1.Molecular Crosstalk Mechanisms of Shoutai Wan and Juyuan Jian on Maternal-fetal Interface Subcellular Clusters in CBA/J×DBA/2 Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Model
Jingxin GAO ; Qiuping CHEN ; Xiaoyan ZHENG ; Pengfei ZENG ; Rui ZHOU ; Yancai TANG ; Qian ZENG ; Wenli GUO ; Jinzhu HUANG ; Weijun DING ; Linwen DENG ; Hang ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(2):70-87
ObjectiveTo systematically compare the differential regulation of the maternal-fetal interface cell lineages and communication networks in the CBA/J×DBA/2 mouse model of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) by the two classic therapeutic methods-tonifying the kidney to stabilize the fetus and invigorating the spleen to stabilize the fetus (Shoutai Wan, Juyuan Jian)-of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at the single-cell resolution and clarify their modern scientific connotations. MethodsFemale non-pregnant CBA/J mice were caged with male BALB/c (blank group) and DBA/2 (modeling group) mice separately. Pregnant mice in the modeling group were randomly grouped as follows: high/low-dose Shoutai Wan, high/low-dose Juyuan Jian, model (RPL), and positive control (dydrogesterone), with 10 mice in each group. Starting from the day after the detection of the vaginal plug, mice were administrated with drugs or an equal volume of normal saline by gavage for 10 consecutive days. After the intervention, the following indicators were measured. ① Macroscopic evaluation: general conditions, uterine wet weight, embryo loss rate, four coagulation parameters [prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), and thrombin time (TT)], and peripheral blood estradiol (E2) and progesterone (Pg) levels. The decidua with embryos was stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 homolog (LC3)Ⅰ/Ⅱ was quantified by Western blot. ② Mechanism analysis at the single-cell level: The decidua with embryos from the blank, model, high-dose Shoutai Wan, and high-dose Juyuan Jian groups (6 mice per group, with 3 single-cell samples per group, totaling 24 mice) were analyzed by the BD Rhapsody™ platform, and the whole-cell atlas was drawn by uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) dimensionality reduction clustering combined with the single-cell mouse cell atlas (scMCA). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and cell interaction networks were analyzed via Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and CellChat, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) map of subtype cells was constructed. The CytoTRACE pseudo-temporal analysis was performed to explore the developmental trajectories of core immune cells (natural killer cells, NK cells) from maternal and fetal sources. Results① Pathological and Western blot results indicated that compared with the blank group, the RPL group showed an increase in the embryo loss rate (P<0.01), down-regulated expression of Bcl-2, LIF, MMP-2, and Vegf in the decidua with embryos (P<0.05), up-regulated protein levels of CXCL-12, AngⅡ, and IL-6 (P<0.05), blocked angiogenesis, apoptosis-inflammation imbalance, and coagulation dysfunction. Both prescriptions dose-dependently reduced the abortion rate and restored the angiogenesis-inflammation balance, and Shoutai pill showed superior performance in restoring the E2 level to the Pg level (P<0.05). ② Single-cell transcriptome analysis indicated that compared with the blank group, the RPL group showed differences in multiple key cell populations such as decidual cells, trophoblast cells, endothelial cells, erythroblasts, NK cells, and macrophages at the maternal-fetal interface. Immunity and angiogenesis were the key links in RPL. Compared with the RPL group, high-dose Shoutai Wan reversed the changes of NK cells in the embryonic layer (upregulating the mRNA levels of 17 genes and downregulating the mRNA levels of 29 genes) and macrophages (upregulating the mRNA levels of 117 genes and downregulating the mRNA levels of 53 genes) through the regulation of gene expression. High-dose Shoutai pill regulated the immune cells to affect unfolded proteins, cell adhesion, and programmed cell death, thereby promoting decidualization and angiogenesis and modulating embryo-membrane development. High-dose Juyuan Jian regulated the key subgroups of NK cells (up-regulating the mRNA levels of 9 genes and down-regulating the mRNA levels of 17 genes) and macrophages (up-regulating the mRNA levels of 110 genes and down-regulating the mRNA levels of 81 genes), which affected decidual inflammation and apoptosis and intervened in glycolysis. ③ The pseudo-temporal analysis and communication network indicated that the communication frequency of the RPL group decreased. High-dose Shoutai Wan restored maternal-fetal tolerance through pathways such as NKG2D, CDH5, GDF, and FASLG. High-dose Juyuan Jian enhanced the IL-6/LIFR/JAK/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and desmosome/SEMA6/tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) signaling to improve endometrial receptivity. The RPL group showed an increased proportion of toxic dNK7, a decreased proportion of reparative dNK4, and blocked embryo fNK1. High-dose Shoutai Wan down-regulated dNK7 and up-regulated dNK4. High-dose Juyuan Jian inhibited the terminal differentiation of dNK7 and up-regulated LILRB1, thus restoring the balance of cytotoxicity and repair. ConclusionBoth the kidney-tonifying and spleen-invigorating methods are effective in treating RPL. NK and macrophages are the key immune cells in the interaction between the embryo and the membrane. The kidney-tonifying method (Shoutai Wan) has an advantage in regulating the phenotypes of unfolded protein, cell adhesion, and programmed cell death, and shows expression characteristics closer to the physiological state in the regulation of NKG2D and CDH5 signals. The spleen-invigorating method (Juyuan Jian) has an advantage in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and glycolysis and shows higher communication intensity in the IL-6 and LIFR pathways.
2.Erratum to: Verticillin A inhibits colon cancer cell migration and invasion by targeting c-Met.
Qianqian LIU ; Xueli ZENG ; Yuelin GUAN ; Jingxin LU ; Kai TU ; Feiyan LIU
Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2022;23(4):352-352
The online version of the original article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B2000190 Erratum to: J Zhejiang Univ-Sci B (Biomed & Biotechnol) 2020 21(10):779-795 https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B2000190.
3.In situ intestinal absorption and pharmacokinetic study of metformin-resveratrol compound water-in-oil nanoemulsion
Yun CHEN ; Mei ZENG ; Jingxin XU ; Juan HU ; Jingqing ZHANG
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2021;52(3):325-331
To investigate the in situ intestinal absorption characteristics and pharmacokinetic behavior of metformin-resveratrol compound water-in-oil nanoemulsion (MRCE) in rats, the in situ intestinal perfusion model was constructed in rats to study the intestinal absorption characteristics of MRCE in different intestinal segments. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups. After intragastric administration of metformin and MRCE, blood was taken at a preset time point. The content of metformin in intestinal perfusion samples and blood samples at various time points was determined by HPLC. Plasma concentration-time profiles of free metformin and MRCE were calculated, and the main pharmacokinetic data were processed and analyzed by DAS 2.1.1 software. The absorption rate constant (Ka), the effective permeability (Peff) and the percentage of absorption (PA) of MRCE in each intestinal segment were significantly higher than those of metformin (P < 0.05). The area under the drug-time curve (AUC0-72 h), the half-life (t1/2) and mean residence time (MRT0-72 h) of MRCE were 1.68, 11.25 and 6.97 times of metformin, respectively (P < 0.01).The relative bioavailability of MRCE was 167.6%. The 90% confidence interval of AUC0-72 h was 156.9%-187.4%, which was not within the standard interval of bioequivalence. The intestinal absorption of MRCE was significantly better than that of free metformin; MRCE improved the oral bioavailability of metformin and was not bioequivalent to metformin.
4.Understanding the phase separation characteristics of nucleocapsid protein provides a new therapeutic opportunity against SARS-CoV-2.
Dan ZHAO ; Weifan XU ; Xiaofan ZHANG ; Xiaoting WANG ; Yiyue GE ; Enming YUAN ; Yuanpeng XIONG ; Shenyang WU ; Shuya LI ; Nian WU ; Tingzhong TIAN ; Xiaolong FENG ; Hantao SHU ; Peng LANG ; Jingxin LI ; Fengcai ZHU ; Xiaokun SHEN ; Haitao LI ; Pilong LI ; Jianyang ZENG
Protein & Cell 2021;12(9):734-740
5.Expression of miRNA-148a-3p in CD4+ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood of patients with psoriasis vulgaris and its clinical significance
Jingxin ZENG ; Xin TIAN ; Huilan ZHU ; Xibao ZHANG ; Ling LIN ; Lidan ZHANG ; Weiyu LIU ; Quan LUO
Chinese Journal of Dermatology 2019;52(4):231-235
Objective To determine the expression of miRNA-148a-3p in CD4+ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood of patients with psoriasis vulgaris,and to explore its role in occurrence of psoriasis vulgaris.Methods Totally,20 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 20 healthy controls were enrolled from Guangzhou Institute of Dermatology between July 2017 and April 2018.Peripheral venous blood samples were obtained from these subjects,and CD4+ T lymphocytes were isolated from these peripheral blood samples by magnetic cell sorting system.Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to determine the expression of miRNA-148a-3p in CD4+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood.Potential target genes of miRNA-148a were predicted by using bioinformatics software,and verified by using a dual-luciferase reporter system.Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the protein expression of Bcl-2 interacting mediator of cell death (Bim,the potential target gene of miRNA-148a-3p) in the CD4+ T lymphocytes of the subjects.Statistical analysis was carried out with SPSS 20 software by two sample-t test for comparing the means of normally distributed data,and by Pearson correlation analysis for analyzing the correlation of two variables.If the data were not normally distributed,Mann Whitney U test was used for comparing means between two groups,and Spearman correlation analysis for analyzing the correlation of two variables.Results The miRNA-148a-3p expression in the CD4+ T lymphocytesin the psoriasis vulgaris group (18 cases,5.61 ± 1.66) was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (12 cases,1.00 ± 0.26;U =12,P < 0.05),and was positively correlated with the psoriasis area severity index (PASI) score (r =0.93,P < 0.001).Bim was predicted to be one of the potential target genes of miRNA-148a-3p by bioinformatics software,which was also verified by using a dual-luciferase reporter system.The protein expression of Bim in the CD4 + T lymphocytes was significantly lower in the psoriasis vulgaris group (11 cases,0.69 ± 0.07) than in the healthy control group (8 cases,0.93 ± 0.06;t =4.38,P < 0.01),and the protein expression of Bim in the patients with psoriasis vulgaris was negatively correlated with PASI score (r =-0.774,P < 0.01).Conclusion miRNA-148a-3p is overexpressed in CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with psoriasis vulgaris,which may regulate the protein expression of Bim,leading to abnormal activation of CD4+ T cells,and then participate in the occurrence and development of psoriasis.
6.Advances in platinum-intercalators of DNA as antitumor agents
Tianshuai WANG ; Junjie YU ; Yan ZHANG ; Jinjin ZENG ; Jingxin CUI
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2019;50(5):505-515
Platinum antitumor drugs are widely used for clinical treatment because of their unique antitumor mechanisms, significant antitumor effects, and broad antitumor spectrum. Yet shortcomings such as toxic side effects, drug resistance and cross-resistance of platinum-based drugs have limited their further application. Platinum-intercalator conjugates possess different antitumor mechanisms from those of classic platinum drugs, and have unique advantages in overcoming the disadvantages of classic platinum antitumor drugs. The platinum-intercalator conjugates can be classified into six categories based on the different DNA-intercalator: platinum-acridine, platinum-quinoline, platinum-indole, platinum-naphthalimides, platinum-anthraquinone and platinum-based antitumor agents containing other types of intercalating groups. This article summarizes the research progress of platinum-based antitumor drugs containing DNA insertion groups in recent years.
7.Evaluation of efficacy of microneedling radiofrequency for the treatment of facial acne scars
Lidan ZHANG ; Ling LIN ; Jingxin ZENG ; Weiyu LIU ; Quan LUO
Chinese Journal of Dermatology 2018;51(9):672-675
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of microneedling radiofrequency in the treatment of facial acne scars.Methods A retrospective study was conducted.According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,42 patients with acne scars receiving microneedling radiofrequency treatment (observation group) and 47 patients with acne scars treated with fractional CO2 laser (control group) in Guangzhou Institute of Dermatology were enrolled into this study from June 2016 to June 2017.Single-blind evaluation was conducted according to a four-grade scoring system and ECCA grading scale (échelle d'évaluation clinique des cicatrices d'acné) by two clinically experienced dermatologists to evaluate and compare the clinical efficacy between the 2 groups,based on the clinical photos before and after the treatment.Statistical analysis was done by using chi-square test,t test of two independent samples and paired Wilcoxon signed rank test.Results After treatment,no significant difference in the total response rate was observed between the observation group (92.9%,39 cases) and control group (89.4%,42 cases;x2 =0.042,P > 0.05).Before the treatment,there was no significant difference in the ECCA score between the observation group (46.7 ± 16.3) and control group (45.7 ± 15.8,t =0.271,P > 0.05).After the treatment,the ECCA score in the observation group and control group significantly decreased into 29.5 ± 15.1 and 31.3 ± 14.9 respectively (Z =-5.713,-6.086,respectively,both P < 0.05).Conclusion Microneedling radiofrequency is effective for the treatment of facial acne scars,with high safety and less injuries.

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