1.Safety evaluation of sintilimab in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma
Hao ZHONG ; Hang LIN ; Yaxin LU ; Haiyan MAI
China Pharmacy 2025;36(4):482-485
OBJECTIVE To assess the safety profile of sintilimab in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS The data of patients with cholangiocarcinoma from January 1st, 2021 to December 31st, 2022 were collected and divided into control group (29 cases) and observation group (18 cases) based on different medication regimens. Patients in the control group were treated with Gemcitabine hydrochloride for injection+Cisplatin for injection or Oxaliplatin for injection, the observation group was treated with Sintilimab injection based on the control group. Patients in each group underwent blood routine, liver and kidney function, biochemical and other examinations before and after each treatment cycle to observe the occurrence of adverse drug reactions. The correlation of adverse drug reactions with drugs was evaluated with Naranjo’s scale. RESULTS The correlation between blood toxicity and drug use was deemed “probable” in both groups; however, the observation group exhibited a significantly higher score, indicating a stronger correlation. In the control group, hepatotoxic reactions were classified as “suspicious” whereas in the observation group, they were categorized as “probable”. The correlation of gastrointestinal symptoms between the two groups was considered “possible”. Systemic symptoms, skin toxicity, musculoskeletal toxicity, endocrine toxicity and renal toxicity were all classified as having a “suspicious” correlation with drug use. The total incidence of blood toxicity in the observation group was significantly higher than control group (P=0.014). There was no statistically significant difference in the total incidences of hepatotoxic, gastrointestinal symptoms, systemic symptoms, skin toxicity, musculoskeletal toxicity, endocrine toxicity, renal toxicity, or the incidence of grade 3 or higher blood toxicity, hepatotoxic between the two groups (P>0.05). For the patients experiencing adverse drug reactions, the symptoms were alleviated following drug discontinuation or symptomatic supportive treatment. No fatalities occurred during the treatment period. CONCLUSIONS Sintilimab combined with chemotherapy may significantly increase the risk of blood toxicity in patients with cholangiocarcinoma, especially thrombocytopenia, but the adverse reactions are within a controllable range, and the overall safety is good.
2.A Multi-Omics Study on the Differences in Blood Biological Characteristics between Acute Gout Patients with Damp-Heat Toxin Accumulation Syndrome and Damp-Heat Accumulation Syndrome
Wei LIU ; Bowen WEI ; Hang LU ; Yuxiu KA ; Wen WANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(5):480-491
ObjectiveTo combine metabolomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics to analyze the biological characteristics of damp-heat toxin accumulation syndrome and damp-heat accumulation syndrome in acute gout. MethodsBlood samples were collected from 15 patients with damp-heat toxin accumulation syndrome and 15 patients with damp-heat accumulation syndrome in acute gout in clinical practice. Metabolomics technology was applied to detect serum metabolites, and an orthogonal partial sample least squares discriminant analysis model was constructed to screen for metabolites with significant intergroup changes, and enrichment pathway analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed. Astral data independence acquisition (DIA) was used to detect serum proteins, perform principal component analysis and screen differential proteins, demonstrate differential ploidy by radargram, apply subcellular localisation to analyse protein sources, and finally apply weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to find key proteins. Transcriptome sequencing technology was also applied to detect whole blood mRNA, screen differential genes and perform WGCNA, and construct machine learning models to screen key genes. ResultsMetabolome differential analysis revealed 62 differential metabolites in positive ion mode and 26 in negative ion mode. These differential metabolites were mainly enriched in the mTOR signaling pathway and FoxO signaling pathway, with trans-3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxycinnamaldehyde, guanabenz, 4-aminophenyl-1-thio-beta-d-galactopyranoside showing the highest diagnostic efficacy. The proteome differential analysis found that 55 proteins up-regulated and 20 proteins down-regulated in the samples of damp-heat toxin accumulation syndrome. Notably, myelin basic protein (MBP), transferrin (TF), DKFZp686N02209, and apolipoprotein B (APOB) showed the most significant differences in expression. Differential proteins were mainly enriched in pathways related to fat digestion and absorption, lipid and atherosclerosis, and cholesterol metabolism. WGCNA showed the highest correlation between damp-heat toxin accumulation syndrome and the brown module, with proteins in this module primarily enriched in the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) signaling pathway and lipid and atherosclerosis. Transcriptomic differential analysis identified 252 differentially expressed genes, with WGCNA indicating the highest correlation between damp-heat toxin accumulation syndrome and the midnight blue module. The random forest (RF) model was identified as the optimal machine learning model, predicting apolipoprotein B receptor (APOBR), far upstream element-binding protein 2 (KHSRP), POU domain class 2 transcription factor 2 (POU2F2), EH domain-containing protein 1 (EHD1), and family with sequence similarity 110A (FAM110A) as key genes. Integrated multi-omics analysis suggested that damp-heat toxin accumulation syndrome in the acute phase of gout is closely associated with lipid metabolism, particularly APOB. ConclusionCompared to damp-heat accumulation syndrome in the acute phase of gout, damp-heat toxin accumulation syndrome is more closely associated with lipid metabolism, particularly APOB, and lipid metabolism disorders contribute to the development of damp-heat toxin accumulation syndrome in patients with acute gout.
3.Baicalein mitigates ferroptosis of neurons after subarachnoid hemorrhage
Ting ZHU ; Tingting YUE ; Yue CUI ; Yue LU ; Wei LI ; Chunhua HANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(1):52-57
BACKGROUND:Ferroptosis is a mode of programmed cell death distinct from apoptosis,necrosis,and other novel cellular deaths,which occurs mainly due to accumulated lipid peroxidation.Ferroptosis has been shown to be involved in the pathological process following subarachnoid hemorrhage.Baicalein,serving as an adept sequestered of iron,evinces its prowess by quelling lipid peroxidative cascades.Nonetheless,the enigma lingers as to whether baicalein possesses the capacity to ameliorate neuronal ferroptosis,elicited in the wake of early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect and mechanism of baicalein on neuronal ferroptosis after subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS:Primary neuronal cells were extracted from C57BL/6L fetal mice at 16-17 days of gestation.Hemoglobin was used to stimulate primary neuronal cells to simulate an in vitro subarachnoid hemorrhage model.The viability of primary neuronal cells treated with baicalein at concentrations of 5,15,25,50,and 100 μmol/L for 24 hours was detected by CCK-8 assay to determine the optimal concentration of baicalein.Primary neuronal cells were divided into control group,hemoglobin group,and hemoglobin+baicalein group.The levels of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde in cells were detected by kits.The mRNA expressions of ferroptosis-related markers PTGS2,SLC7A11,and glutathione peroxidase 4 were detected by RT-PCR.The primary neuronal cells were further divided into control group,SLC7A11 inhibitor Erastin group,hemoglobin group,hemoglobin+baicalein group,and hemoglobin+baicalein+Erastin group.The expression of the ferroptosis related markers SLC7A11 and glutathione peroxidase 4 was detected by western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Baicalein(25 μmol/L)was selected as the following experimental concentration.(2)Compared with the hemoglobin group,the level of malondialdehyde and the level of reactive oxygen species were significantly decreased(P<0.05)in the hemoglobin+baicalein group.(3)Compared with the hemoglobin group,the mRNA expression of PTGS2 significantly decreased,and the mRNA expression of SLC7A11 and glutathione peroxidase 4 significantly increased(P<0.000 1)in the hemoglobin+baicalein group.(4)SLC7A11 inhibitor Erastin could reverse the baicalin-improved ferroptosis effect to a certain extent(P<0.05).(5)The results showed that baicalein could alleviate the ferroptosis of neuronal cells after subarachnoid hemorrhage through the SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway.
7.Structural identification of the related substances in phloroglucinol injection by two-dimensional liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Jia-ming LIU ; Yu-ting LU ; Min SONG ; Tai-jun HANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(1):202-213
This study aimed to identify the related substances of phloroglucinol injection by two-dimensional liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (2D-LC-Q-TOF/MS). The first-dimensional separation was carried out on an HSS T3 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column by gradient elution using 1.36 g·L-1 potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer solution (pH adjusted to 3.0 with diluted phosphoric acid) and acetonitrile as the mobile phases. The separated components were then trapped in switch valve tube lines respectively and delivered to the second-dimensional desalting gradient elution which was performed with a BDS C18 (100 mm × 4.6 mm, 2.4 μm) column using 0.1% formic acid and methanol as the mobile phases. After rapid desalting, electrospray-ionization quadrupole time-of-flight high resolution mass spectrometry was used for determining the accurate masses and elemental compositions of the parents and their product ions for both phloroglucinol and its related substance. Structures of the related substances were then figured out by mass spectrometry elucidation, organic reaction mechanism analysis, and/or comparison with reference substances. Under the established analytical conditions, phloroglucinol and its related substances were adequately separated, 17 main related substances were detected and identified in the injection and its stressed samples for the first time. The identification results can provide reference for the quality control of phloroglucinol injection.
8.Discussion of the methodology and implementation steps for assessing the causality of adverse event
Hong FANG ; Shuo-Peng JIA ; Hai-Xue WANG ; Xiao-Jing PEI ; Min LIU ; An-Qi YU ; Ling-Yun ZHOU ; Fang-Fang SHI ; Shu-Jie LU ; Shu-Hang WANG ; Yue YU ; Dan-Dan CUI ; Yu TANG ; Ning LI ; Ze-Huai WEN
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(2):299-304
The assessment of adverse drug events is an important basis for clinical safety evaluation and post-marketing risk control of drugs,and its causality assessment is gaining increasing attention.The existing methods for assessing the causal relationship between drugs and the occurrence of adverse reactions can be broadly classified into three categories:global introspective methods,standardized methods,and probabilistic methods.At present,there is no systematic introduction of the operational details of the various methods in the domestic literature.This paper compares representative causality assessment methods in terms of definition and concept,methodological steps,industry evaluation and advantages and disadvantages,clarifies the basic process of determining the causality of adverse drug reactions,and discusses how to further improve the adverse drug reaction monitoring and evaluation system,with a view to providing a reference for drug development and pharmacovigilance work in China.
9.Based on supramolecular chemistry to explore the scientific connotation of predecocting gypsum in Maxingshigan decoction preliminarily
Yao-zhi ZHANG ; Shu-chang YAO ; Lu-ping YANG ; Yi-hang ZHAO ; An-qi XU ; Xue-mei HUANG ; Peng-long WANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(6):1828-1840
It has gradually become a consensus in the industry that the traditional Chinese medicine gypsum should be decocted first, but the understanding of decocting method is not completely unified in the works of doctors since ancient times, and there are occasional disputes about whether it is necessary to decocting first. In this study, the phase determination, physical and chemical characterization, qualitative and quantitative analysis of inorganic and organic components of the decoctions of herbal pairs and the whole prescription Maxingshigan decoction with gypsum as the center, and the pre-decoctions and co-decoctions of them were carried out to explore the scientific connotation of the pre-decoctions of gypsum. Results show that decoction phases were different between the co-decoctions and pre-decoctions of licorice-gypsum (Gancao-Shigao, GC-SG), ephedra-gypsum (Mahuang-Shigao, MH-SG) and almond-gypsum (Xingren-Shigao, XR-SG). The results of the micromorphology, particle size and zeta potential of herbal pairs and prescription (Quanfang, QF) showed that the supramolecular particles in pre-decoctions were smaller, more uniform and more stable than the co-decoctions. The results of organic components analysis showed that different cooking methods did not change the organic composition and content. ICP-OES results showed that the content of inorganic components in pre-decoctions was higher than in co-decoctions for the same boiling time of gypsum. The IR results showed that the pre-decoctions had stronger chemical functional group effect than the co-decoctions. To sum up, compared with the co-decoction, the pre-decoction of gypsum has different phase state and chemical composition interaction, and the difference of inorganic composition is an important material basis affecting the change of phase state compared with the co-decoction. It indicates that the material basis of traditional Chinese medicine decoction is indeed different whether gypsum is decocted first or not, which can provide a basis for the clinical application of decocted gypsum.
10.Neoprzewaquinone A from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge exerts anti-inflammatory activity by disrupting LPS binding to TLR4/MD2
Hong-ying WANG ; Xian-fang HE ; Rui-xiu LIU ; Qiong YI ; Hang ZHONG ; Lu WANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(6):1647-1655
This study investigates whether compounds in

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail