ObjectiveTo analyze the adverse reactions associated with the clinical use of Banxia （Rhizoma Pinelliae）- Wutou （Aconitum） in the same formula， with the aim of providing a reference for the safety of their clinical application. MethodsLiterature on the clinical application of antagonistic herbs "Banxia-Wutou" used in the same formula， published from January 1st， 2014， to June 30th， 2023， was retrieved from databases including CNKI， VIP， Wanfang， SinoMed， PubMed， Cochrane Library， and Embase. A database was established， and information related to adverse reactions was extracted， including descriptions， classifications， specific manifestations， management and outcomes， patients' primary diseases （western medicine diseases and traditional Chinese medicine diagnoses and syndromes）， and medication information （dosage， ratio， administration routes， and dosage forms）. ResultsA total of 79 researches simultaneously used antagonistic herbs Banxia-Wutou in the same formula and reported associated advers reactions. Gastrointestinal adverse reactions were the most common， with 8 studies reporting management of adverse reactions and 3 studies reporting improvement with no intervention. Among the 11 researches， the adverse reaction relieved to extant， while other 69 researches didn't report the managment of adverse reaction and its prognosis. For the primary disease in western medicine system， chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） were most common， while gastric pain was the most common symptom in traditional Chinese medicine with spleen and kidney deficiency and spleen stomach cold deficiency being the most frequent syndromes. The most common Banxia dosage was 10 g， while for the Wutou， Fuzi （Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata） was predominant with the highest dose at 15 g. The most frequent herbal combination was Banxia-fuzi， with a 1∶1 ratio. The main administration route was oral， and the primary dosage form was decoction. ConclusionGastrointestinal adverse reactions are the most common in the clinical use of Banxia-Wutou antagonistic herb combinations. Research on the safety of "Banxia-Wutou" combinations should focus on respiratory system diseases and spleen-stomach related conditions.

This study aims to investigate the in vitro mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of puerarin on hepatic insulin resistance(IR) based on the carbohydrate response element-binding protein(ChREBP)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR)α/PPARγ axis involved in glucose and lipid metabolism. An IR-HepG2 cell model was established by treating cells with dexamethasone for 48 h, and the cells were then treated with 10, 20, and 40 μmol·L~(-1) puerarin for 24 h. Glucose levels and output in the extracellular fluid were measured by the glucose oxidase method, while cell viability was assessed by the cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay. The adenosine triphosphate(ATP) content and glycogen synthesis were evaluated through chemiluminescence and periodic acid-Schiff staining, respectively. Western blot was employed to quantify the protein levels of forkhead box protein O1(FoxO1), phosphorylated forkhead box protein O1 [p-FoxO1(Ser256)], glucagon, phosphofructokinase, liver type(PFKL), pyruvate kinase L-R(PKLR), pyruvate dehydrogenase complex 1(PDHA1), insulin receptor substrate 2(IRS2), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase p85(PI3KR1), phosphorylated protein kinase B [p-Akt(Thr308)], glycogen synthase(GYS), glycogen phosphorylase, liver type(PYGL), adiponectin(ADPN), ChREBP, PPARα, and PPARγ. Additionally, the protein levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1(ACC1), phosphorylated ATP citrate lyase [p-ACLY(Ser455)], sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c(SREBP-1c), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α(PGC1α), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1α(CPT1α), and glucagon receptor(GCGR) were also determined. Immunofluorescence was employed to visualize the expression and nuclear location of ChREBP/PPARα/PPARγ. Furthermore, quantitative PCR with the antagonists GW6471 and GW9662 was employed to assess Pparα, Pparγ, and Chrebp. The findings indicated that puerarin effectively reduced both the glucose level and glucose output in the extracellular fluid of IR-HepG2 cells without obvious effect on the cell viability, and it increased intracellular glycogen and ATP levels. Puerarin down-regulated the protein levels of FoxO1 and glucagon while up-regulating the protein levels of p-FoxO1(Ser256), PFKL, PKLR, PDHA1, IRS2, PI3KR1, p-Akt(Thr308), GYS, PYGL, ADPN, ACC1, SREBP-1c, p-ACLY(Ser455), PGC1α, CPT1α, and GCGR in IR-HepG2 cells. Furthermore, puerarin up-regulated both the mRNA and protein levels of ChREBP, PPARα, and PPARγ and promoted the translocation into the nucleus. GW6471 was observed to down-regulate the expression of Pparα while up-regulating the expression of Chrebp and Pparγ. GW9662 down-regulated the expression of Pparγ while up-regulating the expression of Pparα, with no significant effect on Chrebp. In summary, puerarin activated the hepatic ChREBP/PPARα/PPARγ axis, thereby coordinating the glucose and lipid metabolism, promoting the conversion of glucose to lipids to exert the blood glucose-lowering effect.
Isoflavones/pharmacology* ; Humans ; PPAR gamma/genetics* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Lipid Metabolism/drug effects* ; PPAR alpha/genetics* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Insulin Resistance

This paper aims to investigate the hypoglycemic effect and mechanism of berberine in improving energy metabolism based on the multi-pathway regulation of brain and muscle aromatic hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocal protein 1(BMAL1): cyclin kaput complex of day-night spontaneous output cyclin kaput(CLOCK). The dexamethasone-induced hepatic insulin resistance(IR) HepG2 cell model was used; 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20 μmol·L~(-1) berberine were administered at 15, 18, 21, 24, 30, 36 h. The time-dose effect of glucose content in extracellular fluid was detected by glucose oxidase method. The optimal dosage and time of berberine were determined for the follow-up study. Glucose oxidase method and chemiluminescence method were respectively performed to detect hepatic glucose output and relative content of ATP in cells; Ca~(2+), reactive oxygen species(ROS), mitochondrial structure and membrane potential were detected by fluorescent probes. Moreover, ultraviolet colorimetry method was used to detect the liver type of pyruvate kinase(L-PK) and phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase(PEPCK). In addition, pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 subunit α1(PDHA1), phosphate fructocrine-liver type(PFKL), forkhead box protein O1(FoxO1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α(PGC1α), glucose-6-phosphatase(G6Pase), glucagon, phosphorylated nuclear factor-red blood cell 2-related factor 2(p-Nrf2)(Ser40), heme oxygenase 1(HO-1), NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1), fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21), uncoupled protein(UCP) 1 and UCP2 were detected by Western blot. BMAL1:CLOCK complex was detected by immunofluorescence double-staining method, combined with small molecule inhibitor CLK8. Western blot was used to detect PDHA1, PFKL, FoxO1, PGC1α, G6Pase, glucagon, Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, FGF21, UCP1 and UCP2 in the CLK8 group. The results showed that berberine downregulated the glucose content in extracellular fluid in IR-HepG2 cells in a time-and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, berberine inhibited hepatic glucose output and reduced intracellular Ca~(2+) and ROS whereas elevated JC-1 membrane potential and improved mitochondrial structure to enhance ATP production. In addition, berberine upregulated the rate-limiting enzymes such as PFKL, L-PK and PDHA1 to promote glycolysis and aerobic oxidation but also downregulated PGC1α, FoxO1, G6Pase, PEPCK and glucagon to inhibit hepatic gluconeogenesis. Berberine not only upregulated p-Nrf2(Ser40), HO-1 and NQO1 to enhance antioxidant capacity but also upregulated FGF21, UCP1 and UCP2 to promote energy metabolism. Moreover, berberine increased BMAL1, CLOCK and nuclear BMAL1:CLOCK complex whereas CLK8 reduced the nuclear BMAL1:CLOCK complex. Finally, CLK8 decreased PDHA1, PFKL, Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, FGF21, UCP1, UCP2 and increased FoxO1, PGC1α, G6Pase and glucagon compared with the 20 μmol·L~(-1) berberine group. BMAL1:CLOCK complex inhibited gluconeogenesis, promoted glycolysis and glucose aerobic oxidation pathways, improved the reduction status within mitochondria, protected mitochondrial structure and function, increased ATP energy storage and promoted energy consumption in IR-HepG2 cells. These results suggested that berberine mediated BMAL1:CLOCK complex to coordinate the regulation of hepatic IR cells to improve energy metabolism in vitro.
Humans ; Berberine/pharmacology* ; Gluconeogenesis/drug effects* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Energy Metabolism/drug effects* ; Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology* ; ARNTL Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Oxidation-Reduction/drug effects*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the accuracy of human-computer interaction software in identifying and locating type C1 distal radius fractures. METHODS: Based on relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 cases of type C1 distal radius fractures between September 2023 and March 2024 were retrospectively analyzed, comprising 3 males and 11 females(aged from 27 to 82 years). The data were assigned randomized identifiers. A senior orthopedic physician reviewed the films and measured the ulnar deviation angle, radial height, palmar inclination angle, intra-articular step, and intra-articular gap for each case on the hospital's imaging system. Based on the reduction standard for distal radius fractures, cases were divided into reduction group and non-reduction group. Then, the data were sequentially imported into a human-computer interaction intelligent software, where a junior orthopedic physician analyzed the same radiological parameters, categorized cases, and measured fracture details. The categorization results from the software were consistent with manual classifications (6 reduction cases and 8 non-reduction cases). For non-reduction cases, the software performed further analyses, including bone segmentation and fracture recognition, generating 8 diagnostic reports containing fracture recognition information. For the 6 reduction cases, the senior and junior orthopedic physicians independently analyzed the data on the hospital's imaging system and the AI software, respectively. Bone segments requiring reduction were identified, verified by two senior physicians, and measured for displacement and rotation along the X (inward and outward), Z (front and back), and Y (up and down) axes. The AI software generated comprehensive diagnostic reports for these cases, which included all measurements and fracture recognition details. RESULTS: Both the manual and AI software methods consistently categorized the 14 cases into 6 reduction and 8 non-reduction groups, with identical data distributions. A paired sample t-test revealed no statistically significant differences (P>0.05) between the manual and software-based measurements for ulnar deviation angle, radial ulnar bone height, palmar inclination angle, intra-articular step, and joint space. In fracture recognition, the AI software correctly identified 10 C-type fractures and 4 B-type fractures. For the 6 reduction cases, a total of 24 bone fragments were analyzed across both methods. After verification, it was found that the bone fragments identified by the two methods were consistent. A paired sample t-tests revealed that the identified bone fragments and measured displacement and rotation angles along the X, Y, and Z axes were consistent between the two methods. No statistically significant differences(P>0.05) were found between manual and software measurements for these parameters. CONCLUSION Human-computer interaction software employing AI technology demonstrated comparable accuracy to manual measurement in identifying and locating type C1 distal radius fractures on CT imaging.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Radius Fractures/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Software ; Wrist Fractures

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the specific mechanisms by which electroacupuncture (EA) alleviates anxiety and fear behaviors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), focusing on the role of lipocalin-2 (Lcn2). METHODS: The PTSD mouse model was subjected to single prolonged stress and shock (SPS&S), and the animals received 15 min sessions of EA at Shenmen acupoint (HT7). Behavioral tests were used to investigate the effects of EA at HT7 on anxiety and fear. Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to quantify Lcn2 and inflammatory cytokine levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Additionally, the activity of PFC neurons was evaluated by immunofluorescence and in vivo electrophysiology. RESULTS: Mice subjected to SPS&S presented increased anxiety- and fear-like behaviors. Lcn2 expression in the PFC was significantly upregulated following SPS&S, leading to increased expression of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 and suppression of PFC neuronal activity. However, EA at HT7 inhibited Lcn2 release, reducing neuroinflammation and hypoexcitability in the PFC. Lcn2 overexpression mitigated the effects of EA at HT7, resulting in anxiety- and fear-like behaviors. CONCLUSION EA at HT7 can ameliorate PTSD-associated anxiety and fear, and its mechanism of action appears to involve the inhibition of Lcn2-mediated neural activity and inflammation in the PFC. Please cite this article as: Yang YD, Zhong W, Chen M, Tang QC, Li Y, Yao LL, et al. Electroacupuncture alleviates behaviors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder by modulating lipocalin-2-mediated neuroinflammation and neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):537-547.
Electroacupuncture ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/metabolism* ; Animals ; Lipocalin-2/metabolism* ; Prefrontal Cortex/physiopathology* ; Male ; Mice ; Neurons/physiology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Fear ; Behavior, Animal ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/metabolism* ; Anxiety/therapy* ; Acupuncture Points

Objective:To discuss the role of nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5(NFAT5)inhibitor KRN5 in high salt-induced senescence of mouse vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs),and to clarify its mechanism.Methods:Thirty 8-week-old male ApoE-/-mice were divided into normal group,senescence group and high-salt treatment senecence group,with 10 mice in each group;the mice in senescence group and high-salt treatment senecence group were used to establish natural senecence mouse models;the mouse VSMCs were isolated and cultured,and divided into normal group,senescence group,high-salt treatment senecence group and high-salt treatment senecence+KRN5 group.β-galactosidase(Sa-β-gal)staining was used to detect the senescence of aortic tissues and VSMCs in various groups;immunofluorescence method was used to detect the expressions of NFAT5 and phosphorylated histone H2A variant X(γ-H2AX)proteins in mouse aortic tissues and VSMCs in various groups;real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A(P16)and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A(P21)in the cells in various groups;Western blotting method was used to detect the protein expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,P16 and P21 in VSMCs in various groups.Results:The Sa-β-gal staining results showed that compared with normal group,the proportions of senescence-positive area in aortic tissues of the mice in senescence group and high-salt treatment senecence group were significantly increased(P<0.05),and the proportion of senescence-positive cells in the VSMCs of the mice was significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with senecence group,the proportion of senescence-positive cells in the VSMCs mice in high-salt treatment senecence group was significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with high-salt treatment senecence group,the proportion of senescence-positive cells in the VSMCs of the mice in high-salt treatment senecence+KRN5 group was significantly decreased(P<0.01).The immunofluorescence results showed that compared with normal group,the expression level of γ-H2AX protein in mouse VSMCs of the mice in senescence group was significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with senescence group,the expression levels of SA-β-gal staining and NFAT5 protein in aortic tissue of the mice in high-salt treatment senecence group were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with normal group,the expression level of NFAT5 protein in the VSMCs of the mice in senecence group and high-salt treatment senecence group was significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with senecence group,the expression level of NFAT5 protein in the VSMCs of the mice in high-salt treatment senecence group was significantly increased(P<0.05).The RT-qPCR results showed that compared with normal group,the expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,P16,and P21 mRNA in the VSMCs of the mice in senescence group and high-salt treatment senecence group were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with senecence group,the mRNA expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,P16,and P21 mRNA in the VSMCs of the mice in high-salt treatment senecence group were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with senecence group,the expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,P16,and P21 mRNA in the VSMCs of the mice in high-salt treatment senecence group and high-salt treatment senecence+KRN5 group were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with high-salt treatment senecence group,the mRNA expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,P16,and P21 in the VSMCs of the mice in high-salt treatment senecence+KRN5 group were significantly decreased(P<0.05).The Western blotting results showed that compared with normal group,the expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,P16,and P21 proteins in the VSMCs of the mice in senescence group and high-salt treatment senecence group were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with senescence group,the expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,P16,and P21 proteins in the VSMCs of the mice in high-salt treatment senecence group were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with senecence group,the expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,P16,and P21 proteins in the VSMCs of the mice in high-salt treatment senecence group and high-salt treatment senecence+KRN5 group were significantly increased(P<0.05);compared with high-salt treatment senecence group,the expression levels of NFAT5,γ-H2AX,P16,and P21 proteins in the VSMCs of the mice in high-salt treatment senecence+KRN5 group were significantly decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion:NFAT5 may play a promoting role in high salt-induced senescence of the mouse VSMCs.

Objective:To assess the prevalence of dentinal hypersensitivity (DH) and related factors in urban adults in China.Methods:The study was designed as an observational, cross-sectional epidemiological study carried out in adults aged 18-69 years old in seven cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu, Xi′an, Guangzhou, and Harbin) of China. The study was conducted from March 2021 to May 2023. Patients were required to complete a questionnaire regarding the subjects′ socio-economic factors, dietary behavior, oral health behavior and personal antecedent factors. DH was clinically diagnosed by judging whether the tooth cold air stimulation provoked DH or not, and recorded by investigator pain rating Schiff score. Compare the findings of six cities (Harbin excluded) with a similar study conducted in 2008.Results:In total, 11 622 subjects from seven cities in China participated the study. Fifty two point two percent (6 072/11 622) of subjects reported DH in questionnaire, 36.7% (4 266/11 622) of subjects reported experiencing DH in response to cold air stimulation for at least one study tooth. Risk factors including age, sex, city, toothbrush method and acid reflux showed marked associations with DH ( P<0.05). The prevalence of DH of urban residents in six cities (Harbin excluded) was 33.7% (3 335/9 882), higher than that in 2008 [29.7%(2 354/7 939)]. Conclusions:Overall, DH was common among urban adults in China and the prevalence increased in recent years. Better understanding of DH and its associated factors should be considered in its prevention and management by dental professionals.

As a microbial therapy method, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. As one of the most direct and effective methods to improve gut microbiota, FMT achieves therapeutic benefits by transplanting functional gut microbiota from healthy human feces into the intestines of patients to reconstruct new gut microbiota. FMT has been proven to be an effective treatment for gastrointestinal diseases such as Clostridium difficile infection, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, the clinical and basic research of FMT outside the gastrointestinal system is also emerging. It is worth noting that there is bidirectional communication between the gut microbial community and the central nervous system (CNS) through the gut-brain axis. Some gut bacteria can synthesize and release neurotransmitters such as glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and dopamine. Imbalanced gut microbiota may interfere with the normal levels of these neurotransmitters, thereby affecting brain function. Gut microbiota can also produce metabolites that may cross the blood-brain barrier and affect CNS function. FMT may affect the occurrence and development of CNS and its related diseases by reshaping the gut microbiota of patients through a variety of pathways such as nerves, immunity, and metabolites. This article introduces the development of FMT and the research status of FMT in China, and reviews the basic and clinical research of FMT in neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease), neurotraumatic diseases (spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury) and stroke from the characteristics of three types of nervous system diseases, the characteristics of intestinal flora, and the therapeutic effect and mechanism of fecal microbiota transplantation, summarize the common mechanism of fecal microbiota transplantation in the treatment of CNS diseases and the therapeutic targets. We found that the common mechanisms of FMT in the treatment of nervous system diseases may include the following 3 categories through summary and analysis. (1) Gut microbiota metabolites, such as SCFAs, TMAO and LPS. (2) Inflammatory factors and immune inflammatory pathways such as TLR-MyD88 and NF-κB. (3) Neurotransmitter 5-HT. In the process of reviewing the studies, we found the following problems. (1) In basic researches on the relationship between FMT and CNS diseases, there are relatively few studies involving the autonomic nervous system pathway. (2) Clinical trial studies have shown that FMT improves the severity of patients’ symptoms and may be a promising treatment for a variety of neurological diseases. (3) The improvement of clinical efficacy is closely related to the choice of donor, especially emphasizing that FMT from healthy and young donors may be the key to the improvement of neurological diseases. However, there are common challenges in current research on FMT, such as the scientific and rigorous design of FMT clinical trials, including whether antibiotics are used before transplantation or different antibiotics are used, as well as different FMT processes, different donors, different functional analysis methods of gut microbiota, and the duration of FMT effect. Besides, the safety of FMT should be better elucidated, especially weighing the relationship between the therapeutic benefits and potential risks of FMT carefully. It is worth mentioning that the clinical development of FMT even exceeds its basic research. Science and TIME rated FMT as one of the top 10 breakthroughs in the field of biomedicine in 2013. FMT therapy has great potential in the treatment of nervous system diseases, is expected to open up a new situation in the medical field, and may become an innovative weapon in the medical field.

Objective To explore the mechanism by which CD137 signal regulates the aging of vas-cular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs).Methods Thirty 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were ran-domly divided into a young group(8 weeks old)and an aged group(80 weeks old),with 30 mice in each group.After corresponding periods of feeding,the mice were euthanized,and the plasma and aortic blood vessels were isolated.In the cell experiments,normal VSMCs were divided into a control group,bleomycin(BLM)group,combined agonist group,and combined inhibitor group.The cellular senescence level of VSMCs was assessed using a cellular senescence β-galactosidase staining kit.Western blotting and PCR were employed to examine the expression of senescence-related proteins in tissues and cells,while ELISA was utilized to measure the expression of senes-cence-related inflammatory factors.Results The expression of CD137 and γ-H2AX in the aorta was significantly higher,while that of PCNA was obviously lower in the aged group than the young group(P＜0.05).The plasma level of CD137 was notably higher in the aged group than the young group(154.0±4.1 pg/ml vs 98.0±2.3 pg/ml,P＜0.05).Compared with the normal control group,there were significantly more aged VSMCs in the BLM group(P＜0.05).While,treatment of combined agonist resulted in larger amount of aged VSMCs when compared with the BLM group(P＜0.05),which was reversed by combined inhibitor treatment(P＜0.05).The levels of TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-1β were significantly elevated in the BLM group than the normal control group(P＜0.05).The combined agonist group had even higher levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1βthan the BLM group(P＜0.05),but the levels were decreased in the combined inhibitor group(P＜0.05).Compared with the normal control group,the expression of Bcl-2,γ-H2AX,P53,and P21 were significantly increased in the BLM group,combined agonist group,and combined inhibi-tor group,while that of PCNA was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with the BLM group,the expression of P53 and P21 in the combined agonist group showed an increase(P＜0.05),and the expression of P53 was significantly decreased in the combined inhibitor group(P＜0.05).Conclusion CD137 signal regulates the P53/P21 pathway to promote VSMC aging.