1.Engineered Bacteriophages for The Treatment of Multidrug-resistant Bacterial Infections
Yu-Ying CHEN ; Chun-Mei HUANG ; Jin-Zhi PAN ; De-Liang LIU ; Yang ZHOU ; Gui-Qin DAI ; Peng-Fei ZHAO ; Hong-Zhou LU ; Ming-Bin ZHENG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1581-1596
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections have emerged as a serious challenge of global public health crisis. The overuse and misuse of conventional antibiotics have dramatically accelerated the emergence, evolution and worldwide spread of drug-resistant bacterial strains, necessitating urgent exploration of novel antibacterial strategies. Bacteriophages serve as natural bacterial predators offering distinct advantages including high host specificity, autonomous self-replication capabilities and cost-effective large-scale production. However, wild-type phages present significant clinical limitations due to their narrow host ranges, susceptibility to rapid immune clearance and poor penetration of bacterial biofilms, which severely restrict their therapeutic applications. The convergence of synthetic biology, nanotechnology and advanced gene editing technologies has accelerated the development of engineered bacteriophage platforms, providing programmable, scalable and clinically translatable pathways to overcome these inherent biological constraints. Here, we systematically delineate four fundamental strategies for engineered bacteriophage development. Chemical modification utilizes reactive functional groups such as amino, carboxyl and thiol moieties on capsid proteins through esterification, amidation or click chemistry reactions to achieve precise drug conjugation and surface functionalization. In vivo editing encompasses ultraviolet or chemical mutagenesis for random mutation induction, homologous recombination for targeted genetic alterations, recombineering methodologies including electroporation-mediated bacteriophage recombination engineering, and CRISPR-Cas systems for precise genome editing to enable exact genetic reconstruction and host range reprogramming. In vitro synthesis leverages genome engineering platforms where intact phage genomes are transferred into yeast or host bacteria to facilitate highly efficient homologous recombination, enabling large DNA fragment assembly and cross-gene host range expansion without bacterial toxicity constraints. Directed evolution combines artificial selection through mutation library screening with rational design approaches involving chimeric receptor binding protein construction or site-specific mutagenesis, effectively balancing the discovery of unknown adaptive pathways with targeted host specificity modification. Moreover, we comprehensively discuss therapeutic applications across diverse clinical scenarios. Engineered bacteriophage effectively disrupt bacterial biofilms through sophisticated functionalized delivery platforms including nanozyme-conjugated phages, phage-liposome nanoconjugates and bio-responsive hydrogels, demonstrating significantly enhanced bactericidal efficiency compared to unmodified free phages. These bioengineered vectors attenuate bacterial virulence and resensitize pathogens to antibiotics by delivering CRISPR-Cas systems or base editors to disrupt critical virulence factors such as pili, capsule synthesis machineries and quorum sensing systems, or by inactivating antibiotic resistance determinants including beta-lactamase genes. As an intelligent nanomedicine delivery platform, engineered bacteriophage enable precise pathogen elimination an through photocatalytic reactive oxygen species generation, immunomodulatory interventions, or controlled release of antibacterial drugs. Furthermore, oral administration of engineered bacteriophage facilitates microbiota modulation, which selectively eliminate intestinal pathogens while preserve beneficial commensal microbiota, thereby restoring microbial community balance and preventing complications associated with dysbiosis. Finally, we critically analyze persistent challenges including host strain matching complexity, evolution of bacterial resistance mechanisms, pharmacokinetic optimization requirements, optimal administration route selection, large-scale production quality control standards and clinical dosing determination protocols. Through multidisciplinary integration of synthetic biology, infectious disease medicine and immunology, future translational medicine studies of bacteriophage should establish comprehensive technical platforms encompassing rapid phage screening, intelligent rational design, rigorous in vivo evaluation and standardized clinical validation processes, ultimately advancing engineered bacteriophage from laboratory innovations to clinically approved therapeutics for effectively combating MDR bacterial infections.
2.Advances in regulation of dysregulated bone remodeling by immune cells within rheumatoid arthritis synovial microenvironment
Jun-jie HE ; Zhong-liu YAO ; Ming-yue HU ; Hong HUANG ; Xiong CAI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(10):1801-1807
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is characterized by bidi-rectional bone remodeling imbalance,clinically termed the "high resorption-low formation" paradox,stemming not only from osteoclast hyperactivation but also critically involving pro-found suppression of osteoblast differentiation and function.No-tably,this suppression cannot be fully attributed to osteoclast hyperactivity;synovium-resident immune cells exert a pivotal regulatory influence through distinct mechanisms.This review systematically examines how synovial immune cells orchestrate bone remodeling in RA through both paracrine cytokine networks and direct cell-cell communication with bone lineage cells,thereby perturbing physiological homeostasis and driving patho-logical progression.These mechanistic revelations yield innova-tive perspectives on RA pathogenesis,positioning immune-medi-ated osteoimmune dysregulation as a promising therapeutic fron-tier for targeted intervention.
3.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.
4.Drug resistance characteristics and whole genome polymorphisms of group A Streptococcus in Jiangsu Province during 2016 to 2023
Jie HONG ; Hao-di HUANG ; Ke XU ; Zhong-ming TAN ; Hui-min QIAN ; Jie-fu PENG ; Xiao-xiao KONG
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2025;41(1):40-46
This study was aimed at understanding the relationships among the drug resistance and genome characteristics of group A Streptococcus in Jiangsu Province.A total of 149 group A Streptococcus strains were collected from hospitals between 2016 and 2023.Thirteen antimicrobial minimal inhibitory concentrations were detected with the micro-dilution broth method.The GAS strains were typed with emm genotyping analysis and whole genome sequencing,to determine the carriage rates of drug resistance genes and the evolutionary relationships among strains.The resistance rates of 149 GAS strains to erythromy-cin,tetracycline,and clindamycin exceeded 90%,whereas the strains showed sensitivity to 8 different antibiotics,including penicillin.Notably,the resistance rates to erythromycin,tetracycline,and clindamycin consistently increased over time.All strains were classified into 9 emm types,among which emm12 accounted for the highest proportion(77/149;51.68%).Signifi-cant statistical differences were observed among emm types,in terms of the drug resistance rate,number of resistant species,and prevalence of drug resistance genes.Furthermore,SNP evolutionary tree analysis revealed 3 distinct clusters within the GAS strains:emm12,emm1,and other emm types.emm 12 and emm1 were the dominant GAS strains in Jiangsu Province.Most isolates were resistant to erythromycin,tetracycline,and clindamycin.Differences in phenotypes and genomic characteris-tics were observed among emm types.
5.Progress on surgical diagnosis and treatment of pedunculated hepatocellular carcinoma
Nai-bo ZHAO ; Hai-lang HUANG ; Wen-sen LI ; Yuan-yuan YANG ; Hong-yu LI ; Yuan-xiang HE ; Kun-ming WEN
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2025;34(2):173-177
support the diagnosis.The treatment of PHCC is mainly based on surgery.Due to the characteristics of intact capsule,surgical resection is relatively easy and the cure rate is higher than that of ordinary hepatocellular carcinoma,and the postoperative survival rate is relatively ideal.For unresectable PHCC,palliative treatment based on transcatheter arterial chemoembolization can be used.This article reviews the progress on diagnosis and treatment of PHCC in order to provide reference for clinical practice.
6.Drug resistance characteristics and whole genome polymorphisms of group A Streptococcus in Jiangsu Province during 2016 to 2023
Jie HONG ; Hao-di HUANG ; Ke XU ; Zhong-ming TAN ; Hui-min QIAN ; Jie-fu PENG ; Xiao-xiao KONG
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2025;41(1):40-46
This study was aimed at understanding the relationships among the drug resistance and genome characteristics of group A Streptococcus in Jiangsu Province.A total of 149 group A Streptococcus strains were collected from hospitals between 2016 and 2023.Thirteen antimicrobial minimal inhibitory concentrations were detected with the micro-dilution broth method.The GAS strains were typed with emm genotyping analysis and whole genome sequencing,to determine the carriage rates of drug resistance genes and the evolutionary relationships among strains.The resistance rates of 149 GAS strains to erythromy-cin,tetracycline,and clindamycin exceeded 90%,whereas the strains showed sensitivity to 8 different antibiotics,including penicillin.Notably,the resistance rates to erythromycin,tetracycline,and clindamycin consistently increased over time.All strains were classified into 9 emm types,among which emm12 accounted for the highest proportion(77/149;51.68%).Signifi-cant statistical differences were observed among emm types,in terms of the drug resistance rate,number of resistant species,and prevalence of drug resistance genes.Furthermore,SNP evolutionary tree analysis revealed 3 distinct clusters within the GAS strains:emm12,emm1,and other emm types.emm 12 and emm1 were the dominant GAS strains in Jiangsu Province.Most isolates were resistant to erythromycin,tetracycline,and clindamycin.Differences in phenotypes and genomic characteris-tics were observed among emm types.
7.Current status of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections and research progress on drug resis-tance mechanisms
Li LI ; Ming LIANG ; Hong ZHEN ; Linzhen HUANG
Chinese Journal of Applied Clinical Pediatrics 2025;40(7):557-560
Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is one of the major pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia in children, and macrolide antibiotics are the first choice for treating MP infections.However, since the discovery of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) by Japanese scholars at the beginning of the 21st century, the detection rate of MRMP strains has been increasing globally, and there have been numerous reports of MP resistance around the world.Studies on the mechanism of drug resistance have been conducted both at home and abroad.Meanwhile, the global infection status shows that there are significant regional differences in the proportion of MRMP infections, especially in the Western Pacific region, including China and Japan, where the proportion of infections is the highest.In order to improve the understanding of the current status of MRMP infections and drug resistance mechanisms, the latest progress in the study of the global infection status and drug resistance mechanisms of MRMP is reviewed, aiming to provide a scientific basis for clinical treatment and a reference for future research directions.
8.Advances in regulation of dysregulated bone remodeling by immune cells within rheumatoid arthritis synovial microenvironment
Jun-jie HE ; Zhong-liu YAO ; Ming-yue HU ; Hong HUANG ; Xiong CAI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(10):1801-1807
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is characterized by bidi-rectional bone remodeling imbalance,clinically termed the "high resorption-low formation" paradox,stemming not only from osteoclast hyperactivation but also critically involving pro-found suppression of osteoblast differentiation and function.No-tably,this suppression cannot be fully attributed to osteoclast hyperactivity;synovium-resident immune cells exert a pivotal regulatory influence through distinct mechanisms.This review systematically examines how synovial immune cells orchestrate bone remodeling in RA through both paracrine cytokine networks and direct cell-cell communication with bone lineage cells,thereby perturbing physiological homeostasis and driving patho-logical progression.These mechanistic revelations yield innova-tive perspectives on RA pathogenesis,positioning immune-medi-ated osteoimmune dysregulation as a promising therapeutic fron-tier for targeted intervention.
9.Current status of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections and research progress on drug resis-tance mechanisms
Li LI ; Ming LIANG ; Hong ZHEN ; Linzhen HUANG
Chinese Journal of Applied Clinical Pediatrics 2025;40(7):557-560
Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is one of the major pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia in children, and macrolide antibiotics are the first choice for treating MP infections.However, since the discovery of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) by Japanese scholars at the beginning of the 21st century, the detection rate of MRMP strains has been increasing globally, and there have been numerous reports of MP resistance around the world.Studies on the mechanism of drug resistance have been conducted both at home and abroad.Meanwhile, the global infection status shows that there are significant regional differences in the proportion of MRMP infections, especially in the Western Pacific region, including China and Japan, where the proportion of infections is the highest.In order to improve the understanding of the current status of MRMP infections and drug resistance mechanisms, the latest progress in the study of the global infection status and drug resistance mechanisms of MRMP is reviewed, aiming to provide a scientific basis for clinical treatment and a reference for future research directions.
10.Effect of TBL1XR1 Mutation on Cell Biological Characteristics of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.
Hong-Ming FAN ; Le-Min HONG ; Chun-Qun HUANG ; Jin-Feng LU ; Hong-Hui XU ; Jie CHEN ; Hong-Ming HUANG ; Xin-Feng WANG ; Dan GUO
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(2):423-430
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effect of TBL1XR1 mutation on cell biological characteristics of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
METHODS:
The TBL1XR1 overexpression vector was constructed and DNA sequencing was performed to determine the mutation status. The effect of TBL1XR1 mutation on apoptosis of DLBCL cell line was detected by flow cytometry and TUNEL fluorescence assay; CCK-8 assay was used to detect the effect of TBL1XR1 mutation on cell proliferation; Transwell assay was used to detect the effect of TBL1XR1 mutation on cell migration and invasion; Western blot was used to detect the effect of TBL1XR1 mutation on the expression level of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related proteins.
RESULTS:
The TBL1XR1 overexpression plasmid was successfully constructed. The in vitro experimental results showed that TBL1XR1 mutation had no significant effect on apoptosis of DLBCL cells. Compared with the control group, TBL1XR1 mutation enhanced cell proliferation, migration and invasion of DLBCL cells. TBL1XR1 gene mutation significantly increased the expression of N-cadherin protein, while the expression of E-cadherin protein decreased.
CONCLUSION
TBL1XR1 mutation plays a role in promoting tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion in DLBCL. TBL1XR1 could be considered as a potential target for DLBCL therapy in future research.
Humans
;
Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/pathology*
;
Cell Proliferation
;
Mutation
;
Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics*
;
Apoptosis
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
;
Cell Movement
;
Repressor Proteins/genetics*
;
Nuclear Proteins/genetics*
;
Cadherins/metabolism*

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