1.Differential expression of LEFTY1 in peritoneal dialysis-associated peritoneal fibrosis and its clinical value
Guang CHEN ; Lu LI ; Lejia SONG ; Li ZHANG ; Huaina DOU ; Qiufeng WANG ; Qingqing RAO ; Pei ZHANG
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2026;61(7):1269-1276
ObjectiveTo investigate the differential expression of LEFTY1 in peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritoneal fibrosis (PF) and its clinical value. MethodsLevels of LEFTY1, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and fibronectin (FN) in peritoneal dialysis effluent were measured in 72 PD patients, and clinical data were collected. Differences in these indicators were compared among groups with different dialysis durations, and the correlation between LEFTY1 and clinical parameters was analyzed to evaluate its predictive value for ultrafiltration insufficiency. ResultsLEFTY1 levels decreased progressively with longer dialysis duration: short-term group [(2 262.49±270.47) ng/mL] > mid-term group [(1 853.52±226.06) ng/mL] > long-term group [(1 767.24±264.57) ng/mL], with significant differences among groups (P<0.001). TGF-β and FN levels increased with prolonged dialysis duration (P<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that LEFTY1 was significantly negatively correlated with FN (r=-0.327, P=0.004), dialysis duration (r=-0.496,P<0.001), peritoneal Kt/V (r=-0.333, P=0.004), peritoneal creatinine clearance (r=-0.239, P=0.043), and serum calcium (r=-0.410, P<0.001), while positively correlated with total creatinine clearance (r=0.283, P=0.016). The area under the ROC curve for LEFTY1 combined with peritoneal Kt/V and peritoneal Ccr in predicting ultrafiltration insufficiency was 0.739. Multivariate regression analysis identified dialysis duration as an independent influencing factor for LEFTY1 expression (P=0.001). ConclusionThe expression of LEFTY1 in the peritoneal dialysis effluent of PD patients decreases with prolonged dialysis duration and is negatively correlated with pro-fibrotic indicators, suggesting that it may play a potential anti-fibrotic role in the progression of PF. The combined detection of LEFTY1 and solute removal indicators holds value for the early identification of ultrafiltration dysfunction.
2.MADS-Net: a Multi-scale Attention and Dynamic Sparse Mask Fusion Network for Electrical Impedance Tomography Image Reconstruction in Breast Screening
Cheng-Tao YU ; Jia-Hui WANG ; Song-Pei HU ; Huai-Jin CHEN ; Li DING ; Xia YE ; Jia-Feng YAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(9):2480-2496
ObjectiveTo address the key challenges in breast electrical impedance tomography (EIT) reconstruction including the severe ill‑posedness of the inverse problem, limited measurement information from the electrodes, low contrast of small lesions, as well as the common drawbacks of traditional reconstruction methods such as boundary blurring, low spatial resolution, and weak small-target detection capability, and to overcome the limitations of existing deep learning approaches namely low training efficiency, insufficient physical consistency, and substantial information loss during the low‑to‑high dimensional mapping process, this study proposes a multi‑scale attention and dynamic sparse mask fusion network (MADS‑Net). The proposed method aims to enhance high‑resolution reconstruction accuracy, small-lesion detectability, noise robustness, and computational efficiency in breast‑screening-oriented EIT, thereby providing a feasible solution for the application of EIT in breast functional imaging. MethodsThe proposed network adopts a strategy of “locate first, reconstruct later”. It realizes adaptive allocation of computational resources through a dynamic mask module, alleviates information loss in the low-to-high dimensional mapping process via a multi-scale attention mechanism, and embeds physical constraints to improve the physical rationality of reconstruction results. The performance of the proposed method was validated through systematic numerical simulations, agar phantom experiments, and porcine tissue experiments. Comparisons were made with mainstream methods including the Gauss-Newton algorithm, convolutional neural networks, U-Net, and Deep D-Bar. The image correlation coefficient (ICC), root mean square error (RMSE), and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) were adopted as quantitative evaluation metrics. Furthermore, lesion‑level evaluation metrics were introduced to assess the capability of different methods in reconstructing abnormal target boundaries and small‑sized target regions. ResultsExperimental results demonstrate that MADS-Net outperforms all comparison methods across all test scenarios. In numerical simulations, it achieves higher accuracy in target morphology and spatial location recovery as well as better background suppression. In agar phantom experiments, its detection and imaging reliability for small targets is significantly superior to the comparison methods. In porcine tissue experiments, the model maintains good generalization performance and can adapt to complex biological tissue imaging scenarios. Quantitative results show that MADS-Net achieves an average ICC of 0.917 6±0.048 8, an RMSE as low as0.060 6±0.031 6, and a PSNR of (23.893 9±2.685 3) dB. It successfully detects tiny targets as small as 5 mm within a 100 mm diameter sensing field, reduces the total training duration by 23.5% compared with the baseline method, and maintains stable reconstruction performance even under strong noise interference. ConclusionThe results demonstrate that MADS-Net achieves favorable EIT reconstruction performance in numerical simulations, agar phantom experiments, and porcine tissue experiments, even under common practical imaging challenges including low signal-to-noise ratio and blurred tissue boundaries. This study provides a methodological reference for further research on EIT in breast-screening-related scenarios and other medical functional imaging tasks, and also offers a low-cost, radiation-free alternative for breast lesion screening that aligns with the clinical demand for non-invasive diagnostic tools. It should be noted that real clinical breast data have not yet been used for validation in this study, and the clinical applicability of the proposed method requires further investigation. Future work will prioritize collecting multi-center real clinical breast datasets, and further optimize the model’s generalization ability to adapt to individual differences in breast tissue composition to promote its clinical application.
3.Ditantang Ameliorates MAFLD in Rats Through UDPG-S1P-SREBP Axis-mediated Glycogen Synthesis
Lu PAN ; Zhe ZHAND ; Nan SONG ; Dongyu MIN ; Jiaxin WANG ; Yuanguang DONG ; Yang HONG ; Meiling ZHANG ; Xiaofei SUN ; Jiaru WANG ; Yunfei GAO ; Yupeng PEI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(22):40-50
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Ditantang on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in rats by focusing on the regulation of glycogen synthesis mediated by the uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG)-site-1-protease (S1P)-sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) axis. MethodsMAFLD was modeled in SD rats by feeding a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Rats were randomized into a control group, a model group, low-, medium-, and high-dose (2.68, 5.36, and 10.72 g·kg-1·d-1, respectively) Ditantang groups, and a positive control (Yishanfu, 0.18 g·kg-1·d-1) group. Starting from week 9 of modeling, each treatment group received corresponding drug interventions via gavage. After the experiment, the serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured. The levels of TG, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), glycogen, glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), glucose-1-phosphate (G1P), and UDPG in the liver tissue samples were measured by biochemical assay kits. Liver pathological morphology and lipid/glycogen deposition were observed via hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, oil red O staining, and Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining. Immunofluorescence assay was conducted to detect the expression and localization of phosphoglucomutase-1 (Pgm1) and UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase 2 (Ugp2) in the rat liver. Real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to quantify mRNA and protein levels, respectively, of key glycogen synthesis enzymes (Pgm1 and Ugp2), key lipogenesis-related transcription factor SREBP and its target genes [acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthetase (FASN), and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1)], as well as S1P. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group exhibited elevated levels of TC, TG, LDL-C in the serum and TG and NEFA in the liver, decreased serum HDL-C level (P<0.01), reduced hepatic levels of G1P, G6P, UDPG, and glycogen (P<0.01), appearance of fat vacuoles of varying sizes and abundant red lipid droplets, with prominent lipid deposition and reduced areas of deep glycogen staining in the liver tissue, upregulated mRNA and protein levels of SREBP1, S1P, ACC, FASN, and SCD1 (P<0.01), and downregulated mRNA and protein levels of Pgm1 and Ugp2 (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, all doses of Ditantang reduced the levels of TC and TG in the serum and TG and NEFA in the liver, while elevating the serum HDL-C level. Additionally, medium- and high-dose Ditantang reducted the LDL-C level (P<0.05). Ditantang at all doses increased the hepatic levels of G1P, G6P, UDPG, and glycogen, alleviated hepatic steatosis and lipid deposition, enhanced glycogen storage, downregulated the mRNA and protein levels of SREBP1, S1P, ACC, FASN, and SCD1 (P<0.05), while upregulating the expression of Pgm1 and Ugp2 (P<0.01). Immunofluorescence analysis revealed decreased fluorescence intensity of S1P and enhanced fluorescence intensity of Ugp2 (P<0.01). ConclusionDitantang can regulate glycogen synthesis through the UDPG-S1P-SREBP axis to prevent and treat MAFLD.
4.Modified Ditan Tang Regulates Biorhythm-related Genes in Rat Model of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Zhiwen PANG ; Yu LIU ; Nan SONG ; Jie WANG ; Jingxuan ZHU ; Zhen HUA ; Yupeng PEI ; Qun WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(6):115-124
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of modified Ditan tang on genes related to the transcription-translation feedback loop (TTFL) of biorhythm in the rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its mechanism for prevention and treatment of NAFLD. MethodsSixty-five healthy SPF male SD rats were randomly assigned into blank (n=20), model (n=15), and low-, medium-, and high-dose (2.68, 5.36, and 10.72 g·kg-1·d-1, respectively) modified Ditan tang (n=10) groups. Other groups except the blank group were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. The modified Ditan tang groups were treated with the decoction at corresponding doses by gavage, and the blank and model groups were treated with an equal volume of normal saline from the 9th week for 4 weeks. The levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the serum were measured by an automatic biochemical analyzer. TG and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) assay kits were used to measure the levels of TG and NEFA in the liver. The pathological changes in the hypothalamus and liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the lipid deposition in the liver was observed by oil red O staining. The levels of brain-muscle ARNT-like protein 1 (BMAL1/ARNTL) in the hypothalamus and liver were determined by immunohistochemical staining. The mRNA and protein levels of BMAL1, circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (CLOCK), period circadian clock 2 (PER2), and cryptochrome1 (Cry1) in the hypothalamus and liver were determined by Real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. ResultsCompared with the blank group, the model group showed elevated levels of TG, TC, LDL-C, AST, and ALT (P<0.01) and a lowered level of HDL-C (P<0.05) in the serum, elevated levels of TG and NEFA in the liver (P<0.01), pyknosis and deep staining of hypothalamic neuron cells, and a large number of vacuoles in the brain area. In addition, the model group showed lipid deposition in the liver, up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of CLOCK and BMAL1 (P<0.01), and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Cry1 and PER2 (P<0.01) in the hypothalamus and liver. Compared with the model group, all the three modified Ditan tang groups showed lowered levels of TG, TC, LDL-C, ALT, and AST (P<0.05, P<0.01) and an elevated level of HDL-C (P<0.05) in the serum, and lowered levels of TG and NEFA (P<0.05, P<0.01) in the liver. Furthermore, the three groups showed alleviated pyknosis and deep staining of hypothalamic neuron cells, reduced lipid deposition in the liver, down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of CLOCK and BMAL1 (P<0.05, P<0.01), and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Cry1 and PER2 (P<0.05, P<0.01) in the hypothalamus and liver. ConclusionModified Ditan tang can reduce lipid deposition in the liver and regulate the expression of CLOCK, BMAL1, Cry1, and PER2 in the TTFL of NAFLD rats.
5.Therapeutic role of Prunella vulgaris L. polysaccharides in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and gut dysbiosis.
Meng-Jie ZHU ; Yi-Jie SONG ; Pei-Li RAO ; Wen-Yi GU ; Yu XU ; Hong-Xi XU
Journal of Integrative Medicine 2025;23(3):297-308
OBJECTIVE:
Prunella vulgaris L. has long been used for liver protection according to traditional Chinese medicine theory and has been proven by modern pharmacological research to have multiple potential liver-protective effects. However, its effects on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are currently uncertain. Our study explores the effects of P. vulgaris polysaccharides on NASH and intestinal homeostasis.
METHODS:
An aqueous extract of the dried fruit spikes of P. vulgaris was precipitated in an 85% ethanol solution (PVE85) to extract crude polysaccharides from the herb. A choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet (CDAHFD) was administrated to male C57BL/6 mice to establish a NASH animal model. After 4 weeks, the PVE85 group was orally administered PVE85 (200 mg/[kg·d]), while the control group and CDAHFD group were orally administered vehicle for 6 weeks. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and other methods were used to assess the impact of PVE85 on the liver in mice with NASH. 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis was employed to evaluate the gut microbiota abundance and diversity in each group to examine alterations at various taxonomic levels.
RESULTS:
PVE85 significantly reversed the course of NASH in mice. mRNA levels of inflammatory mediators associated with NASH and protein expression of hepatic nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) were significantly reduced after PVE85 treatment. Moreover, PVE85 attenuated the thickening and cross-linking of collagen fibres and inhibited the expression of fibrosis-related mRNAs in the livers of NASH mice. Intriguingly, PVE85 restored changes in the gut microbiota and improved intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by NASH by increasing the abundance of Actinobacteria and reducing the abundance of Proteobacteria at the phylum level. PVE85 had significant activity in reducing the relative abundance of Clostridiaceae at the family levels. PVE85 markedly enhanced the abundance of some beneficial micro-organisms at various taxonomic levels as well. Additionally, the physicochemical environment of the intestine was effectively improved, involving an increase in the density of intestinal villi, normalization of the intestinal pH, and improvement of intestinal permeability.
CONCLUSION
PVE85 can reduce hepatic lipid overaccumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis in an animal model of CDAHFD-induced NASH and improve the intestinal microbial composition and intestinal structure. Please cite this article as: Zhu MJ, Song YJ, Rao PL, Gu WY, Xu Y, Xu HX. Therapeutic role of Prunella vulgaris L. polysaccharides in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and gut dysbiosis. J Integr Med. 2025; 2025; 23(3): 297-308.
Animals
;
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/drug therapy*
;
Male
;
Dysbiosis/drug therapy*
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects*
;
Polysaccharides/therapeutic use*
;
Prunella/chemistry*
;
Mice
;
Liver/metabolism*
;
Plant Extracts/therapeutic use*
;
Disease Models, Animal
;
Diet, High-Fat
7.Synaptic Vesicle Glycoprotein 2A Slows down Amyloidogenic Processing of Amyloid Precursor Protein via Regulating Its Intracellular Trafficking.
Qian ZHANG ; Xiao Ling WANG ; Yu Li HOU ; Jing Jing ZHANG ; Cong Cong LIU ; Xiao Min ZHANG ; Ya Qi WANG ; Yu Jian FAN ; Jun Ting LIU ; Jing LIU ; Qiao SONG ; Pei Chang WANG
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(5):607-624
OBJECTIVE:
To reveal the effects and potential mechanisms by which synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) influences the distribution of amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the trans-Golgi network (TGN), endolysosomal system, and cell membranes and to reveal the effects of SV2A on APP amyloid degradation.
METHODS:
Colocalization analysis of APP with specific tagged proteins in the TGN, ensolysosomal system, and cell membrane was performed to explore the effects of SV2A on the intracellular transport of APP. APP, β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) expressions, and APP cleavage products levels were investigated to observe the effects of SV2A on APP amyloidogenic processing.
RESULTS:
APP localization was reduced in the TGN, early endosomes, late endosomes, and lysosomes, whereas it was increased in the recycling endosomes and cell membrane of SV2A-overexpressed neurons. Moreover, Arl5b (ADP-ribosylation factor 5b), a protein responsible for transporting APP from the TGN to early endosomes, was upregulated by SV2A. SV2A overexpression also decreased APP transport from the cell membrane to early endosomes by downregulating APP endocytosis. In addition, products of APP amyloid degradation, including sAPPβ, Aβ 1-42, and Aβ 1-40, were decreased in SV2A-overexpressed cells.
CONCLUSION
These results demonstrated that SV2A promotes APP transport from the TGN to early endosomes by upregulating Arl5b and promoting APP transport from early endosomes to recycling endosomes-cell membrane pathway, which slows APP amyloid degradation.
Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/genetics*
;
Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics*
;
Animals
;
Protein Transport
;
Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics*
;
Humans
;
Mice
;
Endosomes/metabolism*
;
trans-Golgi Network/metabolism*
8.Associations of Genetic Risk and Physical Activity with Incident Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Large Prospective Cohort Study.
Jin YANG ; Xiao Lin WANG ; Wen Fang ZHONG ; Jian GAO ; Huan CHEN ; Pei Liang CHEN ; Qing Mei HUANG ; Yi Xin ZHANG ; Fang Fei YOU ; Chuan LI ; Wei Qi SONG ; Dong SHEN ; Jiao Jiao REN ; Dan LIU ; Zhi Hao LI ; Chen MAO
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(10):1194-1204
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the relationship between physical activity and genetic risk and their combined effects on the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
METHODS:
This prospective cohort study included 318,085 biobank participants from the UK. Physical activity was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The participants were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-genetic-risk groups based on their polygenic risk scores. Multivariate Cox regression models and multiplicative interaction analyses were used.
RESULTS:
During a median follow-up period of 13 years, 9,209 participants were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For low genetic risk, compared to low physical activity, the hazard ratios ( HRs) for moderate and high physical activity were 0.853 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.748-0.972) and 0.831 (95% CI: 0.727-0.950), respectively. For intermediate genetic risk, the HRs were 0.829 (95% CI: 0.758-0.905) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.764-0.914), respectively. For participants with high genetic risk, the HRs were 0.809 (95% CI: 0.746-0.877) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.754-0.888), respectively. A significant interaction was observed between genetic risk and physical activity.
CONCLUSION
Moderate or high levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across all genetic risk groups, highlighting the need to tailor activity interventions for genetically susceptible individuals.
Humans
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Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology*
;
Exercise
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Male
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Female
;
Middle Aged
;
Prospective Studies
;
Aged
;
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
;
Risk Factors
;
United Kingdom/epidemiology*
;
Incidence
;
Adult
9.Effect of Gypenosides on MAFLD Mice and Its Molecular Mechanism Based on Classical/Non-classical Ferroptosis Pathways
Yu LIU ; Yupeng PEI ; Jiaxin WANG ; Jingxuan ZHU ; Xiaofei SUN ; Qun WANG ; Peng CUI ; Nan SONG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(17):99-107
ObjectiveTo explore the effect of gypenosides (GPs) on liver lipid deposition in metabolism-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) mice and its mechanism based on classical/non-classical ferroptosis. MethodsEight male C57BL/6 mice in a blank group and 32 male apolipoprotein E gene knockout (ApoE-/-) mice were randomly divided into a model group, a low-dose GPs (GPs-L) group, a high-dose GPs (GPs-H) group, and a simvastatin (SV) group. Starting from the second week, mice in the blank group were given a maintenance diet, and the other four groups were fed a high-fat diet daily. After eight weeks of feeding, mice in the GPs-L and GPs-H groups were given GPs of 1.487 mg·kg-1·d-1 and 2.973 mg·kg-1·d-1, respectively, and mice in the SV group were given simvastatin of 2.275 mg·kg-1·d-1. Mice in the blank group and the model group were given saline of equal volume by gavage for four weeks. The content of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the serum of mice in each group was detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. The level of non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and TG in the mouse liver was measured by the kit. The change in liver tissue structure and lipid deposition was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and oil red O staining. The levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and Fe2+ in serum, as well as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate [NAD(P)H] in the liver were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1) in the liver of mice was observed by the immunohistochemical (IHC) method, and the expression of genes and proteins related to classical and non-classical ferroptosis pathways was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) and Wes automated protein expression analysis system. ResultsCompared with those in the blank group, the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, ALT, and AST in serum and TG and NEFA in the liver in the model group were significantly increased, and the level of HDL-C in serum was significantly decreased (P<0.01). The liver tissue structure changed, and there were fat vacuoles of different sizes and a large number of red lipid droplets, with obvious lipid deposition. The level of CoQ10 and GSH in serum and NADH in the liver were significantly decreased, while the level of MDA and Fe2+ in serum was significantly increased (P<0.01). The mRNA and protein expressions of cystine/glutamate transporter (xCT/SLC7A11), glutathione peroxidase (GPX4), p62, nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and FSP1 were significantly decreased, and the mRNA and protein expressions of tumor antigen (p53), spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 (SAT1), arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15), and Kelch-like epichlorohydrin-associated protein-1 (Keap1) were significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with those in the model group, the level of TC, TG, LDL-C, ALT, and AST in serum and TG and NEFA in the liver of mice in the GPs-L, GPs-H, and SV groups were decreased, while the level of HDL-C in serum was significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The liver tissue structure and lipid deposition were improved. The levels of CoQ10 and GSH in serum and NADH in the liver were significantly increased, while the levels of MDA and Fe2+ in serum were significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The mRNA and protein expressions of xCT, GPX4, p62, Nrf2, and FSP1 were significantly increased, while the mRNA and protein expressions of p53, SAT1, ALOX15, and Keap1 were significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionGPs can interfere with liver lipid deposition in MAFLD mice through classical/non-classical ferroptosis pathways.
10.Effect of Gypenosides on MAFLD Mice and Its Molecular Mechanism Based on Classical/Non-classical Ferroptosis Pathways
Yu LIU ; Yupeng PEI ; Jiaxin WANG ; Jingxuan ZHU ; Xiaofei SUN ; Qun WANG ; Peng CUI ; Nan SONG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(17):99-107
ObjectiveTo explore the effect of gypenosides (GPs) on liver lipid deposition in metabolism-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) mice and its mechanism based on classical/non-classical ferroptosis. MethodsEight male C57BL/6 mice in a blank group and 32 male apolipoprotein E gene knockout (ApoE-/-) mice were randomly divided into a model group, a low-dose GPs (GPs-L) group, a high-dose GPs (GPs-H) group, and a simvastatin (SV) group. Starting from the second week, mice in the blank group were given a maintenance diet, and the other four groups were fed a high-fat diet daily. After eight weeks of feeding, mice in the GPs-L and GPs-H groups were given GPs of 1.487 mg·kg-1·d-1 and 2.973 mg·kg-1·d-1, respectively, and mice in the SV group were given simvastatin of 2.275 mg·kg-1·d-1. Mice in the blank group and the model group were given saline of equal volume by gavage for four weeks. The content of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the serum of mice in each group was detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. The level of non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and TG in the mouse liver was measured by the kit. The change in liver tissue structure and lipid deposition was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and oil red O staining. The levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and Fe2+ in serum, as well as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate [NAD(P)H] in the liver were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1) in the liver of mice was observed by the immunohistochemical (IHC) method, and the expression of genes and proteins related to classical and non-classical ferroptosis pathways was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) and Wes automated protein expression analysis system. ResultsCompared with those in the blank group, the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, ALT, and AST in serum and TG and NEFA in the liver in the model group were significantly increased, and the level of HDL-C in serum was significantly decreased (P<0.01). The liver tissue structure changed, and there were fat vacuoles of different sizes and a large number of red lipid droplets, with obvious lipid deposition. The level of CoQ10 and GSH in serum and NADH in the liver were significantly decreased, while the level of MDA and Fe2+ in serum was significantly increased (P<0.01). The mRNA and protein expressions of cystine/glutamate transporter (xCT/SLC7A11), glutathione peroxidase (GPX4), p62, nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and FSP1 were significantly decreased, and the mRNA and protein expressions of tumor antigen (p53), spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 (SAT1), arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15), and Kelch-like epichlorohydrin-associated protein-1 (Keap1) were significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with those in the model group, the level of TC, TG, LDL-C, ALT, and AST in serum and TG and NEFA in the liver of mice in the GPs-L, GPs-H, and SV groups were decreased, while the level of HDL-C in serum was significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The liver tissue structure and lipid deposition were improved. The levels of CoQ10 and GSH in serum and NADH in the liver were significantly increased, while the levels of MDA and Fe2+ in serum were significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The mRNA and protein expressions of xCT, GPX4, p62, Nrf2, and FSP1 were significantly increased, while the mRNA and protein expressions of p53, SAT1, ALOX15, and Keap1 were significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionGPs can interfere with liver lipid deposition in MAFLD mice through classical/non-classical ferroptosis pathways.

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