1.Hypoglycemic Effect and Mechanism of ICK Pattern Peptides
Lin-Fang CHEN ; Jia-Fan ZHANG ; Ye-Ning GUO ; Hui-Zhong HUANG ; Kang-Hong HU ; Chen-Guang YAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):50-60
Diabetes is a very complex endocrine disease whose common feature is the increase in blood glucose concentration. Persistent hyperglycemia can lead to blindness, kidney and heart disease, neurodegeneration, and many other serious complications that have a significant impact on human health and quality of life. The number of people with diabetes is increasing yearly. The global diabetes prevalence in 20-79 year olds in 2021 was estimated to be 10.5% (536.6 million), and it will rise to 12.2% (783.2 million) in 2045. The main modes of intervention for diabetes include medication, dietary management, and exercise conditioning. Medication is the mainstay of treatment. Marketed diabetes drugs such as metformin and insulin, as well as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are effective in controlling blood sugar levels to some extent, but the preventive and therapeutic effects are still unsatisfactory. Peptide drugs have many advantages such as low toxicity, high target specificity, and good biocompatibility, which opens up new avenues for the treatment of diabetes and other diseases. Currently, insulin and its analogs are by far the main life-saving drugs in clinical diabetes treatment, enabling effective control of blood glucose levels, but the risk of hypoglycemia is relatively high and treatment is limited by the route of delivery. New and oral anti-diabetic drugs have always been a market demand and research hotspot. Inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) peptides are a class of multifunctional cyclic peptides. In structure, they contain three conserved disulfide bonds (C3-C20, C7-C22, and C15-C32) form a compact “knot” structure, which can resist degradation of digestive protease. Recent studies have shown that ICK peptides derived from legume, such as PA1b, Aglycin, Vglycin, Iglycin, Dglycin, and aM1, exhibit excellent regulatory activities on glucose and lipid metabolism at the cellular and animal levels. Mechanistically, ICK peptides promote glucose utilization by muscle and liver through activation of IR/AKT signaling pathway, which also improves insulin resistance. They can repair the damaged pancrease through activation of PI3K/AKT/Erk signaling pathway, thus lowering blood glucose. The biostability and hypoglycemic efficacy of the ICK peptides meet the requirements for commercialization of oral drugs, and in theory, they can be developed into natural oral anti-diabetes peptide drugs. In this review, the structural properties, activity and mechanism of ICK pattern peptides in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism were summaried, which provided a reference for the development of new oral peptides for diabetes.
2.Research Progress on Immunomodulatory Activity and Mechanism of Polygonatum sibiricum
Jinyu LI ; Ningning QIU ; Chang YI ; Mengqin ZHU ; Yanfeng YUAN ; Guang CHEN ; Xili ZHANG ; Wenlong LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(16):298-306
Polygonatum sibiricum, as a traditional Chinese medicine with both medicinal and edible properties, has attracted considerable attention due to its functions of nourishing Yin and moistening the lungs, tonifying the spleen and benefiting Qi, and nourishing the kidneys and filling essence. Recent studies have demonstrated that Polygonatum sibiricum plays a significant role in regulating the immune system, effectively enhancing and improving the morphology and function of immune organs, stimulating the proliferation and activation of immune cells, and regulating the secretion and release of immune factors, thereby enhancing the immune function of the body and improving various immune-related diseases. Although a large number of studies have explored the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of P. sibiricum, there has been no systematic review and summary of its immune regulatory activity and mechanisms. Therefore, this article comprehensively reviews the research achievements of P. sibiricum polysaccharides and saponins in the field of immune regulation in recent years, and further sorts out the immune regulatory mechanisms of P. sibiricum in multiple aspects: including increasing the organ index of the spleen and thymus, increasing the number and activity of tumor-suppressive bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells, improving intestinal flora imbalance, regulating the quantity and proportion of T lymphocyte subsets, increasing the level of immunoglobulin, promoting the proliferation of macrophages, enhancing the activity of natural killer cells, increasing the number of white blood cells, and promoting the maturation of dendritic cells, providing a solid theoretical basis and scientific evidence for the research and application of P. sibiricum, and promoting its development and application in traditional Chinese medicine immune enhancers and various functional products.
3.6-Week Caloric Restriction Improves Lipopolysaccharide-induced Septic Cardiomyopathy by Modulating SIRT3
Ming-Chen ZHANG ; Hui ZHANG ; Ting-Ting LI ; Ming-Hua CHEN ; Xiao-Wen WANG ; Zhong-Guang SUN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(7):1878-1889
ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the prophylactic effects of caloric restriction (CR) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic cardiomyopathy (SCM) and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective actions of CR. This research aims to provide innovative strategies and theoretical support for the prevention of SCM. MethodsA total of forty-eight 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice, weighing between 20-25 g, were randomly assigned to 4 distinct groups, each consisting of 12 mice. The groups were designated as follows: CON (control), LPS, CR, and CR+LPS. Prior to the initiation of the CR protocol, the CR and CR+LPS groups underwent a 2-week acclimatization period during which individual food consumption was measured. The initial week of CR intervention was set at 80% of the baseline intake, followed by a reduction to 60% for the subsequent 5 weeks. After 6-week CR intervention, all 4 groups received an intraperitoneal injection of either normal saline or LPS (10 mg/kg). Twelve hours post-injection, heart function was assessed, and subsequently, heart and blood samples were collected. Serum inflammatory markers were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum myocardial enzyme spectrum was analyzed using an automated biochemical instrument. Myocardial tissue sections underwent hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunofluorescence (IF) staining. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of protein in myocardial tissue, including inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-9, IL-18), oxidative stress markers (iNOS, SOD2), pro-apoptotic markers (Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, CASP3), and SIRT3/SIRT6. ResultsTwelve hours after LPS injection, there was a significant decrease in ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) ratios, along with a notable increase in left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD). Morphological and serum indicators (AST, LDH, CK, and CK-MB) indicated that LPS injection could induce myocardial structural disorders and myocardial injury. Furthermore, 6-week CR effectively prevented the myocardial injury. LPS injection also significantly increased the circulating inflammatory levels (IL-1β, TNF-α) in mice. IF and Western blot analyses revealed that LPS injection significantly up-regulating the expression of inflammatory-related proteins (TNF-α, IL-9, IL-18), oxidative stress-related proteins (iNOS, SOD2) and apoptotic proteins (Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, CASP3) in myocardial tissue. 6-week CR intervention significantly reduced circulating inflammatory levels and downregulated the expression of inflammatory, oxidative stress-related proteins and pro-apoptotic level in myocardial tissue. Additionally, LPS injection significantly downregulated the expression of SIRT3 and SIRT6 proteins in myocardial tissue, and CR intervention could restore the expression of SIRT3 proteins. ConclusionA 6-week CR could prevent LPS-induced septic cardiomyopathy, including cardiac function decline, myocardial structural damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. The mechanism may be associated with the regulation of SIRT3 expression in myocardial tissue.
4.Prediction of lymph node metastasis in invasive lung adenocarcinoma based on radiomics of the primary lesion, peritumoral region, and tumor habitat: A single-center retrospective study
Hongchang WANG ; Yan GU ; Wenhao ZHANG ; Guang MU ; Wentao XUE ; Mengen WANG ; Chenghao FU ; Liang CHEN ; Mei YUAN ; Jun WANG
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2025;32(08):1079-1085
Objective To predict the lymph node metastasis status of patients with invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma by constructing machine learning models based on primary tumor radiomics, peritumoral radiomics, and habitat radiomics, and to evaluate the predictive performance and generalization ability of different imaging features. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 1 263 patients with invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma who underwent surgery at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Province Hospital, from 2016 to 2019. Habitat regions were delineated by applying K-means clustering (average cluster number of 2) to the grayscale values of CT images. The peritumoral region was defined as a uniformly expanded area of 3 mm around the primary tumor. The primary tumor region was automatically segmented using V-net combined with manual correction and annotation. Subsequently, radiomics features were extracted based on these regions, and stacked machine learning models were constructed. Model performance was evaluated on the training, testing, and internal validation sets using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), F1 score, recall, and precision. Results After excluding patients who did not meet the screening criteria, a total of 651 patients were included. The training set consisted of 468 patients (181 males, 287 females) with an average age of (58.39±11.23) years, ranging from 29 to 78 years, the testing set included 140 patients (56 males, 84 females) with an average age of (58.81±10.70) years, ranging from 34 to 82 years, and the internal validation set comprised 43 patients (14 males, 29 females) with an average age of (60.16±10.68) years, ranging from 29 to 78 years. Although the habitat radiomics model did not show the optimal performance in the training set, it exhibited superior performance in the internal validation set, with an AUC of 0.952 [95%CI (0.87, 1.00)], an F1 score of 84.62%, and a precision-recall AUC of 0.892, outperforming the models based on the primary tumor and peritumoral regions. Conclusion The model constructed based on habitat radiomics demonstrated superior performance in the internal validation set, suggesting its potential for better generalization ability and clinical application in predicting lymph node metastasis status in pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
5.Effect of Compatibility of Wujiwan on Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Distribution of Representative Components
Yu DONG ; Ying CHEN ; Zipeng GONG ; Qing YANG ; Xiaogang WENG ; Yajie WANG ; Xiaoxin ZHU ; Chenhao ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(3):105-113
ObjectiveTo study the plasma pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of five representative components in Wujiwan, and to illustrate the difference of metabolism and tissue distribution before and after compatibility. MethodHealthy male SD rats were divided into four groups, including Wujiwan group(A group, 62.96 g·L-1), Coptidis Rhizoma group(B group, 38.4 g·L-1), processed Euodiae Fructus group(C group, 5.88 g·L-1) and fried Paeoniae Radix Alba group(D group, 18.68 g·L-1), with 65 rats in each group, and were administered the drugs according to the clinical dose of decoction pieces converted into the dose of the extracts. Then plasma, liver, small intestine and brain were taken at pharmacokinetic set time in each group after administration. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the quantitative analysis of five representative components[berberine(Ber), palmatine(Pal), evodiamine(Evo), rutecarpine(Rut) and paeoniflorin(Pae)] in Wujiwan, their concentrations in plasma, liver, small intestine and brain were detected at different time, plasma samples were processed by protein precipitation, and tissue samples were pretreated by protein precipitation plus liquid-liquid extraction. Non-atrioventricular model was used to calculate the pharmacokinetic parameters of each component, and the parameters of each group were compared. ResultPharmacokinetic results of A group showed that area under the curve(AUC0-t) of the five representative components were ranked as follows:Ber and Pal were small intestine>liver>blood, Evo and Rut were liver>small intestine>plasma, Pae was small intestine>plasma, which was not detected in the liver, no other components were detected in brain except for Ber. In comparison with plasma and other tissues, peak concentration(Cmax) of Ber, Pal, Evo, and Rut were the highest and time to peak(tmax) were the lowest in the liver of A group. In plasma, the AUC0-t and Cmax of Evo and Rut were increased in A group compared with C group, tmax of Pea was elevated and its Cmax was decreased in A group compared with D group. In the liver, compared with B-D groups, Cmax values of 5 representative components except Pae were elevated, AUC0-t of Pae was decreased and AUC0-t of Evo and Rut were increased in the A group. In the small intestine, half-life(t1/2) of each representative components in A group was elevated and tmax was decreased, and Cmax of each representative ingredient except Pal was decreased, AUC0-t values of Ber and Pal were increased, whereas the AUC0-t values of Evo and Rut were decreased. ConclusionThe small intestine, as the effector organ, is the most distributed, followed by the liver. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the representative components in Wujiwan are changed before and after compatibility, which is more favorable to the exertion of its pharmacodynamic effects.
6.Research progress of IDO1-mediated tryptophan metabolism in sepsis
Xiao-di ZHAO ; Cheng-yan MA ; Hua-qing CUI ; Yu-chen WANG ; Xiao-guang CHEN ; Sen ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(2):289-297
Sepsis is a condition characterized by organ dysfunction resulting from the systemic inflammatory response triggered by an infection. Excessive inflammation and immunosuppression are intertwined, and severe cases may even develop into multiple organ failure. Studies have shown that indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1-mediated tryptophan metabolism is involved in the occurrence and development of sepsis, and elevated plasma kynurenine levels and Kyn/Trp ratios are early indicators of sepsis development. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive summary of the role of IDO1 in the acute inflammatory phase of sepsis, late immunosuppression, and organ damage. This includes its regulation of inflammatory state, immune cell function, blood pressure, and other aspects. Additionally, we analyze preclinical studies on targeted IDO1 drugs. An in-depth understanding and study of IDO may help to understand the pathogenesis and clinical significance of sepsis and multiple organ damage from a new perspective and provide new research ideas for exploring its prevention and treatment methods.
7.Effective Ingredients of Chinese Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of Osteoarthritis by Regulating Oxidative Stress: A Review
Shuang ZHANG ; Yingyan BI ; Xiaoting LIU ; Yusuo GONG ; Xuerui LIU ; Baohua YUAN ; Chenglong LU ; Xufan CHEN ; Ying WANG ; Jiaru GUANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(11):282-289
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease with a rising incidence rate year by year. Treatment often relies on analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can lead to gastrointestinal damage with long-term use and the recurrence of symptoms. Chinese medicine has a long history of preventing and treating OA, with widespread application and fewer side effects. It offers unique advantages such as a broad treatment scope, multiple targets, and pathways. The effective components of Chinese medicine can reduce the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS), relieve oxidative stress (OS) damage, and increase the antioxidant capacity of the body by interfering with the expression of biomarkers of OS response such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Through the modulation of signaling pathways such as nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), and osteoprotegerin (OPG), they downregulated the expression of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), thereby effectively relieving local joint inflammation, protecting chondrocytes and bone tissue, inhibiting chondrocyte apoptosis, and further alleviating the progression of OA. Currently, there are still certain limitations in the medical research status and development trends of OA, necessitating the continued advancement of traditional Chinese medicine. This paper reviewed the literature on the regulation of OS response by effective components of Chinese medicine for the prevention and treatment of OA, providing new directions and ideas for future research.
8.Evaluation of drug local tolerance testing and analysis of common problems
Mei-Ling CHEN ; Qing-Li WANG ; Hong-Mei GUANG ; Lan CUI ; Xiao-Dong ZHANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(1):139-143
Conducting local tolerance testing on parentaral drugs is of great significance for evaluating the clinical medication risks of drugs.Although relevant domestic and international guidelines provide detailed instructions on how to conduct local tolerance testing,it was found that some products still provide non-standard application materials,which affects the efficiency of drug development.This article summarizes the information on domestic and international guidance related to the local tolerance testing and elaborates on common problems based on specific application cases,with the aim of of providing reference for related work.
9.Effects of hesperidin in promoting acute skin wound healing
Yi-Ming HUANG ; Fei-Fei CHEN ; Rong-Rong ZHANG ; Guang-Hui ZHU
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(14):2093-2097
Objective To study the effects of hesperidin on the migration ability of human keratinocytes(HaCaT)and human skin fibroblasts(HSF).Additionally,this research aims to preliminary investigate the influence and underlying mechanism of Hesperidin in facilitating the healing process of acute skin wounds in mice.Methods HaCaT and HSF were divided into blank group(without any treatment),control group(added 0.1%dimethyl sulfoxide)and experimental group(added 5.0 μg·mL-1 hesperidin)for 48 h.The healing ability of cells in vitro was detected by scratch test.The migration of cells was detected by Transwell migration test.C57 mice were randomly divided into model group,experimental-L,-H groups.The acute full-thickness skin defect wound model was established by surgical clipping of the full-thickness skin of the back of mice.The model group was given 0.5%dimethyl sulfoxide,and the experimental-L,-H groups were given 10,50 mg·kg-1 hesperidin solution,respectively.The protein expressions levels of β-catenin,proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA),keratin 14 and collagen Ⅰ were detected by Western blot.Results The scratch healing rates of HaCaT-blank group,HaCaT-control group and HaCaT-experimental group were(21.05±1.10)%,(22.33±1.72)%and(41.61±2.90)%;the cell migration numbers were 57.00±11.36,60.38±10.11 and 287.75±20.21,respectively.The scratch healing rates of HSF-blank group,HSF-control group and HSF-experimental group were(17.82±1.62)%,(19.81±3.87)%and(64.22±1.94)%,the cell migration numbers were 43.25±7.98,40.75±6.70 and 140.88±14.35,respectively.The HaCaT-experimental group was compared with HaCaT-blank group and HaCaT-control group,and the HSF-experimental group was compared with HSF-blank group and HSF-control group,the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).The protein expression levels of β-catenin in the model group,experimental-L,-H groups were 0.53±0.06,0.74±0.17 and 1.44±0.11;the protein expression levels of keratin 14 were 0.33±0.06,0.54±0.07 and 1.26±0.16;the protein expression levels of PCNA were 0.46±0.05,0.72±0.09 and 1.14±0.11;the protein levels of collagen Ⅰ were 0.52±0.03,0.77±0.05 and 1.28±0.13,respectively.There were significant differences in the above indexes between the experimental-L,-H groups and the model group(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Hesperidin may promote the healing of acute skin wounds in mice by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and increasing the migration of HaCaT and HSF.
10.Research status of mechanism of psilocybin in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression
Guang-Shun HUA ; Chen-Yang GUO ; Hang ZHANG ; Yu-Ting GUO ; Si-Miao GONG ; Yan YANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(16):2428-2432
Refractory depression is a drug-resistant subtype of major depressive disorder for which there is a lack of effective and durable treatments.Seroxibine,the active substance in the mushroom Capsicum annuum,is a natural 5-hydroxytryptamine hallucinogen that activates the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor to mediate multiple aspects of antidepressant effects.In recent years,it has received renewed attention for its outstanding therapeutic effects in the treatment of refractory depression or other psychiatric disorders.Therefore,this paper summarizes the studies on neuroplasticity,brain neural connectivity network,neurotransmitters,immune factors,microbiota-gut-brain axis,and clinical efficacy of seloxipine in domestic and international literature,and explores the possible mechanisms of seloxipine's effect on refractory depression,with a view to providing theoretical basis for the clinical application of this drug.

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