1.Hypoglycemic Effect and Mechanism of ICK Pattern Peptides
Lin-Fang CHEN ; Jia-Fan ZHANG ; Ye-Ning GUO ; Hui-Zhong HUANG ; Kang-Hong HU ; Chen-Guang YAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):50-60
Diabetes is a very complex endocrine disease whose common feature is the increase in blood glucose concentration. Persistent hyperglycemia can lead to blindness, kidney and heart disease, neurodegeneration, and many other serious complications that have a significant impact on human health and quality of life. The number of people with diabetes is increasing yearly. The global diabetes prevalence in 20-79 year olds in 2021 was estimated to be 10.5% (536.6 million), and it will rise to 12.2% (783.2 million) in 2045. The main modes of intervention for diabetes include medication, dietary management, and exercise conditioning. Medication is the mainstay of treatment. Marketed diabetes drugs such as metformin and insulin, as well as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are effective in controlling blood sugar levels to some extent, but the preventive and therapeutic effects are still unsatisfactory. Peptide drugs have many advantages such as low toxicity, high target specificity, and good biocompatibility, which opens up new avenues for the treatment of diabetes and other diseases. Currently, insulin and its analogs are by far the main life-saving drugs in clinical diabetes treatment, enabling effective control of blood glucose levels, but the risk of hypoglycemia is relatively high and treatment is limited by the route of delivery. New and oral anti-diabetic drugs have always been a market demand and research hotspot. Inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) peptides are a class of multifunctional cyclic peptides. In structure, they contain three conserved disulfide bonds (C3-C20, C7-C22, and C15-C32) form a compact “knot” structure, which can resist degradation of digestive protease. Recent studies have shown that ICK peptides derived from legume, such as PA1b, Aglycin, Vglycin, Iglycin, Dglycin, and aM1, exhibit excellent regulatory activities on glucose and lipid metabolism at the cellular and animal levels. Mechanistically, ICK peptides promote glucose utilization by muscle and liver through activation of IR/AKT signaling pathway, which also improves insulin resistance. They can repair the damaged pancrease through activation of PI3K/AKT/Erk signaling pathway, thus lowering blood glucose. The biostability and hypoglycemic efficacy of the ICK peptides meet the requirements for commercialization of oral drugs, and in theory, they can be developed into natural oral anti-diabetes peptide drugs. In this review, the structural properties, activity and mechanism of ICK pattern peptides in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism were summaried, which provided a reference for the development of new oral peptides for diabetes.
2.Proteomics combined with bioinformatics analysis of protein markers of dry eye
Yanting YANG ; Yajun SHI ; Guang YANG ; Haiyang JI ; Jie LIU ; Jue HONG ; Dan ZHANG ; Xiaopeng MA
International Eye Science 2025;25(1):104-111
AIM:To analyze differential proteins associated with the pathogenesis of dry eye(DE)using bioinformatics methods, in order to reveal their potential molecular mechanisms.METHODS: Articles published in PubMed and EMBASE databases from the inception of the database to August 31, 2023, that used proteomic methods to detect protein expression in clinical samples of dry eye were searched. Differential proteins were selected and further analyzed using the STRING database and Cytoscape software for hub gene screening and module analysis. Protein-protein interaction(PPI)analysis, gene ontology(GO)functional annotation, and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis were performed.RESULTS: A total of 21 articles were included, identifying 74 differentially expressed proteins. The most frequently occurring differential proteins were calgranulin A(SA1008), lipocalin-1(LCN1), lysozyme C(LYZ), mammaglobin-B(SCGB2A1), proline-rich protein 4(PRR4), transferrin(TF), and calgranulinB(S100A9). The top 10 hub genes were serum albumin(ALB), tumor necrosis factor(TNF), interleukin 6(IL6), IL1B, IL8, matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9), alpha-1-antitrypsin(SERPINA1), IL10, complement component 3(C3), and lactotransferrin(LTF). Module analysis suggested MMP9 and PRR4 as seed genes. KEGG analysis showed that differential proteins were mainly enriched in the IL17 signaling pathway(61.9%).CONCLUSION: The results reveal potential molecular targets and pathways for DE and confirm the association between the pathogenesis of DE and inflammation. Further in-depth research is needed to confirm the significance of these biomarkers in clinical practice.
3.Celastrol ameliorates atopic dermatitis by modulating Ezrin activation
Hong-Yu JIN ; Dan-Dan WANG ; Xin-Yi SONG ; Ke-Xin XU ; Guang-Hai YAN ; Liang-Chang LI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(10):1921-1930
Aim To investigate the effect of Celastrol on the expression of Ezrin in tissues and HaCaT cells of DNCB sensitisation-induced atopic dermatitis(AD)mice.Methods BALB/c mice were taken and ran-domly divided into the control,DNCB group,Celastrol 25 μg,50 μg,75 μg treatment group,and Dex group,with 8 mice in each group;HaCaT cells were induced with TNF-α and treated with 1 μmol·L-1 Celastrol and Ezrin siRNA.The thickness of the skin on the ear and back of mice was measured by a thickness gauge,and the spleen and lymph nodes of mice were taken to observe the changes.HE and toluidine blue staining were used to observe the inflammatory cells and mast cell infiltration in mice.Flow cytometry was used to detect the levels of IL-4 and TNF-α in the lymph nodes of mice,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent was used to determine the levels of IL-4,TNF-α and IgE in serum of mice,and the expression of IL-4,IL-5 and IL-13 in the supernatant of HaCaT cells.Western blot was used to detect the expression of P-Ezrin and Ezrin in skin tissues.Results Celastrol significantly inhibited the swelling of ear and back skin tissues,reduced the de-granulation of inflammatory cells and mast cells,low-ered serum IgE and serum and lymph node levels of IL-4 and TNF-α,and reduced the activation of Ezrin in mice,and the expression of IL-4,IL-5 and IL-13 in the supernatant of HaCaT cells was restored by the treat-ment with Ezrin siRNA.Conclusion Celastrol amel-iorates AD,which may be achieved by modulating Ezrin activation.
4.Comparsion of bone setting technique combined with percutaneous vertebroplasty and percutaneous kyphoplasty for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures
Wen-Chao LI ; Peng-Fei YU ; Guang-Ye ZHU ; Hong GUO ; Ya-Hao LI ; Xian-Da ZHANG ; Chao LI ; Hong JIANG ; Hong-Wei LI
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2024;37(6):546-552
Objective To explore clinical efficacy of osteoplasty combined with percutaneous vertebroplasty(PVP)and percutaneous kyphoplasty(PKP)alone in treating osteoporosis vertebral compression fractures(OVCFs).Methods The clini-cal data of 80 patients with single-level OVCFs treated from January 2021 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed,and were divided into treatment group and control group according to different surgical methods,40 patients in each group.In treatment group,there were 24 males and 16 females,aged from 60 to 83 years old with an average of(70.43±7.31)years old;bone min-eral density ranged from-3.30 to-2.50 SD with an average of(-2.84±0.24)SD;1 patient with T10,4 patients with T11,11 pa-tients with T12,7 patients with L1,7 patients with L2,5 patients with L3,3 patients with L4,2 patients with L5;bone setting tech-nique combined with PVP were performed.In control group,there were 27 males and 13 females,aged from 60 to 82 years old with an average of(68.98±6.94)years old;bone mineral density ranged from-3.40 to-2.50 SD with an average of(-2.76±0.23)SD;2 patients with T10,3 patients with T11,13 patients with T12,11 patients with L1,5 patients with L2,3 patients with L3,2 patients with L4,1 patient with L5;simple PKP were peformed.Visual analogue scale(VAS)and lumbar Oswestry disability in-dex(ODI)were compared between two groups before operation,3 days,3 and 12 months after operation.The changes of local kyphotic angle,vertebral wedge angle and vertebral anterior margin height ratio were compared between two groups before op-eration,3 days and 12 months after operation.Results All patients were successfully completed operation.Treatment group were followed up from 13 to 22 months with an average of(16.82±2.14)months,and control group were followed up from 13 to 23 months with an average of(16.45±2.56)months.Three patients were occurred bone cement leakage in treatment group,while 1 patient were occurred bone cement leakage and 1 patient occurred sensory disturbance of lower limb skin in control group;there were no significant difference in complications between two groups(P>0.05).There were no significant difference in preoperative VAS and ODI between two groups(P>0.05).At 3 days after operation,VAS of treatment group 3.68±0.62 was significantly higher than that of control group 4.00±0.72(P<0.05).There were no significant difference in VAS and ODI be-tween two groups at 3 and 12 months after operation(P>0.05).There were no significant difference in local kyphotic angle,vertebral wedge angle and vertebral anterior margin height between two groups at 3 days and 12 months after operation(P>0.05).Conclusion Compared with PKP,bone setting manipulation combined with PVP for the treatment of OVCFs has advan-tages in early postoperative pain relief.In terms of vertebral height recovery,bone setting manipulation combined with PVP and PKP alone have similar clinical effects.
5.A comparative study of the efficacies of two different surgical methods for the treatment of distal tibial fractures
Jin YIN ; Ming CHEN ; Jia-Fei WANG ; Hong-Bing ZHENG ; Guang-Hui YANG
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2024;33(9):759-763
Objective To compare the efficacies of retrograde tibial nailing(RTN)versus minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis(MIPPO)in the treatment of distal tibial fractures.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 55 patients with distal tibial fractures who underwent surgery in our hospital.Patients were divided into two groups based on the different surgical methods,patients in the RTN group(n=25)were treated with RTN,and patients in the MIPPO group(n=30)were treated with MIPPO.The surgical parameters(operation time,intraoperative blood loss,intraoperative fluoroscopy times,and success rate of closed reduction),fracture healing time,ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society(AOFAS)ankle-hindfoot scores 6 months after operation and at the last follow-up,and the incidence of complications during perioperative period and follow-up were compared between the two groups.Results The operation time,intraoperative blood loss,and intraoperative fluoroscopy times in the RTN group were significantly shorter/less than those in the MIPPO group(P<0.05).The ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score 6 months after operation in the RTN group were significantly greater/higher than those in the MIPPO group(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the fracture healing time,or ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score at the last follow-up between the two groups(P>0.05).The success rate of closed reduction in the RTN group was 72.00%,which was lower than that of 96.67%in the MIPPO group(P<0.05).The incidence of soft tissue-related complications in the RTN group was signifi-cantly lower than that in the MIPPO group(P<0.05),while there was no statistically significant difference in the overall incidence of complica-tions between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion RTN is an effective minimally invasive surgical technique for the treatment of distal tibial fractures,characterized by minimal trauma,low incidence of soft tissue complications,and fast recovery of joint function compared with MIPPO.
6.Morphological classification and molecular identification of Hyalomma asiaticum in parts of Xindi Township,Xinjiang
Xiao-Qing ZAN ; Qiao-Yun REN ; Jin LUO ; Yan-Long WANG ; Pei-Wen DIAO ; Li-Yan CHE ; Jian-Xun LUO ; Hong YIN ; Gui-Quan GUAN ; Guang-Yuan LIU ; Hong-Xi ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2024;40(4):289-294
The purpose of this study was to identify the tick species native to Xindi Township,Yumin County,Xinjiang,China.Preliminary morphological identification of parasitic ticks collected from animals in the area was conducted with an ultra-depth of field three-dimensional VHX 600 digital stereo microscope.Total DNA of the ticks was extracted,amplified by PCR based on the COI and ITS2 gene loci,and the posi-tive PCR products were sequenced.The sequence were a-ligned with reference sequences from the NCBI database were aligned with the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool.A genet-ic phylogenetic tree was generated with the neighbor-joining method of MEGA 7.0 software to determine the evolutionary biological characteristics of ticks.Morphological identification showed that the ticks collected from Xindi Township of Yu-min County were consistent with the characteristics of Hya-lomma asiaticum.An evolutionary tree based on the COI and ITS2 gene sequences showed that the ticks collected in this study were clustered with known H.asiaticum sequences.The PCR products of COI and ITS2 were sequenced and compared,which confirmed that the collected tick species were H.asiaticum,in agreement with the morphological and molecular biological results.These findings help to clarify the distribution of ticks in Xindi Township of Xinjiang,and provide basic data for the analysis of tick genetic and evolutionary characteristics,as reference for surveillance and control of ticks in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
7.Antimicrobial resistance and resistance gene carriage by Salmonella bacteria in environmental sewage in Guangzhou
Bi-Hui SU ; Guang-Hong DU ; Xiao-Ying WU ; Gang HE ; Jun YUAN ; Chao-Jun XIE
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2024;40(5):442-447
This study explored the antibiotic resistance and resistance gene carriage of 140 Salmonella strains isolated from environmental sewage in Guangzhou city between March 1,2022,and November 30,2022.The micro broth dilution method was used to select 17 antibiotics for susceptibility testing.According to whole genome sequencing results,the CARD resistance database was used to obtain corresponding resistance genes.High antimicrobial resistance rates above 80%were observed a-gainst ampicillin,tetracycline,streptomycin,chloramphenicol,and cotrimoxazole.The intermediation rate of polymyxin E and ciprofloxacin exceeded 60%.The multiple drug resistance status was severe,and the rate of multiple drug resistance was as high as 92.86%.The strains carried multiple types of resistance genes,particularly for aminoglycosides,with a carriage rate as high as 92.68%.The resistance of Salmonella in environmental wastewater in Guangzhou to one or more drugs was severe,and the overall multi-drug resistance rate gradually increased over time.The resistance spectrum was diverse,and the resistance mechanism,mediated by mobile genetic elements such as re-sistance genes,was found to be the main cause of resistance to one or more drugs.
8.Overexpression of Hsp70 Promoted the Expression of Glycolysis-related Genes in C2C12 Cells
Lei QIN ; Ke XU ; Chun-Guang ZHANG ; Han CHU ; Shi-Fan DENG ; Jian-Bin ZHANG ; Hua YANG ; Liang HONG ; Gui-Feng ZHANG ; Chao SUN ; Lei PU
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2024;40(10):1417-1425
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of overexpressing 70-kD heat shock pro-teins(Hsp70)on glycolysis in C2C12 cells during myogenesis and adipogenesis.Using C2C12 cells as the research material,adenovirus was used to overexpress the Hsp70 gene,and changes in the expression of glycolytic genes were detected using fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blotting techniques.The study indicated that during C2C12 cell myogenic differentiation,the expression trend of the Hsp70 gene was consistent with that of Gsk3β,Pkm,Prkag3,Pfkm,and Hk-2 genes,suggesting a relationship between Hsp70 and the glycolytic pathway during myogenic differentiation.Overexpression of Hsp70 in the later stages of myogenic differentiation significantly upregulated the expression of Gsk3β,Pkm,Prk-ag3,and Pfkm genes(P<0.05),with no significant impact on Hk-2 gene expression(P>0.05).Dur-ing C2C12 cell adipogenic induction,the expression trend of the Hsp70 gene was similar to that of Gsk3β,Pkm,Prkag3,Pfkm,and Hk-2 genes,indicating a relationship between Hsp70 and the glycolytic path-way during adipogenic induction.Following Hsp70 overexpression,in the later stages of adipogenic in-duction,the number of lipid droplets was significantly higher compared to the control group,with a sig-nificant upregulation of Gsk3β,Pkm,Prkag3,and Pfkm gene expression(P<0.05),while Hk-2 gene expression was not significantly affected(P>0.05).In conclusion,Hsp70 in C2C12 cells in myogenic and adipogenic states promoted the breakdown of glycogen into 6-phospho-glucose,thereby enhancing the glycolytic pathway,providing insights into the functional role of the Hsp70 gene in glycolysis in C2C12 cells.
9.Immune Reconstitution after BTKi Treatment in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Yuan-Li WANG ; Pei-Xia TANG ; Kai-Li CHEN ; Guang-Yao GUO ; Jin-Lan LONG ; Yang-Qing ZOU ; Hong-Yu LIANG ; Zhen-Shu XU
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2024;32(1):1-5
Objective:To analyze the immune reconstitution after BTKi treatment in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL).Methods:The clinical and laboratorial data of 59 CLL patients admitted from January 2017 to March 2022 in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital were collected and analyzed retrospectively.Results:The median age of 59 CLL patients was 60.5(36-78).After one year of BTKi treatment,the CLL clones(CD5+/CD19+)of 51 cases(86.4%)were significantly reduced,in which the number of cloned-B cells decreased significantly from(46±6.1)× 109/L to(2.3±0.4)× 109/L(P=0.0013).But there was no significant change in the number of non-cloned B cells(CD19+minus CD5+/CD19+).After BTKi treatment,IgA increased significantly from(0.75±0.09)g/L to(1.31±0.1)g/L(P<0.001),while IgG and IgM decreased from(8.1±0.2)g/L and(0.52±0.6)g/L to(7.1±0.1)g/L and(0.47±0.1)g/L,respectively(P<0.001,P=0.002).BTKi treatment resulted in a significant change in T cell subpopulation of CLL patients,which manifested as both a decrease in total number of T cells from(2.1±0.1)× 109/L to(1.6±0.4)× 109/L and NK/T cells from(0.11±0.1)× 109/L to(0.07±0.01)× 109/L(P=0.042,P=0.038),both an increase in number of CD4+cells from(0.15±6.1)× 109/L to(0.19±0.4)× 109/L and CD8+cells from(0.27±0.01)× 109/L to(0.41±0.08)× 109/L(both P<0.001).BTKi treatment also up-regulated the expression of interleukin(IL)-2 while down-regulated IL-4 and interferon(IFN)-γ.However,the expression of IL-6,IL-10,and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α did not change significantly.BTKi treatment could also restored the diversity of TCR and BCR in CLL patients,especially obviously in those patients with complete remission(CR)than those with partial remission(PR).Before and after BTKi treatment,Shannon index of TCR in patients with CR was 0.02±0.008 and 0.14±0.001(P<0.001),while in patients with PR was 0.01±0.03 and 0.05±0.02(P>0.05),respectively.Shannon index of BCR in patients with CR was 0.19±0.003 and 0.33±0.15(P<0.001),while in patients with PR was 0.15±0.009 and 0.23±0.18(P<0.05),respectively.Conclusions:BTKi treatment can shrink the clone size in CLL patients,promote the expression of IgA,increase the number of functional T cells,and regulate the secretion of cytokines such as IL-2,IL-4,and IFN-γ.BTKi also promote the recovery of diversity of TCR and BCR.BTKi treatment contributes to the reconstitution of immune function in CLL patients.
10.Effect of Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus Nucleic Acid Loads on the Clinical Features and Prognosis in Adult Secondary Hemopha-gocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
Li-Min DUAN ; Guang-Li YIN ; Tian TIAN ; Ju-Juan WANG ; Xin GAO ; Wan-Ying CHENG ; Zi-Wei FANG ; Hong-Xia QIU ; Ji XU
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2024;32(4):1238-1247
Objective:To investigate the effect of pre-treatment plasma Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)DNA copy number on the clinical features and prognosis of patients with adult secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis(sHLH).Methods:The clinical characteristics,survival rate,and prognostic factors of 171 patients with adult sHLH treated at Jiangsu Province Hospital from June 2017 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed in this study.Patients were divided into three groups,including the EBV DNA-negative group(<5.0 × 102 copies/ml),lower EBV-DNA loads group(5.0 × 102-8.51 × 104 copies/ml),and higher EBV-DNA loads group(>8.51 × 104 copies/ml),according to pre-treatment plasma EBV-DNA copy number.Cox regression model was established for screening prognostic factors.Adult sHLH survival prediction model was constructed and realized through the nomogram based on EBV-DNA load after adjusted the factors affecting survival of etiology and treatment strategy.Concordance index(C-index)and calibration curves were calculated to verify model predictive and discriminatory capacity.Results:Among 171 adult sHLH patients,84 patients were not infected with EBV(EBV DNA-negative group),and 87 with EBV(EBV DNA-positive group,48 lower EBV-DNA loads group and 39 higher EBV-DNA loads group).Consistent elevations in the levels of liver enzymes(ALT and AST),LDH,TG,β2-microglobulin and ferritin across the increasing of EBV-DNA load(all P<0.05),while the levels of fibrinogen decrease(P<0.001).The median follow-up time was 52 days(range 20-230 days),and 123 patients died.The overall survival(OS)rate of patients in EBV DNA-positive group was lower than that in EBV DNA-negative group(median OS:40 days vs 118 days,P<0.001).Higher EBV-DNA loads had worse OS(median OS:24 days vs 45 days vs 118 days,P<0.0001 for trend)compared to lower EBV-DNA loads and EBV DNA-negative group.Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that higher EBV-DNA loads(P=0.005),fibrinogen≤ 1.5 g/L(P=0.012),ferritin(P=0.041),associated lymphoma(P=0.002),and anti-tumor based strategy(P=0.001)were independent prognostic factors for OS.The C-indexes of 30 day,90 days,365 days survival rate were all greater than 0.8 of the nomogram model and calibration curves provided credibility to their predictive capability.Subgroup analysis showed that patients with higher EBV-DNA loads had a significantly worse prognosis in adult sHLH who were women,ferritin>5 000 μg/L,β2-microglobulin>7.4 mmol/L and regardless of age,etiologies,HScore points.Conclusion:The EBV-DNA load is a strong and independent predictor for survival in patients with sHLH.The prognostic nomogram based on EBV-DNA loads was dependable and provides a visual tool for evaluating the survival of adult sHLH.

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