1.Effects of total extract of Anthriscus sylvestris on immune inflammation and thrombosis in rats with pulmonary arterial hypertension based on TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway.
Ya-Juan ZHENG ; Pei-Pei YUAN ; Zhen-Kai ZHANG ; Yan-Ling LIU ; Sai-Fei LI ; Yuan RUAN ; Yi CHEN ; Yang FU ; Wei-Sheng FENG ; Xiao-Ke ZHENG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(9):2472-2483
This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of total extracts from Anthriscus sylvestris on pulmonary hypertension in rats. Sixty male SD rats were divided into normal(NC) group, model(M) group, positive drug sildenafil(Y) group, low-dose A. sylvestris(ES-L) group, medium-dose A. sylvestris(ES-M) group, and high-dose A. sylvestris(ES-H) group. On day 1, rats were intraperitoneally injected with monocrotaline(60 mg·kg~(-1)) to induce pulmonary hypertension, and the rat model was established on day 28. From days 15 to 28, intragastric administration of the respective treatments was performed. After modeling and treatment, small animal echocardiography was used to detect the right heart function of the rats. Arterial blood gas was measured using a blood gas analyzer. Hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining and Masson staining were performed to observe cardiopulmonary pathological damage. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in the lung and myocardial tissues and reactive oxygen species(ROS) levels. Western blot was applied to detect the expression levels of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1), phosphorylated mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3(p-Smad3), Smad3, tissue plasminogen activator(t-PA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1(PAI-1) in lung tissue. A blood routine analyzer was used to measure inflammatory immune cell levels in the blood. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the expression levels of P-selectin and thromboxane A2(TXA2) in plasma. The results showed that, compared with the NC group, right heart hypertrophy index, right ventricular free wall thickness, right heart internal diameter, partial carbon dioxide pressure(PaCO_2), apoptosis in cardiopulmonary tissue, and ROS levels were significantly increased in the M group. In contrast, the ratio of pulmonary blood flow acceleration time(PAT)/ejection time(PET), right cardiac output, change rate of right ventricular systolic area, systolic displacement of the tricuspid ring, oxygen partial pressure(PaO_2), and blood oxygen saturation(SaO_2) were significantly decreased in the M group. After administration of the total extract of A. sylvestris, right heart function and blood gas levels were significantly improved, while apoptosis in cardiopulmonary tissue and ROS levels significantly decreased. Further testing revealed that the total extract of A. sylvestris significantly decreased the levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), and PAI-1 proteins in lung tissue, while increasing the expression of t-PA. Additionally, the extract reduced the levels of inflammatory cells such as leukocytes, lymphocytes, granulocytes, and monocytes in the blood, as well as the levels of P-selectin and TXA2 in plasma. Metabolomics results showed that the total extract of A. sylvestris significantly affected metabolic pathways, including arginine biosynthesis, tyrosine metabolism, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. In conclusion, the total extract of A. sylvestris may exert an anti-pulmonary hypertension effect by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway, thereby alleviating immune-inflammatory responses and thrombosis.
Animals
;
Male
;
Smad3 Protein/metabolism*
;
Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Rats
;
Signal Transduction/drug effects*
;
Hypertension, Pulmonary/genetics*
;
Thrombosis/immunology*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Humans
;
Apoptosis/drug effects*
2.Evidence mapping of clinical research on traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of renal anemia.
Ke-Xin ZHANG ; Xin LI ; Kai-Li CHEN ; Peng-Tao DONG ; Lu-Yao SHI ; Lin-Qi ZHANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(12):3413-3422
Through evidence mapping, this paper systematically summarized the research evidence on the use of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in treating renal anemia, displaying the distribution of evidence in this field. A systematic search was conducted across databases, including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, Springner, PubMed, Engineering Village, and Web of Science, targeting studies published up to June 30, 2024. The research evidence was summarized and displayed through a combination of graphs, tables, and text. A total of 264 interventional studies, 37 observational studies, and 7 systematic reviews were included. The annual publication volumes related to TCM treatment in renal anemia showed an overall upward trend, with most studies involving sample sizes between 60 and 120 participants(224 articles, 74.42%). Intervention measures were categorized into 21 types, with oral TCM decoctions being the most common medicine(171 times, 56.81%). The use of self-made prescriptions was the most common TCM intervention method. The intervention duration was mainly between 8 weeks and 3 months(239 articles, 79.40%). The most frequently reported TCM syndrome was spleen and kidney Qi deficiency. The top 2 outcome indicators were the anemia indicators and renal injury/renal function markers. However, several issues were identified in these studies, such as insufficient attention to the sources, social/geographical information, and temporal continuity of research subjects in observational research. Randomized controlled trials mostly had a high risk of bias, mainly due to issues such as randomization bias, blinding bias, and failure to register research protocols. The methodology quality of systematic reviews was generally low, mainly due to inadequate inclusion of literature, failure to specify funding sources, and lack of pre-registrations. While the report quality of systematic review was acceptable, there were significant gaps in the reporting of protocols, registration, and funds. The results show that these issues affect the quality of research and the reliability of findings on TCM in treating renal anemia, underscoring the need to address them to conduct higher-quality research and provide more reliable medical evidence for TCM in treating renal anemia.
Humans
;
Anemia/drug therapy*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
;
Kidney Diseases/drug therapy*
3.Effect of Wenpi Pills on lipid metabolism in mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease induced by various diets.
Chen-Fang ZHANG ; Kai LIU ; Chao-Wen FAN ; Mei-Ting TAI ; Xin ZHANG ; Rong ZHANG ; Qin-Wen CHEN ; Zun-Li KE
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(10):2730-2739
The aim of this study was to investigate the improvement effect of Wenpi Pills(WPP) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD). The experiment was divided into two parts, using C57BL/6 mouse models induced by a high-fat diet(HFD) and a methionine and choline deficiency diet(MCD). The HFD-induced experiment lasted for 16 weeks, while the MCD-induced experiment lasted for 6 weeks. Mice in both parts were divided into four groups: control group, model group, low-dose WPP group(3.875 g·kg~(-1), WPP_L), and high-dose WPP group(15.5 g·kg~(-1), WPP_H). After sample collection from the HFD-induced mice, lipid content in the serum and liver, liver function indexes in the serum, and hepatic pathology were examined. Real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription PCR(qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of lipid-related genes. After sample collection from the MCD-induced mice, serum liver function indexes and inflammatory factors were measured, and hepatic pathology and lipid changes were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and widely targeted lipidomic profiling, respectively. The results from the HFD-induced experiment showed that, compared with the HFD group, WPP administration significantly reduced the levels of aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), triglyceride(TG), and total cholesterol(TC) in the serum, with the WPP_H group showing the most significant improvement. HE staining results indicated that, compared with the HFD group, WPP treatment improved the morphology of white adipocytes, reducing their size, and alleviated hepatic steatosis and lipid droplet accumulation. The qRT-PCR results suggested that WPP might increase the mRNA expression of liver cholesterol-converting genes, such as liver X receptor α(LXRα) and cytochrome P450 family 27 subfamily A member 1(CYP27A1), as well as lipid consumption genes like peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α(PPARα) and adenosine mono-phosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK). Meanwhile, WPP decreased the mRNA expression of lipid synthesis genes, including fatty acid synthetase(FAS), stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1(SCD1), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c(SREBP-1c), thereby reducing liver lipid accumulation. The results from the MCD-induced experiment showed that, compared with the MCD group, WPP administration reduced the levels of ALT, AST, and inflammatory factors in the serum, thereby alleviating liver injury and the inflammatory response. HE staining of liver tissue indicated that WPP effectively improved hepatic steatosis. Non-targeted lipidomics analysis showed that WPP improved lipid metabolism disorders in the liver, mainly by affecting the metabolism of TG and cholesterol esters. In conclusion, WPP can improve hepatic lipid accumulation in NAFLD mice induced by both HFD and MCD. This beneficial effect is primarily achieved by alleviating liver injury and inflammation, as well as regulating lipid metabolism.
Animals
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Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/genetics*
;
Lipid Metabolism/drug effects*
;
Mice
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Male
;
Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects*
;
Liver/drug effects*
;
Humans
;
Disease Models, Animal
;
Methionine
4.Study on protective effect of arbutin in yam on acute lung injury and its metabolic regulation mechanism.
Kai-Li YE ; Meng-Nan ZENG ; Feng-Xiao HAO ; Peng-Li GUO ; Yu-Han ZHANG ; Wei-Sheng FENG ; Xiao-Ke ZHENG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(15):4100-4109
This study investigated the protective effect of arbutin(Arb) in yam on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced acute lung injury(ALI) in a mouse model and revealed its possible mechanism of action by metabolomics technology, providing a theoretical basis for clinical treatment of ALI. SPF BALB/c mice were randomly divided into normal control group, model group, resveratrol(Rv)-positive control group, Arb low-dose(15 mg·kg~(-1)) group, and Arb high-dose(30 mg·kg~(-1)) group. The LPS-induced ALI model was established in all groups except the normal control group. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, TUNEL staining, and WBP whole-body non-invasive pulmonary function testing were used to evaluate the degree of lung tissue damage and lung function changes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the level of inflammatory factors in lung tissue. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the M1/M2 polarization status of macrophages in lung tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of the TLR4 signaling pathway and related apoptotic proteins. Liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer(LC-MS) metabolomics was used to analyze the changes in serum metabolic profile after Arb intervention. The results showed that Arb pretreatment significantly alleviated LPS-induced lung tissue injury, improved lung function, reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory factors(IL-6, TNF-α, IL-18, and IL-1β), and regulated the polarization status of M1/M2 macrophages. In addition, Arb inhibited the activation of the TLR4 signaling pathway, reduced the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9, up-regulated the level of Bcl-2 protein, and inhibited apoptosis of lung cells. Metabolomic analysis showed that Arb significantly improved LPS-induced metabolic abnormalities, mainly involving key pathways such as galactose metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and lipid metabolism. In summary, Arb can significantly reduce LPS-induced ALI by regulating the release of inflammatory factors, inhibiting the activation of the TLR4 signaling pathway, improving metabolic disorders, and regulating macrophage polarization, indicating that Arb has potential clinical application value.
Animals
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Acute Lung Injury/chemically induced*
;
Mice
;
Mice, Inbred BALB C
;
Arbutin/administration & dosage*
;
Male
;
Toll-Like Receptor 4/immunology*
;
Apoptosis/drug effects*
;
Lung/metabolism*
;
Signal Transduction/drug effects*
;
Protective Agents/administration & dosage*
;
Humans
;
Macrophages/immunology*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
5.Analysis of clinical characteristics and influencing factors of patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis combined with dyslipidemia.
Rong XIE ; Li-Guo ZHU ; Zi-Kai JIN ; Tian-Xiao FENG ; Ke ZHAO ; Da WANG ; Ling-Hui LI ; Xu WEI
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2025;38(5):487-493
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the co-morbid influencing factors of postmenopausal osteoporosis(PMOP) and dyslipidemia, and to provide evidence-based basis for clinical co-morbidity management.
METHODS:
Based on the 2017 to 2018 Beijing community cross-sectional survey data, PMOP patients were included and divided into the dyslipidemia group and the uncomplicated dyslipidemia group according to whether they were comorbid with dyslipidemia. Demographic characteristics, living habits and disease history were collected through questionnaires, and bone mineral density and bone metabolism biomarkers (osteocalcin, blood calcium, serum typeⅠprocollagen N-terminal prepeptide, etc.) were detected on site. Co-morbidity risk factors were analyzed using binary logistic regression.
RESULTS:
Three hundred and twenty patients with PMOP were included, including the comorbid group (75 patients) and the uncomplicated group (245 patients). The results showed that history of cardiovascular disease [OR=1.801, 95%CI(1.003, 3.236), P=0.049], history of cerebrovascular disease [OR=2.923, 95%CI(1.460, 5.854), P=0.002], frying and cooking methods[OR=5.388, 95%CI(1.632, 17.793), P=0.006], OST results[OR=0.910, 95%CI(0.843, 0.983), P=0.016], and blood Ca results [OR=60.249, 95%CI(1.862, 1 949.926), P=0.021] were the influencing factors of PMOP complicated with dyslipidemia.
CONCLUSION
Focus should be placed on the influencing factors of PMOP and dyslipidemia co-morbidities, with emphasis on multidimensional assessment, combining lifestyle interventions with bone metabolism marker monitoring to optimize co-morbidity management.
Humans
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Dyslipidemias/epidemiology*
;
Female
;
Middle Aged
;
Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal/metabolism*
;
Aged
;
Cross-Sectional Studies
;
Risk Factors
;
Bone Density
6.Thiotepa-containing conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with inborn errors of immunity: a retrospective clinical analysis.
Xiao-Jun WU ; Xia-Wei HAN ; Kai-Mei WANG ; Shao-Fen LIN ; Li-Ping QUE ; Xin-Yu LI ; Dian-Dian LIU ; Jian-Pei FANG ; Ke HUANG ; Hong-Gui XU
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2025;27(10):1240-1246
OBJECTIVES:
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of thiotepa (TT)-containing conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in children with inborn errors of immunity (IEI).
METHODS:
Clinical data of 22 children with IEI who underwent HSCT were retrospectively reviewed. Survival after HSCT was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.
RESULTS:
Nine patients received a traditional conditioning regimen (fludarabine + busulfan + cyclophosphamide/etoposide) and underwent peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). Thirteen patients received a TT-containing modified conditioning regimen (TT + fludarabine + busulfan + cyclophosphamide), including seven PBSCT and six umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) cases. Successful engraftment with complete donor chimerism was achieved in all patients. Acute graft-versus-host disease occurred in 12 patients (one with grade III and the remaining with grade I-II). Chronic graft-versus-host disease occurred in one patient. The incidence of EB viremia in UCBT patients was lower than that in PBSCT patients (P<0.05). Over a median follow-up of 36.0 months, one death occurred. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 100% for the modified regimen and 88.9% ± 10.5% for the traditional regimen (P=0.229). When comparing transplantation types, the 3-year OS rates were 100% for UCBT and 93.8% ± 6.1% for PBSCT (P>0.05), and the 3-year event-free survival rates were 100% and 87.1% ± 8.6%, respectively (P>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
TT-containing conditioning for allogeneic HSCT in children with IEI is safe and effective. Both UCBT and PBSCT may achieve high success rates.
Humans
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Transplantation Conditioning/methods*
;
Thiotepa/therapeutic use*
;
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects*
;
Male
;
Female
;
Child, Preschool
;
Infant
;
Child
;
Transplantation, Homologous
;
Graft vs Host Disease
;
Adolescent
7.Expression regulation of lipid metabolism gene ABHD5 in the mouse of testes.
Hao LIU ; Ze-Yu LI ; Kai-Cheng SHEN ; Yuan-di HUANG ; De-Xi SU ; Rui CHENG ; Ke XIONG ; Yi ZHI ; Wei-Bing LI
National Journal of Andrology 2025;31(6):492-498
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the expression regulation of lipid metabolism gene ABHD5 in testes.
METHODS:
Differential gene analysis was performed by integrating databases of TCGA and GTEx to identify the target gene ABHD5. The expression trends of ABHD5 gene in testicular carcinoma tissue were analyzed. Human testis single-cell atlases were obtained from the Human Protein Atlas and Male Health Atlas databases to determine the expression distribution of ABHD5 across different testicular cell types. Additionally, the GTEx database was utilized to visualize the expression pattern of ABHD5 in the testis, thereby enhancing the understanding of its transcriptional profile. The relationship between ABHD5 expression and age was assessed through integrated database analysis. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were performed to detect differential expressions of ABHD5 in testicular tissues of young and aged mice respectively.
RESULTS:
The TCGA database indicated that the expression of ABHD5 in human testicular carcinoma tissue was significantly lower than that in normal testicular tissue which showed a negative correlation with patient survival. ABHD5 was highly expressed in germ cells of the testis reveaked from Human Protein Atlas and Male Health Atlas databases. The stability of ABHD5 protein was crucial for testicular tissue, and its expression decreased with age. Furthermore, Western blot and immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that ABHD5 expression in the testicular tissue of aged mice was significantly lower than that in young mice.
CONCLUSION
ABHD5 plays an important role in testicular tissue, and may be inseparable from testicular tumors and reproductive aging. However, its mechanism of action remains to be further studied.
Male
;
Animals
;
Mice
;
Testis/metabolism*
;
Humans
;
Lipid Metabolism/genetics*
;
1-Acylglycerol-3-Phosphate O-Acyltransferase/metabolism*
;
Testicular Neoplasms/metabolism*
8.Harmonic waves analysis for observing morphological brain network changes in depressive disorder patients
Kai XU ; Zhiming GUO ; Yawei ZENG ; Dong ZHENG ; Yankun WU ; Ke LI
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2024;40(1):22-26
Objective To explore the feasibility of harmonic waves analysis for observing morphological brain network changes in patients with depressive disorder(DD).Methods Whole brain 3D high resolution T1WI of 55 DD patients(DD group)and 46 normal controls(NC group)were acquired.Six kinds of morphological features brain network were constructed with FreeSurfer tool,including the number of brain region vertices,surface area,gray matter volume,average cortical thickness,Gaussian curvature and fold index.Laplace operator was applied to obtain common harmonic wave.The harmonic power of different morphological features and the gray matter volume in different brain regions were compared between groups.Results No significant difference of total harmonic energy was found between groups.The specific harmonic wave energies were significantly different between groups,including the number of brain region vertices corresponding to the 2nd,6th,15th,44th and 57th harmonic waves,surface area corresponding to the 2nd,6th,16th and 57th harmonic waves,gray matter volume corresponding to the 2nd,12th,13th,15th and 57th harmonic waves,average cortical thickness corresponding to the 2nd,19th,35th,36th and 44th harmonic waves,Gaussian curvature corresponding to the 34th,40th,54th and 57th harmonic waves,as well as fold index corresponding to the 5th,16th,21st and 57th harmonic waves.Gray matter volumes of transverse temporal gyrus in left hemisphere in DD group were significantly larger than that in NC group(t=2.900,P=0.004).Conclusion Harmonic waves analysis was feasible for observing morphological brain network changes in DD patients.
9. The regulatory mechanism of physiological sleep-wake
Wei-Jie LU ; Kai LIU ; Xin-Ke ZHAO ; Qian-Rong LI ; Ying-Dong LI ; Guo-Tai WU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(3):421-426
This paper explains the mechanism of the mutual switching between physiological sleep and wakefulness from the aspects of the sleep circadian system and the sleep homeostasis system. In the circadian rhythm system, with the suprachiasmatic nucleus as the core, the anatomical connections between the suprachiasmatic nucleusand various systems that affect sleep are summarized, starting from the suprachiasmatic nucleus, passing through the four pathways of the melatonin system, namely, subventricular area of the hypothalamus, the ventrolateral nucleus of the preoptic area, orexin neurons, and melatonin, then the related mechanisms of their regulation of sleep and wakefulness are expounded. In the sleep homeostasis system, with adenosine and prostaglandin D2 as targets, the role of hypnogen in sleep arousal mechanisms in regulation is also expounded.
10.A multidimensional platform of patient-derived tumors identifies drug susceptibilities for clinical lenvatinib resistance.
Lei SUN ; Arabella H WAN ; Shijia YAN ; Ruonian LIU ; Jiarui LI ; Zhuolong ZHOU ; Ruirui WU ; Dongshi CHEN ; Xianzhang BU ; Jingxing OU ; Kai LI ; Xiongbin LU ; Guohui WAN ; Zunfu KE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2024;14(1):223-240
Lenvatinib, a second-generation multi-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved by the FDA for first-line treatment of advanced liver cancer, facing limitations due to drug resistance. Here, we applied a multidimensional, high-throughput screening platform comprising patient-derived resistant liver tumor cells (PDCs), organoids (PDOs), and xenografts (PDXs) to identify drug susceptibilities for conquering lenvatinib resistance in clinically relevant settings. Expansion and passaging of PDCs and PDOs from resistant patient liver tumors retained functional fidelity to lenvatinib treatment, expediting drug repurposing screens. Pharmacological screening identified romidepsin, YM155, apitolisib, NVP-TAE684 and dasatinib as potential antitumor agents in lenvatinib-resistant PDC and PDO models. Notably, romidepsin treatment enhanced antitumor response in syngeneic mouse models by triggering immunogenic tumor cell death and blocking the EGFR signaling pathway. A combination of romidepsin and immunotherapy achieved robust and synergistic antitumor effects against lenvatinib resistance in humanized immunocompetent PDX models. Collectively, our findings suggest that patient-derived liver cancer models effectively recapitulate lenvatinib resistance observed in clinical settings and expedite drug discovery for advanced liver cancer, providing a feasible multidimensional platform for personalized medicine.

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