1.Imaging poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) in vivo with 18F-labeled brain penetrant positron emission tomography (PET) ligand.
Xin ZHOU ; Jiahui CHEN ; Jimmy S PATEL ; Wenqing RAN ; Yinlong LI ; Richard S VAN ; Mostafa M H IBRAHIM ; Chunyu ZHAO ; Yabiao GAO ; Jian RONG ; Ahmad F CHAUDHARY ; Guocong LI ; Junqi HU ; April T DAVENPORT ; James B DAUNAIS ; Yihan SHAO ; Chongzhao RAN ; Thomas L COLLIER ; Achi HAIDER ; David M SCHUSTER ; Allan I LEVEY ; Lu WANG ; Gabriel CORFAS ; Steven H LIANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(10):5036-5049
Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is a multifunctional protein involved in diverse cellular functions, notably DNA damage repair. Pharmacological inhibition of PARP1 has therapeutic benefits for various pathologies. Despite the increased use of PARP inhibitors, challenges persist in achieving PARP1 selectivity and effective blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration. The development of a PARP1-specific positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand is crucial for understanding disease biology and performing target occupancy studies, which may aid in the development of PARP1-specific inhibitors. In this study, we leverage the recently identified PARP1 inhibitor, AZD9574, to introduce the design and development of its 18F-isotopologue ([18F]AZD9574). Our comprehensive approach, encompassing pharmacological, cellular, autoradiographic, and in vivo PET imaging evaluations in non-human primates, demonstrates the capacity of [18F]AZD9574 to specifically bind to PARP1 and to successfully penetrate the BBB. These findings position [18F]AZD9574 as a viable molecular imaging tool, poised to facilitate the exploration of pathophysiological changes in PARP1 tissue abundance across various diseases.
2.Study on the Mechanism of the Flavonoids from the New
Liang GAO ; Yalin ZHANG ; Yuhan WU ; Jiahui SHAO ; Hui ZHANG ; Yidan SHAO ; Yaping XU ; Jianping JIANG
Chinese Journal of Modern Applied Pharmacy 2024;41(2):166-176
OBJECTIVE
To explore the mechanisms of the flavonoids from new "Zhe Eight Flavors" Quzhou Fructus Aurantii(PTFC) against hepatocellular carcinoma based on the prediction of network pharmacology and experimental verification.
METHODS
From TCMSP, TCMID, ETCM, BATMAN-TCM and SwissTargetPrediction databases, the potential target proteins of PTFC, including naringin, narirutin and neohesperidin were collected. Based on the GeneCards, CTD, Disgenet, and OMIM databases, a set of target proteins for hepatocellular carcinoma was constructed. Taking the intersection of potential target proteins of PTFC and target proteins of hepatocellular carcinoma, key target proteins were obtained and a protein-protein interaction network was established. Besides, GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis on the core target proteins was performed and a Compounds-Targets-Pathways-Disease network was constructed. Through proliferation, cloning, wound healing, and migration experiments, the effects of PTFC on the viability of HepG2 liver cancer cells were analyzed. Using fluorescence probe staining the impacts of PTFC on the mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis of HepG2 were observed. Finally, the validation of the regulatory effect of PTFC on the key predicted target PRKCA were carried out through RT-qPCR.
RESULTS
Based on network pharmacology, a total of 217 potential target proteins for PTFC were screened, with 59 intersecting target proteins related to diseases, including ALB, ESR1, PRKCA, and others. GO functional and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the PTFC target proteins were involved in 193 biological processes and 13 cancer-related signaling pathways. Experimental results demonstrated that PTFC could impact the proliferation, cloning, wound healing, and migration abilities of liver cancer cells, leading to a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential and promoting cell apoptosis. The results of RT-qPCR confirmed a significant downregulation of PRKCA expression by PTFC, validating the predictions made by network pharmacology analysis.
CONCLUSION
This study has revealed the potential molecular mechanism of PTFC treating hepatocellular carcinoma via the PRKCA target, laying the foundation for clinical application of PTFC.
3.Exploration on the Chinese Medical Master Wang Qingguo's Medication Law in Treating Insomnia Based on Data Mining
Jiahui CHEN ; Chongyang MA ; Qi SHAO ; Jing JI ; Wenxiu XU ; Fafeng CHENG ; Xueqian WANG ; Qingguo WANG
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;31(11):90-95
Objective To explore the medication law of Professor Wang Qingguo for the treatment of insomnia based on data mining technology.Methods Paper-based prescriptions for Professor Wang Qingguo's treatment of insomnia from December 2016 to August 2023 were collected and a database was constructed.The screened prescriptions were subjected to data mining such as frequency statistics,association rule analysis,and clustering analysis.Results Totally 399 effective outpatient prescriptions were screened-out,involving 276 kinds of Chinese materia medica,with a total frequency of 6738 times.There were 38 Chinese materia medica with a frequency of use≥50.The properties were mainly warm,cold and mild,the tastes were mainly sweet,bitter and pungent,and mainly belong to the lung,spleen and heart meridians.Association rule analysis showed that the most commonly used drug combinations were"Fructus Tritici Levis-Scutellariae Radix-Bupleuri Radix","Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae-Scutellariae Radix-Pinelliae Rhizoma",etc.Association rule network analysis obtained a core prescription containing 12 kinds of Chinese materia medica for insomnia.Four new drug combinations were obtained by clustering analysis.Conclusion Professor Wang's treatment of insomnia has the characteristics of following the original meaning of Huang Di Nei Jing and Nan Jing,making good use of the classical prescription,applying combined prescription,flexible use of prescription,combining ancient and modern prescriptions,using specific medicine.It deeply reflects the academic view of"Tongping Zhihe".
4.Next-generation aluminum adjuvants: Immunomodulatory layered double hydroxide NanoAlum reengineered from first-line drugs.
Zhenwei SU ; Hamza BOUCETTA ; Jiahui SHAO ; Jinling HUANG ; Ran WANG ; Aining SHEN ; Wei HE ; Zhi Ping XU ; Lingxiao ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2024;14(11):4665-4682
Aluminum adjuvants (Alum), approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, have been extensively used in vaccines containing recombinant antigens, subunits of pathogens, or toxins for almost a century. While Alums typically elicit strong humoral immune responses, their ability to induce cellular and mucosal immunity is limited. As an alternative, layered double hydroxide (LDH), a widely used antacid, has emerged as a novel class of potent nano-aluminum adjuvants (NanoAlum), demonstrating advantageous physicochemical properties, biocompatibility and adjuvanticity in both humoral and cellular immune responses. In this review, we summarize and compare the advantages and disadvantages of Alum and NanoAlum in these properties and their performance as adjuvants. Moreover, we propose the key features for ideal adjuvants and demonstrate that LDH NanoAlum is a promising candidate by summarizing its current progress in immunotherapeutic cancer treatments. Finally, we conclude the review by offering our integrated perspectives about the remaining challenges and future directions for NanoAlum's application in preclinical/clinical settings.
5.18FMAGL-4-11 positron emission tomography molecular imaging of monoacylglycerol lipase changes in preclinical liver fibrosis models.
Tuo SHAO ; Zhen CHEN ; Jian RONG ; Vasily BELOV ; Jiahui CHEN ; Andre JEYARAJAN ; Xiaoyun DENG ; Hualong FU ; Qingzhen YU ; Steve H RWEMA ; Wenyu LIN ; Mikhail PAPISOV ; Lee JOSEPHSON ; Raymond T CHUNG ; Steven H LIANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2022;12(1):308-315
Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is a pivotal enzyme in the endocannabinoid system, which metabolizes 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) into the proinflammatory eicosanoid precursor arachidonic acid (AA). MAGL and other endogenous cannabinoid (EC) degrading enzymes are involved in the fibrogenic signaling pathways that induce hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and ECM accumulation during chronic liver disease. Our group recently developed an 18F-labeled MAGL inhibitor ([18F]MAGL-4-11) for PET imaging and demonstrated highly specific binding in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we determined [18F]MAGL-4-11 PET enabled imaging MAGL levels in the bile duct ligation (BDL) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) models of liver cirrhosis; we also assessed the hepatic gene expression of the enzymes involved with EC system including MAGL, NAPE-PLD, FAAH and DAGL that as a function of disease severity in these models; [18F]MAGL-4-11 autoradiography was performed to assess tracer binding in frozen liver sections both in animal and human. [18F]MAGL-4-11 demonstrated reduced PET signals in early stages of fibrosis and further significantly decreased with disease progression compared with control mice. We confirmed MAGL and FAAH expression decreases with fibrosis severity, while its levels in normal liver tissue are high; in contrast, the EC synthetic enzymes NAPE-PLD and DAGL are enhanced in these different fibrosis models. In vitro autoradiography further supported that [18F]MAGL-4-11 bound specifically to MAGL in both animal and human fibrotic liver tissues. Our PET ligand [18F]MAGL-4-11 shows excellent sensitivity and specificity for MAGL visualization in vivo and accurately reflects the histological stages of liver fibrosis in preclinical models and human liver tissues.
6.Development of a highly-specific
Zhen CHEN ; Wakana MORI ; Jian RONG ; Michael A SCHAFROTH ; Tuo SHAO ; Richard S VAN ; Daisuke OGASAWARA ; Tomoteru YAMASAKI ; Atsuto HIRAISHI ; Akiko HATORI ; Jiahui CHEN ; Yiding ZHANG ; Kuan HU ; Masayuki FUJINAGA ; Jiyun SUN ; Qingzhen YU ; Thomas L COLLIER ; Yihan SHAO ; Benjamin F CRAVATT ; Lee JOSEPHSON ; Ming-Rong ZHANG ; Steven H LIANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2021;11(6):1686-1695
As a serine hydrolase, monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is principally responsible for the metabolism of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in the central nervous system (CNS), leading to the formation of arachidonic acid (AA). Dysfunction of MAGL has been associated with multiple CNS disorders and symptoms, including neuroinflammation, cognitive impairment, epileptogenesis, nociception and neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibition of MAGL provides a promising therapeutic direction for the treatment of these conditions, and a MAGL positron emission tomography (PET) probe would greatly facilitate preclinical and clinical development of MAGL inhibitors. Herein, we design and synthesize a small library of fluoropyridyl-containing MAGL inhibitor candidates. Pharmacological evaluation of these candidates by activity-based protein profiling identified
7. Progress in the applications of standardized patients in medical education and healthcare research
Jiahui LI ; Cenyi SHAO ; Tai-Seale MING ; Zhiruo ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Hospital Administration 2020;36(1):72-76
As a standard component in medical education in many countries, standardized patients have become professionals who provide valuable opportunities for training and evaluation of clinical skills among medical students and physicians. This paper reviewed the application of standardized patients in health care, discussed its advantages and disadvantages, and advocated continuation of in-depth research on standardized patients in China, and acceleration in the establishment of a formal system of standardized patients in medical education and health systems, so as to improve the quality of medical care.
8.Quality Evaluation of the Literatures about Medical Insurance Budget Impact Analysis in China and the United States
Pengcheng LIU ; Jiahui GU ; Mingyu BAI ; Yaqi DONG ; Jia’er LIN ; Xihan LIN ; Wensi WU ; Nan PENG ; Rong SHAO ; Wenbing YAO
China Pharmacy 2019;30(12):1684-1691
OBJECTIVE: To provide experience and reference for the study of medical insurance budget impact analysis (BIA) in China. METHODS: Retrieved from PubMed, ProQuest, CNKI, Wanfang database and CBM, related literatures about medical insurance BIA research in China and the United States were collected since the establishment of the database. The basic information, analysis results and data sources were summarized and sorted out, and descriptive analysis of the included literature was carried out on basis of seven key elements such as model design, research perspective, treatment cost, reference scenario, target population, research time limit and discount/inflation, sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: A total of 72 literatures were included in this study, involving 24 (33.33%) studies in China, 48 (66.67%) studies in the United States; the indications of 45 studies were chronic diseases (62.50%), and those of 21 studies were acute diseases (37.50%). Among the research methods, 49 studies (68.06%) used BIA alone and 23 studies (31.94%) adopted BIA combined with pharmaceutical economics. In terms of model design, 50 studies (69.44%) adopted cost calculation models. In terms of research perspective, 60 studies (81.94%) were based on the perspective of medical insurance department research. In the calculation of treatment cost, 69 studies (95.84%) included drug cost. In terms of reference scenarios, 61 studies (84.72%) compared the economics of different drug-based treatment groups. For target population, only 31 (43.06%) studies used real world data. In terms of research duration and discount/inflation, 14 studies (19.44%) used treatment or length of hospitalization to indicate research duration, and 19 studies (26.39%) used discount rate or inflation rate to adjust costs. As for sensitivity analysis, 62 studies (86.11%) conducted sensitivity analysis, of which 49 (68.06%) used single factor sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSIONS: There are still some limitations in medical insurance BIA research literature in China and the United States, such as unreasonable use of data, incomplete coverage of the cost, and unreasonable setting of sensitivity analysis variables. It is recommended that BIA research should standardize data sources to improve the quality of budget evidence quality, reasonably evaluate market size to improve the authenticity of prediction, scientifically set variables and their scope of change to improve the stability of results, establish BIA research paradigms or evaluating standards so as to guide BIA research scientifically.
9.CCGD-ESCC: A Comprehensive Database for Genetic Variants Associated with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Chinese Population.
Linna PENG ; Sijin CHENG ; Yuan LIN ; Qionghua CUI ; Yingying LUO ; Jiahui CHU ; Mingming SHAO ; Wenyi FAN ; Yamei CHEN ; Ai LIN ; Yiyi XI ; Yanxia SUN ; Lei ZHANG ; Chao ZHANG ; Wen TAN ; Ge GAO ; Chen WU ; Dongxin LIN
Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics 2018;16(4):262-268
Esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most lethal malignancies in the world and occurs at particularly higher frequency in China. While several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of germline variants and whole-genome or whole-exome sequencing studies of somatic mutations in ESCC have been published, there is no comprehensive database publically available for this cancer. Here, we developed the Chinese Cancer Genomic Database-Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CCGD-ESCC) database, which contains the associations of 69,593 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with ESCC risk in 2022 cases and 2039 controls, survival time of 1006 ESCC patients (survival GWAS) and gene expression (expression quantitative trait loci, eQTL) in 94 ESCC patients. Moreover, this database also provides the associations between 8833 somatic mutations and survival time in 675 ESCC patients. Our user-friendly database is a resource useful for biologists and oncologists not only in identifying the associations of genetic variants or somatic mutations with the development and progression of ESCC but also in studying the underlying mechanisms for tumorigenesis of the cancer. CCGD-ESCC is freely accessible at http://db.cbi.pku.edu.cn/ccgd/ESCCdb.
Aged
;
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
;
genetics
;
China
;
epidemiology
;
Databases, Genetic
;
Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
;
genetics
;
Female
;
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
;
Genetic Variation
;
Genome-Wide Association Study
;
Humans
;
Internet
;
Male
;
Middle Aged
;
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
;
genetics
;
User-Computer Interface
10.Effect and mechanism of CD4+CD25+regulatory T cells on protective effica-cy of protein vaccine against Schistosoma japonicum in mice
Chunlian TANG ; Zhiqin SHEN ; Jiahui LEI ; Mingsen JIANG ; Qiongxing SHAO ; Jinsong WANG
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2016;28(3):269-274
Objective To explore the effect and mechanism of CD4+CD25+Tregs(Tregs)on the protective efficacy of glutha?tione?S?transferase(GST)against Schistosoma japonicum in mice. Methods Female BALB/c mice were divided randomly into five groups:a normal control group,an infected control group,an anti?CD25mAb group,a GST immunization group and a com?bination group with GST immunization and anti?CD25 mAb. The GST group and combination group were injected percutaneously with GST 50μg each mouse,the other two groups were injected with equal volume PBS. The immunization was performed for 3 times for two?week interval,and 2 weeks after the last immunization,each mouse was challenged with 40 S. japonicum cercaria. Two weeks post?infection,the combination group and anti?CD25 mAb group were injected intraperitoneally with 300μg anti?CD25 mAb each mouse. The mice were succumbed 2 weeks,3 weeks,4 weeks and 5 weeks post?infection respectively. The per?centages of CD4+CD25+Tregs in splenocytes of mice were measured with flow cytometer. The levels of IFN?γ,IL?2,IL?4,IL?5 and TGF?βin cell cultural supernatants were determined by sandwich?ELISA after stimulation with Con A. The liver sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Results The worm burden in the combination group(15.80 ± 2.74)was significantly lower than those of the infected control group(27.78 ± 3.15),anti?CD25 mAb group(21.50 ± 4.21),and GST group(20.84 ± 6.46). Compared to those of the infected control group,the percentages of CD4+CD25+Tregs were significantly higher in the GST group,while the percentages of CD4+CD25+Tregs were significantly lower post?anti?CD25 mAb?administration. Regardless of GST administration,the levels of IFN?γ,IL?2,IL?4 and IL?5 after anti?CD25 mAb were significantly higher than those of the in?fected control groups. There were no significant differences of egg granuloma and the level of TGF?βbetween each group. Con?clusion CD4+CD25+Tregs could be partially blocked by anti?CD25 mAb while Th1 and Th2 type immunization response could be enhanced,which plays a role in improving the protective efficacy of GST against of S. japonicum.


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail