1.Production of GTKO pigs and kidney xenotransplantation from pigs to rhesus macaques
Yan WANG ; Yue CHANG ; Chang YANG ; Taiyun WEI ; Xiaoying HUO ; Bowei CHEN ; Jiaoxiang WANG ; Heng ZHAO ; Jianxiong GUO ; Hongfang ZHAO ; Xiong ZHANG ; Feiyan ZHU ; Wenmin CHENG ; Hongye ZHAO ; Kaixiang XU ; Ameen Jamal MUHAMMAD ; Zhendi WANG ; Hongjiang WEI
Organ Transplantation 2025;16(4):526-537
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective To explore the construction of α-1,3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) gene-knockout (GTKO) Diannan miniature pigs and the kidney xenotransplantation from pigs to rhesus macaques, and to assess the effectiveness of GTKO pigs. Methods The GTKO Diannan miniature pigs were constructed using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system and somatic cell cloning technology. The phenotype of GTKO pigs was verified through polymerase chain reaction, Sanger sequencing and immunofluorescence staining. Flow cytometry was used to detect antigen-antibody (IgM) binding and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Kidney xenotransplantation was performed from GTKO pigs to rhesus macaques. The humoral immunity, cellular immunity, coagulation and physiological indicators of the recipient monkeys were monitored. The function and pathological changes of the transplanted kidneys were analyzed using ultrasonography, hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence staining. Results Single-guide RNA (sgRNA) targeting exon 4 of the GGTA1 gene in Diannan miniature pigs was designed. The pGL3-GGTA1-sgRNA1-GFP vector was transfected into fetal fibroblasts of Diannan miniature pigs. After puromycin selection, two cell clones, C59# and C89#, were identified as GGTA1 gene-knockout clones. These clones were expanded to form cell lines, which were used as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer. The reconstructed embryos were transferred into the oviducts of trihybrid surrogate sows, resulting in 13 fetal pigs. Among them, fetuses F04 and F11 exhibited biallelic mutations in the GGTA1 gene, and F04 had a normal karyotype. Using this GTKO fetal pig for recloning and transferring the reconstructed embryos into the oviducts of trihybrid surrogate sows, seven surviving piglets were obtained, all of which did not express α-Gal epitope. The binding of IgM from the serum of rhesus monkey 20# to GTKO pig PBMC was reduced, and the survival rate of GTKO pig PBMC in the complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay was higher than that of wild-type pig. GTKO pig kidneys were harvested and perfused until completely white. After the left kidney of the recipient monkey was removed, the pig kidney was heterotopically transplanted. Following vascular anastomosis and blood flow restoration, the pig kidney rapidly turned pink without hyperacute rejection (HAR). Urine appeared in the ureter 6 minutes later, indicating successful kidney transplantation. The right kidney of the recipient was then removed. Seven days after transplantation, the transplanted kidney had good blood flow, the recipient monkey's serum creatinine level was stable, and serum potassium and cystatin C levels were effectively controlled, although they increased 10 days after transplantation. Seven days after transplantation, the levels of white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils in the recipient monkey increased, while platelet count and fibrinogen levels decreased. The activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time and prothrombin time remained relatively stable but later showed an upward trend. The recipient monkey survived for 10 days. At autopsy, the transplanted kidney was found to be congested, swollen and necrotic, with a small amount of IgG deposition in the renal tissue, and a large amount of IgM, complement C3c and C4d deposition, as well as CD68+ macrophage infiltration. Conclusions The kidneys of GTKO Diannan miniature pigs may maintain normal renal function for a certain period in rhesus macaques and effectively overcome HAR, confirming the effectiveness of GTKO pigs for xenotransplantation.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
2.The Role of Golgi Apparatus Homeostasis in Regulating Cell Death and Major Diseases
Xin-Yue CHENG ; Feng-Hua YAO ; Hui ZHANG ; Yong-Ming YAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(8):2051-2067
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			The Golgi apparatus (GA) is a key membranous organelle in eukaryotic cells, acting as a central component of the endomembrane system. It plays an irreplaceable role in the processing, sorting, trafficking, and modification of proteins and lipids. Under normal conditions, the GA cooperates with other organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), lysosomes, mitochondria, and others, to achieve the precise processing and targeted transport of nearly one-third of intracellular proteins, thereby ensuring normal cellular physiological functions and adaptability to environmental changes. This function relies on Golgi protein quality control (PQC) mechanisms, which recognize and handle misfolded or aberrantly modified proteins by retrograde transport to the ER, proteasomal degradation, or lysosomal clearance, thus preventing the accumulation of toxic proteins. In addition, Golgi-specific autophagy (Golgiphagy), as a selective autophagy mechanism, is also crucial for removing damaged or excess Golgi components and maintaining its structural and functional homeostasis. Under pathological conditions such as oxidative stress and infection, the Golgi apparatus suffers damage and stress, and its homeostatic regulatory network may be disrupted, leading to the accumulation of misfolded proteins, membrane disorganization, and trafficking dysfunction. When the capacity and function of the Golgi fail to meet cellular demands, cells activate a series of adaptive signaling pathways to alleviate Golgi stress and enhance Golgi function. This process reflects the dynamic regulation of Golgi capacity to meet physiological needs. To date, 7 signaling pathways related to the Golgi stress response have been identified in mammalian cells. Although these pathways have different mechanisms, they all help restore Golgi homeostasis and function and are vital for maintaining overall cellular homeostasis. It is noteworthy that the regulation of Golgi homeostasis is closely related to multiple programmed cell death pathways, including apoptosis, ferroptosis, and pyroptosis. Once Golgi function is disrupted, these signaling pathways may induce cell death, ultimately participating in the occurrence and progression of diseases. Studies have shown that Golgi homeostatic imbalance plays an important pathological role in various major diseases. For example, in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), Golgi fragmentation and dysfunction aggravate the abnormal processing of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) and Tau protein, promoting neuronal loss and advancing neurodegenerative processes. In cancer, Golgi homeostatic imbalance is closely associated with increased genomic instability, enhanced tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and increased resistance to cell death, which are important factors in tumor initiation and progression. In infectious diseases, pathogens such as viruses and bacteria hijack the Golgi trafficking system to promote their replication while inducing host defensive cell death responses. This process is also a key mechanism in host-pathogen interactions. This review focuses on the role of the Golgi apparatus in cell death and major diseases, systematically summarizing the Golgi stress response, regulatory mechanisms, and the role of Golgi-specific autophagy in maintaining homeostasis. It emphasizes the signaling regulatory role of the Golgi apparatus in apoptosis, ferroptosis, and pyroptosis. By integrating the latest research progress, it further clarifies the pathological significance of Golgi homeostatic disruption in neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases, and reveals its potential mechanisms in cellular signal regulation. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
3.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. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
4.Pharmacokinetic study of 3 blood-absorbed components of Xiangshao sanjie oral liquid in rats with hyperplasia of mammary gland
Yu ZHANG ; Jiaming LI ; Dan PENG ; Ruoqiu FU ; Yue MING ; Zhengbi LIU ; Jingjing WANG ; Shiqi CHENG ; Hongjun XIE ; Yao LIU
China Pharmacy 2025;36(6):680-685
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			OBJECTIVE To explore the pharmacokinetic characteristics of 3 blood-absorbed components of Xiangshao sanjie oral liquid in rats with hyperplasia of mammary gland (HMG). METHODS Female SD rats were divided into control group and HMG group according to body weight, with 6 rats in each group. The HMG group was given estrogen+progesterone to construct HMG model. After modeling, two groups were given 1.485 g/kg of Xiangshao sanjie oral liquid (calculated by crude drug) intragastrically, once a day, for 7 consecutive days. Blood samples were collected before the first administration (0 h), and at 5, 15, 30 minutes and 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 hours after the last administration, respectively. Using chlorzoxazone as the internal standard, the plasma concentrations of ferulic acid, paeoniflorin and rosmarinic acid in rats were detected by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. The pharmacokinetic parameters [area under the drug time curve (AUC0-24 h, AUC0-∞), mean residence time (MRT0-∞), half-life (t1/2), peak time (tmax), peak concentration (cmax)] were calculated by the non-atrioventricular model using Phoenix WinNonlin 8.1 software. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the AUC0-24 h, AUC0-∞ and cmax of ferulic acid in the HMG group were significantly increased (P<0.05); the AUC0-24 h, AUC0-∞ , MRT0-∞ , t1/2 and cmax of paeoniflorin increased, but there was no significant difference between 2 groups (P>0.05); the AUC0-24 h and MRT0-∞ of rosmarinic acid were significantly increased or prolonged (P<0.05). C ONCLUSIONS In HMG model rats, the exposure of ferulic acid, paeoniflorin and rosmarinic acid in Xiangshao sanjie oral liquid all increase, and the retention time of rosmarinic acid is significantly prolonged.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
5.Literature analysis of aplasia anemia/pure red cell aplasia induced by pembrolizumab
Yue LI ; Shichao ZHANG ; Cheng XIE ; Jianguo ZHU ; Yun LI
China Pharmacy 2025;36(6):737-741
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			OBJECTIVE To analyze the clinical characteristics of aplastic anemia (AA)/pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) induced by pembrolizumab, and provide reference for clinical safe drug use. METHODS Using search terms as “pembrolizumab”, “keytruda”, “anemia” and “aplastic anemia” in both Chinese and English, the literature related to AA/PRCA induced by pembrolizumab were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases, and then analyzed descriptively and statistically. RESULTS A total of 10 patients were included from 10 literature; among these 10 patients, there were 5 males and 5 females, with 5 patients being aged 65 or above. The primary disease was mainly metastatic melanoma (4 cases). AA/PRCA occurred 13 d-3 years after the first dose of pembrolizumab. The main clinical manifestations included fatigue, dyspnea, oral/nasal bleeding, diffuse purpura, etc.; 8 cases developed moderate anemia and 2 cases developed severe anemia. After discontinuation and receiving supportive therapy, 5 cases improved, 1 case worsened in anemia, and 4 cases died. CONCLUSIONS When using pembrolizumab in clinical practice, blood routine should be regularly monitored. When AA/PRCA and other related symptoms occur, pembrolizumab should be stopped in time and a therapy regimen should be formulated according to the patient’ condition, to ensure the safety of medication.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
6.CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery System for Pituitary Tumors and Pulmonary Cancer Bone Metastases: Initiating a New Chapter in Stereotactic Radiotherapy
Weishi CHENG ; Xin LIAN ; Tingtian PANG ; Yue ZHANG ; Yuliang SUN ; Zhikai LIU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(3):790-796
The CyberKnife, an acronym for the stereotactic radiosurgery platform, represents an image-guided stereotactic radiotherapy technique. This technology precisely delivers ionizing radiation to tissues, effectively damaging tumor cells, and is suitable for radiotherapy of both intracranial and extracranial tumors. This article reports the first performance of CyberKnife by radiotherapy at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, including a patient with uncontrolled pituitary adenoma after surgery and radiotherapy, and another patient with vertebral metastasis following targeted therapy for lung adenocarcinoma. The application of CyberKnife technology in radiotherapy has achieved highly accurate dose delivery, enabling targeted irradiation of tumor lesions while minimizing damage to surrounding normal tissues, thereby yielding relatively ideal clinical outcomes.
7.Effect and mechanism of Jingangteng capsules in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease based on gut microbiota and metabolomics
Shiyuan CHENG ; Yue XIONG ; Dandan ZHANG ; Jing LI ; Zhiying SUN ; Jiaying TIAN ; Li SHEN ; Yue SHEN ; Dan LIU ; Qiong WEI ; Xiaochuan YE
China Pharmacy 2025;36(11):1340-1347
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and mechanism of Jingangteng capsules in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS Thirty-two SD rats were randomly divided into normal group and modeling group. The modeling group was fed a high-fat diet to establish a NAFLD model. The successfully modeled rats were then randomly divided into model group, atorvastatin group[positive control, 2 mg/(kg·d)], and Jingangteng capsules low- and high-dose groups [0.63 and 2.52 mg/(kg·d)], with 6 rats in each group. The pathological changes of the liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and oil red O staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine the serum levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-18. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing and metabolomics techniques were applied to explore the effects of Jingangteng capsules on gut microbiota and metabolisms in NAFLD rats. Based on the E-mail:591146765@qq.com metabolomics results, Western blot analysis was performed to detect proteins related to the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB)/NOD-like receptor family protein 3 (NLRP3) signaling pathway in the livers of NAFLD rats. RESULTS The experimental results showed that Jingangteng capsules could significantly reduce the serum levels of TG, TC, LDL-C, AST, ALT, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, while increased the level of HDL-C, and alleviated the hepatic cellular steatosis and inflammatory infiltration in NAFLD rats. They could regulate the gut microbiota disorders in NAFLD rats, significantly increased the relative abundance of Romboutsia and Oscillospira, and significantly decreased the relative abundance of Blautia (P<0.05). They also regulated metabolic disorders primarily by affecting secondary bile acid biosynthesis, fatty acid degradation, O-antigen nucleotide sugar biosynthesis, etc. Results of Western blot assay showed that they significantly reduced the phosphorylation levels of NF-κB p65 and NF-κB inhibitor α, and the protein expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1 and ASC (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Jingangteng capsules could improve inflammation, lipid accumulation and liver injury in NAFLD rats, regulate the disorders of gut microbiota and metabolisms, and inhibit NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Their therapeutic effects against NAFLD are mediated through the inhibition of the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
8.Targeting cAMP in D1-MSNs in the nucleus accumbens, a new rapid antidepressant strategy.
Yue ZHANG ; Jingwen GAO ; Na LI ; Peng XU ; Shimeng QU ; Jinqian CHENG ; Mingrui WANG ; Xueru LI ; Yaheng SONG ; Fan XIAO ; Xinyu YANG ; Jihong LIU ; Hao HONG ; Ronghao MU ; Xiaotian LI ; Youmei WANG ; Hui XU ; Yuan XIE ; Tianming GAO ; Guangji WANG ; Jiye AA
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2024;14(2):667-681
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Studies have suggested that the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression; however, the regulatory strategy that targets the NAc to achieve an exclusive and outstanding anti-depression benefit has not been elucidated. Here, we identified a specific reduction of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in the subset of dopamine D1 receptor medium spiny neurons (D1-MSNs) in the NAc that promoted stress susceptibility, while the stimulation of cAMP production in NAc D1-MSNs efficiently rescued depression-like behaviors. Ketamine treatment enhanced cAMP both in D1-MSNs and dopamine D2 receptor medium spiny neurons (D2-MSNs) of depressed mice, however, the rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine solely depended on elevating cAMP in NAc D1-MSNs. We discovered that a higher dose of crocin markedly increased cAMP in the NAc and consistently relieved depression 24 h after oral administration, but not a lower dose. The fast onset property of crocin was verified through multicenter studies. Moreover, crocin specifically targeted at D1-MSN cAMP signaling in the NAc to relieve depression and had no effect on D2-MSN. These findings characterize a new strategy to achieve an exclusive and outstanding anti-depression benefit by elevating cAMP in D1-MSNs in the NAc, and provide a potential rapid antidepressant drug candidate, crocin.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
9.Comprehensive analysis of insulin products complex disulfide bonds structure by high resolution mass spectrum
Xin-yue HU ; Xiao-li DING ; Yue SUN ; Hui ZHANG ; Jing LI ; Cheng-gang LINAG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(1):188-197
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			 The correct pairing of disulfide bonds maintains the correct folding mode and high-level structure formation of peptides and protein drugs, which is crucial for the quality control of products. In order to ensure that the disulfide bonds are correctly paired, disulfide bond analysis is an essential part of peptides and protein drug characterization. Mass spectrometry can be used to analyze disulfide bonds. However, insulin and its analogues have two pairs of disulfide bonds without restriction enzyme cutting site. Conventional collision-induced dissociation (CID) and high-energy induced cleavage (HCD) cannot accurately locate the complex disulfide bond. In our study, three methods were used to localize the complex disulfide, including enzyme digestion combined with key peptide fragment in source decay (ISD) fragmentation method, enzyme digestion combined with partial reduction alkylation method, intact protein source ISD and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) cleavage method, The applicability of insulin aspart, insulin lispro and insulin glargine were also investigated. This study provides a new way for the quality control of disulfide bonding mode of insulin and its analogues, and also provides a reference for the disulfide bond localization of peptides or proteins containing this complex disulfide bond. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
10.Research progress in SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection based on microfluidic platforms
Fan YANG ; Lan WANG ; Hong QIU ; Cheng KONG ; Wei-Wei ZHANG ; Chang GU ; Yue-Rong ZHU
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2024;45(1):101-107
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			The detection principle of microfluidic microfluidic technology was introduced.The current research status of microfluidic platform-based SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection technologies were reviewed such as reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR),digital PCR,isothermal amplification and clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein.The deficiencies of microfluidic platform-based SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection were analyzed.It's pointed out microfluidic platform-based SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection had to be optimized and validated clinically in specialty,sensitivity,detection limit,reproducibility,informatization,quality control and reagent cost.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(1):101-107]
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
            
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