1.Discovery of novel butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors for treating Alzheimer's disease.
Zhipei SANG ; Shuheng HUANG ; Wanying TAN ; Yujuan BAN ; Keren WANG ; Yufan FAN ; Hongsong CHEN ; Qiyao ZHANG ; Chanchan LIANG ; Jing MI ; Yunqi GAO ; Ya ZHANG ; Wenmin LIU ; Jianta WANG ; Wu DONG ; Zhenghuai TAN ; Lei TANG ; Haibin LUO
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(4):2134-2155
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder among the elderly, and BuChE has emerged as a potential therapeutic target. In this study, we reported the development of compound 8e, a selective reversible BuChE inhibitor (eqBuChE IC50 = 0.049 μmol/L, huBuChE IC50 = 0.066 μmol/L), identified through extensive virtual screening and lead optimization. Compound 8e demonstrated favorable blood-brain barrier permeability, good drug-likeness property and pronounced neuroprotective efficacy. Additionally, 8e exhibited significant therapeutic effects in zebrafish AD models and scopolamine-induced cognitive impairments in mice. Further, 8e significantly improved cognitive function in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Proteomics analysis demonstrated that 8e markedly elevated the expression levels of very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), offering valuable insights into its potential modulation of the Reelin-mediated signaling pathway. Thus, compound 8e emerges as a novel and potent BuChE inhibitor for the treatment of AD, with significant implications for further exploration into its mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications.
2.Discovery of orally active and serine-targeting covalent inhibitors against hCES2A for ameliorating irinotecan-triggered gut toxicity.
Ya ZHANG ; Yufan FAN ; Yunqing SONG ; Guanghao ZHU ; Xinjuan LI ; Jian HUANG ; Xinrui GUO ; Changhai LUAN ; Dongning KANG ; Lu CHEN ; Zhangping XIAO ; Zhaobin GUO ; Hairong ZENG ; Dapeng CHEN ; Zhipei SANG ; Guangbo GE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(10):5312-5326
Human carboxylesterase 2A (hCES2A) plays pivotal roles in prodrug activation and hydrolytic metabolism of ester-bearing chemicals. Targeted inhibition of intestinal hCES2A represents a feasible strategy to mitigate irinotecan-triggered gut toxicity (ITGT), but the orally active, selective, and efficacious hCES2A inhibitors are rarely reported. Here, a novel drug-like hCES2A inhibitor was developed via three rounds of structure-based drug design (SBDD) and structural optimization. Initially, donepezil was identified as a moderate hCES2A inhibitor from 2000 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs. Following two rounds of SBDD and structural optimization, a donepezil derivative (B7) was identified as a strong reversible hCES2A inhibitor. Subsequently, nine B7 carbamates were rationally designed, synthesized and biologically assayed. Among all synthesized carbamates, C3 showed the most potent time-dependent inhibition on hCES2A (IC50 = 0.56 nmol/L), excellent specificity and favorable drug-like properties. C3 could covalently modify the catalytic serine of hCES2A with high selectivity, while this agent also showed favorable safety profiles, high intestinal exposure, and impressive effects for ameliorating ITGT in both human intestinal organoids and tumor-bearing mice. Collectively, this study showcases a rational strategy for developing drug-like and serine-targeting covalent inhibitors against target serine hydrolase(s), while C3 emerges as a promising orally active drug candidate for ameliorating ITGT.
3.Prediction models for the mortality risk in traumatic hemorrhage based on machine learning
Yiquan WANG ; Sijia TIAN ; Shengmei NIU ; Zhipei HUANG ; Fei QIN ; Jinjun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Emergency Medicine 2025;34(11):1574-1578
Objective:To evaluate the predictive performance of machine learning methods for predicting the risk of death in traumatic hemorrhage, and address the low prediction accuracy of traditional trauma scores, provide a reference for developing a more robust prediction method for severe trauma patients.Methods:Clinical data of severe trauma patients from the National Trauma Medical Center between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024 were collected. ElasticNet, Recursive Feature Elimination, and Mutual Information-based feature selection methods were used to screen variables and compared with traditional hypothesis testing methods. Built the prediction models for mortality risk in traumatic hemorrhage using Logistic Regression, ElasticNet, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) and compared the predictive performance.Results:The study included 5,601 trauma patients, the results of the variable screening and importance ranking were consistent with three feature selection methods. The classification accuracy and AUC values for the three models were as follows: Overall accuracy was 83.2%, survival accuracy was 84.0%, death accuracy was 76.3%, and an AUC was 0.86 in logistic regression; Overall accuracy was 78.9%, survival accuracy was 78.5%, death accuracy was 81.7%, and an AUC was 0.88 in ElasticNet; Overall accuracy was 84.7%, survival accuracy was 86.1%, death accuracy was 72.4%, and an AUC was 0.86 in SVM. The prediction performance of three models is quite little.Conclusion:Machine learning methods can effectively improve the prediction of death risk for traumatic hemorrhage,and has wide applications.
4.Expression of survivin and cyclin D1 protein in human non-small cell lung carcinoma
Lijun HUANG ; Zhipei ZHANG ; Xiaoping WANG
Journal of Medical Postgraduates 2003;0(05):-
Objective:To research the expression of survivin and cyclin D1 in human non-small cell lung cancer, and to illustrate their relationship in NSCLC. Methods:Forty-five NSCLC paraffin embe-ded samples were collected. Survivin and cyclin D1 were tested by immunohistochemical S-P method. Results:No survivin expression was present in normal lung tissues. The positive rate of survivin in NSCLC was 60% (27/45). By statistic analysis, the significant differences were found in different pathological grading and clinical phased lymph node involvement. The patient' s gender, age and histological classification were not related with the expression of survivin. Conclusion:Survivin may play an im-portment role in the process of carcinogenesis and development of NCLC. Survivin and cyclin D1 might play synergetic roles in lung cancer cell' s karyokinesismitosis and they can be identified as potential therapeutic target in NSCLC.
5.Analysis of genetic instability of chromosome 19, 20, 21, 22 and X in retinoblastoma
Qing HUANG ; Weiling FU ; Zhipei PENG
Chinese Journal of Ocular Fundus Diseases 1996;0(01):-
Objective To explore the presence of common genetic alterations in retinoblastoma and to localize the altered genomic regions. Methods Genetic instability of chromosome 19, 20, 21, 22 and X of 15 microdissected retinoblastoma tumors were analyzed by the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and microsatellite instability (MSI). Results Among the 15 patients with retinoblastoma, genome instability [LOH and(or) MSI] at one or more loci on the 5 chromosomes in 10 (67%), in which the loss of a single allele was more frequent in chromosomes 19 (33%) and 20 (27%) than in the other 3 chromosomes. High-frequency LOH between D19S902 and D19S571 suggested gene loci in the 19q13 region might be associated with tumor development in retina. According to the result of MSI, MSI occured at least in one subset of retinoblastoma. Conclusions Our results provide first evidence of LOH in chromosomes 19 and 20 in retinoblastoma and further support the presence of genome instability in retinoblastoma that may play an important role in the tumorigenesis or progression of retinoblastoma.

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