1.Effect of NEP1-40/PLGA on facial nerve repair in rats
XUE Bing ; XI Hualei ; YAO Lihong ; XU Wanqiu ; XU Xiaohang ; LIN Song ; PIAO Guiyan ; WANG Xiumei
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2025;33(2):110-119
Objective:
To investigate the effect of neurite outgrowth inhibitor extracellular peptide residues 1-40 (NEP1-40) combined with poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and gelatin electrospun fiber membrane on facial nerve repair in rats.
Methods:
According to the principle of random grouping, 108 male SD rats were divided into four groups (n = 27 in each group, approved by the ethics committee), namely, the sham group, control group, PLGA group, and NEP1-40 + PLGA group. A facial nerve fracture model was established for all of the groups except for the sham group. The control group received no further treatment, the PLGA group and the NEP1-40+PLGA group were supported by PLGA membrane, and the NEP1-40+PLGA group received one immediate local injection of NEP1-40 (5 μg/μL) at a dose of 10 μL. Facial nerve function analysis, electrophysiological examination, transmission electron microscope observation, HE staining, and immunohistochemical staining of myelin marker S100β and axonal marker β3-tubulin were used to evaluate the recovery of injured facial nerves of rats at 2, 4 and 8 weeks.
Results :
At 8 weeks, the facial nerve function score of the NEP1-40+PLGA group was better than that of the control group and PLGA group (P < 0.001), and facial nerve function was significantly restored. Electrophysiological examination of nerve action potentials at the injured facial nerve showed that the amplitude in the NEP1-40+PLGA group was higher than that of the control group and PLGA group (P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference in latency and conduction velocity results between the groups (P > 0.05). At 2, 4, and 8 weeks, transmission electron microscopy showed that the number of myelinated nerve fibers and myelin sheath thickness in the cross-section of the injured facial nerve in the NEP1-40+PLGA group were greater than those in the other groups (P < 0.05). At 8 weeks, HE staining showed that the facial nerves in the control group had partially recovered, but the overall cell distribution was uneven and the boundary with surrounding tissues was slightly blurred. In contrast, the NEP1-40+PLGA group had a relatively uniform cell distribution and a clearer boundary with surrounding tissues. At 2, 4, and 8 weeks, the immunohistochemical results showed that in the cross-section of the injuried facial nerve, NEP1-40 increased the expression of neural markers S100 β and β3-tubulin, especially β3-tubulin, which was close to normal levels (P > 0.05)
Conclusion
NEP1-40 is beneficial for the generation of new myelin sheaths and axons at the site of injury, and it can promote the repair and regeneration of injured facial nerves to a certain extent, thus accelerating the recovery of injured nerve function.
2.Effect of Different Fermentation Conditions on Fungal Community and Chemical Composition of Aurantii Fructus
Zhihong YAN ; Xiumei LIU ; Qiuyan GUAN ; Yonggui SONG ; Zhifu AI ; Genhua ZHU ; Yuhui PING ; Ming YANG ; Qin ZHENG ; Huanhua XU ; Dan SU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(11):254-262
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of different fermentation methods and times on the fungal flora and chemical composition of Aurantii Fructus, in order to obtain the optimal fermentation conditions and flora structure, and to ensure the stability and controllability of the fermented varieties. MethodsScanning electron microscopy was used to observe and analyze the colony characteristics on the surface of Aurantii Fructus under different fermentation conditions. Internal transcribed spacer 2(ITS2) high-throughput sequencing, combined with fungal community diversity analysis and fungal community structure analysis, were used to obtain the fungal flora microbial categories of Aurantii Fructus under the conditions of traditional pressure-shelf fermentation and non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation for 7, 14, 21 d(numbered Y1-Y3 for the former, and numbered F1-F3 for the latter), respectively. At the same time, the chemical components in the fermentation process were detected by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS), combined with principal component analysis(PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) and compound retention time, parent ions, characteristic fragment ions and other information, the differential compounds between the different fermentation samples were screened and identified. ResultsThe analysis of fungal community diversity showed that the dominant flora did not change at different fermentation time points in the traditional pressure-shelf fermentation method, while in the non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation method, there was a significant difference with the fermentation process, and at the genus level, the dominant genus of samples Y1, Y2, Y3 and F2 was Aspergillus, while the dominant genera of samples F1 and F3 were both Rhizopus. This indicated that the microbial growth environment provided by the traditional fermentation method was more stable, and the microbial community structure was more stable, which was more conducive to the stable and controllable fermentation process and fermented products. A total of 155 compounds were identified by compositional analysis, including 70 flavonoids, 38 coumarins, 10 alkaloids, 34 organic acids and 3 other compounds. After fermentation, two new components of ribalinine and pranferin were produced. Different fermentation conditions also brought about differences in chemical composition, multivariate statistical analysis obtained 26 differential compounds under two different fermentation methods, mainly including flavonoids, organic acids and coumarins. Comprehensively, the microbial community structure of samples fermented by the traditional pressure-shelf method of Aurantii Fructus for 14 d was stable, the species richness was high and the overall content of differential compounds was high, which was the optimal processing condition. ConclusionCompared with non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation, the traditional method has obvious advantages in terms of the stability of the microbial community structure and the content of chemical compounds, and the optimal condition is 14 days of fermentation. This study is helpful to promote the quality stability and fermentation bioavailability of fermented products of Aurantii Fructus, as well as to provide an experimental basis for the further improvement of the quality control methods of this variety.
3.Effect of Different Fermentation Conditions on Fungal Community and Chemical Composition of Aurantii Fructus
Zhihong YAN ; Xiumei LIU ; Qiuyan GUAN ; Yonggui SONG ; Zhifu AI ; Genhua ZHU ; Yuhui PING ; Ming YANG ; Qin ZHENG ; Huanhua XU ; Dan SU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(11):254-262
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of different fermentation methods and times on the fungal flora and chemical composition of Aurantii Fructus, in order to obtain the optimal fermentation conditions and flora structure, and to ensure the stability and controllability of the fermented varieties. MethodsScanning electron microscopy was used to observe and analyze the colony characteristics on the surface of Aurantii Fructus under different fermentation conditions. Internal transcribed spacer 2(ITS2) high-throughput sequencing, combined with fungal community diversity analysis and fungal community structure analysis, were used to obtain the fungal flora microbial categories of Aurantii Fructus under the conditions of traditional pressure-shelf fermentation and non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation for 7, 14, 21 d(numbered Y1-Y3 for the former, and numbered F1-F3 for the latter), respectively. At the same time, the chemical components in the fermentation process were detected by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS), combined with principal component analysis(PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) and compound retention time, parent ions, characteristic fragment ions and other information, the differential compounds between the different fermentation samples were screened and identified. ResultsThe analysis of fungal community diversity showed that the dominant flora did not change at different fermentation time points in the traditional pressure-shelf fermentation method, while in the non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation method, there was a significant difference with the fermentation process, and at the genus level, the dominant genus of samples Y1, Y2, Y3 and F2 was Aspergillus, while the dominant genera of samples F1 and F3 were both Rhizopus. This indicated that the microbial growth environment provided by the traditional fermentation method was more stable, and the microbial community structure was more stable, which was more conducive to the stable and controllable fermentation process and fermented products. A total of 155 compounds were identified by compositional analysis, including 70 flavonoids, 38 coumarins, 10 alkaloids, 34 organic acids and 3 other compounds. After fermentation, two new components of ribalinine and pranferin were produced. Different fermentation conditions also brought about differences in chemical composition, multivariate statistical analysis obtained 26 differential compounds under two different fermentation methods, mainly including flavonoids, organic acids and coumarins. Comprehensively, the microbial community structure of samples fermented by the traditional pressure-shelf method of Aurantii Fructus for 14 d was stable, the species richness was high and the overall content of differential compounds was high, which was the optimal processing condition. ConclusionCompared with non-pressure-shelf natural fermentation, the traditional method has obvious advantages in terms of the stability of the microbial community structure and the content of chemical compounds, and the optimal condition is 14 days of fermentation. This study is helpful to promote the quality stability and fermentation bioavailability of fermented products of Aurantii Fructus, as well as to provide an experimental basis for the further improvement of the quality control methods of this variety.
4.Overview of in vitro skin models of transdermal drug delivery systems
Yan LIU ; Xiaolei HU ; Kehong XU ; Hairong ZHAO ; Xiumei WU ; Zizhong YANG ; Chenggui ZHANG ; Yu ZHAO ; Pengfei GAO
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2024;34(2):122-128
Skin modeling of transdermal drug delivery system refers to experimental models that mimic the structure and function of human skin to explore and evaluate absorption,penetration,and efficacy of medicines in transdermal drug delivery.It provides an alternative to traditional human skin experiments and reduces the use of human skin in medical research,which is convenient,controllable,and cost effective.For skin models of transdermal drug delivery systems,this article introduces commonly used animal skin models,artificial skin models,and recombinant human skin models from the perspective of the transdermal absorption pathway of medicines,and analyzes their advantages,disadvantages,and applications so provide references the research and development of transdermal formulations and topical therapies.
5.Electrospun nanofiber scaffolds for soft and hard tissue regeneration
Xinyi WANG ; Xianrui XIE ; Yujie CHEN ; Xiaoyu WANG ; Xiaoqing XU ; Yihong SHEN ; Xiumei MO
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2024;28(3):426-432
BACKGROUND:Currently,electrospun nanofibers,which are biomimetic materials of natural extracellular matrix and contain a three-dimensional network of interconnected pores,have been successfully used as scaffolds for various tissue regeneration,but are still faced with the challenge of extending the biomaterials into three-dimensional structures to reproduce the physiological,chemical as well as mechanical properties of the tissue microenvironment. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the process and principles of electrostatic spinning and to explore the applications of the resulting electrospun nanofibers in tissue regeneration of skin,blood vessels,nerves,bone,cartilage and tendons/ligaments. METHODS:With"electrospinning,electrospun nanofibers,electrospun nanofiber scaffolds,tissue regeneration"as the Chinese and English search terms,Google Academic Database,PubMed,and CNKI were searched,and finally 88 articles were included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The electrospun nanofibers are a natural fibrous extracellular matrix mimetic material and contain a three-dimensional network of interconnected pores that have been successfully used as scaffolds for a variety of tissue regeneration applications.(2)Several papers have described the great potential of electrospun nanofiber scaffolds applied to the regeneration of skin,blood vessels,nerves,bones,cartilage and tendons/ligaments,providing a solid theoretical basis for its final application in clinical disease treatment,or for its transformation into practical products to enter the market.(3)However,the current research results are mostly based on cell experimental research results in vitro,and whether it can be finally applied to human body still needs clinical verification.(4)At present,many kinds of electrospun products for various clinical needs have been commercialized in and outside China,indicating that the research field of electrospun nanofiber scaffolds for soft and hard tissue regeneration has great research value and application potential.
6.Clinical observation of"three modulation acupuncture"combined with repeated functional magnetic stimulation in the treatment of neurogenic bladder with detrusor muscle weakness after spinal cord injury
Yongqiang PANG ; Xiumei XU ; Yanlong XU ; Zixiao CHENG ; Chunxuan DONG ; Yanqin ZHANG ; Xi ZHANG ; Han MA
Journal of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;47(6):826-834
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of"three modulation acupuncture"combined with repeated functional magnetic stimulation(rFMS)in the treatment of neurogenic bladder with detrusor muscle weakness after spinal cord injury.Methods A total of 120 patients with neurogenic bladder with detrusor muscle weakness after spinal cord injury were divided into conventional treatment group,"three modulation acupuncture"treatment group,rFMS treatment group and comprehensive treatment group according to the random number table method,with 30 patients per group.The conventional treatment group was given conventional rehabilitation treatment,the"three modulation acupuncture"treatment group was treated with"three modulation acupuncture"(modulating spirit,modulating reflex arc,and modulating lower jiao and waterway)based on conventional rehabilitation treatment,the rFMS treatment group was treated with rFMS based on conventional rehabilitation treatment,and the comprehensive treatment group was treated with"three modulation acupuncture"and rFMS based on conventional rehabilitation treatment.The first desire to void(FDV),maximum cystometric capacity(MCC),maximum detrusor pressure of urine storage period(Pdet.max),maximum intravesical pressure of urine storage period(Pves.max),average daily urination frequency,average daily urine leakage,residual urine volume,and neurogenic bladder symptom scores of the patients were compared before and after treatment,and the clinical effectiveness of each group was evaluated.Results After treatment,the FDV,MCC,and Pdet.max of the four groups were all increased compared with those before treatment,and Pves.max,the average daily urination frequency,the average daily frequency of urine leakage,the residual urine volume,and the neurogenic bladder symptom scores were all decreased(P<0.05).After treatment,the FDV,MCC,and Pdet.max of the"three modulation acupuncture"treatment group,the rFMS treatment group and the comprehensive treatment group were all higher than those of the conventional treatment group,and Pves.max,the average daily urination frequency,the average daily frequency of urine leakage,the residual urine volume,and the neurogenic bladder symptom scores were all lower(P<0.05).After treatment,the comprehensive treatment group had a higher FDV,MCC,and Pdet.max than the"three modulation acupuncture"treatment group and rFMS treatment group,and Pves.max,the average daily urination frequency,the average daily frequency of urine leakage,the residual urine volume,and the neurogenic bladder symptom scores were lower(P<0.05).The curative efficiency rates were 86.2%(25/29)in the"three modulation acupuncture"treatment group,85.7%(24/28)in the rFMS treatment group,and 92.6%(25/27)in the comprehensive treatment group,which was higher than that of the conventional treatment group,which was 75.9%(22/29).Conclusion"Three modulation acupuncture"and rFMS can effectively improve the functional status of the bladder in patients of neurogenic bladder with detrusor muscle weakness after spinal cord injury,and their combined application has a synergistic effect.
7.Software-aided efficient identification of the components of compound formulae and their metabolites in rats by UHPLC/IM-QTOF-MS and an in-house high-definition MS2 library:Sishen formula as a case
Hong LILI ; Wang WEI ; Wang SHIYU ; Hu WANDI ; Sha YUYANG ; Xu XIAOYAN ; Wang XIAOYING ; Li KEFENG ; Wang HONGDA ; Gao XIUMEI ; Guo DE-AN ; Yang WENZHI
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2024;14(10):1484-1495
Identifying the compound formulae-related xenobiotics in bio-samples is full of challenges.Conventional strategies always exhibit the insufficiencies in overall coverage,analytical efficiency,and degree of automation,and the results highly rely on the personal knowledge and experience.The goal of this work was to establish a software-aided approach,by integrating ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/ion-mobility quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC/IM-QTOF-MS)and in-house high-definition MS2 library,to enhance the identification of prototypes and metabolites of the compound formulae in vivo,taking Sishen formula(SSF)as a template.Seven different MS2 acquisition methods were compared,which demonstrated the potency of a hybrid scan approach(namely high-definition data-independent/data-dependent acquisition(HDDIDDA))in the identification precision,MS1 coverage,and MS2 spectra quality.The HDDIDDA data for 55 reference compounds,four component drugs,and SSF,together with the rat bio-samples(e.g.,plasma,urine,feces,liver,and kidney),were acquired.Based on the UNIFI? platform(Waters),the efficient data processing workflows were estab-lished by combining mass defect filtering(MDF)-induced classification,diagnostic product ions(DPIs),and neutral loss filtering(NLF)-dominated structural confirmation.The high-definition MS2 spectral li-braries,dubbed in vitro-SSF and in vivo-SSF,were elaborated,enabling the efficient and automatic identification of SSF-associated xenobiotics in diverse rat bio-samples.Consequently,118 prototypes and 206 metabolites of SSF were identified,with the identification rate reaching 80.51%and 79.61%,respectively.The metabolic pathways mainly involved the oxidation,reduction,hydrolysis,sulfation,methylation,demethylation,acetylation,glucuronidation,and the combined reactions.Conclusively,the proposed strategy can drive the identification of compound formulae-related xenobiotics in vivo in an intelligent manner.
8.Study of the inflammatory activating process in the early stage of Fusobacterium nucleatum infected PDLSCs.
Yushang WANG ; Lihua WANG ; Tianyong SUN ; Song SHEN ; Zixuan LI ; Xiaomei MA ; Xiufeng GU ; Xiumei ZHANG ; Ai PENG ; Xin XU ; Qiang FENG
International Journal of Oral Science 2023;15(1):8-8
Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) is an early pathogenic colonizer in periodontitis, but the host response to infection with this pathogen remains unclear. In this study, we built an F. nucleatum infectious model with human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) and showed that F. nucleatum could inhibit proliferation, and facilitate apoptosis, ferroptosis, and inflammatory cytokine production in a dose-dependent manner. The F. nucleatum adhesin FadA acted as a proinflammatory virulence factor and increased the expression of interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6 and IL-8. Further study showed that FadA could bind with PEBP1 to activate the Raf1-MAPK and IKK-NF-κB signaling pathways. Time-course RNA-sequencing analyses showed the cascade of gene activation process in PDLSCs with increasing durations of F. nucleatum infection. NFκB1 and NFκB2 upregulated after 3 h of F. nucleatum-infection, and the inflammatory-related genes in the NF-κB signaling pathway were serially elevated with time. Using computational drug repositioning analysis, we predicted and validated that two potential drugs (piperlongumine and fisetin) could attenuate the negative effects of F. nucleatum-infection. Collectively, this study unveils the potential pathogenic mechanisms of F. nucleatum and the host inflammatory response at the early stage of F. nucleatum infection.
Humans
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Fusobacterium nucleatum/metabolism*
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NF-kappa B/metabolism*
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Periodontal Ligament/metabolism*
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Signal Transduction
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Fusobacterium Infections/pathology*
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Stem Cells/metabolism*
9.Study on Anti-hypoxia Effect and Mechanism of Gentiana Straminea Maxim.-Rhodiola Crenulata (Hook. f. et Thoms.) H. Ohba Combination of Different Proportions
KONG Xiumei ; JIANG Yi ; XU Jiaojiao ; JI Jiao ; MAN Guangna ; ZHAO Qin
Chinese Journal of Modern Applied Pharmacy 2023;40(18):2473-2483
OBJECTIVE To screen the optimal compatibility ratio of Gentiana straminea Maxim.(G.S Maxim) and Rhodiola crenulata (Hook. f. et Thoms.) H. Ohba(R. crenulata), and explore its anti-hypoxia effect and possible mechanism through in vivo and in vitro experiments and network pharmacology. METHODS PC12 cells were divided into groups, and the cell hypoxia model was established by Na2S2O4, H2O2 and physical hypoxia methods, and the compatibility ratio of G.S Maxim-R. crenulata was initially screened. Eighty SPF male Kunming mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group, positive group, and different compatibility ratio groups of G.S Maxim-R. crenulata(2:8, 3:7, 4:6, 5:5, 6:4, 7:3, 8:2), with 8 mice in each group. Gastric drug delivery in 15 d in advance, in addition to the blank group, the rest of the groups were normal pressure hypoxia experiments. Groups of mice survival time was recorded. Detected the levels of inflammatory cytokines, MDA content, and SOD activity in the lung tissues of mice in the blank group, model group, positive group, G.S Maxim-R. crenulata 4:6 group and 3:7 group. The anti-hypoxia mechanism of G.S Maxim-R. crenulata was investigated by network pharmacology and molecular docking, and verified by qPCR. RESULTS In vitro experiments showed that G.S Maxim-R. crenulata had better anti-hypoxia activity. In vivo experimental results showed that the combination ratio of G.S Maxim-R. crenulata with 4:6 and 3:7 could significantly improve the survival time of mice, reduce the contents of NF-κB, IL-6, IL-1β and MDA in lung tissue, and increase the content of IL-10 and SOD activity, and the effect of G.S Maxim-R. crenulata 3:7 group was the best. Network pharmacological studies showed that the potential active components of G.S Maxim-R. crenulata in anti-hypoxia might be ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, and ethyl gallate, etc. The core targets included SRC, PIK3CA, MAPK3, etc., and its anti-hypoxia signaling pathways mainly included PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, etc. The results of qPCR showed that G.S Maxim-R. crenulata could increase the expression of PI3K, Akt, mTOR and p62 in the lung tissue of hypoxic mice. Molecular docking verification showed that the core targets SRC, PIK3CA, and p62 had good binding activity with potential active components such as oleanolic acid, kaempferol, ethyl gallate and quercetin. CONCLUSION G.S Maxim-R. crenulata has anti-hypoxia activity, which may be related to PI3K/Akt signaling pathway through anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative stress and regulation of autophagy.
10.Biocompatibility evaluation of electrospun PLCL/fibrinogen nanofibers in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Jiahua GUO ; Yu ZHANG ; Liyuan CHEN ; Liming XU ; Xiumei MO ; Liang CHEN
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2022;39(3):544-550
The study aimed to evaluate the safety and function of poly(lactic-acid-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL)/fibrinogen nanofibers (P/F-Ns), and provide theoretical basis for the clinical application. The surface morphology, mechanical properties, the hydrophilicity and the fibrinogen content of P/F-Ns were tested by scanning electron microscope, the material testing machine, the contact angle meter and the microplate reader, respectively. The cell adhesion, proliferation and ligament remodeling genes expression of Hig-82 cells on P/F-Ns were conducted through cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and real-time quantitative PCR analyses, respectively. The results showed that with the increase of the fibrinogen content, the pore sizes and hydrophilicity of three P/F-Ns increased, but the mechanical properties decreased. Cell adhesion and proliferation tests showed that P/F-N-2 held the best ability to promote cell adhesion and proliferation. The ligament remodeling genes expressions of Hig-82 cells on P/F-N-1, P/F-N-2 and P/F-N-3 were all up-regulated compared to P/F-N-0 on days 3 and 7. All the three P/F-Ns containing fibrinogen (P/F-N-1, P/F-N-2 and P/F-N-3) had better biocompatibility compared to P/F-N-0, and could be efficiently applied to the reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
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Cell Adhesion
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Fibrinogen
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Materials Testing
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Nanofibers


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