1.Molecular Crosstalk Mechanisms of Shoutai Wan and Juyuan Jian on Maternal-fetal Interface Subcellular Clusters in CBA/J×DBA/2 Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Model
Jingxin GAO ; Qiuping CHEN ; Xiaoyan ZHENG ; Pengfei ZENG ; Rui ZHOU ; Yancai TANG ; Qian ZENG ; Wenli GUO ; Jinzhu HUANG ; Weijun DING ; Linwen DENG ; Hang ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(2):70-87
ObjectiveTo systematically compare the differential regulation of the maternal-fetal interface cell lineages and communication networks in the CBA/J×DBA/2 mouse model of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) by the two classic therapeutic methods-tonifying the kidney to stabilize the fetus and invigorating the spleen to stabilize the fetus (Shoutai Wan, Juyuan Jian)-of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at the single-cell resolution and clarify their modern scientific connotations. MethodsFemale non-pregnant CBA/J mice were caged with male BALB/c (blank group) and DBA/2 (modeling group) mice separately. Pregnant mice in the modeling group were randomly grouped as follows: high/low-dose Shoutai Wan, high/low-dose Juyuan Jian, model (RPL), and positive control (dydrogesterone), with 10 mice in each group. Starting from the day after the detection of the vaginal plug, mice were administrated with drugs or an equal volume of normal saline by gavage for 10 consecutive days. After the intervention, the following indicators were measured. ① Macroscopic evaluation: general conditions, uterine wet weight, embryo loss rate, four coagulation parameters [prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), and thrombin time (TT)], and peripheral blood estradiol (E2) and progesterone (Pg) levels. The decidua with embryos was stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 homolog (LC3)Ⅰ/Ⅱ was quantified by Western blot. ② Mechanism analysis at the single-cell level: The decidua with embryos from the blank, model, high-dose Shoutai Wan, and high-dose Juyuan Jian groups (6 mice per group, with 3 single-cell samples per group, totaling 24 mice) were analyzed by the BD Rhapsody™ platform, and the whole-cell atlas was drawn by uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) dimensionality reduction clustering combined with the single-cell mouse cell atlas (scMCA). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and cell interaction networks were analyzed via Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and CellChat, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) map of subtype cells was constructed. The CytoTRACE pseudo-temporal analysis was performed to explore the developmental trajectories of core immune cells (natural killer cells, NK cells) from maternal and fetal sources. Results① Pathological and Western blot results indicated that compared with the blank group, the RPL group showed an increase in the embryo loss rate (P<0.01), down-regulated expression of Bcl-2, LIF, MMP-2, and Vegf in the decidua with embryos (P<0.05), up-regulated protein levels of CXCL-12, AngⅡ, and IL-6 (P<0.05), blocked angiogenesis, apoptosis-inflammation imbalance, and coagulation dysfunction. Both prescriptions dose-dependently reduced the abortion rate and restored the angiogenesis-inflammation balance, and Shoutai pill showed superior performance in restoring the E2 level to the Pg level (P<0.05). ② Single-cell transcriptome analysis indicated that compared with the blank group, the RPL group showed differences in multiple key cell populations such as decidual cells, trophoblast cells, endothelial cells, erythroblasts, NK cells, and macrophages at the maternal-fetal interface. Immunity and angiogenesis were the key links in RPL. Compared with the RPL group, high-dose Shoutai Wan reversed the changes of NK cells in the embryonic layer (upregulating the mRNA levels of 17 genes and downregulating the mRNA levels of 29 genes) and macrophages (upregulating the mRNA levels of 117 genes and downregulating the mRNA levels of 53 genes) through the regulation of gene expression. High-dose Shoutai pill regulated the immune cells to affect unfolded proteins, cell adhesion, and programmed cell death, thereby promoting decidualization and angiogenesis and modulating embryo-membrane development. High-dose Juyuan Jian regulated the key subgroups of NK cells (up-regulating the mRNA levels of 9 genes and down-regulating the mRNA levels of 17 genes) and macrophages (up-regulating the mRNA levels of 110 genes and down-regulating the mRNA levels of 81 genes), which affected decidual inflammation and apoptosis and intervened in glycolysis. ③ The pseudo-temporal analysis and communication network indicated that the communication frequency of the RPL group decreased. High-dose Shoutai Wan restored maternal-fetal tolerance through pathways such as NKG2D, CDH5, GDF, and FASLG. High-dose Juyuan Jian enhanced the IL-6/LIFR/JAK/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and desmosome/SEMA6/tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) signaling to improve endometrial receptivity. The RPL group showed an increased proportion of toxic dNK7, a decreased proportion of reparative dNK4, and blocked embryo fNK1. High-dose Shoutai Wan down-regulated dNK7 and up-regulated dNK4. High-dose Juyuan Jian inhibited the terminal differentiation of dNK7 and up-regulated LILRB1, thus restoring the balance of cytotoxicity and repair. ConclusionBoth the kidney-tonifying and spleen-invigorating methods are effective in treating RPL. NK and macrophages are the key immune cells in the interaction between the embryo and the membrane. The kidney-tonifying method (Shoutai Wan) has an advantage in regulating the phenotypes of unfolded protein, cell adhesion, and programmed cell death, and shows expression characteristics closer to the physiological state in the regulation of NKG2D and CDH5 signals. The spleen-invigorating method (Juyuan Jian) has an advantage in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and glycolysis and shows higher communication intensity in the IL-6 and LIFR pathways.
2.Research Progress of Chinese Materia Medica Regulating TGF-β Signaling Pathway in Intervention of Chronic Heart Failure
Kun LIAN ; Yichang XU ; Ying DENG ; Peiyao LI ; Weijun LI ; Lin LI ; Zhixi HU
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;32(9):192-197
Chronic heart failure(CHF)is the end-stage of a variety of heart diseases with complex pathogenesis,which may involve myocardial fibrosis,inflammation reaction and oxidative stress.Chinese materia medica has the characteristics of multiple pathways,levels,and targets in the treatment of CHF,with significant therapeutic effects.Based on the TCM theories,this article described the research progress of TCM and its effective components,TCM compounds and Chinese patent medicines in regulating TGF-β signaling pathway in the treatment of CHF,and summarized the mechanism and target of TCM regulating TGF-β pathway in the treatment of CHF,including inhibiting myocardial fibrosis,reducing inflammatory reaction and apoptosis,so as to provide a reference for the related research of Chinese materia medica in the treatment of CHF.
3.Application of graphene oxide in field of oral implant restoration
Chunrong SHI ; Jiaxu HE ; Lishan DENG ; Hailan WANG ; Aimin ZHAO ; Yiling YU ; Haixia GENG ; Weijun SONG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(28):6118-6126
BACKGROUND:Graphene oxide,with its excellent physical and chemical properties and biocompatibility,can promote the differentiation of osteoblasts and inhibit the proliferation of bacteria,which will hopefully improve the success rate of implant restoration.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the research progress of graphene oxide in the field of dental implant restoration.METHODS:The related articles published by CNKI,WanFang Database,ScienceDirect,and PubMed from January 2000 to June 2024 were searched by computer.The keywords were"graphene oxide,dental implantation,biocompatibility,antibacterial mechanism,osteoblasts,mechanical properties,chemical properties"in Chinese and English.By reading the titles and abstracts,we preliminarily screened out the documents irrelevant to the topic of the article.According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,65 documents were finally included for analysis.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Graphene oxide can increase the innate immune protection response of the body through its own antibacterial and drug-loaded antibacterial abilities,thus inhibiting the occurrence and development of periimplant inflammation.Graphene oxide can promote the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,enhance the proliferation of osteoblasts and vascular endothelial cells,inhibit the proliferation of osteoclasts,increase the rate of bone bonding between implants and alveolar bones,and contribute to the formation and stability of bone around implants.Graphene oxide can promote the combination of implant and gingival tissue,and reduce the occurrence of inflammation.Graphene oxide has low toxicity,and its biological safety needs further study.Graphene oxide coating endows the surface of titanium implant with excellent physical and chemical properties,which can greatly reduce the occurrence of complications such as implant fracture and prolong the survival time of implant.
4.Application of graphene oxide in field of oral implant restoration
Chunrong SHI ; Jiaxu HE ; Lishan DENG ; Hailan WANG ; Aimin ZHAO ; Yiling YU ; Haixia GENG ; Weijun SONG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(28):6118-6126
BACKGROUND:Graphene oxide,with its excellent physical and chemical properties and biocompatibility,can promote the differentiation of osteoblasts and inhibit the proliferation of bacteria,which will hopefully improve the success rate of implant restoration.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the research progress of graphene oxide in the field of dental implant restoration.METHODS:The related articles published by CNKI,WanFang Database,ScienceDirect,and PubMed from January 2000 to June 2024 were searched by computer.The keywords were"graphene oxide,dental implantation,biocompatibility,antibacterial mechanism,osteoblasts,mechanical properties,chemical properties"in Chinese and English.By reading the titles and abstracts,we preliminarily screened out the documents irrelevant to the topic of the article.According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,65 documents were finally included for analysis.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Graphene oxide can increase the innate immune protection response of the body through its own antibacterial and drug-loaded antibacterial abilities,thus inhibiting the occurrence and development of periimplant inflammation.Graphene oxide can promote the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,enhance the proliferation of osteoblasts and vascular endothelial cells,inhibit the proliferation of osteoclasts,increase the rate of bone bonding between implants and alveolar bones,and contribute to the formation and stability of bone around implants.Graphene oxide can promote the combination of implant and gingival tissue,and reduce the occurrence of inflammation.Graphene oxide has low toxicity,and its biological safety needs further study.Graphene oxide coating endows the surface of titanium implant with excellent physical and chemical properties,which can greatly reduce the occurrence of complications such as implant fracture and prolong the survival time of implant.
5.Research Progress of Chinese Materia Medica Regulating TGF-β Signaling Pathway in Intervention of Chronic Heart Failure
Kun LIAN ; Yichang XU ; Ying DENG ; Peiyao LI ; Weijun LI ; Lin LI ; Zhixi HU
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;32(9):192-197
Chronic heart failure(CHF)is the end-stage of a variety of heart diseases with complex pathogenesis,which may involve myocardial fibrosis,inflammation reaction and oxidative stress.Chinese materia medica has the characteristics of multiple pathways,levels,and targets in the treatment of CHF,with significant therapeutic effects.Based on the TCM theories,this article described the research progress of TCM and its effective components,TCM compounds and Chinese patent medicines in regulating TGF-β signaling pathway in the treatment of CHF,and summarized the mechanism and target of TCM regulating TGF-β pathway in the treatment of CHF,including inhibiting myocardial fibrosis,reducing inflammatory reaction and apoptosis,so as to provide a reference for the related research of Chinese materia medica in the treatment of CHF.
6."Disease-syndrome-therapy" Spontaneous Abortion Models and Application Trends of Single-cell Multimodal Omics: A Review
Linwen DENG ; Ying TANG ; Yi YANG ; Shuguang ZHANG ; Weijun DING ; Hang ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2023;29(14):191-203
The incidence of spontaneous abortion (SAB) has been increasing year by year, and its etiology is complex, with limited treatment options, which poses a serious threat to social stability. The "disease-syndrome-therapy" research model can significantly improve the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for preventing miscarriage, but there has always been a lack of key and recognized diagnostic and treatment evaluation markers, which need to be further explored to establish a scientific and unified evaluation standard system. It is proposed to collect existing "disease-syndrome-therapy" SAB animal models, transplant and improve the model evaluation indicators, evaluate the degree of match between SAB animal models and the clinical characteristics of TCM and Western medicine diseases and syndromes, and compare the advantages and disadvantages of different SAB animal models in terms of construction methods, target selection, and evaluation indicators. In addition, the frontiers of TCM experimental research will be explored. In view of the current status and related bottlenecks of molecular biomarkers research on SAB TCM animal models, a single-cell multimodal omics research strategy will be proposed to break through the related evaluation defects of the "disease-syndrome-therapy" SAB and analyze the differences in various cell types, cell subpopulations, spatiotemporal trajectories, and gene expression in the mother-fetal interface tissue at the single-cell level. This will provide accurate guidance and model animal platform support for the in-depth study of disease-syndrome models, Zang-fu biology, and novel targeted drugs. It will also provide a basis for establishing a stable and repeatable "disease-syndrome-therapy" SAB animal model and evaluation indicator system, which is beneficial for the long-term development of TCM reproductive animal model research.
7.Study on the Spatial-Temporal Deduction of the Mechanism and the Modernization of the System of"Syndrome-Prescription-Herbs"in tocolysis Based on the Theory of"Fetal Stem is Tied to the Spleen"
Hang ZHOU ; Xiaoyan ZHENG ; Linwen DENG ; Qian ZENG ; Weijun DING
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2023;25(6):1914-1926
Modern Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)physicians believed that"reproduction depends on the kidney"theory is the key in treating fetal leakage,fetal restlessness,slippery fetus and other diseases.However,before the Ming and Qing Dynasties,ancient physicians paid special attention to the theory of"Qi and blood in the spleen and stomach".The"the stem of fetal ties the spleen"came from the summary of Zhao Xianke's"Handan manuscripts"based on analogy of nature in Ming dynasty.However,at present,the relevant research reports on"spleen"and tocolysis are fragmented,and the theoretical traceability,clinical effects and experimental research are not systematically discussed.Based on the"fetal stem ties the spleen"theory,through integrated research,taking the differentiation of ancient and modern theories of traditional Chinese medicine gynecology as the"longitude",and the progress of modern biological research on"syndromes,prescriptions and components"as the"latitude".This study is an initial attempt to reveal the key inflection points deductively in the empty space(territorial schools)during(history and history of)tocolysis,and to systematically explore the"spleen main Qi","spleen main transportation","spleen main rising Qing"and"spleen main muscle",which are associated with the progress of the objectification and the bottleneck of research on the treatment of tocolysis.Furthermore,it is proposed that TCM prescription syndrome metabolism and spatiotemporal omics are the important trends to solve the disputes and difficulties in the study of tocolysis in the future,and provide a new reference idea for the inheritance,innovation,breakthrough and accurate research of modern TCM reproductive theory.
8.Difference in Network Mechanism of Shoutaiwan and Juyuanjian in Reversing Pathology of Decidua of Spontaneous Abortion Patients: Based on "Uterine Collaterals Connecting Kidney" and "Fetal Collaterals Connecting Spleen" Theory
Hang ZHOU ; Xiaoyan ZHENG ; Huan WANG ; Qian ZENG ; Linwen DENG ; Weijun DING
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2022;28(20):186-200
ObjectiveTo explore difference in the mechanism of Shoutaiwan, a representative kidney-tonifying and abortion-preventing formula, and Juyuanjian, a typical spleen-invigorating and abortion-preventing formula in reversing the pathology of decidua of spontaneous abortion (SA) patients and to expound the connotation of "uterine collaterals connecting kidney" and "fetal collaterals connecting spleen" theory. MethodThe targets of SA were retrieved from GeneCards, followed by gene ontology-biological process (GO-BP) annotation. Based on Cytoscape and previous research, the main processes and core targets were screened out. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was used to identify the potential active components of Shoutaiwan and Juyuanjian and the regulatory networks were constructed. SA was induced in rats and the model rats were treated with Shoutaiwan and Juyuanjian at the same unit. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), and other methods were employed to verify the mechanisms against miscarriage. ResultThe dysregulation of cell adhesion, inflammatory response, cell death, and angiogenesis was the core pathological process of SA. A total of 13 potential specific active components of Shoutaiwan and 14 active components of Juyuanjian were screened out. The regulatory networks showed that the potential active components of the two prescriptions modulated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-2, estrogen receptor (ESR)-1, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and other targets to regulate the pathological process of SA. The two can significantly improve the pregnancy rate and the integrity rate and blood supply of decidua cells, control the apoptosis morphology and the expression of estrogen (E2), progesterone (P), and its receptor, and down-regulate the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, IL-2, and IL-6 in decidua tissue of SA rats. At the same time, they up-regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and IL-4. Shoutaiwan significantly up-regulated the expression of VEGF, and Juyuanjian significantly down-regulated the expression of E-cadherin (E-Cad). ConclusionBoth Shoutaiwan and Juyuanjian regulate the core pathological process of SA to prevent miscarriage. At the same unit, Shoutaiwan is overall superior to Juyuanjian. Shoutaiwan is better than Juyuanjian in regulating angiogenesis and Juyuanjian is superior to Shoutaiwan in regulating cell adhesion. This conclusion can partly explain the biological basis of "treating the same disease with different methods", and provide objective data reference for the identification of quality marker (Q-marker) of anti-miscarriage Chinese medicine and further study of formula-syndrome metabolome.
9.Bioinformatics analysis of HLA-A2 restricted neoantigen epitopes in breast cancer
YOU Zicong ; ZHON Weijun ; LUO Yunfeng ; DENG Jianwen ; ZHANG Pusheng ; FENG Haizhan ; WENG Junyan ; YU Jinlong ; ZHU Huijuan ; LI Yuhuab ; SHI Fujuna
Chinese Journal of Cancer Biotherapy 2020;27(4):427-432
[Abstract] Objective: To screen candidate epitopes of breast cancer HLA-A2 restrictive neoantigen and to identify high frequency mutation sites in breast cancer neoantigen by using bioinformatics method. Methods: NCBI and GDC databases were used to search missense mutation sites formed by single nucleotide mutation in breast cancer among reported literatures and sequencing data. The new antigen epitopes were predicted by HLA-A2 antigen epitope prediction website BIMAS, SYFPEITHI and artificial neural networkbased NetMHC4.0, and the epitopes with TAP binding power less than Intermediate were eliminated. The candidate epitopes were prioritized by mutation frequency and prediction results. Results: A total of 17 high-frequency mutation genes, including BTLA, ERBB2 and NBPF12 etc, were screened by the above-mentioned methods, and a total of 26 neoantigen epitopes were identified. The binding power of epitopes predicted using BIMAS and SYFPEITHI showed great difference (P<0.05), epitopes in high priority as GSTP1 (A114V , mutation frequency of 5.94%) and BRCA2 (N991H, mutation frequency of 5.40%) etc, were expected to be candidate neo-antigen epitopes; however, their mutation frequency was relatively too low to achieve“universal use” . The possibility of these epitopes used as general breast cancer neo-antigen epitopes is less likely. Conclusion: The common mutation frequency of breast cancer is lower than that of other tumors; it ’s difficult to find“universal”new antigen epitopes of breast cancer; the individualized neoantigen vaccine may be of more promise, which needs further research.
10.Content Determination of Related Substances in Terlipressin for Injection by UPLC
Qiaoru XUE ; Jinye YUAN ; Liuyang DING ; Weijun ZHENG ; Feng DENG
China Pharmacy 2020;31(9):1108-1112
OBJECTIVE:To establish UPLC method for the content determination of related substances in Terlipressin for injection. METHODS :UPLC method was used to determine the contents of related substances in 5 batches of Terlipressin for injection. The separation was performed on Xtimate UPLC C 18 column with mobile phase A consisted of ammonium sulfate buffer (pH 2.3)-methanol(90 ∶ 10,V/V)and mobile phase B consisted of ammonium sulfate buffer (pH 2.3)-methanol(60 ∶ 40,V/V) (gradient elution )at the flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The detection wavelength was set at 210 nm,and sample size was 5 μL. RESULTS:The linear range of impurity A ,B,C,D,F,H,I,K,L and N were 0.43-3.86,0.44-3.95,0.44-3.97,0.45-4.08, 0.45-4.05,0.50-4.50,0.47-4.26,0.47-4.23,0.46-4.13,0.44-3.96 μg/mL(r≥0.999 7),respectively. The detection limits were 0.04, 0.04,0.05,0.04,0.05,0.05,0.05,0.05,0.04 μg/mL. The quantitation limits were 0.13,0.13,0.14,0.13,0.15,0.14,0.14, 0.14,0.13 μg/mL,respectively. RSDs of precision ,reproducibility and stability tests were all lower than 8%. The average recoveries were 94.95%,97.81%,101.88%,95.26%,93.40%,102.48%,104.26%,102.31%,96.42%,90.42%,with RSD s of 1.89%,1.86%,0.68%,1.30%,1.98%,3.36%,1.26%,1.30%,1.19%,1.40%(n=9),respectively. Total contents of impurities in 5 batches of Terlipressin for injection were all lower than 4%. CONCLUSIONS :Established method is rapid ,simple, accurate and specific ,which can be used for the quantitative analysis for related substances in Terlipressin for injection.

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