1.Exploration of pharmacodynamic substances and potential mechanisms of Huazhuo Sanjie Chubi Decoction in treatment of gouty arthritis based on UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS technology and network pharmacology.
Yan XIAO ; Ting ZHANG ; Ying-Jie ZHANG ; Bin HUANG ; Peng CHEN ; Xiao-Hua CHEN ; Ming-Qing HUANG ; Xue-Ting CHEN ; You-Xin SU ; Jie-Mei GUO
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(2):444-488
Based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS) technology and network pharmacology, this study explored the pharmacodynamic substances and potential mechanisms of Huazhuo Sanjie Chubi Decoction in the treatment of gouty arthritis(GA). UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS technology was used to identify the components in Huazhuo Sanjie Chubi Decoction, and the qualitative analysis of its active ingredients was carried out, with a total of 184 active ingredients identified. A total of 897 active ingredient targets were screened through the PharmMapper database, and 491 GA-related disease targets were obtained from the OMIM, GeneCards, CTD databases. After Venn analysis, 60 intersecting targets were obtained. The component target-GA target network was constructed through the Cytoscape platform, and the STRING database was used to construct a protein-protein interaction network, with 16 core targets screened. The core targets were subjected to Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses, and the component-target-pathway network was constructed. It was found that the main active ingredients of the formula for the treatment of GA were phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids, and the key targets were SRC, MMP3, MMP9, REN, ALB, IGF1R, PPARG, MAPK1, HPRT1, and CASP1. Through GO analysis, it was found that the treatment of GA mainly involved biological processes such as lipid response, bacterial response, and biostimulus response. KEGG analysis showed that the pathways related to the treatment of GA included lipids and atherosclerosis, neutrophil extracellular traps(NETs), IL-17, and so on. In summary, phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids may be the core pharmacodynamic substances of Huazhuo Sanjie Chubi Decoction in the treatment of GA, and the pharmacodynamic mechanism may be related to SRC, MMP3, MMP9, and other targets, as well as lipids and atherosclerosis, NETs, IL-17, and other pathways.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
;
Network Pharmacology
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Arthritis, Gouty/metabolism*
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Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods*
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Humans
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Mass Spectrometry/methods*
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Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects*
2."Component-effect" correlations in traditional Chinese medicine from holistic view: taking discovery of gintonin from ginseng as an example.
Xin-Ming YU ; Chen-Yu YU ; Hua-Ying WANG ; Wei-Sheng YUE ; Zhu-Bin ZHANG ; Wei WU ; Xiao-Bin JIA ; Bing YANG ; Liang FENG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(7):2001-2012
The holistic view is the key in the study of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). The component structure theory is based on the holistic view to investigate the correlation between material basis and efficiency, which enriches the holistic "component-effect" research of TCM. Gintonin is a newly isolated non-saponin component of ginseng. Compared to ginsenosides, gintonin has many different pharmacological activities, and it provides new knowledge for the holistic research of ginseng. Thus, taking the discovery of gintonin from ginseng as an example, this paper explored the linkage between ginsenosides and gintonin from the perspective of "component-effect" correlations and systematically sorted out the similarities and differences between them in terms of structural characteristics, modes of action, and pharmacological activities. Starting from the collaborative interaction of TCM compounds, the study discussed the application and value of the holistic view in TCM "component-effect" research in the light of the component structure theory to provide new thoughts for the development of modern TCM research.
Panax/chemistry*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
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Medicine, Chinese Traditional
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Humans
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Ginsenosides/pharmacology*
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Animals
3.Phenylpropanoids from roots of Berberis polyantha.
Dong-Mei SHA ; Shuai-Cong NI ; Li-Niu SHA-MA ; Hai-Xiao-Lin-Mo MA ; Xiao-Yong HE ; Bin HE ; Shao-Shan ZHANG ; Ying LI ; Jing WEN ; Yuan LIU ; Xin-Jia YAN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(6):1564-1568
The chemical constituents were systematically separated from the roots of Berberis polyantha by various chromatographic methods, including silica gel column chromatography, HP20 column chromatography, polyamide column chromatography, reversed-phase C_(18) column chromatography, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic techniques(1D NMR, 2D NMR, UV, MS, and CD). Four phenylpropanoids were isolated from the methanol extract of the roots of B. polyantha, and they were identified as(2R)-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propanone-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(1), methyl 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzoate(2),(+)-syringaresinol(3), and syringaresinol-4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(4). Compound 1 was a new compound, and other compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. The anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds was evaluated based on the release of nitric oxide(NO) in the culture of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. At a concentration of 10 μmol·L~(-1), all the four compounds inhibited the LPS-induced release of NO in RAW264.7 cells, demonstrating potential anti-inflammatory properties.
Plant Roots/chemistry*
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Animals
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Mice
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Berberis/chemistry*
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RAW 264.7 Cells
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Macrophages/immunology*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification*
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Nitric Oxide/metabolism*
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Molecular Structure
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification*
4.Mechanism of Jianpi Bushen Yiqi Decoction in promoting AChR clustering and improving neuromuscular junction function in EAMG mice based on Agrin/LRP4/MuSK signaling pathway.
Jia-Hui WANG ; Ru-Ge LIU ; Han-Bin LIU ; Jia-Hao WEI ; Jie ZHANG ; Xue-Ying LIU ; Feng GAO ; Jun-Hong YANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(15):4325-4332
This study investigated the mechanism by which Jianpi Bushen Yiqi Decoction promotes acetylcholine receptor(AChR) clustering in myasthenia gravis through the Agrin/low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4(LRP4)/muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinases(MuSK) signaling pathway. A total of 114 female C57BL/6J mice were divided into the normal group, modeling group, and solvent control group. The normal group and the solvent control group were immunized with phosphate-buffered saline(PBS), while the modeling group was established as an experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis(EAMG) model using the murine-derived AChR-α subunit R97-116 peptide fragment. After successful modeling, the mice were randomly assigned to the model group, the low-, medium-, and high-dose Jianpi Bushen Yiqi Decoction groups, and the prednisone group. After four weeks of continuous treatment, muscle strength was assessed using Lennon scores and grip strength tests. Immunofluorescence staining was conducted on differentiated C2C12 myotubes incubated with a drug-containing serum to observe the number of AChR clusters. The integrity of AChR on myofilaments in mouse gastrocnemius muscles was further assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Hematoxylin-Eosin(HE)staining was applied to examine pathological changes in the gastrocnemius muscles of EAMG mice treated with Jianpi Bushen Yiqi Decoction. Western blot was utilized to detect the expression of key proteins in the Agrin/LRP4/MuSK signaling pathway in both C2C12 myotubes and mouse gastrocnemius muscles. The results demonstrated that compared to the model group, the prednisone group exhibited a significant decrease in the body weights of mice, whereas no significant differences in the body weights of mice were observed among the low-, medium-, and high-dose Jianpi Bushen Yiqi Decoction groups. All treatment groups showed significantly improved grip strength and Lennon scores. Additionally, the formula promoted AChR clustering on myotubes and enhanced AChR integrity in gastrocnemius myofilaments and reduced inflammatory infiltration between muscle tissue and fibrous hyperplasia. Furthermore, Jianpi Bushen Yiqi Decoction upregulated the protein expression of AChRα1, Agrin, and p-MuSK in C2C12 myotubes and increased the protein expression of AChRα1, Agrin, MuSK, p-MuSK, LRP4, and docking protein 7(Dok-7)in gastrocnemius tissue. In conclusion, Jianpi Bushen Yiqi Decoction may promote AChR clustering by targeting key proteins in the Agrin/LRP4/MuSK signaling pathway, thereby improving neuromuscular junction function and enhancing muscle strength.
Animals
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Agrin/genetics*
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Mice
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
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Signal Transduction/drug effects*
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Receptors, Cholinergic/genetics*
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Female
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics*
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Neuromuscular Junction/metabolism*
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Myasthenia Gravis, Autoimmune, Experimental/physiopathology*
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Humans
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LDL-Receptor Related Proteins
5.International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for functional dyspepsia (2025).
Sheng-Sheng ZHANG ; Lu-Qing ZHAO ; Xiao-Hua HOU ; Zhao-Xiang BIAN ; Jian-Hua ZHENG ; Hai-He TIAN ; Guan-Hu YANG ; Won-Sook HONG ; Yu-Ying HE ; Li LIU ; Hong SHEN ; Yan-Ping LI ; Sheng XIE ; Jin SHU ; Bin-Fang ZENG ; Jun-Xiang LI ; Zhen LIU ; Zheng-Hua XIAO ; Jing-Dong XIAO ; Pei-Yong ZHENG ; Shao-Gang HUANG ; Sheng-Liang CHEN ; Gui-Jun FEI
Journal of Integrative Medicine 2025;23(5):502-518
Functional dyspepsia (FD), characterized by persistent or recurrent dyspeptic symptoms without identifiable organic, systemic or metabolic causes, is an increasingly recognized global health issue. The objective of this guideline is to equip clinicians and nursing professionals with evidence-based strategies for the management and treatment of adult patients with FD using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Guideline Development Group consulted existing TCM consensus documents on FD and convened a panel of 35 clinicians to generate initial clinical queries. To address these queries, a systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, China Biology Medicine (SinoMed) Database, Wanfang Database, Traditional Medicine Research Data Expanded (TMRDE), and the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS). The evidence from the literature was critically appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The strength of the recommendations was ascertained through a consensus-building process involving TCM and allopathic medicine experts, methodologists, pharmacologists, nursing specialists, and health economists, leveraging their collective expertise and empirical knowledge. The guideline comprises a total of 43 evidence-informed recommendations that span a range of clinical aspects, including the pathogenesis according to TCM, diagnostic approaches, therapeutic interventions, efficacy assessments, and prognostic considerations. Please cite this article as: Zhang SS, Zhao LQ, Hou XH, Bian ZX, Zheng JH, Tian HH, Yang GH, Hong WS, He YY, Liu L, Shen H, Li YP, Xie S, Shu J, Zeng BF, Li JX, Liu Z, Xiao ZH, Xiao JD, Zheng PY, Huang SG, Chen SL, Fei GJ. International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for functional dyspepsia (2025). J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):502-518.
Dyspepsia/drug therapy*
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Humans
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Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods*
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Practice Guidelines as Topic
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
6.Research Progress in the Impact of Accelerated Rehabilitation on Bone Tunnel Enlargement After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Wen-Bo TANG ; Feng GAO ; Xiao-Han ZHANG ; Bing-Ying ZHANG ; Hao DUAN ; Jing-Bin ZHOU
Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinicae 2025;47(4):634-643
This paper explores the impacts of accelerated rehabilitation protocols following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction(ACLR)on bone tunnel enlargement(BTE).While accelerated rehabilitation can shorten the recovery time and improve the knee function,it may increase the risk of BTE.In the early rehabilitation phase after ACLR,excessive early weight-bearing and rapid progression of knee flexion angles should be avoided,along with the proper use of braces.Continuous passive motion is not recommended in the early phase post-ACLR to prevent potential effects on BTE.Further research is needed to investigate the mechanisms of BTE and develop more effective rehabilitation strategies.This will help to select appropriate rehabilitation protocols for patients and balance functional recovery with the risk of BTE,thereby reducing the revision rate and improving postoperative outcomes.
Humans
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Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction/rehabilitation*
7.Clinical evaluation and management of checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis with advanced biliary tract cancer: a report of 3 cases
Xueying SUN ; Bin WU ; Yifei JIANG ; Zhuojun LIAO ; Jinyan ZHAO ; Ying ZHOU ; Shulong ZHANG ; Yan WANG ; Houbao LIU
Journal of Surgery Concepts & Practice 2025;30(6):517-523
Objective To report cases of checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer, aiming to provide additional approaches for the assessment, treatment, and monitoring of this condition. Methods Three patients developed oxygen desaturation and interstitial lung lesions during chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, and were diagnosed with CIP in collaboration with the respiratory department. Antitumor therapy was discontinued in the acute phase, and glucocorticoids were administered, with regular monitoring of disease progression. During follow-up, case 1 developed lung metastasis; case 2 showed improvement; case 3 had concurrent infection and tumor progression. Results Glucocorticoids improved lung lesions and hypoxic symptoms in patients with CIP, but attention should be paid to the potential for concurrent infections and tumor progression. Conclusions Comprehensive assessment and early identification of CIP are crucial for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. For those with recurrent symptoms after glucocorticoid therapy, timely and accurate adjustment of the treatment regimen is essential.
8.Correlation study between the expression level of SFRP5 and the condition and prognosis of patients with severe pneumonia
Jing YANG ; Ying GENG ; Meihong ZHANG ; Bin WU
Chongqing Medicine 2025;54(5):1207-1211,1217
Objective To explore the correlation between the expression level of secreted curl associated protein 5(SFRP5)and the condition and prognosis of patients with severe pneumonia.Methods A total of 168 patients with pneumonia admitted to the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of this hospital from June 2022 to June 2024 were selected as the research subjects,and 78 healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations in this hospital during the same period were selected as the control group.According to the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ)score,the patients were di-vided into the common pneumonia group(APACHE Ⅱ score<15,n=82)and the severe pneumonia group(APACHE Ⅱ score≥ 15,n=86).Peripheral venous blood was collected from the three groups after fasting for 8 to 12 hours and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were extracted by centrifuging.Real-time fluores-cence quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression level of SFRP5 mRNA in peripheral blood mononu-clear cells,which was Used to determine the expression level of SFRP5.Pearson analysis was used to analyze the correlations between the expression level of SFRP5 and the levels of inflammatory factors,pulmonary function indices and the condition in patients with severe pneumonia.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficiency of the expression level of SFRP5 for the prognosis of patients with severe pneumonia.Results There were also significant differences in the levels of WBC,C re-active protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),interleukin(IL)-6,and IL-8 among the three groups(P<0.05),with the highest levels observed in the severe pneumonia group and the lowest in the control group.There were significant differences in the levels of forced expiratory volume in the first second(FEV1),forced vital capacity(FVC),and FEV1/FVC among the three groups(P<0.05),with the highest levels observed in the severe pneumonia group and the lowest in the control group.The expression level of SFRP5 in the severe pneumonia group was the lowest(0.46±0.13),followed by the common pneumonia group(0.78±0.15),and the control group was the highest level(1.23±0.22),with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression level of SFRP5 in patients with severe pneu-monia was negatively correlated with the levels of WBC,CRP,PCT,IL-6,IL-8,and the APACHE Ⅱ score(P<0.05),and positively correlated with the levels of FEV1,FVC,and FEV1/FVC(P<0.05).The area un-der the curve(AUC)of the expression level of SFRP5 for predicting poor prognosis in patients with severe pneumonia was 0.843(95%CI:0.748-0.912),with a sensitivity of 68.18%and a specificity of 89.06%.Conclusion The expression level of SFRP5 is related to the condition of patients with severe pneumonia,and SFRP5 can predict the prognosis of patients with severe pneumonia.
9.Prediction of testicular histology in azoospermia patients through deep learning-enabled two-dimensional grayscale ultrasound.
Jia-Ying HU ; Zhen-Zhe LIN ; Li DING ; Zhi-Xing ZHANG ; Wan-Ling HUANG ; Sha-Sha HUANG ; Bin LI ; Xiao-Yan XIE ; Ming-De LU ; Chun-Hua DENG ; Hao-Tian LIN ; Yong GAO ; Zhu WANG
Asian Journal of Andrology 2025;27(2):254-260
Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model. We obtained testicular histology during conventional testicular sperm extraction. Our DL model was trained based on ultrasound images or fusion data (ultrasound images fused with the corresponding testicular volume) to distinguish spermatozoa presence in pathology (SPP) and spermatozoa absence in pathology (SAP) and to classify maturation arrest (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) in patients with SAP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to analyze model performance. DL based on images achieved an AUC of 0.922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.908-0.935), a sensitivity of 80.9%, a specificity of 84.6%, and an accuracy of 83.5% in predicting SPP (including normal spermatogenesis and hypospermatogenesis) and SAP (including MA and SCOS). In the identification of SCOS and MA, DL on fusion data yielded better diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.969-0.989), a sensitivity of 89.7%, a specificity of 97.1%, and an accuracy of 92.1%. Our study provides a noninvasive method to predict testicular histology for patients with azoospermia, which would avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy.
Humans
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Male
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Azoospermia/diagnostic imaging*
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Deep Learning
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Testis/pathology*
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Retrospective Studies
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Adult
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Ultrasonography/methods*
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Sperm Retrieval
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Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome/diagnostic imaging*
10.Correlation of IGF2 levels with sperm quality, inflammation, and DNA damage in infertile patients.
Jing-Gen WU ; Cai-Ping ZHOU ; Wei-Wei GUI ; Zhong-Yan LIANG ; Feng-Bin ZHANG ; Ying-Ge FU ; Rui LI ; Fang WU ; Xi-Hua LIN
Asian Journal of Andrology 2025;27(2):204-210
Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is a critical endocrine mediator implicated in male reproductive physiology. To investigate the correlation between IGF2 protein levels and various aspects of male infertility, specifically focusing on sperm quality, inflammation, and DNA damage, a cohort of 320 male participants was recruited from the Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China) between 1 st January 2024 and 1 st March 2024. The relationship between IGF2 protein concentrations and sperm parameters was assessed, and Spearman correlation and linear regression analysis were employed to evaluate the independent associations between IGF2 protein levels and risk factors for infertility. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure IGF2 protein levels in seminal plasma, alongside markers of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α] and interleukin-1β [IL-1β]). The relationship between seminal plasma IGF2 protein levels and DNA damage marker phosphorylated histone H2AX (γ-H2AX) was also explored. Our findings reveal that IGF2 protein expression decreased notably in patients with asthenospermia and teratospermia. Correlation analysis revealed nuanced associations between IGF2 protein levels and specific sperm parameters, and low IGF2 protein concentrations correlated with increased inflammation and DNA damage in sperm. The observed correlations between IGF2 protein levels and specific sperm parameters, along with its connection to inflammation and DNA damage, underscore the importance of IGF2 in the broader context of male reproductive health. These findings lay the groundwork for future research and potential therapeutic interventions targeting IGF2-related pathways to enhance male fertility.
Humans
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Male
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Insulin-Like Growth Factor II/metabolism*
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Infertility, Male/genetics*
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DNA Damage
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Adult
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Inflammation/metabolism*
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Spermatozoa/metabolism*
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Semen Analysis
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Semen/metabolism*
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Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism*
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Histones/metabolism*
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Interleukin-1beta/metabolism*

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