Diabetic kidney disease （DKD） is a microvascular complication of diabetes， with a complex pathogenesis， in which mitochondrial dysfunction is considered to be the core of DKD development. Taking mitochondria as a target to regulate mitochondrial energy metabolism， mitochondrial oxidative stress， mitophagy， and mitochondrial dynamic function represents a promising strategy for the DKD prevention and treatment， with good prospects in clinical application. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has great potential to mediate mitochondrial dysfunction in the DKD prevention and treatment. This article deeply explores the intrinsic relationship between various forms of mitochondrial dysfunction and DKD， and summarizes the current research status of various Chinese herbal compounds and Chinese herbal formulas in targeting mitochondrial dysfunction for the DKD prevention and treatment. This article aims to provide new targets and strategies for the DKD prevention and treatment， and the research and development of TCM.

ObjectiveTo explore the inhibitory effect and related molecular mechanisms of Saponin of Schizocapsa plantaginea HanceⅠ （SSPHⅠ） on human nasopharyngeal carcinoma HONE-1 cells. MethodsThe effect of SSPHⅠ on HONE-1 cell viability was detected using the CCK-8 assay. Its inhibitory effect on cell proliferation was evaluated through a colony formation assay. Changes in cell invasion ability were analyzed using the Transwell assay. Intracellular reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels were measured using the DHE fluorescent probe. The extent of intracellular content release was reflected by the LDH release assay. The rate of cell pyroptosis was detected using the Annexin-V/PI double staining method. Changes in the expression of proteins related to the classical pyroptosis pathway were examined by Western Blot. ResultsCCK-8 assay showed that treatment with SSPHⅠ for 24 hours reduced HONE-1 cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner， with an IC50 value of 3.383 μmol/L. In the colony formation assay， the number of HONE-1 cell colonies gradually decreased with increasing concentrations of SSPHⅠ （P<0.01）. The Transwell assay revealed that the number of cells migrating through the chamber was reduced following SSPHⅠ treatment （P<0.01）. DHE fluorescence probe detection indicated that intracellular ROS fluorescence intensity increased after SSPHⅠ treatment （P<0.001）. The LDH release assay showed that LDH activity in the cell supernatant increased with higher concentrations of SSPHⅠ （P<0.001）. Annexin-V/PI double staining demonstrated that the proportion of Annexin-V/PI-positive cells increased after SSPHⅠ treatment （P<0.001）. Western blot analysis showed that， compared with the control group， the protein expression levels of cleaved-Caspase-1 and GSDMD-N-terminal were upregulated in SSPHⅠ-treated cells （P<0.05）， and NLRP3 protein expression levels also increased （P<0.05）. ELISA results showed that the levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in the cells increased with higher concentrations of SSPHⅠ （P<0.05）. ConclusionSSPHⅠ can induce pyroptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma HONE-1 cells by regulating the ROS/NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling axis， thereby exerting an anti-nasopharyngeal carcinoma effect. This suggests that SSPHⅠ may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Extensive epigenetic reprogramming involves in memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation. The elaborate epigenetic rewiring underlying the heterogeneous functional states of CD8+ T cells remains hidden. Here, we profile single-cell chromatin accessibility and map enhancer-promoter interactomes to characterize the differentiation trajectory of memory CD8+ T cells. We reveal that under distinct epigenetic regulations, the early activated CD8+ T cells divergently originated for short-lived effector and memory precursor effector cells. We also uncover a defined epigenetic rewiring leading to the conversion from effector memory to central memory cells during memory formation. Additionally, we illustrate chromatin regulatory mechanisms underlying long-lasting versus transient transcription regulation during memory differentiation. Finally, we confirm the essential roles of Sox4 and Nrf2 in developing memory precursor effector and effector memory cells, respectively, and validate cell state-specific enhancers in regulating Il7r using CRISPR-Cas9. Our data pave the way for understanding the mechanism underlying epigenetic memory formation in CD8+ T-cell differentiation.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Chromatin/immunology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Immunologic Memory ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; SOXC Transcription Factors/immunology* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Enhancer Elements, Genetic

The research on the cardiovascular toxicity of air pollutants is in urgent need of collaborative innovation across multiple models. This paper systematically reviewed the advantages and limitations of four principal research models of cardiotoxicity, including epidemiological model, mammalian model, zebrafish model, and in vitro model. Epidemiological models have been used to demonstrate a significant correlation between exposure to PM_2.5 and both the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases within populations; however, these models face challenges in establishing causal inferences and interpreting individual mechanisms. Mammalian models have been applied to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of PM_2.5 at both the systemic and organ-specific levels, yet they encounter difficulties related to interspecies differences and throughput constraints. Zebrafish models, with their transparent embryos and observable development, offer a distinctive opportunity for high-throughput screening and mechanistic investigation of PM_2.5-induced cardiac developmental toxicity. Nonetheless, their cardiac physiological structure diverges from that of mammals, limiting their capacity to accurately model chronic conditions such as coronary heart disease. In vitro models, particularly human heart organoids and chip technologies, have provided profound insights into the direct toxic mechanisms of PM_2.5, including disruptions in calcium homeostasis, cellular senescence, and electrophysiological irregularities at the cellular and molecular levels. Despite these advancements, the complexity and developmental maturity of these models present challenges to their broader application. This paper proposed that the key to overcoming the bottlenecks of single models lies in the construction of an integrated evaluation system that combines “epidemiological studies, mammalian models, zebrafish models, and in vitro models”. By focusing on three aspects, namely model integration, technological convergence, and policy support, it is intended to collaboratively address issues such as standardization of multi-model data, simulation of complex exposure scenarios and susceptible life stages, and transformation pathways. This will provide innovative methodological support for the analysis of the cardiotoxic mechanisms of air pollutants, the assessment of environmental health impacts, and the formulation of precise prevention and control strategies.

Objective:To investigate the impact of High Alcohol-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (HiAlc Kpn) on hepatocyte function and explore its regulatory mechanism from the perspective of epigenetic modifications. Methods:Using the HepG2 cell line as the research model, the study involved exposing the cells to alcohol and three different HiAlc Kpn strains in vitro, dividing them into a control group, alcohol-treated group, W8 group, 3-24 group, and 4-26 group. The effect of HiAlc Kpn on liver cell proliferation was investigated using the Incucyte live cell imaging system, and the apoptotic level of liver cells was determined using flow cytometry. The fluorescence confocal microscopy combined with live cell probes was used to detect lipid accumulation and intracellular ROS levels in liver cells. The amount of mitochondrial damage was determined using flow cytometry combined with the seahorse cell metabolism analyzer, and changes in protein levels undergoing global lactylation modification were investigated using Western blotting. Results:Compared with the control group, HiAlc Kpn strains W8, 3-24 and 4-26 could decrease the proliferation rate and increase the ratio of apoptosis of hepatocyte HepG2 cells. The results of high-content cell imaging showed that the fluorescence points of ROS enrichment in HepG2 cells were increased after HiAlc Kpn treatment. The lipid accumulation was significantly increased by oil red O and BODIPY staining. The number of oil droplets and fluorescence points was higher than those in the control group and alcohol treatment group. The results of flow cytometry showed that the ratio of JC-1 monomer/polymer was significantly increased after alcohol and three kinds of HiAlc Kpn were treated and the W8 treatment group was about six times higher than the control group ( P<0.05). Seahorse Energy Metabolism System′s mitochondrial pressure test results showed that the extracellular acidification degree and oxygen consumption rate were significantly reduced by the HiAlc Kpn 4-26 strain. Western blot analysis showed that the pan-lactylation modification level increased after high-concentration alcohol treatment and the increased rate of pan-lactylation modification in the 1 000 mmol/L alcohol group was about three times that of the control group. HiAlc Kpn W8 and 3-24 strains resulted in four or two-times pan-lactylation modification increases compared with the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusion:HiAlc Kpn can induce lipid peroxidation in hepatic cells by regulating the increase in histone pan-lactylation modification levels, leading to mitochondrial damage, impaired cell proliferation capacity and increased apoptosis levels.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of modified Guizhi Fuling Pills in treating diabetic kidney disease(DKD)through autophagy regulation based on network pharmacology and experimental validation.Methods Active components and action targets of modified Guizhi Fuling Pills were screened via the TCMSP database.DKD-related autophagy targets were obtained from GeneCards,TTD,DrugBank and PharmGKB.A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using STRING,followed by GO functional and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses via DAVID.Molecular docking of key components and core targets was performed using AutoDock Tools 1.5.7.DKD model rats were prepared.The rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,valsartan group(50 mg/kg),and modified Guizhi Fuling Pills low-,medium-and high-dosage group(9.9,19.8 and 39.6 g/kg).After 8-week interventions,body mass and water intake were recorded;fasting blood glucose,24 h urinary total protein(24 hUTP),urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio(UACR)were monitored.Renal histopathology was evaluated via HE and Masson staining.Western blot was used to detect protein expressions of AMPK/FOXO1 pathway(p-AMPK,AMPK,FOXO1)and autophagy markers(Beclin-1,p62),while quantitative real-time PCR was used to assess AMPK and FOXO1 mRNA expressions.Results A total of 146 active components of Guizhi Fuling Pills and 33 main targets for treating DKD were screened,with the core targets including FOXO1,BCL2,TP53 and PTEN.KEGG pathway enrichment analysis suggested that AMPK/FOXO1 signaling pathway,AGE-RAGE and insulin signaling pathways may play a core regulatory role.Guizhi Fuling Pills could significantly reduce the body mass of DKD rats,reduce water intake,decrease renal index,decrease fasting blood glucose,24 hUTP and UACR(P<0.05,P<0.01),improve renal tissue pathology,increase AMPK,FOXO1,Beclin-1 protein expressions and AMPK,FOXO1 mRNA expressions(P<0.05),and reduce p62 protein expression(P<0.05).Conclusion Modified Guizhi Fuling Pills may exert therapeutic effects on DKD by regulating the AMPK-FOXO1-autophagy axis.

Objective:To explore the categories and influencing factors of depression in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, so as to provide a reference for formulating precise interventions for depression in MCI patients.Methods:A cross-sectional investigation was conducted. Patients with MCI admitted to the Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from December 2022 to December 2023 were selected as the investigation objects by convenience sampling method. The general data questionnaire, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17, Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale and Lubben Social Network Scale-6 were used to conduct a survey. Latent profile analysis and multiple Logistic regression analysis were used to explore the categories and influencing factors of depression.Results:A total of 537 patients with MCI were included, including 335 females and 202 males, aged (65.72 ± 9.53) years old. MCI patients scored (22.67 ± 4.68) points on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale, (13.27 ± 5.73) points on the Lubben Social Network Scale-6, and 9.00 (5.00, 13.00) points on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17. The depression in MCI patients could be divided into three categories: low risk depression (67.8%, 364/537), low depression-sleep disorder (20.1%, 108/537), and high depression-anxiety (12.1%, 65/537). The multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that gender, education, living style, social isolation and cognitive function were the influencing factors for different categories of depression ( OR values were 0.443-2.921, all P<0.05). Conclusions:There are individual differences in depression in patients with MCI, and precise intervention should be implemented according to the characteristics of different categories of depression.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and abundant infiltration of non-malignant lymphocytes, which renders patients potentially suitable candidates for immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) inhibit the growth of NPC cells and enhance cellular apoptosis and differentiation. Currently, the relationship between PLUNC (as a tumor-suppressor) and PD-L1 in NPC is unclear. Methods: We collected clinical samples of NPC to verify the relationship between PLUNC and PD-L1. PLUNC plasmid was transfected into NPC cells, and the variation of PD-L1 was verified by western blot and immunofluorescence. In NPC cells, we verified the relationship of PD-L1, activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), and β-catenin by western blot and immunofluorescence. Later, we further verified that PLUNC regulates PD-L1 through β-catenin. Finally, the effect of PLUNC on β-catenin was verified by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Results: We found that PLUNC expression was lower in NPC tissues than in paracancer tissues. PD-L1 expression was opposite to that of PLUNC. Western blot and immunofluorescence showed that β-catenin could upregulate ATF3 and PD-L1, while PLUNC could downregulate ATF3/PD-L1 by inhibiting the expression of β-catenin. PLUNC inhibits the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus. Co-IP experiments demonstrated that PLUNC inhibited the interaction of DEAD-box helicase 17 (DDX17) and β-catenin. Conclusions PLUNC downregulates the expression of PD-L1 by inhibiting the interaction of DDX17/β-catenin in NPC.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and abundant infiltration of non-malignant lymphocytes, which renders patients potentially suitable candidates for immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) inhibit the growth of NPC cells and enhance cellular apoptosis and differentiation. Currently, the relationship between PLUNC (as a tumor-suppressor) and PD-L1 in NPC is unclear. Methods: We collected clinical samples of NPC to verify the relationship between PLUNC and PD-L1. PLUNC plasmid was transfected into NPC cells, and the variation of PD-L1 was verified by western blot and immunofluorescence. In NPC cells, we verified the relationship of PD-L1, activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), and β-catenin by western blot and immunofluorescence. Later, we further verified that PLUNC regulates PD-L1 through β-catenin. Finally, the effect of PLUNC on β-catenin was verified by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Results: We found that PLUNC expression was lower in NPC tissues than in paracancer tissues. PD-L1 expression was opposite to that of PLUNC. Western blot and immunofluorescence showed that β-catenin could upregulate ATF3 and PD-L1, while PLUNC could downregulate ATF3/PD-L1 by inhibiting the expression of β-catenin. PLUNC inhibits the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus. Co-IP experiments demonstrated that PLUNC inhibited the interaction of DEAD-box helicase 17 (DDX17) and β-catenin. Conclusions PLUNC downregulates the expression of PD-L1 by inhibiting the interaction of DDX17/β-catenin in NPC.

OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of tislelizumab in the treatment of advanced non- small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. METHODS Computerized searches were conducted in PubMed， Embase， the Cochrane Library， CNKI， Wanfang and other Chinese and English databases to collect randomized controlled trials （RCTs） on tislelizumab for advanced NSCLC. The search period was from the establishment of the databases to December 2024. After strictly screening the literature， extracting data and conducting quality evaluations in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria， a meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 16.0 software. RESULTS A total of 18 RCTs involving 2 337 patients were included， with 1 283 in the experimental group and 1 054 in the control group. The meta-analysis results showed that the objective response rate [RR＝1.61， 95%CI （1.48， 1.75）， P＜0.000 01]， disease control rate [RR＝1.21， 95%CI （1.13， 1.29）， P＜0.000 01]， progression free survival [HR＝0.55， 95%CI （0.45， 0.66）， P＜0.000 01]， and overall survival [HR＝0.78， 95%CI（0.62， 0.97）， P＝0.03] were significantly better in the experimental group than in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups [RR＝1.00， 95%CI （0.73， 1.37）， P＝1.00]； among the common adverse reactions， only the incidence of liver function impairment was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group [RR＝1.30， 95%CI （1.10， 1.54）， P＜0.01]. CONCLUSIONS Tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy or targeted drugs significantly improves the efficacy in patients with advanced NSCLC without increasing the risk of adverse reactions overall. However， liver function should be closely monitored during treatment.