Background: High-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) is a chromatin-binding protein involved in arthritis, ischemia, sepsis, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative disorders, meningitis, and cancer. HMGB1 exhibits dual roles in cancer, acting as either a tumor suppressor or oncoprotein depending on context. Objective: This research aimed to elucidate HMGB1’s functional significance in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Methods: We overexpressed HMGB1 in cSCC cell lines using recombinant adenovirus and examined its effects on cell proliferation, colony formation, and cell migration. Results: Immunohistochemical analysis revealed elevated HMGB1 expression levels in cSCC tissue relative to normal epidermis. To assess the influence of HMGB1, we employed recombinant adenoviruses expressing HMGB1 to transduce SCC cell lines (SCC12 and SCC13). Enhanced HMGB1 expression significantly promoted cellular proliferation and colony formation capacity.Notably, HMGB1 overexpression elevated the levels of proliferation regulators, including P63, SOX2, CDK4 and CDK6. Furthermore, HMGB1 overexpression substantially enhanced tumor invasiveness, accompanied by upregulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) biomarkers. Mechanistically, overexpression of HMGB1 enhanced transforming growth factor-β signaling by increasing phosphorylation of SMAD2/3, the key mediators of EMT. Conclusion These data imply that HMGB1 acts as a tumor-promoting factor in cSCC.

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is difficult to detect in its early stages and current treatment methods are associated with significant side effects and a high risk of developing drug resistance.This study aims to investigate the effect of phycocyanin(PC)on the apoptosis of human HCC HepG2 cells and its potential mechanism.HepG2 cells were treated with PC at concentrations of 0.1,0.25,0.5,1,2.5,5,and 10 μg/mL for 12 h,and with 10 μg/mL PC and 2.5 μmol/L Wip1 inhibitor(Wip1i)alone or in combination for 12 and 24 h,respectively.Cell proliferation levels were assessed using the CCK-8 cell proliferation-toxicity assay kit.Apoptosis levels were measured by Annexin V-FITC/Propidium Iodide double staining combined with flow cytometry.TMT(Tandem Mass Tag)proteomics quantitative technol-ogy was applied to analyze differential protein expression.Western blotting was used to detect the expres-sion levels of Wip1,p53,and phosphorylated-p53(Ser15)proteins.The CCK-8 assay revealed that PC effectively inhibited HepG2 cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner,with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)of 19.37 μg/mL.Flow cytometry results showed that PC significantly in-duced apoptosis,with an apoptosis rate of 30.40％.Quantitative proteomics analysis indicated that PC induced activation of the p53 pathway.The CCK-8 assay showed that Wip1i enhanced the cytotoxic effect of PC on HepG2 cells.Western blotting confirmed that PC inhibited Wip1 expression,induced p53 pro-tein phosphorylation,and promoted the expression of total p53 protein.Additionally,Wip1i further en-hanced PC-mediated activation of the p53 pathway,increasing the expression of p53 and pP53(S15).In conclusion,PC may induce apoptosis by inhibiting the activity of the p53 negative regulator Wip1,thereby promoting apoptosis through the Wip1/p53 pathway.

An analysis of 24 144 norovirus sequences from Asia and Russia deposited in GenBank between 1995 and 2023 was conducted,to understand the temporal and spatial variations in norovirus genotypes in these regions.Norovirus sequences from Asia and Russia were downloaded in FASTA format from GenBank for the years 1995-2023,and analyzed in Excel,R language,and GraphPad Prism for data visualization.The number of norovirus sequences submitted to GenBank increased annually from 2004 and peaked in 2015.Notably,China and Japan contributed 62.3％of all submitted norovirus sequences.These sequences encompassed 31 capsid genotypes(C-type),with GⅠ accounting for 9％and GⅡ accounting for 90％.Additionally,49 polymerase types(P-type)were identified,along with 68 combinations of CP types;among the analyzed recombinant sequences(4 460 entries in total),approxi-mately 41％belonged to three predominant recombinant strains:GⅡ.2[P16],GⅡ.4[P31],and GⅡ.4[P16].This analysis provides valuable insights into the distribution characteristics of norovirus genotypes across Asia and Russia over time,thereby supporting vac-cine design and evaluation efforts.

Aim To explore the mechanisms of PM2.5 exposure exacerbating bleomycin(BLM)-induced idio-pathic pulmonary fibrosis(IFP)by regulating ferropto-sis via nuclear factor 2 related factor 2(Nrf2)/solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11)/glutathione peroxidase(GPX)4 axis.Methods Forty C57BL/6J mice were randomized into the control,BLM,PM2.5,BLM+PM2.5 and sulforaphane(SFN,Nrf2 agonist)groups,with eight mice in each group.PM2.5 expo-sures were conducted to the BLM-induced IPF mice for two weeks.The lung function was measured,and the content of hydroxyproline(HYP)in lung tissue and the pathomorphology of lungs were observed.Reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA),ferrous ion(Fe2+)and glutathione(GSH)of the lung tissue were measured by ELISA.The mRNA and pro-teins levels of Nrf2,SLC7A11,GPX4,collagen typeⅠ(COL-1),α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR)and Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,the lung function of mice was signif-icantly reduced(P＜0.01)in the BLM and PM2.5 groups,while lung tissue showed the characteristic pathological changes of pulmonary fibrosis such as a large number of inflammatory cell infiltration,alveolar wall fracture,thickening,collagen deposition,and sig-nificantly increased HYP,Fe2+,ROS,MDA(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),genes and proteins of COL-1,α-SMA(P＜0.01);and decreased GSH,Nrf2,SLC7A11,GPX4 genes and proteins(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The above-mentioned lesions were markedly aggravated in the BLM+PM2.5 group compared with the BLM(P＜0.05)and PM2.5 groups(P＜0.01),and were also improved in the SFN group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusions PM2.5 exposures can exac-erbate IPF-induced IPF in mice,and the regulating of Nrf2/SLC7 A1 1/GPX4 axis and ferroptosis might be in-volved in the related mechanisms.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and factors influencing treatment of pediatric noninfectious uveitis with Adalimumab (ADA).Methods:A retrospective clinical study. A total of 86 pediatric patients with non-infectious uveitis, diagnosed and treated with ADA at Department of Uveitis Specialist of Xi'an People's Hospital (Xi' an Fourth Hospital) from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023, were included in this study. The age of all patients was ≤16 years. Among them, 55 (63.95%, 55/86) patients received ADA combined with one immunosuppressive agent, 28 (32.56%, 28/86) patients received ADA combined with ≥2 immunosuppressive agents, and 3 (3.49%, 3/86) patients received ADA alone without any immunosuppressive agents. All patients underwent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations. The thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in the macular region was measured using an OCT device. The cumulative treatment effectiveness rate at 12 months post-treatment was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model, and the optimal predictive model was selected based on the Bayesian information criterion. The association between different treatment regimens and various clinical outcomes was assessed.Results:Among the 86 pediatric patients, 42 were male and 44 were female, with a mean age of (10.47±3.23) years. The distribution of uveitis types was as follows: anterior uveitis in 37 cases, intermediate uveitis in 15 cases, posterior uveitis in 10 cases, and panuveitis in 24 cases. Anterior chamber cells (ACC), keratic precipitates, and synechiae were present in 66, 55, and 38 cases, respectively. The cumulative treatment effectiveness at 12 months was 85.1% [95% confidence interval ( CI) 71.9-92.2], with a median time to treatment effectiveness of 3 months. Compared with baseline, after 6 months of treatment, the BCVA, RNFL thickness ( Z=?6.323, ?8.017), and the grading of ACC and vitreous haze ( χ2= ?6.917, ?5.027) showed significant improvement, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that ACC (hazard ratio=22.31, 95% CI 2.43-204.68) and anterior uveitis (hazard ratio=3.88, 95% CI 2.03-7.42) were significantly associated with treatment effectiveness ( P<0.05). Patients with ACC had a median time to treatment effectiveness of 2 months, with a 12-month cumulative treatment effectiveness of 95.5% (95% CI 86.3-98.5). Patients with anterior uveitis had a median time to treatment effectiveness of 2 months, with a 12-month cumulative treatment effectiveness of 97.3% (95% CI 81.3-99.6). Patients without anterior uveitis had a median time to treatment effectiveness of 5 months, with a 12-month cumulative treatment effectiveness of 76.7% (95% CI 54.1-88.2). The cumulative recurrence risk at 12 months was 15.6% (95% CI 6.2-24.1). Conclusion:ADA is safe and effective in treating pediatric non-infectious uveitis, and ACC and anterior uveitis are associated with response rate.

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is difficult to detect in its early stages and current treatment methods are associated with significant side effects and a high risk of developing drug resistance.This study aims to investigate the effect of phycocyanin(PC)on the apoptosis of human HCC HepG2 cells and its potential mechanism.HepG2 cells were treated with PC at concentrations of 0.1,0.25,0.5,1,2.5,5,and 10 μg/mL for 12 h,and with 10 μg/mL PC and 2.5 μmol/L Wip1 inhibitor(Wip1i)alone or in combination for 12 and 24 h,respectively.Cell proliferation levels were assessed using the CCK-8 cell proliferation-toxicity assay kit.Apoptosis levels were measured by Annexin V-FITC/Propidium Iodide double staining combined with flow cytometry.TMT(Tandem Mass Tag)proteomics quantitative technol-ogy was applied to analyze differential protein expression.Western blotting was used to detect the expres-sion levels of Wip1,p53,and phosphorylated-p53(Ser15)proteins.The CCK-8 assay revealed that PC effectively inhibited HepG2 cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner,with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)of 19.37 μg/mL.Flow cytometry results showed that PC significantly in-duced apoptosis,with an apoptosis rate of 30.40％.Quantitative proteomics analysis indicated that PC induced activation of the p53 pathway.The CCK-8 assay showed that Wip1i enhanced the cytotoxic effect of PC on HepG2 cells.Western blotting confirmed that PC inhibited Wip1 expression,induced p53 pro-tein phosphorylation,and promoted the expression of total p53 protein.Additionally,Wip1i further en-hanced PC-mediated activation of the p53 pathway,increasing the expression of p53 and pP53(S15).In conclusion,PC may induce apoptosis by inhibiting the activity of the p53 negative regulator Wip1,thereby promoting apoptosis through the Wip1/p53 pathway.

High mobility group box protein 1(HMGB1)is one of the most widely expressed protein member in the HMGs family,which is well known for its involvement in the body inflammatory response.Previous researches have found that it plays a significant role in cell migration,immune identification and neuroprotection.Spinal cord injury is a disease that causes severe damage to the nervous system,and neural circuits are disrupted after a spinal cord injury,which leads to many conditions including ischemia and hypoxia,inflammatory responses,demyelinating lesions,and glial scar formation that are detrimental to nerve regeneration and repair,making it one of the most difficult diseases to treat in the modern spinal surgery field.HMGB1 is upregulated after spinal cord injury,thereby regulating neuroinflam-matory responses,and participating in the neuronal apoptosis,promoting neuronal regeneration,and inducing neural stem cell differentiation and migration,which plays an important role in the process of neural function recovery.This paper summarizes the structure and function of HMGB1,as well as its role in spinal cord injury,in order to provide direction for founding therapeutic target for neurological function recovery after spinal cord injury.

High mobility group box protein 1(HMGB1)is one of the most widely expressed protein member in the HMGs family,which is well known for its involvement in the body inflammatory response.Previous researches have found that it plays a significant role in cell migration,immune identification and neuroprotection.Spinal cord injury is a disease that causes severe damage to the nervous system,and neural circuits are disrupted after a spinal cord injury,which leads to many conditions including ischemia and hypoxia,inflammatory responses,demyelinating lesions,and glial scar formation that are detrimental to nerve regeneration and repair,making it one of the most difficult diseases to treat in the modern spinal surgery field.HMGB1 is upregulated after spinal cord injury,thereby regulating neuroinflam-matory responses,and participating in the neuronal apoptosis,promoting neuronal regeneration,and inducing neural stem cell differentiation and migration,which plays an important role in the process of neural function recovery.This paper summarizes the structure and function of HMGB1,as well as its role in spinal cord injury,in order to provide direction for founding therapeutic target for neurological function recovery after spinal cord injury.

Lung cancer is the most common malignant tumor worldwide, ranking first in both incidence and mortality rates. According to the latest statistics from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), approximately 2.5 million new cases and around 1.8 million deaths from lung cancer occurred in 2022, placing a tremendous burden on global healthcare systems. The high mortality rate of lung cancer is closely linked to its subtle early symptoms, which often lead to diagnosis at advanced stages. This not only complicates treatment but also results in substantial economic losses. Current treatment options for lung cancer include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy, and immunotherapy. Among these, immunotherapy has emerged as the most groundbreaking advancement in recent years, owing to its unique antitumor mechanisms and impressive clinical benefits. Unlike traditional therapies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, immunotherapy activates or enhances the patient’s immune system to recognize and eliminate tumor cells. It offers advantages such as more durable therapeutic effects and relatively fewer toxic side effects. The main approaches to lung cancer immunotherapy include immune checkpoint inhibitors, tumor-specific antigen-targeted therapies, adoptive cell therapies, cancer vaccines, and oncolytic virus therapies. Among these, immune checkpoint inhibitors and tumor-specific antigen-targeted therapies have received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use in lung cancer, significantly improving outcomes for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Although other immunotherapy strategies are still in clinical trials, they show great potential in improving treatment precision and efficacy. This article systematically reviews the latest research progress in lung cancer immunotherapy, including the development of novel immune checkpoint molecules, optimization of treatment strategies, identification of predictive biomarkers, and findings from recent clinical trials. It also discusses the current challenges in the field and outlines future directions, such as the development of next-generation immunotherapeutic agents, exploration of more effective combination regimens, and the establishment of precise efficacy prediction systems. The aim is to provide a valuable reference for the continued advancement of lung cancer immunotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the antidepression mechanisms of Xiaoyaosan (XYS), a classic Chinese prescription, from the perspective of energy metabolism in the brain and intestinal tissues. METHODS: Chronic unpredictable mild stress model-a classic depression rat model-was established. Effects of XYS on behaviors and gastrointestinal motility of depressed rats were investigated. Effects of XYS on energetic charge (EC), adenosine triphosphate-related enzymes, and key enzymes of energy metabolism in both hippocampus and jejunum tissues of depressed rats were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography, biochemical analysis, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to construct a correlation network of "behavior-brain energy metabolism-intestinal energy metabolism" of depression. RESULTS: XYS significantly reduced the abnormal behaviors that observed in depressed rats and increased the EC and the activity of Na⁺-K⁺-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) and Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-ATPase in hippocampus and jejunum tissues of depressed rats. XYS restored the key energetic pathways that had been interrupted by depression, including glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, XYS exhibited antidepressive effects in terms of regulating energy metabolism in tissues of both brain and intestine. CONCLUSION XYS significantly corrected the disturbances in EC and energy metabolism-related enzymes of both brain and intestinal tissues, alleviating both core and concomitant symptoms of depression. The current findings underscore the role of energy metabolism in the antidepressive activity of XYS, providing a fresh perspective on depression, and novel research strategies for revealing the mechanism of actions of traditional Chinese medicines on multi-site and multi-symptom diseases. Please cite this article as: Xiao MT, Wang SY, Wu XL, Zhao ZY, Wang HM, Liu HM, Qin XM, Liu XJ. Antidepressant mechanism of Xiaoyaosan: A perspective from energy metabolism of the brain and intestine. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):706-720.
Animals ; Energy Metabolism/drug effects* ; Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Brain/drug effects* ; Male ; Depression/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Intestines/drug effects* ; Hippocampus/drug effects*