1.Biosensor analysis technology and its research progress in drug development of Alzheimer's disease
Shu-qi SHEN ; Jia-hao FANG ; Hui WANG ; Liang CHAO ; Piao-xue YOU ; Zhan-ying HONG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(3):554-564
Biosensor analysis technology is a kind of technology with high specificity that can convert biological reactions into optical and electrical signals. In the development of drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to different disease hypotheses and targets, this technology plays an important role in confirming targets and screening active compounds. This paper briefly describes the pathogenesis of AD and the current situation of therapeutic drugs, introduces three biosensor analysis techniques commonly used in the discovery of AD drugs, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), biolayer interferometry (BLI) and fluorescence analysis technology, explains its basic principle and application progress, and summarizes their advantages and limitations respectively.
2.Effects of Changweiqing (肠胃清) on Transplanted Tumor Growth of Colorectal Cancer Cells and Expression of STAT3 and Bcl-2 Gene Splicing Isoforms
Bin CHEN ; Wanli DENG ; Fang LIANG ; Xu YUAN ; Manli XIE ; Hui LIU
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;65(8):849-857
ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanism of Changweiqing (肠胃清) in the treatment of colorectal cancer. MethodsHCT 116 cancer cells were used to prepare intestinal cancer cells with silenced polypyrimidine region binding protein 3 (PTBP3) gene and stably transfected cells with overexpressed PTBP3 gene. Stably transfected cells with silenced PTBP3, stably transfected cells with overexpressed PTBP3 and untransfected cancer cells were injected into the armpit of 72 nude mice to construct three different subcutaneous transplanted tumor models of colorectal cancer cells, including the silenced model, the overexpressed model and the control model, with 24 mice per model. Mice of each transplanted tumor modelwere randomly divided into Changweiqing (CWQ) group, oxaliplatin (OXA) group and normal saline (NS) group, with 8 mice in each group. The CWQ groups were given intragastric administration of 35.9625 g/kg of Changweiqing oral liquid and were intraperitoneally injected with 0.2ml of normal saline; the NS groups were given 0.5ml of normal saline by gavage, and intraperitoneal injection of 0.2ml of normal saline; the OXA groups were intraperitoneally injected with 5 mg/kg (0.2 ml) of oxaliplatin and given 0.5ml of normal saline by gavage. Each group was given intragastric administration once a day and intraperitoneal injection three times a week. After 31 days, the weight of subcutaneous tumors in each group was measured, and the tumor inhibition rate of the groups in each model were measured. Immunohistochemistry and other methods were used to detect the expression level of cell proliferation cell nuclear antigen Ki67 and apoptosis index. Real-time PCR and Western Blot were used to detect mRNA and protein expressions of PTBP3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) splicing isoform α (STAT3α), STAT3 splicing isoform β (STAT3β), B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) splicing isoform α (Bcl-2α), and Bcl-2 splicing isoform β (Bcl-2β) in subcutaneous tumor cells in each group. ResultsFor all three transplanted tumor models, the weight of the subcutaneous tumors and Ki67 expression level of subcutaneous tumor tissue in all CWQ groups and OXA groups were lower than those of the corresponding NS groups, while the apoptosis level were higher (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The mRNA and protein expressions of PTBP3, STAT3α, and Bcl-2α in the subcutaneous tumor tissues of the silenced model CWQ group and the overexpressed model CWQ group were lower than those of the corresponding NS groups, while the mRNA and protein expression levels of STAT3β and Bcl-2β were higher (P<0.05 or P<0.01). All there groups of silenced model had lower subcutaneous tumor weight, Ki67 expression level, and mRNA and protein expression levels of PTBP3, STAT3α, and Bcl-2α in subcutaneous tumor tissue, as well as higher apoptosis level and mRNA and protein expression levels of STAT3β and Bcl-2β than those in all groups of control model; all groups of overexpressed model had higher subcutaneous tumor weight, Ki67 expression level, and mRNA and protein expression levels of PTBP3, STAT3α, and Bcl-2α , while lower apoptosis level and mRNA and protein expression levels of STAT3β and Bcl-2β than those in all control model groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In the control model, compared with the NS group, The tumor inhibition rate of all OXA groups was higher than that of corresponding CWQ groups, respectively. Compared to that of each control model group, the tumor inhibition rate was positive value of each silenced model group, and negative value of each overexpressed model group. ConclusionPTBP3 can promote the proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of intestinal cancer cells, upregulate the expression of STAT3α and Bcl-2α, and downregulate the expression of STAT3β and Bcl-2β in intestinal cancer cells. The meachnism of action of Changweiqing in the treatment of colorectal cancer maybe related to the inhibition of PTBP3, and regulation of the expression of STAT3α, STAT3β, Bcl-2α, and Bcl-2β.
3.Environmental hygiene and healthcare-associated infection:a time-series study based on generalized additive model
Kai LIN ; Kun CHEN ; Jian-Bing WANG ; Fang-Hua FAN ; Hui LIANG ; Fang CHEN ; Kai-Ling JIN ; Wen-Jie CHU ; Wei-Guo CHEN ; Huan SHAN
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2024;23(7):798-805
Objective To quantitatively analyze the impact of environmental hygiene on the occurrence of health-care-associated infections(HAI).Methods Monitoring data of HAI and environmental hygiene from a tertiary first-class hospital from January 2018 to December 2022 were collected,and the impact of environmental bacterial colony forming unit(CFU)on the occurrence of HAI was analyzed by a time-series generalized additive model.Results The single-contamination model showed a significant positive correlation between HAI and staff's hand bacterial CFU(β1=0.009,P=0.012).For an increase of 1 interquartile range(IQR)in the monthly mean CFU per dish(MCFU/Dish)of staffs'hand,the incidence of HAI increased by 13.28%(95%CI:2.82%-24.81%).Subgroup and lag effect analysis showed that when the monthly MCFU/Dish(after hand disinfection)of staffs'hand in-creased by one IQR,the excess risk(ER)of HAI for the month(lag0)was 16.26%(95%CI:15.45%-17.09%).In the multi-contamination model,the correlation between surface contamination and HAI was also statistically sig-nificant.Conclusion There is a significant correlation between hospital environmental hygiene and the occurrence of HAI.
4.Investigation and control of a pseudo-outbreak of suspected Mycobacterium abscessus infection due to contamination of fiberbronchoscope in department of pulmonary and critical care medicine
Hui-Fang ZHOU ; Yan-Ling LIANG ; Jin-Zhou WEI ; Cong HE ; Hui-Qing LU ; Qing-Song ZHANG ; Zhong-Sheng WEI
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2024;23(9):1167-1172
Objective To investigate a suspected outbreak event of Mycobacterium abscessus(Mab)infection in department of pulmonary and critical care medicine in a hospital,provide basis for the precise prevention and control of healthcare-associated infection(HAI).Methods On-site epidemiological investigation and environmental hygienic detection were carried out in patients with Mab infection following fiberbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage in the department of pulmonary and critical care medicine in this hospital,and targeted intervention measures were pro-posed.Results From September 7 to October 20,2022,a total of 344 cases of bronchoalveolar lavage were per-formed for patients in fiberbronchoscopy room of department of pulmonary and critical care medicine.Mab was de-tected from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)of 10 patients.Through on-site and follow-up investigation,the initial case was defined as community-associated infection,and the other 9 cases were due to the contamination of specimens.A total of 33 environmental hygienic specimens were collected,and no Mab was detected.The event was effectively controlled after standardizing the process of bronchoscope decontamination,strengthening the infection management of ward and bronchoscopy room,and strictly implementing the certificate system of bronchoscopy de-contamination personnel.Conclusion This pseudo-outbreak is due to the contamination of fiberbronchoscope by Mab.Timely identifying risk factors as well as taking targeted prevention and control measures can effectively con-trol the spread and prevalence of Mab infection.
5.Research progress in quality control of Bufonis Venenum in preparations.
Yu-Xiu WANG ; Peng-Fei WANG ; Yun-Ge FANG ; Ya-Ting LIU ; Liang-Mian CHEN ; Zhi-Min WANG ; Hui-Min GAO
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2023;48(17):4552-4568
Bufonis Venenum, an animal medicinal material, is widely used for treating cardiovascular diseases and pain induced by rheumatics or malignant tumors. In view of the high activity and high toxicity, it is of great significance to pay attention to the quality control of Bufonis Venenum to ensure the safety and effectiveness of its preparations. China's drug standards involve 102 preparations(474 batch numbers) containing Bufonis Venenum approved for sale, including 14 preparations in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition) and 68 preparations in the standards issued by the Ministry of Health Drug Standard of the People's Republic of China. Bufonis Venenum is mostly used in pill and powder preparations in the form of raw powder, with the main functions of clearing heat, removing toxin, relieving swelling and pain, replenishing qi, activating blood, opening orifice, and awakening brain. Except the high level of quality control for Bufonis Venenum in the preparations in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition), the quality control standards of Bufonis Venenum in other preparations are low or even absent. Therefore, it is urgent to conduct research on the improvement of quality standards for the preparations containing Bufonis Venenum. This study retrieved the reports focusing on the quality evaluation and quality control of the preparations containing Bufonis Venenum from CNKI, PubMed, and Web of Science. Qualitative and quantitative analysis methods for 64 preparations containing Bufonis Venenum have been reported, mainly including thin-layer chromatography, HPLC fingerprint, and multi-component content determination. The index components mainly involved bufadienolides, such as gamabufalin, arenobufagin, bufotalin, bufalin, cinobufagin, and resibufogenin. According to the literature information, this paper suggests that attention should be paid to the correlations between the analysis methods and detection indexes of medicinal materials, decoction pieces and preparations, the monitoring of indole alkaloids, and the content uniformity inspection for further improving the quality standards for the preparations containing Bufonis Venenum.
Animals
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Humans
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Bufonidae
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Powders
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Bufanolides/pharmacology*
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Quality Control
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Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
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Pain/drug therapy*
6.scRNA-seq reveals that origin recognition complex subunit 6 regulates mouse spermatogonial cell proliferation and apoptosis via activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
Shi-Wei LIU ; Jia-Qiang LUO ; Liang-Yu ZHAO ; Ning-Jing OU ; CHAO-YANG ; Yu-Xiang ZHANG ; Hao-Wei BAI ; Hong-Fang SUN ; Jian-Xiong ZHANG ; Chen-Cheng YAO ; Peng LI ; Ru-Hui TIAN ; Zheng LI ; Zi-Jue ZHU
Asian Journal of Andrology 2023;26(1):46-56
The regulation of spermatogonial proliferation and apoptosis is of great significance for maintaining spermatogenesis. The single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis of the testis was performed to identify genes upregulated in spermatogonia. Using scRNA-seq analysis, we identified the spermatogonia upregulated gene origin recognition complex subunit 6 (Orc6), which is involved in DNA replication and cell cycle regulation; its protein expression in the human and mouse testis was detected by western blot and immunofluorescence. To explore the potential function of Orc6 in spermatogonia, the C18-4 cell line was transfected with control or Orc6 siRNA. Subsequently, 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays, flow cytometry, and western blot were used to evaluate its effects on proliferation and apoptosis. It was revealed that ORC6 could promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of C18-4 cells. Bulk RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis indicated that Orc6 was involved in the activation of wingless/integrated (Wnt)/ β-catenin signaling. Western blot revealed that the expression of β-catenin protein and its phosphorylation (Ser675) were significantly decreased when silencing the expression of ORC6. Our findings indicated that Orc6 was upregulated in spermatogonia, whereby it regulated proliferation and apoptosis by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
7. Dorsal root ganglion receptor subtype P2X3R mediates postoperative-hyperalgesic priming in mice
Si-Jia ZHEN ; Bei ZHAO ; Bo-Xi ZHENG ; Shu-Xin TIAN ; Ting XU ; Ming-Hui WU ; Jun-Fan FANG ; Jun-Ying DU ; Chi XU ; Jian-Qiao FANG ; Yi LIANG ; Jie ZHOU ; Jian-Qiao FANG ; Yi LIANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2023;39(7):1282-1288
Aim To investigate the differences in the role of different purinergic receptor subtypes at different sites in postoperative-hyperalgesic priming in mice. Methods A postoperative-hyperalgesic priming model was constructed by injecting PGE
8.Exploring the Mechanism and Experimental Verification of Alhagi Sparsifolia Shap.in Treating Sepsis Based on Network Pharmacology
Zhizhen ZOU ; Xiling DENG ; Yunlai WANG ; Jie ZHANG ; Jiangtao DONG ; Xiaoling LIU ; Su LIANG ; Ju WANG ; Hui ZHANG ; Jiangdong WU ; Le ZHANG ; Fang WU ; Wanjiang ZHANG
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2023;25(9):3024-3036
Objective Network pharmacology and molecular docking and molecular dynamics techniques were used to investigate the mechanism of action of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.in the treatment of sepsis and to perform animal experimental verification.Methods First,we screened the effective ingredients and their action targets of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.,meanwhile,screened relevant action targets for the treatment of sepsis,constructed a protein interaction(PPI)network,and performed topology analysis to draw a TCM disease target network diagram.Second,Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analysis was performed for core targets in the network diagram,along with gene ontology functional enrichment analysis.This was followed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation experiment validation of the core targets.Finally,mice were used for the verification of animal experiments.Results Thirty active components of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.were screened out,and the top 5 ranked by degree value were quercetin,(-)-epigallocatechin,(-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate,genistein,kaempferol and epigallocatechin with 196 action targets;2144 disease-related targets for sepsis,105 targets for Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.-sepsis intersection,and the core targets were TNF,IL-6,AKT1,VEGFA,CASP3,IL-1β Et al.PI3K-Akt,TNF,HIF-1,AGE-RAGE,IL-17 and other signaling pathways are involved to mediate inflammatory responses,apoptosis and other biological processes to exert therapeutic effects on sepsis.Molecular docking results showed that camelina flavanoids bound equally well to each key target,among which the conformations with the lowest binding energy were(-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate-IL-6 and quercetin-IL-6.Molecular dynamics simulations were performed on the two pairs of complexes,and the results indicated that the stable binding could be achieved through a combination of electrostatic,van der Waals potential,and hydrogen bonding interactions.Animal experiments confirmed that Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.could inhibit the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,decrease the protein expression of Caspase-3,VEGF and reduced peripheral blood inflammatory factors secretion of TNF-α、IL-1βand IL-6,alleviating inflammatory injury in tissues and organs.Conclusion The therapeutic effect of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.on sepsis is achieved through multi biological processes,multi targets,and multi pathways.It provides a certain theoretical basis for the clinical application of camel spines as well as sepsis treatment.
9.Cloning and expression analysis of ANR genes from different species of Lonicera japonica Thunb.
Yong-liang YU ; Dan-dan LU ; Zheng-wei TAN ; Hong-qi YANG ; Lei LI ; Lan-jie XU ; Qing YANG ; Wei DONG ; Su-fang AN ; Shui-zhu GUO ; Song GAO ; Hui-zhen LIANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2023;58(11):3449-3460
Anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) is one of the key enzyme in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, and its catalytic activity is important for the synthesis of plant anthocyanin. In this study, specific primers were designed according to the transcriptome data of
10.Schisandrin B Improves the Hypothermic Preservation of Celsior Solution in Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Ying ZHANG ; Peng WANG ; Mei-xian JIN ; Ying-qi ZHOU ; Liang YE ; Xiao-juan ZHU ; Hui-fang LI ; Ming ZHOU ; Yang LI ; Shao LI ; Kang-yan LIANG ; Yi WANG ; Yi GAO ; Ming-xin PAN ; Shu-qin ZHOU ; Qing PENG
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2023;20(3):447-459
BACKGROUND:
Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) have emerged as promising therapy for immune and inflammatory diseases. However, how to maintain the activity and unique properties during cold storage and transportation is one of the key factors affecting the therapeutic efficiency of hUCMSCs. Schisandrin B (SchB) has many functions in cell protection as a natural medicine. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of SchB on the hypothermic preservation of hUCMSCs.
METHODS:
hUCMSCs were isolated from Wharton’s jelly. Subsequently, hUCMSCs were exposed to cold storage (4 °C) and 24-h re-warming. After that, cells viability, surface markers, immunomodulatory effects, reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial integrity, apoptosis-related and antioxidant proteins expression level were evaluated.
RESULTS:
SchB significantly alleviated the cells injury and maintained unique properties such as differentiation potential, level of surface markers and immunomodulatory effects of hUCMSCs. The protective effects of SchB on hUCMSCs after hypothermic storage seemed associated with its inhibition of apoptosis and the anti-oxidative stress effect mediated by nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 signaling.
CONCLUSION
These results demonstrate SchB could be used as an agent for hypothermic preservation of hUCMSCs.

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