Eucommiae Cortex, the dried bark of Eucommia ulmoides( Eucommiaceae), has both medicinal and edible values.Modern research has shown that Eucommiae Cortex contains various components such as flavonoids, lignans, iridoids, phenolic acids,terpenoids, and steroids, which have anti-osteoporosis, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, blood glucose-lowering, and gastrointestinal tract-protecting effects. Eucommiae Cortex has applications in multiple fields such as healthcare, industry, and animal husbandry,demonstrating broad development prospects. This article reviews the chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and quality control status of Eucommiae Cortex. Furthermore, according to the concept of quality marker(Q-marker), this article predicts the Q-markers of Eucommiae Cortex from traditional medicinal properties, traditional medicinal effects, new medicinal effects, measurability of chemical components, compatibility, harvesting periods, and geographical origins. The components such as pinoresinol diglucoside,chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, baicalein, baicalin, olivil, coniferyl ferulate, and kaempferol can be used as Q-markers for Eucommiae Cortex, which provide reference for establishing a systematic quality control system for Eucommiae Cortex.
Eucommiaceae/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Quality Control ; Humans ; Animals

Objective To investigate the effects of open reading frame 1 protein(ORF1p),encoded by long interspersed nuclear element-1(LINE-1),on the proliferation,migration,and invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)cells,and explore the underlying molecular mechanism.Methods① Western blotting was performed to compare the expression of ORF1p between normal esophageal squamous epithelial cells and ESCC cells.② Immunohistochemistry(IHC)assay was used to examine ORF1p expression in ESCC tissues and paired normal tissues adjacent to tumor.③ The effects of ORF1p knockdown and overexpression on malignant behaviors in ESCC cells were determined through functional assays.④ Xenograft tumor model in nude mice was established to evaluate the impact of ORF1p on tumor growth in vivo.⑤ Transcriptome sequencing combined with cell functional rescue experiments were conducted to identify downstream targets regulated by ORF1p.Results ① Western blot analysis demonstrated the expression of ORF1p was significantly higher in the ESCC cell lines than the normal esophageal squamous epithelial cells(P<0.05).② IHC confirmed remarkable up-regulation of ORF1p in ESCC tissues than paired adjacent normal tissues(P<0.000 1).③ Functional assays and experiments on xenograft tumor models revealed that ORF1p substantially enhanced the proliferation,migration,and invasion of ESCC cells,as well as tumorigenic potential in vivo(P<0.05).④ Functional rescue experiments showed that ORF1p facilitated the proliferation,migration,and invasion of ESCC cells by modulating AJUBA expression(P<0.05).Conclusion ORF1p is significantly up-regulated in ESCC and promotes the proliferation,migration,and invasion of ESCC cells by regulating AJUBA expression.

Gastric cancer remains one of the most prevalent and lethal malignancies of the digestive tract worldwide,underscoring the urgent need for more effective targeted therapeutic strategies.Poly(ADP-ri-bose)polymerase(PARP)inhibitors have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in tumors with homologous recombination repair(HRR)deficiency;however,their clinical application in gastric cancer remains limited.Clinical evidence suggests that patients harboring Helicobacter pylori infection in combination with HRR gene mutations exhibit a significantly elevated risk of developing gastric cancer,thereby supporting the potential benefit of PARP inhibition in this setting.In this study,a kinase inhibitor library was screened in combination with the PARP inhibitor olaparib in gastric cancer cells.And we identify the cy-clin-dependent kinase 8/19(CDK8/19)inhibitor Senexin A as a compound that synergistically enhances the cytotoxic effect of PARP inhibition(P<0.05).Phenotypic validation using CCK-8 and colony for-mation assays demonstrated that the combination treatment significantly suppressed cellular proliferation and clonogenic potential compared to either monotherapy(P<0.0001).Mechanistically,alkaline comet assays revealed a significant increase in DNA damage in the combination treatment group relative to either single-agent group(P<0.0001),suggesting that the synergistic effect results from the exacerbation of DNA damage via impaired DNA repair mechanisms.In addition,treatment with CDK8/19 inhibitors a-lone markedly increased the formation of γH2AX and 53BP1 foci in irradiated gastric cancer cells(P<0.0001),indicating inhibition of DNA damage repair pathways.Transcriptome sequencing further re-vealed that CDK8/19 inhibition impacts critical cellular pathways,including DNA repair,cell cycle reg-ulation,and RNA splicing.Co-immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that inhibition of CDK8/19 kinase activity significantly reduces the phosphorylation level of PARP1,suggesting a potential regulatory inter-action.Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues from gastric cancer pa-tients demonstrated that CDK8 is significantly overexpressed in tumor tissues,supporting its potential as both a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target.Collectively,this study elucidates a mechanistic ba-sis by which CDK8/19 inhibition enhances the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to PARP inhibitors.These findings provide a strong rationale for the combined use of CDK8/19 and PARP inhibitors as a tar-geted therapeutic strategy and offer promising translational implications for advancing personalized medi-cine in gastric cancer treatment.

OBJECTIVE To explore the functional substance basis of Jinhong Tablet in the treatment of chronic superficial gastri-tis(CSG).METHODS Three different models were constructed to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects,func-tional material basis of Jinhong Tablet:inflammatory model in human gastric epithelial cells(GES-1)induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS),LPS-induced inflammatory model in mouse gastric organoids,and ethanol-induced oxidative damage model in GES-1 cells.MTS assay was performed to detect cell proliferation activity;qPCR was applied to measure the relative mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6),and interleukin-8(IL-8)in cells and gastric organoids;and the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA),and reactive oxygen species(ROS)in cells were detected.RESULTS Jinhong Tablet and 10 functional components significantly reduced the relative expression of inflammation-relat-ed genes TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,and IL-8 in LPS-induced GES-1 cells and gastric organoids,suggesting that these 10 components are the functional substance basis for the anti-inflammatory effects of Jin Hong Tablet.Jin Hong Tablet and 11 functional components markedly decreased the levels of MDA and ROS and increased the activity of SOD,indicating that these 11 components were the func-tional substance basis of the antioxidant effects of Jinhong Tablet.CONCLUSION Through in vitro cell and gastric organoid experi-ments,it has been preliminarily determined that allocryptopine,corydaline,dehydrocorydaline,palmatine hydrochloride,chlorogenic acid,costunolide,rutin,quercitrin,dehydrocostus lactone,tetrahydrocoptisine,isochlorogenic acid B,toosendanin,protopine,and quercetin are the functional material basis of Jinhong Tablet in treating CSG,accumulating scientific evidence for the enhancement of the quality standards of Jinhong Tablet.

OBJECTIVE To explore the functional substance basis of Jinhong Tablet in the treatment of chronic superficial gastri-tis(CSG).METHODS Three different models were constructed to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects,func-tional material basis of Jinhong Tablet:inflammatory model in human gastric epithelial cells(GES-1)induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS),LPS-induced inflammatory model in mouse gastric organoids,and ethanol-induced oxidative damage model in GES-1 cells.MTS assay was performed to detect cell proliferation activity;qPCR was applied to measure the relative mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6),and interleukin-8(IL-8)in cells and gastric organoids;and the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA),and reactive oxygen species(ROS)in cells were detected.RESULTS Jinhong Tablet and 10 functional components significantly reduced the relative expression of inflammation-relat-ed genes TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,and IL-8 in LPS-induced GES-1 cells and gastric organoids,suggesting that these 10 components are the functional substance basis for the anti-inflammatory effects of Jin Hong Tablet.Jin Hong Tablet and 11 functional components markedly decreased the levels of MDA and ROS and increased the activity of SOD,indicating that these 11 components were the func-tional substance basis of the antioxidant effects of Jinhong Tablet.CONCLUSION Through in vitro cell and gastric organoid experi-ments,it has been preliminarily determined that allocryptopine,corydaline,dehydrocorydaline,palmatine hydrochloride,chlorogenic acid,costunolide,rutin,quercitrin,dehydrocostus lactone,tetrahydrocoptisine,isochlorogenic acid B,toosendanin,protopine,and quercetin are the functional material basis of Jinhong Tablet in treating CSG,accumulating scientific evidence for the enhancement of the quality standards of Jinhong Tablet.

Gastric cancer remains one of the most prevalent and lethal malignancies of the digestive tract worldwide,underscoring the urgent need for more effective targeted therapeutic strategies.Poly(ADP-ri-bose)polymerase(PARP)inhibitors have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in tumors with homologous recombination repair(HRR)deficiency;however,their clinical application in gastric cancer remains limited.Clinical evidence suggests that patients harboring Helicobacter pylori infection in combination with HRR gene mutations exhibit a significantly elevated risk of developing gastric cancer,thereby supporting the potential benefit of PARP inhibition in this setting.In this study,a kinase inhibitor library was screened in combination with the PARP inhibitor olaparib in gastric cancer cells.And we identify the cy-clin-dependent kinase 8/19(CDK8/19)inhibitor Senexin A as a compound that synergistically enhances the cytotoxic effect of PARP inhibition(P<0.05).Phenotypic validation using CCK-8 and colony for-mation assays demonstrated that the combination treatment significantly suppressed cellular proliferation and clonogenic potential compared to either monotherapy(P<0.0001).Mechanistically,alkaline comet assays revealed a significant increase in DNA damage in the combination treatment group relative to either single-agent group(P<0.0001),suggesting that the synergistic effect results from the exacerbation of DNA damage via impaired DNA repair mechanisms.In addition,treatment with CDK8/19 inhibitors a-lone markedly increased the formation of γH2AX and 53BP1 foci in irradiated gastric cancer cells(P<0.0001),indicating inhibition of DNA damage repair pathways.Transcriptome sequencing further re-vealed that CDK8/19 inhibition impacts critical cellular pathways,including DNA repair,cell cycle reg-ulation,and RNA splicing.Co-immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that inhibition of CDK8/19 kinase activity significantly reduces the phosphorylation level of PARP1,suggesting a potential regulatory inter-action.Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues from gastric cancer pa-tients demonstrated that CDK8 is significantly overexpressed in tumor tissues,supporting its potential as both a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target.Collectively,this study elucidates a mechanistic ba-sis by which CDK8/19 inhibition enhances the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to PARP inhibitors.These findings provide a strong rationale for the combined use of CDK8/19 and PARP inhibitors as a tar-geted therapeutic strategy and offer promising translational implications for advancing personalized medi-cine in gastric cancer treatment.

ObjectiveGastric cancer (GC) seriously affects human health and life, and research has shown that it is closely related to the serine/glycine metabolism. The proliferation ability of tumor cells is greatly influenced by the metabolism of serine and glycine. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of serine/glycine metabolism can affect the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. MethodsIn this work, a stable metabolic dynamic model of gastric cancer cells was established via a large-scale metabolic network dynamic modeling method in terms of a potential landscape description of stochastic and non-gradient systems. Based on the regulation of the model, a quantitative analysis was conducted to investigate the dynamic mechanism of serine/glycine metabolism affecting the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. We introduced random noise to the kinetic equations of the general metabolic network, and applied stochastic kinetic decomposition to obtain the Lyapunov function of the metabolic network parameter space. A stable metabolic network was achieved by further reducing the change in the Lyapunov function tied to the stochastic fluctuations. ResultsDespite the unavailability of a large number of dynamic parameters, we were able to successfully construct a dynamic model for the metabolic network in gastric cancer cells. When extracellular serine is available, the model preferentially consumes serine. In addition, when the conversion rate of glycine to serine increases, the model significantly upregulates the steady-state fluxes of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosyl homocysteine (SAH). ConclusionIn this paper, we provide evidence supporting the preferential uptake of serine by gastric cancer cells and the important role of serine/glycine conversion rate in SAM generation, which may affect the proliferation ability of gastric cancer cells by regulating the cellular methylation process. This provides a new idea and direction for targeted cancer therapy based on serine/glycine metabolism.

Modulating Tankyrases (TNKS), interactions with USP25 to promote TNKS degradation, rather than inhibiting their enzymatic activities, is emerging as an alternative/specific approach to inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Here, we identified UAT-B, a novel neoantimycin analog isolated from Streptomyces conglobatus, as a small-molecule inhibitor of TNKS-USP25 protein-protein interaction (PPI) to overcome multi-drug resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). The disruption of TNKS-USP25 complex formation by UAT-B led to a significant decrease in TNKS levels, triggering cell apoptosis through modulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Importantly, UAT-B successfully inhibited the CRC cells growth that harbored high TNKS levels, as demonstrated in various in vitro and in vivo studies utilizing cell line-based and patient-derived xenografts, as well as APC^min/+ spontaneous CRC models. Collectively, these findings suggest that targeting the TNKS-USP25 PPI using a small-molecule inhibitor represents a compelling therapeutic strategy for CRC treatment, and UAT-B emerges as a promising candidate for further preclinical and clinical investigations.

The voltage-gated sodium channel subtype Nav1.7 is highly expressed in nociceptive sensory neurons and is a key pathogenic target in several human hereditary pain syndromes. In recent years, a large number of studies have shown that Nav1.7 plays an important role in inflammatory, neuropathic, and nociceptive pain. Therefore, targeting Nav1.7 is a new strategy and hotspot for the development of novel analgesics. This review introduces the structure and function of Nav1.7, its regulatory role in pain, highlights the development progress of small-molecule Nav1.7 inhibitors in clinical trials, and analyzes the preclinical development of highly specific Nav1.7 inhibitors, with a view to providing reference for the development of Nav1.7 analgesic drugs.

Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis