1.Inhaled non-viral delivery systems for RNA therapeutics.
Cheng HUANG ; Hongjian LI ; Xing DUAN ; Peidong ZHANG ; Shaolong QI ; Jianshi DU ; Xiangrong SONG ; Aiping TONG ; Guocan YU
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(5):2402-2430
RNA-based gene therapy has been widely used for various diseases, and extensive studies have proved that suitable delivery routes greatly help the development of RNA therapeutics. Identifying a safe and effective delivery system is key to realizing RNA therapeutics' clinical translation. Inhalation is a non-invasive pulmonary delivery modality that can enhance the retention of therapeutic agents in the lungs with negligible toxicity, thereby improving patient compliance. Inhaled RNA therapeutics are increasingly becoming an area of focus for researchers; however, only several clinical trials have explored inhaled delivery of RNA for pulmonary diseases. This review presents an overview of recent advances in inhaled delivery systems for RNA therapeutics, including viral and nonviral systems, highlighting state of the art regarding inhalation in the messenger RNA (mRNA) field. We also summarize the applications of mRNA inhalants in infectious and other lung diseases. Simultaneously, the research progresses on small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and different types of RNA are also discussed to provide new strategies for developing RNA inhalation therapy. Finally, we clarify the challenges inhaled RNA-based therapeutics face before their widespread adoption and provide insights to help advance this exciting field to the bedside.
2.A novel dual-targeting strategy of nanobody-driven protein corona modulation for glioma therapy.
Yupei ZHANG ; Shugang QIN ; Tingting SONG ; Zhiying HUANG ; Zekai LV ; Yang ZHAO ; Xiangyu JIAO ; Min SUN ; Yinghan ZHANG ; Guang XIE ; Yuting CHEN ; Xuli RUAN ; Ruyue LIU ; Haixing SHI ; Chunli YANG ; Siyu ZHAO ; Zhongshan HE ; Hai HUANG ; Xiangrong SONG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(9):4917-4931
Glioma represents the most prevalent malignant tumor of the central nervous system, with chemotherapy serving as an essential adjunctive treatment. However, most chemotherapeutic agents exhibit limited ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This study introduced a novel dual-targeting strategy for glioma therapy by modulating the formation of nanobody-driven protein coronas to enhance the brain and tumor-targeting efficiency of hydrophobic cisplatin prodrug-loaded lipid nanoparticles (C8Pt-Ls). Specifically, nanobodies (Nbs) with fibrinogen-binding capabilities were conjugated to the surface of C8Pt-Ls, resulting in the generation of Nb-C8Pt-Ls. Within the bloodstream, Nb-C8Pt-Ls could bound more fibrinogen, forming the protein corona that specifically interacted with LRP-1, a receptor highly expressed on the BBB. This interaction enabled a "Hitchhiking Effect" mechanism, facilitating efficient trans-BBB transport and promoting effective brain targeting. Additionally, the protein corona interacted with LRP-1, which is also overexpressed in glioma cells, achieving precise tumor targeting. Computational simulations and SPR detection clarified the molecular interaction mechanism of the Nb-fibrinogen-(LRP-1) complex, confirming its binding specificity and stability. Our results demonstrated that this strategy significantly enhanced C8Pt accumulation in brain tissues and tumors, induced apoptosis in glioma cells, and improved therapeutic efficacy. This study provides a novel framework for glioma therapy and underscores the potential of protein corona modulation-based dual-targeting strategies in advancing treatments for brain tumors.
3.Study on Iron Chelating Peptide Combined with Semaglutide Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease Mice
Shuang GUO ; Xiangrong SUN ; Yuxin ZHANG ; Juxia LIU ; Xiansheng HUANG ; Mingzhi ZHANG ; Zhenyou ZOU ; Wenjun ZHANG ; Ming CHEN ; Wei SHU
Chinese Journal of Modern Applied Pharmacy 2024;41(5):591-598
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide combined with semaglutide on the cognitive ability and pathological characteristics of D-Gal-induced Alzheimer's disease(AD) model mice.
METHODS
Forty mice were randomly divided into 5 groups, namely the healthy control group, PBS group, bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide group, combined treatment group and positive control group, with 8 mice in each group, half of each sex. Except for the healthy control group, D-galactose was injected to induce the AD mice model for 6 weeks. For 3 consecutive weeks starting from the 4th week, the bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide group was injected with bs-5-YHEDA(1 mg·mL–1) once every other day at 200 µL in the tail vein; the bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide(1 mg·mL–1) and semaglutide(25 nmol·kg–1·d–1) were given alternately once a day in the combination treatment group; the positive control group was given memantine(3.3 mg·kg–1·d–1) by gavage every other day. The healthy control group and PBS group were injected with the equal dose of PBS. At the end of treatment, the learning memory ability of mice was detected by the Morris water maze method, whole brain and whole blood were dissected, and pathological changes in hippocampal region were observed by HE staining, and Aβ expression and Tau protein phosphorylation levels were detected by immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting.
RESULTS
In the Morris water maze spatial exploration experiment, the differences in the number of times the mice traversed the platform, the ratio of swimming distance to the target quadrant, and the time ratio were statistically significant in each group(P<0.05); compared with the PBS group, the ratio of swimming distance to the target quadrant increased in the combined treatment group, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). The results of HE staining showed that compared with the healthy control mice, the hippocampal area in the PBS group showed reduced levels of pyramidal cells, disorganized arrangement, cell edema, and deep staining of nuclei consolidation. Cellular disorganization, deep staining of nuclei and apoptosis in the hippocampus were significantly improved in each treatment group after drug treatment. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting results showed that the Aβ expression levels and Tau protein phosphorylation levels were significantly higher in the PBS-administered mice compared with the healthy control mice, and the Aβ expression levels and Tau protein phosphorylation levels were reduced in each group after drug treatment, with statistically significant differences(P<0.01 or P<0.001 ).
CONCLUSION
The combination of bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide and semaglutide can effectively improve the learning and memory ability and pathological characteristics of AD mice, but from the results of immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting experiments, the improvement of pathological characteristics of AD mice in the combination treatment group is not obvious compared with the single bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide group, suggesting that there may be a threshold effect of our designed dual-target combination treatment on the cognitive improvement of AD mice, and the optimization and validation of the effect of multi-target combination treatment need further study.
4.ADAMDEC1 regulates growth and migration of pancreatic carcinoma cells through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway
Xiaoyong HUANG ; Xinyue FAN ; Xiangrong XU ; Xiaoyin LIN ; Yusi LIU ; Hai-Yan SHI ; Juan DU ; Hongmei JING
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology 2024;40(8):1369-1377
AIM:To investigate the effect of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase(ADAM)domain-like decy-sin 1(ADAMDEC1)knockdown on the proliferation,migration and invasion of pancreatic carcinoma cells.METHODS:Expression levels of ADAMDEC1 in pancreatic carcinoma tissues were analyzed using the GEPIA and UALCAN online da-tabases.Western blot analysis was employed to detect the protein expression levels of ADAMDEC1 in pancreatic carcino-ma cell lines(MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1)and pancreatic ductal cell line(hTERT-HPNE).The effects of ADAMDEC1 knockdown on cell proliferation,migration and invasion were evaluated using CCK-8,colony formation,wound-healing and Transwell assays.Additionally,Western blot analysis was used to detect the effects of ADAMDEC1 knockdown on the expression levels of migration and invasion markers,as well as Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related proteins in pancre-atic carcinoma cells.Furthermore,a recovery experiment was conducted to assess the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling path-way agonist CHIR-99021 in ADAMDEC1 knockdown-induced inhibition of pancreatic carcinoma cell growth and migra-tion.RESULTS:(1)ADAMDEC1 was highly expressed in pancreatic carcinoma cells.(2)Knockdown of ADAMDEC1 led to a significant reduction in the proliferation,migration and invasion of pancreatic carcinoma cells.(3)Knockdown of ADAMDEC1 resulted in increased E-cadherin protein expression and decreased levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9,N-cadherin and vimentin proteins,alongside a reduction in the expression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related pro-teins.(4)Co-treatment of pancreatic carcinoma cells with CHIR-99021 and ADAMDEC1 small interfering RNA reversed the inhibitory effects of ADAMDEC1 knockdown on cell proliferation,migration,and invasion.CONCLUSION:ADAMDEC1 is highly expressed in pancreatic carcinoma.Targeted silencing of ADAMDEC1 has the potential to inhibit the prolifera-tion,migration and invasion of pancreatic carcinoma cells by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
5.Association between serum BIN1 level and Killip class in patients with acute myocardial infraction.
Yanni WANG ; Xia HUANG ; Fuheng CHEN ; Yuanyuan GAO ; Xiangrong CUI ; Qin YAN ; Xuan JING
Journal of Southern Medical University 2024;44(12):2388-2395
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the correlation of serum levels of bridging integrating factor 1 (BIN1) with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and Killip class of the patients.
METHODS:
We retrospectively collected the data from 94 patients with AMI and 30 healthy individuals for analysis of the correlations of serum BIN1 levels with Killip class, TIMI scores, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). We also assessed the diagnostic value of BIN1 combined with NLR for AMI.
RESULTS:
Serum BIN1 levels were significantly lower in AMI patients than in the healthy individuals (P=0.032). The AMI patients with Killip class I had significantly lower serum BIN1 levels than the healthy individuals (P=0.008). Serum BIN1 level was an independent predictor of AMI with a predictive value of 0.630 (95% CI: 0.513-0.748) at the optimal cutoff level of 0.341 ng/mL, a specificity of 50%, and a sensitivity of 78.5%. Serum BIN1 level was also an independent predictor for Killip class I group in the AMI patients with a predictive value of 0.672 (95% CI: 0.548-0.797) at the optimal cutoff level of 0.287 ng/mL, a specificity of 74.1%, and a sensitivity of 60%. For AMI diagnosis, the combination of NLR and serum BIN1 level had a predictive value of 0.811 (95% CI: 0.727-0.895) at the optimal cutoff level of 0.548 ng/mL, with a specificity of 92.6% and a sensitivity of 62.2%. There was a positive correlation between serum BIN1 level and TIMI score in AMI patients (r=0.186, P=0.003).
CONCLUSIONS
BIN1 is correlated with AMI and can be helpful for predicting short-term prognosis of the patients, and BIN1 combined with NLR has a high diagnostic value for AMI.
Humans
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Myocardial Infarction/diagnosis*
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Tumor Suppressor Proteins/blood*
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Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/blood*
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Retrospective Studies
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Nuclear Proteins/blood*
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Lymphocytes/cytology*
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Neutrophils/cytology*
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Female
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Male
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Prognosis
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Middle Aged
6.Sodium alginate coating simultaneously increases the biosafety and immunotherapeutic activity of the cationic mRNA nanovaccine.
Xing DUAN ; Yi ZHANG ; Mengran GUO ; Na FAN ; Kepan CHEN ; Shugang QIN ; Wen XIAO ; Qian ZHENG ; Hai HUANG ; Xiawei WEI ; Yuquan WEI ; Xiangrong SONG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2023;13(3):942-954
The extraordinary advantages associated with mRNA vaccines, including their high efficiency, relatively low severity of side effects, and ease of manufacture, have enabled them to be a promising immunotherapy approach against various infectious diseases and cancers. Nevertheless, most mRNA delivery carriers have many disadvantages, such as high toxicity, poor biocompatibility, and low efficiency in vivo, which have hindered the widespread use of mRNA vaccines. To further characterize and solve these problems and develop a new type of safe and efficient mRNA delivery carrier, a negatively charged SA@DOTAP-mRNA nanovaccine was prepared in this study by coating DOTAP-mRNA with the natural anionic polymer sodium alginate (SA). Intriguingly, the transfection efficiency of SA@DOTAP-mRNA was significantly higher than that of DOTAP-mRNA, which was not due to the increase in cellular uptake but was associated with changes in the endocytosis pathway and the strong lysosome escape ability of SA@DOTAP-mRNA. In addition, we found that SA significantly increased the expression of LUC-mRNA in mice and achieved certain spleen targeting. Finally, we confirmed that SA@DOTAP-mRNA had a stronger antigen-presenting ability in E. G7-OVA tumor-bearing mice, dramatically inducing the proliferation of OVA-specific CLTs and ameliorating the antitumor effect. Therefore, we firmly believe that the coating strategy applied to cationic liposome/mRNA complexes is of potential research value in the field of mRNA delivery and has promising clinical application prospects.
7.Effect of trimethyltin chloride on brain metabolism detected by PET-CT
Anqing LIU ; Qingqiang TU ; Fengrong LU ; Ming HUANG ; Xiangrong SONG
China Occupational Medicine 2023;50(5):540-545
{L-End}Objective To explore the feasibility of using positron emission tomography (PET) -computed tomography (CT) to detect brain metabolic abnormalities caused by trimethyltin chloride (TMT) poisoning. {L-End}Methods Specific pathogen free healthy SD rats were randomly divided into model group and control group with six rats in each group. Rats in the model group were intraperitoneally injected with a single dose of 10 mg/kg body mass of TMT solution, and rats in the control group were intraperitoneally injected with a single dose of an equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Rats were anaesthetized after three days of modeling and underwent PET-CT brain scanning to detect the standardized uptake value (SUV) of 18F-2-fluro-D-deoxy-glucose (18F-FDG). After scanning, rats were sacrificed and brain tissues were collected for brain organ coefficients calculation and brain histopathological analysis. {L-End}Results The rats in the model group showed symptoms of head tremor, limb twitching, irritability and others after TMT modeling. There was no significant difference in the body mass between the two groups of rats on the third day of modeling (P>0.05). The 18F-FDG uptake in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and brainstem of the rats in the model group was significantly weakened compared with the control group, with deceased SUV values (all P<0.05). No obvious abnormalities were found in CT images and freshly collected brain tissues of rats of the control and model groups. The brain organ coefficients of rats in the two groups showed no significant difference (P>0.05). The results of hematoxylin-eosin staining of brain tissue showed that the cerebral cortex of rats in the model group had more tiny cavities than that of the control group, and some neuronal cells and a small number of hippocampal vertebral cells were tightly and deeply stained, with the cytoplasm and nucleus poorly demarcated, and pericellular space enlarged. The results of Nissen staining showed that the arrangement of neuronal cells in the model group was slightly disordered, and the interstitial space was slightly enlarged, but no other significant abnormal changes were observed. {L-End}Conclusion PET-CT can be used in detecting the metabolic abnormalities of brain in TMT poisoning rat model, making it a sensitive detection method for TMT poisoning.
8.A prospective multicenter clinical trial study of a domestic HeartCon third-generation magnetic and hydrodynamic levitation LVAD for the treatment of 50 cases of end-stage heart failure
Xiaocheng LIU ; Chunsheng WANG ; Xinmin ZHOU ; Bin YANG ; Liangwan CHEN ; Qi AN ; Tianxiang GU ; Zhiyun XU ; Jinsong HUANG ; Xiangrong KONG ; Yongfeng SHAO
Chinese Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2023;39(5):273-278
Objective:To analyze and evaluate the safety and efficacy of a Chinese domestically manufactured Heart Con-type implantable third-generation magnetic and hydrodynamic levitation left ventricular assist device(LVAD) for the treatment of end-stage heart failure(ESHF), by reporting the results of eleven-center clinical trial on 50 cases.Methods:This study was a multicenter clinical trial, designed by means of prospective, multicenter and single-group target value. 50 subjects with ESHF were competitively enrolled and treated with HeartCon as the LVAD in eleven centers. The primary efficacy measure was survival, defined as either the subjects experiencing the transition to heart transplantation(HT) or myocardial recovery assisted by the device within 90 days, or as successfully assisted by the LVAD for full 90 days after implantation. The target survival rate was 60%, other observations included implantation success rate, mortality, pump failure needing replacement or emergency heart transplantation.Results:All enrolled 50 patients received LVAD implantation successfully, 46 survived with the pump for 90 days, 1 patient transitioned to heart transplantation, and 3 patients experienced pump thrombosis, within which 2 patients underwent pump replacement and continued to live with the pump for 90 days, and the other one received emergency heart transplantation. There were no dropout subjects. The survival rate at full 90 days after HeartCon implantation was 100%. The survival rates with pump in the full set analysis and the protocol set analysis were 96.00% and 95.92% respectively, which were higher than the target value of 60%. The differences were both statistically significant( P<0.05). Conclusion:The results of the multicenter clinical trial with the largest sample size in China using domestically manufactured third-generation LVAD has demonstrated that, HeartCon is a safe and effective LVAD to treat ESHF patients.
9.Analysis of external quality assessment for laboratories of toxicological pathology diagnosis in 86 organizations in China from 2020 to 2021
Xiangrong SONG ; Tingfeng CAI ; Manqi HUANG ; Chaoya MA ; Danping CHEN ; Minwei LIANG ; Min LIU ; Yingyu XU ; Zhiqiang ZHAO
China Occupational Medicine 2023;50(4):455-460
Objective To analyze result of the external quality assessment for laboratories of toxicological pathology diagnosis in organizations in China. Methods A total of 86 organizations that participated in the 2020-2021 external quality assessment in laboratory of toxicological pathology diagnosis (hereinafter referred to as "reference units") were selected as research subjects using convenient sampling method, and the assessment results were analyzed. Results The median of total score was 92, and the 0-100 percentiles were 64-100 in these 86 reference units. Among these reference units, 76 were rated as excellent, 10 as qualified, with the excellent and the qualified rate of 88.4% and 11.6%, respectively. No reference unit was rated as unqualified. The rates of excellence of the reference units in public health institutions, pharmaceutical research institutions, drug safety evaluation centers and testing companies were 95.7%, 84.2%, 85.7% and 86.7%, and the qualified rates were 4.3%, 15.8%, 14.3% and 13.3%, respectively. The distribution of excellence and qualification among the four types of reference units showed no statistical difference (P>0.05). The distribution of sample scores according to the three grades of poor, good, and excellent were 4.9%, 20.7%, and 74.5% in public health institutions, 8.6%, 23.7%, and 67.8% in pharmaceutical research institutions, 12.5%, 25.0%, and 62.5% in drug safety evaluation centers, and 5.4%, 17.5%, and 77.1% in testing companies. The proportion of excellence unit in public health institutions was higher than that in pharmaceutical research institutions (P<0.05). Conclusion The overall toxicological pathology diagnostic capabilities in China are good, and various types of reference units demonstrate comparable technical capabilities. However, there is a need for standardization of diagnostic terminology.
10. Analysis of patho-toxicological diagnostic comparison results in 75 institutions
Tingfeng CAI ; Xiangrong SONG ; Danping CHEN ; Manqi HUANG ; Chaoya MA ; Xiaoyan CHEN ; Minwei LIANG ; Hailan WANG
China Occupational Medicine 2020;47(01):67-70
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic ability of toxicity pathology in patho-toxicological testing institutions in China. METHODS: The institutions participated in the 2018 Interlaboratory Comparison Activity of Toxicity Pathology Testing(hereinafter referred to as reference unit) were selected as the research subjects. The heart, spleen, skin, soft tissue, liver and mammary gland of SD rats of different groups in the 2-year carcinogenesis test were selected. The femur, knee joint and nose of Beagle dogs in the 4-week toxicity test and a total of 10 pathological tissues were selected as the comparison samples. The pathological diagnosis was carried out by the pathological diagnostic personnel of the reference unit, and the diagnostic results were reported. The expert appointed by the Toxicology and Pathology Committee of Chinese Toxicology Association compared the diagnostic results with the appointed value. RESULTS: A total of 167 pathological diagnostic personnel from 75 reference units in 24 provinces and municipalities participated in the comparison activity. The reference units were mainly distributed in East China, South China and North China, accounting for 77.3%(58/75). Totally 75 reference units fed back 750 effective diagnostic results. The qualified rates of diagnosis on heart, spleen, skin, soft tissue and breast samples were higher than 60.0%. The qualified rates of diagnosis on femur and knee joint, and nose samples were low(30.7% and 6.7%, respectively). There were 1(1.3%), 46(61.4%) and 28(37.3%) reference units rated as unqualified, qualified and excellent, respectively. CONCLUSION: Most of the testing institutions in China have a high level of patho-toxicological diagnostic ability, that can provide reliable diagnostic results for toxicology safety evaluation tests.


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