1.LGR5 interacts with HSP90AB1 to mediate enzalutamide resistance by activating the WNT/β-catenin/AR axis in prostate cancer.
Ze GAO ; Zhi XIONG ; Yiran TAO ; Qiong WANG ; Kaixuan GUO ; Kewei XU ; Hai HUANG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(23):3184-3194
BACKGROUND:
Enzalutamide, a second-generation androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitor, is widely used in the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, after a period of enzalutamide treatment, patients inevitably develop drug resistance. In this study, we characterized leucine-rich repeated G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) and explored its potential therapeutic value in prostate cancer.
METHODS:
A total of 142 pairs of tumor and adjacent formalin-fixed paraf-fin-embedded tissue samples from patients with prostate cancer were collected from the Pathology Department at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hos-pital. LGR5 was screened by sequencing data of enzalutamide-resistant cell lines combined with sequencing data of lesions with different Gleason scores from the same patients. The biological function of LGR5 and its effect on enzalutamide resistance were investigated in vitro and in vivo . Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pull-down, coimmunoprecipitation, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence assays were used to explore the specific binding mechanism of LGR5 and related pathway changes.
RESULTS:
LGR5 was significantly upregulated in prostate cancer and negatively correlated with poor patient prognosis. Overexpression of LGR5 promoted the malignant progression of prostate cancer and reduced sensitivity to enzalutamide in vitro and in vivo . LGR5 promoted the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) by binding heat shock protein 90,000 alpha B1 (HSP90AB1) and mediated the activation of the Wingless/integrated (WNT)/β-catenin signaling pathway. The increased β-catenin in the cytoplasm entered the nucleus and bound to the nuclear AR, promoting the transcription level of AR, which led to the enhanced tolerance of prostate cancer to enzalutamide. Reducing HSP90AB1 binding to LGR5 significantly enhanced sensitivity to enzalutamide.
CONCLUSIONS
LGR5 directly binds to HSP90AB1 and mediates GSK-3β phosphorylation, promoting AR expression by regulating the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby conferring resistance to enzalutamide treatment in prostate cancer.
Male
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Humans
;
Phenylthiohydantoin/pharmacology*
;
Benzamides
;
Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics*
;
Nitriles
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism*
;
Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics*
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Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy*
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beta Catenin/metabolism*
;
Receptors, Androgen/genetics*
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Animals
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Mice
;
Wnt Signaling Pathway/physiology*
2.Study on anti-inflammatory components from Melicope pteleifolia.
He-Lin WEI ; Tao WANG ; Jing-Jing SUN ; Zhi-Qiang HUANG ; Yi-Ze XIAO ; Jun LI ; Peng-Fei TU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(15):4275-4283
Melicope pteleifolia is a plant belonging to the Melicope genus of the Rutaceae family. Known for a bitter taste and cold nature, its stems and tender branches with leaves possess properties of clearing heat, detoxifying, dispelling wind, and removing dampness and can be used to treat sore throat, malaria, jaundice hepatitis, rheumatic bone pain, eczema, dermatitis, and sores and ulcers. In this study, 19 compounds were isolated from the chloroform and n-butanol extracts of M. pteleifolia leaves by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance(~1H-NMR)-guided separation techniques. The compounds were identified as isoleptonol(1), leptaones B-E(2-5), friedelin(6), evodionol(7), ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate(8), litseachromolaevane A(9), quercetin-7,3',4'-trimethyl ether(10), kokusaginin(11), 8-(1-hydroxyethyl)-5,6,7-trimethoxy-2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyran(12), ethyl p-hydroxycinnamate(13), 3-hydroxy-9-methyl-6H-benzo\[c\]chromen-6-one(14), agrimonolide(15), 7-hydroxycoumarin(16), scopoletin(17), isoscutellarein(18), and agrimonolide 6-O-glucoside(19). Among these, the new compounds included one chromene and four meroterpenoid(1-5). The anti-inflammatory activities of the newly identified compounds 1-5 were screened in vitro, showing that the five compounds(1-5) exhibited inhibitory effects on nitric oxide(NO) production in BV2 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS)/interferon(IFN)-γ, with IC_(50) values ranging from 12.25 to 36.48 μmol·L~(-1).
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification*
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Mice
;
Animals
;
Rutaceae/chemistry*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification*
;
Macrophages/immunology*
;
Nitric Oxide/immunology*
3.Research Progress of Chirp ABR and Its Application in Forensic Auditory Identi-fication
Yan GAO ; Fang CHEN ; Wen-Tao XIA ; Xiao-Ping YANG ; Ze-Yu WANG ; Ze-Ren YANG ; Xia LIU ; Yan-Liang SHENG
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2025;41(4):387-393
The objective assessment of hearing loss is one of the critical components in forensic clini-cal research.Auditory brainstem response(ABR)is an important method for objectively assessing hearing levels.It is divided into various types based on different stimulus signals,each with its own characteris-tics and applications.Among them,narrow-band Chirp ABR,due to its frequency specificity,fulfills the basic requirements for objective assessment of forensic audiology,promising to be an important method of objective hearing assessment in forensic medicine.This article reviews the development history,charac-teristics and clinical applications of Chirp ABR,and envisions its application prospects in forensic audi-tory identification.
4.Exploring behavioral patterns and hippocampal neurogenesis in autism spectrum disorder mice
Xiao-Jie NIU ; Jiao LIU ; Xin-Wei ZHANG ; Ze-Tao WANG ; Ke-Qi YAN ; Qi-Yuan LIU ; Wan-Yun HAO ; Pei-Jun ZHANG
Acta Anatomica Sinica 2025;56(2):171-179
Objective To explore the behavioral patterns and hippocampal neurogenesis of CHD8+mice,and to provide behavioral and morphological basis for improving autism like behavior and neurogenesis.Methods Genotype of wild type(WT)and CHD8+/-mice was identified.Weight measurement was conducted on both male and female mice of the WT and CHD8+/-strains.Subsequently,a battery of behavioral tests was administered,which included three-chamber test,self-grooming test,nesting test,Y-maze spontaneous alternation test,food burial test,open-field test and light-dark transition test.Afterwards,the mice were administered 2%pentobarbital sodium(2 ml/kg)to induce anesthesia.Their brains were frozen with 4%paraformaldehyde,removed for photography and analysis to identify any alterations in brain size.Western blotting and immunofluorescent labeling were used to detect changes in the process of hippocampus neurogenesis.Results Western blotting analysis demonstrated a decrease in the amounts of chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 8(CHD8)protein in both male and female mice with CHD8+genotype,as compared to WT mice.There were no notable disparities in body weight between male and female WT and CHD8+mice,as well as in brain size.The three-chamber social behavior test revealed that both male and female CHD8+/-mice had social deficiencies(P<0.05).During the open field test,there was no significant difference in the total distance moved by male and female WT and CHD8+/-mice.However,the amount of time spent in the central region was considerably lower in CHD8+/-mice compared to the WT mice(P<0.01).Furthermore,the light-dark transition test revealed that both male and female CHD8+/-mice spent considerably less time investigating the white box compared to the WT mice(P<0.05).Nevertheless,there were no notable alterations found in self-grooming,nesting,spontaneous alternation of Y-maze,and food burial experiments.In addition,Western blotting result demonstrated a significant drop in doublecortin(DCX)expression(P<0.001),and immunofluorescent staining revealed a notable reduction in the number of DCX+cells(P<0.01)in the hippocampus of CHD8+/-mice.Conclusion CHD8+/-mice exhibit social disorders and anxiety-like behaviors,with a decrease in the number of newly generated neurons in the hippocampus and neurogenesis disorders.
5.Establishment and consistency analysis of xenograft models for human tumors of primary liver cancer
Long YANG ; Pinsheng HAN ; Ze WANG ; Tao CUI ; Yamin ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Hepatobiliary Surgery 2025;31(11):846-850
Objective:To establish a patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) model of primary liver cancer (PLC), and to analyze the pathological features, proliferation and drug-related gene mutation characteristics of the primary tumor and the PDX model of primary liver cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the tumor samples of 64 PLC patients who underwent hepatectomy in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Tianjin First Central Hospital from January 2019 to December 2020. Among them, there were 46 males and 18 females, with an average age of (60.7±9.4) years. The degree of tumor differentiation and whether there was vascular invasion were recorded. The pathology of the primary tumor and each generation of PDX models was observed. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the characteristic proteins and proliferation-related protein of PLC. The genes related to drug use in PLC PDX models were analyzed in the primary tumor.Results:Among the tumor tissues of 64 PLC patients, 31 cases (48.4%) were successfully transplanted into nude mice and passaged to subsequent generations. In the primary tumor tissues and PDX models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the cancer nodules were clearly distinguishable, the cancer cells were arranged disorderly, and distributed in nests or cords. The tumor cell nuclei were large and deeply stained. In the primary tumor tissues and each generation of PDX models of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), there were ICC adenocarcinoma-like structures, with well-differentiated tumor glands and glandular structures composed of cuboidal or columnar tumor cells, presenting as small individual glands or interwoven glands. The degree of differentiation of the PDX models of HCC and ICC patients was basically consistent with that of the primary tumors. Immunohistochemistry showed that proliferating cell nuclear antigen staining of the primary tumors and PDX model transplanted tumors of HCC and ICC patients was strongly positive. The Ki-67 staining positive rate of the primary tumors and PDX model transplanted tumors of HCC was > 80%, and that of ICC was > 70%. Alpha-fetoprotein was strongly positive in the primary tumors and PDX model transplanted tumors of HCC and ICC. The common mutations of transplanted tumors and the primary tumors of P24 HCC patients were 90%, and those of P43 ICC patients were 89%, 94%, and 94%, respectively.Conclusion:The constructed PDX model is highly consistent with the biological characteristics of the primary tumor.
6.Administrative burden among primary healthcare professionals and its impact mechanism on job burnout:An exploratory sequential mixed-methods study
Shi-chao ZHAO ; Ming-ze XIN ; Zi-qian TANG ; Ya-fang DONG ; He-xi LI ; Hui-fen MA ; Tao WANG
Chinese Journal of Health Policy 2025;18(9):31-38
Objective:To examine the manifestations and causes of administrative burden among primary healthcare professionals,and to explore its impact on job burnout through the mediating role of role conflict,providing theoretical and empirical support for governance-level burden-reduction strategies.Methods:An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed,focusing on primary healthcare professionals in Shandong Province.In the first phase,in-depth interviews were conducted with 175 participants;in the second phase,a questionnaire survey of 1,096 participants and follow-up interviews with 107 participants were carried out.Results:The proportions of respondents who reported"heavy"or"very heavy"burdens were 62.7%for inspection,54.8%for documentation,51.8%for reporting,and 24.4%for meetings.Structural equation modeling showed that administrative burden had a direct effect on job burnout(0.150)and an indirect effect through role conflict(0.093).Qualitative findings further indicated that administrative burden largely stemmed from public health traceability requirements and medical insurance policies,and operated through both resource-based and value-based conflicts.Conclusions:Primary healthcare professionals face considerable administrative burdens,which may heighten job burnout through role conflict.Governance reforms should optimize inspection and assessment,streamline data reporting,refine record-keeping,and promote collaborative governance to break the chain of institutional pressure leading to burnout.
7.Causal relationship between insomnia and erectile dysfunction based on heart-kidney intersection theory:A two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Ze-rui QIU ; Guang-yang OU ; Heng-jie LIU ; Wen-tao MA ; Man-jie HUANG ; Neng WANG ; Jun ZHOU ; Qing ZHOU
National Journal of Andrology 2025;31(7):597-602
Objective:Previous studies have shown that insomnia is closely related to erectile dysfunction(ED).However,the causal relationship between them is still unclear.Mendelian randomization(MR)provides a new method for studying the relationship between the two,and the theory of heart-kidney interaction in TCM provides a new idea for exploring the causal relationship between them.Methods:Based on the statistical data collected by genome-wide association studies(GWAS),the causal relationship be-tween insomnia and ED was discussed by MR.Inverse variance weighted(IVW)is the main analysis method,and weighted median(WME),simple mode(SM),weighted mode(WM)and MR Egger method were the supplementary analysis to evaluate the causal effect.MR-Egger intercept test,Cochran Q test and leave-one-out method were used in sensitivity analysis to verify the reliability of MR results.Results:Thirty-nine SNPs significantly related to insomnia were finally included for MR analysis.The results of IVW method in MR analysis showed that insomnia had a significant causal relationship with the increased risk of ED(OR=3.111,95%CI=1.566-6.181,P=1.193 × 10-3).The results obtained by MR-Egger method,WME method,WM method and SM method were consistent with IVW method in the direction of effect.The sensitivity results suggested that the results of this study were robust.Conclusion:Our study reveals the causal relationship between insomnia and ED,which provides a new basis for future clinical practice and prevention and treatment of ED.
8.Administrative burden among primary healthcare professionals and its impact mechanism on job burnout:An exploratory sequential mixed-methods study
Shi-chao ZHAO ; Ming-ze XIN ; Zi-qian TANG ; Ya-fang DONG ; He-xi LI ; Hui-fen MA ; Tao WANG
Chinese Journal of Health Policy 2025;18(9):31-38
Objective:To examine the manifestations and causes of administrative burden among primary healthcare professionals,and to explore its impact on job burnout through the mediating role of role conflict,providing theoretical and empirical support for governance-level burden-reduction strategies.Methods:An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed,focusing on primary healthcare professionals in Shandong Province.In the first phase,in-depth interviews were conducted with 175 participants;in the second phase,a questionnaire survey of 1,096 participants and follow-up interviews with 107 participants were carried out.Results:The proportions of respondents who reported"heavy"or"very heavy"burdens were 62.7%for inspection,54.8%for documentation,51.8%for reporting,and 24.4%for meetings.Structural equation modeling showed that administrative burden had a direct effect on job burnout(0.150)and an indirect effect through role conflict(0.093).Qualitative findings further indicated that administrative burden largely stemmed from public health traceability requirements and medical insurance policies,and operated through both resource-based and value-based conflicts.Conclusions:Primary healthcare professionals face considerable administrative burdens,which may heighten job burnout through role conflict.Governance reforms should optimize inspection and assessment,streamline data reporting,refine record-keeping,and promote collaborative governance to break the chain of institutional pressure leading to burnout.
9.Establishment and consistency analysis of xenograft models for human tumors of primary liver cancer
Long YANG ; Pinsheng HAN ; Ze WANG ; Tao CUI ; Yamin ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Hepatobiliary Surgery 2025;31(11):846-850
Objective:To establish a patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) model of primary liver cancer (PLC), and to analyze the pathological features, proliferation and drug-related gene mutation characteristics of the primary tumor and the PDX model of primary liver cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the tumor samples of 64 PLC patients who underwent hepatectomy in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Tianjin First Central Hospital from January 2019 to December 2020. Among them, there were 46 males and 18 females, with an average age of (60.7±9.4) years. The degree of tumor differentiation and whether there was vascular invasion were recorded. The pathology of the primary tumor and each generation of PDX models was observed. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the characteristic proteins and proliferation-related protein of PLC. The genes related to drug use in PLC PDX models were analyzed in the primary tumor.Results:Among the tumor tissues of 64 PLC patients, 31 cases (48.4%) were successfully transplanted into nude mice and passaged to subsequent generations. In the primary tumor tissues and PDX models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the cancer nodules were clearly distinguishable, the cancer cells were arranged disorderly, and distributed in nests or cords. The tumor cell nuclei were large and deeply stained. In the primary tumor tissues and each generation of PDX models of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), there were ICC adenocarcinoma-like structures, with well-differentiated tumor glands and glandular structures composed of cuboidal or columnar tumor cells, presenting as small individual glands or interwoven glands. The degree of differentiation of the PDX models of HCC and ICC patients was basically consistent with that of the primary tumors. Immunohistochemistry showed that proliferating cell nuclear antigen staining of the primary tumors and PDX model transplanted tumors of HCC and ICC patients was strongly positive. The Ki-67 staining positive rate of the primary tumors and PDX model transplanted tumors of HCC was > 80%, and that of ICC was > 70%. Alpha-fetoprotein was strongly positive in the primary tumors and PDX model transplanted tumors of HCC and ICC. The common mutations of transplanted tumors and the primary tumors of P24 HCC patients were 90%, and those of P43 ICC patients were 89%, 94%, and 94%, respectively.Conclusion:The constructed PDX model is highly consistent with the biological characteristics of the primary tumor.
10.Mechanism of Shikonin on spinal cord injury in rats based on TNFR/RIPK1 pathway
Ji-Sheng SHI ; Ji-Ze QINA ; Jin-Guang WANG ; Bin LIN ; Tong-Tao PANG
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2024;37(1):61-68
Objective To explore the effect of shikonin on the recovery of nerve function after acute spinal cord injury(SCI)in rats.Methods 96 male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were divided into 4 groups randomly:sham operation group(Group A),sham operation+shikonin group(Group B),SCI+DMSO(Group C),SCI+shikonin group(Group D).The acute SCI model of rats was made by clamp method in groups C and D.After subdural catheterization,no drug was given in group A.rats in groups B and D were injected with 100 mg·kg-1 of shikonin through catheter 30 min after modeling,and rats in group C were given with the same amount of DMSO,once a day until the time point of collection tissue.Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan(BBB)scores were performed on 8 rats in each group at 6,12,and 3 d after moneling,and oblique plate tests were performed on 1,3,7 and 14 d after modeling,and then spinal cord tissues were collected.Eight rats were intraperitoneally injected with propidine iodide(PI)1 h before sacrificed to detection PI positive cells at 24 h in each group.Eight rats were sacrificed in each group at 24 h after modeling,the spinal cord injury was observed by HE staining.The Nissl staining was used to observe survivor number of nerve cells.Western-blot technique was used to detect the expression levels of Bcl-2 protein and apoptosis related protein RIPK1.Results After modeling,BBB scores were normal in group A and B,but in group C and D were significantly higher than those in group A and B.And the scores in group D were higher than those in group C in each time point(P<0.05).At 12 h after modeling,the PI red stained cells in group D were significantly reduced compared with that in group C,and the disintegration of neurons was alleviated(P<0.05).HE and Nissl staining showed nerve cells with normal morphology in group A and B at 24h after operation.The degree of SCI and the number of neuronal survival in group D were better than those in group C,the differ-ence was statistically significant at 24h(P<0.05).The expression of Bcl-2 and RIPK1 proteins was very low in group A and B;The expression of RIPK1 was significantly increased in Group C and decreased in Group D,with a statistically significant dif-ference(P<0.05);The expression of Bcl-2 protein in group D was significantly higher than that in group C(P<0.05).Conclu-sion Shikonin can alleviate the pathological changes after acute SCI in rats,improve the behavioral score,and promote the re-covery of spinal nerve function.The specific mechanism may be related to the inhibition of TNFR/RIPK1 signaling pathway mediated necrotic apoptosis.

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