1.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.
2.Mechanism of Zuogui Pills in regulating bone metabolism through OXT/OXTR feed-forward loop based on theory of "all marrows dominated by brain".
Yan-Chen FENG ; Ya-Li LIU ; Xue DANG ; Lu SUN ; Jin-Yao LI ; Jia-Bin SONG ; Shun-Zhi YANG ; Fei-Xiang LIU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(10):2761-2768
Grounded in the theory of "all marrows dominated by brain", this study explored the therapeutic mechanism of Zuogui Pills in modulating the oxytocin(OXT)/oxytocin receptor(OXTR) feed-forward loop in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis(PMOP). A PMOP rat model was established using ovariectomy, and 70 Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly divided into the following groups: sham operation group, model group, estradiol group(17β-estradiol, 0.05 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)), Zuogui Pills low, medium, and high dose groups(0.2, 0.4, 0.8 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1), respectively), and an antagonist group(atosiban 0.9 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) + 17β-estradiol 0.05 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) + Zuogui Pills 0.4 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)). After 12 weeks of model establishment, treatment was administered by gavage once daily for another 12 weeks, followed by sample collection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure serum levels of estrogen(E_2), OXT, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase(TRACP-5b), and bone alkaline phosphatase(BALP). Histopathological changes in the left distal femur were observed through hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining. Micro-computed tomography(micro-CT) was used to analyze the microstructure of the right distal femur. Western blot was employed to detect the expression levels of OXTR, small GTP-binding protein Ras, Raf1 proto-oncogene(Raf1), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2(MEK1/2), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2(ERK1/2), and their phosphorylated forms in tibial tissues. Compared with the model group, the Zuogui Pills medium and high dose groups showed significantly increased levels of E_2, OXT, and BALP, with a notable decrease in TRACP-5b levels. Morphologically, the trabeculae in the left distal femur were more tightly arranged. The fibrous structure in the right distal femur was significantly improved in the Zuogui Pills high dose group. Additionally, the expression of OXTR, Ras, p-Raf1, p-MEK1/2, and p-ERK1/2 proteins in tibial tissues was significantly increased. The therapeutic effect of the Zuogui Pills high dose group was partially inhibited when an OXTR antagonist was administered. These findings suggest that Zuogui Pills can regulate the OXT/OXTR feed-forward loop, activate the phosphorylation of the downstream Ras/Raf1/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, and ultimately improve bone mineral density, thereby exerting therapeutic effects in PMOP.
Animals
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Rats
;
Female
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Oxytocin/genetics*
;
Receptors, Oxytocin/genetics*
;
Humans
;
Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal/genetics*
;
Bone and Bones/drug effects*
;
Brain/drug effects*
;
Bone Marrow/drug effects*
3.Mechanism of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula in regulating synaptic damage in nucleus accumbens neurons of rats with insomnia complicated with depression through TREM2/C1q axis.
Ying-Juan TANG ; Jia-Cheng DAI ; Song YANG ; Xiao-Shi YU ; Yao ZHANG ; Hai-Long SU ; Zhi-Yuan LIU ; Zi-Xuan XIANG ; Jun-Cheng LIU ; Hai-Xia HE ; Jian LIU ; Yuan-Shan HAN ; Yu-Hong WANG ; Man-Shu ZOU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(16):4538-4545
This study aims to investigate the effect of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula on the neuroinflammation of rats with insomnia complicated with depression through the regulation of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2(TREM2)/complement protein C1q signaling pathway. Rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a positive drug group, as well as a high, medium, and low-dose groups of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, the other groups were injected with p-chlorophenylalanine and exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress to establish the rat model of insomnia complicated with depression. The sucrose preference experiment, open field experiment, and water maze test were performed to evaluate the depression in rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to detect serum 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), dopamine(DA), and norepinephrine(NE) levels. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the damage in nucleus accumbens neurons. Western blot and immunofluorescence were performed to detect TREM2, C1q, postsynaptic density 95(PSD-95), and synaptophysin 1(SYN1) expressions in rat nucleus accumbens, respectively. Golgi-Cox staining was utilized to observe the synaptic spine density of nucleus accumbens neurons. The results show that, compared with the model group, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can significantly increase the sucrose preference as well as the distance and number of voluntary activities, shorten the immobility time in forced swimming test and the successful incubation period of positioning navigation, and prolong the stay time of space exploration in the target quadrant test. The serum 5-HT, DA, and NE contents in the model group are significantly lower than those in the normal group, with the above contents significantly increased after the intervention of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In addition, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can alleviate pathological damages such as swelling and loose arrangement of tissue cells in the nucleus accumbens, while increasing the Nissl body numbers. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can improve synaptic damage in the nucleus accumbens and increase the synaptic spine density. Compared to the normal group, the expression of C1q protein was significantly higher in the model group, while the expression of TREM2 protein was significantly lower. Compared to the model group, the intervention with Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula significantly downregulated the expression of C1q protein and significantly upregulated the expression of TREM2. Compared with the model group, the PSD-95 and SYN1 fluorescence intensity is significantly increased in the groups receiving different doses of Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula. In summary, Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula can reduce the C1q protein expression, relieve the TREM2 inhibition, and promote the synapse-related proteins PSD-95 and SNY1 expression. Chaijin Jieyu Anshen Formula improves synaptic injury of the nucleus accumbens neurons, thereby treating insomnia complicated with depression.
Animals
;
Male
;
Rats
;
Nucleus Accumbens/metabolism*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Depression/complications*
;
Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/complications*
;
Neurons/metabolism*
;
Receptors, Immunologic/genetics*
;
Signal Transduction/drug effects*
;
Synapses/metabolism*
4.Early curative effect of upper capsular reconstruction combined with biceps tendon transposition for the treatment of unrepairable rotator cuff tear by arthroscopy.
Xi-Hao WANG ; Zhi-Tao YANG ; Jun-Wen LIANG ; Bai-Rong ZHANG ; Tao LIU ; Jin JIANG ; Xiang-Dong YUN
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2025;38(3):238-244
OBJECTIVE:
To explore early curative effect of upper joint capsule reconstruction combined with biceps tendon transposition in treating irreparable rotator cuff tears.
METHODS:
From October 2019 to March 2021, 16 patients with irreparable rotator cuff tear were underwent arthroscopic autogenous semitendinosus tendon transplantation for upper articular capsule reconstruction combined with biceps tendon transposition, included 12 males and 4 females, aged from 53 to 72 years old with an average of (62.13±5.35) years old; 3 patients on the left side and 13 patients on the right side. All patients had preoperatively limited joint mobility, resting pain, and mobility pain, and had a history of failure to respond to conservative treatment for more than 8 months. The duration of preoperative symptoms ranged from 45 to 144 months with an average of (85.25±32.08) months. Visual analogue scale (VAS) of shoulder pain, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) score, Constant-Murley score, active and passive motion of shoulder joint were compared before operation and 2 years after operation, complications were recorded.
RESULTS:
All 16 patients were followed up for 21 to 32 months with an average of (24.25±3.57) months. There were no complications such as incision infection, vascular and nerve injury, retear occurred. VAS, UCLA and Constant-Murley scores were improved from (5.75±1.18), (11.88±3.38) and (33.38±9.34) before operation to (1.13±0.89), (32.56±2.71), (89.06±6.25) at 2 years after operation (P<0.05). Anterior flexion, abduction, lateral external rotation and lateral internal rotation of shoulder joint were improved from (79.75±21.36) °, (62.06±10.49) °, (19.19±5.41) °, (3.04±0.21) °, respectively to (156.94±13.18) °, (116.19±12.59) °, (42.63±6.07) °, (8.16±0.64) ° at 2 years after operation. Anterior flexion, abduction, lateral lateral rotation and lateral internal rotation of shoulder joint were improved from (116.28±21.47) °, (107.12±9.67) °, (27.62±4.70) °, (4.21±0.41) °, respectively to (165.28±7.15) °, (153.34±4.69) °, (52.46±4.46) °, (9.68±0.68) ° at 2 years after operation, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
Arthroscopic autograft of semitendinosus tendon combined with transposition of biceps tendon could achieve satisfactory early clinical results in treating patients with irreparable rotator cuff tear, which is a reliable and effective surgical method.
Humans
;
Male
;
Female
;
Middle Aged
;
Aged
;
Arthroscopy/methods*
;
Rotator Cuff Injuries/physiopathology*
;
Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods*
;
Range of Motion, Articular
;
Shoulder Joint/surgery*
;
Tendon Transfer
5.Experimental study on autologous osteochondral transplantation in the treatment of recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder joint with articular cartilage defect in rabbits.
Tao LIU ; Sen FANG ; Fang-Xiang LIU ; Ming-Tao ZHANG ; Zhi-Tao YANG ; Bo-Rong ZHANG ; Jun-Wen LIANG ; Xi-Hao WANG ; Jin JIANG ; Xiang-Dong YUN
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2025;38(6):619-625
OBJECTIVE:
To explore clinical effect of autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) in the treatment of recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder joint with glenoid cartilage defect in rabbits by establishing a model of recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder joint with < 20% glenoid cartilage defect in rabbits.
METHODS:
Twenty-four male New Zealand white rabbits, aged 6-month-old, weighed (2.69±0.17) kg were selected. The labrum of shoulder joint of rabbits was artificially destroyed to establish a model of recurrent anterior dislocation of shoulder joint with cartilage defect. They were divided into AOT surgery group and simple suture group, with 12 rabbits in each group. AOT group were underwent AOT surgery, while simple suture group was treated with simple Bankart suture for recurrent shoulder joint dislocation. At 6 and 12 weeks after operation, 6 rabbits between two groups were sacrificed for sampling. The dietary conditions, activity conditions, mental states of rabbits and healing conditions of grafts in the specimens were observed and compared between two groups. HE staining was used to observe cell creep, cell morphology, inflammatory cell infiltration, fibrochondrocytes and their arrangement. Masson staining was used to observe the formation and arrangement of collagen fibers; Safrane-green staining was used to observe the regeneration of articular cartilage, subchondral bone and bone tissue. Bone mineral density (BMD), bone volume (BV) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) between two groups were measured by Micro-CT to evaluate the remodeling of shoulder glenoid bone defects by autologous osteochondral cartilage.
RESULTS:
After different surgical interventions were carried out in both groups of rabbits, at 6 weeks after the operation, the abduction, extension, internal rotation and external rotation of the shoulder joint on the operated side showed limited range of motion compared with the contralateral side, while adduction and forward flexion showed no obvious abnormalities compared with the contralateral side. At 12 weeks after operation, the range motion of tshoulder joints in both groups of rabbits had returned to the state before modeling. The effects of HE staining, Masson staining and safrane-green staining at 12 weeks after operation in both groups were stronger than the staining results at 6 weeks after operation. Moreover, the results of HE staining, Masson staining and safranin fixation green staining in AOT group at 6 and 12 weeks after operation were all higher than those in simple suture group. Micro-CT scan results at 6 and 12 weeks after operation showed that BMD (0.427±0.014), (0.466±0.032) g·cm-3, BV(116.171±3.527), (159.327±3.500) mm3, and Tb.Th (0.230±0.006), (0.285±0.009) mm in AOT group, which were higher than those of simple suture group in BMD(0.358±0.011), (0.384±0.096) g·cm-3, BV(72.657±3.903), (118.713±3.860) mm3, and Tb.Th(0.204±0.009), (0.243±0.007) mm;and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
AOT procedure could effectively promote osteogenesis and fibrocartilage regeneration in the cartilage defect area of the shoulder glenoid <20%, which is conducive to reshaping the structure of the shoulder glenoid.
Animals
;
Rabbits
;
Male
;
Transplantation, Autologous
;
Cartilage, Articular/injuries*
;
Shoulder Dislocation/physiopathology*
;
Bone Transplantation
;
Shoulder Joint/surgery*
6.Protective effect of sub-hypothermic mechanical perfusion combined with membrane lung oxygenation on a yorkshire model of brain injury after traumatic blood loss.
Xiang-Yu SONG ; Yang-Hui DONG ; Zhi-Bo JIA ; Lei-Jia CHEN ; Meng-Yi CUI ; Yan-Jun GUAN ; Bo-Yao YANG ; Si-Ce WANG ; Sheng-Feng CHEN ; Peng-Kai LI ; Heng CHEN ; Hao-Chen ZUO ; Zhan-Cheng YANG ; Wen-Jing XU ; Ya-Qun ZHAO ; Jiang PENG
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2025;28(6):469-476
PURPOSE:
To investigate the protective effect of sub-hypothermic mechanical perfusion combined with membrane lung oxygenation on ischemic hypoxic injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss.
METHODS:
This article performed a random controlled trial. Brain tissue of 7 yorkshire was selected and divided into the sub-low temperature anterograde machine perfusion group (n = 4) and the blank control group (n = 3) using the random number table method. A yorkshire model of brain tissue injury induced by traumatic blood loss was established. Firstly, the perfusion temperature and blood oxygen saturation were monitored in real-time during the perfusion process. The number of red blood cells, hemoglobin content, NA+, K+, and Ca2+ ions concentrations and pH of the perfusate were detected. Following perfusion, we specifically examined the parietal lobe to assess its water content. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were then dissected for histological evaluation, allowing us to investigate potential regional differences in tissue injury. The blank control group was sampled directly before perfusion. All statistical analyses and graphs were performed using GraphPad Prism 8.0 Student t-test. All tests were two-sided, and p value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.
RESULTS:
The contents of red blood cells and hemoglobin during perfusion were maintained at normal levels but more red blood cells were destroyed 3 h after the perfusion. The blood oxygen saturation of the perfusion group was maintained at 95% - 98%. NA+ and K+ concentrations were normal most of the time during perfusion but increased significantly at about 4 h. The Ca2+ concentration remained within the normal range at each period. Glucose levels were slightly higher than the baseline level. The pH of the perfusion solution was slightly lower at the beginning of perfusion, and then gradually increased to the normal level. The water content of brain tissue in the sub-low and docile perfusion group was 78.95% ± 0.39%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (75.27% ± 0.55%, t = 10.49, p < 0.001), and the difference was statistically significant. Compared with the blank control group, the structure and morphology of pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex and CA1 region of the hippocampal gyrus were similar, and their integrity was better. The structural integrity of granulosa neurons was destroyed and cell edema increased in the perfusion group compared with the blank control group. Immunofluorescence staining for glail fibrillary acidic protein and Iba1, markers of glial cells, revealed well-preserved cell structures in the perfusion group. While there were indications of abnormal cellular activity, the analysis showed no significant difference in axon thickness or integrity compared to the 1-h blank control group.
CONCLUSIONS
Mild hypothermic machine perfusion can improve ischemia and hypoxia injury of yorkshire brain tissue caused by traumatic blood loss and delay the necrosis and apoptosis of yorkshire brain tissue by continuous oxygen supply, maintaining ion homeostasis and reducing tissue metabolism level.
Animals
;
Perfusion/methods*
;
Disease Models, Animal
;
Brain Injuries/etiology*
;
Swine
;
Male
;
Hypothermia, Induced/methods*
7.Mediating effect of sleep duration between depression symptoms and myopia in middle school students.
Wei DU ; Xu-Xiang YANG ; Ru-Shuang ZENG ; Chun-Yao ZHAO ; Zhi-Peng XIANG ; Yuan-Chun LI ; Jie-Song WANG ; Xiao-Hong SU ; Xiao LU ; Yu LI ; Jing WEN ; Dang HAN ; Qun DU ; Jia HE
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2025;27(3):359-365
OBJECTIVES:
To explore the mediating role of sleep duration in the relationship between depression symptoms and myopia among middle school students.
METHODS:
This study was a cross-sectional research conducted using a stratified cluster random sampling method. A total of 1 728 middle school students were selected from two junior high schools and two senior high schools in certain urban areas and farms of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Questionnaire surveys and vision tests were conducted among the students. Spearman analysis was used to analyze the correlation between depression symptoms, sleep duration, and myopia. The Bootstrap method was employed to investigate the mediating effect of sleep duration between depression symptoms and myopia.
RESULTS:
The prevalence of myopia in the overall population was 74.02% (1 279/1 728), with an average sleep duration of (7.6±1.0) hours. The rate of insufficient sleep was 83.62% (1 445/1 728), and the proportion of students exhibiting depression symptoms was 25.29% (437/1 728). Correlation analysis showed significant negative correlations between visual acuity in both eyes and sleep duration with depressive emotions as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (with correlation coefficients of -0.064, -0.084, and -0.199 respectively; P<0.01), as well as with somatic symptoms and activities (with correlation coefficients of -0.104, -0.124, and -0.233 respectively; P<0.01) and interpersonal relationships (with correlation coefficients of -0.052, -0.059, and -0.071 respectively; P<0.05). The correlation coefficients for left and right eye visual acuity and sleep duration were 0.206 and 0.211 respectively (P<0.001). Sleep duration exhibited a mediating effect between depression symptoms and myopia (indirect effect=0.056, 95%CI: 0.029-0.088), with the mediating effect value for females (indirect effect=0.066, 95%CI: 0.024-0.119) being higher than that for males (indirect effect=0.042, 95%CI: 0.011-0.081).
CONCLUSIONS
Sleep duration serves as a partial mediator between depression symptoms and myopia in middle school students.
Humans
;
Myopia/etiology*
;
Male
;
Female
;
Depression/physiopathology*
;
Cross-Sectional Studies
;
Sleep
;
Adolescent
;
Students
;
Child
;
Time Factors
;
Sleep Duration
8.Therapeutic mechanism of Compound Xuanju Capsule on erectile dysfunction.
Zi-Jie LI ; Hao-Xiang XU ; Wei WANG ; Yue YANG ; Cheng-Lin YANG ; Zhi CAO ; Xiao-Ming ZHANG
National Journal of Andrology 2025;31(8):675-683
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the pharmacological mechanism of Compound Xuanju Capsule in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) by using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology.
METHODS:
The active ingredients and targets of Compound Xuanju Capsule were screened using Traditional Chinese Medicine Systematic Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). TTD, OMIM, DrugBank and GeneCards databases were used to obtain genes related to ED, and the union of the results was taken as the disease genes of ED. The common target of drug and disease was taken as the potential target of Compound Xuanju Capsule in ED, and the drug-disease interaction network was constructed by using Cytoscape software. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by using String database, which was then imported into Cytoscape to identify the key target. Based on the drug-disease intersection genes, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed to predict the relevant signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms of Compound Xuanju Capsule for the treatment of ED. Autodock software was used to perform molecular docking between the active ingredients and the core targets.
RESULTS:
Forty chemical components of Compound Xuanju Capsule were screened, and 239 predicted targets were obtained. A total of 1 907 ED-related genes were screened, and 97 common targets were identified between Compound Xuanju Capsule and ED, among which the core targets included EGFR, ESR1, HIF1A, PTGS2, and STAT3. The signaling pathways obtained by KEGG enrichment analysis included calcium signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, relaxin signaling pathway, Serotonergic synapse signaling pathway. The molecular docking results showed that there were molecular binding sites between the key active ingredients and the core targets with strong binding activity.
CONCLUSION
Compound Xuanju Capsule may treat ED through multi-target pathways such as anti-inflammatory and improving cellular oxidative stress.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
;
Erectile Dysfunction/drug therapy*
;
Molecular Docking Simulation
;
Male
;
Humans
;
Signal Transduction
;
Protein Interaction Maps
;
Network Pharmacology
;
Capsules
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
9.Preparation and intestinal absorption mechanism of herpetrione and Herpetospermum caudigerum polysaccharides based self-assembled nanoparticles.
Xiang DENG ; Yu-Wen ZHU ; Ji-Xing ZHENG ; Rui SONG ; Jian-Tao NING ; Ling-Yu HANG ; Zhi-Hui YANG ; Hai-Long YUAN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(2):404-412
In this experiment, self-assembled nanoparticles(SANs) were prepared by the pH-driven method, and Her-HCP SAN was constructed by using herpetrione(Her) and Herpetospermum caudigerum polysaccharides(HCPs). The average particle size and polydispersity index(PDI) were used as evaluation indexes for process optimization, and the quality of the final formulation was evaluated in terms of particle size, PDI, Zeta potential, and microstructure. The proposed Her-HCP SAN showed a spheroid structure and uniform morphology, with an average particle size of(244.58±16.84) nm, a PDI of 0.147 1±0.014 8, and a Zeta potential of(-38.52±2.11) mV. Her-HCP SAN significantly increased the saturation solubility of Her by 2.69 times, with a cumulative release of 90.18% within eight hours. The results of in vivo unidirectional intestinal perfusion reveal that Her active pharmaceutical ingredient(API) is most effectively absorbed in the jejunum, where both K_a and P_(app) are significantly higher compared to the ileum(P<0.001). However, the addition of HCP leads to a significant reduction in the P_(app) of Her in the jejunum(P<0.05). Furthermore, the formation of the Her-HCP SAN results in a notably lower P_(app) in the jejunum compared to Her API alone(P<0.001), while both K_a and P_(app) in the ileum are significantly increased(P<0.001, P<0.05). The absorption of Her-HCP SAN at different concentrations in the ileum shows no significant differences, and the pH has no significant effect on the absorption of Her-HCP SAN in the ileum. The addition of the transporter protein inhibitors(indomethacin and rifampicin) significantly increases the absorption parameters K_a and P_(app) of Her-HCP SAN in the ileum(P<0.05,P<0.01), whereas the addition of verapamil has no significant effect on the intestinal absorption parameters of Her-HCP SAN, suggesting that Her may be a substrate for multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 and breast cancer resistance proteins but not a substrate of P-glycoprotein.
Nanoparticles/metabolism*
;
Polysaccharides/pharmacokinetics*
;
Intestinal Absorption/drug effects*
;
Animals
;
Rats
;
Particle Size
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics*
;
Male
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Drug Carriers/chemistry*
;
Drug Compounding
;
Cucurbitaceae/chemistry*
10.Carbon footprint accounting of traditional Chinese medicine extracts based on life cycle assessment: a case study of mulberry leaf extract from an enterprise.
Zhi-Min CI ; Jian-Xiang OU ; Qiang YU ; Chuan ZHENG ; Zhao-Qing PEI ; Li-Ping QU ; Ming YANG ; Li HAN ; Ding-Kun ZHANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(1):120-129
Under the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with 15 national ministries and commissions, has formulated the Implementation Plan on Establishing a Carbon Footprint Management System, and it is urgent for traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) pharmaceutical enterprises to carry out research on carbon footprint accounting methods of related products. Based on the life cycle assessment(LCA) theory, taking mulberry leaf extract produced by a certain enterprise as an example, this study analyzed the carbon footprint of TCM extracts during the life cycle. The results show that for every 1 kg of product produced, the carbon emissions from the stages of raw material acquisition, transportation, and extract production are-20.569, 1.205, and 173.577 kgCO_2eq(CO_2 equivalent), respectively. The carbon footprint of the product is 154.213 kgCO_2eq·kg~(-1). In addition, the carbon emission is the highest in the production stage, in which the consumption of ethanol solvents makes the greatest contribution to the carbon footprint, accounting for 25.71%, more than one-fourth of the total carbon footprint. The second contribution was from the treatment process of TCM residues, accounting for 19.67%, closely followed by wastewater treatment(17.71%), the consumption of hot steam(17.43%), and drinking water(16.90%). The consumption of electric power and packaging materials has a smaller carbon emission of 2.58%. In particular, the carbon emission caused by the consumption of packaging materials is only 0.04%, which is negligible. The results of the study are expected to provide a reference for TCM enterprises to carry out research on the carbon footprint of products, offer ideas for collaborative innovation in reducing pollution and carbon emissions throughout the entire industry chain of TCM, and develop new quality productivity of modern TCM industry based on green and low-carbon manufacturing.
Morus/chemistry*
;
Plant Leaves/chemistry*
;
Carbon Footprint
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*
;
Plant Extracts/analysis*
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional

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