1.Current Status of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Research on Mechanism
Junxiang LI ; Hong SHEN ; Tangyou MAO ; Lei ZHU ; Jiaqi ZHANG ; Zhibin WANG ; Xudong TANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(1):103-110
In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has achieved significant progress in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A comprehensive literature search was conducted covering the period from January 1, 2010, to December 30, 2024, across Chinese databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, VIP China Science and Technology Journal Database, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System, as well as international databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. The clinical applications and mechanistic studies of TCM in IBD were systematically reviewed. The current status of TCM research on the etiology and pathogenesis of IBD, innovative clinical practices, and multimodal therapeutic approaches, including Chinese herbal formulas, single herbs or active compounds, acupuncture, herbal retention enema, and acupoint application, were summarized, together with their synergistic effects when combined with western medical treatments. The development and application of Chinese patent medicines for IBD are undergoing a profound transition from efficacy validation to mechanistic exploration. Mechanistic studies on the effects of TCM in IBD mainly focus on regulating gut microbiota homeostasis, repairing the intestinal mucosal barrier, and modulating intestinal immune balance. Furthermore, future research directions for TCM-based IBD management are proposed, including the establishment of TCM diagnostic and treatment models, expanding integrated applications of external and internal TCM therapies, innovating personalized treatment strategies, and advancing drug development. These efforts aim to provide insights for the standardized and precision-oriented development of TCM in the diagnosis and treatment of IBD.
2.Color-component correlation and mechanism of component transformation of processed Citri Reticulatae Semen.
Kui-Lin ZHU ; Jin-Lian ZOU ; Xu-Li DENG ; Mao-Xin DENG ; Hai-Ming WANG ; Rui YIN ; Zhang-Xian CHEN ; Yun-Tao ZHANG ; Hong-Ping HE ; Fa-Wu DONG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(9):2382-2390
High-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was used to determine the content of three major components in Citri Reticulatae Semen(CRS), including limonin, nomilin, and obacunone. The chromaticity of the CRS sample during salt processing and stir-frying was measured using a color difference meter. Next, the relationship between the color and content of the salt-processed CRS sample was investigated through correlation analysis. By integrating the oil bath technique for processing simulation with HPLC, the changes in the relative content of nomilin and its transformation products were analyzed, with its structural transformation pattern during processing identified. Additionally, RAW264.7 cells were induced with lipopolysaccharides(LPSs) to establish an inflammatory model, and the anti-inflammatory activity of nomilin and its transformation product, namely obacunone was evaluated. The results indicated that as processing progressed, E~*ab and L~* values showed a downward trend; a~* values exhibited a slow increase over a certain period, followed by no significant changes, and b~* values remained stable with no significant changes over a certain period and then started to decrease. The limonin content remained barely unchanged; the nomilin content decreased, and the obacunone increased significantly. The changing trends in content and color parameters during salt-processing and stir-frying were basically consistent. The content of nomilin and obacunone was significantly correlated with the colorimetric values(L~*, a~*, b~*, and E~*ab), while limonin content showed no significant correlation with these values. By analyzing HPLC patterns of nomylin at different heating temperatures and time, it was found that under conditions of 200-250 ℃ for heating of 5-60 min, the content of nomilin significantly decreased, while the obacunone content increased pronouncedly. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity results indicated that compared to the model group, the group with a high concentration of nomilin and the groups with varying concentrations of obacunone showed significantly reduced release of nitric oxide(NO)(P<0.01). When both were at the same concentration, obacunone showed better performance in inhibiting NO release. In this study, the obvious correlation between the color and content of major components during the processing of CRS samples was identified, and the dynamic patterns of quality change in CRS samples during processing were revealed. Additionally, the study revealed and confirmed the transformation of nomilin into obacunone during processing, with the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of obacunone significantly greater than that of nomilin. These findings provided a scientific basis for CRS processing optimization, tablet quality control, and its clinical application.
Mice
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Animals
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
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RAW 264.7 Cells
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Limonins/chemistry*
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Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
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Citrus/chemistry*
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Color
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Benzoxepins/chemistry*
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry*
3.Research and application implementation of the Internet of Things scheme for intensive care unit medical equipment.
Hong LIANG ; Jipeng SUN ; Yong FAN ; Desen CAO ; Kunlun HE ; Zhengbo ZHANG ; Zhi MAO
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(1):65-72
The intensive care unit (ICU) is a highly equipment-intensive area with a wide variety of medical devices, and the accuracy and timeliness of medical equipment data collection are highly demanded. The integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) into ICU medical devices is of great significance for enhancing the quality of medical care and nursing, as well as for the advancement of digital and intelligent ICUs. This study focuses on the construction of the IOT for ICU medical devices and proposes innovative solutions, including the overall architecture design, devices connection, data collection, data standardization, platform construction and application implementation. The overall architecture was designed according to the perception layer, network layer, platform layer and application layer; three modes of device connection and data acquisition were proposed; data standardization based on Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise-Patient Care Device (IHE-PCD) was proposed. This study was practically verified in the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, a total of 122 devices in four ICU wards were connected to the IoT, storing 21.76 billion data items, with a data volume of 12.5 TB, which solved the problem of difficult systematic medical equipment data collection and data integration in ICUs. The remarkable results achieved proved the feasibility and reliability of this study. The research results of this paper provide a solution reference for the construction of hospital ICU IoT, offer more abundant data for medical big data analysis research, which can support the improvement of ICU medical services and promote the development of ICU to digitalization and intelligence.
Intensive Care Units
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Internet of Things
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Humans
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Internet
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Data Collection
4.Gene Mutation Characteristics, Prognosis and Survival Analysis of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Miao HE ; Hong-Juan TIAN ; Dong-Feng MAO ; Xiao-Chen ZHAO ; Shu-Ting ZHANG ; Fang-Qing ZHAO ; Tao WU
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(3):691-697
OBJECTIVE:
To analyze the gene mutation characteristics and survival time of patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) based on next-generation sequencing(NGS) gene detection.
METHODS:
A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 92 patients with AML (non APL) admitted to our hospital from January 2018 to May 2022. AML related genes tested were using NGS, the mutation characteristics and survival time of AML patients were analyzed.
RESULTS:
Among the 92 patients, 41 were males and 51 were females. A total of 38 types of gene mutations were detected. Six-two patients carried at least one gere mutation, while no gene mutations were detected in 30 patients. In the group with favourable prognosis (n =14), the frequencies of higher gene mutations were NRAS, KIT (21.43%, n =3), KRAS (14.29%, n =2). In the group with intermediate prognosis (n =64), the gene mutation frequencies from high to low were DNMT3A (18.75%, n =12), NPM1 (17.19%, n =11), IDH2, FLT3-ITD, CEBPA (12.50%, n =8), TET2 (10.94%, n =7). In the poor prognosis group (n =14), ASXL1, TP53, EZH2, NRAS had higher gene mutation frequency than others(14.29 %, n =2 ). Statistical analysis revealed that KIT had a relative hotspot of mutations in the intermediate-risk group, and DNMT3A had a relative hotspot of mutations in the high-risk group (P < 0.05). The correlation analysis of genes with high mutation rates in different prognostic groups, such as NRAS, KIT, IDH2, DNMT3A, NPM1, and FLT3-ITD, with prognosis found that KIT was a factor affecting OS (P < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed for the others(P >0.05).
CONCLUSION
The frequency of gene mutations is high in AML patients, 67.4% of the patients carried at least one gene mutation. The mutation frequency varies among different genes in patients with different karyotypes, and there are obvious dominant mutations. KIT and DNMT3A can be used as factors for evaluating the prognosis of AML.
Humans
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Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics*
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Nucleophosmin
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Mutation
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Prognosis
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Retrospective Studies
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Male
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Female
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High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
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Middle Aged
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DNA Methyltransferase 3A
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Adult
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Aged
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Survival Analysis
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit/genetics*
5.Beneficial Bacterial Modulation by Gypsum Fibrosum and Terra Flava Usta in Gut Microbiota.
Meng-Jie LI ; Yang-Yang DONG ; Na LI ; Rui ZHANG ; Hong-Lin ZHANG ; Zhi-Mao BAI ; Xue-Jun KANG ; Peng-Feng XIAO ; Dong-Rui ZHOU
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2025;31(9):812-820
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the regulatory effects of two traditional mineral medicines (TMMs), Gypsum Fibrosum (Shigao, GF) and Terra Flava Usta (Zaoxintu, TFU), on gut-beneficial bacteria in mice, and preliminarily explore their mechanisms of action.
METHODS:
Mice were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=10 per group): the control group (standard diet), the GF group (diet supplemented with 2% GF), and the TFU group (diet supplemented with 2% TFU). After 4-week intervention, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the changes in the gut microbiota (GM). Scanning electron microscopy, in combination with coumarin A tetramethyl rhodamine conjugate and Hoechst stainings, was used to observe the bacteria and biofilm formation.
RESULTS:
Principal coordinate analysis revealed that GF and TFU significantly altered the GM composition in mice. Further analysis revealed that GF and TFU affected different types of gut bacteria, suggesting that different TMMs may selectively modulate specific bacterial populations. For certain bacteria, such as Faecalibaculum and Ileibacterium, both GF and TFU exhibited growth-promoting effects, implying that they may be sensitive to TMMs and that different TMMs can increase their abundance through their respective mechanisms. Notably, Lactobacillus reuteri, a widely recognized and used probiotic, was significantly enriched in the GF group. Random forest analysis identified Ileibacterium valens as a potential indicator bacterium for TMMs' impact on GM. Further mechanistic studies showed that gut bacteria formed biofilm structures on the TFU surface.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides new insights into the interaction between TMMs and GM. As safe and effective natural clays, GF and TFU hold promise as potential candidates for prebiotic development.
Animals
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Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects*
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Bacteria/growth & development*
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Mice
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Biofilms/drug effects*
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Male
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RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics*
6.Dual activation of GCGR/GLP1R signaling ameliorates intestinal fibrosis via metabolic regulation of histone H3K9 lactylation in epithelial cells.
Han LIU ; Yujie HONG ; Hui CHEN ; Xianggui WANG ; Jiale DONG ; Xiaoqian LI ; Zihan SHI ; Qian ZHAO ; Longyuan ZHOU ; JiaXin WANG ; Qiuling ZENG ; Qinglin TANG ; Qi LIU ; Florian RIEDER ; Baili CHEN ; Minhu CHEN ; Rui WANG ; Yao ZHANG ; Ren MAO ; Xianxing JIANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(1):278-295
Intestinal fibrosis is a significant clinical challenge in inflammatory bowel diseases, but no effective anti-fibrotic therapy is currently available. Glucagon receptor (GCGR) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R) are both peptide hormone receptors involved in energy metabolism of epithelial cells. However, their role in intestinal fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Herein GCGR and GLP1R were found to be reduced in the stenotic ileum of patients with Crohn's disease as well as in the fibrotic colon of mice with chronic colitis. The downregulation of GCGR and GLP1R led to the accumulation of the metabolic byproduct lactate, resulting in histone H3K9 lactylation and exacerbated intestinal fibrosis through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Dual activating GCGR and GLP1R by peptide 1907B reduced the H3K9 lactylation in epithelial cells and ameliorated intestinal fibrosis in vivo. We uncovered the role of GCGR/GLP1R in regulating EMT involved in intestinal fibrosis via histone lactylation. Simultaneously activating GCGR/GLP1R with the novel dual agonist peptide 1907B holds promise as a treatment strategy for alleviating intestinal fibrosis.
7.The effects and mechanisms of PAD2 inhibitor AFM-30a attenuates pulmonary fibrosis in silicotic mice
Yimeng ZHANG ; Fuyu JIN ; Xuemin GAO ; Hong XU ; Ying ZHU ; Na MAO
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(1):1-13
Objective:To observe the effects of peptidylarginine deiminase 2 (PAD2) inhibitor AFM-30a on silicotic mice and its possible mechanisms.Methods:In May 2022, 40 SPF male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control group, AFM-30a group, silicosis model group and AFM-30a treatment group, with 10 mice in each group. Silicosis model group and AFM-30a treatment group were perfused with silicon dioxide (SiO 2) suspension (10 mg/piece, 50 μl), and the other groups were perfused with an equal amount of sodium chloride solution. After 2 weeks, AFM-30a group and AFM-30a treatment group were intraperitoneally injected AFM-30a (20 mg/kg, 100 μl) daily, and mice of other groups were injected with equal amounts of sodium chloride solution for 4 weeks. Mouse RAW264.7 monocytes/macrophages were cultured in vitro and divided into blank control group, AFM-30a group (5 μmol/L), SiO 2 group (200 μg/ml), and SiO 2+AFM-30a group (200 μg/ml SiO 2 induction for 12 h, followed by 5 μmol/L AFM-30a treatment for 12 h). As well as blank control group, vimentin (Vim) group (2 μg/ml), citrullinated vimentin (Cit-Vim) group (2 μg/ml), and Cit-Vim+TLR4-C34 group (10 μmol/L TLR4-C34 treatment for 1 h, followed by 2 μg/ml Cit-Vim induction for 24 h). Hematoxylin Eosin (HE) and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological morphology of lung. The lung fieldclarity and lung texture of each group was observed by micro-CT. The number of positive cells was detected by tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining. The localization and expression levels of PAD2, Cit-Vim, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) signaling proteins were measured by Immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting in vitro and in vivo. The experimental data were all presented as Mean±SD. A completely random design of one-way analysis of variance was used among the groups. The pduo comparison was performed using LSD test for homogeneity of variance and Tamhane's test for inconsistency. Results:Compared with the control group, the silicosis model group showed the formation of silicon nodules accompanied by collagen deposition, the silicosis model group showed thickened, and several high-density shadows of varying sizes in the lung field, and the number of TRAP positive cells in silicosis model group were increased significantly, the expression levels of PAD2, Cit-Vim, TLR4 and RANKL signal-related proteins were also significantly increased in silicosis groupmodel ( P<0.05). Compared with the silicosis model group, the AFM-30a treatment group reduced deposition of collagen in lung, and the number of TRAP positive cells was decreased in AFM-30a treatment group. The expression levels of PAD2, Cit-Vim, TLR4 and RANKL signaling related proteins were significantly decreased in AFM-30a treatment group ( P<0.05). In vitro, compared with the blank control group, the number of TRAP positive cells and the expression levels of PAD2, Cit-Vim, TLR4 and RANKL signaling related proteins in the SiO 2 group were significantly increased ( P<0.05). Compared with the SiO 2 group, the number of TRAP positive cells and the expression levels of PAD2, Cit-Vim, TLR4 and RANKL signaling related proteins in the SiO 2+AFM-30a group were significantly decreased ( P<0.05). Compared with the blank control group, the expression levels of TLR4 and RANKL signaling related proteins in the Cit-Vim group were significantly increased ( P<0.05). Compared with the Cit-Vim group, the expression levels of TLR4 and RANKL signaling related proteins in the Cit-Vim+TLR4-C34 group were significantly decreased ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:PAD2 inhibitor AFM-30a may play an antagonisticrole in silicotic fibrosis in mice by potentialregulating TLR4 and RANKL signaling pathways.
8.Underlying target of bullatine A in treating rheumatoid arthritis based on LiP-SMap drug target proteomics
Hao-hong ZHANG ; Nan-ting ZOU ; Chun-fei ZHANG ; Qing-yan MO ; Ming-qian JU ; Xiao-hong LI ; Shuai LIU ; Mao-kui HUANG ; Hong-yun WANG ; Chun-ping WAN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(6):1072-1078
Aim To identify the underlying target of bullatine A(BA)against rheumatoid arthritis(RA)u-sing limited proteolysis-small molecule mapping(LiP-SMap)drug target proteomics and to provide a scientif-ic basis for clinical application of Aconiti brachypodi Radix in the treatment of RA.Methods LiP-SMap drug target proteomics was employed to perform bioin-formatics analysis for comparing and validating the dif-ferential protein expression after BA intervention.A collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)model was estab-lished in DBA/1 mice using bovine type Ⅱ collagen.The mice were then divided into the CIA model group,methotrexate-positive control group(MTX group),and BA groups(10 mg·kg-1 and 20 mg·kg-1)based on their clinical scores.After drug intervention,the thera-peutic efficacy against RA was assessed by joint index scores and foot thickness measurements.Histopatholog-ical changes in the arthritic joints of CIA mice were e-valuated using hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was employed to detect inflammatory cytokines interleukin-17(IL-17)and total IgG and IgG3 anti-collagen-spe-cific antibodies levels from the serum of CIA mice.Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression levels of intracellular Th17 cells(IL-17+CD4+T cells)and Th1 cells(IFN-γ+CD4+T cells).Fluorescent quanti-tative PCR was performed to detect the expression of genes related to differential proteins.Results The proteomic analysis identified Serpinb1a as a protein with strong binding affinity to BA,and KEGG enrich-ment analysis indicated IL-17 signaling pathway was a crucial pathway of BA in against RA.BA treatment significantly reduced clinical scores and foot thickness,improved local arthritis symptoms in CIA mice,and al-leviated inflammatory cell infiltration into arthritic joints(P<0.05).Differential protein validation re-sults showed that BA had strong affinity with Serpinb1a(-5.92 kJ·mol-1)and downregulated the expres-sion of Serpinb1a mRNA.Furthermore,the administra-tion of BA markedly reduced serum IL-17 A levels from CIA mice,inhibited the expression of intracellular IL-17 A and IFN-γ cytokines in splenic CD4+T cells(P<0.05),and significantly downregulated the transcrip-tional expression of IL-17F(P<0.05).Conclusion BA exhibits therapeutic effects on collagen-induced arthritis,and its mechanism of action may involve the regulation of Serpinb1a and the IL-17 signaling path-way.
9.A cross-sectional study of correlation between thyroid nodules and metabolic indicators of central obesity in Northwest China
Mingming ZHANG ; Ke YAN ; Hua HAO ; Hong JIANG ; Mao MA
The Journal of Practical Medicine 2025;41(23):3767-3772
Objective This study aims to provide theoretical support for the formulation of thyroid nodule prevention and treatment strategies in Northwest China and to investigate the characteristics of thyroid nodules and their association with metabolic indicators in this population.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted by retrospectively enrolling healthy individuals who underwent routine health examinations at our hospital between January 1 and December 31,2023.A total of 38 919 participants were included.The detection rate of thyroid nodules was stratified by age and sex.Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for thyroid nodules.Results Among the 38 919 participants,20 395 were men(52.4%)and 18 524 were women(47.6%).The overall detection rate of thyroid nodules was 47.1%(18 317/38 919),including 40.1%(8 187/20 395)in men and 54.7%(10 130/18 524)in women.Across all age groups,women had a significantly higher detection rate than men(P<0.001).The detection rate increased with age in both sexes(χ2trend=1392.867,P<0.001 in men;χ2trend=1521.215,P<0.001 in women).Significant differences were observed between participants with and without thyroid nodules in age,body mass index(BMI),fasting blood glucose(FBG),glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),triiodothyronine(T3),thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH),and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies(TGAB),anti-thyroid microsomal antibodies,the proportion of hypertension and central obesity(all P<0.05).Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis identified female sex(OR=2.158),older age(OR=1.040),central obesity(OR=1.144),elevated FBG(OR=1.039),hypertension(OR=1.095),elevated TGAB(OR=1.008),and elevated T3(OR=1.154)as independent risk factors for thyroid nodules(all P<0.05).Conclusion Women in Northwest China are at higher risk of developing thyroid nodules.Screening and health management should be prioritized for older individuals,those with central obesity,elevated FBG,hypertension,elevated TGAB,and elevated T3 levels.
10.Effects of Qizhi Tongluo Formula on renal injury in db/db mice via Nrf2/Keap1/ARE signaling pathway
Bing YANG ; Yao ZHANG ; Jing-yu MAO ; Miao TANG ; Feng-wen YANG ; Hong-hong WU ; Jin-chuan TAN
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(1):73-80
AIM To investigate the renal protective effects of Qizhi Tongluo Formula on a mouse model of diabetic nephropathy.METHODS The male db/db mice were randomly divided into the model group,the dapagliflozin group(0.76 mg/kg)and the low,medium and high dose Qizhi Tongluo Formula groups(7.83,15.65 and 31.3 g/kg),with 6 mice in each group,in contrast to the 6 db/m mice of the control group.When the mice of the control group and the model group were given distilled water by gavage,those of the other administration groups were dosed with the corresponding drug by gavage once daily for 8 weeks.After the drug administration,the mice had their levels of FBG,BUN,Scr and 24 h-UTP detected;their renal pathological changes observed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and HE staining;their levels of serum Nrf2,HO-1,Keap1 and renal oxidative stress assessed by ELISA;their renal Nrf2 protein expression observed by immunofluorescence(IF);their renal protein expressions of Nrf2,HO-1 and Keap1 detected by Western blot;and their renal Nrf2,HO-1,and Keap1 mRNA expressions detected by RT-qPCR.RESULTS Compared with the control group,the model group displayed increased levels of 24 h-UTP,Scr,FBG and renal MDA(P<0.01);decreased renal activities of SOD,CAT and GSH-Px(P<0.01);mild glomerular mesangial hyperplasia,vacuolated renal tubular epithelial cells,widely fused podocyte foot processes,disappearance of tear film,decreased secretion levels of serum Nrf2 and HO-1 and renal protein and mRNA expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1(P<0.05,P<0.01);and decreased secretion levels of serum Keap1 and renal Keap1 protein and mRNA expressions(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the high-dose Qizhi Tongluo Formula group demonstrated decreased levels of 24 h-UTP,Scr,FBG and renal MDA(P<0.01);increased renal activities of SOD,CAT and GSH-Px(P<0.01);alleviated renal pathological damage,increased secretion levels of serum Nrf2 and HO-1 and renal protein and mRNA expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1(P<0.01);and increased level of serum Keap1 secretion and renal Keap1 protein and mRNA expressions(P<0.01).CONCLUSION Qizhi Tongluo Formula can inhibit oxidative stress and alleviate kidney damage in db/db mice by activating Nrf2/Keap1/ARE signaling pathway.

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