1.Polypeptide-based Nanocarriers for Oral Targeted Delivery of CAR Genes to Pancreatic Cancer
Feng XIN ; Jian REN ; Zhao-Zhen LI ; Quan FANG ; Rui-Jing LIANG ; Lan-Lan LIU ; Lin-Tao CAI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(2):431-441
ObjectivePancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) exhibits a limited response to current treatments due to its dense fibrotic stroma and highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In recent years, advancements in cellular immunotherapy, particularly chimeric antigen receptor macrophage (CAR-M) therapy, have offered new hope for pancreatic cancer treatment. Although CAR-M therapy demonstrates dual potential in directly killing tumor cells and remodeling the immune microenvironment, it still faces challenges such as complex in vitro preparation processes and low in vivo targeting and delivery efficiency. Therefore, developing strategies for efficient and targeted in vivo delivery of CAR genes has become crucial for overcoming current therapeutic limitations. This study aims to develop an orally administrable nano-gene delivery system for the targeted delivery of CAR genes to pancreatic tumor sites. MethodsCore nano-gene particles (PNP/pCAR) were constructed by loading plasmid DNA encoding CAR (pCAR) with cationic polypeptides (PNP). Subsequently, PNP/pCAR was surface-modified with β-glucan to prepare the targeted nanoparticles (βGlus-PNP/pCAR). The loading efficiency of PNP for pCAR was quantitatively assessed by gel retardation assay. The particle size, Zeta potential, morphology, and storage stability of PNP/pCAR were characterized using a Malvern particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. At the cellular level, RAW 264.7 macrophages were selected. The cytotoxicity of PNP/pCAR was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay. The cellular uptake efficiency and lysosomal escape ability of the nanoparticles were assessed via flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Transfection efficiency was quantitatively evaluated by detecting the expression of the reporter gene GFP using flow cytometry. At the in vivo level, an orthotopic pancreatic cancer mouse model was established. Cy7-labeled βGlus-PNP/pCAR nanoparticles were administered orally, and the fluorescence distribution in mice was dynamically monitored at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 h post-administration using a small animal in vivo imaging system. Forty-eight hours after oral gavage, the mice were euthanized, and pancreatic tumor tissues were collected for further analysis of intratumoral fluorescence signals using the imaging system. Additionally, βGlus-PNP/pCAR-GFP nanoparticles loaded with the reporter gene (GFP) were administered orally. Forty-eight hours post-administration, pancreatic tumor tissues were harvested to prepare frozen sections, and GFP expression was observed and analyzed under a fluorescence microscope. ResultsThe PNP carrier exhibited a high loading capacity for pCAR. The successfully prepared PNP/pCAR nanoparticles were regular spheres with a hydrodynamic diameter of approximately (120±10) nm and a Zeta potential of about +(6±1) mV. They maintained good structural stability after incubation in PBS buffer for 7 d. Cell experiments demonstrated that PNP/pCAR exhibited no significant cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 cells while being efficiently internalized and effectively escaping lysosomal degradation. The transfection positive rate of PNP/pCAR-GFP in RAW 264.7 cells reached (25±3)%, surpassing that of Lipofectamine 2000-loaded pCAR-GFP (Lipo/pCAR-GFP), which was (20±1)%.In vivo experiments revealed that, compared to unmodified PNP/pCAR, βGlus-PNP/pCAR exhibited strongerin situ pancreatic tumor targeting ability after oral administration. Furthermore, oral administration of βGlus-PNP/pCAR-GFP resulted in significant GFP protein expression detectable within pancreatic tumor tissues. ConclusionThis study successfully constructed and validated an orally administrable, pancreatic cancer-targeting polypeptide-based nano-gene delivery system. It provides an important technological foundation in delivery systems and experimental basis for the subsequent development of in situ CAR-M-based therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.
2.Polypeptide-based Nanocarriers for Oral Targeted Delivery of CAR Genes to Pancreatic Cancer
Feng XIN ; Jian REN ; Zhao-Zhen LI ; Quan FANG ; Rui-Jing LIANG ; Lan-Lan LIU ; Lin-Tao CAI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(2):431-441
ObjectivePancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) exhibits a limited response to current treatments due to its dense fibrotic stroma and highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In recent years, advancements in cellular immunotherapy, particularly chimeric antigen receptor macrophage (CAR-M) therapy, have offered new hope for pancreatic cancer treatment. Although CAR-M therapy demonstrates dual potential in directly killing tumor cells and remodeling the immune microenvironment, it still faces challenges such as complex in vitro preparation processes and low in vivo targeting and delivery efficiency. Therefore, developing strategies for efficient and targeted in vivo delivery of CAR genes has become crucial for overcoming current therapeutic limitations. This study aims to develop an orally administrable nano-gene delivery system for the targeted delivery of CAR genes to pancreatic tumor sites. MethodsCore nano-gene particles (PNP/pCAR) were constructed by loading plasmid DNA encoding CAR (pCAR) with cationic polypeptides (PNP). Subsequently, PNP/pCAR was surface-modified with β-glucan to prepare the targeted nanoparticles (βGlus-PNP/pCAR). The loading efficiency of PNP for pCAR was quantitatively assessed by gel retardation assay. The particle size, Zeta potential, morphology, and storage stability of PNP/pCAR were characterized using a Malvern particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. At the cellular level, RAW 264.7 macrophages were selected. The cytotoxicity of PNP/pCAR was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay. The cellular uptake efficiency and lysosomal escape ability of the nanoparticles were assessed via flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Transfection efficiency was quantitatively evaluated by detecting the expression of the reporter gene GFP using flow cytometry. At the in vivo level, an orthotopic pancreatic cancer mouse model was established. Cy7-labeled βGlus-PNP/pCAR nanoparticles were administered orally, and the fluorescence distribution in mice was dynamically monitored at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 h post-administration using a small animal in vivo imaging system. Forty-eight hours after oral gavage, the mice were euthanized, and pancreatic tumor tissues were collected for further analysis of intratumoral fluorescence signals using the imaging system. Additionally, βGlus-PNP/pCAR-GFP nanoparticles loaded with the reporter gene (GFP) were administered orally. Forty-eight hours post-administration, pancreatic tumor tissues were harvested to prepare frozen sections, and GFP expression was observed and analyzed under a fluorescence microscope. ResultsThe PNP carrier exhibited a high loading capacity for pCAR. The successfully prepared PNP/pCAR nanoparticles were regular spheres with a hydrodynamic diameter of approximately (120±10) nm and a Zeta potential of about +(6±1) mV. They maintained good structural stability after incubation in PBS buffer for 7 d. Cell experiments demonstrated that PNP/pCAR exhibited no significant cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 cells while being efficiently internalized and effectively escaping lysosomal degradation. The transfection positive rate of PNP/pCAR-GFP in RAW 264.7 cells reached (25±3)%, surpassing that of Lipofectamine 2000-loaded pCAR-GFP (Lipo/pCAR-GFP), which was (20±1)%.In vivo experiments revealed that, compared to unmodified PNP/pCAR, βGlus-PNP/pCAR exhibited strongerin situ pancreatic tumor targeting ability after oral administration. Furthermore, oral administration of βGlus-PNP/pCAR-GFP resulted in significant GFP protein expression detectable within pancreatic tumor tissues. ConclusionThis study successfully constructed and validated an orally administrable, pancreatic cancer-targeting polypeptide-based nano-gene delivery system. It provides an important technological foundation in delivery systems and experimental basis for the subsequent development of in situ CAR-M-based therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.
3.Brain Aperiodic Dynamics
Zhi-Cai HU ; Zhen ZHANG ; Jiang WANG ; Gui-Ping LI ; Shan LIU ; Hai-Tao YU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):99-118
Brain’s neural activities encompass both periodic rhythmic oscillations and aperiodic neural fluctuations. Rhythmic oscillations manifest as spectral peaks of neural signals, directly reflecting the synchronized activities of neural populations and closely tied to cognitive and behavioral states. In contrast, aperiodic fluctuations exhibit a power-law decaying spectral trend, revealing the multiscale dynamics of brain neural activity. In recent years, researchers have made notable progress in studying brain aperiodic dynamics. These studies demonstrate that aperiodic activity holds significant physiological relevance, correlating with various physiological states such as external stimuli, drug induction, sleep states, and aging. Aperiodic activity serves as a reflection of the brain’s sensory capacity, consciousness level, and cognitive ability. In clinical research, the aperiodic exponent has emerged as a significant potential biomarker, capable of reflecting the progression and trends of brain diseases while being intricately intertwined with the excitation-inhibition balance of neural system. The physiological mechanisms underlying aperiodic dynamics span multiple neural scales, with activities at the levels of individual neurons, neuronal ensembles, and neural networks collectively influencing the frequency, oscillatory patterns, and spatiotemporal characteristics of aperiodic signals. Aperiodic dynamics currently boasts broad application prospects. It not only provides a novel perspective for investigating brain neural dynamics but also holds immense potential as a neural marker in neuromodulation or brain-computer interface technologies. This paper summarizes methods for extracting characteristic parameters of aperiodic activity, analyzes its physiological relevance and potential as a biomarker in brain diseases, summarizes its physiological mechanisms, and based on these findings, elaborates on the research prospects of aperiodic dynamics.
4.Textual Research on Key Information of Famous Classical Formula Jiegengtang
Yang LEI ; Yuli LI ; Xiaoming XIE ; Zhen LIU ; Shanghua ZHANG ; Tieru CAI ; Ying TAN ; Weiqiang ZHOU ; Zhaoxu YI ; Yun TANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(7):182-190
Jiegengtang is a basic formula for treating sore throat and cough. By means of bibliometrics, this study conducted a textual research and analysis on the key information such as formula origin, decocting methods, and clinical application of Jiegengtang. After the research, it can be seen that Jiegengtang is firstly contained in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease, which is also known as Ganjietang, and it has been inherited and innovated by medical practitioners of various dynasties in later times. The origins of Chinese medicines in this formula is basically clear, Jiegeng is the dried roots of Platycodon grandiflorum, Gancao is the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, the two medicines are selected raw products. The dosage is 27.60 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and 13.80 g of Platycodonis Radix, decocted with 600 mL of water to 200 mL, taken warmly after meals, twice a day, 100 mL for each time. In ancient times, Jiegengtang was mainly used for treating Shaoyin-heat invasion syndrome, with cough and sore throat as its core symptoms. In modern clinical practice, Jiegengtang is mainly used for respiratory diseases such as pharyngitis, esophagitis, tonsillitis and lung abscess, especially for pharyngitis and lung abscess with remarkable efficacy. This paper can provide literature reference basis for the modern clinical application and new drug development of Jiegengtang.
5.Textual Research on Key Information of Famous Classical Formula Jiegengtang
Yang LEI ; Yuli LI ; Xiaoming XIE ; Zhen LIU ; Shanghua ZHANG ; Tieru CAI ; Ying TAN ; Weiqiang ZHOU ; Zhaoxu YI ; Yun TANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(7):182-190
Jiegengtang is a basic formula for treating sore throat and cough. By means of bibliometrics, this study conducted a textual research and analysis on the key information such as formula origin, decocting methods, and clinical application of Jiegengtang. After the research, it can be seen that Jiegengtang is firstly contained in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease, which is also known as Ganjietang, and it has been inherited and innovated by medical practitioners of various dynasties in later times. The origins of Chinese medicines in this formula is basically clear, Jiegeng is the dried roots of Platycodon grandiflorum, Gancao is the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, the two medicines are selected raw products. The dosage is 27.60 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and 13.80 g of Platycodonis Radix, decocted with 600 mL of water to 200 mL, taken warmly after meals, twice a day, 100 mL for each time. In ancient times, Jiegengtang was mainly used for treating Shaoyin-heat invasion syndrome, with cough and sore throat as its core symptoms. In modern clinical practice, Jiegengtang is mainly used for respiratory diseases such as pharyngitis, esophagitis, tonsillitis and lung abscess, especially for pharyngitis and lung abscess with remarkable efficacy. This paper can provide literature reference basis for the modern clinical application and new drug development of Jiegengtang.
6.Diagnosis and treatment of colorectal liver metastases: Chinese expert consensus-based multidisciplinary team (2024 edition).
Wen ZHANG ; Xinyu BI ; Yongkun SUN ; Yuan TANG ; Haizhen LU ; Jun JIANG ; Haitao ZHOU ; Yue HAN ; Min YANG ; Xiao CHEN ; Zhen HUANG ; Weihua LI ; Zhiyu LI ; Yufei LU ; Kun WANG ; Xiaobo YANG ; Jianguo ZHOU ; Wenyu ZHANG ; Muxing LI ; Yefan ZHANG ; Jianjun ZHAO ; Aiping ZHOU ; Jianqiang CAI
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(15):1765-1768
7.Study on the changes of volatile components in Euphorbia wallichii after milk and wine processing
Ying CAI ; Ting TIAN ; GESANGDUNZHU ; Zhen LUO ; Xifan PENG ; Ziliang GUO ; Fangteng LIN ; SUOLANGCIREN ; Zhihong YAN
China Pharmacy 2025;36(21):2651-2655
OBJECTIVE To systematically investigate the changes of volatile components in Euphorbia wallichii after milk and wine processing, and preliminarily elucidate the material basis for reducing toxicity. METHODS Using headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technology, the volatile components in raw E. wallichii, milk-processed E. wallichii, and wine- processed E. wallichii were isolated and identified, and the relative percentage content of each component was calculated by the peak area normalization method. Combining chemometric methods such as principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least- squares discriminant analysis, changes in volatile components in samples after milk and wine processing were compared. Differential components were screened. RESULTS A total of 66 volatile components were identified from the three samples, with the types of compounds primarily comprising alkanes, olefins, heterocycles and esters, among others. A total of 39, 24 and 36 volatile components were identified from raw E. wallichii, milk-processed E. wallichii, and wine-processed E. wallichii, respectively, with 10 components common to all three preparations. Compared with raw E. wallichii, the relative percentage of other components in milk-processed E. wallichii decreased, except for alkanes and esters. The relative percentage of alkanes, olefins, aldehydes and esters in wine-processed E. wallichii increased, but the contents of heterocyclic compounds, ketones, ethers and alcohols decreased. The results of chemometric analysis showed that the volatile components of raw and processed products were significantly different. A total of 5 kinds of differential components in milk-processed products and 3 kinds of differential components in wine-processed products were screened out. Among them, the relative percentage of potential toxic components such as linalool, octanal and 3-pentanone decreased significantly after processing(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Milk and wine processing may exert a toxicity-reducing effect by reducing the contents of toxic components such as linalool, octanal and 3-pentanonein E. wallichii.
8.Exploration on JI Laixi's academic philosophy: "making use of various therapeutic methods, taking effectiveness as the first priority".
Nixuan GU ; Yaohui CUI ; Zhen GAO ; Jinji ZHAO ; Dingjun CAI ; Laixi JI
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2025;45(10):1470-1476
The paper introduces the reconstruction of Professor JI Laixi's modern paradigm of thought, "making use of various therapeutic methods". Professor JI Laixi reveres the concept of "integration of western medicine and TCM" and advocates the "combination of advantageous techniques of acupuncture and moxibustion". Guided by the concept of "combination of superiority, and coordinated adjustment", a multi-mode intervention is delivered in treatment, including the operation with the nine needles, relaxation with acupotomy, acupoint thread-embedding, Chinese herbal compounds and adjuvant therapy with western medicines, so as to obtain dynamic adjustment of multiple targets and levels, "taking effectiveness as the first priority". The pathway of clinical practice is determined and clear, which provides a paradigm of "upholding the right and innovating" for the modernization of acupuncture and moxibustion.
Humans
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Acupuncture Therapy/methods*
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China
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Moxibustion/history*
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History, 20th Century
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Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history*
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Acupuncture/history*
9.Study on artificial intelligence-based ultrasound diagnosis and auxiliary decision-making for ovarian tumors
Chunli QIU ; Yanlin CHEN ; Yuanji ZHANG ; Haotian LIN ; Xiaoyi PAN ; Siying LIANG ; Xiang CONG ; Xin LIU ; Zhen MA ; Cai ZANG ; Xin YANG ; Dong NI ; Guowei TAO
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography 2025;34(7):608-615
Objective:To apply artificial intelligence(AI)in classifying ovarian tumors on ultrasound images,and compare the diagnostic results of several sonographers with varying seniority levels.Methods:A total of 645 patients diagnosed with adnexal masses via gynecological ultrasound examination at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from January 2021 to December 2024 were enrolled. Three deep learning architectures,i.e.,Alexnet,Densenet121,and Resnet50 were developed and used to internally test the classification effectiveness of ovarian tumors,while the optimal model was selected for external testing. Two junior sonographers and two senior sonographers were recruited to independently diagnose ovarian tumors in the external test dataset. Subsequently,the benign and malignant results of the model's predictions were disclosed to each sonographer,and their revised diagnoses on the same external test data in combination with the best AI model were recorded.Results:The optimal model achieved an accuracy of 0.941,sensitivity of 0.936,and specificity of 0.944 on the internal test dataset,and maintained robust performance on the external test dataset with accuracy of 0.891,sensitivity of 0.880,and specificity of 0.907. Compared to junior sonographers,the optimal model demonstrated significantly higher sensitivity in discriminating benign from malignant ovarian tumors(0.880 vs. 0.723,0.602;all P<0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in diagnostic accuracy between the optimal model and senior sonographer 1( P=0.05). With assistance from the optimal model,junior sonographers achieved significant improvements in both sensitivity and specificity(sensitivity:0.723 vs. 0.843,0.602 vs. 0.819;specificity:0.778 vs. 0.833,0.685 vs. 0.741;all P<0.05). Conclusions:The optimal model achieves comparable performance to that of senior sonographers in ovarian tumor classification. With model assistance,the diagnostic performance of junior sonographers is significantly improved.
10.Efficacy of modified vertical superomedial five-flap technique for breast reduction in patients with macromastia
Chinese Journal of Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology 2025;31(3):243-248
Objective:To analyze the efficacy of the modified vertical superomedial five-flap reductive mammoplasty in patients with macromastia.Methods:A total of 31 female patients (62 breasts) with moderate-to-severe macromastia, aged 18-45 (36±6) years, were retrospectively included in the Department of Plastic Surgery, Sichuan Provincial People′s Hospital from October 2021 to October 2023. All patients underwent the modified vertical superomedial five-flap technique for breast reduction. Postoperative follow-up lasted for one year. Scar status was evaluated using the Vancouver scar scale (VSS), while patient satisfaction and breast morphology were assessed with the Chinese version of the Breast-Q questionnaire and the breast morphology score. Postoperative improvements in areolar diameter, nipple-to-inframammary fold midpoint distance, and nipple-to-suprasternal notch distance were compared with preoperative measurements. Adverse events, including sensory abnormalities and hypertrophic scarring, were recorded.Results:All patients were subject to follow-up, with restored breast fullness and natural contour. At the final follow-up, significant reductions were observed in bilateral areolar diameter, nipple-to-inframammary fold midpoint distance, and nipple-to-suprasternal notch distance compared to preoperative values (all P<0.001). The VSS score was (4.1±1.4) scores, and the breast morphology score was (79.9±2.5) scores. Scores from the Breast-Q questionnaire included satisfaction with breasts (81.6±2.5) scores, psychosocial well-being (83.6±5.2) scores, and sexual well-being (82.5±5.5) scores. Mild hypesthesia of the nipple-areola complex occurred in 2 patients and resolved spontaneously within 6 months postoperatively. Three patients developed mild hypertrophic scarring, which was effectively controlled with topical pharmacotherapy and physical therapy. Conclusion:The modified vertical superomedial five-flap technique is a safe and effective method for breast reduction in patients with macromastia.

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