ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Qizhujianwei granules （QZJW） on abnormal proliferation and malignant transformation of gastric mucosal cells in rats with gastric intraepithelial neoplasia （GIN） and to explore the related mechanisms. MethodsA total of 80 SPF male Wistar rats were used. A GIN rat model was established using a four-factor comprehensive method consisting of methylnitronitrosoguanidine （MNNG）， ranitidine， irregular feeding patterns， and sodium salicylate. Except for the normal group， after successful modeling， the rats were randomly divided according to body weight into a model group， a Moluodan group （0.55 g·kg^-1）， and a QZJW group （7.34 g·kg^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. All groups were treated for 8 weeks. The general characteristics of the rats and morphological changes of the gastric mucosa were observed. Histopathological changes of the gastric mucosa were examined by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of pepsinogenⅠ （PGⅠ）， pepsinogenⅡ （PGⅡ）， and gastrin （G-17）， as well as the expression level of transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁） in gastric mucosal tissue， and the PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio was calculated. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the localization and expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen （Ki-67） and Vimentin in gastric mucosal tissue. Western blot analysis was used to determine the protein expression levels of Wnt family member 3A （Wnt3a）， β-catenin， CyclinD₁， proto-oncogene Cmyc， transforming growth factor-β receptor Ⅰ （TGFβRⅠ）， intracellular signaling transducers Smad2/3， phosphorylated （p）-Smad2/3， twist family transcription factor （Twist1）， and Vimentin in gastric mucosal tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed characteristic changes including dim eyes， pale ears and claws， dark-red tongue， and reduced luster of the tail. The gastric mucosa appeared pale， with surface congestion and erosion. The gastric mucosal glands were disordered， the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio increased， and local tumor cells were observed. Serum PGⅠ and PGⅡ levels and the PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while the level of G-17 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The protein expression levels of Ki-67， Wnt3a， β-catenin， CyclinD₁， Cmyc， TGF-β₁， TGFβRⅠ， Smad2/3， Twist1， and Vimentin in gastric mucosal tissue were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， whereas the ratio of p-Smad2/3 to Smad2/3 was significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the general characteristics and gastric mucosal conditions of rats in the Moluodan group and the QZJW group were improved. HE staining showed that QZJW could effectively block the malignant progression of GIN. Serum PGⅠ and PGⅡ levels and the PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the level of G-17 was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The protein expression levels of Ki-67， Wnt3a， β-catenin， CyclinD₁， Cmyc， TGF-β₁， TGFβRⅠ， Smad2/3， Twist1， and Vimentin in gastric mucosal tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionQZJW have a therapeutic effect on rats with GIN. The mechanism may involve inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to regulate the cell cycle and suppress abnormal cell proliferation. Meanwhile， it may inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition by suppressing the TGF-β₁/Smad/Twist1 signaling pathway， thereby blocking the malignant progression of GIN.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Qizhujianwei granules （QZJW） on abnormal proliferation and malignant transformation of gastric mucosal cells in rats with gastric intraepithelial neoplasia （GIN） and to explore the related mechanisms. MethodsA total of 80 SPF male Wistar rats were used. A GIN rat model was established using a four-factor comprehensive method consisting of methylnitronitrosoguanidine （MNNG）， ranitidine， irregular feeding patterns， and sodium salicylate. Except for the normal group， after successful modeling， the rats were randomly divided according to body weight into a model group， a Moluodan group （0.55 g·kg^-1）， and a QZJW group （7.34 g·kg^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. All groups were treated for 8 weeks. The general characteristics of the rats and morphological changes of the gastric mucosa were observed. Histopathological changes of the gastric mucosa were examined by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect serum levels of pepsinogenⅠ （PGⅠ）， pepsinogenⅡ （PGⅡ）， and gastrin （G-17）， as well as the expression level of transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁） in gastric mucosal tissue， and the PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio was calculated. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the localization and expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen （Ki-67） and Vimentin in gastric mucosal tissue. Western blot analysis was used to determine the protein expression levels of Wnt family member 3A （Wnt3a）， β-catenin， CyclinD₁， proto-oncogene Cmyc， transforming growth factor-β receptor Ⅰ （TGFβRⅠ）， intracellular signaling transducers Smad2/3， phosphorylated （p）-Smad2/3， twist family transcription factor （Twist1）， and Vimentin in gastric mucosal tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed characteristic changes including dim eyes， pale ears and claws， dark-red tongue， and reduced luster of the tail. The gastric mucosa appeared pale， with surface congestion and erosion. The gastric mucosal glands were disordered， the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio increased， and local tumor cells were observed. Serum PGⅠ and PGⅡ levels and the PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while the level of G-17 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The protein expression levels of Ki-67， Wnt3a， β-catenin， CyclinD₁， Cmyc， TGF-β₁， TGFβRⅠ， Smad2/3， Twist1， and Vimentin in gastric mucosal tissue were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， whereas the ratio of p-Smad2/3 to Smad2/3 was significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the general characteristics and gastric mucosal conditions of rats in the Moluodan group and the QZJW group were improved. HE staining showed that QZJW could effectively block the malignant progression of GIN. Serum PGⅠ and PGⅡ levels and the PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the level of G-17 was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The protein expression levels of Ki-67， Wnt3a， β-catenin， CyclinD₁， Cmyc， TGF-β₁， TGFβRⅠ， Smad2/3， Twist1， and Vimentin in gastric mucosal tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionQZJW have a therapeutic effect on rats with GIN. The mechanism may involve inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to regulate the cell cycle and suppress abnormal cell proliferation. Meanwhile， it may inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition by suppressing the TGF-β₁/Smad/Twist1 signaling pathway， thereby blocking the malignant progression of GIN.

AIM: To observe the changes of corneal densitometry(CD)and higher-order aberrations after small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE), and to explore their correlations and influencing factors.METHODS: Prospective study. A total of 62 high-degree myopia and compound myopic astigmatism patients(62 eyes)who underwent SMILE in Urumqi Aier Eye Hospital from December 2022 to November 2023 were collected. The CD, root mean square of corneal higher-order aberrations(RMS HOA), spherical aberration, vertical coma, horizontal coma, and corneal epithelial thickness(CET)of the patients were measured before surgery, and at 1 d, 1 wk, 1, 3, and 6 mo after surgery, respectively.RESULTS:There were 4 patients lost to follow-up during the period, all due to failure to attend scheduled reexaminations. The number of complete and valid cases was 58 eyes. The CD in the central and paracentral regions of the anterior, middle, and total layer of the cornea increased significantly on the first day after surgery(all P<0.003). At 6 mo after surgery, there was a slight but statistically significant decrease in the CD of the central and paracentral regions of the anterior and the total anterior layer(all P<0.003). Compared with the preoperative baseline values, the RMS HOA, spherical aberration, and vertical coma significantly increased at 6 mo after surgery(all P<0.003), while the change in horizontal coma was not statistically significant. Compared with the preoperative baseline values, the CET in the central, paracentral, and peripheral regions of the cornea, as well as the total average CET in the 0-7 mm range of the cornea increased at 6 mo after surgery(all P<0.003). At 1 d after surgery, CD of the anterior layer and total layer in the central region of the cornea were positively correlated with the CET in the central region(rs=0.327, rs=0.250, all P<0.05). At 6 mo after the surgery, the CD of the middle layer and posterior layer in the central corneal region were negatively correlated with the preoperative spherical equivalent and the change of RMS HOA(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The anterior CD decreases at 6 mo after SMILE for high myopia correction, and there is a certain correlation between the changes in CD and some clinical parameters.

The differences in chemical quality characteristics between Xinjiang Rehmannia glutinosa and R. glutinosa were analyzed to provide a theoretical basis for the introduction and quality control of R. glutinosa. In this study, the high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) fingerprints of 6 batches of Xinjiang R. glutinosa and 10 batches of R. glutinosa samples were established. The content of iridoid glycosides, phenylethanoid glycosides, monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides in Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa was determined by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection(HPLC-DAD), high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection(HPLC-ELSD), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy(UV-Vis). The determination results were analyzed with by chemical pattern recognition and entropy weight TOPSIS method. The results showed that there were 19 common peaks in the HPLC fingerprints of the 16 batches of R. glutinosa, and catalpol, aucubin, rehmannioside D, rehmannioside A, hydroxytyrosol, leonuride, salidroside, cistanoside A, and verbascoside were identified. Hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA) and principal component analysis(PCA) showed that Qinyang R. glutinosa, Mengzhou R. glutinosa, and Xinjiang R. glutinosa were grouped into three different categories, and eight common components causing the chemical quality difference between Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa in Mengzhou and Qinyang of Henan province were screened out by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA). The results of content determination showed that there were glucose, sucrose, raffinose, stachyose, polysaccharides, and nine glycosides in Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa samples, and the content of catalpol, rehmannioside A, leonuride, cistanoside A, verbascoside, sucrose, and glucose was significantly different between Xinjiang R. glutinosa and R. glutinosa. The analysis with entropy weight TOPSIS method showed that the comprehensive quality of R. glutinosa in Mengzhou and Qinyang of Henan province was better than that of Xinjiang R. glutinosa. In conclusion, the types of main chemical components of R. glutinosa and Xinjiang R. glutinosa were the same, but their content was different. The chemical quality of R. glutinosa was better than Xinjiang R. glutinosa, and other components in R. glutinosa from two producing areas and their effects need further study.
Rehmannia/classification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Quality Control

Homo- or heterodimeric compounds that affect dimeric protein function through interaction between monomeric moieties and protein subunits can serve as valuable sources of potent and selective drug candidates. Here, we screened an in-house dimeric natural product collection, and panepocyclinol A (PecA) emerged as a selective and potent STAT3 inhibitor with profound anti-tumor efficacy. Through cross-linking C712/C718 residues in separate STAT3 monomers with two distinct Michael receptors, PecA inhibits STAT3 DNA binding affinity and transcription activity. Molecular dynamics simulation reveals the key conformation changes of STAT3 dimers upon the di-covalent binding with PecA that abolishes its DNA interactions. Furthermore, PecA exhibits high efficacy against anaplastic large T cell lymphoma in vitro and in vivo, especially those with constitutively activated STAT3 or STAT3^Y640F. In summary, our study describes a distinct and effective di-covalent modification for the dimeric compound PecA to disrupt STAT3 function.

(+)-Borneol, the main component of "Natural Borneol" in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, is a high-end spice and precious medicine. Plant extraction cannot meet the increasing demand for (+)-borneol, while microbial biosynthesis offers a sustainable supply route. However, its production was extremely low compared with other monoterpenes, even with extensively optimizing the mevalonate pathway. We found that the key challenge is the complex and unusual dephosphorylation reaction of bornyl diphosphate (BPP), which suffers the side-reaction and the competition from the cellular dephosphorylation process, especially lipid metabolism, thus limiting (+)-borneol synthesis. Here, we systematically optimized the dephosphorylation process by identifying, characterizing phosphatases, and balancing cellular dephosphorylation metabolism. For the first time, we identified two endogenous phosphatases and seven heterologous phosphatases, which significantly increased (+)-borneol production by up to 152%. By engineering BPP dephosphorylation and optimizing the MVA pathway, the production of (+)-borneol was increased by 33.8-fold, which enabled the production of 753 mg/L under fed-batch fermentation in shake flasks, so far the highest reported in the literature. This study showed that rewiring dephosphorylation metabolism was essential for high-level production of (+)-borneol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and balancing cellular dephosphorylation is also helpful for efficient biosynthesis of other terpenoids since all whose biosynthesis involves the dephosphorylation procedure.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) has high morbidity and mortality, but effective clinical drugs and management are lacking. Previous studies have suggested that macrophages play a crucial role in the inflammatory response to AKI and may serve as potential therapeutic targets. Emerging evidence has highlighted the importance of forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) in mediating macrophage activation and polarization in various diseases, but the specific mechanisms by which FoxO1 regulates macrophages during AKI remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the role of FoxO1 in macrophages in the pathogenesis of AKI. We observed a significant upregulation of FoxO1 in kidney macrophages following ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Additionally, our findings demonstrated that the administration of FoxO1 inhibitor AS1842856-encapsulated liposome (AS-Lipo), mainly acting on macrophages, effectively mitigated renal injury induced by I/R injury in mice. By generating myeloid-specific FoxO1-knockout mice, we further observed that the deficiency of FoxO1 in myeloid cells protected against I/R injury-induced AKI. Furthermore, our study provided evidence of FoxO1's pivotal role in macrophage chemotaxis, inflammation, and migration. Moreover, the impact of FoxO1 on the regulation of macrophage migration was mediated through RhoA guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (ARHGEF1), indicating that ARHGEF1 may serve as a potential intermediary between FoxO1 and the activity of the RhoA pathway. Consequently, our findings propose that FoxO1 plays a crucial role as a mediator and biomarker in the context of AKI. Targeting macrophage FoxO1 pharmacologically could potentially offer a promising therapeutic approach for AKI.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary fibrogenic cells in the liver, and their activation plays a crucial role in the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis. Here, we report that retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRα), a unique member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a key modulator of HSC activation and liver fibrosis. RXRα exerts its effects by modulating calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ)-mediated activation of AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha (AMPKα). In addition, we demonstrate that K-80003, which binds RXRα by a unique mechanism, effectively suppresses HSC activation, proliferation, and migration, thereby inhibiting liver fibrosis in the CCl₄ and amylin liver NASH (AMLN) diet animal models. The effect is mediated by AMPKα activation, promoting mitophagy in HSCs. Mechanistically, K-80003 activates AMPKα by inducing RXRα to form condensates with CaMKKβ and AMPKα via a two-phase process. The formation of RXRα condensates is driven by its N-terminal intrinsic disorder region and requires phosphorylation by CaMKKβ. Our results reveal a crucial role of RXRα in liver fibrosis regulation through modulating mitochondrial activities in HSCs. Furthermore, they suggest that K-80003 and related RXRα modulators hold promise as therapeutic agents for fibrosis-related diseases.

Trifluridine-tipiracil(TAS-102),as a novel fluorouracil-based chemotherapeutic agent,effectively overcomes fluorouracil resistance in colorectal cancer(CRC)through its unique pharmacological mechanisms,providing a critical treatment option for advanced CRC patients.Probiotics have shown unique value in CRC prevention and adjuvant therapy by regulating intestinal flora homeostasis and modulating host immune response.It is worth noting that the combination of chemotherapeutic drugs and probiotics not only enhances the anti-tumor activity through synergistic effects,but also reduces the adverse effects caused by chemotherapeutic drugs.Based on this,this paper systematically reviews the pharmacological properties of TAS-102 and describes its synergistic effects in combination with other antitumor drugs.It also summarizes the synergistic effect of fluorouracil drugs combined with probiotics to enhance the effectiveness and reduce the toxicity,and discusses the potential value of the combination of TAS-102 and probiotics,which provides a new research direction for optimizing the precision treatment of CRC and a scientific basis for improving the quality of life of patients.

Objective To evaluate the frailty status and risk factors among hospitalized elderly patients after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI),and to provide a reference for improving and delaying their frailty.Methods From March to August 2024,using convenience sampling,patients aged over 75 years who underwent PCI in a tertiary cardiovascular disease specialist hospital in Beijing were selected as the survey participants.Patient-related informations were collected through a self-designed general information questionnaire.The Fried Phenotype Frailty Scale,the Katz Activities of Daily Living,Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(IADL)scale,the Charlson Comorbidity Index,the Morse Fall Scale,the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form(MNA-SF),and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale(GDS-15)were evaluated postoperatively until discharge.Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with frailty among patients after PCI.Results A total of 278 patients were included.The incidence of frailty after PCI was 52.16％.Based on Fried Phenotype scores,patients were divided into a non-frail group and a frail group.Univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of age,gender,hemoglobin,NT-ProBNP,LVEF,IADL scores,living alone status,nutrition status,falls risk,and depression level(P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age,Lawton IADL scores,falls risk,nutrition status,depression level were factors influencing frailty,with odds ratios of 1.167,0.575,1.597,0.399,and 3.610,respectively(P＜0.05).Conclusion The incidence of frailty is high among patients aged over 75 years after PCI,and there are multiple risk factors affecting their frailty status.Clinical healthcare providers should prioritize long-term management of these patients and implement comprehensive interventions with the consideration of their physiological,psychological,and social conditions.