1.Metabolic Dysregulation-driven Protein Acylation in Osteoarthritis
Zi-Hao ZHANG ; Li DUAN ; Kan OUYANG ; Tayyab SHAFIQ
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(10):2703-2713
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative joint disease and a major cause of pain and disability, particularly in middle-aged and older adults. OA is now recognized as a whole-joint disorder involving articular cartilage, synovium, subchondral bone, the meniscus, the infrapatellar fat pad, and the local inflammatory microenvironment. In addition to mechanical factors, metabolic abnormalities such as obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia are increasingly recognized as contributors to OA onset and progression. Obesity can increase mechanical joint loading, whereas metabolic abnormalities alter cellular metabolism and inflammatory responses within joint tissues. However, the molecular mechanisms by which metabolic stress leads to persistent cellular dysfunction and tissue damage remain incompletely understood. Protein acylation links cellular metabolism to chromatin regulation and protein function. Its dynamic balance is influenced by acyl-donor availability, cellular redox status, mitochondrial activity, glycolytic flux, and the activities of acyltransferases and deacylases. In OA, mitochondrial dysfunction, enhanced glycolysis, lactate accumulation, altered acyl-CoA metabolism, and dysregulated NAD+-dependent deacylation may reshape histone and non-histone protein acylation. These changes have been implicated in inflammatory gene expression, extracellular matrix metabolism, mitochondrial quality control, chondrocyte senescence, ferroptosis susceptibility, and synovial immune dysfunction. Recent studies increasingly focus on defined acylation sites, target proteins, regulatory enzymes, and cell-type-specific effects. Acetylation and deacetylation are involved in OA-related processes. sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)-mediated regulation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) p65 acetylation is associated with inflammatory and catabolic responses, whereas histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3)-dependent control of Parkin acetylation links matrix stiffening to excessive mitophagy and chondrocyte senescence. SIRT3-related pathways connect nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent deacetylation with mitochondrial DNA integrity, mitochondrial renewal, and metabolic remodeling, while SIRT6 has been implicated in inflammation and cellular senescence. Lactylation has emerged as another important direction in OA research. Histone H3 lysine 18 (H3K18) lactylation is associated with glycolysis-related transcription through the lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA)-H3K18la-triosephosphate isomerase 1 (TPI1) axis. UGDH K6 lactylation impairs glycosaminoglycan synthesis and promotes matrix damage, whereas H4K12 lactylation has been linked to chondrocyte senescence and autophagy inhibition. In the synovial microenvironment, cluster of differentiation 11b (CD11b) lactylation in macrophages impairs efferocytosis and contributes to sustained inflammation under hyperglycemic conditions. In contrast, H3K56 lactylation has been associated with increased type II collagen synthesis in a post-traumatic OA model, indicating that lactylation effects depend on the modified site, target, cell state, and disease context. SIRT5-related malonylation and succinylation provide additional links between acylation and metabolic dysfunction in OA. Increased protein malonylation and reduced SIRT5 activity are associated with disturbed glycolysis, mitochondrial respiration, and carbon metabolism in chondrocytes. SIRT5-mediated acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4) desuccinylation has been linked to reduced lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis susceptibility. By contrast, OA-specific evidence for crotonylation remains limited and centers on crotonylation-related metabolic genes such as glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) rather than defined functional acylation sites. This review summarizes current evidence linking metabolic dysregulation to acylation regulation in OA. Collectively, available studies indicate that shared metabolic disturbances reshape distinct acylation programs across joint cell types, producing modification- and site-specific effects on cellular function and tissue homeostasis. However, evidence strength varies among acylation types, particularly regarding defined functional sites and in vivo causality. Further site-specific and in vivo studies are needed to clarify which acylation changes actively contribute to OA progression and to evaluate their mechanistic and therapeutic relevance.
2.Development and validation of a score predicting mortality for older patients with mitral regurgitation.
De-Jing FENG ; Yun-Qing YE ; Zhe LI ; Bin ZHANG ; Qing-Rong LIU ; Wei-Wei WANG ; Zhen-Yan ZHAO ; Zheng ZHOU ; Qing-Hao ZHAO ; Zi-Kai YU ; Hai-Tong ZHANG ; Zhen-Ya DUAN ; Bin-Cheng WANG ; Jun-Xing LV ; Shuai GUO ; Run-Lin GAO ; Hai-Yan XU ; Yong-Jian WU
Journal of Geriatric Cardiology 2023;20(8):577-585
OBJECTIVE:
To develop and validate a user-friendly risk score for older mitral regurgitation (MR) patients, referred to as the Elder-MR score.
METHODS:
The China Senile Valvular Heart Disease (China-DVD) Cohort Study functioned as the development cohort, while the China Valvular Heart Disease (China-VHD) Study was employed for external validation. We included patients aged 60 years and above receiving medical treatment for moderate or severe MR (2274 patients in the development cohort and 1929 patients in the validation cohort). Candidate predictors were chosen using Cox's proportional hazards model and stepwise selection with Akaike's information criterion.
RESULTS:
Eight predictors were identified: age ≥ 75 years, body mass index < 20 kg/m2, NYHA class III/IV, secondary MR, anemia, estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2, albumin < 35 g/L, and left ventricular ejection fraction < 60%. The model displayed satisfactory performance in predicting one-year mortality in both the development cohort (C-statistic = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.69-0.77, Brier score = 0.06) and the validation cohort (C-statistic = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.68-0.78, Brier score = 0.06). The Elder-MR score ranges from 0 to 15 points. At a one-year follow-up, each point increase in the Elder-MR score represents a 1.27-fold risk of death (HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.21-1.34, P < 0.001) in the development cohort and a 1.24-fold risk of death (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.17-1.30, P < 0.001) in the validation cohort. Compared to EuroSCORE II, the Elder-MR score demonstrated superior predictive accuracy for one-year mortality in the validation cohort (C-statistic = 0.71 vs. 0.70, net reclassification improvement = 0.320, P < 0.01; integrated discrimination improvement = 0.029, P < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
The Elder-MR score may serve as an effective risk stratification tool to assist clinical decision-making in older MR patients.
3.Literature case analysis of hyperammonemic encephalopathy caused by sodium valproate
Li-Yuan WANG ; Jing LI ; Zi-Hao DUAN ; Fa-Cai WANG ; Jun-Jie JIANG
Chinese Journal of Pharmacoepidemiology 2023;32(12):1417-1424
Objective To investigate the occurrence and clinical characteristics of the adverse reactions of hyperammonemic encephalopathy caused by sodium valproate and provide reference for the safe clinical use of the drug.Methods CNKI,WanFang Data,VIP,PubMed and Web of Science databases were electronically searched to collect case reports on valproate-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy from the inception to March 2023.The extracted data was conducted for statistical analysis.Results A total of 37 documents with 41 patients were finally included.Among them,28 patients(68.3%)were males and 13 patients(31.7%)were females,aged 5 to 78 years,the median age was 41 years;most of the patients had no underlying diseases but the blood ammonia concentrations of them were abnormally high in laboratory tests,and the main clinical manifestations were neurological impairment such as cognitive impairment,drowsiness,coma and other disorders of consciousness.After drug discontinuation,drug switch and symptomatic treatment,they gradually recovered consciousness and the blood ammonia concentrations returned to normal.Conclusion It is not easy to recognize and detect the high blood ammonia encephalopathy caused by the application of sodium valproate in clinical practice,so the clinical performance and blood concentration of this drug should be closely monitored,and once the abnormalities are detected,patients should be treated symptomatically in time to ensure the safety of the drug use.
4.Progress in application of adult endogenous neurogenesis in brain injury repair.
Tian-Yu BAI ; Jiao MU ; Peng HAO ; Hong-Mei DUAN ; Fei HAO ; Wen ZHAO ; Yu-Dan GAO ; Zi-Jue WANG ; Zhao-Yang YANG ; Xiao-Guang LI
Acta Physiologica Sinica 2023;75(2):231-240
Persistent neurogenesis exists in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the ventricles and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in the adult mammalian brain. Adult endogenous neurogenesis not only plays an important role in the normal brain function, but also has important significance in the repair and treatment of brain injury or brain diseases. This article reviews the process of adult endogenous neurogenesis and its application in the repair of traumatic brain injury (TBI) or ischemic stroke, and discusses the strategies of activating adult endogenous neurogenesis to repair brain injury and its practical significance in promoting functional recovery after brain injury.
Adult
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Animals
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Humans
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Brain/physiopathology*
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Hippocampus/physiopathology*
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Mammals/physiology*
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Neurogenesis/physiology*
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Brain Hemorrhage, Traumatic/therapy*
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Ischemic Stroke/therapy*
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Recovery of Function
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Spinal Cord/physiopathology*
5.Research progress on muscle spindle morphology.
Wen-Xi LIAN ; Jia-Sheng RAO ; Liu-Fang HAO ; Zi-Jue WANG ; Hong-Mei DUAN ; Zhao-Yang YANG ; Xiao-Guang LI
Acta Physiologica Sinica 2022;74(6):1039-1047
Muscle spindle is the key proprioceptor in skeletal muscles and plays important roles in many physiological activities, such as maintaining posture, regulating movement and controlling speed variation. It has significant clinical relevance and is emerging as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of motor functional impairment and metabolic diseases. In this review, we summarized muscle spindle distribution and the mechanism of mechanical signal transmission, and reviewed the research progress on morphological and structural characteristics of muscle spindles.
Muscle Spindles/physiology*
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Muscle, Skeletal/physiology*
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Clinical Relevance
6.Roles of processing and compatibility in antidepression of Sini Powder:a metabonomics study.
Ya-Ting ZHANG ; Hao CAI ; Yu DUAN ; Ke PEI ; Zi-Qing MO ; Min-Jie NIU ; Yi-Chen DUAN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2021;46(19):4993-5004
The antidepressant mechanism of Sini Powder was investigated by metabonomics based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS, and the roles of processing and compatibility in the antidepression of Sini Powder were discussed in the present study. The chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) model of depression was induced in the model group, the Bupleuri Radix group, the Paeoniae Radix Alba group, the herb-pair group(Bupleuri Radix-Paeoniae Radix Alba), the Sini Powder group, and the vinegar-processed Sini Powder group(Bupleuri Radix and Paeoniae Radix Alba were vinegar-processed). After the establishment of the model, the rats in each group were continuously administered with corresponding drugs(ig) at a dose of 9.6 g·kg~(-1) for eight days [the rats in the model group and the normal group(without model induction) received the same volume of normal saline at the same time]. Following the last administration, the differential metabolites were identified to analyze metabolic pathways based on the rat plasma samples collected from each group. A total of sixteen potential biomarkers were identified. The metabolites with significant changes were involved in many biological metabolic pathways, such as amino acid metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, glycerol phospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and purine metabolism. After drug intervention, some biomarkers returned to normal levels. Further comparisons of processing and compatibility revealed that the vinegar-processed Sini Powder group had the most total metabolic pathways where differential metabolites were returned to normal. Compared with the individual herbs, the herb-pair significantly improved the recovery of differential metabolites in the pentose phosphate and purine metabolic pathways. Compared with the Sini Powder, the vinegar-processed Sini Powder facilitated the recovery of differential metabolites in the arginine biosynthesis, and pyrimidine and pentose phosphate metabolic pathways. As indicated by the results, Sini Powder may interfere with depression by regulating lipid and nucleotide metabolisms. The processing and compatibility of Chinese herbal medicines can potentiate the intervention on depression by regulating nucleotide, energy, and amino acid metabolisms to a certain extent.
Animals
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Antidepressive Agents
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal
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Metabolomics
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Paeonia
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Powders
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Rats
7.A model of lumbar disc degeneration on the early stage in rhesus monkey with minimally invasive technique.
Jie KONG ; Zi-xuan WANG ; Ai-yu JI ; De-chun WANG ; Zong-hua QI ; Wen-jian XU ; Da-peng HAO ; Feng DUAN ; You-gu HU
Chinese Journal of Surgery 2008;46(11):835-838
OBJECTIVETo establish a novel model of lumbar disc degeneration on the early stage in the rhesus monkey using percutaneous needle puncture guided by CT.
METHODS(1) Thirteen rhesus monkeys aged from 4 to 7 years, female 7 and male 6 were selected for establishing a model of the early stage of lumbar disc degeneration. (2)13 monkeys, 91 discs were divided into 3 groups: 64 discs from L1/2 to L5/6 were percutaneous punctured with a needle 20G as experimental group and 1 disc with a needle 15G as puncture control group and 26 discs were not be punctured from L6,7 to L7-S1 as control group. (3) Lumbar disc localization for needle puncture was guided by CT. All discs were examined by MRI, the HE, Masson's trichrome, Safranine-O and immunohistochemical staining of type II collagen before disc puncture and after puncture at 4, 8 and 12 weeks.
RESULTSMRI: (1) Experimental group: Pfirmann's Grade I was shown at postoperation 4, 8 and 12 weeks; (2) Puncture control group: Grade III was shown at postoperation 4 weeks and Grade IV at 8 weeks; (3) CONTROL GROUP: Grade I was shown at postoperation 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Histological examination: (1) In experimental group, there was no any change at postoperation 4 weeks, and the cell population of the nucleus was decreased at 8 weeks and more decreased at 12 weeks in HE. (2) There was no any change at postoperation 4 weeks, the clefts among the lamellae of the annulus fibrosus (AF) were shown at 8 weeks and more wider of the clefts of AF at 12 weeks in Masson's trichrome. (3) No any change was shown at postoperation 4 weeks, proteoglycan were progressively decreased at 8 and 12 weeks in Safranine-O. (4) No statistically significant difference in positive rate was observed at 4 and 8 weeks compared with control group in immunohistochemical staining of type II collagen. There was statistical difference at 12 weeks compared with control group (P<0.05). In puncture control group postoperation 8 weeks, the morphology of cell of nucleus pulposus was not clear in HE. The wider clefts of lamellae of the AF were shown in Masson's trichrome. The proteoglycan was obviously decreased in Safranine-O. Immunohistochemical staining collagen II synthesized was decreased. In normal control group, no any change was shown at 4, 8 and 12 weeks.
CONCLUSIONSThe degeneration of lumbar intervertebral disc on the early stage could be induced by the percutaneous needle puncture (20G) to the annulus fibrosus. The assessment of disc degeneration on early stage is not shown on MRI and only confirmed by histological examination.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Intervertebral Disc ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Macaca mulatta ; Male ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Random Allocation

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