1.Effect and Immunoinflammatory Mechanism of Ruyi Zhenbaowan in Treatment of Secondary Brain Injury and Central Pain in Hemorrhagic Stroke Mice
Wenli WANG ; Guoxin ZHANG ; Ying LIU ; Na LIN ; Chunyan ZHU ; Ya LIN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(24):47-56
ObjectiveTo evaluate the intervention effect of Ruyi Zhenbaowan (RYZBW) on secondary brain injury and central pain in mice with hemorrhagic stroke and to explore its pharmacological mechanism of repairing the neurovascular unit from the perspective of neuroinflammation. MethodA mouse model of central post-stroke pain (CPSP) was established by microinjecting type Ⅳ collagenase into the ventroposterior thalamic nucleus. The day of model establishment was recorded as D1, and the mice were divided into Sham operation group (Sham), model group (CPSP), low (RYZBW-L), medium (RYZBW-M), and high (RYZBW-H) dose groups of RYZBW, and positive drug pregabalin (PGB) group. On the 4th day (D4) after model establishment, gavage administration was performed twice daily. The Sham and CPSP groups received an equal volume of normal saline, while the RYZBW-L, RYZBW-M, and RYZBW-H groups received RYZBW at 1.214, 1.821, 2.428 g·kg-1, respectively, and the PGB group received PGB at 0.046 g·kg-1. Mechanical hyperalgesia was assessed before model establishment (D0), on the 3rd day (D3), and after the first gavage on D4. Nerve damage was evaluated after the second gavage on D1 and D4. On D4, peripheral blood was collected for routine blood tests, and the thalamus was collected for immune-inflammation microarray analysis. In independent samples, quantitative analysis was performed on the localization of immune-inflammatory factors, receptors, and cells via immunofluorescence staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Western blot analysis. ResultCompared with the Sham group, CPSP mice showed significant secondary nerve injury, central pain after stroke (P<0.05,P<0.01), increased red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in peripheral blood (P<0.05), and decreased hemoglobin (HGB) concentration (P<0.05). Immune-inflammation microarray analysis showed that CC chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) in the CPSP thalamus was significantly increased compared to the Sham group (P<0.01), while CX3C chemokine ligand 1 (CX3CL1) was significantly decreased (P<0.05). These results were confirmed by ELISA and immunofluorescence staining. Western blot analysis indicated that the protein expression of CX3CR1, the receptor for CX3CL1, was significantly decreased in the CPSP group compared to the Sham group (P<0.01). Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the number of Ly6C+CX3CR1+ non-classical monocytes in the CPSP group did not change significantly, while the number of classical monocytes (CX3CR1-Ly6C+) significantly increased (P<0.01). The expression of CX3CR1 in microglia was significantly increased in the CPSP group (P<0.01). Compared with the CPSP group, RYZBW improved neurological deficits (R2=0.367 9) and central pain symptoms (R2=0.501 9) in a dose-dependent manner. RYZBW-H significantly improved peripheral blood RDW and HGB (P<0.05). Immune-inflammation microarray analysis and ELISA results showed that RYZBW-H significantly inhibited CCL2 expression (P<0.01) and increased CX3CL1 expression (P<0.05). Western blot results indicated that the protein expression of CX3CR1 in the RYZBW-L and RYZBW-H groups was significantly increased (P<0.05). Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that RYZBW increased the overall expression of CX3CR1 in a dose-dependent manner (R2=0.619 6), inhibited the expression of CX3CR1 on microglia, and decreased both the number (R2=0.494 5) and soma area (R2=0.571 7) of microglia compared with the CPSP group. Additionally, RYZBW increased the infiltration of CX3CR1+Ly6C+ non-classical monocytes in a dose-dependent manner (R2=0.635 3) and effectively inhibited the infiltration of Ly6C+CX3CR1- classical monocytes (R2=0.483 6). ConclusionRYZBW can effectively alleviate secondary injury and central pain in CPSP mice, and its mechanism involves regulating the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 ligand-receptor interaction, inhibiting microglial infiltration and activation, promoting non-classical monocyte infiltration for vascular repair, and suppressing the infiltration of classical monocytes for inflammatory phagocytosis.
2.Effect of preoperative immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastases in patients with gastric cancer: a retrospective study
Xinhua CHEN ; Hexin LIN ; Yuehong CHEN ; Xiaodong WANG ; Chaoqun LIU ; Huilin HUANG ; Huayuan LIANG ; Huimin ZHANG ; Fengping LI ; Hao LIU ; Yanfeng HU ; Guoxin LI ; Jun YOU ; Liying ZHAO ; Jiang YU
Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 2024;27(7):694-701
Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.
3.Effect of preoperative immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastases in patients with gastric cancer: a retrospective study
Xinhua CHEN ; Hexin LIN ; Yuehong CHEN ; Xiaodong WANG ; Chaoqun LIU ; Huilin HUANG ; Huayuan LIANG ; Huimin ZHANG ; Fengping LI ; Hao LIU ; Yanfeng HU ; Guoxin LI ; Jun YOU ; Liying ZHAO ; Jiang YU
Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 2024;27(7):694-701
Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.
4.Dihydroartemisinin Regulates Neuro-microglia to Relieve Neuropathic Pain
Tingjun LIANG ; Guoxin ZHANG ; Ying LIU ; Chunyan ZHU ; Na LIN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2023;29(10):73-82
ObjectiveTo evaluate the intervention effect of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on hippocampal nerve injury in L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) hippocampal continuous injection model. In primary cultured microglia-hippocampal neurons, the regulatory pattern of DHA on microglia-hippocampal neuronal interactions was confirmed. MethodThe experimental animals were divided into Sham group, SNL group, and DHA group (16 mg·kg-1), with 3 mice in each group. The hippocampal CA3 glutamatergic neurons were labeled with adeno-associated virus [Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱ(CaMKⅡ) dTomato AAV], and their contributions to the hippocampal CA1, prefrontal cortex (Frc), anterior cortex (ACC), projections of nucleus accumbens (Nac), and Basolateral Amygdala (BLA) were traced by immunofluorescence staining. The experimental animals were divided into a Sham group, a TNF-α hippocampus continuous injection model group, DHA-L, DHA-M, and DHA-H groups (4, 8, 16 mg·kg-1), and pregabalin group (25 mg·kg-1), with 4 mice in each group. The morphology of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions was counted by Golgi staining. The continuous activation of hippocampal primary neurons and microglia was induced, DHA intervention was given by co-culture, and the cell soma area and the expression of postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) inside and outside the primary and secondary dendritic spines of neurons were counted by immunofluorescence. ResultCompared with the Sham group, the projection of CA3 glutamatergic neurons to CA1 region, Frc, and ACC in the SNL group was significantly reduced (P<0.01), while the projection to Nac and BLA was significantly increased (P<0.01). As compared with the SNL group, the projection of hippocampal CA3 glutamatergic neurons to CA1 region, Frc, and ACC was significantly increased in the DHA group (P<0.01), while the projection to Nac and BLA was significantly reduced (P<0.01). Golgi staining results showed that as compared with the Sham group, the density of dendritic spines and the number of dendritic branches in the CA1 and CA3 pyramidal neurons in the TNF-α hippocampal continuous injection model group were significantly reduced (P<0.01). As compared with the TNF-α hippocampal continuous injection model, the density of dendritic spines and the number of dendritic branches in hippocampal CA1 and CA3 pyramidal neurons in the DHA-M and DHA-H groups were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with DHA-M group, the total dendrite length of CA1 pyramidal neurons in hippocampus in DHA-H group was significantly increased (P<0.01), while the total dendrite length of CA1 neurons and the total dendrite base length of CA3 neurons in DHA-L group was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the blank control group, the cell soma area of the glycine group and glutamate group increased significantly (P<0.01). As compared with the glycine group and glutamate group, the cell area of the glycine + glutamate group was significantly increased (P<0.01), and as compared with the glutamate group, the cell soma area of the glutamate + DHA group was significantly reduced (P<0.01). As compared with the glycine acid + glutamate group, the cell soma area of the glycine + glutamate + DHA group was significantly reduced (P<0.01), and as compared with the glutamate + DHA group, the cell soma area of the glycine + glutamate + DHA group was also significantly reduced (P<0.05). Compared with the blank control group, the cell soma area of the glutamate group was significantly increased (P<0.01). As compared with the glutamate group, the cell soma area of the glutamate + DHA-L, glutamate + DHA-M, and glutamate + DHA-H groups was significantly reduced (P<0.01). As compared with the blank control group, the expression of the resting primary microglia + glycine group in primary and secondary dendritic internal and external postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) was significantly increased (P<0.01). As compared with the resting primary microglia + glycine group, the expression of PSD95 in the primary and secondary dendritic spinous and external neurons of the activated primary microglia + glycine group was significantly reduced (P<0.01). As compared with the activated primary microglia + glycine group, the expression of PSD95 in the primary and secondary dendritic spinous and external neurons in the activated primary microglia + glycine + DHA group was significantly increased (P<0.01). As compared with the activated primary microglia + DHA group, the expression of PSD95 in the primary and secondary dendritic spines and outside neurons in the activated primary microglia + glycine + DHA group was significantly increased (P<0.01). ConclusionDHA has a significant repair effect on vertebral neuronal damage caused by hippocampal microglia and TNF-α overexpression in NP pathology, and this repair is closely related to the dual inhibition of neuronal-microglia by DHA.
5.Visualization and hotspots analysis of research on adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junc-tion based on Web of Science
Lin LIU ; Zhongyi WANG ; Chuyin HUANG ; Yanfeng HU ; Jiang YU ; Guoxin LI ; Hao CHEN
Chinese Journal of Digestive Surgery 2023;22(10):1243-1254
In recent years, the incidence of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG) has increased gradually. Due to the unique anatomical location and the different biological features from esophageal cancer and gastric cancer, AEG cannot be simply equated with esophageal cancer or gastric cancer, and the definition, classification and treatment methods of AEG are still controversial. As a result, the study of AEG is becoming increasingly important. Using bibliometrics, the authors search English literatures from the Web of Science Core Collection database from the establishment to December 31, 2022, with the keyword adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junc-tion. To systematically review the international literatures on AEG, EndNote and Excel are used to manage literatures and perform statistical analysis, and VOSviewer and CiteSpace are used to analyze the social network, time series of countries, institutions, authors and keywords, the co-citation of authors and the citation bursts of keywords. The authors summarize the research status and hot trends in this field, hoping to provide reference for future research.
6.Analysis of risk factors affecting the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with progressive gastric cancer
Zhipeng QUE ; Shuangming LIN ; Run XIE ; Runsheng LAI ; Guoxin HU ; Nong YU ; Hao ZENG ; Zizhao LUO ; Dongbo XU
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2023;42(10):1213-1217
Objective:To investigate the risk factors affecting the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with progressive gastric cancer.Methods:Clinicopathological data of patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma and treated with radical surgery at our hospital between January 2017 and December 2018 were retrospectively collected, and 96 patients were finally included in the study according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Patients were divided into a completed chemotherapy group and an uncompleted chemotherapy group depending on whether they had completed 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery.The optimal cut-off value was derived from the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve, and the Youden Index was calculated.Relevant factors that might affect the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with progressive gastric cancer were included in univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses to identify independent risk factors affecting the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer patients.The Kaplan-Meier(K-M)method was used to plot the survival curves for the groups, and the log-rank test was used to compare the survival rates between the groups.Results:A total of 96 patients, aged 60-89 years, with a mean age of(70.3±7.0)years, were included.Sixteen patients completed postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, while 80 patients did not.The following analysis was performed on clinicopathological data of patients in the two groups.Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that patient age ≥70 years( OR=8.135, 95% CI: 1.735-38.153, P=0.008)or a preoperative prognostic nutritional index(PNI)score <49.5( OR=4.765, 95% CI: 1.549-14.656, P=0.006)affected the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.The risk factors that might affect the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly gastric cancer patients were analyzed using multivariate Logistic regression and the results showed that age ≥70 years( OR=9.815, 95% CI: 1.947-49.485, P=0.006)and a preoperative PNI score <49.5( OR=5.895, 95% CI: 1.711-20.305, P=0.005)were independent risk factors hindering the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions:Age ≥70 years and PNI<49.5 are independent risk factors for the completion of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.Failure to complete postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with a poor prognosis.PNI is a valid predictor for whether postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy will be completed and helps to screen chemotherapy patients who need nutritional intervention.
7.Neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios for assessing disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving tofacitinib treatment.
Juan TANG ; Juan CHEN ; Guoxin LIN ; Hao ZHANG ; Ming GUI ; Nannan LI ; Yihong GU ; Linjuan LUO ; Jian SUN
Journal of Southern Medical University 2023;43(10):1651-1656
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) for assessing disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with tofacitinib.
METHODS:
This retrospective study was conducted among 98 RA patients in active stage treated with tofacitinib in Third Xiangya Hospital and 100 healthy control subjects from the Health Management Center of the hospital from 2019 to 2021. We collected blood samples from all the participants for measurement of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and other blood parameters 1 month before and 6 months after tofacitinib treatment. We further evaluated PLR and NLR before and after tofacitinib treatment in the RA patients, and analyzed their correlations with RA disease activity.
RESULTS:
PLR and NLR increased significantly in RA patients as compared with the healthy controls. In the RA patients, PLR and NLR were positively correlated with the levels of hs- CRP, ESR, IL- 6, Disease Activity Score of 28 joints-ESR (DAS28-ESR), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), and rheumatoid factor (RF) before and after tofacitinib treatment. Tofacitinib treatment for 6 months significantly decreased hs-CRP, ESR, IL-6, CCP, RF and DAS28-ESR levels in the RA patients.
CONCLUSION
NLR and PLR can be useful biomarkers for assessing disease activity in RA patients treated with tofacitinib.
Humans
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Neutrophils
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Retrospective Studies
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C-Reactive Protein/analysis*
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Interleukin-6/metabolism*
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Arthritis, Rheumatoid
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Lymphocytes
8.Isolation and cultivation of HIV strains circulating in China and the screening and identification of the standard strains
Siqi LI ; Guoxin ZHU ; Lin LI ; Jingyun LI ; Hanping LI ; Yongjian LIU ; Lei JIA ; Xiaolin WANG ; Tianyi LI ; Bohan ZHANG ; Jingwan HAN ; Chuntao MA
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology 2023;37(3):286-295
Objective:To screen the HIV standard strains with typical biological characteristics of HIV strains circulating in China through the isolation, culture, genotype and phenotype identification of HIV from the whole blood samples of HIV-infected persons, confirm genetic characteristics, traceability, and in line with the Standard Strains of Pathogenic Microorganism-technical Specifications for Establishment of HIV Strains (T/CPMA 027—2023).Methods:Whole blood samples were collected from 48 HIV infected patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from the samples and co-cultured with PBMCs isolated from healthy persons′ whole blood samples to isolate and culture HIV from infected persons. We determined concentration of p24 antigen and the virus titer in the culture supernatant. The viral RNA was extracted from the successfully isolated strains, and the gag, pol genes and env C2V3 fragments of the viral genome were amplified and sequenced. The genotype, gene recombination and drug resistance sites were determined according to the viral gene sequences. Virus infection and replication were monitored by inoculating the virus culture supernatant into Ghost cells expressing CCR5 or CXCR4 to determine the viral tropism.The formation of syncytium was observed by inoculating the virus culture supernatant into MT-2 cells to determine whether was a syncytium-induced phenotype. Results:Fourteen strains with p24 antigen concentration > 1 ng/ml in culture supernatant were isolated and cultured from 48 fresh EDTA anticoagulated whole blood samples of HIV infected persons. Of the 14 strains, only one strain with a titer≥10 5 TCID 50/ml, 8 strains with titers ≥10 4 TCID 50/ml, and the other 5 strains with titers≥10 3 TCID 50/ml. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the genotypes of the strains were 9 strains of subtype B, 3 strains of CRF01_AE and 2 strains of CRF07_BC recombinant. Genotypic resistance analysis showed that 11 strains contained drug resistance sites. Ghost cells were used to verify the tropism of the strains, and it was found that 8 strains were CCR5 tropism, 6 strains were CXCR4 & CCR5 dual tropism. Only 2 of the 14 strains could induce MT-2 cytopathic effect, which was syncytium-inducing phenotype. Conclusions:Fourteen HIV strains with typical biological and genetic characteristics were isolated to screen the standard HIV strains. Among which, 1 strain was evaluated as a standard HIV strain that meets the Standard Strains of Pathogenic Microorganism-technical Specifications for Establishment of HIV Strains (T/CPMA 027—2023). This study can also provide technical guidance for the screening of the HIV standard strains. Next step is to complete the application and reserve database construction according to the sharing mechanism of the HIV standard strains, to provide resources for the researches of HIV vaccines and drugs.
9.Verification of SARS-CoV-2-encoded small RNAs and contribution to infection-associated lung inflammation.
Cheng ZHANG ; Cheng LIU ; Lin JIANG ; Lunbiao CUI ; Chunyu LI ; Guoxin SONG ; Rui XU ; Xiangnan GENG ; Changxing LUAN ; Feng CHEN ; Yan CHEN ; Baoli ZHU ; Wei ZHU
Chinese Medical Journal 2022;135(15):1858-1860
10.Establishment of A Mouse Model of Obesity and Depression Comorbidity and Its Application in Pharmacological Study of Tripterine
Hongyu CHI ; Xuemin YAO ; Guoxin ZHANG ; Congmin TIAN ; Tingjun LIANG ; Jiahao LI ; Jun YANG ; Chunyan ZHU ; Na LIN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2022;28(14):81-91
ObjectiveTo establish a neuroinflammation-based obesity and depression comorbidity (COM) model in mice and explore the pharmacodynamics and preliminary pharmacological mechanism of tripterine on COM mice. MethodC57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a normal group (Chow), a diet-induced obesity group (DIO), and a COM group. The mice in the COM group were fed on a high-fat diet and chronically stressed with moist litter for 12 weeks to establish the COM model. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a Chow group, a COM group, and a tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) knock-down group. In the TNF-α knock-down group, TNF-α shRNA adeno-associated virus was injected into the amygdala through brain stereotaxis, and the expression of TNF-α in the amygdala was down-regulated. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a Chow group, a DIO group, a DIO + low-dose tripterine group (0.5 mg·kg-1), a DIO + high-dose tripterine group (1.0 mg·kg-1), a COM group, a COM + low-dose tripterine group (0.5 mg·kg-1), and a COM + high-dose tripterine group (1.0 mg·kg-1). The body weight, food intake, glucose tolerance, white/brown fat ratio, serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high-/low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C and LDL-C) content were recorded, and obesity of mice in each group was evaluated. Forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), and open field test were used to evaluate the degree of depression of mice in each group. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the protein expression levels of neuropeptide Y, tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in various brain nuclei of mice. Correlation analysis was used to detect the correlation of obesity and depression indexes. ResultThe comparison of the Chow group and the DIO group indicated that COM mice showed obesity and depression. To be specific, obesity was manifested as increased body weight and food intake (P<0.05, P<0.01), as well as increased NPY expression in the central amygdala, and depression was manifested as prolonged immobility time in FST and TST (P<0.01), and reduced TPH2-positive 5-hydroxytryptamine neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA). The down-regulation of TNF-α protein in BLA of COM mice shortened the immobility time in FST and TST (P<0.05, P<0.01), increased TPH2/BDNF-positive neurons in BLA, and showed no significant changes in obesity. In DIO mice, the administration of 0.5 mg·kg-1 tripterine for 9 days significantly decreased the 60 min blood glucose in glucose tolerance (P<0.01) and food intake (P<0.05). In COM mice, 1.0 mg·kg-1 tripterine was administered for 14 days to significantly decrease 30 min blood glucose in glucose tolerance (P<0.01), and food intake (P<0.05), and immobility time in TST (P<0.01), increase TPH2-BDNF double-labeled cells in BLA and DRN, and reduce the area of TMEM119-stained cells. ConclusionThe model of obesity and depression comorbidity can be properly induced in mice under the condition of dual stress of energy environment. Tripterine can effectively interfere with obesity-depression comorbidity, and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of central nervous system inflammation.

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