1.Study on the role of oleuropein in enhancing muscle endurance
Huan LI ; Zhen ZHANG ; Jiayi FENG ; Weidong ZHANG ; Xia LIU
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2026;44(3):126-131
Objective Orosomucoid1 (ORM1) is a novel target in the quest for anti-fatigue pharmacotherapy. Preliminary investigations have illuminated oleuropein (OLE) as a promising candidate molecule, poised to enhance ORM1 expression. To elucidate the influence of OLE on ORM1 protein expression and assess its ramifications on muscle endurance. Methods The impact of OLE on ORM1 protein expressions within hepatocytes and liver tissue was meticulously quantified through Western blotting; the effects of OLE on muscle endurance were evaluated via the rotarod and forced swimming tests; glycogen content within liver and muscle tissues was determined utilizing a specialized kit; and PAS staining was employed to visualize glycogen deposition in the gastrocnemius muscle. Results OLE demonstrated a capacity to elevate ORM1 protein expression in hepatocytes in a time- and dose-dependent manner, concurrently prolonging the duration of swimming and rotarod performance in mice, also in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, OLE augmented ORM1 expression in liver tissue, elevated serum ORM1 levels, and enhanced glycogen reserves within the liver and muscle. Conclusion OLE may serve to amplify muscle endurance by elevating ORM1 levels in vivo and augmenting glycogen stores within skeletal muscle.
2.The Role of Histone Lactylation in Diseases and Intervention by Traditional Chinese Medicine
Xin ZHANG ; Jie DU ; Zhao-Huan LI ; Feng GAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(4):887-904
Histone lactylation is a recently identified post-translational modification, wherein lactate mediates the enzymatic addition of lactyl groups to lysine residues on histones. Since its discovery, extensive research has demonstrated that histone lactylation is widely present in human tissues and plays a pivotal role in regulating the transcription of specific genes. Subsequent studies have further established this modification as a widespread epigenetic mark with significant physiological implications. With advancing research, accumulating evidence confirms that lactylation at distinct histone sites elicits diverse biological effects—such as promoting cell proliferation, driving inflammatory responses, and enhancing fibrosis—all of which profoundly influence disease progression and serve as key drivers of disease onset and development. Conversely, inhibiting histone lactylation can alter disease outcomes, positioning histone lactylation as a promising therapeutic target. Moreover, studies have revealed crosstalk between histone lactylation and other post-translational modifications, such as acetylation and methylation, which collectively regulate disease progression. Notably, lactylation occurs not only on histones but also on non-histone proteins. Histone lactylation activates specific gene transcription and reshapes metabolic epigenetics, while non-histone lactylation directly modulates enzyme activity, signal transduction, and protein stability. These two facets form a synergistic network through shared lactate pools, common modifying enzyme systems, and pathway crosstalk, thereby constructing a multi-dimensional regulatory framework—namely, the “histone lactylation-metabolism hub-non-histone lactylation” axis. This architecture bridges metabolism and epigenetics, and deciphering its topological structure may provide novel targets for precise intervention in diseases driven by lactate-mediated signaling hijacking. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), grounded in clinical practice, has been shown to regulate histone lactylation by modulating lactate metabolism and lactylation-related enzymes, thereby influencing disease progression. Moreover, certain TCM formulations exhibit potential as alternative therapies for drug-resistant diseases, underscoring the significance of further exploring TCM-mediated regulation of histone lactylation in future therapeutic strategies. This review aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying histone lactylation, systematically delineate the associations between site-specific histone lactylation and various diseases, present a comprehensive landscape of the “lactate-histone lactylation and functional protein lactylation” axis, and summarize the mechanistic basis and research advances in TCM-mediated regulation of histone lactylation for disease treatment. Additionally, we discuss current challenges in histone lactylation research and propose future directions, ultimately aiming to deepen understanding and broaden perspectives on the roles and therapeutic potential of histone lactylation in disease.
3.Exercise improves microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes
Fan WEN ; Yang XIANG ; Huan ZHU ; Yanfang TUO ; Feng LI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(5):1225-1235
BACKGROUND:Exercise is an effective way to improve microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes.In recent years,exercise has been used as an intervention therapy for microvascular dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes.However,few studies have systematically explored the influence of factors,such as"exercise type,exercise intensity and amount of exercise,"on microvascular function in patients.To some extent,this limits the formulation of precise exercise prescriptions to improve microvascular dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes and the comparison of study results.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of exercise type,intensity,frequency and amount of exercise on microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,and to make suggestions on exercise prescription.METHODS:The first author used computer to search the studies on the improvement of microvascular function in type 2 diabetes patients involving exercise in CNKI,WanFang,PubMed and other databases.The search terms were"diabetes mellitus,type 2 diabetes mellitus,microcirculation,microvascular reactivity,microvessels,capillaries,vasodilation,blood perfusion volume,endothelial cells,shear stress,exercise,aerobic exercise,resistance exercise,high-intensity exercise"in Chinese and English.The articles were screened by a quick glance at the article titles and abstracts to exclude those that were not closely related to the topic,and finally 60 articles were included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Exercise is an effective way to improve microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes.Aerobic exercise lasting 12-24 weeks,3-5 times/week,exercise time>30 minutes and intensity between 40%and 59%reserve oxygen intake can significantly improve microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes.On the basis of aerobic exercise,systemic resistance exercise 2-3 times a week(50%-85%1RM,every other day)or pressure resistance exercise can obtain better intervention effects.(2)In addition,exercise can improve microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes in a"dose-effect"manner,and patients can get better results from the intervention by increasing the amount of exercise,while maintaining safety.(3)The mechanism of exercise improving microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes is mainly related to promoting the release of nitric oxide and vascular endothelial growth factor from endothelial cells and inhibiting the release of endothelin1.
4.Exercise improves microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes
Fan WEN ; Yang XIANG ; Huan ZHU ; Yanfang TUO ; Feng LI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(5):1225-1235
BACKGROUND:Exercise is an effective way to improve microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes.In recent years,exercise has been used as an intervention therapy for microvascular dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes.However,few studies have systematically explored the influence of factors,such as"exercise type,exercise intensity and amount of exercise,"on microvascular function in patients.To some extent,this limits the formulation of precise exercise prescriptions to improve microvascular dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes and the comparison of study results.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of exercise type,intensity,frequency and amount of exercise on microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,and to make suggestions on exercise prescription.METHODS:The first author used computer to search the studies on the improvement of microvascular function in type 2 diabetes patients involving exercise in CNKI,WanFang,PubMed and other databases.The search terms were"diabetes mellitus,type 2 diabetes mellitus,microcirculation,microvascular reactivity,microvessels,capillaries,vasodilation,blood perfusion volume,endothelial cells,shear stress,exercise,aerobic exercise,resistance exercise,high-intensity exercise"in Chinese and English.The articles were screened by a quick glance at the article titles and abstracts to exclude those that were not closely related to the topic,and finally 60 articles were included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Exercise is an effective way to improve microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes.Aerobic exercise lasting 12-24 weeks,3-5 times/week,exercise time>30 minutes and intensity between 40%and 59%reserve oxygen intake can significantly improve microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes.On the basis of aerobic exercise,systemic resistance exercise 2-3 times a week(50%-85%1RM,every other day)or pressure resistance exercise can obtain better intervention effects.(2)In addition,exercise can improve microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes in a"dose-effect"manner,and patients can get better results from the intervention by increasing the amount of exercise,while maintaining safety.(3)The mechanism of exercise improving microvascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes is mainly related to promoting the release of nitric oxide and vascular endothelial growth factor from endothelial cells and inhibiting the release of endothelin1.
5.Acute effects of blood flow restriction running warm-up on Achilles tendon morphology and function in basketball athletes
Jing LI ; Weimin PAN ; Jingyuan FAN ; Xiaoyu WEI ; Yan HUANG ; Huan FENG ; Longguo ZHANG ; Yingpeng JIANG ; Min LIU
Journal of Army Medical University 2025;47(18):2154-2162
Objective To determine the acute effects of blood flow restriction(BFR)running warm-up on Achilles tendon morphology and function in basketball players in order to provide a theoretical basis for optimizing warm-up protocols for military personnel and athletes susceptible to Achilles tendon injuries.Methods Twenty-seven male basketball players were subjected and asked to participate in 3 different running warm-up protocols:low-speed running(LSR),high-speed running(HSR),and BFR combined with LSR(BFR-LSR).The acute changes in Achilles tendon morphology,mechanical properties,and functional performance across the 3 testing sessions were analyzed and compared.Results Immediately after training,both HSR warm-up and BFR-LSR warm-up significantly improved Achilles tendon thickness,blood flow,stiffness,and gastrocnemius maximal voluntary isometric contraction(MVIC)when compared with LSR warm-up(P<0.05).No statistical differences were observed in above indicators between the BFR-LSR and HSR warm-ups(P>0.05).24 hours after training,compared with LSR warm-up,HSR warm-up still significantly improved Achilles tendon thickness,blood flow,stiffness,and gastrocnemius MVIC(P<0.05).Although BFR-LSR warm-up did not show statistically significant differences in these parameters compared to LSR warm-up,it still demonstrated positive trends.Immediately and 24 h after training,no obvious difference were found in jump performance among the 3 warm-up protocols(P>0.05),but,both BFR-LSR and HSR warm-ups exhibited superior performance than LSR warm-up.Conclusion Immediately after training,BFR-LSR warm-up demonstrates comparable effects to the HSR warm-up on improving Achilles tendon morphology and performance,as well as enhancing jump performance.However,its sustained and long-term effects require further investigation.
6.Differences in epidemiological characteristics of acute respiratory infection between plateau and plain areas
Anyue XIA ; Wenli LIU ; Lantian PANG ; Dongfang FENG ; Huan XU
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(11):1320-1324
Objective To analyze the differences in the epidemiological characteristics,susceptible popula-tions,and laboratory index of patients with common acute upper respiratory tract infections(novel coronavir-us infection,influenza A and influenza B)between plateau and plain areas.Methods Clinical data of 408 008 patients with symptoms of fever or upper respiratory tract infection in the fever clinic of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University and General Hospital of Xizang Military Command from January 2023 to Au-gust 2024 were collected.The epidemic characteristics,susceptible populations,and peripheral blood test data were compared and analyzed.Results The total positive rate of novel coronavirus infection,influenza A virus and influenza B virus infection in plain group(17.86%)was higher than that in plateau group(14.49%),and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The positive rates(17.98%and 17.76%)of male and female upper respiratory tract infection pathogens(novel coronavirus,influenza A virus and influenza B virus)in plain group were higher than those in plateau group(13.94%and 16.00%),and the differences were statis-tically significant(P<0.05).The total positive rates of three kinds of upper respiratory tract infection patho-gens were 16.21%,18.27%and 14.63%in the plain group,and 14.62%,14.06%and 21.26%in the plateau group,respectively.According to the results of pathogen analysis of susceptible populations,whether it was plateau or plain,the positive rate of influenza A virus was higher in the minor group,the positive rate of influ-enza B virus was highest in the adult group,and the positive rate of novel coronavirus was highest in the elder-ly group.In terms of epidemic season,plateau and plain areas were different,and the epidemic occurred earlier in the plain area.In terms of peripheral blood test indicators,there were statistically significant differences in lymphocyte count,monocyte count,neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and other indicators between plateau group and plain group(P<0.05),while there were no statistically significant differences in white blood cell count between plateau group and plain group(P>0.05).Conclusion The epidemiological characteristics of acute upper respiratory tract infection in plateau area are obviously different from those in plain area,which may be related to the natural environment and human geography environment.
7.Relationship between MLR,SII,MPR and prognosis of maintenance hemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease
Huan TIAN ; Fei HUANG ; Li LI ; Feng CHENG
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(17):2073-2078
Objective To investigate the relationship between monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio(MLR),sys-temic immune inflammation index(SII),and mean platelet volume to platelet count ratio(MPR)and the prognosis of maintenance hemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease(CKD).Methods The medical re-cords of totally 152 patients with CKD who received maintenance hemodialysis in the hospital from July 2022 to September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into the death group and the sur-vival group according to the prognosis.General data such as age,gender,height,weight,and dialysis age,as well as clinical and laboratory indicators such as blood cell count,hemoglobin,albumin,blood creatinine,blood urea,and blood uric acid were collected and analyzed.MLR,SII and MPR were calculated for each patient,and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors affecting the survival prognosis of CKD patients after maintenance hemodialysis treatment,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of the above indicators for patients'prognosis.Results Among 152 CKD patients,11.8%died,and the main causes of death include cardiovascular events,infections,multiple or-gan failure,and so on.Compared with the survival group,the levels of blood urea,blood uric acid,MLR,SII and MPR in the death group were significantly increased(P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that MLR,SII and MPR were independent risk factors affecting the survival prognosis of CKD pa-tients after receiving maintenance hemodialysis treatment(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the are-a under the curve(AUC)of MLR for predicting the survival prognosis of CKD patients after maintenance he-modialysis treatment was 0.783,the cut off value was 0.58,the sensitivity was 72.22%,and the specificity was 76.87%.The AUC of SII for predicting the survival prognosis of CKD patients after maintenance hemodi-alysis treatment was 0.714,the cut off value was 480.50,the sensitivity was 66.67%,and the specificity was 70.15%.The AUC of MPR for predicting the survival prognosis of CKD patients after maintenance hemodial-ysis treatment was 0.706,the cut off value was 0.095,the sensitivity was 61.11%,and the specificity was 75.37%.The AUC of the combined detection was 0.843,which was better than the individual predictions(P<0.05).Conclusion MLR,SII and MPR are closely related to the prognosis of maintenance hemodialysis patients with CKD,and these indexes could be used as important reference for assessing the prognosis of pa-tients,which could help in the clinical decision-making and the development of individualized treatment plans.
8.Analysis on the current situation of clinical trials registration of Chinese materia medica in China
Jing HUANG ; Bin FENG ; Shuibing LIU ; Hongxu YANG ; Huan ZHANG ; Lifei CHENG ; Yihuan LIU ; Weigang WANG ; Jia JU
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;47(10):1454-1460
Objective:To analyze the current status of clinical trials of Chinese materia medica for the purpose of registration in China; To provide reference for the research and development of new TCM drugs.Methods:Clinical trials of Chinese materia medica/natural medicine registered in Drug Clinical Trial Registration and Information Disclosure Platform were retrieved from inception to December 31, 2024. Excel 2019 software was used to input and analyze the data such as the number of registered clinical trials, date of first publication, study status, field of indication, trial phases, sponsors, group leader, and design types.Results:A total of 1 137 Chinese materia medica clinical trials had been registered, accounting for 4.12% of the total number registered on the platform. Phase Ⅱ clinical trials accounted for the highest proportion (58.8%), and 99.7% of clinical trials conducted domestically. The sponsors were predominantly domestically pharmaceutical enterprises. These 1 137 clinical trials of Chinese materia medica clinical trials involved 752 drug categories, 28 dosage forms, and 796 varieties (the same class of drugs had different drug dosage forms), with capsules being the most common. The indications primarily focused on respiratory, digestive, cardio-cerebrovascular, neuropsychiatric, gynecological diseases. The group leader of clinical trials was distributed in 28 provinces, among which the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine as the group leader, undertook the most clinical trials of TCM. 89.9% of the clinical trials adopted the randomized controlled trial design, and only 31.9% of the clinical trials purchased insurance for the subjects.Conclusion:The research and development of new TCM drugs has entered a phase of vigorous development. Further efforts are still needed in establishing systematic guidelines for Chinese materia medica clinical trials, accelerating the internationalization of TCM, exploring innovative dosage forms and indications, and strengthening the protection of participants' rights.
9.MAGED4 activates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway through SIRT7 to promote glioma cell proliferation
Ai Ye ; Ziliang Zhong ; Feng Li ; Huan Xie ; Xiaoqiong Zou ; Guojian Wang ; Zi Wang ; Bin Luo ; Qingmei Zhang ; Xiaoxun Xie
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(12):2235-2246
Objective:
To determine the expression of melanoma-associated antigens D4(MAGED4) and SIRT7 in human glioma, and to analyze the potential effects of MAGED4 and SIRT7 on glioma cell proliferation.
Methods:
The MAGED4 and SIRT7 expression levels and their correlation were compared by the China glioma genome atlas(CGGA), human protein atlas(HPA), and UALCAN databases. Survival analysis, ROC curve analysis, and Cox regression analysis were used to predict the outcome of MAGED4 and SIRT 7 in glioma patients. Gene ontology(GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) signaling pathway enrichment analysis were used to explore the biological functions of MAGED4 and SIRT7 in glioma. Western blot experiment was used to investigate whether MAGED4 protein exerted its regulatory effects on the activity of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway via SIRT7. The effect of MAGED4 on cell proliferation in glioma through SIRT7 was explored by CCK-8.
Results:
The analysis results of CGGA, UALCAN, and HPA databases showed that the expression levels of MAGED4 and SIRT7 in glioma tissues were higher than those in normal brain tissue, and the expression were positively correlated. Results of survival, ROC, and Cox analysis showed that high expression of MAGED4 and SIRT7 mRNA were risk factors for poor prognosis in glioma. Results of KEGG enrichment analysis showed that MAGED4 and SIRT7 were associated with the PI3K/AKT signaling in glioma, and Western blot results showed that MAGED4 activated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by regulating SIRT7. The CCK-8 results showed that MAGED4 promotes the proliferation of glioma cells through SIRT7.
Conclusion
MAGED4 and SIRT7 are highly expressed in glioma and associated with poor prognosis, and MAGED4 promotes glioma cell proliferation through activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by SIRT7.
10.Role of prohibitin 2 in mitophagy pathway against atherosclerosis in rats undergoing endurance training
Mingxiao SONG ; Junshunzi CHEN ; Ningwei WANG ; Huan CAI ; Hong FENG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(11):2294-2300
BACKGROUND:Exercises can reduce blood lipids and slow down the development of atherosclerosis.Atherosclerosis begins with mitochondrial dysfunction,and prohibitin 2 is involved in mitophagy by endurance training. OBJECTIVE:To explore the role of endurance training in the intervention of prohibitin 2 protein in the mitophagy autophagy pathway in atherosclerosis. METHODS:A total of 40 Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group,exercise group,atherosclerosis group and atherosclerosis combined with exercise group,with 10 rats in each group.A rat model of atherosclerosis was constructed by combining a high-fat diet(9 weeks)with vitamin D injections(weeks 1,3,and 6)in the latter two groups,while the two exercise groups were subjected to progressing intensity endurance training for 9 weeks.After the intervention,lipid and pathological detections were conducted to observe the modeling and interventional effects.Mitochondrial membrane potential and mitophagy proteins were detected by microplate reader and western blot.Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the co-localization of mitophagy proteins in aortic tissue. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Lipid and pathological sections showed that compared with the atherosclerosis group,the serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol levels and aortic lipid deposition area were significantly reduced in the atherosclerosis combined with exercise group(P<0.001).The results of mitochondrial membrane potential showed that the significant decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential of the aorta in the atherosclerosis combined with exercise group was reversed(P<0.01).The results of western blot assay showed that compared with the control group,the mitochondrial protein expression of prohibitin 2,LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ,PINK1 and Parkin was significantly increased(P<0.05),and the protein expression of PARL and PGAM5 decreased(P<0.05).Compared with the atherosclerosis group,the protein expression of PINK1 and Parkin in the mitchondria of rats in the atherosclerosis combined with exercise group was significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the protein expressions of prohibitin 2,LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ,PARL and PGAM5 were significantly increased(P<0.05).Immunofluorescence results showed that compared with the control group,the co-localization of LC3 and PINK1 with TOMM20 was significantly increased in the atherosclerosis group(P<0.05),while compared with the atherosclerosis group,the co-localization of LC3 and PINK1 with TOMM20 was significantly increased in the atherosclerosis combined with exercise group(P<0.05).Co-localization of LC3 and PARL with prohibitin 2 was significantly increased in the atherosclerosis group compared with the control group(P<0.01),co-localization of LC3 with prohibitin 2 was significantly increased in the atherosclerosis combined with exercise group compared with the atherosclerosis group(P<0.01),and co-localization of PARL protein with prohibitin 2 was significantly decreased in the atherosclerosis combined with exercise group compared with the atherosclerosis group(P<0.01).To conclude,endurance training can induce the expression of prohibitin 2 in the inner mitochondrial membrane and promote the binding of prohibitin 2 to the mitophagy junction protein to complete mitophagy,restore mitochondrial function,and slow down the occurrence of atherosclerosis.


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