1.A progressive discovery strategy for anti-Alzheimer’s drug identification: In vitro screening with an LPS-induced neuroinflammatory cell model and in vivo validation in 5xFAD mice
Junyi ZHOU ; Linna WANG ; Lianmei WANG ; Pengyue LI ; Yan ZHANG ; Yuheng WANG ; Yan RONG ; Lihua CHEN ; Huijun WANG ; Hongping HOU ; Xiaolu WEI ; Haiyu ZHAO
Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;4(3):255-269
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Cellular drug screening represents a key approach in the preclinical discovery of AD therapeutics. Moreover, selecting an appropriate cellular model is essential for exploring the mechanisms underlying AD pathogenesis. Objective: This study aimed to establish a progressive strategy integrating cell model construction, monomer evaluation, and effective component group-based drug discovery for the development of novel therapeutics targeting AD. Methods: A novel AD12 cell line stably expressing the double-transgenic genes amyloid precursor protein (APP)695/presenilin 1(PS1)-ΔE9 was first constructed and subjected to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. The resulting LPS-induced neuroinflammatory response was characterized using metabolomic analysis. Subsequently, 16 alkaloids derived from traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) were screened with the LPS-AD12 cell model. Molecular docking was then performed to assess the binding affinity of benzoylaconitine (BAC) with APP and PS1 proteins. A targeted metabolomics approach focusing on amino acids and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle was applied to BAC-treated LPS-AD12 cells. Finally, aconite extract was administered to five-familial-AD-mutations(5xFAD) transgenic mice, and therapeutic efficacy was evaluated through phenotypic and metabolomic analyses. Results: LPS stimulation induced neuroinflammation in AD12 cells, characterized by elevated levels of interleukin-6, amyloid-β
(Aβ
), and PS1. The primary metabolic pathways affected in AD12 cells included alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, as well as arginine biosynthesis. Notably, BAC significantly reduced the levels of Aβ
and interleukin-6 in LPS-AD12 cells. Furthermore, molecular docking analyses revealed a strong binding affinity of BAC with APP and PS1 proteins. Targeted metabolomics analysis indicated that the pharmacological activity of BAC was primarily associated with its anti-inflammatory effects, modulation of the cholinergic signaling pathway, and regulation of energy metabolism. Behavioral experiments in 5xFAD mice, together with immunofluorescence assessments of brain tissues (amyloid-β, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1), demonstrated that aconite extract treatment significantly alleviated AD-related symptoms. In addition, metabolomics-based mechanistic analyses revealed that serine, acetylcholine, ornithine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid exhibited consistent trends in both brain tissue and serum samples from treated mice. Conclusion: This study established a novel AD12 cell model and an effective, reliable LPS-induced cell-based screening system. Additionally, we proposed a new drug discovery strategy integrating cell model construction, monomer evaluation, and effective component group-based drug discovery. This screening system has the potential to accelerate the identification of anti-AD agents and provides a feasible framework for subsequent in-depth investigations into new drug development from TCM, thereby contributing to the modernization of TCM-derived therapeutics.
2.Lipid metabolism in health and disease: Mechanistic and therapeutic insights for Parkinson's disease.
Bingqing QIN ; Yuan FU ; Ana-Caroline RAULIN ; Shuangyu KONG ; Han LI ; Junyi LIU ; Chunfeng LIU ; Jing ZHAO
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(12):1411-1423
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons and the accumulation of Lewy bodies, leading to motor and nonmotor symptoms. While both genetic and environmental factors contribute to PD, recent studies highlight the crucial role of lipid metabolism disturbances in disease progression. Altered lipid homeostasis promotes protein aggregation and oxidative stress, with significant changes in lipid classes such as sphingolipids and glycerolipids observed in patients with PD. These disturbances are involved in key pathological processes, such as α-synuclein aggregation, organelle dysfunction, lipid-mediated neuroinflammation, and impaired lipid homeostasis. This review examines the relationship between lipid species and PD progression, focusing on the physiological roles of lipids in the central nervous system. It explores the mechanistic links between lipid metabolism and PD pathology, along with lipid-related genetic risk factors. Furthermore, this review discusses lipid-targeting therapeutic strategies to mitigate PD progression, emphasizing the potential of lipid modulation for effective treatment development.
Humans
;
Parkinson Disease/metabolism*
;
Lipid Metabolism/physiology*
;
Animals
;
Oxidative Stress/physiology*
;
alpha-Synuclein/metabolism*
3.Analysis of influencing factors on outcomes of LSIL patients undergoing cervical biopsy
Huiping LU ; Yanyu SHI ; Han WANG ; Yidi YAN ; Junyi ZHOU ; Shujun ZHAO
China Modern Doctor 2025;63(13):41-45
Objective To investigate the factors influencing the natural outcome of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions(LSIL)of the cervix.Methods A total of 154 patients who underwent colposcopic cervical biopsy in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected and divided into negative conversion group(55 cases),continuous group(70 cases)and upgraded group(29 cases)according to the follow-up results.Logistic regression was used to analyze the influence of related factors on the outcome of LSIL.Results There were statistically significant differences in the number of vaginal births,the results of thin-prep cytology test,human papilloma virus(HPV)typing,whether vaginal LSIL was combined,whether there were symptoms,and vaginal microecology among three groups(P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that combined vaginal LSIL,vaginal microecological abnormalities,atypical squamous cell-cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion(ASC-H)/high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion(HSIL),HPV 16/18 positive or mixed positive were independent risk factors for persistent infection(P<0.05),combined vaginal LSIL,symptomatic,vaginal microecological abnormalities,ASC-H/HSIL,HPV 16/18 positive or mixed positive were all independent risk factors for escalation of lesions(P<0.05).Conclusion Patients with vaginal LSIL,vaginal microecological abnormalities,ASC-H/HSIL,HPV 16/18 positive or mixed positive should be followed up and early intervention to reduce the risk of disease escalation.
4.Expression of TLDC2 in colorectal adenocarcinoma and its clinical significance
Junyi FENG ; Jing MA ; Danhui ZHAO ; Yingmei WANG ; Junhui QIN ; Juan DU ; Zhe WANG ; Shuangping GUO
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(10):1273-1280
Purpose This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of TLDC2 in colorec-tal adenocarcinoma.Methods Data from the human protein atlas(HPA)and the cancer genome atlas(TCGA)indi-cated that TLDC2 was highly expressed in colorectal adenocarcinoma.We further analyzed the expression of TLDC2 in 400 colorectal adenocarcinomas and 447 other solid tumors using tissue microarrays and immunohistochemical(IHC)staining.Result The positive expression rate of TLDC2 was significantly higher than that of SATB2 in colorectal ade-nocarcinomas(96.5%vs 87.0%,P<0.000 1).TLDC2 positivity exceeded that of SATB2 in both low-or high-grade colorectal adenocarcinoma(99.4%vs 88.7%,P<0.000 1;83.3%vs 79.2%,P=0.669 9).In addition,the expression of TLDC2 and SATB2 was evaluated in 447 cases of other types of solid tumors.TLDC2 was expressed in neuroendocrine tumors as well as in gastric and appendiceal adenocarcinomas,whereas SATB2 was detected in a small number of melanomas,ovarian cancers,breast cancers and gallbladder cancers.The positive and specificity of TLDC2 for colorectal adenocarcinoma were 97%(95%CI=0.94-0.98)and 85%(95%CI=0.81-0.88),respectively.Combined detection of TLDC2 and SATB2 yielded a sensitivity of 96%(95%CI=0.93-0.97)and a specificity of 93%(95%CI=0.90-0.95).Conclusion Analysis of large-scale datasets and IHC staining demonstrated that TLDC2 is a highly sensitive and specific biomarker for colorectal adenocarcinoma.
5.Expression of TLDC2 in colorectal adenocarcinoma and its clinical significance
Junyi FENG ; Jing MA ; Danhui ZHAO ; Yingmei WANG ; Junhui QIN ; Juan DU ; Zhe WANG ; Shuangping GUO
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(10):1273-1280
Purpose This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of TLDC2 in colorec-tal adenocarcinoma.Methods Data from the human protein atlas(HPA)and the cancer genome atlas(TCGA)indi-cated that TLDC2 was highly expressed in colorectal adenocarcinoma.We further analyzed the expression of TLDC2 in 400 colorectal adenocarcinomas and 447 other solid tumors using tissue microarrays and immunohistochemical(IHC)staining.Result The positive expression rate of TLDC2 was significantly higher than that of SATB2 in colorectal ade-nocarcinomas(96.5%vs 87.0%,P<0.000 1).TLDC2 positivity exceeded that of SATB2 in both low-or high-grade colorectal adenocarcinoma(99.4%vs 88.7%,P<0.000 1;83.3%vs 79.2%,P=0.669 9).In addition,the expression of TLDC2 and SATB2 was evaluated in 447 cases of other types of solid tumors.TLDC2 was expressed in neuroendocrine tumors as well as in gastric and appendiceal adenocarcinomas,whereas SATB2 was detected in a small number of melanomas,ovarian cancers,breast cancers and gallbladder cancers.The positive and specificity of TLDC2 for colorectal adenocarcinoma were 97%(95%CI=0.94-0.98)and 85%(95%CI=0.81-0.88),respectively.Combined detection of TLDC2 and SATB2 yielded a sensitivity of 96%(95%CI=0.93-0.97)and a specificity of 93%(95%CI=0.90-0.95).Conclusion Analysis of large-scale datasets and IHC staining demonstrated that TLDC2 is a highly sensitive and specific biomarker for colorectal adenocarcinoma.
6.Analysis of influencing factors on outcomes of LSIL patients undergoing cervical biopsy
Huiping LU ; Yanyu SHI ; Han WANG ; Yidi YAN ; Junyi ZHOU ; Shujun ZHAO
China Modern Doctor 2025;63(13):41-45
Objective To investigate the factors influencing the natural outcome of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions(LSIL)of the cervix.Methods A total of 154 patients who underwent colposcopic cervical biopsy in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected and divided into negative conversion group(55 cases),continuous group(70 cases)and upgraded group(29 cases)according to the follow-up results.Logistic regression was used to analyze the influence of related factors on the outcome of LSIL.Results There were statistically significant differences in the number of vaginal births,the results of thin-prep cytology test,human papilloma virus(HPV)typing,whether vaginal LSIL was combined,whether there were symptoms,and vaginal microecology among three groups(P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that combined vaginal LSIL,vaginal microecological abnormalities,atypical squamous cell-cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion(ASC-H)/high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion(HSIL),HPV 16/18 positive or mixed positive were independent risk factors for persistent infection(P<0.05),combined vaginal LSIL,symptomatic,vaginal microecological abnormalities,ASC-H/HSIL,HPV 16/18 positive or mixed positive were all independent risk factors for escalation of lesions(P<0.05).Conclusion Patients with vaginal LSIL,vaginal microecological abnormalities,ASC-H/HSIL,HPV 16/18 positive or mixed positive should be followed up and early intervention to reduce the risk of disease escalation.
7.Current Status and Trend Analysis of Disease Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis in China from 1990 to 2019
Junyi ZHAO ; Feng ZHAO ; Bingjia QU
Chinese Journal of Health Statistics 2024;41(3):344-348,353
Objective To provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)in China by analyzing the current status and trend of disease burden in China from 1990 to 2019.Methods The incidence,prevalence,mortality,and disability adjusted life years of RA from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed based on GBD data.DALYs and other indicators,and comparative analysis of the annual development trend of the levels in China,the United States,Japan and the world through the scaling rates of the four indicators.Results In 2019,the incidence,prevalence,mortality,DALYs rate and standardized rate of RA in China were higher in females than in males,and the mortality rate increased with age,and peaked in the age group over 95 years old.The incidence rate,prevalence rate and DALYs rate increased firstly and then decreased with theincrease of age,and reached the peak in age group 60~,70~and 85~years old,respectively.From 1990 to 2019,the incidence,prevalence,mortality and DALYs of RA in China showed an increasing trend.After eliminating the differences in population age composition,the standardized incidence and prevalence of RA in China showed an increasing trend.The normalized RA mortality rate and the normalized DALYs rate showed a steady trend in China.In 2019,the normalized incidence,prevalence and DALYs of RA in China were lower than those in Japan,the United States and the world.In 2019,the standardized mortality rate was higher than that of Japan,the United States and the world.Conclusion In the past 30 years,the disease burden of RA in China has been on the rise.It is necessary to strengthen the publicity and education of RA prevention and control,especially the prevention and control of middle-aged and elderly women,and formulate reasonable policies to further reduce the disease burden of RA in China.
8.Application of fetal heart quantification in the assessment of ventricular function in twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome
Yun LIU ; Junyi SU ; Hezhou LI ; Juan WU ; Fan FENG ; He ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography 2024;33(8):667-676
Objective:To evaluate the changes of ventricular function in the twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) fetuses before and after fetoscopy laser photocoagulation (FLP) by fetal heart qualifiction (fetal HQ) technology.Methods:A total of 30 TTTS pregnant women who underwent FLP and delivered in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2023 to November 2023 were prospectively selected as the TTTS group, including 30 donor fetuses and 30 recipient fetuses. The control group included 34 normal monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins (68 fetuses) at the same gestational age. The changes of cardiac function of donor and recipient fetuses before and one day, one week and one month after FLP treatment were investigated by fetal HQ. The correlations between stage and global strain(GS) and fractional area change(FAC) of ventricle were analyzed. The inter-observer and intera-observer repeatability tests were performed.Results:①Before FLP treatment, fractional shortening(FS)10-24 of left ventricle and FS10-11 of right ventricle in donor group were lower than the control group (all P<0.05).GS, FAC, FS10-24 of left ventricle and GS, FAC, FS1-24 of right ventricle in recipient group were lower than the control group (all P<0.05). In the donor group, Quintero stage was moderately positively correlated with GS of right ventricle and moderately negatively correlated with FAC of right ventricle ( rs=0.535, -0.515; P=0.004, 0.006). But there were no correlation between Quintero stage and GS and FAC of left and right ventricle in recipient group (all P>0.05). ②After FLP treatment, the left ventricular systolic function of the donor group recovered to the normal level one day after operation ( P>0.05). But the FS16-24 of left ventricle were lower than the control group one week after operation, and the FS21-24 of left ventricle were still lower than the control group one month after operation(all P<0.05). One day after operation, the systolic function of the right ventricle in the donor group decreased, and GS, FAC and FS6-24 of the right ventricle were lower than the control group (all P<0.05). However, the right ventricular systolic function recovered to the normal level one week after operation ( P>0.05). ③After FLP, the systolic function of left ventricle and right ventricle recovered in recipient group, especially for right ventricle. One month after operation, only FS12-16 of left ventricle were lower than the control group ( P<0.05). But GS and FAC of left and right ventricle and 24 segments FS of right ventricle recovered to the control level (all P>0.05). ④The ICC of left and right ventricular parameters were greater than 0.75, indicating good repeatability ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Fetal HQ technology can sensitively evaluate fetal heart function in TTTS fetuses with good repeatability. Before FLP, the ventricular function of donor and recipient fetuses are affected to varying degrees.After FLP, the left and right ventricular function of the donor and recipient fetuses are improved to varying degrees and have different recovery rules.
9.Exploring the feasibility of GPU-based fast Monte Carlo software ARCHER-NM in calculating individualized doses of beta radiopharmaceutical therapy
Junyi LIU ; Bo CHENG ; Zhao PENG ; Miao QI ; Xi PEI ; Xie XU
Chinese Journal of Radiological Medicine and Protection 2024;44(10):871-878
Objective:To verify the feasibility and advantages of ARCHER-NM, a GPU-based fast Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculation engine, in calculating individualized doses of radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) through simulation experiments.Methods:The calculation reliability and efficiency of ARCHER-NM were verified by comparing its result with those of the MC software GATE in the water phantom experiments of radionuclide point sources and the dose calculations for RPT-treated patients. In the water phantom experiments, the generality of ARCHER-NM on different radionuclides was verified using common radionuclides like 67Cu, 89Sr, 90Y, 131I, 177Lu, and 188Re. The calculations of individualized doses for RPT-treated patients were tested based on the data of two patients from the University of Michigan′s public dataset for 177Lu-DOTATATE-treated cases. Gamma passing rates, dose volume histograms (DVHs), and average organ doses were employed to assess the consistency of ARCHER-NM and GATE in patients′ dose calculation result. The computing time was statistically analyzed to assess the efficiency of MC calculations. Results:In the water phantom experiments for all radionuclides, the relative differences of average doses between ARCHER-NM and GATE ranged from -1.63% to 2.29%, with an average absolute difference of 1.15%, suggesting high consistency. As indicated by the dose result of the two patients, the average doses for all organs between ARCHER-NM and GATE exhibited percentage errors of below 4%. The gamma passing rates for the two patients were 98.8% and 98.6%, respectively, under the 2 mm/1% standard within the 3% maximum dose isodose line. The simulation of 5 × 10 9decay required 90 s for ARCHER-NM on a personal host configured with a 24 GB Nvidia Titan RTX, whereas GATE took over 9 h on a 112-thread server for the same simulation. Conclusions:The water phantom experiments substantiate the accuracy and generality of ARCHER-NM for dose calculations. Based on the organ dose calculations of 177Lu-DOTATATE-treated patients, ARCHER-NM proves accurate and quick in calculating the individualized internal doses for RPT-treated patients. Therefore, ARCHER-NM plays a positive role in the dose planning of subsequent treatment and the protection of organs at risk including kidneys.
10.Relationship between polymorphism of Visfatin gene rs61330082,rs4730153 and type 2 diabetes mellitus
Zhaker TUNISHAGUL ; Fen LIU ; Junyi LUO ; Qian ZHAO ; Guoli DU ; Xuehe ZHANG ; Xiaomei LI ; Yining YANG
Chinese Journal of Diabetes 2024;32(1):11-15
Objective To evaluate the value of rs61330082 and rs4730153 polymorphisms of Visfatin locus for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)in a high-risk population.Methods SNPscanTM high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism typing technique was used to genotype Visfatin gene loci rs61330082 and rs4730153 in 346 T2DM patients(T2DM group)and 1426 normal controls(NC group).Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze T2DM risk factors.ROC curves were used to analyze the optimal cut-off values of Visfatin gene rs61330082 and rs4730153 for the diagnosis of T2DM.Results The proportion of women,age,obesity,smoking,hypertension,FPG,HbA1c and TG were higher in T2DM group than those in NC group(P<0.01)and HDL-C was lower than in NC group(P<0.01).The frequency of G allele and GG genotype was higher in T2DM group compared with NC group(P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that age,female,obesity,hypertension,TG,and GG genotype at rs4730153 locus were risk factors for T2DM,HDL-C was a protective factor for T2DM.The area under the ROC curve of GG genotype at Visfatin rs4730153 mutation for diagnosis of T2DM was 0.668 and the optimal cut-off point for predicting T2DM was 20.04%,with sensitivity 60.1%and specificity 66.1%,respectively.Conclusion The GG genotype of Visfatin gene rs4730153 locus is associated with the risk of T2DM and can beused as a candidate gene for predicting phenotype of T2DM.

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