1.Application of Engineered Exosomes in Tumor-targeted Therapy
Jia-Lu SONG ; Yi-Xin JIN ; Xing-Yu MU ; Yu-Huan JIANG ; Jing WANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(5):1140-1151
Tumors are the second leading cause of death worldwide. Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicle secreted from multivesicular bodies, with particle sizes ranging from 40 to 160 nm. They regulate the tumor microenvironment, proliferation, and progression by transporting proteins, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules. Compared with other drug delivery systems, exosomes derived from different cells possess unique cellular tropism, enabling them to selectively target specific tissues and organs. This homing ability allows them to cross biological barriers that are otherwise difficult for conventional drug delivery systems to penetrate. Due to their biocompatibility and unique biological properties, exosomes can serve as drug delivery systems capable of loading various anti-tumor drugs. They can traverse biological barriers, evade immune responses, and specifically target tumor tissues, making them ideal carriers for anti-tumor therapeutics. This article systematically summarizes the methods for exosome isolation, including ultracentrifugation, ultrafiltration, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), immunoaffinity capture, and microfluidics. However, these methods have certain limitations. A combination of multiple isolation techniques can improve isolation efficiency. For instance, combining ultrafiltration with SEC can achieve both high purity and high yield while reducing processing time. Exosome drug loading methods can be classified into post-loading and pre-loading approaches. Pre-loading is further categorized into active and passive loading. Active loading methods, including electroporation, sonication, extrusion, and freeze-thaw cycles, involve physical or chemical disruption of the exosome membrane to facilitate drug encapsulation. Passive loading relies on drug concentration gradients or hydrophobic interactions between drugs and exosomes for encapsulation. Pre-loading strategies also include genetic engineering and co-incubation methods. Additionally, we review approaches to enhance the targeting, retention, and permeability of exosomes. Genetic engineering and chemical modifications can improve their tumor-targeting capabilities. Magnetic fields can also be employed to promote the accumulation of exosomes at tumor sites. Retention time can be prolonged by inhibiting monocyte-mediated clearance or by combining exosomes with hydrogels. Engineered exosomes can also reshape the tumor microenvironment to enhance permeability. This review further discusses the current applications of exosomes in delivering various anti-tumor drugs. Specifically, exosomes can encapsulate chemotherapeutic agents such as paclitaxel to reduce side effects and increase drug concentration within tumor tissues. For instance, exosomes loaded with doxorubicin can mitigate cardiotoxicity and minimize adverse effects on healthy tissues. Furthermore, exosomes can encapsulate proteins to enhance protein stability and bioavailability or carry immunogenic cell death inducers for tumor vaccines. In addition to these applications, exosomes can deliver nucleic acids such as siRNA and miRNA to regulate gene expression, inhibit tumor proliferation, and suppress invasion. Beyond their therapeutic applications, exosomes also serve as tumor biomarkers for early cancer diagnosis. The detection of exosomal miRNA can improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosing prostate and pancreatic cancers. Despite their promising potential as drug delivery systems, challenges remain in the standardization and large-scale production of exosomes. This article explores the future development of engineered exosomes for targeted tumor therapy. Plant-derived exosomes hold potential due to their superior biocompatibility, lower toxicity, and abundant availability. Furthermore, the integration of exosomes with artificial intelligence may offer novel applications in diagnostics, therapeutics, and personalized medicine.
2.Setup Error and Its Influencing Factors in Radiotherapy for Spinal Metastasis
Wenhua QIN ; Xin FENG ; Zengzhou WANG ; Shangnan CHU ; Hong WANG ; Shiyu WU ; Cheng CHEN ; Fukui HUAN ; Bin LIANG ; Tao ZHANG
Cancer Research on Prevention and Treatment 2025;52(5):400-404
Objective To investigate the setup error in patients with spinal bone metastasis who underwent radiotherapy under the guidance of kilovoltage cone-beam CT (KV-CBCT). Methods A total of 118 patients with spinal metastasis who underwent radiotherapy, including 17 cases of cervical spine, 62 cases of thoracic spine, and 39 cases of lumbar spine, were collected. KV-CBCT scans were performed using the linear accelerators from Elekta and Varian’s EDGE system. CBCT images were registered with reference CT images in the bone window mode. A total of 973 data were collected, and 3D linear errors were recorded. Results The patients with spinal bone metastasis were grouped by site, height, weight, and BMI. The P value of the patients grouped only by site was P<0.05, which was statistically significant. Conclusion When grouped by site in the 3D direction, the positioning effect of cervical spine is better than that of thoracic and lumbar spine. The positioning effect of the thoracic spine is better in the head and foot direction but worse in the left and right direction compared with that of the lumbar spine. Instead of extending or narrowing the margin according to the BMI of patients with spinal metastasis, the margin must be changed according to the site of spinal bone metastasis.
3.Application of Recombinant Collagen in Biomedicine
Huan HU ; Hong ZHANG ; Jian WANG ; Li-Wen WANG ; Qian LIU ; Ning-Wen CHENG ; Xin-Yue ZHANG ; Yun-Lan LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):395-416
Collagen is a major structural protein in the matrix of animal cells and the most widely distributed and abundant functional protein in mammals. Collagen’s good biocompatibility, biodegradability and biological activity make it a very valuable biomaterial. According to the source of collagen, it can be broadly categorized into two types: one is animal collagen; the other is recombinant collagen. Animal collagen is mainly extracted and purified from animal connective tissues by chemical methods, such as acid, alkali and enzyme methods, etc. Recombinant collagen refers to collagen produced by gene splicing technology, where the amino acid sequence is first designed and improved according to one’s own needs, and the gene sequence of improved recombinant collagen is highly consistent with that of human beings, and then the designed gene sequence is cloned into the appropriate vector, and then transferred to the appropriate expression vector. The designed gene sequence is cloned into a suitable vector, and then transferred to a suitable expression system for full expression, and finally the target protein is obtained by extraction and purification technology. Recombinant collagen has excellent histocompatibility and water solubility, can be directly absorbed by the human body and participate in the construction of collagen, remodeling of the extracellular matrix, cell growth, wound healing and site filling, etc., which has demonstrated significant effects, and has become the focus of the development of modern biomedical materials. This paper firstly elaborates the structure, type, and tissue distribution of human collagen, as well as the associated genetic diseases of different types of collagen, then introduces the specific process of producing animal source collagen and recombinant collagen, explains the advantages of recombinant collagen production method, and then introduces the various systems of expressing recombinant collagen, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, and finally briefly introduces the application of animal collagen, focusing on the use of animal collagen in the development of biopharmaceutical materials. In terms of application, it focuses on the use of animal disease models exploring the application effects of recombinant collagen in wound hemostasis, wound repair, corneal therapy, female pelvic floor dysfunction (FPFD), vaginal atrophy (VA) and vaginal dryness, thin endometritis (TE), chronic endometritis (CE), bone tissue regeneration in vivo, cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer (BC) and anti-aging. The mechanism of action of recombinant collagen in the treatment of FPFD and CE was introduced, and the clinical application and curative effect of recombinant collagen in skin burn, skin wound, dermatitis, acne and menopausal urogenital syndrome (GSM) were summarized. From the exploratory studies and clinical applications, it is evident that recombinant collagen has demonstrated surprising effects in the treatment of all types of diseases, such as reducing inflammation, promoting cell proliferation, migration and adhesion, increasing collagen deposition, and remodeling the extracellular matrix. At the end of the review, the challenges faced by recombinant collagen are summarized: to develop new recombinant collagen types and dosage forms, to explore the mechanism of action of recombinant collagen, and to provide an outlook for the future development and application of recombinant collagen.
4.Efficacy and safety of remimazolam tosylate for general anesthesia in morbidly obese patients
Gong CHEN ; Yan-Xi LU ; Jin LI ; Fan ZHANG ; Can-Can CHENG ; Xin-Lin YIN ; Sai-Ying WANG ; Huan CHANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(5):859-864
Aim To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of remimazolam tosylate for administering general anesthesia in morbidly obese patients.Methods This clinical trial was conducted at a single center from De-cember 2021 to October 2023.It assessed 108 morbid-ly obese patients(body mass index,BMI≥40)who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.Patients were randomly assigned to either the remimazaolam group(Group R)or the propofol group(Group P)for general anesthesia induction and maintenance.The primary outcome was to compare the incidence of ad-verse events and postoperative recovery characteristics between the two groups.Results During induction pe-riod,the incidence of adverse events was higher in group P,including hypotension(P<0.01),hypox-emia(P<0.05),bradycardia(P<0.01),and in-creased vasopressor requirement(P<0.05).The time to loss of consciousness and BIS falling to 60 was shor-ter in group P than in group R(P<0.01).There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of postoperative quality of recovery(QoR-40 score),24-hour postoperative pain visual an-alogue scale(VAS)scores and morphine consump-tion.In conclusion,remimazolam tosylate,utilized for anesthesia induction in morbidly obese patients,signif-icantly reduced hypotension and hypoxemia compared to propofol,while it could also maintain similar postop-erative recovery quality.Conclusions Remimazolam is effective in reducing the incidence of hypotension and hypoxaemia during the induction period of general anaesthesia in morbidly obese patients and it is compa-rable to propofol in terms of quality of postoperative re-covery.
5.Acupuncture improves intestinal barrier function and visceral pain in rats with irritable bowel syndrome by blocking BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway
Min YANG ; Huan XIN ; Ran ZOU ; Qiong WANG ; Yue LI
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2024;40(6):1234-1239
Objective:To explore whether acupuncture can affect intestinal barrier and visceral pain of rats with irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)by regulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)and its downstream tyrosine kinase receptor B(TrkB),and to explore the possibility of BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway as a new target for acupuncture treatment.Methods:Sixty SD rats were ran-domly grouped into healthy group,IBS group,acupuncture group,positive control group and acupuncture+TrkB activation group,with 12 rats in each group.An IBS rat model was established,abdominal withdrawal reflex(AWR)was used to detect visceral pain of rats in each group;levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in colon of rats in each group were measured;expression levels of colonic mucosal cyto-plasmic Claudin 1(ZO-1)and occludin were measured with immunohistochemistry;expression levels of BDNF and TrkB mRNA and protein in colon of rats in each group were measured with fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot.Results:Compared with healthy group,colonic mucosa of rats in IBS group was damaged,expressions of ZO-1 and occludin were significantly reduced,AWR score,fecal water content,TNF-α and IL-1β contents,colonic BDNF,TrkB mRNA and BDNF protein expressions,and TrkB phos-phorylation were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with IBS group,colon mucosa of acupuncture group and positive control group gradually recovered,expressions of ZO-1 and occludin were significantly increased,AWR score,fecal water content,TNF-α and IL-1β contents,colonic BDNF,TrkB mRNA and BDNF protein expressions,and TrkB phosphorylation were significantly re-duced(P<0.05);compared with acupuncture group,colonic mucosa of rats in acupuncture+TrkB activation group still had lesions,expressions of ZO-1 and occludin were significantly reduced,AWR score,fecal water content,TNF-α and IL-1β contents,colonic BDNF,TrkB mRNA and BDNF protein expressions,and TrkB phosphorylation were significantly increased(P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture can regulate BDNF/TrkB pathway,inhibit expression of related proteins,improve intestinal barrier function,reduce vis-ceral pain,inflammation and relieve IBS.
6.Report of 5 gene-edited pig-rhesus monkey heterotopic heart xenotransplantation experiment
Gen ZHANG ; Huan WANG ; Yulong GUAN ; Jie YAN ; Ji LI ; Xiaoliang LI ; Xianhua LI ; Rong ZHOU ; Xianzhi WANG ; Zhipeng REN ; Dongsheng HE ; Xin LI ; Dengke PAN ; Dianyuan LI
Chinese Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2024;40(6):379-384
Objective:To investigate the changing trends in cardiac function following xenogeneic heterotopic heart transplantation of multi-gene edited pig hearts and assess the impact of recipient immune responses on donor heart, laying experimental groundwork for the clinical application of gene editing technology.Methods:On December 16, 2023, xenogeneic heterotopic heart transplantation was performed between pigs and rhesus monkeys. Functional status of the graft under post-transplantation load conditions and recipient immune indicators were observed.Results:The recipient monkeys survived for 40 days with satisfactory functionality of both donor and recipient hearts, and no hyperacute or acute immune rejection reactions were observed.Conclusion:Multi-gene editing technology provides potential for xenotransplantation, yet further exploration is needed for its clinical application.
7.Exploration of the Application of Blockchain Technology in the Future Medical Service System
Huan WANG ; Tao LIU ; Jing WANG ; Yanan GAO ; Xin LI ; Liyuan HU ; Zihang FENG ; Zhiyong ZHAO ; Qingyang HUANG ; Quanyu MENG ; Xiaojuan ZHANG ; Hexuan CUI ; Tianming CHEN
Journal of Medical Informatics 2024;45(11):91-94,103
Purpose/Significance To explore the feasibility of applying blockchain technology to the current healthcare system of hos-pitals,and to achieve the purpose of protecting patients'privacy to the greatest extent possible at a lower cost.Method/Process 505 questionnaires are randomly distributed and collected from people of different age groups in Beijing,Tianjin,Shanghai and Shenzhen who have a certain degree of understanding of blockchain technology,and the results are analyzed.Result/Conclusion Different age groups are highly concerned about personal privacy and privacy protection,and are willing to accept blockchain as an emerging technology.There is a greater demand and acceptance for the application of blockchain technology in the primary health care systems.
8.Expression of PCGF3 in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its effect on cell viability and apoptosis
Yanxia WANG ; Huan LI ; Xueying ZHANG ; Xin XU ; Jie YANG
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology 2024;40(6):1052-1061
AIM:To investigate the effect of polycomb group ring finger 3(PCGF3)on the viability and apop-tosis of OSCC cells and its potential mechanism.METHODS:The data were downloaded from the online public database to predict the expression of PCGF3 in OSCC and its relationship with pathological stage survival rate.Fifty pairs of OSCC tissues and adjacent tissues were selected to analyze the relationship between the expression of PCGF3 and the survival rate of patients.The expression level of PCGF3 in the specimens was detected by IHC,and the extracted cancer and adja-cent tissues were homogenized to analyze its mRNA expression.The mRNA and protein expression levels of PCGF3 in the cells were analyzed by RT-qPCR and Western blot experiments,and the protein expressions of PCGF3,p-PI3K,p-AKT,cyclin D1 and cleaved caspase-3(cl-caspase-3)were further analyzed.In addition,the effects of PCGF3 on cell viability and apoptosis were also detected.Finally,subcutaneous tumor models in nude mice were constructed to verify the above experiments.RESULTS:PCGF3 was highly expressed in OSCC and was closely related to pathological stage,pathologi-cal grade,and survival rate of patients.PCGF3 was highly expressed in OSCC tissues and cell lines in the network online databases.Western blot results showed that the expressions of PCGF3,p-PI3K,p-AKT,cyclin D1 and cl-caspase-3 were decreased and increased respectively after knocking down or overexpressing PCGF3 in OSCC cells.And cell viability and apoptosis were affected.The volume and weight of tumors in sh-PCGF3 group were lower than those in sh-NC group,and HE results showed that the nuclear atypotype of tumor cells in sh-PCGF3 group was less than that in sh-NC group.CON-CLUSION:PCGF3 can significantly affect the viability and apoptosis of OSCC cells,and its potential mechanism is to ac-tivate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to participate in the proliferation and apoptosis of OSCC cells.
9.Analysis of influencing factors of female androgenetic alopecia in young women
Xin YE ; Xin SONG ; Xinyang LIU ; Wenlu ZHOU ; Fang WANG ; Huan CHEN
Chongqing Medicine 2024;53(1):69-72,78
Objective To explore the related influencing factors of androgenic alopecia(AGA)in young women(FAGA).Methods A total of 296 cases of FAGA initially diagnosed in the dermatology clinic of this hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected as the observation group,and 296 young women without suffering from FAGA in the physical examination of this hospital at the same time were selected as the control group.The clinical data were compared between the two groups and the influencing factors causing FAGA in young women were analyzed.Results The familial inheritance history,often staying up,sleep disor-der,like to eat high carbohydrate food,like to eat high fat food,high mental stress,going on a diet,irregular menstruation,childbearing history and complicating other diseases had statistical differences between the two groups(P<0.05).The multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that the familial inheritance history,often staying up,sleep disorder,like to eat high carbohydrate food,like to eat high fat food,high men-tal stress,going on a diet,irregular menstruation,childbearing history and complicating other diseases were the independent risk factors leading to FAGA(P<0.05).Conclusion It is necessary to do a good job in the complicating disease screening of young female hair loss groups and pay attention to the related risk factors.
10.Swyer syndrome with gonadal non-dysgerminoma malignant germ cell tumors: a report of 15 cases in a national medical center.
Huan LIANG ; Si Jie LI ; Jia Xin YANG ; Ming WU ; Dong Yan CAO ; Jin Hui WANG ; Tao WANG ; Xin Yue ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2024;59(1):64-69
Objective: To evaluate the incidence, treatment, and survival outcomes of Swyer syndrome with gonadal non-dysgerminoma malignant germ cell tumor (MGCT-NDG). Methods: A retrospective study was performed on Swyer syndrome patients with MGCT-NDG between January 2011 and December 2022 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital to investigate their characteristics and outcomes. Results: A total of 15 patients (4.9%, 15/307) with Swyer syndrome were identified in 307 MGCT-NDG patients. The average age at diagnosis of MGCT-NDG and Swyer syndrome were (16.8±6.7) and (16.7±6.6) years, respectively. Six cases were preoperatively diagnosed as Swyer syndrome, of which 4 cases received bilateral gonadectomy with or without hysterectomy, while the other 2 cases underwent removal of gonadal tumor and unilateral gonadectomy with hysterectomy, respectively. Of the 9 patients postoperatively diagnosed as Swyer syndrome, unilateral gonadectomy, removal of gonadal tumor, and unilateral gonadectomy with hysterectomy were performed in 6 patients, 2 patients, and 1 patient, respectively. Mixed malignant germ cell tumor (MGCT;10 cases), yolk sac tumor (4 cases), and immature teratoma (1 case) were the pathological subtypes, in the descending order. There were International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage Ⅰ in 6 cases, stage Ⅱ in 3 cases, stage Ⅲ in 5 cases, and stage Ⅳ in 1 case, respectively. Eleven patients received reoperation for residual gonadectomy after a average delay of (7.9±6.2) months, including 8 MGCT-NDG patients and 1 gonadoblastoma patient, no tumor involved was seen in the remaining gonads in the other 2 cases. Ten patients experienced at least one recurrence, with a median event free survival of 9 months (5, 30 months), of which 2 patients received surgery only at the time of initial treatment. All patients with recurrence received surgery and combined with postoperative chemotherapy. After a median follow-up of 25 months (15, 42 months), 10 patients were disease-free, 3 patients died of the tumor, 1 died of side effects of leukemia chemotherapy, and 1 survived with disease. Conclusion: The incidence rate of Swyer syndrome in patients with MGCT-NDG is about 4.9%; timely diagnosis and bilateral gonadectomy should be emphasized to reduce the risk of reoperation and second carcinogenesis in this population.
Female
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Humans
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Retrospective Studies
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Gonadal Dysgenesis, 46,XY/surgery*
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Gonadoblastoma/surgery*
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Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal/surgery*
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Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology*

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