1.Correlation Analysis of Huanglian Jiedu Wan on Syndrome Improvement and Clinical Biomarkers of "Excess Heat-Toxicity" Based on Machine Learning Model
Qi LI ; Keke LUO ; Baolin BIAN ; Hongyu YU ; Mengxiao WANG ; Mengyao TIAN ; Wen XIA ; Yuan MA ; Xinfang ZHANG ; Pengyue LI ; Nan SI ; Hongjie WANG ; Yanyan ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):162-173
ObjectiveThis paper aims to find the identified and validated clinical biomarker data building upon a clinical study of early-phase phase Ⅱ and investigate the correlation analysis of Huanglian Jiedu Wan on syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" based on a machine learning model. Additionally, the effective prediction of clinical biomarker values for the main symptoms of the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome was assessed. MethodsA total of 229 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome were randomly divided into the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group. Syndrome score transition matrices were constructed for the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group based on three main symptoms of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome, such as oral ulcers, sore throat, and gum swelling and pain. Data from the patients with these three syndromes were also integrated for an overall analysis. The corresponding syndrome score transition matrices were further constructed to visualize symptom change trends of the patients in the two groups via heatmaps. Based on the identified and validated clinical biomarkers related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism in the early phase, Spearman correlation analysis was employed to analyze and evaluate the associations between clinical biomarkers and syndrome improvement. Key clinical biomarkers reflecting the effect of Huanglian Jiedu Wan were screened through the comparison of differences between groups. An extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm was used to develop a prediction model for main symptom classification, with classification performance evaluated through 10-fold cross-validation. Feature importance analysis was applied to identify variables with the greatest contribution to the prediction result. ResultsThe syndrome transition matrix results indicated that the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group showed a superior effect to the placebo group in improving oral ulcers, sore throat, and overall symptoms, with significant effects observed especially in sore throat and overall symptom analyses (P<0.01). Spearman correlation analysis revealed that several clinical biomarkers positively correlated with "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome and its main symptom improvement, were also called "heat-related biomarkers", including succinic acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, glycine, lactic acid, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and so on. Conversely, clinical biomarkers negatively correlated with symptom severity, were also called "heat-clearing related biomarkers" after administration of Huanglian Jiedu Wan, including malic acid, fumaric acid, cis-aconitic acid, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), IL-1β, IL-4, IL-8, succinic acid, and citric acid. The XGBoost classification model using all 52 biomarkers as variables achieved an average test accuracy of 0.754 and an average F1 score of 0.777. Feature importance analysis identified the scores of glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 were the highest in all the variables, with importance scores of 0.081 and 0.080, respectively. After screening out 14 key variables and optimizing the parameters, model performance improved to an average accuracy of 0.758 and an F1 score of 0.798. Feature importance analysis further determined that the glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 showed obvious changes after screening the variables, confirming the good syndrome prediction ability of the model constructed by these key clinical biomarkers. ConclusionThis study systematically elucidates the correlation between syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers of Huanglian Jiedu Wan in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome. An XGBoost classification model based on key clinical biomarkers is successfully established, achieving effective prediction of the symptoms related to the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome such as oral ulcers and sore throat and providing a new insight for objective identification of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes.
2.Correlation Analysis of Huanglian Jiedu Wan on Syndrome Improvement and Clinical Biomarkers of "Excess Heat-Toxicity" Based on Machine Learning Model
Qi LI ; Keke LUO ; Baolin BIAN ; Hongyu YU ; Mengxiao WANG ; Mengyao TIAN ; Wen XIA ; Yuan MA ; Xinfang ZHANG ; Pengyue LI ; Nan SI ; Hongjie WANG ; Yanyan ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):162-173
ObjectiveThis paper aims to find the identified and validated clinical biomarker data building upon a clinical study of early-phase phase Ⅱ and investigate the correlation analysis of Huanglian Jiedu Wan on syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" based on a machine learning model. Additionally, the effective prediction of clinical biomarker values for the main symptoms of the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome was assessed. MethodsA total of 229 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome were randomly divided into the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group. Syndrome score transition matrices were constructed for the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group and the placebo group based on three main symptoms of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome, such as oral ulcers, sore throat, and gum swelling and pain. Data from the patients with these three syndromes were also integrated for an overall analysis. The corresponding syndrome score transition matrices were further constructed to visualize symptom change trends of the patients in the two groups via heatmaps. Based on the identified and validated clinical biomarkers related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism in the early phase, Spearman correlation analysis was employed to analyze and evaluate the associations between clinical biomarkers and syndrome improvement. Key clinical biomarkers reflecting the effect of Huanglian Jiedu Wan were screened through the comparison of differences between groups. An extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm was used to develop a prediction model for main symptom classification, with classification performance evaluated through 10-fold cross-validation. Feature importance analysis was applied to identify variables with the greatest contribution to the prediction result. ResultsThe syndrome transition matrix results indicated that the Huanglian Jiedu Wan group showed a superior effect to the placebo group in improving oral ulcers, sore throat, and overall symptoms, with significant effects observed especially in sore throat and overall symptom analyses (P<0.01). Spearman correlation analysis revealed that several clinical biomarkers positively correlated with "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome and its main symptom improvement, were also called "heat-related biomarkers", including succinic acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, glycine, lactic acid, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and so on. Conversely, clinical biomarkers negatively correlated with symptom severity, were also called "heat-clearing related biomarkers" after administration of Huanglian Jiedu Wan, including malic acid, fumaric acid, cis-aconitic acid, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), IL-1β, IL-4, IL-8, succinic acid, and citric acid. The XGBoost classification model using all 52 biomarkers as variables achieved an average test accuracy of 0.754 and an average F1 score of 0.777. Feature importance analysis identified the scores of glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 were the highest in all the variables, with importance scores of 0.081 and 0.080, respectively. After screening out 14 key variables and optimizing the parameters, model performance improved to an average accuracy of 0.758 and an F1 score of 0.798. Feature importance analysis further determined that the glutamic acid in saliva and IL-6 showed obvious changes after screening the variables, confirming the good syndrome prediction ability of the model constructed by these key clinical biomarkers. ConclusionThis study systematically elucidates the correlation between syndrome improvement and clinical biomarkers of Huanglian Jiedu Wan in the treatment of "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome. An XGBoost classification model based on key clinical biomarkers is successfully established, achieving effective prediction of the symptoms related to the "excess heat-toxicity" syndrome such as oral ulcers and sore throat and providing a new insight for objective identification of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes.
3.Research on the effectiveness of health information dissemination via the “Shanghai CDC” WeChat public account
Ying GUO ; Xiaoxuan WANG ; Wen XIA ; Xiaoyan HUANG ; Xuanmeng HU ; Qi SHEN ; Chen DONG
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(2):179-183
ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of health information dissemination and its influencing factors using the "Shanghai CDC" WeChat public account as a case study, providing references for public health institutions to optimize the use of official new media platforms for effective publicity. MethodsA total of 1 030 headline articles published on the "Shanghai CDC" WeChat public account between 2016 and 2019 were analyzed using content analysis and non-parametric tests to examine the impact of factors such as titles and content categories. ResultsFrom 2016 to 2019, the number of WeChat public account followers increased by 280 000, with the articles accumulating over 8.8 million views. The median (P25, P75) open rate of articles was 5.90% (3.69%, 10.31%), and the median (P25, P75) sharing and forwarding rate was 6.60% (4.25%, 9.17%). Factors such as the use of first- and second-person pronouns, degree adverbs, negative adverbs, explicit viewpoints, and title length all significantly affected the open rate of articles, with OR (95%CI) values of 0.175 (0.041‒0.756), 32.606 (2.350‒452.432), 4.079 (1.093‒15.230), 0.106 (0.028‒0.409), and 1.184 (1.063‒1.319),respectively (all P<0.05). In terms of content, statistical significant differences in dissemination effectiveness were observed across article categories and themes (P<0.05). In terms of article categories, articles related to news hotspots and service information had higher open rates of 9.58% and 14.00%, respectively. These two types of articles also obtained higher sharing and forwarding rates of 7.65% and 9.16%, respectively. In terms of article topics, compared with healthy life and health products, among the top four topics in terms of publication volume, the open rates of articles about infectious diseases and disease-causing biology and immunization programs were higher, accounting for 7.88% and 6.88%, respectively, with no significant difference in sharing and forwarding rates. ConclusionThe "Shanghai CDC" WeChat public account demonstrated good dissemination effectiveness. Enhancing article titles by increasing informational content and degree adverbs (e.g., "highly," "most," and "extremely") and negative adverbs (e.g., "no") can improve dissemination reach. Public health WeChat accounts should incorporate news hotspots or service information in their articles. While maintaining their strengths in disseminating knowledge on infectious diseases and immunization programs, they should also enhance public education in other professional fields within their scope of responsibility to improve the overall dissemination impact of health information.
4.The Role of NEAT1 in Bone and Cartilage Metabolism and Bone Diseases
Rui-Ming WEN ; Rui-Qi HUANG ; Yi-Xing CHANG ; Ke XU ; Xue-Jie YI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(4):930-945
In the process of maintaining the steady state of bone tissue, the transcription network and signal pathway of the body play a vital role. These complex regulatory mechanisms need precise coordination to ensure the balance between bone formation and bone absorption. Once this balance is broken, it may lead to pathological changes of bone and cartilage, and then lead to various bone diseases. Therefore, it is of great significance to understand these regulatory mechanisms for the prevention and treatment of bone diseases. In recent years, with the deepening of research, more and more lncRNA has been found to be closely related to bone health. Among them, nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1), as an extremely abundant RNA molecule in mammalian nuclei, has attracted extensive attention. NEAT1 is mainly transcribed from a specific site in human chromosome 11 by RNA polymerase II (RNaseP), which can form two different subtypes NEAT1_1 and NEAT1_2. These two subtypes are different in intracellular distribution and function, but they participate in many biological processes together. Studies have shown that NEAT1 plays a specific role in the process of cell growth and stress response. For example, it can regulate the development of osteoblasts (OB), osteoclasts (OC) and chondrocytes by balancing the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), thus maintaining the steady state of bone metabolism. This discovery reveals the important role of NEAT1 in bone development and remodeling. In addition, NEAT1 is closely related to a variety of bone diseases. In patients with bone diseases such as osteoporosis (OP), osteoarthritis (OA) and osteosarcoma (OS), the expression level of NEAT1 is different. These differential expressions may be closely related to the pathogenesis and progression of bone diseases. By regulating the level of NEAT1, it can affect a variety of signal transduction pathways, and then affect the development of bone diseases. For example, some studies show that by regulating the expression level of NEAT1, the activity of osteoclasts can be inhibited, and the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts can be promoted, thus improving the symptoms of osteoporosis. It is worth noting that NEAT1 can also be used as a key sensor for the prevention and treatment of bone diseases. When exercising or receiving some natural products, the expression level of NEAT1 will change, thus reflecting the response of bones to external stimuli. This feature makes NEAT1 an important target for studying the prevention and treatment strategies of bone diseases. However, although the role of NEAT1 in bone biology and bone diseases has been initially recognized, its specific mechanism and regulatory relationship are still controversial. For example, the expression level, mode of action and interaction with other molecules of NEAT1 in different bone diseases still need further in-depth study. This paper reviews the role of NEAT1 in maintaining bone and cartilage metabolism, and discusses its expression and function in various bone diseases. By combing the existing research results and controversial points, this paper aims to provide new perspectives and ideas for the prevention and treatment of bone diseases, and provide useful reference and enlightenment for future research.
5.Inhibition of HDAC3 Promotes Psoriasis Development in Mice Through Regulating Th17
Fan XU ; Xin-Rui ZHANG ; Yang-Chen XIA ; Wen-Ting LI ; Hao CHEN ; An-Qi QIN ; Ai-Hong ZHANG ; Yi-Ran ZHU ; Feng TIAN ; Quan-Hui ZHENG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(4):1008-1017
ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) on the occurrence, development of psoriasis-like inflammation in mice, and the relative immune mechanisms. MethodsHealthy C57BL/6 mice aged 6-8 weeks were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (Control), psoriasis model group (IMQ), and HDAC3 inhibitor RGFP966-treated psoriasis model group (IMQ+RGFP966). One day prior to the experiment, the back hair of the mice was shaved. After a one-day stabilization period, the mice in Control group was treated with an equal amount of vaseline, while the mice in IMQ group was treated with imiquimod (62.5 mg/d) applied topically on the back to establish a psoriasis-like inflammation model. The mice in IMQ+RGFP966 group received intervention with a high dose of the HDAC3-selective inhibitor RGFP966 (30 mg/kg) based on the psoriasis-like model. All groups were treated continuously for 5 d, during which psoriasis-like inflammation symptoms (scaling, erythema, skin thickness), body weight, and mental status were observed and recorded, with photographs taken for documentation. After euthanasia, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to assess the effect of RGFP966 on the skin tissue structure of the mice, and skin thickness was measured. The mRNA and protein expression levels of HDAC3 in skin tissues were detected using reverse transcription real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot (WB), respectively. Flow cytometry was employed to analyze neutrophils in peripheral blood and lymph nodes, CD4+ T lymphocytes, CD8+ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood, and IL-17A secretion by peripheral blood CD4+ T lymphocytes. Additionally, spleen CD4+ T lymphocyte expression of HDAC3, CCR6, CCR8, and IL-17A secretion levels were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the localization and expression levels of HDAC3, IL-17A, and IL-10 in skin tissues. ResultsCompared with the Control group, the IMQ group exhibited significant psoriasis-like inflammation, characterized by erythema, scaling, and skin wrinkling. Compared with the IMQ group, RGFP966 exacerbated psoriasis-like inflammatory symptoms, leading to increased hyperkeratosis. The psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) skin symptom scores were higher in the IMQ group than those in the Control group, and the scores were further elevated in the IMQ+RGFP966 group compared to the IMQ group. Skin thickness measurements showed a trend of IMQ+RGFP966>IMQ>Control. The numbers of neutrophils in the blood and lymph nodes increased sequentially in the Control, IMQ, and IMQ+RGFP966 groups, with a similar trend observed for CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the blood. In skin tissues, compared with the Control group, the mRNA and protein levels of HDAC3 decreased in the IMQ group, but RGFP966 did not further reduce these expressions. HDAC3 was primarily located in the nucleus. Compared with the Control group, the nuclear HDAC3 content decreased in the skin tissues of the IMQ group, and RGFP966 further reduced nuclear HDAC3. Compared with the Control and IMQ groups, RGFP966 treatment decreased HDAC3 expression in splenic CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. RGFP966 treatment increased the expression of CCR6 and CCR8 in splenic CD4+ T cells and enhanced IL-17A secretion by peripheral blood and splenic CD4+ T lymphocytes. Additionally, compared with the IMQ group, RGFP966 reduced IL-10 protein levels and upregulated IL-17A expression in skin tissues. ConclusionRGFP966 exacerbates psoriatic-like inflammatory responses by inhibiting HDAC3, increasing the secretion of the cytokine IL-17A, and upregulating the expression of chemokines CCR8 and CCR6.
6.Research progress on the effects of sedentary behavior and physical activity on diabetes mellitus.
Qi CHEN ; Chuan-Fen LI ; Wen JING
Acta Physiologica Sinica 2025;77(1):62-74
Diabetes mellitus (DM) has become one of the most serious and common chronic diseases around the world, leading to various complications and a reduction in life expectancy. Increased sedentary behavior (SB) and decreased physical activity (PA) are important contributors to the rising prevalence of DM. This article reviews the research progress on the pathogenesis of DM, the effects of SB and PA on the risk of DM, aiming to explore the influence of different PA intensities, amounts, frequencies, durations and types on the incidence of DM. Research has shown that blood glucose levels tend to increase with the prolongation of SB. Within a certain range, PA intensity and amount are negatively correlated with the risk of DM; Performing PA for more than 3 days per week maintains normal glucose tolerance and lower blood pressure; Engaging in 150-300 min of moderate-intensity exercise or 75-150 min of high-intensity exercise per week reduces the risk of DM; PA during leisure time reduces the risk of DM, while PA during work increases the risk of DM; Both aerobic training and resistance training reduce the risk of DM, and the combination of the two training methods produces better benefits; Various types of exercises, such as cycling, soccer, aerobics, yoga and tai chi, all reduce the risk of DM. In summary, prolonged SB increases the risk of DM, while appropriate PA reduces the risk of DM. As the intensity, amount, and frequency of PA increase, the effect of reducing DM risk becomes more significant. Different exercise methods have different effects on reducing DM risk.
Humans
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Sedentary Behavior
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Exercise/physiology*
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Diabetes Mellitus/prevention & control*
7.Disulfiram alleviates cardiac hypertrophic injury by inhibiting TAK1-mediated PANoptosis.
Wei-Dong LI ; Xuan-Yang SHEN ; Xiao-Lu JIANG ; Hong-Fu WEN ; Yuan SHEN ; Mei-Qi ZHANG ; Wen-Tao TAN
Acta Physiologica Sinica 2025;77(2):222-230
The study aims to examine the effects and potential mechanisms of disulfiram (DSF) on cardiac hypertrophic injury, focusing on the role of transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-mediated pan-apoptosis (PANoptosis). H9C2 cardiomyocytes were treated with angiotensin II (Ang II, 1 µmol/L) to establish an in vitro model of myocardial hypertrophy. DSF (40 µmol/L) was used to treat cardiomyocyte hypertrophic injury models, either along or in combination with the TAK1 inhibitor, 5z-7-oxozeaenol (5z-7, 0.1 µmol/L). We assessed cell damage using propidium iodide (PI) staining, measured cell viability with CCK8 assay, quantified inflammatory factor levels in cell culture media via ELISA, detected TAK1 and RIPK1 binding rates using immunoprecipitation, and analyzed the protein expression levels of key proteins in the TAK1-mediated PANoptosis pathway using Western blot. In addition, the surface area of cardiomyocytes was measured with Phalloidin staining. The results showed that Ang II significantly reduced the cellular viability of H9C2 cardiomyocytes and the binding rate of TAK1 and RIPK1, significantly increased the surface area of H9C2 cardiomyocytes, PI staining positive rate, levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)] in cell culture media and p-TAK1/TAK1 ratio, and significantly up-regulated key proteins in the PANoptosis pathway [pyroptosis-related proteins NLRP3, Caspase-1 (p20), and GSDMD-N (p30), apoptosis-related proteins Caspase-3 (p17), Caspase-7 (p20), and Caspase-8 (p18), as well as necroptosis-related proteins p-MLKL, RIPK1, and RIPK3]. DSF significantly reversed the above changes induced by Ang II. Both 5z-7 and exogenous IL-1β weakened these cardioprotective effects of DSF. These results suggest that DSF may alleviate cardiac hypertrophic injury by inhibiting TAK1-mediated PANoptosis.
Animals
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MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases/physiology*
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Rats
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Myocytes, Cardiac/pathology*
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Disulfiram/pharmacology*
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Cardiomegaly
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Apoptosis/drug effects*
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Cell Line
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Angiotensin II
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Necroptosis/drug effects*
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Interleukin-1beta/metabolism*
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Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism*
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Lactones
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Resorcinols
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Zearalenone/administration & dosage*
8.Research progress of the dopamine system in neurological diseases.
Yu-Qi NIU ; Jin-Jin WANG ; Wen-Fei CUI ; Peng QIN ; Jian-Feng GAO
Acta Physiologica Sinica 2025;77(2):309-317
The etiology of nervous system diseases is complicated, posing significant harm to patients and often resulting in poor prognoses. In recent years, the role of dopaminergic system in nervous system diseases has attracted much attention, and its complex regulatory mechanism and therapeutic potential have been gradually revealed. This paper reviews the role of dopaminergic neurons, the neurotransmitter dopamine, dopamine receptors and dopamine transporters in neurological diseases (including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia), with a view to further elucidating the disease mechanism and providing new insights and strategies for the treatment of neurological diseases.
Humans
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Dopamine/metabolism*
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Nervous System Diseases/physiopathology*
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Parkinson Disease/physiopathology*
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Receptors, Dopamine/metabolism*
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Dopaminergic Neurons/physiology*
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Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/metabolism*
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Alzheimer Disease/physiopathology*
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Schizophrenia/physiopathology*
;
Animals
9.Advances in the role of protein post-translational modifications in circadian rhythm regulation.
Zi-Di ZHAO ; Qi-Miao HU ; Zi-Yi YANG ; Peng-Cheng SUN ; Bo-Wen JING ; Rong-Xi MAN ; Yuan XU ; Ru-Yu YAN ; Si-Yao QU ; Jian-Fei PEI
Acta Physiologica Sinica 2025;77(4):605-626
The circadian clock plays a critical role in regulating various physiological processes, including gene expression, metabolic regulation, immune response, and the sleep-wake cycle in living organisms. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are crucial regulatory mechanisms to maintain the precise oscillation of the circadian clock. By modulating the stability, activity, cell localization and protein-protein interactions of core clock proteins, PTMs enable these proteins to respond dynamically to environmental and intracellular changes, thereby sustaining the periodic oscillations of the circadian clock. Different types of PTMs exert their effects through distincting molecular mechanisms, collectively ensuring the proper function of the circadian system. This review systematically summarized several major types of PTMs, including phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, SUMOylation and oxidative modification, and overviewed their roles in regulating the core clock proteins and the associated pathways, with the goals of providing a theoretical foundation for the deeper understanding of clock mechanisms and the treatment of diseases associated with circadian disruption.
Protein Processing, Post-Translational/physiology*
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Circadian Rhythm/physiology*
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Humans
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Animals
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CLOCK Proteins/physiology*
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Circadian Clocks/physiology*
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Phosphorylation
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Acetylation
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Ubiquitination
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Sumoylation
10.A preliminary study of mechanosensitive channels Piezo 1 and Piezo 2 promoting neurogenic bladder fibrosis in young rats
Lei LYU ; Yanping ZHANG ; Qi LI ; Junkui WANG ; Shuai YANG ; Zhaokai ZHOU ; Shuai LI ; Yibo WEN ; Yakai LIU ; Guowei SI ; Xingchen LIU ; Jianguo WEN
Journal of Modern Urology 2025;30(4):343-349
Objective: To explore the changes of mechanosensitive channels Piezos (Piezo 1 and Piezo 2) in neurogenic bladder (NB) of young rats and their effects,so as to provide reference for clinical search of new therapeutic targets. Methods: A total of 30 female young SD rats were divided into 5 groups based on random number table method:sham operation group (sham),2-week nerve transection group (NB-2W),6-week nerve transection group (NB-6W),2-week nerve transection + Piezos inhibitor group (NB-P-2W) and 6-week nerve transection + Piezos inhibitor group (NB-P-6W),with 6 rats in each group.The NB models were constructed by transecting the L6 and S1 spinal nerves of young rats.The NB-2W and NB-6W groups were not intervened after modeling,while the NB-P-2W and NB-P-6W groups were intraperitoneally injected with Piezos inhibitor GsMTx4 (10 mg/kg) every 2 days after modeling.Bladder cystometry and ultrasound were performed after 2 and 6 weeks of transection.The expressions of Piezos and fibrosis-related indexes (Collagen Ⅰ and α-smooth muscle actin) were detected in bladder tissues. Results: The results of bladder cystometry showed that the basal bladder pressure in NB-2W group was significantly increased,while it was slightly decreased but was still higher in NB-6W group than in the sham group (P<0.05).Basal bladder pressure was lower in NB-P-2W group than in NB-2W group,but was higher than that in the sham group; basal bladder pressure was lower in NB-P-6W group than in NB-6W group,but higher than that in the sham group (P<0.05).Compared with the sham group,the NB-2W and NB-6W groups had firstly increased and then decreased maximum cystometric capacity (MCC) (P<0.05).Compared with NB-2W group,NB-P-2W group had lower bladder leakage point pressure (BLPP),but higher MCC and bladder compliance (BC) (P<0.05).Compared with NB-6W group,NB-P-6W group had significantly lower BLPP but higher MCC and BC (P<0.05).HE and MASSON staining and ultrasound results showed that,with the extension of nerve transection time,bladder fibrosis gradually worsened,the bladder wall became rough and thickened,calculi were visible inside,and hydronephrosis gradually appeared; the degree of fibrosis in NB-P-2W and NB-P-6W groups was less than that in NB-2W and NB-6W groups,and no hydronephrosis was observed in the upper urinary tract.In addition,Western blotting and immunohistochemical results showed that NB-2W and NB-6W groups had significantly higher relative expression levels of Piezos,Collagen Ⅰ and α-SMA than the sham group (P<0.01),while NB-P-2W and NB-P-6W groups had lower relative expression levels of Piezos,Collagen Ⅰ and α-SMA than NB-2W and NB-6W groups (P<0.01). Conclusion: The increased expressions of mechanosensitive channels Piezos in NB young rats may be involved in the progression of bladder fibrosis,but its mechanism needs further study.

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