1.Mechanistic study on low expression of Ace2 gene activated senescence-related signals and promoted the progression of silicotic fibrosis in mice
Yifei BAI ; Zejin LI ; Xuliang AN ; Wenchen CAI ; Xuemin GAO ; Yaqian LI
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(5):344-352
Objective:To observe the effects of low expressed Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 ( Ace2) gene on senescence related signals of alveolar type Ⅱ epithelial cells in silicotic mice. Methods:In March 2022, 20 8-12W SPF male wild-type C57BL/6 mice and 20 Ace2 gene knockdown mice (Ace2 +/-, C57BL/6 background) were randomly divided into wild-type control group, Ace2 low expression group, wild-type silicosis group, Ace2 low expression silicosis group, with 10 mice in each group. In vitro MLE-12 cells were divided into control group, MLN-4760 (ACE2 inhibitor) group, SiO 2 group and SiO 2+MLN-4760 group. The expression of ACE2, collagen I (Col I), fibronectin 1 (Fn1), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), phosphorylation-ataxia telangiectasia-mutated serine/threonine kinase (p-ATM), phosphorylation-ATM Rad3-related kinase (p-ATR), p-p53, p21 and p16 in mice and MLE-12 cells were detected by Western blotting. The expression and location of β-galactosidase were detected by immunofluorescence, β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) staining were used to detect the senescence of MLE-12 cells. Results:HE and VG staining results showed that typical silicon nodules with collagen deposition were formed in the lung of wild-type silicotic mice and Ace2 low expression silicotic mice. Immunofluorescence staining results showed that β-galactosidase was mainly located in alveolar type Ⅱ epithelial cells. Western blot results showed that, compared with wild-type silicosis group, the expression of Col I, α-SMA, p-ATM, p-ATR, p-p53, p21 and p16 in Ace2 low expression silicosis group were significantly up-regulated by 540.71%、26.58%、336.84%、139.58%、152.78%、120.10% and 994.63% ( P<0.05). In MLE-12 cells, results of western blot showed that compared with SiO 2 group, the expression levels of p-ATM, p-ATR, p-p53, p21 and p16 in SiO 2+MLN-4760 group were significantly up-regulated by 168.71%、750.78%、149.51%、554.26% and 254.07% ( P<0.05). Immunofluorescence staining results showed that compared with SiO 2 group, β-galactosidase positive cells were strongly up-regulated in SiO 2+MLN-4760 group, and SA-β-Gal staining results showed that compared with SiO 2 group, the number of senescent cells in SiO 2+MLN-4760 group increased by 63.18% ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:Low expression of Ace2 gene activated senescence related signals of alveolar type Ⅱ epithelial cells and promoted the progression of silicotic fibrosis in mice.
2.Construction and verification of neonatal ABO-blood group system hemolytic disease of the newborn risk prediction model
Wa LI ; Qilin TAN ; Xuliang WU ; Yimin WEN ; Xiujuan LIAO ; Zhuohong HUANG
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(1):54-59
Objective To construct a model that can predict the risk of diagnosing ABO-blood group sys-tem hemolytic disease of the newborn(ABO-HDN)and to verify its effectiveness.Methods A total of 446 children with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia who met the inclusion criteria and were first diagnosed in this hos-pital from January 2022 to March 2023 were selected as the modeling group,and were divided into the develo-ping group(200 cases)and the non-developing group(246 cases)according to whether ABO-HDN was diag-nosed.Totally 17 potential influencing factors were included for univariate analysis and multi-factor analysis,and independent risk factors were included in R software to establish a Nomogram model to predict the risk of ABO-HDN.Another 105 cases of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in the hospital from April to September 2023 were selected as the verification group.Results In the modeling group,Logistic regression analysis showed that maternal pregnancy number,prenatal serum titer,hemoglobin level,white blood cell count,creatine ki-nase level and neonatal Apgar 1 min score were all independent risk factors for ABO-HDN(P<0.05).Multi-variate Logistic regression analysis showed that the area under receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve of the modeling group was 0.819(95%CI:0.779-0.859),sensitivity was 0.655,specificity was 0.878.In the verification group,the area under ROC curve was 0.867(95%CI:0.800-0.933),the sensitivity was 0.803,and the specificity was 0.773.Conclusion The established predictive model scoring system can effec-tively predict the risk of ABO-HDN.
3.Flavonoid extract from Dracocephalum rupestre hance in improving gouty arthritis:study based on network pharmacology,molecular docking and animal experiment
Weidong YANG ; Ruiqi WANG ; Haihua WANG ; Tianxiang YE ; Shenghui CHENG ; Huifang LI ; Xuliang HAO
Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2025;30(6):763-773
AIM:To investigate the mechanism of flavonoid extract from Dracocephalum rupestre hance(DRHF)in the treatment of gouty arthritis through network pharmacology,molecular docking and animal experiment.METHODS:Literature re-trieval was used to explore the main active chemi-cal components and targets of DRHF.Gouty arthri-tis disease targets were obtained using Gene Cards and OMIM databases,and drug-disease intersect-ing targets were obtained using Wayne online tools.protein-protein interactions(PPI)and other related network diagrams were constructed using Cytoscape software.GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed on the shared intersect-ing targets using Metascape database.A rat model of gouty arthritis was established by Coderre meth-od;the swelling degree of ankle joint,gait behav-iour scores of rats were observed,and hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was performed.ELISA and real-time PCR were used to detect the key targets pre-dicted by the network pharmacology,and the ef-fects of DRHF on the molecular mechanism and key targets of gouty arthritis were observed.RESULTS:A total of 7 active compounds and 129 candidate targets for the treatment of GA were obtained,in-cluding IL-6,IL-1β,RELA,TNF,PPARG,etc.and the KEGG enrichment results suggested that DRHF may be involved in PI3K-Akt,TNF,IL-17 and other signal transduction pathways.Animal results:HE staining showed that the thickening of synovial tissue was not obvious in each administered group,and syno-vial cell proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltra-tion were significantly improved;compared with the normal group,the serum levels of TNF,IL-6,and IL-1β in the model group were significantly higher(P<0.05),and the mRNA of PPARG,IL-6,and RELA in the synovial tissues were significantly high-er;compared with the model group,the levels of TNF,IL-6,and IL-1β were significantly lower(P<0.05)in the low group of DRHF(0.45 g/kg)and high group of DRHF(0.9 g/kg),TNF,IL-6,IL-1β lev-els were significantly reduced(P<0.05);PPARG,IL-6,RELA mRNA in synovial tissue were significantly reduced.CONCLUSION:DRHF inhibits IL-17/PI-3K/TNF signaling pathway by down-regulating the ex-pression of IL-6,PPARG and RELA mRNA,decreas-ing the levels of IL-6,IL-1β and TNF,and then treat-ing gouty arthritis.
4.Exploring the mechanism of action of BLJZF in the treatment of lipid abnormalities
Gen LIU ; Weidong YANG ; Jia LI ; Cong LIU ; Xuliang HAO
Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2025;30(4):464-476
AIM:To explore the mechanism of BLJZF in the treatment of abnormal lipid metabo-lism based on network pharmacology,molecular docking andin vivo animal experiments.METHODS:TCMSP database,Swiss Target Prediction database,STITCH database and literature search were used to collect and query the chemical composition infor-mation of BLJZF and the corresponding target of drug chemical composition.Disease targets of lipid abnormalities were collected through GeneCards and OMIM databases.Metascape database was used to analyze the gene ontology function and the Kyoto Encyclopedia gene and genome pathway en-richment of common intersection targets.Cyto-scape software was used to construct the correla-tion network diagram of components and targets,so as to select major components and targets for molecular docking study.The hyperlipidemia model was induced by high fat diet,and the control group,model group,positive group and BLJZF group were set up.The serum lipid index contents of triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low lipo-protein cholesterol(LDL-C)and high lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)were detected after continuous administration for 4 weeks.The contents of oxida-tive stress index were detected:alanine amino-transferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST).The contents of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)were detected by ELI-SA.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to de-tect the pathological changes of liver tissue.RE-SULTS:A total of 25 components and 315 corre-sponding targets of BLJZF were obtained,1729 tar-gets of lipid abnormalities and 116 common tar-gets of BLJZF,among which the core targets were AKT1,TNF,IL1β,CASP3,etc.GO and KEGG enrich-ment analysis suggested that BLJZF may play a role through the lipid and atherosclerotic pathway,PI3K-Akt,AGE-RAGE in diabetic complications and other signaling pathways.Molecular docking showed that most of the core targets had high binding activity with the active ingredients.Animal experiments showed that compared with model group,TC,TG,LDL-C,ALT,AST and MDA in BLJZF group were sig-nificantly decreased,HDL-C and SOD were signifi-cantly increased,and the degree of liver fat defor-mation was reduced.CONCLUSION:BLJZF has a therapeutic effect on lipid abnormalities.It can treat lipid metabolism abnormalities through multi-component,multi-target and multi-pathway,and provide reference for subsequent drug research on BLJZF.
5.Mechanistic study on low expression of Ace2 gene activated senescence-related signals and promoted the progression of silicotic fibrosis in mice
Yifei BAI ; Zejin LI ; Xuliang AN ; Wenchen CAI ; Xuemin GAO ; Yaqian LI
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(5):344-352
Objective:To observe the effects of low expressed Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 ( Ace2) gene on senescence related signals of alveolar type Ⅱ epithelial cells in silicotic mice. Methods:In March 2022, 20 8-12W SPF male wild-type C57BL/6 mice and 20 Ace2 gene knockdown mice (Ace2 +/-, C57BL/6 background) were randomly divided into wild-type control group, Ace2 low expression group, wild-type silicosis group, Ace2 low expression silicosis group, with 10 mice in each group. In vitro MLE-12 cells were divided into control group, MLN-4760 (ACE2 inhibitor) group, SiO 2 group and SiO 2+MLN-4760 group. The expression of ACE2, collagen I (Col I), fibronectin 1 (Fn1), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), phosphorylation-ataxia telangiectasia-mutated serine/threonine kinase (p-ATM), phosphorylation-ATM Rad3-related kinase (p-ATR), p-p53, p21 and p16 in mice and MLE-12 cells were detected by Western blotting. The expression and location of β-galactosidase were detected by immunofluorescence, β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) staining were used to detect the senescence of MLE-12 cells. Results:HE and VG staining results showed that typical silicon nodules with collagen deposition were formed in the lung of wild-type silicotic mice and Ace2 low expression silicotic mice. Immunofluorescence staining results showed that β-galactosidase was mainly located in alveolar type Ⅱ epithelial cells. Western blot results showed that, compared with wild-type silicosis group, the expression of Col I, α-SMA, p-ATM, p-ATR, p-p53, p21 and p16 in Ace2 low expression silicosis group were significantly up-regulated by 540.71%、26.58%、336.84%、139.58%、152.78%、120.10% and 994.63% ( P<0.05). In MLE-12 cells, results of western blot showed that compared with SiO 2 group, the expression levels of p-ATM, p-ATR, p-p53, p21 and p16 in SiO 2+MLN-4760 group were significantly up-regulated by 168.71%、750.78%、149.51%、554.26% and 254.07% ( P<0.05). Immunofluorescence staining results showed that compared with SiO 2 group, β-galactosidase positive cells were strongly up-regulated in SiO 2+MLN-4760 group, and SA-β-Gal staining results showed that compared with SiO 2 group, the number of senescent cells in SiO 2+MLN-4760 group increased by 63.18% ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:Low expression of Ace2 gene activated senescence related signals of alveolar type Ⅱ epithelial cells and promoted the progression of silicotic fibrosis in mice.
6.Exploring the mechanism of action of BLJZF in the treatment of lipid abnormalities
Gen LIU ; Weidong YANG ; Jia LI ; Cong LIU ; Xuliang HAO
Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2025;30(4):464-476
AIM:To explore the mechanism of BLJZF in the treatment of abnormal lipid metabo-lism based on network pharmacology,molecular docking andin vivo animal experiments.METHODS:TCMSP database,Swiss Target Prediction database,STITCH database and literature search were used to collect and query the chemical composition infor-mation of BLJZF and the corresponding target of drug chemical composition.Disease targets of lipid abnormalities were collected through GeneCards and OMIM databases.Metascape database was used to analyze the gene ontology function and the Kyoto Encyclopedia gene and genome pathway en-richment of common intersection targets.Cyto-scape software was used to construct the correla-tion network diagram of components and targets,so as to select major components and targets for molecular docking study.The hyperlipidemia model was induced by high fat diet,and the control group,model group,positive group and BLJZF group were set up.The serum lipid index contents of triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low lipo-protein cholesterol(LDL-C)and high lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)were detected after continuous administration for 4 weeks.The contents of oxida-tive stress index were detected:alanine amino-transferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST).The contents of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)were detected by ELI-SA.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to de-tect the pathological changes of liver tissue.RE-SULTS:A total of 25 components and 315 corre-sponding targets of BLJZF were obtained,1729 tar-gets of lipid abnormalities and 116 common tar-gets of BLJZF,among which the core targets were AKT1,TNF,IL1β,CASP3,etc.GO and KEGG enrich-ment analysis suggested that BLJZF may play a role through the lipid and atherosclerotic pathway,PI3K-Akt,AGE-RAGE in diabetic complications and other signaling pathways.Molecular docking showed that most of the core targets had high binding activity with the active ingredients.Animal experiments showed that compared with model group,TC,TG,LDL-C,ALT,AST and MDA in BLJZF group were sig-nificantly decreased,HDL-C and SOD were signifi-cantly increased,and the degree of liver fat defor-mation was reduced.CONCLUSION:BLJZF has a therapeutic effect on lipid abnormalities.It can treat lipid metabolism abnormalities through multi-component,multi-target and multi-pathway,and provide reference for subsequent drug research on BLJZF.
7.Flavonoid extract from Dracocephalum rupestre hance in improving gouty arthritis:study based on network pharmacology,molecular docking and animal experiment
Weidong YANG ; Ruiqi WANG ; Haihua WANG ; Tianxiang YE ; Shenghui CHENG ; Huifang LI ; Xuliang HAO
Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2025;30(6):763-773
AIM:To investigate the mechanism of flavonoid extract from Dracocephalum rupestre hance(DRHF)in the treatment of gouty arthritis through network pharmacology,molecular docking and animal experiment.METHODS:Literature re-trieval was used to explore the main active chemi-cal components and targets of DRHF.Gouty arthri-tis disease targets were obtained using Gene Cards and OMIM databases,and drug-disease intersect-ing targets were obtained using Wayne online tools.protein-protein interactions(PPI)and other related network diagrams were constructed using Cytoscape software.GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed on the shared intersect-ing targets using Metascape database.A rat model of gouty arthritis was established by Coderre meth-od;the swelling degree of ankle joint,gait behav-iour scores of rats were observed,and hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was performed.ELISA and real-time PCR were used to detect the key targets pre-dicted by the network pharmacology,and the ef-fects of DRHF on the molecular mechanism and key targets of gouty arthritis were observed.RESULTS:A total of 7 active compounds and 129 candidate targets for the treatment of GA were obtained,in-cluding IL-6,IL-1β,RELA,TNF,PPARG,etc.and the KEGG enrichment results suggested that DRHF may be involved in PI3K-Akt,TNF,IL-17 and other signal transduction pathways.Animal results:HE staining showed that the thickening of synovial tissue was not obvious in each administered group,and syno-vial cell proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltra-tion were significantly improved;compared with the normal group,the serum levels of TNF,IL-6,and IL-1β in the model group were significantly higher(P<0.05),and the mRNA of PPARG,IL-6,and RELA in the synovial tissues were significantly high-er;compared with the model group,the levels of TNF,IL-6,and IL-1β were significantly lower(P<0.05)in the low group of DRHF(0.45 g/kg)and high group of DRHF(0.9 g/kg),TNF,IL-6,IL-1β lev-els were significantly reduced(P<0.05);PPARG,IL-6,RELA mRNA in synovial tissue were significantly reduced.CONCLUSION:DRHF inhibits IL-17/PI-3K/TNF signaling pathway by down-regulating the ex-pression of IL-6,PPARG and RELA mRNA,decreas-ing the levels of IL-6,IL-1β and TNF,and then treat-ing gouty arthritis.
8.The circadian clock in enamel development
Wu KE ; Li XIAOCHAN ; Bai YUNYANG ; Heng Chin BOON ; Zhang XUEHUI ; Deng XULIANG
International Journal of Oral Science 2024;16(3):371-380
Circadian rhythms are self-sustaining oscillations within biological systems that play key roles in a diverse multitude of physiological processes.The circadian clock mechanisms in brain and peripheral tissues can oscillate independently or be synchronized/disrupted by external stimuli.Dental enamel is a type of mineralized tissue that forms the exterior surface of the tooth crown.Incremental Retzius lines are readily observable microstructures of mature tooth enamel that indicate the regulation of amelogenesis by circadian rhythms.Teeth enamel is formed by enamel-forming cells known as ameloblasts,which are regulated and orchestrated by the circadian clock during amelogenesis.This review will first examine the key roles of the circadian clock in regulating ameloblasts and amelogenesis.Several physiological processes are involved,including gene expression,cell morphology,metabolic changes,matrix deposition,ion transportation,and mineralization.Next,the potential detrimental effects of circadian rhythm disruption on enamel formation are discussed.Circadian rhythm disruption can directly lead to Enamel Hypoplasia,which might also be a potential causative mechanism of amelogenesis imperfecta.Finally,future research trajectory in this field is extrapolated.It is hoped that this review will inspire more intensive research efforts and provide relevant cues in formulating novel therapeutic strategies for preventing tooth enamel developmental abnormalities.
9.Bionic design,preparation and clinical translation of oral hard tissue restorative materials
Han ZHAO ; Yan WEI ; Xuehui ZHANG ; Xiaoping YANG ; Qing CAI ; Chengyun NING ; Mingming XU ; Wenwen LIU ; Ying HUANG ; Ying HE ; Yaru GUO ; Shengjie JIANG ; Yunyang BAI ; Yujia WU ; Yusi GUO ; Xiaona ZHENG ; Wenjing LI ; Xuliang DENG
Journal of Peking University(Health Sciences) 2024;56(1):4-8
Oral diseases concern almost every individual and are a serious health risk to the popula-tion.The restorative treatment of tooth and jaw defects is an important means to achieve oral function and support the appearance of the contour.Based on the principle of"learning from the nature",Deng Xu-liang's group of Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology has proposed a new concept of"microstructural biomimetic design and tissue adaptation of tooth/jaw materials"to address the worldwide problems of difficulty in treating dentine hypersensitivity,poor prognosis of restoration of tooth defects,and vertical bone augmentation of alveolar bone after tooth loss.The group has broken through the bottle-neck of multi-stage biomimetic technology from the design of microscopic features to the enhancement of macroscopic effects,and invented key technologies such as crystalline/amorphous multi-level assembly,ion-transportation blocking,and multi-physical properties of the micro-environment reconstruction,etc.The group also pioneered the cationic-hydrogel desensitizer,digital stump and core integrated restora-tions,and developed new crown and bridge restorative materials,gradient functionalisation guided tissue regeneration membrane,and electrically responsive alveolar bone augmentation restorative membranes,etc.These products have established new clinical strategies for tooth/jaw defect repair and achieved inno-vative results.In conclusion,the research results of our group have strongly supported the theoretical im-provement of stomatology,developed the technical system of oral hard tissue restoration,innovated the clinical treatment strategy,and led the progress of the stomatology industry.
10.Clinical characteristics and risk factors of renal function deterioration in children with renal dysplasia complicated with chronic kidney disease
Xuan WANG ; Qingtao ZHONG ; Li ZHANG ; Xin HE ; Deying ZHANG ; Yunfeng HE ; Xing LIU ; Dawei HE ; Tao LIN ; Xuliang LI ; Guanghui WEI
Journal of Modern Urology 2023;28(4):297-301
【Objective】 To explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors of renal function deterioration in children with renal dysplasia and chronic kidney disease (CKD), so as to provide a basis for the diagnosis, treatment, and management. 【Methods】 The clinical data of children with renal dysplasia complicated with CKD treated in the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University during 2012 and 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including the gender, age of diagnosis, growth index, concomitant malformation and complications. According to the diagnostic criteria and staging standard of KDIGO2020 guidelines, patients with disease deteriorated to CKD stage 4-5 were enrolled into the regression group. Factors affecting the deterioration of renal function were determined with Cox regression analysis. 【Results】 A total of 122 children were involved, including 66 (54.1%) with CKD stag 4-5. There were more boys than girls. Bilateral and unilateral renal dysplasia occurred in 88 (72.13%) and 34 (27.87%) cases, respectively, and 64 (52.46%) cases were complicated with other urinary diseases. There were significant differences in weight, height and body mass index (BMI) among patients with CKD stage 1-5 (P<0.01). The age of onset of CKD <10 years, BMI lower than the 3rd percentile of the same sex and age, bilateral renal dysplasia, and one or more complications of congenital renal and urinary tract abnormalities (CAKUT) were the risk factors of deterioration of renal function (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 Renal dysplasia complicated with CKD are more common in boys, with high incidence of bilateral renal dysplasia. Bilateral renal dysplasia, age of onset of CKD <10 years, BMI lower than 3% and complications are important influencing factors of renal dysplasia in children with CKD.

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