1.Gandouling Regulates PI3K/Akt/mTOR Autophagy Signaling Pathway via LncRNA H19 for Treatment of Wilson Disease Liver Fibrosis
Xin YIN ; Han WANG ; Daiping HUA ; Lanting SUN ; Yunyun XU ; Wenming YANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(1):131-138
ObjectiveTo investigate the potential mechanisms and pathways through which Gandouling (GDL) exerts its effects in the treatment of liver fibrosis in Wilson disease. MethodsSixty male SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: the normal group, the model group, the GDL low-, medium-, and high-dose groups (0.24, 0.48, 0.96 g·kg-1), and the penicillamine group (90 mg·kg-1), with 10 rats in each group. A copper-loaded Wilson disease rat model was established by gavage administration of 300 mg·kg-1 copper sulfate pentahydrate to all groups except the normal group. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining were used to observe the pathomorphological changes in the liver. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to measure the levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), procollagen type-Ⅲ peptide (PC-Ⅲ), and collagen type-Ⅳ (C-Ⅳ). Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the ultrastructure of liver tissues. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of liver tissues and serum exosomal long noncoding RNA H19 (LncRNA H19), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Western blot analysis was performed to assess the expression levels of PI3K, Akt, mTOR, and their phosphorylated forms, as well as autophagy-related proteins Beclin1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B (LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ) in liver tissues. Beclin1 and LC3-Ⅱ fluorescence signal intensity was observed by immunofluorescence. ResultsCompared with the normal group, the model group exhibited inflammatory cell infiltration in hepatocytes, unclear nuclear boundaries with cell cleavage and necrosis, and collagen fiber deposition around confluent areas. The levels of HA, LN, PC-Ⅲ, and C-Ⅳ were significantly elevated (P<0.01). Transmission electron microscopy revealed an increased number of autophagic vesicles, with autophagic lysosomes exhibiting a single-layer membrane structure following degradation of most envelopes. Expression levels of Beclin1 and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ were significantly increased (P<0.01), and fluorescence signals of Beclin1 and LC3-Ⅱ were markedly enhanced. The protein expression levels of PI3K, Akt, mTOR, p-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-mTOR were reduced (P<0.01), while LncRNA H19 expression was increased (P<0.01), and mRNA expression levels of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR were decreased (P<0.01). After treatment with GDL, the degree of liver fibrosis was significantly improved, with decreased levels of HA, LN, PC-Ⅲ, and C-Ⅳ. The number of autophagic vesicles was significantly reduced, and expression levels of Beclin1 and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ proteins were lower (P<0.01). The fluorescence signals of Beclin1 and LC3-Ⅱ weakened dose-dependently. The protein levels of PI3K, Akt, mTOR, p-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-mTOR were elevated (P<0.01), while the expression level of LncRNA H19 was reduced (P<0.01). Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionGDL may alleviate liver fibrosis and reduce liver injury by regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR autophagy signaling pathway via LncRNA H19.
2.Anti-tumor Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine with Effect of Softening Hardness and Dissipating Mass: A Review
Yue HU ; Linfeng WANG ; Yue LI ; Rui LIU ; Baojin HUA
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(1):276-286
The global burden of malignant tumors keeps increasing, and the increased morbidity and mortality make malignant tumors one of the major challenges to global health. Currently, malignant tumors are mainly managed by surgical resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, which, however, usually cause serious adverse reactions, such as tissue damage, immune function inhibition, and multidrug resistance, affecting the prognosis and quality of life of the patients. Traditional Chinese medicine with low toxic and side effects and multi-target, multi-system, and multi-pathway therapeutic effects has shown positive therapeutic potential in cancer treatment. In particular, the traditional Chinese medicine with the effects of softening hardness and dissipating mass, which contains a variety of active ingredients, have shown strong inhibitory effects on tumor cells. Such medicine can not only directly attack tumor cells and inhibit their proliferation and invasion but also exert therapeutic effects by inducing apoptosis, blocking tumor-related signaling pathways, and inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. In addition, traditional Chinese medicine can improve the overall efficacy of cancer treatment by regulating the immune status of the body and reversing the drug resistance of tumor cells. Traditional Chinese medicine can exert the anti-tumor effect by regulating intracellular signaling pathways, which is one of the research hotspots in this field. Signaling pathways such as signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) play a key role in the formation and development of tumors. Traditional Chinese medicine can regulate the growth, apoptosis, and metabolic process of tumor cells by affecting the activity of these signaling pathways, thus exerting the therapeutic effects on tumors. Based on these mechanisms, a large number of experimental studies and clinical trials have proved that traditional Chinese medicine has broad prospects in anti-tumor treatment. To further verify these research results and provide a basis for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine and the development of new drugs, a systematic review and integrated analysis of the research reports on the anti-tumor effect of traditional Chinese medicine was carried out to summarize the anti-tumor mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine. This review is expected to promote the wide application of traditional Chinese medicine in anti-tumor treatment worldwide and bring more hope and possibility to cancer patients.
3.Pathogenesis and Treatment Strategies of Tumor Angiogenesis Based on the Theory "Latent Wind in Collaterals"
Zhenqing PU ; Guibin WANG ; Chenyang ZHANG ; Yi LI ; Bo PANG ; Baojin HUA
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(2):139-144
This article combined the pathogenic characteristics of "latent wind" with the theory of collateral diseases to clarify the pathological features of tumor blood vessels, including their active proliferation, high permeabi-lity, and promotion of metastasis. The theory framework of "latent wind in collaterals" as the tumor mechanism was proposed, which suggests that at the site of tumor lesions, the collaterals inherit the nature of latent wind to grow excessively, adopt an open and discharge nature to leak essence, and tumor toxins, characterized by their rapid movement and frequent changes, spread and metastasize, driving the progression of malignant tumors. Focusing on the fundamental pathogenesis of "latent wind in collaterals", specific clinical treatment principles and methods centered on treating wind are proposed, including regulating qi and dispelling wind, clearing heat and extinguishing wind, unblocking collaterals and expelling wind, and reinforcing healthy qi to calm wind, so as to provide references for enhancing the precision of traditional Chinese medicine in treating malignant tumors.
4.Characteristics of public health emergencies in Jinhua City from 2014 to 2023
ZHANG Tao ; DU Zhiping ; WANG Zuoyi ; JIN Lü ; hua
Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(1):69-72
Objective:
To investigate the characteristics of public health emergencies in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province from 2014 to 2023, so as to provide the reference for prevention and control of public health emergencies.
Methods:
Data of public health emergencies and related information in Jinhua City from 2014 to 2023 were collected through Emergency Public Reporting System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. Attack rates, and distribution of time, areas and places were descriptively analyzed.
Results:
A total of 276 public health emergencies were reported in Jinhua City from 2014 to 2023. There were 10 324 reported cases and 7 deaths, with an attack rate of 0.32%. There were 53 Ⅳ-level (19.20%) and 223 unclassified public health emergencies (80.80%). Infectious disease emergencies were predominant types, accounting for 97.83% (270 events). The three most common infectious disease emergencies were other infectious diarrhea (42.03%), influenza (21.01%) and COVID-19 (16.30%). The reported public health emergencies peaked in November and December, with 66 and 45 events reported, respectively. The three most counties (cities, districts) included Yiwu City, Wucheng District and Lanxi City, accounting for 24.28% (67 events), 18.48% (51 events) and 11.96% (33 events), respectively. School and preschool institutions were predominant places where public health emergencies occurred (198 events, 71.74%).
Conclusions
The public health emergencies in Jinhua City from 2014 to 2023 were Ⅳ-level and unclassified emergencies, and infectious disease emergencies were predominant. November and December were the peak reporting periods, and schools and preschool institutions were the main places where these events occurred.
5.Controllability Analysis of Structural Brain Networks in Young Smokers
Jing-Jing DING ; Fang DONG ; Hong-De WANG ; Kai YUAN ; Yong-Xin CHENG ; Juan WANG ; Yu-Xin MA ; Ting XUE ; Da-Hua YU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):182-193
ObjectiveThe controllability changes of structural brain network were explored based on the control and brain network theory in young smokers, this may reveal that the controllability indicators can serve as a powerful factor to predict the sleep status in young smokers. MethodsFifty young smokers and 51 healthy controls from Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology were enrolled. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to construct structural brain network based on fractional anisotropy (FA) weight matrix. According to the control and brain network theory, the average controllability and the modal controllability were calculated. Two-sample t-test was used to compare the differences between the groups and Pearson correlation analysis to examine the correlation between significant average controllability and modal controllability with Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) in young smokers. The nodes with the controllability score in the top 10% were selected as the super-controllers. Finally, we used BP neural network to predict the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in young smokers. ResultsThe average controllability of dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, supplementary motor area, lenticular nucleus putamen, and lenticular nucleus pallidum, and the modal controllability of orbital inferior frontal gyrus, supplementary motor area, gyrus rectus, and posterior cingulate gyrus in the young smokers’ group, were all significantly different from those of the healthy controls group (P<0.05). The average controllability of the right supplementary motor area (SMA.R) in the young smokers group was positively correlated with FTND (r=0.393 0, P=0.004 8), while modal controllability was negatively correlated with FTND (r=-0.330 1, P=0.019 2). ConclusionThe controllability of structural brain network in young smokers is abnormal. which may serve as an indicator to predict sleep condition. It may provide the imaging evidence for evaluating the cognitive function impairment in young smokers.
6.Research advances in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating immune cells
Lijuan LONG ; Zongyu WANG ; Yali ZHAO ; Chuanfu QIN ; Hua QIU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(2):349-358
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with a high mortality rate, an insidious onset, and complex pathological mechanisms. In the tumor microenvironment, tumor-promoting immune cells protect tumor cells from immune attacks, while dysfunction of anti-tumor immune cells causes the inhibition of immune response, thereby leading to the continuous deterioration of cancer. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine has shown good efficacy in the treatment of HCC, and it can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells by regulating immune cells. By analyzing related articles in China and globally, this article summarizes how immune cells affect the progression of HCC through the immunosuppressive pathway and how traditional Chinese medicine exerts an anti-HCC effect by regulating immune cells, in order to provide theoretical basis and reference for optimizing the treatment of HCC.
7.Material Basis and Its Distribution in vivo of Qili Qiangxin Capsules Analyzed by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS
Jianwei ZHANG ; Jiekai HUA ; Rongsheng LI ; Qin WANG ; Xinnan CHANG ; Wei LIU ; Jie SHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(5):185-193
ObjectiveBased on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS), the chemical constituents of Qili Qiangxin capsules was identified, and their distribution in vivo was analyzed. MethodsUPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS was used to detect the sample solution of Qili Qiangxin capsules, as well as the serum, brain, heart, lung, spleen, liver and kidney tissues of mice after oral administration. Using the Thermo Xcalibur 2.2 software, the compound information database was constructed, and the molecular formulas of compounds corresponding to the quasi-molecular ions were fitted. Based on the information of retention time, accurate relative molecular mass and fragments, the compounds and their distribution in vivo were analyzed by comparing with the data of reference substances and literature. ResultsA total of 233 compounds, including 70 terpenoids, 60 flavonoids, 23 organic acids, 17 alkaloids, 20 steroids, 7 coumarins and 36 others, were identified or predicted from Qili Qiangxin capsules, 73 of which were identified matching with standard substances. Tissue distribution results showed that 71, 17, 38, 33, 32, 58 and 43 migrating components were detected in blood, brain, heart, lung, spleen, liver and kidney, respectively. Thirty-seven components were absorbed into the blood and heart, including quinic acid, benzoylaconitine benzoylmesaconine and so on. Fourteen components were absorbed into the blood and six tissues, including calycosin, methylnissolin, formononetin, alisol B, alisol A and so on. ConclusionThis study comprehensively analyzes the chemical components of Qili Qiangxin capsules and their distribution in vivo. Among them, astragaloside Ⅳ, salvianolic acid B, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rb3, ginsenoside Rd, ginsenoside Rg3, calycosin-7-glucoside, and sinapine may be the important components for the treatment of heart failure, which can provide useful reference for its quality control and research on pharmacodynamic material basis.
8.Application of machine learning in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis C
Hua HAN ; Zhongping DUAN ; Yang WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(1):141-144
With the development of artificial intelligence, machine learning has shown great potential in the field of medical health. Machine learning conducts a comprehensive analysis of patient data including clinical features, blood tests, and imaging examinations and establishes corresponding mathematical models to achieve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and the prediction of disease conditions, thereby guiding disease management. With reference to the latest research findings, this article reviews the application of machine learning in chronic hepatitis C and related research advances.
9.Modified Ditan Tang Regulates Biorhythm-related Genes in Rat Model of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Zhiwen PANG ; Yu LIU ; Nan SONG ; Jie WANG ; Jingxuan ZHU ; Zhen HUA ; Yupeng PEI ; Qun WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(6):115-124
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of modified Ditan tang on genes related to the transcription-translation feedback loop (TTFL) of biorhythm in the rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its mechanism for prevention and treatment of NAFLD. MethodsSixty-five healthy SPF male SD rats were randomly assigned into blank (n=20), model (n=15), and low-, medium-, and high-dose (2.68, 5.36, and 10.72 g·kg-1·d-1, respectively) modified Ditan tang (n=10) groups. Other groups except the blank group were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. The modified Ditan tang groups were treated with the decoction at corresponding doses by gavage, and the blank and model groups were treated with an equal volume of normal saline from the 9th week for 4 weeks. The levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the serum were measured by an automatic biochemical analyzer. TG and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) assay kits were used to measure the levels of TG and NEFA in the liver. The pathological changes in the hypothalamus and liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the lipid deposition in the liver was observed by oil red O staining. The levels of brain-muscle ARNT-like protein 1 (BMAL1/ARNTL) in the hypothalamus and liver were determined by immunohistochemical staining. The mRNA and protein levels of BMAL1, circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (CLOCK), period circadian clock 2 (PER2), and cryptochrome1 (Cry1) in the hypothalamus and liver were determined by Real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. ResultsCompared with the blank group, the model group showed elevated levels of TG, TC, LDL-C, AST, and ALT (P<0.01) and a lowered level of HDL-C (P<0.05) in the serum, elevated levels of TG and NEFA in the liver (P<0.01), pyknosis and deep staining of hypothalamic neuron cells, and a large number of vacuoles in the brain area. In addition, the model group showed lipid deposition in the liver, up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of CLOCK and BMAL1 (P<0.01), and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Cry1 and PER2 (P<0.01) in the hypothalamus and liver. Compared with the model group, all the three modified Ditan tang groups showed lowered levels of TG, TC, LDL-C, ALT, and AST (P<0.05, P<0.01) and an elevated level of HDL-C (P<0.05) in the serum, and lowered levels of TG and NEFA (P<0.05, P<0.01) in the liver. Furthermore, the three groups showed alleviated pyknosis and deep staining of hypothalamic neuron cells, reduced lipid deposition in the liver, down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of CLOCK and BMAL1 (P<0.05, P<0.01), and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Cry1 and PER2 (P<0.05, P<0.01) in the hypothalamus and liver. ConclusionModified Ditan tang can reduce lipid deposition in the liver and regulate the expression of CLOCK, BMAL1, Cry1, and PER2 in the TTFL of NAFLD rats.
10.Study on the effect of berberine combined with fluconazole on fluconazole-tolerant Candida albcians strains
Zecheng SONG ; Shanshan MA ; Qiaoling HU ; Hua ZHONG ; Yan WANG
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2025;43(2):87-91
Objective To investigate the combined effect of berberine (BBR) and fluconazole (FLC) on FLC-tolerant Candida albicans in vitro. Methods The sensitivity of 8 strains of Candida albicans to FLC was assessed by determining their minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) using broth microdilution method. FLC-tolerant strains were screened from FLC-sensitive strains by disk diffusion assay. The effect of BBR combined with FLC on FLC-tolerant Candida albicans was investigated by disk diffusion assay. Results All eight strains of Candida albicans exhibited sensitivity to FLC, with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC50) values below 0.5 μg/ml. Strains Y0109, 9821, 7879, 7654, and 9296 displayed colony growth in the inhibition zone after 48 h of constant temperature incubation, indicating FLC tolerance. When strains Y0109 and 9821 were subjected to a combination of BBR and FLC, the number of colonies within the inhibition zone decreased progressively with the increase of BBR concentration following a 48 h constant temperature culture. The inhibition zone became clear with the increasing of BBR concentration and increased with the increase of FLC loading, which showed a dose-dependent relationship. Conclusion The BBR combined with FLC demonstrated efficacy against FLC-tolerant strains.


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