1.Application of Recombinant Collagen in Biomedicine
Huan HU ; Hong ZHANG ; Jian WANG ; Li-Wen WANG ; Qian LIU ; Ning-Wen CHENG ; Xin-Yue ZHANG ; Yun-Lan LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):395-416
Collagen is a major structural protein in the matrix of animal cells and the most widely distributed and abundant functional protein in mammals. Collagen’s good biocompatibility, biodegradability and biological activity make it a very valuable biomaterial. According to the source of collagen, it can be broadly categorized into two types: one is animal collagen; the other is recombinant collagen. Animal collagen is mainly extracted and purified from animal connective tissues by chemical methods, such as acid, alkali and enzyme methods, etc. Recombinant collagen refers to collagen produced by gene splicing technology, where the amino acid sequence is first designed and improved according to one’s own needs, and the gene sequence of improved recombinant collagen is highly consistent with that of human beings, and then the designed gene sequence is cloned into the appropriate vector, and then transferred to the appropriate expression vector. The designed gene sequence is cloned into a suitable vector, and then transferred to a suitable expression system for full expression, and finally the target protein is obtained by extraction and purification technology. Recombinant collagen has excellent histocompatibility and water solubility, can be directly absorbed by the human body and participate in the construction of collagen, remodeling of the extracellular matrix, cell growth, wound healing and site filling, etc., which has demonstrated significant effects, and has become the focus of the development of modern biomedical materials. This paper firstly elaborates the structure, type, and tissue distribution of human collagen, as well as the associated genetic diseases of different types of collagen, then introduces the specific process of producing animal source collagen and recombinant collagen, explains the advantages of recombinant collagen production method, and then introduces the various systems of expressing recombinant collagen, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, and finally briefly introduces the application of animal collagen, focusing on the use of animal collagen in the development of biopharmaceutical materials. In terms of application, it focuses on the use of animal disease models exploring the application effects of recombinant collagen in wound hemostasis, wound repair, corneal therapy, female pelvic floor dysfunction (FPFD), vaginal atrophy (VA) and vaginal dryness, thin endometritis (TE), chronic endometritis (CE), bone tissue regeneration in vivo, cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer (BC) and anti-aging. The mechanism of action of recombinant collagen in the treatment of FPFD and CE was introduced, and the clinical application and curative effect of recombinant collagen in skin burn, skin wound, dermatitis, acne and menopausal urogenital syndrome (GSM) were summarized. From the exploratory studies and clinical applications, it is evident that recombinant collagen has demonstrated surprising effects in the treatment of all types of diseases, such as reducing inflammation, promoting cell proliferation, migration and adhesion, increasing collagen deposition, and remodeling the extracellular matrix. At the end of the review, the challenges faced by recombinant collagen are summarized: to develop new recombinant collagen types and dosage forms, to explore the mechanism of action of recombinant collagen, and to provide an outlook for the future development and application of recombinant collagen.
2.Influencing factors for recompensation in patients with decompensated hepatitis C cirrhosis
Danqing XU ; Huan MU ; Yingyuan ZHANG ; Lixian CHANG ; Yuanzhen WANG ; Weikun LI ; Zhijian DONG ; Lihua ZHANG ; Yijing CHENG ; Li LIU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(2):269-276
ObjectiveTo investigate the influencing factors for recompensation in patients with decompensated hepatitis C cirrhosis, and to establish a predictive model. MethodsA total of 217 patients who were diagnosed with decompensated hepatitis C cirrhosis and were admitted to The Third People’s Hospital of Kunming l from January, 2019 to December, 2022 were enrolled, among whom 63 patients who were readmitted within at least 1 year and had no portal hypertension-related complications were enrolled as recompensation group, and 154 patients without recompensation were enrolled as control group. Related clinical data were collected, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for the factors that may affect the occurrence of recompensation. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed measurement data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed measurement data between two groups; the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. A binary Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the influencing factors for recompensation in patients with decompensated hepatitis C cirrhosis, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the predictive performance of the model. ResultsAmong the 217 patients with decompensated hepatitis C cirrhosis, 63 (29.03%) had recompensation. There were significant differences between the recompensation group and the control group in HIV history (χ2=4.566, P=0.034), history of partial splenic embolism (χ2=6.687, P=0.014), Child-Pugh classification (χ2=11.978, P=0.003), grade of ascites (χ2=14.229, P<0.001), albumin (t=4.063, P<0.001), prealbumin (Z=-3.077, P=0.002), high-density lipoprotein (t=2.854, P=0.011), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Z=-2.447, P=0.014), prothrombin time (Z=-2.441, P=0.015), carcinoembryonic antigen (Z=-2.113, P=0.035), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (Z=-2.063, P=0.039), CA125 (Z=-2.270, P=0.023), TT3 (Z=-3.304, P<0.001), TT4 (Z=-2.221, P=0.026), CD45+ (Z=-2.278, P=0.023), interleukin-5 (Z=-2.845, P=0.004), tumor necrosis factor-α (Z=-2.176, P=0.030), and portal vein width (Z=-5.283, P=0.005). The multivariate analysis showed that history of partial splenic embolism (odds ratio [OR]=3.064, P=0.049), HIV history (OR=0.195, P=0.027), a small amount of ascites (OR=3.390, P=0.017), AFP (OR=1.003, P=0.004), and portal vein width (OR=0.600, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors for the occurrence of recompensation in patients with decompensated hepatitis C cirrhosis. The ROC curve analysis showed that HIV history, grade of ascites, history of partial splenic embolism, AFP, portal vein width, and the combined predictive model of these indices had an area under the ROC curve of 0.556, 0.641, 0.560, 0.589, 0.745, and 0.817, respectively. ConclusionFor patients with decompensated hepatitis C cirrhosis, those with a history of partial splenic embolism, a small amount of ascites, and an increase in AFP level are more likely to experience recompensation, while those with a history of HIV and an increase in portal vein width are less likely to experience recompensation.
3.Setup Error and Its Influencing Factors in Radiotherapy for Spinal Metastasis
Wenhua QIN ; Xin FENG ; Zengzhou WANG ; Shangnan CHU ; Hong WANG ; Shiyu WU ; Cheng CHEN ; Fukui HUAN ; Bin LIANG ; Tao ZHANG
Cancer Research on Prevention and Treatment 2025;52(5):400-404
Objective To investigate the setup error in patients with spinal bone metastasis who underwent radiotherapy under the guidance of kilovoltage cone-beam CT (KV-CBCT). Methods A total of 118 patients with spinal metastasis who underwent radiotherapy, including 17 cases of cervical spine, 62 cases of thoracic spine, and 39 cases of lumbar spine, were collected. KV-CBCT scans were performed using the linear accelerators from Elekta and Varian’s EDGE system. CBCT images were registered with reference CT images in the bone window mode. A total of 973 data were collected, and 3D linear errors were recorded. Results The patients with spinal bone metastasis were grouped by site, height, weight, and BMI. The P value of the patients grouped only by site was P<0.05, which was statistically significant. Conclusion When grouped by site in the 3D direction, the positioning effect of cervical spine is better than that of thoracic and lumbar spine. The positioning effect of the thoracic spine is better in the head and foot direction but worse in the left and right direction compared with that of the lumbar spine. Instead of extending or narrowing the margin according to the BMI of patients with spinal metastasis, the margin must be changed according to the site of spinal bone metastasis.
4.Epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal clustering analysis of varicella in Lu'an City in 2005 - 2023
Huan ZHANG ; Bingxin MA ; Yafei CHEN ; Yao WANG ; Fan PAN ; Lei ZHANG ; Kai CHENG ; Ling SHAO ; Wei QIN
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;36(6):58-61
Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal clustering of varicella in Lu'an City from 2005 to 2023, and to provide a scientific basis for optimizing varicella prevention and control strategies. Methods Data on varicella cases were collected through the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Information System. Descriptive epidemiology, temporal trend analysis, seasonal analysis, spatiotemporal clustering analysis, and spatial autocorrelation analysis were conducted using QGIS, JoinPoint, SaTScan and GeoDa software. Results The average annual reported incidence rate of varicella in Lu'an City from 2005 to 2023 was 34.55/100,000, showing a trend of initial increase followed by a decrease. The peak incidence occurred from October to January of the following year (RR=1.97, LLR=1743.95, P=0.001). Students aged 0 to 19 was the primary affected group. Spatiotemporal scan analysis revealed four types of spatiotemporal clusters, with the cluster in Jin'an District from October 2017 to December 2023 being particularly prominent (RR=2.87,LLR=1734.15,P<0.001). Spatial autocorrelation analysis indicated significant clustering of varicella cases in the main urban area (Moran's I=0.216,Z=4.786,P=0.003). Conclusion The incidence of varicella in Lu'an City exhibits distinct seasonal and spatial clustering, and schools and kindergartens in the main urban area are the key to varicella prevention and control. It is necessary to enhance the monitoring of disease outbreaks during peak periods and in key areas, and to increase the two-dose vaccination rate for varicella in areas with case aggregation and among key populations.
5.Potential mechanism of Yueju Pills in improving depressive symptoms of psychocardiac diseases based on metabolomics and network pharmacology.
Cheng-Yu DU ; Xue-Feng GUO ; Han-Wen ZHANG ; Jian LIANG ; Huan ZHANG ; Guo-Wei HUANG ; Ping NI ; Hai-Jun MA ; You YU ; Rui YU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(16):4564-4573
The therapeutic effects of Yueju Pills on depression and cardiovascular diseases have been widely recognized. Previous studies have shown that the drug can significantly improve depressive-like behaviors induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) combined with atherosclerosis(AS). Given the complex pathogenesis of psychocardiac diseases, this study integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology to systematically elucidate the mechanism of Yueju Pills in alleviating depressive symptoms in psychocardiac diseases. The results demonstrate that, after Yueju Pill intervention, the levels of 9 abnormal metabolites in the hippocampus restore to normal ranges, primarily involving key pathways or signaling pathways, including the cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP), mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR), glycine/serine/threonine metabolism, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. In a high-fat diet-induced CUMS ApoE~(-/-) mouse model, Yueju Pills significantly increases adenosine monophosphate(AMP) levels and decreases L-alanine and D-glyceric acid levels in the hippocampus. In conclusion, Yueju Pills exert antidepressant effects by regulating multiple metabolic axes, including glycine/serine/threonine metabolism and the cAMP, mTOR signaling pathways. Network pharmacology predictions reveal that the treatment of CUMS combined with AS by its core active components may be realized through modulating pathways concerning neuroinflammation and synaptic plasticity, including serine/threonine-protein kinase 1(AKT1), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1(MAPK1), and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2(PTGS2). This study provides a theoretical reference for the clinical application of Yueju Pills in alleviating the depressive symptoms of psychocardiac diseases.
Animals
;
Network Pharmacology
;
Mice
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Metabolomics
;
Male
;
Depression/genetics*
;
Humans
;
Hippocampus/drug effects*
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Signal Transduction/drug effects*
6.Correlation between pathological features at the positive margin and biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy in patients with organ-confined prostate cancer.
Xin-Huan FAN ; Yan ZHANG ; Lin-Lin ZHU ; Cheng-Yi LIU ; De-Gang CHEN ; Shi-Fang SANG ; Peng-Cheng XU
National Journal of Andrology 2025;31(3):202-207
Objective: To investigate the correlation between pathological features at the positive margins and biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. Methods: From June 2014 to December 2019, a total of 200 patients with organ-confined prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy were included in this study by the method of case matching (1∶1). One hundred patients with positive surgical margin and 100 with negative surgical margin were enrolled in this study. All patients did not receive any adjuvant treatment after surgery with a clinical stage of T2/N0. BCR-free survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. An optimal cutoff for the PSM length which differentiated risk for BCR was identified by Classification and Regression Tree analysis (CART). Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between variables and BCR-free survival. Results: A total of 200 patients were included in this study, and 177 patients with pT2 stage were pathological after operation. The median follow-up time of this group of patients was 32.8 months ranged from 5.6 to 80.5 months. A total of 28 cases of biochemical recurrence were found through PSA follow-up after surgery, including 6 cases (6.0%) in the negative margin group and 22 cases (22.0%) in the positive margin group. The result of Kaplan Meier survival curve analysis showed that the non biochemical recurrence survival time of the negative margin group was longer than that of the positive margin group (log rank χ2=9.336, P=0.003). It was found that the length of positive margin ≥1 mm in the positive margin group was positively correlated with postoperative biochemical recurrence. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify that the highest Gleason score ≥8 and the length of positive ≥1 mm were independent factors of postoperative biochemical recurrence in both the overall patients and the patients with positive margin. Conclusion: The patients with highest Gleason score ≥8 and the length of positive ≥1mm are at elevated risk for BCR.
Humans
;
Male
;
Prostatectomy
;
Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology*
;
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
;
Margins of Excision
;
Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood*
;
Proportional Hazards Models
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Middle Aged
;
Aged
;
Neoplasm Staging
;
Kaplan-Meier Estimate
7.Dysregulation of Iron Homeostasis Mediated by FTH Increases Ferroptosis Sensitivity in TP53-Mutant Glioblastoma.
Xuejie HUAN ; Jiangang LI ; Zhaobin CHU ; Hongliang ZHANG ; Lei CHENG ; Peng LUN ; Xixun DU ; Xi CHEN ; Qian JIAO ; Hong JIANG
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(4):569-582
Iron metabolism is a critical factor in tumorigenesis and development. Although TP53 mutations are prevalent in glioblastoma (GBM), the mechanisms by which TP53 regulates iron metabolism remain elusive. We reveal an imbalance iron homeostasis in GBM via TCGA database analysis. TP53 mutations disrupted iron homeostasis in GBM, characterized by elevated total iron levels and reduced ferritin (FTH). The gain-of-function effect triggered by TP53 mutations upregulates itchy E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase (ITCH) protein expression in astrocytes, leading to FTH degradation and an increase in free iron levels. TP53-mut astrocytes were more tolerant to the high iron environment induced by exogenous ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), but the increase in intracellular free iron made them more sensitive to Erastin-induced ferroptosis. Interestingly, we found that Erastin combined with FAC treatment significantly increased ferroptosis. These findings provide new insights for drug development and therapeutic modalities for GBM patients with TP53 mutations from iron metabolism perspectives.
Ferroptosis/drug effects*
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Humans
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Iron/metabolism*
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Glioblastoma/metabolism*
;
Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/metabolism*
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Homeostasis/physiology*
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Ferritins/metabolism*
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Brain Neoplasms/genetics*
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Mutation
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Astrocytes/drug effects*
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Cell Line, Tumor
;
Piperazines/pharmacology*
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Quaternary Ammonium Compounds/pharmacology*
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Ferric Compounds
8.Electrophysiological Signatures of Visual Sensations Elicited by Direct Electrical Stimulation.
Yan-Yan LI ; Bo ZHANG ; Jing WANG ; Yuri B SAALMANN ; Mohsen AFRASIABI ; Peng-Cheng LV ; Hai-Xiang WANG ; Huan-Huan XIANG ; Meng-Yang WANG ; Guo-Ming LUAN ; Robert T KNIGHT ; Liang WANG
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(9):1617-1629
Direct electrical stimulation of the human cortex can produce subjective visual sensations, yet these sensations are unstable. The underlying mechanisms may stem from differences in electrophysiological activity within the distributed network outside the stimulated site. To address this problem, we recruited 69 patients who experienced visual sensations during invasive electrical stimulation while intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) data were recorded. We found significantly flattened power spectral slopes in distributed regions involving different brain networks and decreased integrated information during elicited visual sensations compared with the non-sensation condition. Further analysis based on minimum information partitions revealed that the reconfigured network interactions primarily involved the inferior frontal cortex, posterior superior temporal sulcus, and temporoparietal junction. The flattened power spectral slope in the inferior frontal gyrus was also correlated with integrated information. Taken together, this study indicates that the altered electrophysiological signatures provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying subjective visual sensations.
Humans
;
Male
;
Female
;
Adult
;
Visual Perception/physiology*
;
Electric Stimulation
;
Middle Aged
;
Young Adult
;
Electrocorticography
;
Electroencephalography
;
Brain Mapping
9.Dynamic Changes of Volatile Components During Processing Process of Jianchangbang Characteristic Ginger Processed Xingpo Pieces Based on HS-GC-MS
Yuxun CHEN ; Wanai XU ; Jingyu WU ; Meiqi LU ; Lingbang MENG ; Cheng XU ; Hailian ZHENG ; Xian ZHANG ; Na ZHANG ; Qianfeng GONG ; Huan YU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(20):127-134
ObjectiveTo reveal the influence of Jianchangbang characteristic processing method on the change process of volatile components and the processing mechanism of reducing toxicity and increasing efficiency of Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex(MOC) by studying the changes in the composition and content of volatile components during the processing of ginger processed Xingpo pieces. MethodSamples of raw products, ginger juice moisturized products and stir-fried and heap moisturized products of MOC were taken according to the set time points, and headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(HS-GC-MS) was used to determine the contents of volatile components in the samples, and the relative content of each component was obtained by peak area normalization. Principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were performed on the sample data using SIMCA 14.1 software, and the differential components during the processing were screened with variable importance in the projection(VIP) value>1 as the indicator. ResultA total of 68 volatile components were identified in the samples, among which some of the chemical components with similar structures showed similar trends of changes, and there was also the phenomenon of interconversion between compounds. Compared with the raw products, the contents of 42 components in ginger juice moisturized products increased, while the contents of 25 components decreased, 19 components were unique, and 4 components were unique to the raw products. Compared with ginger juice moisturized products, MOC in the early stage of piling had three unique components, and the contents of 11 components such as cyclosativene and (+)-α-pinene increased, and the contents of 5 components such as tricyclic terpene and α-curcumene decreased, and ginger juice moisturized products had four unique components. Compared with the early stage of piling, in the later stage, the contents of 8 components such as (+)-α-pinene and camphene significantly increased, while the contents of 6 components such as linalool and α-selinene significantly decreased. During the processing of MOC, there were significant changes in the chemical composition of the samples before and after 20 days. The differences between ginger juice moistening and the early stage of piling, the early stage and the later stage of piling could be clearly distinguished. ConclusionDuring the preparation process of ginger processed Xingpo pieces, the addition of ginger juice can reduce the contents of stimulating components, and the contents of active components continue to increase in several stages, such as the addition of ginger juice, frying and heap moisturizing, the quality of the decoction pieces may change significantly at about 20 d of processing. This study can provide a research basis for exploring the processing mechanism of ginger processed Xingpo pieces.
10.Research progress on inhalation nano-drug delivery systems of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine for pulmonary diseases
Fangrui CHENG ; Shuang SUN ; Huan ZHANG ; Yongji LI ; Shaowa LYU
China Pharmacy 2024;35(23):2954-2958
Pulmonary administration can directly deliver drugs to the lungs, making it the preferred mode of administration for pulmonary disease. Active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as quercetin and paclitaxel have demonstrated promising therapeutic effects on lung diseases. However, they face challenges such as poor water solubility and high lung clearance rates. Loading the active ingredients of TCM onto nano-drug delivery systems can enhance their water solubility, stability, permeability and retention in the lungs. Based on this, this study reviewed the research progress on inhalation nano-drug delivery systems for the active ingredients of TCM in the treatment of lung diseases. It was found that there are nano-drug delivery systems for TCM active ingredients based on chitosan, lipids (including liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and nanostructured lipid carriers), and targeting ligands (including targeting folate receptor, targeting transferrin receptor, and exosomes). These inhalation nano-drug delivery systems comprehensively consider key factors such as particle size, surface charge, and hydrophobicity, which can prevent the drugs from being cleared by mucus, cilium and macrophages, thus exhibiting great potential for application.


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