1.Animal Model of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Intervention Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Review
Jiyu ZOU ; Lijian PANG ; Tianjiao WANG ; Ningzi ZANG ; Zhongxue ZHAO ; Yongming LIU ; Qi SI ; Tianya CAO ; Xuenan MA ; Ying WANG ; Jiaran WANG ; Xiaodong LYU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):294-303
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as one of the three major causes of death, is a complex systemic disease with high prevalence, high mortality, high disability, frequent acute exacerbations, and a variety of pulmonary complications. The pathogenesis is complex. Western medicine has no effective specificity scheme for a complete cure. However, multiple-component and multiple-target characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) demonstrate significant advantages in COPD treatment through multi-link, multi-pathway, and multi-mechanism intervention. Therefore, exploring the essence of COPD pathogenesis and discovering effective TCM treatment drugs through the application of TCM principles and prescriptions is a key focus of modern research. Animal models are of paramount importance in medical research. It is the first consideration to select appropriate animals, adopt reasonable modeling methods to replicate stable animal models that closely resemble the clinical manifestations and pathophysiological characteristics of COPD, and use appropriate evaluation methods to determine the success of COPD animal models in experimental research. The core of experimental research lies in observing the intervention effect of TCM on COPD animal models, exploring the specific pathways and regulatory mechanisms of TCM on COPD disease, and finding TCM monomers, single herbs, and TCM formulas with definite curative effects. At present, animal model research on COPD mainly involves model establishment, model evaluation, efficacy observation, mechanism exploration, and other aspects. In recent years, there has been no systematic organization, update, and reflection on the relevant research on TCM intervention in COPD animal models. This study reviewed the selection of animals for the COPD model, methods for establishing COPD animal models, model evaluation methods, and the intervention effects of TCM on COPD animal models. It aims to grasp the current research status and identify existing problems for further improvement, in order to provide evidence and support for scientific research and clinical treatment of COPD.
2.Animal Model of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Intervention Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Review
Jiyu ZOU ; Lijian PANG ; Tianjiao WANG ; Ningzi ZANG ; Zhongxue ZHAO ; Yongming LIU ; Qi SI ; Tianya CAO ; Xuenan MA ; Ying WANG ; Jiaran WANG ; Xiaodong LYU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):294-303
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as one of the three major causes of death, is a complex systemic disease with high prevalence, high mortality, high disability, frequent acute exacerbations, and a variety of pulmonary complications. The pathogenesis is complex. Western medicine has no effective specificity scheme for a complete cure. However, multiple-component and multiple-target characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) demonstrate significant advantages in COPD treatment through multi-link, multi-pathway, and multi-mechanism intervention. Therefore, exploring the essence of COPD pathogenesis and discovering effective TCM treatment drugs through the application of TCM principles and prescriptions is a key focus of modern research. Animal models are of paramount importance in medical research. It is the first consideration to select appropriate animals, adopt reasonable modeling methods to replicate stable animal models that closely resemble the clinical manifestations and pathophysiological characteristics of COPD, and use appropriate evaluation methods to determine the success of COPD animal models in experimental research. The core of experimental research lies in observing the intervention effect of TCM on COPD animal models, exploring the specific pathways and regulatory mechanisms of TCM on COPD disease, and finding TCM monomers, single herbs, and TCM formulas with definite curative effects. At present, animal model research on COPD mainly involves model establishment, model evaluation, efficacy observation, mechanism exploration, and other aspects. In recent years, there has been no systematic organization, update, and reflection on the relevant research on TCM intervention in COPD animal models. This study reviewed the selection of animals for the COPD model, methods for establishing COPD animal models, model evaluation methods, and the intervention effects of TCM on COPD animal models. It aims to grasp the current research status and identify existing problems for further improvement, in order to provide evidence and support for scientific research and clinical treatment of COPD.
3.Study on non-invasive diagnosis of rejection after kidney transplantation using hyperspectral imaging technology
Zhe YANG ; Qilong DUAN ; Yi CHEN ; Tao LIAO ; Xiaoqing SI ; Jianning WANG
Organ Transplantation 2026;17(1):116-123
Objective To explore a method for rapid and differential diagnosis of rejection after kidney transplantation through urine hyperspectral imaging technology. Methods Hyperspectral data information from urine samples of 118 recipients after kidney transplantation was collected, and a deep learning model was constructed to diagnose and classify the types of rejection. Results A deep learning diagnostic model based on the 34-layer residual network (ResNet-34) was constructed, and 118 patients were included and divided into the training set and the test set. Based on the pathological results of the transplanted kidney puncture, the urine samples of the patients were classified into five groups: the non-rejection group, the T-cell-mediated rejection group, the antibody-mediated rejection group, the mixed rejection group and the nephropathy recurrence group. The results showed that the diagnostic sensitivities of the model for the above five groups were 0.960, 0.980, 0.930, 0.940 and 0.943 respectively, and the diagnostic specificities were 0.983, 0.993, 0.997, 0.989 and 0.989 respectively. The overall diagnostic accuracy rate reached 95.7%. Conclusions The study provides a non-invasive, rapid and accurate auxiliary diagnostic method for the differential diagnosis of rejection after kidney transplantation.
4.The Use of Speech in Screening for Cognitive Decline in Older Adults
Si-Wen WANG ; Xiao-Xiao YIN ; Lin-Lin GAO ; Wen-Jun GUI ; Qiao-Xia HU ; Qiong LOU ; Qin-Wen WANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):456-463
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that severely affects the health of the elderly, marked by its incurability, high prevalence, and extended latency period. The current approach to AD prevention and treatment emphasizes early detection and intervention, particularly during the pre-AD stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which provides an optimal “window of opportunity” for intervention. Clinical detection methods for MCI, such as cerebrospinal fluid monitoring, genetic testing, and imaging diagnostics, are invasive and costly, limiting their broad clinical application. Speech, as a vital cognitive output, offers a new perspective and tool for computer-assisted analysis and screening of cognitive decline. This is because elderly individuals with cognitive decline exhibit distinct characteristics in semantic and audio information, such as reduced lexical richness, decreased speech coherence and conciseness, and declines in speech rate, voice rhythm, and hesitation rates. The objective presence of these semantic and audio characteristics lays the groundwork for computer-based screening of cognitive decline. Speech information is primarily sourced from databases or collected through tasks involving spontaneous speech, semantic fluency, and reading, followed by analysis using computer models. Spontaneous language tasks include dialogues/interviews, event descriptions, narrative recall, and picture descriptions. Semantic fluency tasks assess controlled retrieval of vocabulary items, requiring participants to extract information at the word level during lexical search. Reading tasks involve participants reading a passage aloud. Summarizing past research, the speech characteristics of the elderly can be divided into two major categories: semantic information and audio information. Semantic information focuses on the meaning of speech across different tasks, highlighting differences in vocabulary and text content in cognitive impairment. Overall, discourse pragmatic disorders in AD can be studied along three dimensions: cohesion, coherence, and conciseness. Cohesion mainly examines the use of vocabulary by participants, with a reduction in the use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives in AD patients. Coherence assesses the ability of participants to maintain topics, with a decrease in the number of subordinate clauses in AD patients. Conciseness evaluates the information density of participants, with AD patients producing shorter texts with less information compared to normal elderly individuals. Audio information focuses on acoustic features that are difficult for the human ear to detect. There is a significant degradation in temporal parameters in the later stages of cognitive impairment; AD patients require more time to read the same paragraph, have longer vocalization times, and produce more pauses or silent parts in their spontaneous speech signals compared to normal individuals. Researchers have extracted audio and speech features, developing independent systems for each set of features, achieving an accuracy rate of 82% for both, which increases to 86% when both types of features are combined, demonstrating the advantage of integrating audio and speech information. Currently, deep learning and machine learning are the main methods used for information analysis. The overall diagnostic accuracy rate for AD exceeds 80%, and the diagnostic accuracy rate for MCI also exceeds 80%, indicating significant potential. Deep learning techniques require substantial data support, necessitating future expansion of database scale and continuous algorithm upgrades to transition from laboratory research to practical product implementation.
5.Effect of integrin α5 on NLRP3 expression in periodontal ligament fibroblasts within an inflammatory microenvironment
DAI Jingyi ; CAI Hongxuan ; SI Weixing ; ZHANG Zan ; WANG Zhurui ; LI Mengsen ; TIAN Ya guang
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2025;33(1):24-32
Objective:
To investigate the effect of integrin α5 on the expression of NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3) in periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLFs) within an inflammatory microenvironment.
Methods:
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Laboratory animals. After rat PDLFs were treated with LPS (0.5, 5, and 50 µg/mL) for 24 h, the primary medium was discarded and replaced with serum-free culture medium. After 24 h, the supernatant was collected and mixed with DMEM medium containing 10% exosome-free serum at a volume ratio of 1:1 to obtain conditioned medium (CM). The groups were labeled as the 0.5-CM, 5-CM, and 50-CM groups. In addition, PDLFs cultured in DMEM medium containing 10% exosome-free serum were considered the 0-CM group. PDLFs were cultured with the above CM. In the inhibitor group, PDLFs were cultured in 0-CM containing different concentrations of integrin α5 inhibitor ATN-161 (0, 0.025, 0.25, 2.5, 25, and 250 μg/mL). The effect of CM and integrin α5 inhibitor ATN-161 on cell viability was assessed using the CCK-8 assay. According to the CCK-8 results, in further inhibitor intervention experiments, PDLFs were cultured in 0-CM, 5-CM (without/with 25 μg/mL ATN-161), and 0-CM containing 25 μg/mL ATN-161, which were labeled as the 0-CM, 5-CM, ATN-161+5-CM, and ATN-161 groups, respectively. The expression changes of integrin α5 and NLRP3 were detected using Western blot and qRT-PCR techniques. For in vivo experiments, 24 rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=6). The control group contained healthy rats that received no treatment. The rats in the other three groups were injected with 40 µL of 0-CM containing 25 μg/mL ATN-161 or 5-CM (without or with 25 μg/mL ATN-161) on the palatal side of the left maxillary first molar every three days; these groups were classified as the ATN-161, 5-CM, and ATN-161+5-CM groups, respectively. On the 30th day, the left maxillary tissue of rats was used for Micro-CT, HE staining, and immunohistochemical detection.
Results :
The CCK-8 assay showed that CM, 25 μg/mL ATN-161, and ATN-161 concentrations below 25 μg/mL had no significant effect on cell viability at 12 h and 24 h (P > 0.05). 50-CM and 25 μg/mL ATN-161 significantly inhibited cell viability at 48 h (P < 0.05). For in vitro experiments, compared to the 0-CM group, both the protein and mRNA levels of integrin α5 and NLRP3 were significantly increased in rat PDLFs in the 5-CM group (P < 0.05). Intervention with 25 μg/mL ATN-161 significantly attenuated the enhancement of 5-CM on the expression of integrin α5 and NLRP3 (P < 0.05). For in vivo experiments, compared to the control group, alveolar bone resorption and periodontal inflammatory cell infiltration were significantly increased in the 5-CM and ATN-161+5-CM groups, and the expression of integrin α5 and NLRP3 was significantly increased (P < 0.01). However, compared to the 5-CM group, the ATN-161+5-CM group had less alveolar bone resorption and fewer periodontal inflammatory cells. Further, the expression of integrin α5 and NLRP3 was significantly reduced (P < 0.01).
Conclusion
In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that integrin α5 mediated NLRP3 expression in PDLFs under an inflammatory microenvironment. ATN-161 inhibited the expression of integrin α5, thus significantly downregulating the expression of NLRP3, which plays a role in inhibiting inflammation.
6.Mechanotransduction proteins in intervertebral disc degeneration
Xilin GAO ; Si WU ; Chao ZHANG ; Liguo ZHU ; Bifeng FU ; Ping WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(3):579-589
BACKGROUND:Recent research indicates that disc degeneration is closely related to abnormal stress load,and mechanotransduction proteins play a key role in it. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the role and mechanism of mechanotransduction proteins in the mechanotransduction process induced by abnormal mechanical stimulation in disc degeneration,and to summarize the current treatment strategies targeting mechanotransduction to delay intervertebral disc degeneration. METHODS:Using"intervertebral disc,nucleus pulposus,annulus fibrosus,cartilaginous endplate,cell,mechanics,signal transduction,protein,biomechanics"as Chinese search terms,and"intervertebral disc,nucleus pulposus,annulus fibrosus,cartilaginous endplate,cell,mechanical stimulation,signal transduction,protein,biomechanics"as English search terms,relevant literature in the PubMed and CNKI databases was searched.A total of 88 articles were ultimately included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Disc cells can sense external mechanical stimulation through various mechanotransduction proteins and convert it into biological responses within the cells.These transduction proteins mainly include collagen proteins in the extracellular matrix,cell membrane surface receptors(such as integrins and ion channels),and cytoskeleton structural proteins.Their regulation of mechanotransduction processes primarily involves the activation of multiple pathways,such as the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway,nuclear factor-kB signaling pathway,and Ca2+/Calpain2/Caspase3 pathway.Mechanotransduction proteins play a key role in the mechanotransduction of disc cells.Abnormal expression of these proteins or resulting changes in the extracellular matrix environment can disrupt the mechanical balance of disc cells,leading to disc degeneration.In-depth study of the expression and regulatory mechanisms of mechanotransduction proteins in disc cells,and identification of key pathological links and therapeutic targets,is of significant importance for developing treatment strategies for disc degeneration.Current strategies to delay intervertebral disc degeneration by targeting mechanotransduction mainly include regulation of transduction proteins and improvement of the extracellular matrix.However,research in this area is still in its early stages.As research continues,new breakthroughs are expected in the regulation of disc degeneration by mechanotransduction proteins.
7.Study on the modeling method of general model of Yaobitong capsule intermediates quality analysis based on near infrared spectroscopy
Le-ting SI ; Xin ZHANG ; Yong-chao ZHANG ; Jiang-yan ZHANG ; Jun WANG ; Yong CHEN ; Xue-song LIU ; Yong-jiang WU
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):471-478
The general models for intermediates quality analysis in the production process of Yaobitong capsule were established by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with chemometrics, realizing the rapid determination of notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rd and moisture. The spray-dried fine powder and total mixed granule were selected as research objects. The contents of five saponins were determined by high performance liquid chromatography and the moisture content was determined by drying method. The measured contents were used as reference values. Meanwhile, NIR spectra were collected. After removing abnormal samples by Monte Carlo cross validation (MCCV), Monte Carlo uninformative variables elimination (MC-UVE) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) were used to select feature variables respectively. Based on the feature variables, quantitative models were established by partial least squares regression (PLSR), extreme learning machine (ELM) and ant lion optimization least squares support vector machine (ALO-LSSVM). The results showed that CARS-ALO-LSSVM model had the optimum effect. The correlation coefficients of the six index components were greater than 0.93, and the relative standard errors were controlled within 6%. ALO-LSSVM was more suitable for a large number of samples with rich information, and the prediction effect and stability of the model were significantly improved. The general models with good predicting effect can be used for the rapid quality determination of Yaobitong capsule intermediates.
8.A new glycoside from Alstonia mairei Lévl.
Li-ke WANG ; Bing-yan LI ; Zhen-zhu ZHAO ; Yan-zhi WANG ; Xiao-kun LI ; Wei-sheng FENG ; Ying-ying SI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):191-195
Nine compounds were isolated and purified from 90% ethanol extract of
9.The effect of rutaecarpine on improving fatty liver and osteoporosis in MAFLD mice
Yu-hao ZHANG ; Yi-ning LI ; Xin-hai JIANG ; Wei-zhi WANG ; Shun-wang LI ; Ren SHENG ; Li-juan LEI ; Yu-yan ZHANG ; Jing-rui WANG ; Xin-wei WEI ; Yan-ni XU ; Yan LIN ; Lin TANG ; Shu-yi SI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):141-149
Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and osteoporosis (OP) are two very common metabolic diseases. A growing body of experimental evidence supports a pathophysiological link between MAFLD and OP. MAFLD is often associated with the development of OP. Rutaecarpine (RUT) is one of the main active components of Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RUT has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and can improve the OP of rats. However, whether RUT can improve both fatty liver and OP symptoms of MAFLD mice at the same time remains to be investigated. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months to construct a MAFLD model, and gave the mice a low dose (5 mg·kg-1) and a high dose (15 mg·kg-1) of RUT by gavage for 4 weeks. The effects of RUT on liver steatosis and bone metabolism were then evaluated at the end of the experiment [this experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (approval number: IMB-20190124D303)]. The results showed that RUT treatment significantly reduced hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation, and significantly reduced bone loss and promoted bone formation. In summary, this study shows that RUT has an effect of improving fatty liver and OP in MAFLD mice.
10.Efficacy and safety of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography combined with oral cholangiopancreatography in the treatment of duodenal papilla cholecystectomy
Liying TAO ; Hongguang WANG ; Qingmei GUO ; Xiang GUO ; Lianyu PIAO ; Muyu YANG ; Yong YU ; Libin RUAN ; Jianbin GU ; Si CHEN ; Yingting DU ; Xiuying GAI ; Sijie GUO
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(3):513-517
ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility and safety of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) combined with oral cholangiopancreatography in the treatment of major duodenal papilla gallbladder polyps. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of eight patients with choledocholithiasis and gallbladder polyps who underwent ERCP and combined with oral cholangiopancreatography for major duodenal papilla cholecystectomy in Center of Digestive Endoscopy, Jilin People’s Hospital, from May 2022 to June 2024, and related data were collected, including the success rate of surgery, the technical success rate of gallbladder polyp removal, the superselective method of cystic duct, the time of operation, the time of gallbladder polyp removal, and surgical complications. ResultsBoth the success rate of surgery and the technical success rate of gallbladder polyp removal reached 100%, and of all eight patients, three patients used guide wire to enter the gallbladder under direct view, while five patients received oral cholangiopancreatography to directly enter the gallbladder. The time of operation was 51.88±12.34 minutes, and the time of gallbladder polyp removal was 23.13±10.94 minutes. The diameter of gallbladder polyp was 2 — 8 mm, and pathological examination showed inflammatory polyps in three patients, adenomatous polyps in one patient, and cholesterol polyps in four patients. There were no complications during or after surgery. The patients were followed up for 2 — 27 months after surgery, and no recurrence of gallbladder polyp was observed. ConclusionOral cholangiopancreatography is technically safe and feasible in endoscopic major duodenal papilla cholecystectomy.


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