1.Treatment of Hyperuricemia and Gouty Arthritis by Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng Decoction via Inhibition of PPAR-γ/NF-κB/AGEs/RAGE Pathway Based on Network Pharmacology
Yue CAO ; Wanmei YAO ; Tao YANG ; Man YANG ; Ruimin JIA ; Rongrong LU ; Xue FENG ; Biwang LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(1):182-192
ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the potential molecular biological mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction in treating hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis by network pharmacology and molecular docking technology and preliminarily verify the mechanism through animal experiments. MethodsThe active ingredients and targets in the Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction were obtained by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and ETCM databases. The DisGeNET and GeneCards databases were utilized to acquire disease targets associated with hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis. These disease targets were then intersected with drug targets to identify key targets. The R language ClusterProfiler package and Python were employed for conducting gene ontology(GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) enrichment analysis. The regulatory network diagram of the drug-key target-function-pathway was visualized using Cytoscape 3.9.1 software, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for key targets was depicted. Finally, the hub gene was determined through topological analysis. Auto Dock, PyMOL, and other software were used for molecular docking to explore the possible therapeutic mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction for hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis. In animal experiments, a composite rat model of hyperuricemia induced by intraperitoneal injection of oteracil potassium combined with gouty arthritis induced by the modified Coderre method was established. Through hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, uric acid test, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), Western blot, and real-time polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR), the molecular mechanism and key targets of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction for treating hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis were observed. ResultsAfter screening and removing duplicate values, 76 active ingredients and 15 key targets were finally obtained. GO enrichment analysis yielded that the treatment of hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis with Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction was significantly associated with acute inflammatory response, astrocyte activation, regulation of interleukin (IL)-8 production, nuclear receptor activity, and binding of growth factor receptor. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis obtained that the key target genes were significantly associated with the IL-17 signaling pathway, advanced glycosylation end/receptor of advanced glycation endproducts(AGE/RAGE) signaling pathway, anti-inflammatory, and other pathways. PPI network indicated that albumin(ALB), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), IL-6, IL-1β, and C-reactive protein(CRP) were the key protein targets. The molecular docking results showed that ALB had the strongest binding force with beta-carotene (β-carotene). Biochemical results showed that blood uric acid decreased in the Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction groups. HE staining results showed that the low-dose (7.76 g·kg-1·d-1), medium-dose (15.53 g·kg-1·d-1), and high-dose (31.05 g·kg-1·d-1) groups of Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction had different degrees of remission, and the remission of the high-dose group was the most obvious. Fibroblastic tissue hyperplasia in synovial joints accompanied with inflammatory cell infiltration, as well as inflammatory cell infiltration in renal tissue of the high-dose group was significantly reduced, followed by the medium-dose and low-dose groups, and the expression of ALB, PPAR-γ, IL-6, IL-1β, and CRP was down-regulated to different degrees. ConclusionBy regulating the targets such as ALB, PPAR-γ, IL-6, IL-1β, and CRP, inhibiting the PPAR-γ/nuclear transcription factor (NF)-κB pathway, and reducing AGEs/RAGE-mediated inflammation, Buyang Huanwu Tongfeng decoction exerts anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and activates blood circulation and diuresis in the treatment of hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis.
2.Effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 on the mechanism of myopia-related factors secreted by human scleral fibroblasts
Rongrong CHAO ; Zhixiang DING ; Jing FAN ; Liu ZHENG
International Eye Science 2025;25(2):198-205
AIM: To investigate the effects of insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1)on the secretion of transforming growth factor β2(TGF-β2), matrix metalloproteinase 2(MMP-2)and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α(HIF-1α)in human scleral fibroblasts(HSF)and their mechanism.METHODS: The cells were cultured with IGF-1 and PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitor LY294002, respectively. CCK-8 method was used to detect cell viability and determine the optimal concentration and time of drug action. Cell migration activity was observed by cell scratch method. To determine the effects of IGF-1 on HSF cells and the regulatory role of PI3K/AKT pathway, HSF cells were divided into control group(without drugs), IGF-1(80 μg/L)group, IGF-1+LY294002(80 μg/L+5 mmol/L)group, and LY294002(5 mmol/L)group, and were cultured for 24 h; the protein expression levels of TGF-β2, MMP-2, HIF-1α, PI3K and AKT were detected by Western blot; the fluorescence expression of TGF-β2, MMP-2 and HIF-1α was detected by cellular immunofluorescence.RESULTS: The results of CCK-8 showed that the cell viability of the 80 μg/L IGF-1 group cultured with different concentrations of IGF-1 was the highest(all P<0.05), and the cell viability of the 80 μg/L IGF-1 group at 24 h was the highest under different culture times. Therefore, the concentration of IGF-1 was selected as 80 μg/L for 24 h. The viability of cells cultured with different concentrations of LY294002 gradually decreased from 6 h(all P<0.05). According to the IC50 value, therefore, the concentration of LY294002 was selected as 5 mmol/L for 24 h. The cell scratch results showed that compared with the control group, the cell mobility of 40 μg/L and 80 μg/L IGF-1 groups was increased(all P<0.05). Compared with the control group, cell mobility in the 2.5 and 5 mmol/L LY294002 groups was decreased(all P<0.05). Western blot results showed that compared with the control group, the protein expressions of TGF-β2, MMP-2, HIF-1α, PI3K and AKT in the IGF-1 group were increased, while those in the LY294002 group were decreased(all P<0.05). Compared with the IGF-1 group, the expression levels of TGF-β2, MMP-2, HIF-1α, PI3K and AKT in the IGF-1+LY294002 group were decreased(all P<0.05). The results of cell immunofluorescence showed that compared with the control group, the fluorescence expressions of TGF-β2, MMP-2 and HIF-1α in the IGF-1 group were increased, while those in the LY294002 group were decreased(all P<0.05). Compared with the IGF-1 group, the fluorescence expressions of TGF-β2, MMP-2 and HIF-1α in the IGF-1+LY294002 group were significantly decreased(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: IGF-1 promoted the proliferation and migration of human HSF. IGF-1 may up-regulate the expression of TGF-β2, MMP-2 and HIF-1α in HSF through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and participate in the occurrence and development of myopia.
3.Research progress on the pharmacokinetics of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs under different intraocular injection methods
International Eye Science 2025;25(9):1466-1470
Fundus neovascular diseases(FNDs)are ocular diseases caused by pathological changes in retinal blood vessels, which are the leading cause of visual impairment globally. The overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)plays an important role in the formation of new blood vessels, and the current first-line treatment for FNDs is anti-VEGF drugs. The eyes have a special blood-eye barrier, which makes it difficult for eye drops, oral or intravenous drugs to enter the eye and exert their effects. Intraocular injection can bypass this barrier and directly inject drugs into the eye, which is the main route of administration for the treatment of eye diseases. Compared with systemic administration, it is more conducive to enrich the drug at the target site and reduce systemic adverse reactions. Intraocular administrations include intravitreal injection(IVI), suprachoroidal space(SCS)injection, subretinal injection(SRI), drug delivery systems and other invasive intraocular treatments. Previous studies have shown that different intraocular administration methods can affect the pharmacokinetic(PK)properties of drugs. This article reviews the PK changes of anti-VEGF drugs under different intraocular administration methods.
4.Marginal Zone Lymphoma with Recurrent Intestinal Obstruction After Multiple Chemotherapy: A Case Report
Sirui HAN ; Yan ZHANG ; Guannan ZHANG ; Peijun LIU ; Wen SHI ; Wenbo LI ; Rongrong LI ; Congwei JIA ; Jian CAO ; Wei WANG
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(5):1344-1351
This article reports a diagnostically and therapeutically challenging case of small intestinal marginal zone lymphoma. The patient presented with recurrent abdominal pain as the chief complaint, and imaging revealed multifocal small bowel wall thickening with high uptake, multisegmental luminal stenosis, and proximal dilation. Initial diagnostic workup, including gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and enteroscopy with biopsy, failed to establish a definitive diagnosis. Empirical anti-tuberculosis therapy was ineffective. A repeat enteroscopic biopsy performed over eight months after symptom onset eventually confirmed the diagnosis of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) extranodal marginal zone lymphoma. Despite three different chemotherapy regimens, the patient's intestinal obstruction symptoms persisted, with imaging still showing multifocal bowel wall thickening and hypermetabolic activity. A critical diagnostic dilemma arose regarding whether the PET/CT-positive lesions represented residual lymphoma or fibrotic scarring, whether further chemotherapy adjustments were warranted, and whether surgical resection was necessary. Multidisciplinary discussion concluded that imaging had limited discriminatory value in this scenario and that surgical intervention should be pursued if feasible. The patient successfully underwent partial small bowel resection, with postoperative pathology confirming no residual lymphoma but significant fibrotic changes. The patient has since resumed a normal diet, with body weight nearly restored to pre-illness levels. This case highlights that fibrotic transformation is a common sequela of treated marginal zone lymphoma and that PET/CT may misleadingly suggest residual disease, potentially leading to unnecessary chemotherapy. Timely surgical intervention is crucial in such scenarios.
5.Transfer learning enhanced graph neural network for aldehyde oxidase metabolism prediction and its experimental application.
Jiacheng XIONG ; Rongrong CUI ; Zhaojun LI ; Wei ZHANG ; Runze ZHANG ; Zunyun FU ; Xiaohong LIU ; Zhenghao LI ; Kaixian CHEN ; Mingyue ZHENG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2024;14(2):623-634
Aldehyde oxidase (AOX) is a molybdoenzyme that is primarily expressed in the liver and is involved in the metabolism of drugs and other xenobiotics. AOX-mediated metabolism can result in unexpected outcomes, such as the production of toxic metabolites and high metabolic clearance, which can lead to the clinical failure of novel therapeutic agents. Computational models can assist medicinal chemists in rapidly evaluating the AOX metabolic risk of compounds during the early phases of drug discovery and provide valuable clues for manipulating AOX-mediated metabolism liability. In this study, we developed a novel graph neural network called AOMP for predicting AOX-mediated metabolism. AOMP integrated the tasks of metabolic substrate/non-substrate classification and metabolic site prediction, while utilizing transfer learning from 13C nuclear magnetic resonance data to enhance its performance on both tasks. AOMP significantly outperformed the benchmark methods in both cross-validation and external testing. Using AOMP, we systematically assessed the AOX-mediated metabolism of common fragments in kinase inhibitors and successfully identified four new scaffolds with AOX metabolism liability, which were validated through in vitro experiments. Furthermore, for the convenience of the community, we established the first online service for AOX metabolism prediction based on AOMP, which is freely available at https://aomp.alphama.com.cn.
6.Effects of cognition-related lifestyles on early cognitive decline in community older adults in China
Haowei LI ; Shige QI ; Shengshu WANG ; Shanshan YANG ; Shimin CHEN ; Rongrong LI ; Xuehang LI ; Shaohua LIU ; Junhan YANG ; Huaihao LI ; Yinghui BAO ; Yueting SHI ; Zhihui WANG ; Yao HE ; Miao LIU
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2024;45(1):63-70
Objective:To investigate the distribution characteristics of cognition-related lifestyles of elderly in communities and explore the integrated effects on early cognitive decline.Methods:The participants were from the Project of Prevention and Intervention of Neurodegenerative Disease for Elderly in China. A total of 2 537 older adults aged ≥60 years without dementia in the 2015 baseline survey and the 2017 follow-up survey were included. The information about their cognition-related lifestyles, including physical exercise, social interaction, leisure activity, sleep quality, smoking status, and alcohol consumption, were collected through questionnaire survey and the integrated scores were calculated. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between integrated cognition-related lifestyle score and early cognitive decline.Results:In the 2 537 older adults surveyed, 28.7% had score of 5-6, while only 4.8% had high scores for all 6 healthy lifestyles. Significant differences in healthy lifestyle factor distributions were observed between men and women. Multivariate logistic regression model showed that the risks for early cognitive decline in the older adults who had lifestyle score of 4 and 5-6 were lower than that in those with lifestyle score of 0-3 ( OR=0.683, 95% CI: 0.457-1.019; OR=0.623, 95% CI: 0.398-0.976; trend P=0.030). In the women, the risks for early cognitive decline was lower in groups with score of 4 and 5-6 than in group with score of 0-3 ( OR=0.491, 95% CI: 0.297-0.812; OR=0.556, 95% CI: 0.332-0.929; trend P=0.024). Conclusion:Cognition-related healthy lifestyles are associated with significantly lower risk for early cognitive decline in the elderly, especially in women.
7.Expert Consensus of Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment for Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria(2024)
Miao CHEN ; Chen YANG ; Ziwei LIU ; Wei CAO ; Bo ZHANG ; Xin LIU ; Jingnan LI ; Wei LIU ; Jie PAN ; Jian WANG ; Yuehong ZHENG ; Yuexin CHEN ; Fangda LI ; Shunda DU ; Cong NING ; Limeng CHEN ; Cai YUE ; Jun NI ; Min PENG ; Xiaoxiao GUO ; Tao WANG ; Hongjun LI ; Rongrong LI ; Tong WU ; Bing HAN ; Shuyang ZHANG ; MULTIDISCIPLINE COLLABORATION GROUP ON RARE DISEASE AT PEKING UNION MEDICAL COLLEGE HOSPITAL
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2024;15(5):1011-1028
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired clonal hematopoietic stem cell disease caused by abnormal expression of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) on the cell membrane due to mutations in the phosphatidylinositol glycan class A(PIGA) gene. It is commonly characterized by intravascular hemolysis, repeated thrombosis, and bone marrow failure, as well as multiple systemic involvement symptoms such as renal dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, swallowing difficulties, chest pain, abdominal pain, and erectile dysfunction. Due to the rarity of PNH and its strong heterogeneity in clinical manifestations, multidisciplinary collaboration is often required for diagnosis and treatment. Peking Union Medical College Hospital, relying on the rare disease diagnosis and treatment platform, has invited multidisciplinary clinical experts to form a unified opinion on the diagnosis and treatment of PNH, and formulated the
8.A case-control study on the incidence factors of esophageal cancer
Rongrong BIAN ; Chunhui LYU ; Zhaokang HANG ; Fei LIU
Chinese Journal of Postgraduates of Medicine 2024;47(2):149-152
Objective:To explore the risk factors and protective factors for esophageal cancer, and provide strategies for prevention, clinical treatment and later-stage intervention.Methods:A total of 150 patients with pathologically confirmed esophageal cancer admitted to Nanjing Liuhe District People′s Hospital from July 2020 to February 2023 were selected as the observation group, and 150 non-tumor patients hospitalized in the department of orthopedics during the same period were selected as the control group. A questionnaire survey was conducted to analyze the independent risk factors and independent protective factors for esophageal cancer.Results:Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that smoking, alcohol consumption, drinking hot tea (hot drinking >65 ℃), eating hard food, frequency of consuming pickled food, frequency of consuming fruits, frequency of consuming vegetables, frequency of getting angry, economic income and frequency of consuming bread were factors affecting the incidence of esophageal cancer ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that smoking, consuming fruits ≤3 times per week, previously drinking alcohol but currently not drinking, and not eating hard food were factors affecting the incidence of esophageal cancer ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Smoking and consuming fruits ≤3 times per week are independent risk factors for esophageal cancer, while previously drinking alcohol but currently not drinking and not eating hard food are independent protective factors for esophageal cancer.
9.Visualization analysis of hemodialysis water utilization at domestic and international levels based on CiteSpace
Haiyun MA ; Yongdong ZHANG ; Jiawen LIU ; Lu ZHAO ; Chengxia YANG ; Fenfen E ; Rongrong ZHANG ; Li ZHAN
Modern Hospital 2024;24(6):970-976,980
Objective The present study conducted a comprehensive literature review and visualization analysis of both domestic and international research on the utilization of hemodialysis water over the past two decades,aiming to gain insights into the current research status,identify prominent areas of interest,and highlight future development trends in this field,thereby of-fering valuable references for subsequent studies.Methods By employing bibliometric analysis,the relevant literature on hemo-dialysis water usage was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection(WoSCC)database and China National Knowledge Network(CNKI)for the period between 2004 and 2024.Subsequently,an in-depth examination of countries,research institu-tions,authors,and keywords associated with these publications was conducted.The visualization map was generated using CiteSpace 6.2.R4 software.Results A total of 3 304 papers were included,with 147 in Chinese and 3 157 in English.Over the past two decades,there has been a consistent upward trend in the number of publications both domestically and international-ly,although the growth rate of domestic literature lags behind that of foreign countries.The United States,China,and Japan rank as the top three countries in terms of publication volume,with the United States exhibiting the highest centrality.Foreign coun-tries tend to form small research groups with close institutional collaborations,while domestic research teams and institutions are relatively dispersed.Currently,foreign research primarily focuses on Fabrication,Ultrafiltration Membranes and Performance;meanwhile,domestic research emphasizes infection control,quality control,and daily maintenance.Conclusion From 2004 to 2024,both domestic and international researchers have consistently focused on water research for hemodialysis.However,China lags behind foreign countries in this field,necessitating enhanced collaboration among nations,institutions,and regions to broad-en the scope and depth of domestic research.
10.Investigation on bacterial endotoxin in nafamostat mesilate for injection by kinetic chromogenic assay
Rongrong WANG ; Yingya CAO ; Yunxia WANG ; Zheng MA ; Huan LIU ; Xiaowen ZHOU
Drug Standards of China 2024;25(2):195-199
Objective:To establish a bacterial endotoxin test method for nafamostat mesilate for injection.Methods:The interference test of the bacterial endotoxin test method-kinetic chromogenic assay was carried out according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 Volume Ⅳ general chapter 1143.Results:The interference effect of naphtholimus mesylate can be effectively eliminated by treating the test solution with an alkaline regulator for a certain period of time and diluting it.Conclusion:The bacteria endotoxin test-kinetic chromogenic assay for nafa-mostat mesilate for injection is applicable.

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