1.Effects of Quorum Sensing Molecules on The Immune System
Wen-Min MA ; Xuan-Qi CHEN ; Hong-Xia MA ; Wen-Hui ZHANG ; Ling-Cong KONG ; Yu-Jia ZHOU ; Yuan-Yuan HU ; Yu JIA
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(11):2853-2867
In recent years, the development of host-acting antibacterial compounds has gradually become a hotspot in the field of anti-infection. Through research on the interaction mechanism between hosts and pathogenic bacteria, it has been found that the immune system is one of the key targets of host-acting antibacterial compounds. There is a communication system called the quorum sensing system in microorganisms, which mainly adjusts the structure of multi-microbial community and coordinates the group behavior. When the quorum sensing molecules secreted by microorganisms reach a threshold concentration, the quorum sensing system is activated and the overall gene expression of the microorganism is changed. In addition to regulating the density of microorganisms, quorum sensing molecules can also act as a link between pathogenic microorganisms and hosts, entering the host immune system and playing a role in affecting the morphological structure of immune cells, secreting cytokines, and inducing apoptosis, leading to host immune injury and causing host immune dysfunction.The key mechanism of 3-oxo-C12-HSL and other acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) molecules in the innate immune system has been extensively studied. The lipid solubility allows AHLs to pass through the plasma membrane of host immune cells easily and induce dissolution of lipid domains. Then, it acts through signaling pathways such as p38MAPK and JAK-STAT, further influencing the immune cell’s defense response to bacteria and potentially leading to cell apoptosis. Additionally, the human lactonase paraoxonase 2, which can degrade3-oxo-C12-HSL, has been found in macrophage. It acts as an immune regulator that promotes macrophage phagocytosis of pathogens and is hypothesized to have the ability to reduce bacterial resistance. The mechanism of quorum sensing molecules in the adaptive immune system is less studied, the current results suggest that 3-oxo-C12-HSL is closely related to the mitochondrial pathway in host immune cells. For example, 3-oxo-C12-HSL induces apoptosis of Jurkat cells by inhibiting the expression of three mitochondrial electron transport chain proteins; it can also trigger mitochondrial dysfunction and induce mast cell apoptosis through Ca2+ signaling.Among the quorum sensing molecules, the AHLs have the greatest impact on plant immune system. The different effects on plant resistance depends on the chain lengths of acyl groups in bacterial-produced AHLs. Short-chain AHLs (C4-HSL and C8-HSL) induce plant resistance to pathogenic bacteria mainly through the auxin pathway and jasmonic acid pathway. Long-chain AHL (3-oxo-C14-HSL) is commonly used in hosts against fungal pathogens by inducing stomata defense responses, and the reaction process is related to salicylic acid. Diffusible signal factor molecules also interfere with the stomatal immunity caused by pathogens. It may act through the formin nanoclustering-mediated actin assembly and MPK3 pathway to inhibit the innate immunity of Arabidopsis. In summary, AHLs induced different plant pathways and affects the plant-bacteria interactions to trigger plant immunity. As a quorum sensing molecule of fungi, farnesol has similar effects on host immunity as AHLs, such as stimulating cytokine secretion and activating an inflammatory response. It also plays a unique role on dendritic cell differentiation and maturation. In addition, studies have found that farnesol has a protective effect on autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which may be related to its effect on the composition of intestinal microorganisms of the host.Therefore, targeting the host immune system and quorum sensing molecules to develop antibacterial compounds can effectively inhibit the invasion of pathogens and subserve the host to resist the influence of pathogenic bacteria. This article will review the mechanism of host immune responses triggered by important quorum sensing molecules, aiming to explore the targets of host-acting antibacterial compounds and provide new directions for the prevention or treatment of causative infectious sources and the development of related drugs.
2.Chemical diversity of azaphilones from the marine-derived fungus Talaromyces sp. HK1-18
Jia-cheng XUE ; Zhong-hui LI ; Bao-cong HAO ; Yao-yao ZHENG ; Xia-hao ZHU ; Zhi-xin CHEN ; Min CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(5):1478-1483
GNPS-based mass spectrum-molecular networks is an effective strategy for rapidly identifying known natural products and discovering novel structures. The chemical diversity of azaphilones from the fermentation extracts of
3.Epidemic characteristics of malaria cases before and after malaria elimination in Hubei Province
WU Dong-ni ; ZHANG Hua-xun ; ZHU Hong ; WAN Lun ; SUN Ling-cong ; CAO Mu-min ; XIA Jing ; ZHANG Juan
China Tropical Medicine 2023;23(6):579-
Abstract: Objective To collect and organize malaria case data in Hubei Province from 2017 to 2021, compare and analyze the malaria epidemic characteristics on the before and after malaria elimination, and provide scientific support for Hubei Province to further optimize the comprehensive strategies to prevent re-transmission after the elimination of malaria. Methods The study was conducted by collecting the data of reported malaria cases of Hubei during 2017-2021 from the Infectious Disease Surveillance Reporting and Management System, and conducting the epidemiological characteristics of malaria on pre-elimination (2017-2019) and post-elimination (2020-2021). Results A total of 429 cases of imported malaria were reported in Hubei Province from 2017 to 2021, and the malaria epidemic showed an obvious trend of rising first and then falling. On the pre-malaria elimination, 374 malaria cases were reported, including 262 cases of P.falciparum (70.05%); on the post-malaria elimination, 55 malaria cases were reported, including 25 cases of P.falciparum (45.45%). There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of infections caused by the four types of malaria parasites before and after the elimination of malaria (χ2=14.248, P<0.05). On the pre-malaria elimination, the peak of disease onset mainly occurred in January, July, and November; on the post-malaria elimination, the peak of disease onset mainly occurred in January to February, and December. Both before and after malaria elimination, the reported cases were mainly concentrated in Wuhan, Yichang, Huangshi, Xiangyang, Shiyan and Huanggang, but the range of cases showed a clear trend of narrowing. Before and after malaria elimination, malaria cases in Hubei Province were mainly among young and middle-aged males aged 30-49. The proportions of workers and migrant workers increased from 37.70% and 9.09% before the elimination to 50.91% and 18.18% after the elimination, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (χ2=17.839, P<0.05). The percentage of interval from onset of illness to initial diagnosis ≥ 5d decreased from 21.66% before the elimination to 10.91% after the elimination (χ2=6.448, P<0.05). The percentage of definitive diagnosis of malaria at initial diagnosis in town clinic increased from 18.18% before the elimination to 50.00% after the elimination. The proportion of malaria cases diagnosed by county-level medical institutions increased from 22.73% before the elimination to 34.55% after elimination. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of malaria cases diagnosed by medical institutions at all levels before and after the elimination of malaria (χ2=5.630, P>0.05). The proportion of cases with the interval between initial diagnosis and diagnosis within 24h increased from 43.85% before the elimination to 70.91% after the elimination. There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of cases with the interval between initial diagnosis and diagnosis before and after the elimination of malaria (χ2=14.006, P<0.05). Before and after malaria elimination, all reported cases were mainly imported from African countries. Conclusions There are imported malaria cases reported every year in Hubei Province before and after the elimination of malaria, which poses a great challenge to the prevention of re-transmission. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the surveillance system, detect and standardize the treatment of imported malaria cases in a timely manner, conduct targeted retransmission risk surveys and assessments, and consolidate the achievements of malaria elimination.
4.Improvement of high-quality evaluation criteria of Chinese patent medicines based on whole process control.
Yan LIU ; Cong GUO ; Jun ZHANG ; Qing-Xia XU ; An-Yi ZHAO ; Yong-Zhen LAO ; Jiang-Min SU ; Zhi-Guang WANG ; Yu-Zhen LIU ; Sha CHEN ; An LIU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2023;48(6):1700-1704
Chinese patent medicines(CPMs) are unique therapeutic drugs in China. Establishing and improving the evaluation criteria is an important measure to promote the high-quality development of CPMs. Based on the "evaluation criteria of high-grade CPMs with quality as the core index" established by our group in 2018, the "high-quality evaluation criteria for CPMs based on whole process control" was proposed in the present study in 2022. The scope of application and basic principles of the new criteria were clarified. A quality evaluation scoring table was established in the new criteria, including five parts: raw material selection, production process, quality control, efficacy evaluation, and brand building. The technical evaluation indexes involved have increased from 20% in the original criteria to 70% in the new criteria, and efficacy evaluation has been added in the new criteria. The subjective evaluation indicators account for a large proportion in the original criteria, which is prone to bias. The improved criteria overcome this shortcoming. It is expected that the new criteria as a basis can play a better role in the selection of high-quality products of CPMs, guide enterprises and institutions to participate actively in the evaluation and research of high-quality CPMs, and promote the high-quality development of CPMs.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
;
Nonprescription Drugs
;
Chlorobenzenes
;
China
5.WGCNA-based identification of novel T-cell exhaustion-related gene signatures to predict the prognosis and response to immunotherapy of osteosarcoma patients
Huidong CHEN ; Tianqi XIA ; Kun HAN ; Xingxing SUN ; Meixiang ZHOU ; Cong TIAN ; Mengyi JIANG ; Daliu MIN
Tumor 2023;43(10):763-780
Objective:To screen T-cell exhaustion-related signature genes as the prognostic marker for osteosarcoma and establish a prognostic model for osteosarcoma patients based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA)and Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)-COX regression analysis. Methods:GSE21257 dataset was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database for the establishment of the prognostic model for osteosarcoma.4 T-cell exhaustion-related gene sets were downloaded from The Molecular Signatures Database(MisgDB)and their enrichment scores in GSE21257 samples were calculated by single sample gene set enrichment analysis(ssGSEA).WGCNA was carried out to screen the gene module that is highly associated with T-cell exhaustion based on ssGSEA results followed by GO(Gene Ontology)and KEGG(Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes)analysis of the biological processes and signaling transduction pathways that those genes are involved in.The signature genes that are highly associated with the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients were obtained through LASSO-COX regression and a prognostic model was established based on these signature genes.Osteosarcoma-related expression profile data from the GSE21257 and TAEGET datasets on XENA were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus.Clinical information for the training and validation sets was obtained.T-cell exhaustion-related genes were screened using a weighted correlation network analysis.Realtime fluorescence quantitative PCR,COX regression analysis,external dataset and nomogram were used to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of the prognostic model.A immunotherapy-related dataset was used to assess the efficacy of this prognostic model for the prediction of patients'responses to immunotherapy. Results:Analysis results based on the ssGSEA scores showed that T-cell exhaustion-related genes were related to the metastasis and age of osteosarcoma patients.Many T-cell exhaustion-related genes were found to be differentially expressed in metastatic and non-metastatic osteosarcoma patients.1 256 T-cell exhaustion-related genes were identified through WGCNA and these candidate markers were mainly distributed in structures like secretory granule membranes and endocytic vesicles and were involved in T-cell activation.COX regression analysis screened 68 significant prognostic markers out of the 1 256 genes,and 12 signature genes were further confirmed with LASSO-COX regression analysis.A prognostic model was established based on the 12 signature genes.Results of real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR showed a similar trend in the expression of most of the signature genes in different osteosarcoma cell lines.COX regression analysis of the internal and external datasets verified that the risk score calculated with the prognostic model was an independent prognostic factor for osteosarcoma patients,and high-risk score was associated with poor prognosis of the patients.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves demonstrated excellent prognostic efficacy of the model.Nomogram analysis verified the prognostic model is highly accurate and reliable in predicting the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients.Analysis using the immunotherapy-related dataset indicated that this prognostic model could also be used to predict patients'responses to immunotherapy. Conclusion:The 12 signature gene(CD300LB,TRO,SNX3,VENTX,PPM1M,DOT1L,CDC37,NAT9,TRMT1,PPP1R3C,CHTF18 and NSUN5)-based prognostic model can effectively predict the prognosis and responses to immune check-point inhibitors for osteosarcoma patients,which may provide evidence for the prediction of prognosis as well as the selection of immunotherapy plans in clinical practice.
6. Effects of ABT-737 on the growth and angiogenesis of ovarian cancer cells in the co-culture of TAMs and SKOV3 cells
Yao YAO ; Min XIA ; Cong HOU ; Airong HE
Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2022;27(2):144-153
AIM: To explore the effect of Bcl-2 small molecule inhibitor ABT-737 on the growth and angiogenesis mimicry of SKOV3 cells in a co-culture system of Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) and human ovarian cancer cells SKOV3. METHODS: PMA and IL-4 was used to induce THP-1 cells into TAMs cells in vitro; MTT method was used to detect the cell survival rate of SKOV3 cells after 24 hours of treatment with different concentrations of ABT-737 culture medium; a co-culture system of SKOV3 cells and TAMs cells was established; the experimental groups were divided into control group, SKOV3+ABT-737 group (containing 5.0 μmol/L ABT-737 cultured cells), TAMs+SKOV3 group (SKOV3 cells co-cultured with TAMs cells), TAMs+SKOV3+ABT-737 group (SKOV3 cells Co-cultured with TAMs cells, and added ABT-737 containing 5.0 μmol/L), cells after 24 h was collected, MTT method was used to detect cell survival rate, EdU staining for cell proliferation, ranswell chamber experiment for cell migration and invasion, Flowcytometry for cell apoptosis, the vascular mimicry experiment for the ability of cells to form blood vessels, Western blot for the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 in cells. RESULTS: THP-1 cells were successfully induced for TAMs cells; the survival rate of SKOV3 cells decreased under the action of ABT-737 (P<0.01); compared with the control group, the survival rate of SKOV3 cells in the SKOV3+ABT-737 group decreased, the number of EdU-labeled positive cells decreased, the number of cell migration and invasion also decreased, the rate of apoptosis increased, and the duct branches decreased, The protein expression of VEGF, MMP-2, MMP-9 decreased (P<0.01); Compared with the TAMs+SKOV3 group, the cell survival rate of the TAMs+SKOV3+ABT-737 group decreased, the number of EdU-labeled positive cells and the number of cell migration and invasion also decreased, the apoptosis rate increased, and the duct branches decreased. At the same time, the protein expression of VEGF, MMP-2, MMP-9 decreased (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: ABT-737 can inhibit SKOV3 cell proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis and angiogenesis in a co-culture system, and affect tumor progression.
7.Feasibility and effectiveness of application of internet-based HIV testing in men who have sex with men.
Xue Jiao HU ; Yun Chun MIN ; Nian Hua XIE ; Cong LIU ; Rong HU ; Min ZHANG ; Quan Lin DONG ; Xia WANG
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2022;43(11):1773-1777
Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the application of internet-based HIV testing in men who have sex with men (MSM) in practical application and provide evidence for its application in the future. Methods: MSM who visited the internet-based intervention platform for at least one time from June to December 2020 were selected for the study. The information about platform visit, the number of self-test kits provided, the basic characteristics of the MSM and their satisfactory level were collected. And multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the potential factors associated with the reporting of self-test results. Results: By the end of December 31th, 2020, a total of 132 267 platform visits had been recorded, and 3 511 HIV self-test kits had been provided upon the MSM's requests, and 3 237 MSM (92.2%) reported self-test results. The HIV positive rate was 2.4% (69/2 855) and the confirmation rate of positive HIV test results was 86.7% (52/60). The MSM who asked for self-test kits online were mainly aged ≤30 years, had education level of college or above, and found their sexual partners through internet or dating software. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that repeat of online HIV self-test kits application (OR=3.50,95%CI:2.10-5.83), guarantee deposit of 50 yuan at application (OR=2.55,95%CI:1.33-4.89), monthly economic income 1-3 000 yuan (OR=1.54,95%CI:1.05-2.28) or no income (OR=1.71,95%CI:1.20-2.42) and online sexual partners finding (OR=1.49,95%CI:1.13-1.95) were associated with higher reporting rate of self-test results. The satisfactory rate the MSM to the service of platform was 99.5% (217/218). Conclusions: The study confirmed the feasibility and effectiveness of internet-based intervention for HIV tests in MSM, which could promote the self-test of HIV in MSM and facilitate the early detection of HIV infection through social media platforms and multi-channel promotion.
Male
;
Humans
;
Homosexuality, Male
;
HIV Infections/prevention & control*
;
Feasibility Studies
;
Sexual and Gender Minorities
;
HIV Testing
;
Internet
8.Secondary metabolites from the dandelion-derived endophytic fungus Epicoccum sorghinum 1-2
Bao-cong HAO ; Yao-yao ZHENG ; Xu CHEN ; Qiu-xia CHEN ; Ruo-nan JI ; Min CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2022;57(7):2115-2119
The secondary metabolites from the dandelion-derived
9.The correlation between metabolic parameters in (18)F-FDG PET-CT and solid and micropapillary histological subtypes in lung adenocarcinoma.
Yue GUO ; Zhi Ming YAO ; Min CHEN ; Cong Xia CHEN
Chinese Journal of Oncology 2022;44(6):555-561
Objective: Solid and micropapillary pattern are highly invasive histologic subtypes in lung adenocarcinoma and are associated with poor prognosis while the biopsy sample is not enough for the accurate histological diagnosis. This study aims to assess the correlation and predictive efficacy between metabolic parameters in (18)F-fluorodeoxy glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET-CT), including the maximum SUV (SUV(max)), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) and solid and micropapillary histological subtypes in lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: A total of 145 resected lung adenocarcinomas were included. The clinical data and preoperative (18)F-FDG PET-CT data were retrospectively analyzed. Mann-Whitney U test was used for the comparison of the metabolic parameters between solid and micropapillary subtype group and other subtypes group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and areas under curve (AUC) were used for evaluating the prediction efficacy of metabolic parameters for solid or micropapillary patterns. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the prediction factors of the presence of solid or micropapillary subtypes. Results: Median SUV(max) and TLG in solid and papillary predominant subtypes group (15.07 and 34.98, respectively) were significantly higher than those in other subtypes predominant group (6.03 and 10.16, respectively, P<0.05). ROC curve revealed that SUV(max) and TLG had good efficacy for prediction of solid and micropapillary predominant subtypes [AUC=0.811(95% CI: 0.715~0.907) and 0.725(95% CI: 0.610~0.840), P<0.05]. Median SUV(max) and TLG in lung adenocarcinoma with the solid or micropapillary patterns (11.58 and 22.81, respectively) were significantly higher than those in tumors without solid and micropapillary patterns (4.27 and 6.33, respectively, P<0.05). ROC curve revealed that SUV(max) and TLG had good efficacy for predicting the presence of solid or micropapillary patterns [AUC=0.757(95% CI: 0.679~0.834) and 0.681(95% CI: 0.595~0.768), P<0.005]. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the clinical stage (Stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ), SUV(max) ≥10.27 and TLG≥7.12 were the independent predictive factors of the presence of solid or micropapillary patterns (P<0.05). Conclusions: Preoperative SUV(max) and TLG of lung adenocarcinoma have good prediction efficacy for the presence of solid or micropapillary patterns, especially for the solid and micropapillary predominant subtypes and are independent factors of the presence of solid or micropapillary patterns.
Adenocarcinoma of Lung/diagnostic imaging*
;
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/metabolism*
;
Humans
;
Lung Neoplasms/pathology*
;
Multimodal Imaging/methods*
;
Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography
;
Positron-Emission Tomography/methods*
;
Prognosis
;
Radiopharmaceuticals
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*
;
Tumor Burden
10.Inverted U-Shaped Associations between Glycemic Indices and Serum Uric Acid Levels in the General Chinese Population: Findings from the China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort (4C) Study.
Yuan Yue ZHU ; Rui Zhi ZHENG ; Gui Xia WANG ; Li CHEN ; Li Xin SHI ; Qing SU ; Min XU ; Yu XU ; Yu Hong CHEN ; Xue Feng YU ; Li YAN ; Tian Ge WANG ; Zhi Yun ZHAO ; Gui Jun QIN ; Qin WAN ; Gang CHEN ; Zheng Nan GAO ; Fei Xia SHEN ; Zuo Jie LUO ; Ying Fen QIN ; Ya Nan HUO ; Qiang LI ; Zhen YE ; Yin Fei ZHANG ; Chao LIU ; You Min WANG ; Sheng Li WU ; Tao YANG ; Hua Cong DENG ; Jia Jun ZHAO ; Lu Lu CHEN ; Yi Ming MU ; Xu Lei TANG ; Ru Ying HU ; Wei Qing WANG ; Guang NING ; Mian LI ; Jie Li LU ; Yu Fang BI
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2021;34(1):9-18
Objective:
The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population.
Methods:
The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models.
Results:
A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices).
Conclusion
An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.
Aged
;
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
;
Blood Glucose/analysis*
;
China/epidemiology*
;
Cohort Studies
;
Diabetes Mellitus/blood*
;
Female
;
Glucose Tolerance Test
;
Glycated Hemoglobin A/analysis*
;
Glycemic Index
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Middle Aged
;
Uric Acid/blood*

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail