2.Integrated molecular characterization of sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma
Rong-Qi SUN ; Yu-Hang YE ; Ye XU ; Bo WANG ; Si-Yuan PAN ; Ning LI ; Long CHEN ; Jing-Yue PAN ; Zhi-Qiang HU ; Jia FAN ; Zheng-Jun ZHOU ; Jian ZHOU ; Cheng-Li SONG ; Shao-Lai ZHOU
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(2):426-444
Background:
s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated.
Methods:
In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs.
Results:
Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment.
Conclusions
We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.
3.Mechanism of silibinin derivative Sil-1 modulating MAPK signaling pathway to inhibit acute myocardial infarction in rats
Yi-fan LIU ; Meng LI ; De-yu CUI ; Xiao-yan LU ; Ting-bo NING ; Chun-xiu XU ; Jing-chun YAO ; Ji-dong ZHOU ; Zhong LIU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(8):1453-1462
Aim To study the protective effect of the silibinin derivative Sil-1 on acute myocardial ischemia in SD rats and its mechanism of action.Methods Af-ter 18 hours of oxygen-glucose deprivation and treat-ment of H9c2 cells,the protective effect of Sil-1 on rat cardiomyocytes was examined.SD rats were treated 30 minutes before surgery,followed by 24 h ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery.The cardiopro-tective effects of Sil-1 and its mechanisms for improving myocardial ischemic injury were investigated using pro-teomics technology.Results In vitro,compared with the control group,the activity of H9c2 cells in the mod-el group showed reduced cell viability,increased dead cells,elevated ROS and higher levels of LDH and in-flammatory cytokines TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in the culture medium.Sil-1 could improve the above condi-tions to different degrees.In vivo,compared with the control group,rats in the model group showed signifi-cantly higher T waves on electrocardiogram,significant ischemic areas in the heart section,disorganized ar-rangement of cardiomyocytes,increased inflammatory factor infiltration and elevated CK,CK-MB,LDH and inflammatory factors TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-1β.Besides,NF-κB phosphorylation levels in myocardial tissue in-creased.Sil-1 improved the above conditions to varying degrees.The results of proteomics showed that 90 pro-teins were found between the control vs model group and the Sil-1 vs model group,and KEGG enrichment a-nalysis showed that MAPK,chemokines,VEGF and other signaling pathways were abundant.Western blot results showed that Sil-1 blocked the phosphorylation of ERK,JNK and p38 MAPK.Conclusions Sil-1 inhib-its the MAPK pathway by blocking the phosphorylation of JNK,ERK,and p38 MAPK,and achieves a protec-tive effect on rats with acute myocardial infarction.
4.Changes and Trends in the microbiological-related standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition
Yiling FAN ; Ran ZHU ; Yan YANG ; Bo JIANG ; Minghui SONG ; Jing WANG ; Qiongqiong LI ; Gaomin LI ; Shujuan WANG ; Hong SHAO ; Shihong MA ; Xiaoyun CAO ; Changqin HU ; Shuangcheng MA ; Meicheng YANG ; Jun ZHANG
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(1):93-98
Objective:To systematically analyze the revisions content and technological development trends of microbiological standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(ChP)2025 Edition,and explore its novel requirements in risk-based pharmaceutical product lifecycle management.Methods:A comprehensive review was conducted on 26 microbiological-related standards to summarize the revision directions and scientific implications from perspectives including the revision overview,international harmonization of microbiological standards,risk-based quality man-agement system,and novel tools and methods with Chinese characteristics.Results:The ChP 2025 edition demon-strates three prominent features in microbiological-related standards:enhanced international harmonization,intro-duced emerging molecular biological technologies,and established a risk-based microbiological quality control sys-tem.Conclusion:The new edition of the Pharmacopoeia has systematically constructed a microbiological standard system,which significantly improves the scientificity,standardization and applicability of the standards,providing a crucial support for advancing the microbiological quality control in pharmaceutical industries of China.
5.Changes and Trends in the microbiological-related standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 Edition
FAN Yiling ; ZHU Ran ; YANG Yan ; JIANG Bo ; SONG Minghui ; WANG Jing ; LI Qiongqiong ; LI Gaomin ; WANG Shujuan ; SHAO Hong ; MA Shihong ; CAO Xiaoyun ; HU Changqin ; MA Shuangcheng, ; YANG Meicheng
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(1):093-098
Objective: To systematically analyze the revisions content and technological development trends of microbiological standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (ChP) 2025 Edition, and explore its novel requirements in risk-based pharmaceutical product lifecycle management.
Methods: A comprehensive review was conducted on 26 microbiological-related standards to summarize the revision directions and scientific implications from perspectives including the revision overview, international harmonization of microbiological standards, risk-based quality management system, and novel tools and methods with Chinese characteristics.
Results: The ChP 2025 edition demonstrates three prominent features in microbiological-related standards: enhanced international harmonization, introduced emerging molecular biological technologies, and established a risk-based microbiological quality control system.
Conclusion: The new edition of the Pharmacopoeia has systematically constructed a microbiological standard system, which significantly improves the scientificity, standardization and applicability of the standards, providing a crucial support for advancing the microbiological quality control in pharmaceutical industries of China.
6.Integrated molecular characterization of sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma
Rong-Qi SUN ; Yu-Hang YE ; Ye XU ; Bo WANG ; Si-Yuan PAN ; Ning LI ; Long CHEN ; Jing-Yue PAN ; Zhi-Qiang HU ; Jia FAN ; Zheng-Jun ZHOU ; Jian ZHOU ; Cheng-Li SONG ; Shao-Lai ZHOU
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(2):426-444
Background:
s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated.
Methods:
In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs.
Results:
Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment.
Conclusions
We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.
7.Integrated molecular characterization of sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma
Rong-Qi SUN ; Yu-Hang YE ; Ye XU ; Bo WANG ; Si-Yuan PAN ; Ning LI ; Long CHEN ; Jing-Yue PAN ; Zhi-Qiang HU ; Jia FAN ; Zheng-Jun ZHOU ; Jian ZHOU ; Cheng-Li SONG ; Shao-Lai ZHOU
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(2):426-444
Background:
s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated.
Methods:
In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs.
Results:
Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment.
Conclusions
We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.
8.Long-term efficacy analysis of narrow-margin hepatectomy intraoperative radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma
Mengyuan LI ; Yanling WU ; Liming WANG ; Fan WU ; Shulian WANG ; Yueping LIU ; Yongwen SONG ; Ning LI ; Yuan TANG ; Hao JING ; Hui FANG ; Ningning LU ; Shunan QI ; Zhuanbo YANG ; Siye CHEN ; Yexiong LI ; Jianxiong WU ; Qinfu FENG ; Yirui ZHAI ; Bo CHEN
Cancer Research and Clinic 2025;37(5):343-350
Objective:To investigate the long-term efficacy, safety and prognostic factors of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for narrow-margin (resection margin < 1 cm) hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during radical surgery.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The data of primary HCC patients undergoing radical surgery and narrow-margin hepatectomy IORT in the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from November 2009 to February 2019 were collected. IORT applied 6 MeV or 9 MeV electron beams and a single irradiation was given to the margin. Kaplan-Meier method was used for the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) analysis; log-rank test was used for survival comparison among subgroups. The recurrence patterns and adverse reactions were recorded. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the factors influencing the OS and DFS.Results:A total of 64 patients were enrolled, with the median age [ M ( Q1, Q3)] of 57 years (49, 63) years. All patients included 55 males (85.9%) and 9 females (14.1%). The median dose of IORT was 15 Gy (range: 12-17 Gy). The median follow-up time was 83.3 (64.4, 91.9) months. The 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 7-year, 10-year OS rates were 90.4%, 80.6%, 75.5%, 71.4% and 47.6%, respectively; the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 7-year,10-year DFS rates were 77.8%, 68.1%, 59.6%, 57.6% and 38.4%, respectively. Univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) > 400 ng/ml was an independent risk factor for poor OS (> 400 ng/ml vs. ≤ 400 ng/ml: HR = 6.57, 95% CI: 2.16-19.96, P < 0.001), while not the independent influencing factor of poor DFS ( HR = 1.71, 95% CI: 0.65-4.52, P = 0.277). The age ≤ 60 years or not, gender, viral hepatitis or not, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, tumor diameter (> 5 cm or not), tumor number, degree of tumor differentiation, microvascular invasion or not, microsatellite nodules or not, anatomical liver resection or not, and the dose of IORT ≤15 Gy or not were not the independent influencing factors of poor OS and DFS (all P > 0.05). Kaplan-Meier method analysis showed that patients with preoperative serum AFP ≤ 400 ng/ml (48 cases) had better OS compared with those with preoperative serum AFP>400 ng/ml (16 cases) (5-year OS rate: 84.8% vs. 44.9%; 7-year OS rate: 79.9% vs.37.4%), and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.002). There was no statistically significant difference in the DFS between the 2 groups ( P = 0.134). During the follow-up, 28 patients (43.8%) relapsed, including 17 cases (26.6%) of early recurrence and 11 cases (17.2%) of late recurrence. No marginal recurrence was observed. There were 22 cases (34.4%) of intrahepatic recurrence alone, 2 cases (3.1%) of extrahepatic recurrence and 4 cases (6.3%) of stimutaneous recurrence inside and outside the liver. The 1-, 3-, 5- and 7-year cumulative recurrence rates inside the liver were 19.0%, 27.2%, 37.4% and 39.3% respectively, and the cumulative recurrence rates outside the liver were 6.4%, 8.0%, 9.6% and 9.6% respectively. There were no adverse reactions above grade 3 in the entire group. There were no surgery-related deaths within 30 d after the operation, and no radiation-induced liver disease occurred. Conclusions:Narrow-margin IORT helps HCC patients receiving hepatectomy to achieve favorable long-term survival and adverse reactions are tolerable. It can be used as a safe and effective adjuvant therapy alternative.
9.Knockdown of GPER1 aggravates neuronal injury and cognitive dysfunction after epilepsy
Shi-jie HAO ; Yi-jin LUO ; Xiao-fan REN ; Na DING ; Jing-bo CAO ; Qian ZHAO ; Wei HE ; Shao-zhang HOU ; Di ZUO
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(7):1332-1339
Aim To investigate the impact of G pro-tein-coupled estrogen receptor 1(GPER1),also known as GPR30 playing a significant role in the nerv-ous system,on neuronal damage and cognitive dysfunc-tion following epileptic seizures.Methods The pro-tein expression levels of GPER1 and the DNA damage marker γ-H2AX in epileptic rats were assessed using Western blot.The hippocampal neuronal damage and apoptosis in pilocarpine-induced epilepsy models were evaluated using Nissl and TUNEL staining techniques,compared with GPER1 knockdown(GPER1-KD)rats with wild-type(WT)controls.The behavioral activi-ties,including memory and spatial learning,were mo-nitored during the chronic phase of epilepsy using the IntelliCage system.Results Compared to the control group,GPER1 protein expression in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus significantly increased 24 hours post-epilepsy onset.In the GPER1-KD+EP group,hipp-ocampal neuronal damage was more severe,with a sig-nificant increase in apoptotic neurons compared to the WT+EP group.The IntelliCage data revealed that during free exploration,nose contact,position learn-ing,and reverse position learning stages in the GPER1-KD+EP group exhibited fewer visits and a higher error rate than in the WT+EP group.Conclu-sions Deficiency in GPER1 impairs memory and spa-tial learning abilities following epilepsy,potentially due to exacerbated neuronal injury,apoptosis,and inflam-mation.GPER1 represents a promising therapeutic tar-get for mitigating post-epileptic nerve damage and cog-nitive impairment.
10.Mechanism of silibinin derivative Sil-1 modulating MAPK signaling pathway to inhibit acute myocardial infarction in rats
Yi-fan LIU ; Meng LI ; De-yu CUI ; Xiao-yan LU ; Ting-bo NING ; Chun-xiu XU ; Jing-chun YAO ; Ji-dong ZHOU ; Zhong LIU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(8):1453-1462
Aim To study the protective effect of the silibinin derivative Sil-1 on acute myocardial ischemia in SD rats and its mechanism of action.Methods Af-ter 18 hours of oxygen-glucose deprivation and treat-ment of H9c2 cells,the protective effect of Sil-1 on rat cardiomyocytes was examined.SD rats were treated 30 minutes before surgery,followed by 24 h ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery.The cardiopro-tective effects of Sil-1 and its mechanisms for improving myocardial ischemic injury were investigated using pro-teomics technology.Results In vitro,compared with the control group,the activity of H9c2 cells in the mod-el group showed reduced cell viability,increased dead cells,elevated ROS and higher levels of LDH and in-flammatory cytokines TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in the culture medium.Sil-1 could improve the above condi-tions to different degrees.In vivo,compared with the control group,rats in the model group showed signifi-cantly higher T waves on electrocardiogram,significant ischemic areas in the heart section,disorganized ar-rangement of cardiomyocytes,increased inflammatory factor infiltration and elevated CK,CK-MB,LDH and inflammatory factors TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-1β.Besides,NF-κB phosphorylation levels in myocardial tissue in-creased.Sil-1 improved the above conditions to varying degrees.The results of proteomics showed that 90 pro-teins were found between the control vs model group and the Sil-1 vs model group,and KEGG enrichment a-nalysis showed that MAPK,chemokines,VEGF and other signaling pathways were abundant.Western blot results showed that Sil-1 blocked the phosphorylation of ERK,JNK and p38 MAPK.Conclusions Sil-1 inhib-its the MAPK pathway by blocking the phosphorylation of JNK,ERK,and p38 MAPK,and achieves a protec-tive effect on rats with acute myocardial infarction.

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