1.Targeting PPARα for The Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases
Tong-Tong ZHANG ; Hao-Zhuo ZHANG ; Li HE ; Jia-Wei LIU ; Jia-Zhen WU ; Wen-Hua SU ; Ju-Hua DAN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2295-2313
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the leading causes of mortality among adults globally, with continuously rising morbidity and mortality rates. Metabolic disorders are closely linked to various cardiovascular diseases and play a critical role in their pathogenesis and progression, involving multifaceted mechanisms such as altered substrate utilization, mitochondrial structural and functional dysfunction, and impaired ATP synthesis and transport. In recent years, the potential role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in cardiovascular diseases has garnered significant attention, particularly peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), which is recognized as a highly promising therapeutic target for CVD. PPARα regulates cardiovascular physiological and pathological processes through fatty acid metabolism. As a ligand-activated receptor within the nuclear hormone receptor family, PPARα is highly expressed in multiple organs, including skeletal muscle, liver, intestine, kidney, and heart, where it governs the metabolism of diverse substrates. Functioning as a key transcription factor in maintaining metabolic homeostasis and catalyzing or regulating biochemical reactions, PPARα exerts its cardioprotective effects through multiple pathways: modulating lipid metabolism, participating in cardiac energy metabolism, enhancing insulin sensitivity, suppressing inflammatory responses, improving vascular endothelial function, and inhibiting smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration. These mechanisms collectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease development. Thus, PPARα plays a pivotal role in various pathological processes via mechanisms such as lipid metabolism regulation, anti-inflammatory actions, and anti-apoptotic effects. PPARα is activated by binding to natural or synthetic lipophilic ligands, including endogenous fatty acids and their derivatives (e.g., linoleic acid, oleic acid, and arachidonic acid) as well as synthetic peroxisome proliferators. Upon ligand binding, PPARα activates the nuclear receptor retinoid X receptor (RXR), forming a PPARα-RXR heterodimer. This heterodimer, in conjunction with coactivators, undergoes further activation and subsequently binds to peroxisome proliferator response elements (PPREs), thereby regulating the transcription of target genes critical for lipid and glucose homeostasis. Key genes include fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36), diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT1), and glucose transporter (GLUT), which are primarily involved in fatty acid uptake, storage, oxidation, and glucose utilization processes. Advancing research on PPARα as a therapeutic target for cardiovascular diseases has underscored its growing clinical significance. Currently, PPARα activators/agonists, such as fibrates (e.g., fenofibrate and bezafibrate) and thiazolidinediones, have been extensively studied in clinical trials for CVD prevention. Traditional PPARα agonists, including fenofibrate and bezafibrate, are widely used in clinical practice to treat hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. These fibrates enhance fatty acid metabolism in the liver and skeletal muscle by activating PPARα, and their cardioprotective effects have been validated in numerous clinical studies. Recent research highlights that fibrates improve insulin resistance, regulate lipid metabolism, correct energy metabolism imbalances, and inhibit the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells, thereby ameliorating pathological remodeling of the cardiovascular system and reducing blood pressure. Given the substantial attention to PPARα-targeted interventions in both basic research and clinical applications, activating PPARα may serve as a key therapeutic strategy for managing cardiovascular conditions such as myocardial hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, ischemic cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, diabetic cardiomyopathy, and heart failure. This review comprehensively examines the regulatory roles of PPARα in cardiovascular diseases and evaluates its clinical application value, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation for further development and utilization of PPARα-related therapies in CVD treatment.
2.Research progress in chemical constituents and processing methods of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata.
Jia-Hao HU ; Wen-Ru LI ; Qing-Xin SHI ; Cheng-Wu SONG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(6):1458-1470
This article aims to study the processing methods by exploring the main chemical constituents of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata and the toxicity-attenuating mechanisms. The relevant articles were retrieved from multiple databases with the time interval of 1960-2024, and the chemical constituents of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata and the toxicity-attenuating mechanisms of its processing methods were summarized. The review revealed that the chemical constituents of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata included 32 diester-type alkaloids, 36 monoester-type alkaloids, 43 alkanolamine-type alkaloids, and 8 lipid-type alkaloids. At the same time, other chemical constituents such as water-soluble alkaloids were also studied, and their pharmacological activities were summarized. The toxicity-attenuating mechanisms of the processing methods included constituent loss, hydrolysis, ester exchange, and ion-pair action. The processing methods of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata have developed from being traditional to modern, with simplified operation and increased retention amounts of active constituents, which have improved the efficacy of processed Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata products and have facilitated the industrial production. However, the existing processing methods of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata cannot completely solve the problem of possible reduction in efficacy during toxicity attenuation. More toxicity-attenuating mechanisms and lipid-type alkaloids of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata should be explored, which is expected to reduce its toxicity while retaining its efficacy.
Aconitum/toxicity*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification*
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Alkaloids/chemistry*
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Animals
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Humans
3.Research progress on pharmacological effects and mechanism of α-asarone and β-asarone in Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma.
Hao WANG ; Lei GAO ; Jin-Lian ZHANG ; Ling-Yun ZHONG ; Shu-Han JIN ; Xiao-Yan CHEN ; Wen ZHANG ; Jia-Wen WEN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(9):2305-2316
Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma is the dried rhizome of Acorus tatarinowii in the family of Tennantiaceae, which has the efficacy of opening up the orifices and expelling phlegm, awakening the mind and wisdom, and resolving dampness and opening up the stomach. Modern studies have shown that volatile oil is the main active ingredient of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma, and α-asarone and β-asarone have been proved to be the active ingredients in the volatile oil of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma, with pharmacological effects such as anti-Alzheimer's disease, antiepileptic, anti-Parkinson's disease, antidepressant, anticerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, anti-thrombosis, lipid-lowering, and antitumor. By summarising and outlining the pharmacological effects of α-asarone and β-asarone and elucidating the possible mechanisms of their pharmacological effects, we can provide theoretical basis for the further research and clinical application of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma.
Allylbenzene Derivatives
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Acorus/chemistry*
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Anisoles/chemistry*
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Rhizome/chemistry*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*
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Humans
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Animals
4.Optimization of extraction process for Shenxiong Huanglian Jiedu Granules based on AHP-CRITIC hybrid weighting method, grey correlation analysis, and BP-ANN.
Zi-An LI ; De-Wen LIU ; Xin-Jian LI ; Bing-Yu WU ; Qun LAN ; Meng-Jia GUO ; Jia-Hui SUN ; Nan-Yang LIU ; Hui PEI ; Hao LI ; Hong YI ; Jin-Yu WANG ; Liang-Mian CHEN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(10):2674-2683
By employing the analytic hierarchy process(AHP), the CRITIC method(a weight determination method based on indicator correlations), and the AHP-CRITIC hybrid weighting method, the weight coefficients of evaluation indicators were determined, followed by a comprehensive score comparison. The grey correlation analysis was then performed to analyze the results calculated using the hybrid weighting method. Subsequently, a backpropagation-artificial neural network(BP-ANN) model was constructed to predict the extraction process parameters and optimize the extraction process for Shenxiong Huanglian Jiedu Granules(SHJG). In the extraction process, an L_9(3~4) orthogonal experiment was designed to optimize three factors at three levels, including extraction frequency, water addition amount, and extraction time. The evaluation indicators included geniposide, berberine, ginsenoside Rg_1 + Re, ginsenoside Rb_1, ferulic acid, and extract yield. Finally, the optimal extraction results obtained by the orthogonal experiment, grey correlation analysis, and BP-ANN method were compared, and validation experiments were conducted. The results showed that the optimal extraction process involved two rounds of aqueous extraction, each lasting one hour; the first extraction used ten times the amount of added water, while the second extraction used eight times the amount. In the validation experiments, the average content of each indicator component was higher than the average content obtained in the orthogonal experiment, with a higher comprehensive score. The optimized extraction process parameters were reliable and stable, making them suitable for subsequent preparation process research.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis*
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Neural Networks, Computer
5.Protective effect of sub-hypothermic mechanical perfusion combined with membrane lung oxygenation on a yorkshire model of brain injury after traumatic blood loss.
Xiang-Yu SONG ; Yang-Hui DONG ; Zhi-Bo JIA ; Lei-Jia CHEN ; Meng-Yi CUI ; Yan-Jun GUAN ; Bo-Yao YANG ; Si-Ce WANG ; Sheng-Feng CHEN ; Peng-Kai LI ; Heng CHEN ; Hao-Chen ZUO ; Zhan-Cheng YANG ; Wen-Jing XU ; Ya-Qun ZHAO ; Jiang PENG
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2025;28(6):469-476
PURPOSE:
To investigate the protective effect of sub-hypothermic mechanical perfusion combined with membrane lung oxygenation on ischemic hypoxic injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss.
METHODS:
This article performed a random controlled trial. Brain tissue of 7 yorkshire was selected and divided into the sub-low temperature anterograde machine perfusion group (n = 4) and the blank control group (n = 3) using the random number table method. A yorkshire model of brain tissue injury induced by traumatic blood loss was established. Firstly, the perfusion temperature and blood oxygen saturation were monitored in real-time during the perfusion process. The number of red blood cells, hemoglobin content, NA+, K+, and Ca2+ ions concentrations and pH of the perfusate were detected. Following perfusion, we specifically examined the parietal lobe to assess its water content. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were then dissected for histological evaluation, allowing us to investigate potential regional differences in tissue injury. The blank control group was sampled directly before perfusion. All statistical analyses and graphs were performed using GraphPad Prism 8.0 Student t-test. All tests were two-sided, and p value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.
RESULTS:
The contents of red blood cells and hemoglobin during perfusion were maintained at normal levels but more red blood cells were destroyed 3 h after the perfusion. The blood oxygen saturation of the perfusion group was maintained at 95% - 98%. NA+ and K+ concentrations were normal most of the time during perfusion but increased significantly at about 4 h. The Ca2+ concentration remained within the normal range at each period. Glucose levels were slightly higher than the baseline level. The pH of the perfusion solution was slightly lower at the beginning of perfusion, and then gradually increased to the normal level. The water content of brain tissue in the sub-low and docile perfusion group was 78.95% ± 0.39%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (75.27% ± 0.55%, t = 10.49, p < 0.001), and the difference was statistically significant. Compared with the blank control group, the structure and morphology of pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex and CA1 region of the hippocampal gyrus were similar, and their integrity was better. The structural integrity of granulosa neurons was destroyed and cell edema increased in the perfusion group compared with the blank control group. Immunofluorescence staining for glail fibrillary acidic protein and Iba1, markers of glial cells, revealed well-preserved cell structures in the perfusion group. While there were indications of abnormal cellular activity, the analysis showed no significant difference in axon thickness or integrity compared to the 1-h blank control group.
CONCLUSIONS
Mild hypothermic machine perfusion can improve ischemia and hypoxia injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss and delay the necrosis and apoptosis of yorkshire brain tissue by continuous oxygen supply, maintaining ion homeostasis and reducing tissue metabolism level.
Animals
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Perfusion/methods*
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Disease Models, Animal
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Brain Injuries/etiology*
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Swine
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Male
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Hypothermia, Induced/methods*
6.The Enhancing Effects and Underlying Mechanism of Ionizing Radiation on Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells via Regulating Oxidative Stress Pathway.
Fu-Hao YU ; Bo-Feng YIN ; Pei-Lin LI ; Xiao-Tong LI ; Jia-Yi TIAN ; Run-Xiang XU ; Jie TANG ; Xiao-Yu ZHANG ; Wen-Jing ZHANG ; Heng ZHU ; Li DING
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(1):246-254
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of ionizing radiation on the adipogenic of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
METHODS:
Mouse MSCs were cultured in vitro and treated with 2 Gy and 6 Gy radiation with 60Co, and the radiation dose rate was 0.98 Gy/min. Bulk RNA-seq was performed on control and irradiated MSCs. The changes of adipogenic differentiation and oxidative stress pathways of MSC were revealed by bioinformatics analysis. Oil Red O staining was used to detect the adipogenic differentiation ability of MSCs in vitro, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to detect the expression differences of key regulatory factors Cebpa, Lpl and Pparg after radiation treatment. At the same time, qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the effect of inhibition of Nrf2, a key factor of antioxidant stress pathway, on the expression of key regulatory factors of adipogenesis. Moreover, the species conservation of the irradiation response of human bone marrow MSCs and mouse MSC was determined by qPCR.
RESULTS:
Bulk RNA-seq suggested that ionizing radiation promotes adipogenic differentiation of MSCs and up-regulation of oxidative stress-related genes and pathways. The results of Oil Red O staining and qPCR showed that ionizing radiation promoted the adipogenesis of MSCs, with high expression of Cebpa, Lpl and Pparg, as well as oxidative stress-related gene Nrf2. Nrf2 pathway inhibitors could further enhance the adipogenesis of MSCs in bone marrow after radiation. Notably, the similar regulation of oxidative pathways and enhanced adipogenesis post irradiation were observed in human bone marrow MSCs. In addition, irradiation exposure led to up-regulated mRNA expression of interleukin-6 and down-regulated mRNA expression of colony stimulating factor 2 in human bone marrow MSCs.
CONCLUSION
Ionizing radiation promotes adipogenesis of MSCs in mice, and oxidative stress pathway participates in this effect, blocking Nrf2 further promotes the adipogenesis of MSCs. Additionally, irradiation activates oxidative pathways and promotes adipogenic differentiation of human bone marrow MSCs.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology*
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Oxidative Stress/radiation effects*
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Animals
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Adipogenesis/radiation effects*
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Mice
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Radiation, Ionizing
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Cell Differentiation/radiation effects*
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Humans
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NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism*
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PPAR gamma
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Cells, Cultured
7.Establishment and Application of an in Vitro Cellular Model of Adipogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Serum Injury in aGVHD Mouse.
Run-Xiang XU ; Pei-Lin LI ; Jia-Yi TIAN ; Jie TANG ; Bo-Feng YIN ; Fu-Hao YU ; Fei-Yan WANG ; Xiao-Tong LI ; Xiao-Yu ZHANG ; Wen-Rong XIA ; Heng ZHU ; Li DING
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(1):255-261
OBJECTIVE:
To establish an in vitro cell model simulating acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) bone marrow microenvironment injury with the advantage of mouse serum of aGVHD model and explore the effect of serum of aGVHD mouse on the adipogenic differentiation ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
METHODS:
The 6-8-week-old C57BL/6N female mice and BALB/c female mice were used as the donor and recipient mice of the aGVHD model, respectively. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) mouse model (n=20) was established by being injected with bone marrow cells (1×107 per mouse) from donor mice within 4-6 hours after receiving a lethal dose (8.0 Gy, 72.76 cGy/min) of γ ray general irradiation. A mouse model of aGVHD (n=20) was established by infusing a total of 0.4 ml of a mixture of donor mouse-derived bone marrow cells (1×107 per mouse) and spleen lymphocytes (2×106 per mouse). The blood was removed from the eyeballs and the mouse serum was aspirated on the 7th day after modeling. Bone marrow-derived MSCs were isolated from 1-week-old C57BL/6N male mice and incubated with 2%, 5% and 10% BMT mouse serum and aGVHD mouse serum in the medium, respectively. The effect of serum in the two groups on the in vitro adipogenic differentiation ability of mouse MSCs was detected by Oil Red O staining. The expression levels of related proteins PPARγ and CEBPα were detected by Western blot. The expression differences of key adipogenic transcription factors including PPARγ, CEBPα, FABP4 and LPL were determined by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).
RESULTS:
An in vitro cell model simulating the damage of bone marrow microenvironment in mice with aGVHD was successfully established. Oil Red O staining showed that the number of orange-red fatty droplets was significantly reduced and the adipogenic differentiation ability of MSC was impaired at aGVHD serum concentration of 10% compared with BMT serum. Western blot experiments showed that adipogenesis-related proteins PPARγ and CEBPα expressed in MSCs were down-regulated. Further RT-qPCR assay showed that the production of PPARγ, CEBPα, FABP4 and LPL, the key transcription factors for adipogenic differentiation of MSC, were significantly reduced.
CONCLUSION
The adipogenic differentiation capacity of MSCs is inhibited by aGVHD mouse serum.
Animals
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Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology*
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Mice
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Mice, Inbred BALB C
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Adipogenesis
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Female
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Cell Differentiation
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Graft vs Host Disease/blood*
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Bone Marrow Cells/cytology*
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PPAR gamma/metabolism*
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Disease Models, Animal
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CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-alpha/metabolism*
8.Safety, dosimetry, and efficacy of an optimized long-acting somatostatin analog for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy in metastatic neuroendocrine tumors: From preclinical testing to first-in-human study.
Wei GUO ; Xuejun WEN ; Yuhang CHEN ; Tianzhi ZHAO ; Jia LIU ; Yucen TAO ; Hao FU ; Hongjian WANG ; Weizhi XU ; Yizhen PANG ; Liang ZHAO ; Jingxiong HUANG ; Pengfei XU ; Zhide GUO ; Weibing MIAO ; Jingjing ZHANG ; Xiaoyuan CHEN ; Haojun CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(2):707-721
Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with radiolabeled SSTR2 agonists is a treatment option that is highly effective in controlling metastatic and progressive neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Previous studies have shown that an SSTR2 agonist combined with albumin binding moiety Evans blue (denoted as 177Lu-EB-TATE) is characterized by a higher tumor uptake and residence time in preclinical models and in patients with metastatic NETs. This study aimed to enhance the in vivo stability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of 177Lu-EB-TATE by replacing the maleimide-thiol group with a polyethylene glycol chain, resulting in a novel EB conjugated SSTR2-targeting radiopharmaceutical, 177Lu-LNC1010, for PRRT. In preclinical studies, 177Lu-LNC1010 exhibited good stability and SSTR2-binding affinity in AR42J tumor cells and enhanced uptake and prolonged retention in AR42J tumor xenografts. Thereafter, we presented the first-in-human dose escalation study of 177Lu-LNC1010 in patients with advanced/metastatic NETs. 177Lu-LNC1010 was well-tolerated by all patients, with minor adverse effects, and exhibited significant uptake and prolonged retention in tumor lesions, with higher tumor radiation doses than those of 177Lu-EB-TATE. Preliminary PRRT efficacy results showed an 83% disease control rate and a 42% overall response rate after two 177Lu-LNC1010 treatment cycles. These encouraging findings warrant further investigations through multicenter, prospective, and randomized controlled trials.
9.Kitchen Ventilation Attenuate the Association of Solid Fuel Use with Sarcopenia: A Cross-Sectional and Prospective Study.
Ying Hao YUCHI ; Wei LIAO ; Jia QIU ; Rui Ying LI ; Ning KANG ; Xiao Tian LIU ; Wen Qian HUO ; Zhen Xing MAO ; Jian HOU ; Lei ZHANG ; Chong Jian WANG
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(4):511-515
10.Hepatolenticular Degeneration With Primary Liver Cancer:Report of One Case and Review of the Literature.
Hui WANG ; Jia-Lin DU ; Qing-Ya YANG ; Dian-Dian HAO ; Ming-Yuan ZHANG ; Xiao-Yu WEN
Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinicae 2025;47(2):319-324
Hepatolenticular degeneration is a rare disease,and the number of cases of primary liver cancer occurring on the basis of liver cirrhosis caused by hepatolenticular degeneration is very small.This paper reports a case of hepatolenticular degeneration with primary liver cancer,and then reviews and summarizes current cases of this disease both domestically and internationally.
Humans
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Hepatolenticular Degeneration/complications*
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Liver Neoplasms/complications*

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