1.Protective effect and mechanism of trophoblast-derived mesenchymal stem cells against liver injury in a mouse model of autoimmune hepatitis
Long XU ; Wanwan SHI ; Jiandan QIAN ; Shiyun KE ; Yusheng HE ; Xiaofang WANG ; Guiqiang WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(9):2116-2125
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of trophoblast-derived mesenchymal stem cell (T-MSC) on concanavalin A (Con A)-induced immune-mediated liver injury in mice, as well as its association with the changes in inflammatory response. MethodsMorphological assessment, flow cytometry, and tri-lineage differentiation assay were used to observe the biological characteristics of T-MSC. In the pilot experiment, mice were divided into PBS group, T-MSC monotherapy group, and Con A groups at a concentration of 10, 15, or 20 mg/kg to evaluate the safety of T-MSC monotherapy on liver function and determine the appropriate dose for modeling. In the formal experiment, mice were divided into healthy control group (HC group), Con A group, and Con A+T-MSC group, with 5 mice in each group. The mice were given injection of Con A (15 mg/kg) via the caudal vein to establish a mouse model of immune-mediated liver injury, while the mice in the T-MSC monotherapy group were given transfusion of 1×106 T-MSCs via the caudal vein at 3 hours after modeling, and samples were collected 12 hours later. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured; liver histopathological changes were observed, and Ishak inflammatory activity score and inflammatory necrosis area were assessed; the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines were measured; transcriptome sequencing, immunofluorescence assay, and Western blot were used to measure the changes in inflammation-related molecules in liver tissue. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of continuous data, and the homogeneity of variance test was also performed; a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed data with homogeneity of variance between multiple groups, and the Tukey’s post-hoc test was used for further comparison between two groups; the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed data with heterogeneity of variance between multiple groups, and the Wilcoxon test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsT-MSC had a long spindle shape, showed the characteristics of fibroblast-like morphology and adherent growth, and possessed the osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic differentiation abilities. Flow cytometry showed high expression levels of CD90, CD105, and CD73 in T-MSC, with a positive rate of 96.8%, 99.0%, and 99.9%, respectively, while there was low or no expression of CD31, human leukocyte antigen DR, CD45, and CD34, with a positive rate of 0.120%, 0, 0.061%, and 0, respectively. Administration of T-MSC alone did not cause obvious abnormalities in ALT, AST, or LDH. Con A at the concentrations of 10, 15, and 20 mg/kg all increased the serum levels of biochemical parameters for liver injury in a dose-dependent manner, with mortality observed in the 20 mg/kg group. In the formal experiment, compared with the HC group, the Con A group had significant increases in the serum levels of ALT, AST, and LDH (P<0.01), and after T-MSC treatment, there were significant reductions in these markers compared with the Con A group (P<0.01). HE staining showed that the Con A group had disordered structure of the liver, accompanied by marked inflammatory cell infiltration and focal/patchy necrosis, and these pathological changes were alleviated after T-MSC treatment. Compared with the HC group, the Con A group had significant increases in Ishak score and the percentage of inflammatory necrosis area (P<0.001), while there were significant reductions in these indicators after T-MSC treatment compared with the Con A group (P<0.01). ELISA showed that compared with the HC group, the Con A group had significant increases in the serum levels of interleukin-21 (IL-21), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-17A (IL-17A), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (P<0.05), and there were significant reductions in these markers after T-MSC treatment compared with the Con A group (P<0.05), with no significant differences in IL-21, IL-1β, IL-17A, and TNF-α compared with the HC group (P>0.05); although there was a significant reduction in the level of IL-2, the Con A+T-MSC group still had a significantly higher level of IL-2 than the HC group (P=0.001). In contrast, compared with the HC group, the Con A group had a significant increase in IL-10 (P<0.05), with a further increase after T-MSC treatment (P<0.05). The transcriptome analysis showed that T-MSC treatment downregulated the expression of the inflammation- and chemokine-related genes including Ccl2, Cxcl10, Il-21, and Il-6 and inhibited the inflammation-related pathways such as TNF, IL-17, nuclear factor-κB, and JAK-STAT. Immunofluorescence assay showed that compared with the HC group, the Con A group had a significant increase in the expression of IL-21 in the liver (P<0.001), and there was a significant reduction in IL-21 after T-MSC treatment compared with the Con A group (P<0.001); the results of Western blot showed the same trend. ConclusionT-MSC can alleviate Con A-induced immune-mediated liver injury in mice, as evidenced by the improvement in liver biochemical parameters, the alleviation of histopathological damage, and the overall downregulation of inflammation-related molecules. T-MSC exerts marked anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects in this model, and IL-21 shows a significant change in inflammatory response and can be used as a candidate molecule for further investigation.
2.Whole-genome sequence analysis of coxsackievirus A10 isolates in Anhui Province in 2018
Yonglin SHI ; Yinuo LIU ; Yinglu GE ; Wanwan MA ; Yong SUN ; Jiabing WU
Chinese Journal of Microbiology and Immunology 2025;45(4):341-349
Objective:To characterize the molecular evolution of coxsackievirus A10 (CVA10) strains in Anhui Province.Methods:The nucleic acids of CVA10 isolates in Anhui Province were extracted for whole-genome PCR amplification. One-generation sequencing was performed and the complete whole-genome sequences of 10 isolates were obtained. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarity analysis of CVA10 isolates and reference strains was performed using MegAlign in DNAStar software. MEGA 11.0 was used to classify the genotypes of CVA10 isolates and representative strains based on phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 region, and the average evolutionary differences between genotypes were calculated. BioEdit 7.2 was used to calculate the entropy of amino acid substitution in the P1-P3 region of the isolates and analyze the amino acid non-synonymous substitution sites. Recombination signals associated with the Anhui isolates were detected using RDP4 and further verified using Simplot 3.5. DnaSp6 software was selected to analyze the selection pressure of CVA10 isolates and prototype strains.Results:Based on the VP1 region, CVA10 isolates and CVA10 representative strains were categorized into A-F genotypes, and most of the CVA10 prevalent in mainland China belonged to the F genotype, with some isolates in Anhui Province being more closely related to the Yunnan isolates. The average rate of evolutionary difference in nucleotides among genotypes ranged from 18.70% to 33.70%. The isolates shared 17 non-synonymous amino acid mutation sites in the VP1 region, and amino acid substitutions in the VP1, 3A and 3C regions might affect the pathogenicity of the strains. The isolates frequently recombined with a variety of other EVA strains in the 5′UTR, 2C, 3C, 3D, and 3′UTR regions. Selection pressure analysis of the isolates showed that the isolate genes were affected by negative selection pressure.Conclusions:Genetic evolutionary analysis of CVA10 suggests that mutations and recombination with other types of EVA strains are prevalent, affecting the molecular epidemiological trend of CVA10, and that molecular surveillance of CVA10 strains in Anhui Province should continue to be strengthened.
3.Therapeutic effects of dental pulp stem cells in a mouse model of autoimmune hepatitis and related immunoregulatory mechanisms
Yin LI ; Xiaodong LI ; Guangyuan SONG ; Wanwan SHI ; Guiqiang WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(7):1351-1357
Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of dental pulp stem cells(DPSCs)on autoimmune hepatitis in in vivo and in vitro experiments and the related mechanism.Methods An in vitro co-culture system was used to evaluate the immunoregulatory effect of DPSCs,and 32 mice were randomly divided into healthy control group,model group,positive drug group,and DPSCs treatment group,with 8 mice in each group.The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and inflammatory factors were measured,and HE staining was used to assess liver pathological injury.An analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups.Results The in vitro experiment showed that the positive rates of CD105,CD73,and CD90 in DPSCs were 99.97%,100%,and 99.53%,respectively,while the positive rates of CD34,HLA-DR,and CD45 were 0.56%,0.17%,and 0,respectively.DPSCs significantly inhibited the proliferation of Th1 and Th17 subsets,with inhibition rates of 31.32%and 45.76%,respectively;DPSCs promoted the proliferation of Treg(CD4+CD25+FoxP3+),with a promoting rate of 52.29%.DPSCs had an inhibition rate of 93.70%on the proliferation of lymphocytes.In the mouse model of autoimmune hepatitis,compared with the model group,the DPSCs treatment group had significant reductions in the serum levels of ALT and AST,with reduction rates of 66.8%and 60.0%,respectively(t=3.321 and 2.907,P=0.007 5 and 0.017 5)and significant reductions in the inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β,with reduction rates of 57.5%and 71.3%,respectively(t=2.484 and 2.796,P=0.039 8 and 0.020 6),and histopathological examination showed no significant improvement in periportal bridging necrosis(t=1.969,P=0.098).Conclusion DPSCs effectively alleviate immune-mediated liver injury through immunoregulation,which provides an experimental basis for clinical translation.
4.Therapeutic effects of dental pulp stem cells in a mouse model of autoimmune hepatitis and related immunoregulatory mechanisms
Yin LI ; Xiaodong LI ; Guangyuan SONG ; Wanwan SHI ; Guiqiang WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(7):1351-1357
Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of dental pulp stem cells(DPSCs)on autoimmune hepatitis in in vivo and in vitro experiments and the related mechanism.Methods An in vitro co-culture system was used to evaluate the immunoregulatory effect of DPSCs,and 32 mice were randomly divided into healthy control group,model group,positive drug group,and DPSCs treatment group,with 8 mice in each group.The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and inflammatory factors were measured,and HE staining was used to assess liver pathological injury.An analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups.Results The in vitro experiment showed that the positive rates of CD105,CD73,and CD90 in DPSCs were 99.97%,100%,and 99.53%,respectively,while the positive rates of CD34,HLA-DR,and CD45 were 0.56%,0.17%,and 0,respectively.DPSCs significantly inhibited the proliferation of Th1 and Th17 subsets,with inhibition rates of 31.32%and 45.76%,respectively;DPSCs promoted the proliferation of Treg(CD4+CD25+FoxP3+),with a promoting rate of 52.29%.DPSCs had an inhibition rate of 93.70%on the proliferation of lymphocytes.In the mouse model of autoimmune hepatitis,compared with the model group,the DPSCs treatment group had significant reductions in the serum levels of ALT and AST,with reduction rates of 66.8%and 60.0%,respectively(t=3.321 and 2.907,P=0.007 5 and 0.017 5)and significant reductions in the inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β,with reduction rates of 57.5%and 71.3%,respectively(t=2.484 and 2.796,P=0.039 8 and 0.020 6),and histopathological examination showed no significant improvement in periportal bridging necrosis(t=1.969,P=0.098).Conclusion DPSCs effectively alleviate immune-mediated liver injury through immunoregulation,which provides an experimental basis for clinical translation.
5.Whole-genome sequence analysis of coxsackievirus A10 isolates in Anhui Province in 2018
Yonglin SHI ; Yinuo LIU ; Yinglu GE ; Wanwan MA ; Yong SUN ; Jiabing WU
Chinese Journal of Microbiology and Immunology 2025;45(4):341-349
Objective:To characterize the molecular evolution of coxsackievirus A10 (CVA10) strains in Anhui Province.Methods:The nucleic acids of CVA10 isolates in Anhui Province were extracted for whole-genome PCR amplification. One-generation sequencing was performed and the complete whole-genome sequences of 10 isolates were obtained. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarity analysis of CVA10 isolates and reference strains was performed using MegAlign in DNAStar software. MEGA 11.0 was used to classify the genotypes of CVA10 isolates and representative strains based on phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 region, and the average evolutionary differences between genotypes were calculated. BioEdit 7.2 was used to calculate the entropy of amino acid substitution in the P1-P3 region of the isolates and analyze the amino acid non-synonymous substitution sites. Recombination signals associated with the Anhui isolates were detected using RDP4 and further verified using Simplot 3.5. DnaSp6 software was selected to analyze the selection pressure of CVA10 isolates and prototype strains.Results:Based on the VP1 region, CVA10 isolates and CVA10 representative strains were categorized into A-F genotypes, and most of the CVA10 prevalent in mainland China belonged to the F genotype, with some isolates in Anhui Province being more closely related to the Yunnan isolates. The average rate of evolutionary difference in nucleotides among genotypes ranged from 18.70% to 33.70%. The isolates shared 17 non-synonymous amino acid mutation sites in the VP1 region, and amino acid substitutions in the VP1, 3A and 3C regions might affect the pathogenicity of the strains. The isolates frequently recombined with a variety of other EVA strains in the 5′UTR, 2C, 3C, 3D, and 3′UTR regions. Selection pressure analysis of the isolates showed that the isolate genes were affected by negative selection pressure.Conclusions:Genetic evolutionary analysis of CVA10 suggests that mutations and recombination with other types of EVA strains are prevalent, affecting the molecular epidemiological trend of CVA10, and that molecular surveillance of CVA10 strains in Anhui Province should continue to be strengthened.
6.Epidemiological characteristics and pathogen spectrum changes of hand-foot-mouth disease in Anhui province from 2015 to 2022
Wanwan Ma ; Lei Gong ; Yongkang Xiao ; Yonglin Shi ; Yinglu Ge ; Sai Hou ; Yong Sun ; Guoping Chen ; Yuanfang Sun ; Hongyuan Wei ; Shuang Nie ; Sun Liang ; Yong Sun
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2023;58(10):1763-1768
Objective :
To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and pathogen spectrum of hand,foot mouth disease (HFMD) in Anhui province from 2015 to 2022,and to provide scientific evidence for prevention and control measures of HFMD.
Methods :
The surveillance data of hand,foot and mouth disease in Anhui province from 2015 to 2022 were analyzed by descriptive epidemiology. Real-time PCR was used to detect and classify HFMD samples.
Results :
A total of 650 590 HFMD cases were reported in Anhui province from 2015 to 2022,including 1 406 se- vere cases and 17 deaths.The annual reported incidence was 131. 45 /100 000.The epidemic features of“low incidence in odd years and high incidence in even years”were presented from 2015 to 2019.The incidence showed a continuous decline from 2020 to 2022.The monthly distribution showed the characteristics of bimodal epidemic,and the main peak was not obvious in 2020.Hefei,Fuyang,Bozhou,Chuzhou and Suzhou ranked the top five cities in terms of cumulative incidence.The age of onset was mainly distributed in children aged 5 years and below,accounting for 89. 26% of the total cases.The male to female ratio was 1. 48 ∶ 1.A total of 28 657 laboratory-confirmed cases had been reported from 2015 to 2022.EV71 cases accounted for 10. 57% ,Cox A16 cases accounted for 24. 90% ,and other enterovirus cases accounted for 64. 53%.The dominant pathogens showed dynamic changes in different years.Since 2018,the proportion of EV71 decreased significantly,and the proportion of other enteroviruses gradually increased to become the dominant pathogens.Among other enteroviruses,Cox A6 strain was dominant (80. 48% ) .
Conclusion
This study suggests that the prevention and control of HFMD in Anhui province should be paid more attention from April to July and from October to December.The focus areas are the cities in northern Anhui and Hefei where the floating population is large.The focus of prevention and control is on children aged 5 years and below.Other enteroviruses have become the dominant pathogens of hand-foot-mouth disease in Anhui province,Cox A6 strain is dominant.
7.Clinical research advances in mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of autoimmune liver diseases
Wanwan SHI ; Jiandan QIAN ; Guiqiang WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2023;39(5):1004-1009
Due to limited options and modalities for the etiological treatment of autoimmune liver diseases, it is urgent to seek new therapeutic methods for liver autoimmune diseases. As the most common source of cells for stem cell therapy, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play an important role in regulating innate and adaptive immune responses and have been widely used in clinical trials for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases. Recent experimental and clinical studies have shown that MSCs and MSC-EVs can inhibit the activation and proliferation of a variety of liver proinflammatory cells (such as Th1, Th17, and M1 macrophages), regulate the differentiation of different subsets of T and B cells, reduce the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, and promote the proliferation of anti-inflammatory cells, thereby playing an immunoregulatory role. This article reviews the clinical trials of MSCs and MSC-EVs in the treatment of autoimmune liver diseases and their mechanism in regulating immune function and promoting hepatocyte regeneration and briefly describes the potential application and limitations of MSCs and MSC-EVs in clinical practice.
8.Rapid determination of various fat-soluble vitamins in serum by isotope dilution ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
Wanwan YI ; Qiuyuan SHI ; Congyan CHEN ; Fang YUAN ; Zhongwei LYU ; Jin LIU
Chinese Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2020;40(10):599-602
Objective:To establish an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of five fat-soluble vitamins in serum using isotope dilution ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-UPLC-MSMS).Methods:Fat-soluble vitamins were obtained from serum samples which collected from Shanghai Tenth People′s Hospital between April 2019 and August 2019 by the extraction method, and were detected by ID-UPLC-MSMS. The performance of the method was verified by referring to the relevant documents of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI).Results:The ID-UPLC-MSMS method for the rapid detection of various fat-soluble vitamins in serum was proposed and successfully verified. The linear range of the method: vitamin A: 25-2 500 μg/L, 25(OH)D 2: 2-200 μg/L, 25(OH)D 3: 2-200 μg/L, vitamin E: 0.25-50 mg/L, vitamin K1: 0.1-20 μg/L. The intra- and inter-assay precision standard deviations of the five analytes were within ± 15%, and the accuracy of the test results of the 25(OH)D 2 and 25(OH)D 3 standards was 96.44%-102.37%. Conclusion:The performance of ID-UPLC-MSMS method for the simultaneous determination of five fat-soluble vitamins is satisying, and the result is accurate and reliable, which suggested it can be used for the clinical sample.
9. Study of the correlation between elevated level of T-bet expression and liver damage in peripheral plasma cells of patients with autoimmune hepatitis
Kangan TAN ; Wanwan SHI ; Liang MIAO ; Xiaoqin DONG ; Wanna YANG ; Hong ZHAO ; Yan WANG ; Guiqiang WANG ; Fengqin HOU ; Yuan HONG
Chinese Journal of Hepatology 2019;27(7):541-546
Objective:
To study the correlation between the level of T-bet expression and liver damage in peripheral plasma cells of patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) in order to provide reference for the study of pathogenesis and development of diseases.
Methods:
The peripheral venous blood and clinical examination data of 29 cases with AIH and 6 healthy volunteers were collected. The percentage of subpopulations of peripheral blood B cells and the proportion of T-bet+ cells in each subgroup were detected by flow cytometry. Plasma cells (CD19+CD10-CD27hiCD38hi), primary B cells (CD19+CD10-CD27-IgD+), transitional B cells (CD19+CD10+), and memory B cells (CD19+CD10-CD27+IgD-) were the included subsets of B cells. Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, the proportion of B cells in peripheral blood subsets and IgG level, the proportion of T-bet+ cells in each subset and the proportion of T-bet+ plasma cells in each subset in B cells, the proportion of T-bet+ plasma cells and the level of serum ALT were analyzed for correlation analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using two independent sample t-tests and linear regression.
Results:
The serum IgG level of AIH patients with abnormal ALT (19.47 ± 1.039)g/L was significantly higher than that of normal ALT patients (15.5 ± 1.069)g/L, and the difference was statistically significant (


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