 3 (PTBP3) gene and stably transfected cells with overexpressed PTBP3 gene. Stably transfected cells with silenced PTBP3, stably transfected cells with overexpressed PTBP3 and untransfected cancer cells were injected into the armpit of 72 nude mice to construct three different subcutaneous transplanted tumor models of colorectal cancer cells, including the silenced model, the overexpressed model and the control model, with 24 mice per model. Mice of each transplanted tumor modelwere randomly divided into Changweiqing (CWQ) group, oxaliplatin (OXA) group and normal saline (NS) group, with 8 mice in each group. The CWQ groups were given intragastric administration of 35.9625 g/kg of Changweiqing oral liquid and were intraperitoneally injected with 0.2ml of normal saline; the NS groups were given 0.5ml of normal saline by gavage, and intraperitoneal injection of 0.2ml of normal saline; the OXA groups were intraperitoneally injected with 5 mg/kg (0.2 ml) of oxaliplatin and given 0.5ml of normal saline by gavage. Each group was given intragastric administration once a day and intraperitoneal injection three times a week. After 31 days, the weight of subcutaneous tumors in each group was measured, and the tumor inhibition rate of the groups in each model were measured. Immunohistochemistry and other methods were used to detect the expression level of cell proliferation cell nuclear antigen Ki67 and apoptosis index. Real-time PCR and Western Blot were used to detect mRNA and protein expressions of PTBP3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) splicing isoform α (STAT3α), STAT3 splicing isoform β (STAT3β), B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) splicing isoform α (Bcl-2α), and Bcl-2 splicing isoform β (Bcl-2β) in subcutaneous tumor cells in each group. ResultsFor all three transplanted tumor models, the weight of the subcutaneous tumors and Ki67 expression level of subcutaneous tumor tissue in all CWQ groups and OXA groups were lower than those of the corresponding NS groups, while the apoptosis level were higher (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The mRNA and protein expressions of PTBP3, STAT3α, and Bcl-2α in the subcutaneous tumor tissues of the silenced model CWQ group and the overexpressed model CWQ group were lower than those of the corresponding NS groups, while the mRNA and protein expression levels of STAT3β and Bcl-2β were higher (P<0.05 or P<0.01). All there groups of silenced model had lower subcutaneous tumor weight, Ki67 expression level, and mRNA and protein expression levels of PTBP3, STAT3α, and Bcl-2α in subcutaneous tumor tissue, as well as higher apoptosis level and mRNA and protein expression levels of STAT3β and Bcl-2β than those in all groups of control model; all groups of overexpressed model had higher subcutaneous tumor weight, Ki67 expression level, and mRNA and protein expression levels of PTBP3, STAT3α, and Bcl-2α , while lower apoptosis level and mRNA and protein expression levels of STAT3β and Bcl-2β than those in all control model groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In the control model, compared with the NS group, The tumor inhibition rate of all OXA groups was higher than that of corresponding CWQ groups, respectively. Compared to that of each control model group, the tumor inhibition rate was positive value of each silenced model group, and negative value of each overexpressed model group. ConclusionPTBP3 can promote the proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of intestinal cancer cells, upregulate the expression of STAT3α and Bcl-2α, and downregulate the expression of STAT3β and Bcl-2β in intestinal cancer cells. The meachnism of action of Changweiqing in the treatment of colorectal cancer maybe related to the inhibition of PTBP3, and regulation of the expression of STAT3α, STAT3β, Bcl-2α, and Bcl-2β.
10.Application Study of Enzyme Inhibitors and Their Conformational Optimization in The Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Chao-Yang CHU ; Biao XIAO ; Jiang-Hui SHAN ; Shi-Yu CHEN ; Chu-Xia ZHANG ; Yu-Yu ZHOU ; Tian-Yuan FANG ; Zhi-Cheng LIN ; Kai XIE ; Shu-Jun XU ; Li-Ping LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(7):1510-1529
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a central neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive dysfunction and behavioral impairment, and there is a lack of effective drugs to treat AD clinically. Existing medications for the treatment of AD, such as Tacrine, Donepezil, Rivastigmine, and Aducanumab, only serve to delay symptoms and but not cure disease. To add insult to injury, these medications are associated with very serious adverse effects. Therefore, it is urgent to explore effective therapeutic drugs for AD. Recently, studies have shown that a variety of enzyme inhibitors, such as cholinesterase inhibitors, monoamine oxidase (MAO)inhibitors, secretase inhibitors, can ameliorate cholinergic system dysfunction, Aβ production and deposition, Tau protein hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress damage, and the decline of synaptic plasticity, thereby improving AD symptoms and cognitive function. Some plant extracts from natural sources, such as Umbelliferone, Aaptamine, Medha Plus, have the ability to inhibit cholinesterase activity and act to improve learning and cognition. Isochromanone derivatives incorporating the donepezil pharmacophore bind to the catalytic active site (CAS) and peripheral anionic site (PAS) sites of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which can inhibit AChE activity and ameliorate cholinergic system disorders. A compound called Rosmarinic acid which is found in the Lamiaceae can inhibit monoamine oxidase, increase monoamine levels in the brain, and reduce Aβ deposition. Compounds obtained by hybridization of coumarin derivatives and hydroxypyridinones can inhibit MAO-B activity and attenuate oxidative stress damage. Quinoline derivatives which inhibit the activation of AChE and MAO-B can reduce Aβ burden and promote learning and memory of mice. The compound derived from the combination of propargyl and tacrine retains the inhibitory capacity of tacrine towards cholinesterase, and also inhibits the activity of MAO by binding to the FAD cofactor of monoamine oxidase. A series of hybrids, obtained by an amide linker of chromone in combine with the benzylpiperidine moieties of donepezil, have a favorable safety profile of both cholinesterase and monoamine oxidase inhibitory activity. Single domain antibodies (such as AAV-VHH) targeted the inhibition of BACE1 can reduce Aβ production and deposition as well as the levels of inflammatory cells, which ultimately improve synaptic plasticity. 3-O-trans-p-coumaroyl maslinic acid from the extract of Ligustrum lucidum can specifically inhibit the activity of γ-secretase, thereby rescuing the long-term potentiation and enhancing synaptic plasticity in APP/PS1 mice. Inhibiting γ-secretase activity which leads to the decline of inflammatory factors (such as IFN-γ, IL-8) not only directly improves the pathology of AD, but also reduces Aβ production. Melatonin reduces the transcriptional expression of GSK-3β mRNA, thereby decreasing the levels of GSK-3β and reducing the phosphorylation induced by GSK-3β. Hydrogen sulfide can inhibitGSK-3β activity via sulfhydration of the Cys218 site of GSK-3β, resulting in the suppression of Tau protein hyperphosphorylation, which ameliorate the motor deficits and cognitive impairment in mice with AD. This article reviews enzyme inhibitors and conformational optimization of enzyme inhibitors targeting the regulation of cholinesterase, monoamine oxidase, secretase, and GSK-3β. We are hoping to provide a comprehensive overview of drug development in the enzyme inhibitors, which may be useful in treating AD.

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