1.Application and Value of Authentication Methods in the Study on Traditional Chinese Medicine Classics
Lufeng ZHENG ; Zheng GE ; Xiang LI ; Guangkun CHEN ; Fanglin HU ; Yanhong YANG ; Hongtao LI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(4):349-354
This paper systematically reviewed the concept of authentication studies on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) classics and the research achievements of scholars across historical and contemporary periods. We categorized the authentication studies on TCM classics into four types, including work-oriented authentication research, metho-dological studies on authentication, extended authentication research, and single-book authentication. Multiple methods were applied comprehensively, including investigating bibliographic documents of successive dynasties, analyzing the academic contents of medical books, studying the textual characteristics of medical books, examining the cited references in medical books, verifying the biographies of authors, and analyzing the interpolations and accretions in medical books, to distinguish the authenticity of TCM classics. The academic value of authenticity identification of TCM classics is concluded in three aspects,i.e. it serves as an important means to distinguish authenticity from falsehood in TCM classics, an important guarantee for inheriting the essence of TCM literature, and a key to unlocking the academic treasure trove of TCM classics and achieving inheritance-based innovation, which will lay a solid documentary foundation for constructing identification methodologies and standardized systems.
2.Study on the TCM compatibility law in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy based on LDA topic model and association rules
Min WU ; Lufeng ZHENG ; Hui XU ; Ping LIU ; Xiaorong CHEN ; Tiancai WEN
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;47(2):250-255
Objective:To explore the medication thinking and compatibility rules of TCM for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN).Methods:Relevant journal literature of TCM for the treatment of DN was retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, and CBM from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2023, and a database was established through Excel 2016. Python 3.10 and the ancient and modern medical record cloud platform 2.3.5 were used to conduct Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling and association rule analysis to explore the thinking and compatibility rules of TCM prescriptions in the literature.Results:A total of 474 articles were included in the study, including 474 prescriptions, involving 260 kinds of Chinese materia medica, of which 40 kinds of Chinese materia medica with a frequency of ≥ 30, mainly Astragali Radix, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Dioscoreae Rhizoma, Poria, and Corni Fructus, etc. The LDA topic model identified three groups of prescriptions, including four classic prescriptions: Liuwei Dihuang Pills, Taohong Siwu Decoction, Erzhi Pills, and Wuling Powder. The commonly used drug combinations extracted by association rules were: Rhizoma Alismatis - Poria, Cortex Moutan Radicis-Fructus Corni and Cortex Moutan Radicis - Rhizoma Dioscoreae.Conclusions:The main therapeutic principle of TCM in treating DN is to nourish the yin and tonify the kidney, supplemented by drugs that promoting blood circulation for removing blood stasis as well as promoting urination and draining dampness. In clinical application, modern doctors tend to use classic prescriptions such as Liuwei Dihuang Pills, Erzhi Pills, Taohong Siwu Decoction, and Wuling Powder as the basis, and modify them according to the specific conditions of patients. The LDA topic model can extract valuable prescription information from a large number of modern TCM literature, providing new perspectives and ideas for the study of clinical medication rules in TCM.
3.Research on medicinal and food functions of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma in the past dynasties
Lufeng ZHENG ; Zilin CHEN ; Zhilai ZHAN ; Hongtao LI ; Guangkun CHEN
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;47(5):577-585
By sorting out the records of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma as food and medicine, this article believed that Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma as the same origin of medicine and food for a long history, the earliest in the Qin and Han Dynasty Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing: "Zhu, bitter and warm, having efficacy for cold, dampness, paralysis of dead muscles, and spasm; antiperspirant, removing heat, digesting food, and be used as decoction bait; taking for a long time, losing weight and prolonging life, and don't be hungry". On the basis of Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, later doctors continue to conduct long-term clinical observation and compatibility of its medicine and food efficacy, which is widely used in internal, external, gynaecology, pediatrics, skin and other departments, to treat spleen and stomach diseases, epidemic diseases, kidney diseases, etc. At the same time of clinical practice, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma is also widely used in the folk for dietary therapy, including decoction bait, ointment, decoction, soup and other edible methods. Therefore, as a medicine and food and health preservation product, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma has great development potential in daily health care and disease diagnosis and treatment with the effects of non-toxic, satiety and longevity.
4.Increasing the tumour targeting of antitumour drugs through anlotinib-mediated modulation of the extracellular matrix and the RhoA/ROCK signalling pathway
Han XUEDAN ; Liu JIALEI ; Zhang YIDONG ; Tse ERIC ; Yu QIYI ; Lu YU ; Ma YI ; Zheng LUFENG
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2024;14(8):1205-1221
Anlotinib has strong antiangiogenic effects and leads to vessel normalization.However,the"window period"characteristic in regulating vessel normalization by anlotinib cannot fully explain the long-term survival benefits achieved through combining it with other drugs.In this study,through RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)and label-free quantitative proteomics analysis,we discovered that anlotinib regulated the expression of components of the extracellular matrix(ECM),leading to a significant reduction in ECM stiffness.Our bioinformatic analysis revealed a potential positive relationship between the ECM pathway and gefitinib resistance,poor treatment outcomes for programmed death 1(PD-1)targeting,and unfavourable prognosis following chemotherapy in lung cancer patients.We administered anlotinib in combination with these antitumour drugs and visualized their distribution using fluorescent labelling in various tumour types.Notably,our results demonstrated that anlotinib prolonged the retention time and distribution of antitumour drugs at the tumour site.Moreover,the combination therapy induced notable loosening of the tumour tissue structure.This reduction was associated with decreased interstitial fluid pressure and tumour solid pressure.Additionally,we observed that anlotinib effectively suppressed the Ras homologue family member A(RhoA)/Rho-associated protein kinase(ROCK)signalling pathway.These findings suggest that,in addition to its antiangiogenic and vessel normalization effects,anlotinib can increase the distribution and retention of antitumour drugs in tumours by modulating ECM expression and physical properties through the RhoA/ROCK signalling pathway.These valuable insights contribute to the development of combination therapies aimed at improving tumour targeting in cancer treatment.
5.Mutational analysis of ASS1, ASL and SLC25A13 genes in six Chinese patients with citrullinemia.
Yiming LIN ; Ke YU ; Lufeng LI ; Zhenzhu ZHENG ; Weihua LIN ; Qingliu FU
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2017;34(5):676-679
OBJECTIVETo detect potential mutations in six patients with citrullinemia.
METHODSGenomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples from the patients. Mutations of the ASS1, ASL and SLC25A13 genes were screened using microarray genotyping combined with direct sequencing.
RESULTSOne patient was diagnosed with argininosuccinate lyase deficiency, and has carried a homozygous c.1311T>G (p.Y437*) mutation of the ASL gene. The remaining five patients were diagnosed with neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis due to citrin deficiency, and have respectively carried mutations of the SLC25A13 gene including [c.851-854delGTAT+c.851-854delGTAT], [c.851-854delGTAT+IVS6+5G>A], [c.851-854delGTAT+IVS16ins3kb], [c.851-854delGTAT+IVS6-11A>G] and [c.851-854delGTAT+c.1638-1660dup23]. Among these, the c.1311T>G mutation was first identified in the Chinese population, and the IVS6-11A>G mutation was a novel variation which may affect the splicing, as predicted by Human Splicing Finder software.
CONCLUSIONThis study has confirmed the molecular diagnosis of citrullinemia in six patients and expanded the mutational spectrum underlying citrullinemia.
Argininosuccinate Lyase ; genetics ; Argininosuccinate Synthase ; genetics ; Citrullinemia ; genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins ; genetics ; Mutation
6.MicroRNA-10b regulates proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis in human breast cancer cells
Yi GU ; Xiaoman LI ; Lufeng ZHENG ; Jue YANG ; Tao XI
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2015;46(2):242-249
To investigate the effects of miRNA-10b(miR-10b)on breast cancer proliferation and apoptosis in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, the miR-10b mimics used to increase the endogenous expression of miR-10b, and miR-10b inhibitor used to decrease the endogenous expression of miR-10b, were stably transfected into MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The expression level of miR-10b was determined by real-time PCR. The effects of miR-10b on proliferation were evaluated by MTT assay, while cell cycle assay and the apoptosis rate were measured by flow cytometry. Bioinformatic software was used to predict the potential targets of miR-10b, and 3′UTR luciferase reporter and qRT-PCR assay were used to verify a direct target of miR-10b. The expression levels of caspase-3 and p21 protein were measured by Western blot. Results confirmed that over-expression of miR-10b could promote the proliferation of breast cancer cells and inhibit the apoptosis by up-regulating the endogenous miR-10b, while the miR-10b inhibitor could restrain the proliferation of breast cancer cells and increase the apoptosis by reducing the endogenous miR-10b. In conclusion, miR-10b could negatively regulate the expression of caspase-3 and p21 by targeting TP53INP1, hence highlighting its potential as an oncogene in breast cancer cells.

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