1.Intra-articular injection of different concentrations of silicon-based bioceramics in treatment of knee osteoarthritis in rats
Jingwen GUO ; Qingwei WANG ; Zijun HE ; Zihang HU ; Zhi CHEN ; Rong ZHU ; Yuming WANG ; Wenfei LIU ; Qinglu LUO
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(2):288-295
BACKGROUND:Currently,treatment method for knee osteoarthritis includes oral medicine,joint cavity drug injection,and physiotherapy,but the curative effect is limited.Existing studies have confirmed that silicon-based bioceramics can promote cartilage and subchondral bone repair and vascular regeneration.OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of different concentrations of silicon-based bioceramics injected into the knee joint cavity in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in rats.METHODS:Silicon-based bioceramics-calcium silicate was prepared.Twenty-five SD rats were randomly divided into five groups,with five rats in each group.The healthy group did not receive any intervention,and the modeling group,low-dose calcium silicate group,high-dose calcium silicate group,and saline group used anterior cruciate ligament transection to establish bilateral knee osteoarthritis models.Four weeks after modeling,0.05 mL of 50 and 100 mg/mL calcium silicate solution were injected into the knee joint cavity in the low-dose calcium silicate group and high-dose calcium silicate group,respectively,and 0.05 mL of saline was injected into the knee joint cavity in the saline group,once a week for 4 consecutive weeks.In the fifth week of administration,bilateral knee joint Micro-CT detection,knee joint cartilage hematoxylin-eosin staining,and modified Mankin score were performed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Micro-CT quantitative analysis showed that compared with the healthy group,the volume fraction and number of trabeculae of the medial tibial plateau in the modeling group decreased(P<0.05),and the separation of trabeculae increased(P<0.05).Compared with the modeling group,the volume fraction and number of trabeculae of the medial tibial plateau in the low-dose calcium silicate group and the saline group increased(P<0.05),and the separation of trabeculae decreased(P<0.05).(2)Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the cartilage surface of the healthy group and the low-dose calcium silicate group was relatively smooth and flat,the chondrocytes were evenly distributed,without clustered chondrocytes,the tide line was complete,and the staining was uniform;the cartilage surface of the high-dose calcium silicate group was slightly uneven,the middle and deep cells were disordered,with a small number of clustered chondrocytes,the tide line was discontinuous,and the staining was uneven;the cartilage surface of the saline group and the modeling group was obviously rough,the cells were disordered,with a large number of clustered chondrocytes,the tide line disappeared,and the staining was uneven.The modified Mankin score of the healthy group was lower than that of the high-dose calcium silicate group,the saline group,and the modeling group(P<0.05).The modified Mankin score of the high-dose calcium silicate group and the low-dose calcium silicate group was lower than that of the saline group and the modeling group(P<0.05).(3)The results show that calcium silicate knee joint injection has a certain effect in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.Compared with 100 mg/mL calcium silicate solution,50 mg/mL calcium silicate solution can promote the recovery of subchondral bone and cartilage.
2.Intra-articular injection of different concentrations of silicon-based bioceramics in treatment of knee osteoarthritis in rats
Jingwen GUO ; Qingwei WANG ; Zijun HE ; Zihang HU ; Zhi CHEN ; Rong ZHU ; Yuming WANG ; Wenfei LIU ; Qinglu LUO
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(2):288-295
BACKGROUND:Currently,treatment method for knee osteoarthritis includes oral medicine,joint cavity drug injection,and physiotherapy,but the curative effect is limited.Existing studies have confirmed that silicon-based bioceramics can promote cartilage and subchondral bone repair and vascular regeneration.OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of different concentrations of silicon-based bioceramics injected into the knee joint cavity in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in rats.METHODS:Silicon-based bioceramics-calcium silicate was prepared.Twenty-five SD rats were randomly divided into five groups,with five rats in each group.The healthy group did not receive any intervention,and the modeling group,low-dose calcium silicate group,high-dose calcium silicate group,and saline group used anterior cruciate ligament transection to establish bilateral knee osteoarthritis models.Four weeks after modeling,0.05 mL of 50 and 100 mg/mL calcium silicate solution were injected into the knee joint cavity in the low-dose calcium silicate group and high-dose calcium silicate group,respectively,and 0.05 mL of saline was injected into the knee joint cavity in the saline group,once a week for 4 consecutive weeks.In the fifth week of administration,bilateral knee joint Micro-CT detection,knee joint cartilage hematoxylin-eosin staining,and modified Mankin score were performed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Micro-CT quantitative analysis showed that compared with the healthy group,the volume fraction and number of trabeculae of the medial tibial plateau in the modeling group decreased(P<0.05),and the separation of trabeculae increased(P<0.05).Compared with the modeling group,the volume fraction and number of trabeculae of the medial tibial plateau in the low-dose calcium silicate group and the saline group increased(P<0.05),and the separation of trabeculae decreased(P<0.05).(2)Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the cartilage surface of the healthy group and the low-dose calcium silicate group was relatively smooth and flat,the chondrocytes were evenly distributed,without clustered chondrocytes,the tide line was complete,and the staining was uniform;the cartilage surface of the high-dose calcium silicate group was slightly uneven,the middle and deep cells were disordered,with a small number of clustered chondrocytes,the tide line was discontinuous,and the staining was uneven;the cartilage surface of the saline group and the modeling group was obviously rough,the cells were disordered,with a large number of clustered chondrocytes,the tide line disappeared,and the staining was uneven.The modified Mankin score of the healthy group was lower than that of the high-dose calcium silicate group,the saline group,and the modeling group(P<0.05).The modified Mankin score of the high-dose calcium silicate group and the low-dose calcium silicate group was lower than that of the saline group and the modeling group(P<0.05).(3)The results show that calcium silicate knee joint injection has a certain effect in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.Compared with 100 mg/mL calcium silicate solution,50 mg/mL calcium silicate solution can promote the recovery of subchondral bone and cartilage.
3.Professor TONG Xiaolin's Experience in Treating Prediabetes with Overweight and Obesity Using the Method of Relieving Depression and Reducing Turbidity
Sicheng WANG ; Yangyang LIU ; Yan YAN ; Zishan JIN ; Boxun ZHANG ; Qingwei LI ; Xiaoxuan XU ; Linhua ZHAO ;
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(14):1424-1427
To summarise the clinical experience of Professor TONG Xiaolin in treating prediabetes combined with overweight or obesity using the method of relieving depression and reducing turbidity. It is believed that prediabetes belongs to the category of "spleen-heat syndrome" in traditional Chinese medicine, and its core pathogenesis is center fullness with internal heat, while obesity is the initiating factor for exacerbating center fullness and internal heat, therefore, it is of great significance to reduce the risk of diabetes by interrupting the transformation between overweight, obesity and glucose metabolism abnormality. It is proposed that the main pathogenesis of prediabetes combined with overweight or obesity is qi depression and turbidity obstruction in middle jiao, with qi depression as the root and turbidity obstruction as the cause, forming a treatment idea with the method of relieving depression and reducing turbidity as the core. In clinic, Dahuang Huanglian Xiexin Decoction (大黄黄连泻心汤) is used as the basic prescription, with a primary focus on directing the turbid downward, supplemented by regulating qi, which embodies the concept of "promoting movement through descent, then figuring out the root of spleen-heat syndrome. Furthermore, the treatment is flexibly modified based on the patient's deficiency-excess syndrome to ensure individualized therapy.
4.Programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score in predicting the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective, multicenter, observational study.
Yuequan SHI ; Xiaoyan LIU ; Anwen LIU ; Jian FANG ; Qingwei MENG ; Cuimin DING ; Bin AI ; Yangchun GU ; Cuiying ZHANG ; Chengzhi ZHOU ; Yan WANG ; Yongjie SHUI ; Siyuan YU ; Dongming ZHANG ; Jia LIU ; Haoran ZHANG ; Qing ZHOU ; Xiaoxing GAO ; Minjiang CHEN ; Jing ZHAO ; Wei ZHONG ; Yan XU ; Mengzhao WANG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(14):1730-1740
BACKGROUND:
This study aimed to investigate programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score in predicting the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world setting.
METHODS:
This retrospective, multicenter, observational study enrolled adult patients who received PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in China and met the following criteria: (1) had pathologically confirmed, unresectable stage III-IV NSCLC; (2) had a baseline PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS); and (3) had confirmed efficacy evaluation results after PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and Cox regression were used to assess the progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) as appropriate.
RESULTS:
A total of 409 patients, 65.0% ( n = 266) with a positive PD-L1 TPS (≥1%) and 32.8% ( n = 134) with PD-L1 TPS ≥50%, were included in this study. Cox regression confirmed that patients with a PD-L1 TPS ≥1% had significantly improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.747, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.573-0.975, P = 0.032). A total of 160 (39.1%) patients experienced 206 irAEs, and 27 (6.6%) patients experienced 31 grade 3-5 irAEs. The organs most frequently associated with irAEs were the skin (52/409, 12.7%), thyroid (40/409, 9.8%), and lung (34/409, 8.3%). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a PD-L1 TPS ≥1% (odds ratio [OR] 1.713, 95% CI 1.054-2.784, P = 0.030) was an independent risk factor for irAEs. Other risk factors for irAEs included pretreatment absolute lymphocyte count >2.5 × 10 9 /L (OR 3.772, 95% CI 1.377-10.329, P = 0.010) and pretreatment absolute eosinophil count >0.2 × 10 9 /L (OR 2.006, 95% CI 1.219-3.302, P = 0.006). Moreover, patients who developed irAEs demonstrated improved PFS (13.7 months vs. 8.4 months, P <0.001) and OS (28.0 months vs. 18.0 months, P = 0.007) compared with patients without irAEs.
CONCLUSIONS
A positive PD-L1 TPS (≥1%) was associated with improved PFS and an increased risk of irAEs in a real-world setting. The onset of irAEs was associated with improved PFS and OS in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving PD-1/PD-L1-based therapy.
Humans
;
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/metabolism*
;
Male
;
Female
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Middle Aged
;
Lung Neoplasms/metabolism*
;
Aged
;
B7-H1 Antigen/metabolism*
;
Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/metabolism*
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Adult
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Aged, 80 and over
;
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use*
5.Mechanism of 4-methylcatechol in inhibiting fibroblast-like synoviocyte migration and suppressing inflammatory responses in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Zhendong YING ; Peng WANG ; Lei ZHANG ; Dailing CHEN ; Qiuru WANG ; Qibin LIU ; Tiantian TANG ; Changjun CHEN ; Qingwei MA
Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery 2025;39(8):1051-1060
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effects of 4-methylcatechol (4MC) on the migration and inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), as well as its underlying mechanisms of action.
METHODS:
RA-FLS was isolated from synovial tissue donated by RA patients, and the optimal concentration of 4MC was determined by cell counting kit 8 method for subsequent experiments, and the effect of 4MC on the migratory ability of RA-FLS was evaluated via a cell scratch assay. An inflammation model of RA-FLS was induced by tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and ELISA were employed to detect the gene and protein expression levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in RA-FLS and their culture supernatants, respectively, thereby investigating the anti-inflammatory effects of 4MC. Western blot was used to examine the expressions of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway-related proteins, including inhibitor of NF-κB-α (IKBα), phosphorylated (P)-IκBα, NF-κB-inducing kinase α (IKKα), P-IKKαβ, P-p65, and p65. Cellular immunofluorescence was utilized to detect the expression and localization of p65 in RA-FLS, exploring whether 4MC exerts its anti-inflammatory effects by regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway. Finally, a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model was established. The anti-RA effect of 4MC in vivo was evaluated by gross observation and histological examination.
RESULTS:
4MC inhibited RA-FLS migration in a concentration-dependent manner. In the TNF-α-induced RA-FLS inflammation model, 4MC significantly decreased the gene and protein expression levels of IL-1β and IL-6. Furthermore, 4MC markedly reduced the ratios of P-IΚBα/IΚBα, P-IKKαβ/IKKα, and P-p65/p65, thereby blocking the transcriptional activity of p65 by inhibiting its nuclear translocation. This mechanism effectively suppressed the activation of the TNF-α-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway. Animal studies demonstrated that 4MC [10 mg/(kg·day)] significantly lowered serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and alleviated arthritis severity and bone destruction in CIA mice.
CONCLUSION
4MC not only inhibits the migration of RA-FLS but also mitigates their inflammatory response by suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby effectively exerting its anti-RA effects.
Synoviocytes/metabolism*
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Arthritis, Rheumatoid/metabolism*
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Animals
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Cell Movement/drug effects*
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Humans
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Catechols/therapeutic use*
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Fibroblasts/drug effects*
;
Mice
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Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/pharmacology*
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Interleukin-1beta/metabolism*
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Interleukin-6/metabolism*
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Signal Transduction/drug effects*
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NF-kappa B/metabolism*
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Transcription Factor RelA/metabolism*
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Synovial Membrane/cytology*
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Cells, Cultured
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Male
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Arthritis, Experimental
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology*
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NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha
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Inflammation
6.Effects and mechanisms of high-dose glucocorticoids on senescence, apoptosis, and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
Zhendong YING ; Changjun CHEN ; Dailing CHEN ; Qiuru WANG ; Qibin LIU ; Qingwei MA ; Lei ZHANG ; Pengde KANG ; Xin ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedics 2025;45(18):1208-1216
Objective:To elucidate the molecular mechanisms through which high-dose dexamethasone exerts long-term effects on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), specifically its role in suppressing osteogenic differentiation, accelerating cellular senescence, triggering the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), and inducing apoptosis.Methods:Primary rat BMSCs were isolated and treated with high-dose dexamethasone (1×10 -4 mol/L) to establish the experimental group, while untreated cells served as the control. The gene and protein expression levels of osteogenic markers, bone alkaline phosphatase (bALP) and Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), were analyzed in both groups. Cellular senescence was evaluated using senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining. The expression of senescence-related markers (P16 and P21), components of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and interferon (IFN)-γ, as well as apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2, Bax, and Cleaved-Caspase-3), and key factors of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway were assessed at both transcriptional and protein levels using qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, and Western-blot analyses. These comprehensive evaluations aimed to determine the senescent state, apoptotic features, and alterations in osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Results:Following treatment with dexamethasone and subsequent withdrawal, both qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses indicated a significant reduction in the expression of the osteogenic markers bALP and Runx2 at both mRNA and protein levels. The proportion of SA-β-gal positive cells was markedly higher in the dexamethasone group (74.33%±6.89%) than in the control group (20.30%±1.57%, t=17.300, P<0.001). qRT-PCR analysis revealed upregulated mRNA expression of the senescence-related genes P16 and P21 after dexamethasone treatment, which was further supported at the protein level by immunofluorescence showing increased P21 expression. Western-blot results confirmed that protein expression levels of P16 and P21 were significantly elevated in the dexamethasone group (7.025±0.255 and 6.362±0.456, respectively) compared with the control group (1.016±0.115 and 0.816±0.172; both P<0.05). Furthermore, gene expression levels of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors TNF-α and IL-1β were significantly increased (TNF-α: 3.539±0.599 vs. 0.742±0.095; IL-1β: 4.469±0.331 vs. 0.799±0.175; both P<0.05), and their protein expression was consistently upregulated as validated by Western-blot. Additionally, protein expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ were significantly higher in the dexamethasone-treated group (3.476±0.932 vs. 0.945±0.095; 4.111±0.220 vs. 0.762±0.105; 2.155±0.240 vs. 0.656±0.104; all P<0.05).Western-blot analysis also demonstrated that protein expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 was significantly suppressed in the dexamethasone group (0.21±0.07 and 0.19±0.06, respectively) compared with the control group (1.13±0.15 and 0.92±0.21; P<0.05). Moreover, Western-blot analysis revealed that the expression levels of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Cleaved-Caspase-3 were significantly up, regulated in the dexamethasone, treated BMSCs (Bax: 3.673±0.397 vs. 0.453±0.111; Cleaved-Caspase-3: 3.863±0.399 vs. 0.465±0.057), while the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 was markedly down, regulated (0.959±0.073 vs. 2.126±0.195), with all differences being statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:High-dose dexamethasone treatment of BMSCs, followed by withdrawal of dexamethasone, induces cellular senescence and enhances the expression of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) through suppression of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. Concurrently, it promotes apoptosis by activating the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, collectively leading to impaired osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.
7.Clinical analysis of hypomethylating agent in preventing relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in high-risk acute myeloid leukemia
Qingwei WANG ; Shengqin CHENG ; Bohan LI ; Li GAO ; Yanhua YAO ; Peifang XIAO ; Jun LU ; Jie LI ; Shaoyan HU
Chinese Journal of Pediatrics 2025;63(9):992-998
Objective:To explore the efficacy and feasibility of hypomethylating agent (HMA) as preventive therapy in children with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).Methods:A retrospective cohort study. Data from 173 children who underwent allo-HSCT for high-risk AML at Children′s Hospital of Soochow University between August 2019 and April 2023 were analyzed. Participants were categorized into a trial group receiving HMA and a control group. Further classification was based on HMA courses:≥4 and <4 courses. The efficacy and safety of HMA preventive treatment after allo-HSCT were evaluated. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method with Log-Rank testing, the Fine-Gray model was used to assess cumulative relapse rates and Cox regression was used to identify prognostic factors. Adverse events during HMA were descriptively analyzed.Results:Among 173 patients, there were 100 males (57.8%) and 73 females (42.2%), with the age of 81 (34,127) months. The starting time of HMA was 123 (91, 191) d post-transplant, continuing 4.0 (3.0, 6.5) courses and the follow-up period was 24 (13, 32) months. The trial group (53 cases) showed better 2-year overall survival (OS) rate ((88.6±5.6)% vs. (76.6±4.3)%, χ 2=5.00, P=0.025) and relapse-free survival (RFS) rate ((89.2±4.7)% vs. (56.2±4.8)%, χ 2=15.75, P<0.001) than control group (120 cases). The 2-year OS rates and RFS rates were similar between ≥4 courses group (31 cases) and <4 courses group (22 cases)(both P>0.05). The cumulative relapse rate in the trial group was significantly lower ((10.8±0.2)% vs. (35.2±0.2)%, χ 2=10.84, P=0.001) than control group. Among children with molecular relapse, 8 cases (8/30, 26.7%) in the control group had hematological relapse compared to 1 case (1/2) in the trial group ( χ 2=0.81, P=0.369). The differences in incidence of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Cox regression analysis revealed that minimal residual disease (MRD) positivity detected by flow cytometry before allo-HSCT and chronic GVHD were independent risk factors for OS (both P<0.05).The HMA preventive treatment was an independent protective factor for RFS, while age ≥10 years and MRD positivity detected by PCR before allo-HSCT were independent risk factors for RFS (all P<0.05). In trial group, 38 cases experienced grade 3 to 4 adverse events (71.7%). Conclusion:HMA is safe as preventive treatment in post-transplant children with high-risk AML, which can reduce the relapse risk and doesn't increase the risk of GVHD.
8.Evaluation of flavonoids in Chimonanthus praecox based on metabolomics and network pharmacology.
Dan ZHOU ; Yanbei ZHAO ; Zixu WANG ; Qingwei LI
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(2):602-617
Flavonoids are key bioactive components for evaluating the pharmacological activities of Chimonanthus praecox. Exploring the potential flavonoids and pharmacological mechanisms of C. praecox lays a foundation for the rational development and efficient utilization of this plant. This study employed ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based widely targeted metabolomics to comprehensively identify the flavonoids in C. praecox. Network pharmacology was employed to explore the bioactive flavonoids and their mechanisms of action. Molecular docking was adopted to validate the predicted results. Finally, the content of bioactive flavonoids in different varieties of C. praecox was measured. The widely targeted metabolomics analysis identified 387 flavonoids in C. praecox, and the flavonoids varied among different varieties. Network pharmacology predicted 96 chemical components including 19 bioactive compounds, 181 corresponding targets and 2 504 disease targets, among which 99 targets were shared by the active components and the disease. Thirty-three core targets were predicted, involving 229 gene ontology terms and 99 pathways (P≤0.05), which indicated that the flavonoids components of C. praecox exhibited pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities. Topological analysis screened out five core components (salvigenin, laricitrin, isorhamnetin, quercetin, and 6-hydroxyluteolin) and five core targets (SRC, PIK3R1, AKT1, ESR1, and AKR1C3). The predicted bioactive flavonoids from C. praecox stably bound to key targets, which indicated that these flavonoids possessed potential bioactivities in their interactions with the targets. The flavonoids in C. praecox exerted pharmacological activities in a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway manner. The combined application of metabolomics and network pharmacology provides a theoretical basis for in-depth studies on the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of C. praecox.
Flavonoids/metabolism*
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Network Pharmacology
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Metabolomics/methods*
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Molecular Docking Simulation
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Calycanthaceae/chemistry*
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Tandem Mass Spectrometry
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*
9.Physiological responses and transcriptional regulation of Prunus mume 'Meiren' under drought stress.
Zixu WANG ; Chunyan LUO ; Yuhang TONG ; Weijun ZHENG ; Qingwei LI
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(2):618-638
Prunus mume is an ecologically and economically valuable plant with both medicinal and edible values. However, drought severely limits the promotion and cultivation of P. mume in the arid and semi-arid areas in northern China. In this study, we treated P. mume 'Meiren' with natural drought and then assessed photosynthetic and physiological indexes such as osmoregulatory substances, photosynthetic parameters, and antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, we employed transcriptome sequencing to explore the internal regulatory mechanism of P. mume under drought stress. As the drought stress aggravated, the levels of chlorophyll a (Chla), chlorophyll b (Chlb), chlorophyll (a+b)[Chl(a+b)], and soluble protein (SP) in P. mume first elevated and then declined. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), transpiration rate (Tr), maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), effective photochemical quantum yield [Y(Ⅱ)], photochemical quenching (qP), and relative electron transport rate (ETR) all kept decreasing, while the levels of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and osmoregulatory substances rose. Transcriptome sequencing revealed a total of 24 853 high-quality genes. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were the most under severe drought. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs during the four drought periods were mainly involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, plant-pathogen interaction, plant hormone signal transduction, starch and sucrose metabolism, and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Furthermore, we identified 16 key genes associated with the drought tolerance of P. mume 'Meiren'. This study discovered that P. mume might up-regulate or down-regulate the expression of drought tolerance-related genes such as SUS, P5CS, LEA, SOD, POD, SOD1, TPPD, and TPPA via transcription factors like MYB, ERF, bHLH, NAC, and WRKY to promote the accumulation of osmoregulatory substances like sucrose and enhance the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD and POD, thus reducing the harm of reactive oxygen species and protecting the structure and function of the membrane system under drought stress. The findings provide theoretical references for further exploration of candidate genes of P. mume in response to drought stress and breeding of drought-tolerant varieties.
Droughts
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Photosynthesis/physiology*
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Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
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Stress, Physiological/genetics*
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Prunus/genetics*
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Chlorophyll/metabolism*
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Plant Proteins/genetics*
10.Genetic diversity and molecular identity of Prunus mume with both ornamental and edible values based on fluorescence-labeled simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers.
Zixu WANG ; Dan ZHOU ; Yanbei ZHAO ; Yuhang TONG ; Weijun ZHENG ; Qingwei LI
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(2):639-656
We studied the genetic diversity and established the DNA molecular identify for Prunus mume with both ornamental and edible values, aiming to collect, identify, evaluate, and breed new varities of this plant and promote the upgrading of the P. mume industry chain in northern China. We employed 13 pairs of primers with good polymorphism, clear bands, and good repeatability to analyze the genetic diversity and establish the molecular identify of 68 germplasm accessions of P. mume with both ornamental and edible values from Xingtai, Hebei Province. We then employed the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) to perform the cluster analysis based on genetic distance. After that, we analyzed the genetic structure of the 68 germplasm accessions based on a Bayesian model. The 13 pairs of SSR primers amplified a total of 124 alleles from 68 P. mume germplasm accessions, with the mean number of alleles (Na) of 9.538 5, the minor allele frequency (MAF) of 0.369 3, the mean number of effective alleles (Ne) of 4.483 5, and the mean Shannon genetic diversity index (I) of 1.712 4. The mean Nei's gene diversity index (H) of 0.763 7, the mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) of 0.719 5, the mean expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.769 3, the mean polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.733 6, and the mean genetic similarity (GS) of 0.772 9 suggested that there were significant genetic differences and rich genetic diversity among the studied P. mume germplasm accessions. The cluster analysis revealed that the 68 accessions were classified into three groups, with the mean genetic distance of 0.622 6. The population structure analysis classified the germplasm accessions into two populations. According to the PIC of primers, we selected primers for combination and constructed the combination with the fewest primers required for germplasm differentiation of P. mume with both ornamental and edible values. This study provides a theoretical basis for the innovation and industrial upgrading of P. mume with both ornamental and edible values in gardening and the improvement of breeding efficiency.
Prunus/classification*
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Microsatellite Repeats/genetics*
;
Genetic Variation
;
China
;
Phylogeny
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Polymorphism, Genetic
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DNA, Plant/genetics*
;
Alleles

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