1.Regulation of testosterone synthesis by circadian clock genes and its research progress in male diseases.
Gang NING ; Bo-Nan LI ; Hui WU ; Ruo-Bing SHI ; A-Jian PENG ; Hao-Yu WANG ; Xing ZHOU
Asian Journal of Andrology 2025;27(5):564-573
The circadian clock is an important internal time regulatory system for a range of physiological and behavioral rhythms within living organisms. Testosterone, as one of the most critical sex hormones, is essential for the development of the reproductive system, maintenance of reproductive function, and the overall health of males. The secretion of testosterone in mammals is characterized by distinct circadian rhythms and is closely associated with the regulation of circadian clock genes. Here we review the central and peripheral regulatory mechanisms underlying the influence of circadian clock genes upon testosterone synthesis. We also examined the specific effects of these genes on the occurrence, development, and treatment of common male diseases, including late-onset hypogonadism, erectile dysfunction, male infertility, and prostate cancer.
Testosterone/metabolism*
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Circadian Clocks/genetics*
;
Circadian Rhythm Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism*
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Circadian Rhythm/physiology*
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Hypogonadism/metabolism*
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Erectile Dysfunction/metabolism*
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Infertility, Male/metabolism*
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Prostatic Neoplasms/metabolism*
;
Men's Health
2.Effects of alcoholism on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Hao-qing ZHU ; Yan-ling WU ; Ji-xing NAN ; Li-hua LIAN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(7):1227-1230
NAFLD is the most prevalent chronic liver disease,which has become a world public health issue and the incidence rate is also showing an increasing trend.A series of liver disea-ses,such as simple fatty liver disease,NASH,liver cirrhosis,liv-er failure and liver cancer,can be collectively referred to as NAFLD.Through the study of numerous factors that influence the production of NAFLD,it has been found that the main patho-logical mechanism is excessive synthesis of fat,which is difficult to be transported into the blood,causing massive lipid accumula-tion.Alcohol has a direct damaging effect on liver and will in-hibit the breakdown of liver fat,eventually forming AFLD.How-ever,it is still controversial whether alcohol has a synergistic effect on NAFLD onset.This article provides a review on the effect of alcohol intake on NAFLD and its potential mechanisms of action.
3.Effects of alcoholism on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Hao-qing ZHU ; Yan-ling WU ; Ji-xing NAN ; Li-hua LIAN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(7):1227-1230
NAFLD is the most prevalent chronic liver disease,which has become a world public health issue and the incidence rate is also showing an increasing trend.A series of liver disea-ses,such as simple fatty liver disease,NASH,liver cirrhosis,liv-er failure and liver cancer,can be collectively referred to as NAFLD.Through the study of numerous factors that influence the production of NAFLD,it has been found that the main patho-logical mechanism is excessive synthesis of fat,which is difficult to be transported into the blood,causing massive lipid accumula-tion.Alcohol has a direct damaging effect on liver and will in-hibit the breakdown of liver fat,eventually forming AFLD.How-ever,it is still controversial whether alcohol has a synergistic effect on NAFLD onset.This article provides a review on the effect of alcohol intake on NAFLD and its potential mechanisms of action.
4.Effect of Xiongcan Yishen Formula on ferroptosis in mouse TM3 Leydig cells after oxidative stress injury
A-Jian PENG ; Gang NING ; Hui WU ; Bo-Nan LI ; Ruo-Bing SHI ; Hao-Yu WANG ; Wei LIU ; Xue TANG ; Xing ZHOU
National Journal of Andrology 2024;30(7):640-647
Objective:To investigate the effects of Xiongcan Yishen Formula(XYF)on ferroptosis in mouse TM3 Leydig cells after oxidative stress injury(OSI)induced by H2O2.Methods:An oxidative stress injury model was established in mouse TM3 Leydig cells using H2O2 induction.The modeled TM3 cells were randomly divided into OSI group,XYF group,the ferroptosis inhibitor Ferrostatin-1(F-1)group,and F-1+XYF group,which were respectively intervened with blank serum,20%drug-containing serum,2μmol/L F-1,and2μmol/L F-1+20%drug-containing serum.A control group(normal TM3 cells+blank serum)was also set up.The morphology of cells in each group was observed,and the levels of testosterone,superoxide dismutase(SOD),reactive oxygen spe-cies(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA),ferritin heavy chain 1(FTH1),solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11),glutathione(GSH),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),fatty acid CoA ligase 4(FACL4),total iron ions,and ferrous ions were detected.Re-sults:Compared with the model group,the control group showed significantly decreased expression of ROS,MDA,FACL4,total iron,and ferrous ions(P<0.05),and significantly increased levels of testosterone,SOD,GSH,FTH1,SLC7A11,and GPX4(P<0.05).The male silkworm kidney-tonifying formula group significantly promoted testosterone secretion by TM3 cells and upregulated the expression of FTH1,SLC7A11,GPX4,GSH,and SOD in TM3 cells(P<0.05),while significantly downregulating ROS,MDA,FACL4,total iron ions,and ferrous ions(P<0.05).Conclusion:Following H2O2 exposure,oxidative stress can induce ferroptosis in mouse TM3 Leydig cells.XYF can antagonize OSI and ferroptosis in TM3 cells by activating the SLC7A11/GSH/GPX4 axis,which may underlie the mechanism of XYF in the treatment of male late-onset hypogonadism.
5.Research progress on mRNA pulmonary delivery systems
Ze-hong CHEN ; Xin-yu ZHANG ; Hao-nan XING ; Mei LU ; Fan MENG ; Jing-ru LI ; Xiu-li GAO ; Ai-ping ZHENG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(11):3074-3084
As a major global public health problem, pulmonary diseases threaten human life and health while causing a huge economic burden. The messenger RNA (mRNA)-based inhalation preparation, which effectively targets pulmonary cells can overcome the problems of traditional therapy, such as high side effects, low pulmonary bioavailability, and difficulty in synthesizing target proteins
6.A multicenter, prospective, phaseⅡ, single-arm study on the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma with domestic bortezomib in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone
Linna XIE ; Xin WANG ; Qiang HE ; Hui WANG ; Ji MA ; Haiyan ZHANG ; Nan LIU ; Guitao JIE ; Taiwu XIAO ; Hao ZHANG ; Haiguo ZHANG ; Zengjun LI ; Lijie XING
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2024;45(6):571-576
Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of domestic bortezomib in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) .Methods:This multicenter, prospective, single-arm clinical study included 126 patients with NDMM admitted to seven hospitals between December 2019 and January 2022. All patients received domestic bortezomib in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (BLD regimen), and the efficacy, prognostic factors, and safety were analyzed.Results:Among the 126 patients with NDMM, 118 completed four cycles of treatment, with an overall response rate (ORR) of 93.22% (110/118) and a ≥very good partial response (VGPR) rate of 68.64% (81/118). Ultimately, 114 patients completed at least eight cycles of treatment, with an ORR of 92.98% (106/114) and a ≥VGPR rate of 77.19% (88/114). Eighteen patients underwent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after completing 6-8 cycles of the BLD regimen, with an ORR of 100% (18/18) and a ≥VGPR rate of 88.9% (16/18). The proportion of patients achieving ≥VGPR increased with the treatment duration, and factors such as staging and age did not significantly affect efficacy. Single-factor analysis showed that R2-ISS stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ, blood calcium >2.27 mmol/L, and failure to achieve VGPR after six cycles were adverse prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) ( P<0.05), whereas failure to achieve VGPR after six cycles was an adverse prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) ( P<0.001). Multifactor analysis demonstrated that failure to achieve VGPR after six cycles is an independent adverse prognostic factor for PFS ( P=0.002). The incidence of hematologic adverse reactions was 16.7% (19/114), and nonhematologic adverse reactions were mainly mild to moderate, with no significant cardiac or renal adverse reactions observed. Conclusion:The BLD regimen is effective in treating NDMM, in which patients with high-risk genetic features are still achieving a high ≥VGPR rate, and the overall safety is good.
7.Etiology,Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Secondary Hemophagocytic Syndrome
Ya-Li ZHANG ; Jing-Nan HAO ; Meng-Meng SUN ; Xiao-Ying XING ; Shu-Kai QIAO
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2024;32(4):1230-1237
Objective:To understand the etiology,clinical characteristics and prognosis of secondary hemophagocytic syndrome(HLH),so as to improve the understanding of HLH and reduce the rates of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis of HLH.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the cause,clinical characteristics,laboratory findings,therapy and outcomes of 75 adult patients with secondary HLH admitted to our hospital from January 2015 to December 2021.Follow-up continued until the last discharge time.Results:Among 75 patients,infection-related HLH was the most common(45.33%),followed by lymphoma-related HLH(17.33%).Fever was the most common clinical manifestation(97.67%).Laboratory indicators such as NK cell activity(98.31%low or absent),sCD25(93.22%increased),and serum ferritin(94.44%elevated)had higher sensitivity in diagnosis.By comparing the clinical manifestations and laboratory indicators of HLH patients with different causes,sex,lymph node enlargement and bone marrow morphology were more valuable for the diagnosis of primary disease(all P<0.05).By comparing the treatment and clinical outcomes of HLH patients with different causes,the highest clinical remission rate(83.3%)was achieved in patients with autoimmune disease-related HLH treated with hormone+cyclosporine(P<0.05).The overall 12-month survival rate of all patients was 26.7%,in which the infection-related HLH was the lowest(14.7%)while autoimmune disease-related HLH was the highest(63.6%).Conclusion:The causes and clinical characteristics of adult secondary HLH are varied,with poor prognosis and heterogeneity in disease severity.It is important to identify HLH cause early for diagnosis and needed to further understand HLH.
8.Accuracy of Echocardiographic Diagnosis and the Short-term Post-operative Outcome of Pediatric Cardiac Tumors
Tingting ZHANG ; Nan XU ; Jiayi XING ; Jiaqi ZHANG ; Li ZHANG ; Bing ZHANG ; Hao WANG ; Kunjing PANG
Chinese Circulation Journal 2024;39(10):1003-1008
Objectives:To summarize the experience of echocardiographic diagnosis and the short-term post-operative outcome of children with cardiac tumors. Methods:A total of 27 infants and children,who underwent echocardiography examination and were preliminarily diagnosed with cardiac tumors in Fuwai Hospital from January 2018 to June 2023,were retrospectively included in this study.Clinical symptoms,echocardiographic results,surgical and perioperative results and early outcomes were analyzed. Results:Among the 27 patients,16 were males.The age ranged from 1 month to 11 years(mean age:[3.2±2.5]years)and the body weight ranged from 5.7 to 40.0 kg(mean body weight:[17.2±11.2]kg).Cardiac tumors were pathologically confirmed in 25 cases,including 14 cases of fibroma,5 cases of rhabdomyoma,3 cases of myxoma,2 cases of lipoma,1 case of hemangioma.Preoperative echocardiographic diagnosis was consistent with postoperative pathologic diagnosis in 14 cases.Nontumor lesions were misdiagnosed as tumors by echocardiography in 2 cases.All the patients underwent surgery,complications occurred in 2 cases early post surgery and underwent reoperations and recovered well.There were no deaths during a median follow-up of 29.8(6.5,72.0)months,recurrence occurred in one child with myxoma. Conclusions:Pediatric patients with cardiac tumors have specific echocardiographic manifestations.It is necessary to sum up related experience constantly to improve the diagnostic accuracy.Short-term outcome post-surgery is satisfactory for the treatment of benign pediatric cardiac tumors.
9. MW-9, a chalcones derivative bearing heterocyclic moieties, ameliorates ulcerative colitis via regulating MAPK signaling pathway
Zhao WU ; Nan-Ting ZOU ; Chun-Fei ZHANG ; Hao-Hong ZHANG ; Qing-Yan MO ; Ze-Wei MAO ; Chun-Ping WAN ; Ming-Qian JU ; Chun-Ping WAN ; Xing-Cai XU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(3):514-520
Aim To investigate the therapeutic effect of the MW-9 on ulcerative colitis(UC)and reveal the underlying mechanism, so as to provide a scientific guidance for the MW-9 treatment of UC. Methods The model of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells was established. The effect of MW-9 on RAW264.7 cells viability was detected by MTT assay. The levels of nitric oxide(NO)in RAW264.7 macrophages were measured by Griess assay. Cell supernatants and serum levels of inflammatory cytokines containing IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β were determined by ELISA kits. Dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced UC model in mice was established and body weight of mice in each group was measured. The histopathological damage degree of colonic tissue was assessed by HE staining. The protein expression of p-p38, p-ERK1/2 and p-JNK was detected by Western blot. Results MW-9 intervention significantly inhibited NO release in RAW264.7 macrophages with IC50 of 20.47 mg·L-1 and decreased the overproduction of inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α(P<0.05). MW-9 had no cytotoxicity at the concentrations below 6 mg·L-1. After MW-9 treatment, mouse body weight was gradually reduced, and the serum IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α levels were significantly down-regulated. Compared with the model group, MW-9 significantly decreased the expression of p-p38 and p-ERK1/2 protein. Conclusions MW-9 has significant anti-inflammatory activities both in vitro and in vivo, and its underlying mechanism for the treatment of UC may be associated with the inhibition of MAPK signaling pathway.
10.Establishment and evaluation of a neutralizing antibody detection model for West Nile virus pseudovirus
Wanlu ZHU ; Nan CHEN ; Xiangjun HAO ; Junjuan FENG ; Xing LU ; Jing WANG ; Guojiang CHEN ; Chunxia QIAO ; Xinying LI ; Chenghua LIU ; Beifen SHEN ; Jiannan FENG ; Jun ZHANG ; He XIAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology 2024;38(2):188-192
Objective:To establish an in vivo infection model of West Nile virus (WNV) pseudovirus and evaluate the neutralizing activity of antibody WNV-XH1.Methods:A stable cell line that can package the WNV pseudovirus was established in the early stage to prepare the pseudovirus supernatant. The supernatant was concentrated and infected BHK21 cells to detect the titer of the pseudovirus. After intraperitoneal injection of the pseudovirus into C57BL/J mice, bioluminescence imaging was performed to observe the infection status of the pseudovirus in the mice. After simultaneous infection, blood was collected and ELISA was used to detect NS1 levels in mouse serum. The in vivo functional activity of antibody WNV-XH1 was evaluated using the established mouse infection model.Results:Fluorescence was detected in C57BL/J mice infected with WNV pseudovirus, and the NS1 levels in the peripheral blood serum of mice infected with pseudovirus were significantly higher than those of non infected mice (1.453±0.09vs0.305±0.018). After intravenous administration of WNV-XH1 antibody before the attack, the fluorescence signal in the mice decreased and the serum NS1 level decreased (0.384±0.015).Conclusions:A successful in vivo infection model of WNV pseudovirus was established, and it was confirmed that the antibody WNV-XH1 had a protective effect against WNV pseudovirus infection in vivo.

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