1.PANoptosis: a New Target for Cardiovascular Diseases
Xin-Nong CHEN ; Ying-Xi YANG ; Xiao-Chen GUO ; Jun-Ping ZHANG ; Na-Wen LIU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(5):1113-1125
The innate immune system detects cellular stressors and microbial infections, activating programmed cell death (PCD) pathways to eliminate intracellular pathogens and maintain homeostasis. Among these pathways, pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis represent the most characteristic forms of PCD. Although initially regarded as mechanistically distinct, emerging research has revealed significant crosstalk among their signaling cascades. Consequently, the concept of PANoptosis has been proposed—an inflammatory cell death pathway driven by caspases and receptor-interacting protein kinases (RIPKs), and regulated by the PANoptosome, which integrates key features of pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis. The core mechanism of PANoptosis involves the assembly and activation of the PANoptosome, a macromolecular complex composed of three structural components: sensor proteins, adaptor proteins, and effector proteins. Sensors detect upstream stimuli and transmit signals downstream, recruiting critical molecules via adaptors to form a molecular scaffold. This scaffold activates effectors, triggering intracellular signaling cascades that culminate in PANoptosis. The PANoptosome is regulated by upstream molecules such as interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1), transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), and adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1), which function as molecular switches to control PANoptosis. Targeting these switches represents a promising therapeutic strategy. Furthermore, PANoptosis is influenced by organelle functions, including those of the mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and lysosomes, highlighting organelle-targeted interventions as effective regulatory approaches. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the leading global cause of morbidity and mortality, are profoundly impacted by PCD. Extensive crosstalk among multiple cell death pathways in CVDs suggests a complex regulatory network. As a novel cell death modality bridging pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis, PANoptosis offers fresh insights into the complexity of cell death and provides innovative strategies for CVD treatment. This review summarizes current evidence linking PANoptosis to various CVDs, including myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, myocardial infarction, heart failure, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, cardiotoxic injury, atherosclerosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection, and vascular toxic injury, thereby providing critical clinical insights into CVD pathophysiology. However, the current understanding of PANoptosis in CVDs remains incomplete. First, while PANoptosis in cardiomyocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells has been implicated in CVD pathogenesis, its role in other cell types—such as vascular endothelial cells and immune cells (e.g., macrophages)—warrants further investigation. Second, although pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are known to activate the PANoptosome in infectious diseases, the stimuli driving PANoptosis in CVDs remain poorly defined. Additionally, methodological challenges persist in identifying PANoptosome assembly in CVDs and in establishing reliable PANoptosis models. Beyond the diseases discussed, PANoptosis may also play a role in viral myocarditis and diabetic cardiomyopathy, necessitating further exploration. In conclusion, elucidating the role of PANoptosis in CVDs opens new avenues for drug development. Targeting this pathway could yield transformative therapies, addressing unmet clinical needs in cardiovascular medicine.
2.From Golgiphagy to Golgimedicine — a new strategy for disease prevention and treatment targeting the Golgi apparatus
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):280-287
Functional disorders of the Golgi apparatus are harmful to the health of organisms, leading to various diseases. Removing damaged Golgi apparatus is crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis, therefore, autophagy of Golgi apparatus has gradually attracted attention. This article summarizes Golgi autophagy, briefly describes its structure and functions, Golgi autophagy receptors, and the role of Golgi autophagy in disease treatment. It also proposes the new concept of Golgimedicine, which looks forward to the role of Golgi in disease diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, genetic diseases, and rare diseases. This article aims to explore the scientific connotations of Golgi autophagy, Golgi structure and function from the perspective of Golgimedicine, providing theoretical references for drug target research, new drug development, and the healthy development of humanity.
3.The therapeutic effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction on acute lung injury in rats with severe acute pancreatitis model and its mechanism
Min-Chao FENG ; Fang LUO ; Xi-Ping TANG ; Kai LI ; Xiao-Dong ZHU ; Bing-Yu ZHANG ; Guo-Zhong CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(5):975-983
Aim To investigate the possible mechanism of action of Qingjie Huagong decoction(QJHGD)on acute lung injury(ALI)associated with severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)using network pharmacology,and to verify it by animal experiments.Methods The TC-MSP,BATMAN-TCM,ETCM,and SwissTargetPredic-tion databases were searched to obtain the action tar-gets of the blood-entering active ingredients of each drug in the QJHGD.The GeneCard database was searched to obtain SAP-ALI disease targets.The drug targets and disease targets were intersected to obtain common targets.Subsequently,the common targets were analyzed by STRING database and Cytoscape 3.7.1 software for protein interaction network analysis.GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was performed with the help of DAVID database.Finally,the key signa-ling pathways were verified by animal experiments.Results A total of 28 active ingredients were screened out for the treatment of SAP-ALI with 42 common tar-gets.PPI network analysis showed that STAT3,IL-6,and TGFB1 might be core targets;GO and KEGG en-richment analysis mainly involved cell proliferation,PI3K/AKT signaling pathways,etc.Animal experi-ments confirmed that QJHGD could improve the pathol-ogy of pancreas and lung tissues in SAP-ALI rat mod-el,down-regulate the expression levels of α-amylase,lipase,IL-1 β,IL-6,and TNF-α in serum,and down-regulate the expression levels of proteins and mRNAs related to PI3K/AKT1 signaling pathway in lung tis-sues.Conclusion QJHGD synergistically treats SAP-ALI through multi-component,multi-target,and multi-pathway,with a mechanism that may be related to the inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway activation.
4.Effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction on pancreatic necrotic apoptosis in rats with severe acute pancreatitis based on RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling pathway
Xiao-Dong ZHU ; Min-Chao FENG ; Kun-Rong LIU ; Ying BAN ; Xi-Ping TANG ; Guo-Zhong CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(8):1489-1494
Aim To explore the therapeutic effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction in regulating RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling pathway on pancreatic necrotic apoptosis in rats with severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)and the underlying mechanism.Methods The SAP rat model was established by retrograde pancreaticobili-ary injection of sodium taurocholate,and the sham-op-eration group,the model group,the group with differ-ent dosages of Qingjie Huagong decoction and the posi-tive control group were set up respectively.The group with different dosages of Qingjie Huagong decoction was given low,medium and high dosages of traditional Chinese medicine in the gastric gavage,the positive control group was given ulinastatin drug intervention,and the sham-operation and the model group were giv-en physiological saline in the gastric gavage;HE stai-ning was applied to observe pancreatic pathology;ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of α-am-ylase,IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α;immunohistochemis-try and Western blot were employed to determine the RIPK1,RIPK3,MLKL protein expression in rat pan-creatic tissue;and qRT-PCR was utilized to detect the transcription levels of R1PK1,RIPK3 and MLKL mR-NA in rat pancreatic tissue.Results Compared with the sham-operated group,the model group showed dif-fuse necrosis of pancreatic acinar cells,obvious inter-lobular septal edema,inflammatory cell infiltration,significantly higher levels of α-amylase,IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α(P<0.01),and significantly higher ex-pression levels of RIPK1,RIPK3,and MLKL proteins and mRNAs(P<0.01)in the model group;com-pared with the model group,the Qingjie Huagong de-coction dose groups and positive control group signifi-cantly improved pancreatic histopathology,reduced pancreatic tissue necrosis and apoptosis,lowered the expression levels of α-amylase,IL-1 β,IL-6 and TNF-α(P<0.01),and reduced the expression levels of RIPK1,RIPK3,and MLKL proteins and mRNAs(P<0.01).Conclusions Qingjie Huagong decoction may improve the necrotic apoptosis of pancreatic tissue by regulating the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling path-way,thus playing a role in protecting pancreatic tissue and slowing down the progression of the disease.
5.MTHFD2 Is a Negative Regulatory Molecule for the Formation of Heterotypic Cell-in-Cell Structures
Peng-Fei FENG ; Chen-Yu LIU ; Yi-Nuo HUANG ; Zhuo-Ran SUN ; Yang-Yi ZHANG ; Hong-Yan HUANG ; Chen-Xi WANG ; Xiao-Ning WANG
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2024;40(6):819-826
Heterotypic cell-in-cell structures(heCICs)mediate unique non-autonomous cell death,which are widely involved in a variety of important pathological processes,such as tumorigenesis,pro-gression and clinical prognosis.Methylenetetrahydrofolata dehydrogenase 2(MTHFD2),one of the key enzymes of one-carbon metabolism,is highly expressed in a variety of tumor cells.In this study,in order to investigate the effect of MTHFD2 on the formation of heCICs,liver cancer cells and immune cells were first labeled separately by live cell dyes,and the heCIC model was established by using fluorescence mi-croscopy for cell imaging and analysis.After transiently knocking down MTHFD2 in cells by RNAi,we found that the ability of PLC/PRF/5 and Hep3B to form heCICs with immune cells was significantly in-creased(all P<0.01).MTHFD2 recombinant expression plasmid was constructed by the homologous re-combination method,and MTHFD2 overexpression cell lines were further constructed.Then,the effect of MTHFD2 overexpression on the ability to form heCICs was detected by co-culturing the overexpression cell lines with immune cells.The results showed that the rate of heCIC formation was significantly re-duced after overexpression of MTHFD2(all P<0.001).In conclusion,this study demonstrated that MTHFD2 is a negative regulator of heCIC formation,providing a research basis for targeting MTHFD2 to promote heCIC formation and enhance the in-cell killing of immune cells.
6.Changes in Neutrophil Percentage-to-Albumin Ratio and Its Relationship with Short-Term Prognosis in Patients with Multiple Myeloma Treated with VRD
Xiao-Long LI ; Bi-Wei WANG ; Hui SUN ; Hong-Tao LIU ; Xi CHEN ; Huan WANG
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2024;32(6):1759-1763
Objective:To analyze the dynamic changes of neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) during treatment with bortezomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (VRD) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM),and explore the relationship between NPAR value and short-term prognosis of MM patients. Method:The data of 80 MM patients who underwent VRD chemotherapy at Tangshan Workers Hospital from January 2019 to April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. NPAR levels were measured before VRD chemotherapy (T0),and on the first day of the third (T1),sixth (T2),and eighth (T3) chemotherapy cycles. All patients were followed up for 1 year,with the recurrence,progression,or death occurring within 1 year after the completion of VRD treatment as the endpoint event. The patients were divided into a good prognosis group and a poor prognosis group based on the follow-up results. The changes in NPAR at T0,T1,T2,and T3 in the two groups were statistically analyzed. The restricted cubic spline method was used to analyzed the relationship between NPAR and adverse short-term prognosis in MM patients undergoing VRD chemotherapy. Results:Among the 80 MM patients,25 cases (31.25%) had poor short-term prognosis,including 19 cases (23.75%) of progression or recurrence,and 6 cases (7.50%) of all-cause mortality. The levels of neutrophils and NPAR in the poor prognosis group at T0,T1,T2 and T3 were higher than those in the good prognosis group at the same period,while the albumin levels in the poor prognosis group at T0,T1,and T2 were lower than those in the good prognosis group at the same period (P<0.05);There was no significant difference in albumin levels between the poor prognosis group and the good prognosis group at T3 (P>0.05). Within the poor prognosis group and the good prognosis group,the levels of neutrophils and NPAR decreased sequentially at T0,T1,T2,and T3,while the levels of albumin increased sequentially,and the differences between each stage were statistically significant (P<0.05). The restricted cubic spline model showed an approximate J-shaped curve between the risk of poor short-term prognosis and the pre-treatment NPAR level in MM patients (P<0.05). If the pre-treatment NPAR>0.52,the risk of poor short-term prognosis in MM patients increased with the increase of NPAR value. Conclusion:After VRD treatment,the NPAR value of MM patients gradually decreases,and there is a correlation between the NPAR value before VRD treatment and the risk of poor prognosis after treatment. If NPAR>0.52 before treatment,the higher the NPAR value,the higher the risk of poor short-term prognosis in MM patients.
7.Chemical constituents from the large polar fraction of the roots of Lindera reflexa and their antitumor activities
Zhi-Hao TIAN ; Xiao-Ya SUN ; Shan-Shan ZHANG ; Zhi-Ning GAO ; Yan LI ; Ruo-Xi CHEN ; Sui-Qing CHEN
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2024;46(8):2617-2623
AIM To study the chemical constituents from the large polar fraction of the roots of Lindera reflexa Hemsl.and their antitumor activities.METHODS The large polar fraction from the roots of L.reflexa was isolated and purified by silica gel column,Sephadex LH-20 gel column,semi-preparative HPLC and ODS medium pressure column,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.The antitumor activities were determined by MTT method.RESULTS Thirteen compounds were isolated and identified as 2,6-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(1),3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethoxyphenol-β-D-glucopyranoside(2),syringin(3),1-O-3,4-dimethoxy-5-hydroxyphenyl-(6-O-3,5-dimethoxygalloyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside(4),p-cymen-7-yl β-D-glucopyranoside(5),pisumionoside(6),staphylionoside D(7),dendranthemoside B(8),lynoiside(9),nudiposide(10),icariside B1(11),(2S)-pinocembrin-7-O-(6-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside)(12),(+)-N-(methoxycarbonyl)-N-norboldine(13).Compounds 3 and 13 showed obvious cytotoxicity against human lung cancer cells(A549)and human gastric cancer cells(MGC80-3).CONCLUSION Compounds 1-13 are isolated from the roots of L.reflexa for the first time.Compounds 3 and 13 have good anti-tumor activities.
8.Progress of screening, diagnosis and treatment strategies for mycoplasma infections in female genital tract
Liuyan CHEN ; Siqi XI ; Bingbing XIAO
Chinese Journal of General Practitioners 2024;23(12):1358-1364
Healthcare professionals should be aware that genital mycoplasma infections are common in clinical practice, which are mainly caused by Mycoplasma hominis (Mh), Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) and Mycoplasma genitalium (Mg). Mh and UU can colonize the urogenital tract of healthy individuals and are associated with bacterial vaginosis, urethritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and preterm birth; while Mg may cause urethritis, cervicitis, endometritis and pelvic inflammatory disease, bringing more threat to reproductive health in women. Mh and UU can be detected by culture on special media, while isolating Mg and subtyping UU require molecular biological techniques. Currently, there are no unified guidelines for the screening and treatment of genital mycoplasmas infections worldwide. The article reviews the progress of screening, diagnosis and treatment strategies for mycoplasma infections in female genital tract, aiming to provide a reference for clinical management of this conditon.
9.The occurrence and influencing factors of vascular calcification in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients of stage 3-5
Miaorong XUE ; Wenjiao ZHU ; Zhiman LAI ; Shaozhen FENG ; Yan WANG ; Jianbo LI ; Jianwen YU ; Xi XIA ; Qiong WEN ; Xin WANG ; Xiao YANG ; Haiping MAO ; Xionghui CHEN ; Zhijian LI ; Fengxian HUANG ; Wei CHEN ; Shurong LI ; Qunying GUO
Chinese Journal of Nephrology 2024;40(6):431-441
Objective:To explore the prevalence and independent associated factors of vascular calcification (VC) in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients of stage 3-5.Methods:It was a single-center cross-sectional observational study. Non-dialysis stage 3-5 CKD patients ≥18 years old who were admitted to the Department of Nephrology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from May 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 with VC evaluation were enrolled. The patients' general information, laboratory examination and imaging data were collected. Coronary artery calcification (CAC), thoracic aorta calcification (TAC), abdominal aorta calcification (AAC), carotid artery calcification and aortic valve calcification (AVC) were evaluated by cardiac-gated electron-beam CT (EBCT) scans, lateral lumbar x-ray, cervical macrovascular ultrasound and echocardiography, respectively. The differences in clinical data and the prevalence of VC at different sites of patients with different CKD stages were compared, and the prevalence of VC at different sites of patients in different age groups [youth group (18-44 years old), middle-aged group (45-64 years old) and elderly group (≥65 years old)] and patients with or without diabetes were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the independent associated factors of VC for different areas.Results:A total of 206 patients aged (51±14) years were included, including 129 (62.6%) males. There were 44 patients with CKD stage 3 (21.4%), 51 patients with CKD stage 4 (24.8%), and 111 patients with CKD stage 5 (53.9%). CKD was caused by chronic glomerulonephritis [104 cases (50.5%)], diabetic kidney damage [35 cases (17.0%)], hypertensive kidney damage [29 cases (14.1%)] and others [38 cases (18.4%)]. Among 206 patients, 131 (63.6%) exhibited cardiovascular calcification, and the prevalence of CAC, TAC, AAC, carotid artery calcification, and AVC was 37.9%, 43.7%, 37.9%, 35.9% and 9.7%, respectively. The overall prevalence of VC in young, middle-aged and elderly patients was 24.6%, 73.6% and 97.4%, respectively. With the increase of age, the prevalence of VC in each site gradually increased, and the increasing trend was statistically significant (all P<0.001). The overall prevalence of VC in CKD patients with diabetes was 92.5% (62/67), and the prevalence of VC at each site in the patients with diabetes was significantly higher than that in the patients without diabetes (all P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age (every 10 years increase, OR=2.51, 95% CI 1.77-3.56, P<0.001), hypertension ( OR=5.88, 95% CI 1.57-22.10, P=0.009), and diabetes ( OR=4.66, 95% CI 2.10-10.35, P<0.001) were independently correlated with CAC; Age (every 10 years increase, OR=6.43, 95% CI 3.64-11.36, P<0.001) and hypertension ( OR=6.09, 95% CI 1.33-27.84, P=0.020) were independently correlated with TAC; Female ( OR=0.23, 95% CI 0.07-0.72, P=0.011), age (every 10 years increase, OR=3.90, 95% CI 2.42-6.29, P<0.001), diabetes ( OR=5.37, 95% CI 2.19-13.19, P<0.001) and serum magnesium ( OR=0.01,95% CI 0-0.35, P=0.014) were independently correlated with AAC. Moreover, age and diabetes were independently correlated with carotid artery calcification, AVC and overall VC Conclusions:The prevalence of VC in non-dialysis CKD patients of stage 3-5 is 63.59%, of which CAC reaches 37.9%, TAC is the most common one (43.7%), while AVC is the least one (9.7%). Age and diabetes are the independent associated factors for VC of all sites except TAC, while hypertension is an independent associated factor for both CAC and TAC.
10.Background, design, and preliminary implementation of China prospective multicenter birth cohort
Si ZHOU ; Liping GUAN ; Hanbo ZHANG ; Wenzhi YANG ; Qiaoling GENG ; Niya ZHOU ; Wenrui ZHAO ; Jia LI ; Zhiguang ZHAO ; Xi PU ; Dan ZHENG ; Hua JIN ; Fei HOU ; Jie GAO ; Wendi WANG ; Xiaohua WANG ; Aiju LIU ; Luming SUN ; Jing YI ; Zhang MAO ; Zhixu QIU ; Shuzhen WU ; Dongqun HUANG ; Xiaohang CHEN ; Fengxiang WEI ; Lianshuai ZHENG ; Xiao YANG ; Jianguo ZHANG ; Zhongjun LI ; Qingsong LIU ; Leilei WANG ; Lijian ZHAO ; Hongbo QI
Chinese Journal of Perinatal Medicine 2024;27(9):750-755
China prospective multicenter birth cohort (Prospective Omics Health Atlas birth cohort, POHA birth cohort) study was officially launched in 2022. This study, in collaboration with 12 participating units, aims to establish a high-quality, multidimensional cohort comprising 20 000 naturally conceived families and assisted reproductive families. The study involves long-term follow-up of parents and offspring, with corresponding biological samples collected at key time points. Through multi-omics testing and analysis, the study aims to conduct multi-omics big data research across the entire maternal and infant life cycle. The goal is to identify new biomarkers for maternal and infant diseases and provide scientific evidence for risk prediction related to maternal diseases and neonatal health.

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