1.Effects and mechanism of total alkaloids of Corydalis Rhizoma on the regulation of cuproptosis in rats with diabetic cardiomyopathy
Jun LI ; Yazhi QI ; Ya TANG ; Rui CAO ; Qiang XU ; Yusheng HAN
China Pharmacy 2025;36(7):801-806
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanism of total alkaloids of Corydalis Rhizoma (TAC) on the regulation of cuproptosis in rats with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) based on silence information regulator 1(Sirt1)/tumor protein 53(P53)signaling pathway. METHODS DCM rat model was induced by high-fat and high-sugar diet and intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Thirty-two model rats were randomly divided into model group, TAC low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose groups (7, 10.5, 14 mg/kg), with 8 rats in each group. An additional 8 rats were assigned to normal control group. Related drugs or normal saline were administered intragastrically in each group, once a day, for 4 weeks. After the last medication, the fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels of the rats were measured. The levels of myocardial creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum and myocardial tissue of rats were all detected. The pathological morphology, fibrosis degree, and Cu2+ deposition of myocardial tissue in rats were observed. The levels of Cu2+ and glutathione (GSH) in myocardial tissue, the expressions of Sirt1/P53 signaling pathway-related proteins [Sirt1, P53, solute carrier family 7 membrane 11 (SLC7A11)], and iron-sulfur cluster-related proteins [ferredoxin 1 (FDX1), lipoic acid synthetase (LIAS), aconitase 2 (ACO2), NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase core subunit S8 (NDUFS8), dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (DLAT), dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase (DLST)], and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) were all determined. RESULTS Compared with normal control group, the model group exhibited significantly elevated levels of FBG, CK, CK-MB and LDH in both serum and myocardial tissue, as well as increased 2+ levels of Cu in myocardial tissue and the expression of P53 and HSP70 proteins (P<0.05); the level of GSH and the expression levels of Sirt1, SLC7A11, FDX1, LIAS, ACO2, NDUFS8, DLAT, and DLST proteins in myocardial tissue were all significantly decreased (P<0.05); the myocardial tissue exhibited severe pathological damage, with numerous inflammatory cell infiltrations and significant fibrosis, as well as increased deposition of Cu2+. Compared with model group, most of the above quantitative indicators in rats were significantly reversed in TAC groups (P<0.05); the pathological damage to the myocardial tissue was alleviated, with reduced fibrosis and Cu2+ deposition. CONCLUSIONS TAC can ameliorate DCM in rats, and its mechanism of action may be related to activating the activity of the Sirt1/P53 signaling pathway, promoting the chelation of GSH with Cu2+, and inhibiting cuproptosis of cardiomyocyte.
2.Severity Assessment Parameters and Diagnostic Technologies of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Zhuo-Zhi FU ; Ya-Cen WU ; Mei-Xi LI ; Ping-Ping YIN ; Hai-Jun LIN ; Fu ZHANG ; Yu-Xiang YANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):147-161
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an increasingly widespread sleep-breathing disordered disease, and is an independent risk factor for many high-risk chronic diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, arrhythmias and diabetes, which is potentially fatal. The key to the prevention and treatment of OSA is early diagnosis and treatment, so the assessment and diagnostic technologies of OSA have become a research hotspot. This paper reviews the research progresses of severity assessment parameters and diagnostic technologies of OSA, and discusses their future development trends. In terms of severity assessment parameters of OSA, apnea hypopnea index (AHI), as the gold standard, together with the percentage of duration of apnea hypopnea (AH%), lowest oxygen saturation (LSpO2), heart rate variability (HRV), oxygen desaturation index (ODI) and the emerging biomarkers, constitute a multi-dimensional evaluation system. Specifically, the AHI, which measures the frequency of sleep respiratory events per hour, does not fully reflect the patients’ overall sleep quality or the extent of their daytime functional impairments. To address this limitation, the AH%, which measures the proportion of the entire sleep cycle affected by apneas and hypopneas, deepens our understanding of the impact on sleep quality. The LSpO2 plays a critical role in highlighting the potential severe hypoxic episodes during sleep, while the HRV offers a different perspective by analyzing the fluctuations in heart rate thereby revealing the activity of the autonomic nervous system. The ODI provides a direct and objective measure of patients’ nocturnal oxygenation stability by calculating the number of desaturation events per hour, and the biomarkers offers novel insights into the diagnosis and management of OSA, and fosters the development of more precise and tailored OSA therapeutic strategies. In terms of diagnostic techniques of OSA, the standardized questionnaire and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) is a simple and effective method for preliminary screening of OSA, and the polysomnography (PSG) which is based on recording multiple physiological signals stands for gold standard, but it has limitations of complex operations, high costs and inconvenience. As a convenient alternative, the home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) allows patients to monitor their sleep with simplified equipment in the comfort of their own homes, and the cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) offers a minimal version that simply analyzes the electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. As an emerging diagnostic technology of OSA, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) adeptly pinpoint respiratory incidents and expose delicate physiological changes, thus casting new light on the diagnostic approach to OSA. In addition, imaging examination utilizes detailed visual representations of the airway’s structure and assists in recognizing structural abnormalities that may result in obstructed airways, while sound monitoring technology records and analyzes snoring and breathing sounds to detect the condition subtly, and thus further expands our medical diagnostic toolkit. As for the future development directions, it can be predicted that interdisciplinary integrated researches, the construction of personalized diagnosis and treatment models, and the popularization of high-tech in clinical applications will become the development trends in the field of OSA evaluation and diagnosis.
3.Research progress on the structural modification of isosteviol and the biological activities of its derivatives
Li-jun ZHAO ; You-fu YANG ; Tong-sheng WANG ; Yan-li ZHANG ; Ya WU
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):22-36
Isosteviol is a tetracyclic diterpenoid compound obtained by hydrolysis of natural stevia glycoside under acidic conditions. It has many pharmacological activities, such as anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. Due to its low water solubility, low activity and low bioavailability, isosteviol has poor performance. In order to overcome these shortcomings, scholars have obtained a large number of isosteviol derivatives with novel structures and excellent activity. In this paper, we review the recent progress in the research on the structure modification, biological activity, structure-activity relationship and microbial transformation of isosteviol, in order to provide a reference for the development of new drugs of isosteviol and its derivatives.
4.Effects of berberine on expression of FXR and SHP in kidney of mice with diabetic nephropathy
Li-Juan DENG ; Jie-Yao HUANG ; Yan-Jun HU ; Wei CUI ; Wei FANG ; Ya-Ping XIAO
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(12):2269-2276
Aim To explore the ameliorative effects of berberine(BBR)on diabetic nephropathy(DN)in mice and investigate its potential mechanisms through transcriptomic analysis.Methods 8-week-old db/db mice were randomly assigned into four groups:model group(DN group),BBR 50 mg·kg-1 group(BBR-L group),BBR 100 mg·kg-1 group(BBR-H group),and empagliflozin 10 mg·kg-1 group(EMPA group).Age-matched db/m mice were used as the control group(NC group),with eight mice in each group.Each group received intragastric administration once daily for eight weeks.After the treatment,serum,u-rine,and kidney samples were collected to evaluate re-nal function indicators and observe renal pathological changes.Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in kidney tissue were identified through transcriptomic a-nalysis,followed by KEGG and GO enrichment analy-sis.Potential targets were further validated using mo-lecular docking,molecular dynamics simulations,West-ern blot,and immunohistochemistry.Results Both BBR and EMPA significantly reduced fasting blood glu-cose levels in DN mice,improved renal function,and alleviated renal injury and fibrosis.Compared to the NC group,855 DEGs were identified in the DN group,while 194 DEGs were identified in the BBR-H group compared to the DN group.KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that the mechanisms underlying BBR's effects on DN were primarily related to type 1 diabetes and bile secretion pathways.Molecular docking results demonstrated a strong binding affinity between BBR and FXR and a moderate binding affinity with SHP.Molecular dynamics simulations corroborated the doc-king results.FXR and SHP protein expression signifi-cantly decreased in the DN group compared to the NC group.At the same time,BBR treatment significantly increased the expression of these proteins compared to the DN group.Conclusion BBR may mitigate DN-in-duced renal injury by modulating bile acid and lipid homeostasis through the FXR-SHP pathway.
5.Study on inhibitory effect of alisol B on non-small cell lung cancer based on network pharmacology and its mechanism
Liu-Yan XIANG ; Wen-Xuan WANG ; Si-Meng GU ; Xiao-Qian ZHANG ; Lu-Yao LI ; Yu-Qian LI ; Yuan-Ru WANG ; Qi-Qi LEI ; Xue YANG ; Ya-Jun CAO ; Xue-Jun LI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(12):2375-2384
Aim To explore the potential genes and mechanism of alisol B in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods The proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells were detected by CCK-8 and Transwell.Genes of NSCLC and alisol B were col-lected through TCGA and compound gene prediction database,and their intersection genes were obtained.The network of protein-protein interaction(PPI)was constructed by using String database,and the top 20 key nodes were screened out,and the prognosis-related proteins related to the prognosis of NSCLC were screened out by using R language,and the intersection of them was obtained.The potential mechanism of ali-sol B on NSCLC was explored by KEGG and GO en-richment analysis and the relationship between related genes and immune cells,which was verified by cell-lev-el experiments.Results Alisol B inhibited the cell activity and migration ability of NSCLC cells.Five im-portant genes were identified by network pharmacologi-cal analysis:CCNE1,CDK1,COL1A1,COL1A2 and COL3A1.The results of cell experiment showed that al-isol B down-regulated the expression of Cyclin E1,CDK1 and COL1A2 in NSCLC cells.In addition,alisol B could inhibit the expression of COL1A2 and M2 macrophage marker CD206 in macrophages.Conclu-sions Alisol B may inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells by down-regulating CDK1 and Cyclin E1,and may affect the function of macrophages by inhibiting COL1A2,thus regulating the tumor immune microenvi-ronment and inhibiting NSCLC.
6.LncRNA NEAT1 promotes osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells by inhibiting cell pyroptosis
Alimu YILIHAMU ; Shu-Tao MA ; Li-Jun DENG ; Ya-Jun HAN
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2024;33(7):623-629
Objective To investigate the effect of long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1(NEAT1)in regulating osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells(hBMSCs)through regulating cell pyroptosis.Methods hBMSCs were cultured for 7 days to induce osteogenic differentiation,and then divided into the control group(common culture),the osteogenic differentiation group(osteogenic differentiation induction),the pcD-NEAT1 group(transfected with NEAT1 overexpression plasmid),the pcD-null group(transfected with negative control of NEAT1 overexpression plasmid),the osteogenic differentiation+CML group[treated with osteogenic differentiation induction and NOD-like receptor family protein 3(NLRP3)inflammasome activator of carboxy methyl lysine(CML)],and the osteogenic differentiation+CML+pcD-NEAT1 group(treated with osteogenic differentiation and pcD-NEAT1 as well as CML).The cell mineralization was detected using alizarin red staining,the alkaline phosphatase(ALP)activity was determined by ALP activity assay,the cell survival rate was determined by CCK-8,and the morphological change was observed under a high-power microscope.The cell apoptosis was determined using the TUNEL assay.The expression of NEAT1 was detected using qRT-PCR.The protein expression of IL-1β,IL-18,NLRP3,cleaved-caspase 1(cleaved-CASP1),gasdermin D,Runt-related transcription factor 2(RUNX2),ALP,and osteopontin(OPN)were detected using Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,the degree of cell mineralization in the osteogenic differentiation group was increased,the ALP activity was elevated(P<0.05),and the expression of NEAT1 and the protein expression of RUNX2,ALP,and OPN were upregulated(P<0.05).Compared with the pcD-null group,the degree of cell mineralization in the pcD-NEAT1 group was increased,the ALP activity was elevated(P<0.05),and the expression of NEAT1 and the protein expression of RUNX2,ALP,and OPN were upregulated(P<0.05).Compared with the osteogenic differentiation group,the degree of cell mineralization in the osteogenic differentiation+CML group was reduced,the ALP activity was decreased(P<0.05),the cell survival rate was reduced(P<0.05),the cell apoptosis was increased(P<0.05),cell membrane rupture occurred,cells showed enlarged deformation,the expression of NLRP3 and the protein expression of IL-1β,IL-18,cleaved-CASP1,and gasdermin D were significantly upregulated(P<0.05),while the protein expression of RUNX2,ALP and OPN were significantly downregulated(P<0.05).Compared with the osteogenic differentiation+CML group,the degree of cell mineralization in the osteogenic differentiation+CML+pcD-NEAT1 group was increased,the ALP activity was increased(P<0.05),the protein expression of RUNX2,ALP and OPN were significantly upregulated(P<0.05),the cell survival rate was increased(P<0.05),the cell apoptosis rate was decreased(P<0.05),the cell membrane was intact with the normal cell shape,the expression of NLRP3 and the protein expression of IL-1β,IL-18,cleaved-CASP1 and gasdermin D were significantly downregulated(P<0.05).Conclusion The overexpression of NEAT1 promotes the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated cell pyroptosis.
7.Epidemiological and pathogenic analyses of three cases of imported Corynebacterium diphtheriae infection in Fujian Province
Qu-Wen LI ; Xue-Chen LIANG ; Ya-Dong GAO ; Shun-Tai WENG ; Yuan GAO ; Zhu-Jun SHAO
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2024;40(6):590-594,598
The epidemiology and etiology of three suspected cases of imported skin diphtheria infection in Fujian Province were investigated.Secretion samples of patients with skin damage were collected for isolation and culture of Corynebacterium diphtheriae.Biochemical identification and mass spectrum analysis of pure cultures of suspected C.diphtheriae were conduc-ted,the virulence-related genes,including diphtheria toxin reporter(dtxR),toxin A(toxA),and toxin B(toxB)were detec-ted,and multilocus sequence typing(MLST)was performed.All three cases had typical clinical manifestations of cutaneous diphtheria,and C.diphtheriae was isolated from the damaged skin.The virulence genes of two C.diphtheriae strains isolated from two cases were identified as dtxR(+),toxA(-),and toxB(-),and the MLST type was ST-703.The virulence genes of C.diphtheriae isolated from one case were identified as dtxR(+),toxA(+),toxB(+),and the MLST type was ST-248.There is an increased risk of diphtheria in Fujian Province.C.diphtheriae without diphtheria toxin genes can also cause skin diphtheria.
8.The impact of DRGs payment on Traditional Chinese Medicine hospitals:Based on difference-in-difference analysis
Hui-Jun GUO ; Jing LIU ; Guang-Yu HU ; Yi-Wei HAO ; Xin-Mei HAO ; Ya-Nan WANG ; Hui-Dong ZHU ; Qiu-Yan LI
Chinese Journal of Health Policy 2024;17(6):47-55
Objective:This study aims to evaluate the impact of Diagnosis-Related-Groups(DRGs)payment on the average total cost,length of stay,service volume,effectiveness,and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)hospitals.Methods:A national medical center specializing in TCM was selected as the research subject.The Difference-in-Difference Model(DID)was utilized to analyze the differences in various indicators between insured patients(intervention group)and uninsured patients(control group)before and after the implementation of the payment reform policy.The reliability and stability of the model were verified through parallel trend tests and placebo tests.Results:The coefficients of DID interaction terms for eleven indicators including average total hospitalization cost,number of cases,length of stay,proportion of medical service revenue,and proportion of herbal medicine revenue were significant(P<0.05).The DID interaction term coefficients for four indicators including herbal medicine usage rate and proportion of non-pharmacological TCM therapy revenue were not significant(P>0.05).Conclusion:DRG payment significantly reduced the per-admission cost,with significant decreases in consumables and medical technology expenses,optimizing cost structure,and a slight decrease in the proportion of herbal medicine costs.It is necessary to further expand the sample size,track policy impacts,and comprehensively evaluate the effects of DRG payment on TCM hospitals in China.
9.Effects of anthoxanthin on the growth,proliferation and in-vasion of human gastric cancer cell line SGC7901
Hao-Yu ZHANG ; Xin KANG ; Bin LI ; Tian-Sheng YIN ; Ya-Jun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Current Advances in General Surgery 2024;27(4):259-263
Objective:To investigate the effect of anthoxanthin on the proliferation and apopto-sis of human gastric cancer cell line SGC7901 and its possible mechanism.Methods:SGC7901 was cultured in the medium containing different concentrations(0,20,40,80 μ mol/L)of antho-cyanin.Hoechst staining,MTT colorimetry and flow cytometry were used to verify the effect of Form on the inhibition rate,cell cycle,nuclear morphology and apoptosis.Western Blotting was used to test the level of β-Catenin、p-β-Catenin,CyclinD1,CDK4,p-AKT,AKT,BCL-2,BAX,caspase3 and other proteins.The mRNA expression of BCL-2,CDK4,CDK6,AKT,CyclinD1,BAX,Caspase3 was detected by RT-PCR.Results:MTT results showed that the inhibitory effect of Form on SGC7901 was concentration dependent and time dependent.Hoechst staining showed that the cells in the experimental group(20,40,80 μ mol/L),the phenomenon of pyknosis and dissolution of the nucleus,even granular aggregation after rupture.Flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate of the experimental group(20 μ mol/L,40 μ mol/L,80 μ mol/L)was 17.0%,21.5%,32.5%respectively after treated with different concentrations of Form for 48 hours,which was positively correlated with the drug concentration.RT-PCR showed that caspase3 and BAX mRNA expression increased with the increase of Form intervention concentration(P<0.01);the mRNA expression of BCL-2,CDK4,CDK6,AKT,CyclinD1 decreased(P<0.01).WB results showed that β-Catenin、p-β-Catenin,Cy-clinD1,CDK4 and p-AKT,AKT,BCL-2 decreased with the increase of Form intervention concentra-tion(P<0.01);The relative expression of caspase3,BAX and other proteins increased(P<0.01).Con-clusion:Form can promote apoptosis of SGC7901,and the possible mechanism is to inhibit Wnt/β-Catenin signal;it also mediates the activation of Caspase family.
10.Analysis of Helicobacter pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City
Shi-Mei HUANG ; Lian-Guo LAN ; Da-Ya ZHANG ; Run-Xiang CHEN ; Xiao-Dong ZHANG ; Chen CHEN ; Fan ZENG ; Da LI ; Xian-Feng HUANG ; Qi WANG ; Shi-Ju CHEN ; Lei GAO ; Jun-Tao ZENG ; Fei-Hu BAI
Modern Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment in Gastroenterology 2024;29(2):141-145
Objective To explore the current status of H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City,analyze its influencing factors,and provide a reference basis for the prevention and control of H.pylori infection.Methods A total of 677 residents from four districts of Sanya City were selected by overall stratified random sampling method,and were subjected to urea 14C breath test and questionnaire survey to calculate the positive rate of H.pylori in the natural population and analyze the influencing factors of H.pylori infection.Results A total of 606 residents were included,and the number of H.pylori positive detections was 261,with a positive detection rate of 38.5%.Among them,different ethnicity,marital status,smoking,eating vegetables and fruits,and literacy level were associated with H.pylori infection(P<0.05);gender,age,BMI,alcohol consumption,drinking water source,betel quid chewing,and the number of cohabitants were not significantly associated with H.pylori infection(P>0.05).Family infection was an independent risk factor for H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City,and Li ethnicity,frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables,and college and higher education level were independent protective factors for H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City.Conclusion The rate of H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City is lower than the national average.Consuming more fruits and vegetables and improving the awareness of hygiene protection are conducive to the prevention of H.pylori infection;and the promotion of the family and related members with the same examination and treatment is important to avoid aggregation of infection within the family.

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