1.Enzyme-directed Immobilization Strategies for Biosensor Applications
Xing-Bao WANG ; Yao-Hong MA ; Yun-Long XUE ; Xiao-Zhen HUANG ; Yue SHAO ; Yi YU ; Bing-Lian WANG ; Qing-Ai LIU ; Li-He ZHANG ; Wei-Li GONG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):374-394
Immobilized enzyme-based enzyme electrode biosensors, characterized by high sensitivity and efficiency, strong specificity, and compact size, demonstrate broad application prospects in life science research, disease diagnosis and monitoring, etc. Immobilization of enzyme is a critical step in determining the performance (stability, sensitivity, and reproducibility) of the biosensors. Random immobilization (physical adsorption, covalent cross-linking, etc.) can easily bring about problems, such as decreased enzyme activity and relatively unstable immobilization. Whereas, directional immobilization utilizing amino acid residue mutation, affinity peptide fusion, or nucleotide-specific binding to restrict the orientation of the enzymes provides new possibilities to solve the problems caused by random immobilization. In this paper, the principles, advantages and disadvantages and the application progress of enzyme electrode biosensors of different directional immobilization strategies for enzyme molecular sensing elements by specific amino acids (lysine, histidine, cysteine, unnatural amino acid) with functional groups introduced based on site-specific mutation, affinity peptides (gold binding peptides, carbon binding peptides, carbohydrate binding domains) fused through genetic engineering, and specific binding between nucleotides and target enzymes (proteins) were reviewed, and the application fields, advantages and limitations of various immobilized enzyme interface characterization techniques were discussed, hoping to provide theoretical and technical guidance for the creation of high-performance enzyme sensing elements and the manufacture of enzyme electrode sensors.
2.Terms Related to The Study of Biomacromolecular Condensates
Ke RUAN ; Xiao-Feng FANG ; Dan LI ; Pi-Long LI ; Yi LIN ; Zheng WANG ; Yun-Yu SHI ; Ming-Jie ZHANG ; Hong ZHANG ; Cong LIU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(4):1027-1035
Biomolecular condensates are formed through phase separation of biomacromolecules such as proteins and RNAs. These condensates exhibit liquid-like properties that can futher transition into more stable material states. They form complex internal structures via multivalent weak interactions, enabling precise spatiotemporal regulations. However, the use of inconsistent and non-standardized terminology has become increasingly problematic, hindering academic exchange and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the terminology related to biomolecular condensates in order to clarify concepts, promote interdisciplinary cooperation, enhance research efficiency, and support the healthy development of this field.
3.Dingchan Granule (定颤颗粒) for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation with Syndrome of Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis:A Randomized,Double-Blinded,Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
Xiaozhen CHENG ; Xingjuan CHEN ; Weina LI ; Lu XIAO ; Yunhan WANG ; Yun XU ; Yueyue NIU ; Ling FENG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(12):1233-1240
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Dingchan Granule (定颤颗粒) for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis. MethodsUsing a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled study method, 90 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome were divided into 45 cases each in the treatment group and the control group. Both groups were given conventional western medicine treatment, and the treatment group was additionally treated with Dingchan Granule, while the control group was treated with Dingchan Granule placebo, both of which were taken orally for 8 g each time twice a day. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. We compared the clinical effectiveness, the improvement of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms and the recovery rate of atrial fibrillation between the two groups. We compared the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes, TCM symptoms score, atrial fibrillation symptom classification, 24-hour average ventricular rate, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), anxiety index, depression index before and after treatment, and evaluated the safety of the two groups. ResultsThe total clinical effectiveness rate in the treatment group was 82.22% (37/45), which was better than 60.00% (27/45) in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate of TCM syndrome effectiveness in the treatment group was 88.89% (40/45), which was better than 66.67% (30/45) in the control group (P<0.05); and the rate of atrial fibrillation regression in the treatment group was 26.67% (12/45), better than 6.67% (3/45) in the control group (P<0.05). The number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in both groups were significantly decreased (P<0.01), and the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.01). The TCM syndrome scores of both groups after treatment were significantly lower than before treatment (P<0.01), and the scores of the treatment group was lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). The severity of atrial fibrillation symptoms and the grading of atrial fibrillation symptoms in both groups after treatment were improved (P<0.01), and the degree of symptom improvement in the treatment group was better than that in the control group (P<0.01). The 24-hour average ventricular rate of both groups after treatment was significantly lower (P<0.01). The PSQI, anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group were all lower than before treatment (P<0.01), while the PSQI and anxiety index of the control group were both lower than before treatment (P<0.01 or P<0.05), the PSQI, anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group being lower than those of the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). No adverse events occurred in both groups, and no abnormalities were observed in blood, urine, stool routine, liver and kidney function, and coagulation function indexes. ConclusionDingchan Granule for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome can alleviate clinical symptom, improve TCM symptom scores, increase atrial fibrillation recovery rate, stabilise the average ventricular rate, and significantly improve the quality of sleep, alleviate the anxiety and depression, with a good safety profile.
4.Analysis of chemical constituents and components absorbed into plasma of Ardisia crenata based on UPLC-QE-HF-MS/MS
Hui SHI ; Xiao LI ; Ying ZHOU ; Jingxin DING ; Chang LIU ; Xiongwei LIU ; Xiu DONG ; Yun CHEN ; Tingting FENG
China Pharmacy 2024;35(3):316-321
OBJECTIVE To analyze the chemical constituents and components absorbed into plasma of the extract of Ardisia crenata and to elucidate its possible pharmacodynamic material basis. METHODS Overall, 12 rats were randomly assigned to the blank group (n=6) and A. crenata group (n=6) by the paired comparison method. The drug was administered once daily in the morning and afternoon for three days. Serum samples were prepared from serum after redosing on 4th day. The UPLC-QE-HF-MS/ MS was used to analyze and identify the chemical constituents in A. crenata extract and serum samples. Compound Discoverer 3.0 was employed for retention time correction, peak identification, and peak extraction. According to the secondary mass spectrometry information, the Thermo mzCloud online and Thermo mzVault local databases, referring to the relevant literature and control quality spectrum information were used to preliminarily identify the chemical constituents and components absorbed into plasma of A. crenata. RESULTS A total of 34 compounds were identified from the extract of A. crenata, mainly coumarins, flavonoids, organic acids, amino acids, including bergenin, quercetin, gallic acid, L-pyroglutamic acid, etc. Besides, 5 components absorbed into plasma were identified from serum samples: L-pyroglutamic acid, syringic acid, bergenin, cinnabar root saponin A, and mycophenolic acid. CONCLUSIONS L-pyroglutamic acid, syringic acid, bergenin, cinnabar root saponin A, and mycophenolic acid may act as the pharmacodynamic material basis of A. crenata.
5. Benzyl isothiocyanate induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cervical cancer through activation of p53 and AMPK-FOXO1a signaling pathways
Tamasha KURMANJIANG ; Xiao-Jing WANG ; Xin-Yi LI ; Hao WANG ; Guo-Xuan XIE ; Yun-Jie CHEN ; Ting WEN ; Xi-Lu CHENG ; Nuraminai MAIMAITI ; Jin-Yu LI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(1):114-158
Aim To investigate the effect of benzyl iso-thiocyanate (BITC) on the proliferation of mouse U14 cervical cancer cells and to explore the mechanism of cytotoxicity based on transcriptomic data analysis. Methods The effect of BITC on U14 cell activity was detected by MTT, nuclear morphological changes were observed by Hochest 33258 and fluorescent inverted microscope, cell cycle and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry, and the transcriptome database of U14 cells before and after BITC (20 μmol · L
6. Network pharmacology-based study on mechanism of Zhi-Huang-Zhi-Tong powder in rheumatoid arthritis treatment
Xiao-Yun TIAN ; Ying-Jie YANG ; Wan-Ting ZHENG ; Ming-Qing HUANG ; Li-Hong NAN ; Jian-Yu CHEN ; Hai-Yu ZHAO
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(2):381-389
Aim To discover the potential active compounds and possible mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment with Zhi-Huang-Zhi-Tong powder (ZHZTP) by using network pharmacology and in vitro study. Methods The active ingredient targets and disease targets of Zhihuang Zhitong Powder were searched and screened by database; they intersected to get a common target; and the "drug-component-target" relationship network diagram was constructed for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of the overlapping genes; then the core components were docked with the core targets. Finally, based on the inflammation model of HUVECs in vitro, the efficacy and mechanism of Zhihuang Zhitong powder were verified by MTT method, plate scratch test and Western blot. Results Active compounds involved in RA treatment were screened in the present study, and the top two were ursolic acid and emodin, all playing crucial roles in RA treatment with ZHZTP. Additionally, the key target was AKTA, TNF and IL-6. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that ZHZTP regulated BP, MF and CC, and also focused on regulating AKTA, TNF and IL-6 signaling pathway. Molecular docking showed that interactions between key active compounds and key targets were stable. In vitro ZHZTP significantly inhibited cell viability and migration of TNF-a-stimulated HUVECs, and the involved mechanism may be associated with PI3K/AKT/m-TOR signaling. Conclusions The present study reveals that the potential active compounds of ZHZTP are ursolic acid and emodin, and moreover, the involved mechanisms of ZHZTP for RA treatment are associated with PI3 K/AKT/m-TOR signaling.
7. Expression, purification, and functional verification of recombinant human glycoprotein hormone beta 5/alpha 2 fusion protein in CHO-S cells
Ai-Jun QIAN ; Geng-Miao XIAO ; Zhuang LI ; Yun-Ping MU ; Zi-Jian ZHAO ; Fang-Hong LI ; Zhi-Cheng LIANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(2):390-396
Aim To express and purify recombinant hCGH-CTP fusion protein in high-density suspension culture of Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-S), and to verify the lipid accumulation effect of rhCGH-CTP on 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes. Methods The recombinant protein expression vector (pcDNA3. 1-rhCGH-CTP) was constructed, achieved by fusing the human glycoprotein hormone beta 5/alpha 2 cDNA with CTP Linker. The expression plasmid was transiently transfected into the suspended CHO-S to express rhCGH-CTP protein and then purified, and the protein biological activity was verified. Intervention with 3T3-L1 mature adipocyte cells for 24 h was performed to detect the changes of intracellular triglyceride (TG) level. Results Western blot results showed that rhCGH-CTP protein was successfully expressed in CHO-S cells, and the yield was up to 715. 4 mg • L~ . The secreted protein was purified by AKTA pure system with higher purity that was up to 90% as identified by SDS-PAGE. In addition, the intracellular cAMP content of mature adipocytes with high expression of TSHR gene significantly increased after intervention with different concentrations of rhCGH-CTP protein by ELISA kit, indicating that rhCGH-CTP protein had biological activity. Oil red 0 staining showed that compared with the control group, the lipid content of mature adipocytes in the intervention groups with different concentrations of rhCGH-CTP protein significantly decreased (P < 0. 05) . Conclusions The rhCGH-CTP protein has been successfully expressed and purified with biological activity, and effectively reduce TG. This research provides an important theoretical basis for further revealing the physiological role of CGH protein and its potential application in clinical practice.
8. Analysis of cerebral gray matter structure in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica
Xiao-Li LIU ; Ai-Xue WU ; Ru-Hua LI ; An-Ting WU ; Cheng-Chun CHEN ; Lin XU ; Cai-Yun WEN ; Dai-Qian CHEN
Acta Anatomica Sinica 2024;55(1):17-24
Objective The volume and cortical thickness of gray matter in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) were compared and analyzed by voxel⁃based morphometry (VBM) and surface⁃based morphometry (SBM), and the differences in the structural changes of gray matter in the two diseases were discussed. Methods A total of 21 MS patients, 16 NMO patients and 19 healthy controls were scanned by routine MRI sequence. The data were processed and analyzed by VBM and SBM method based on the statistical parameter tool SPM12 of Matlab2014a platform and the small tool CAT12 under SPM12. Results Compared with the normal control group (NC), after Gaussian random field (GRF) correction, the gray matter volume in MS group was significantly reduced in left superior occipital, left cuneus, left calcarine, left precuneus, left postcentral, left central paracentral lobule, right cuneus, left middle frontal, left superior frontal and left superior medial frontal (P<0. 05). After family wise error (FWE) correction, the thickness of left paracentral, left superiorfrontal and left precuneus cortex in MS group was significantly reduced (P<0. 05). Compared with the NC group, after GRF correction, the gray matter volume in the left postcentral, left precentral, left inferior parietal, right precentral and right middle frontal in NMO group was significantly increased (P<0. 05). In NMO group, the volume of gray matter in left middle occipital, left superior occipital, left inferior temporal, right middle occipital, left superior frontal orbital, right middle cingulum, left anterior cingulum, right angular and left precuneus were significantly decreased (P<0. 05). Brain regions showed no significant differences in cortical thickness between NMO groups after FWE correction. Compared with the NMO group, after GRF correction, the gray matter volume in the right fusiform and right middle frontal in MS group was increased significantly(P<0. 05). In MS group, the gray matter volume of left thalamus, left pallidum, left precentral, left middle frontal, left middle temporal, right pallidum, left inferior parietal and right superior parietal were significantly decreased (P<0. 05). After FWE correction, the thickness of left inferiorparietal, left superiorparietal, left supramarginal, left paracentral, left superiorfrontal and left precuneus cortex in MS group decreased significantly (P<0. 05). Conclusion The atrophy of brain gray matter structure in MS patients mainly involves the left parietal region, while NMO patients are not sensitive to the change of brain gray matter structure. The significant difference in brain gray matter volume between MS patients and NMO patients is mainly located in the deep cerebral nucleus mass.
9.Stability study of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells formulation in large-scale production
Wang-long CHU ; Tong-jing LI ; Yan SHANGGUAN ; Fang-tao HE ; Jian-fu WU ; Xiu-ping ZENG ; Tao GUO ; Qing-fang WANG ; Fen ZHANG ; Zhen-zhong ZHONG ; Xiao LIANG ; Jun-yuan HU ; Mu-yun LIU
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(3):743-750
Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) have been widely used in regenerative medicine, but there is limited research on the stability of UC-MSCs formulation during production. This study aims to assess the stability of the cell stock solution and intermediate product throughout the production process, as well as the final product following reconstitution, in order to offer guidance for the manufacturing process and serve as a reference for formulation reconstitution methods. Three batches of cell formulation were produced and stored under low temperature (2-8 ℃) and room temperature (20-26 ℃) during cell stock solution and intermediate product stages. The storage time intervals for cell stock solution were 0, 2, 4, and 6 h, while for intermediate products, the intervals were 0, 1, 2, and 3 h. The evaluation items included visual inspection, viable cell concentration, cell viability, cell surface markers, lymphocyte proliferation inhibition rate, and sterility. Additionally, dilution and culture stability studies were performed after reconstitution of the cell product. The reconstitution diluents included 0.9% sodium chloride injection, 0.9% sodium chloride injection + 1% human serum albumin, and 0.9% sodium chloride injection + 2% human serum albumin, with dilution ratios of 10-fold and 40-fold. The storage time intervals after dilution were 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 h. The reconstitution culture media included DMEM medium, DMEM + 2% platelet lysate, 0.9% sodium chloride injection, and 0.9% sodium chloride injection + 1% human serum albumin, and the culture duration was 24 h. The evaluation items were viable cell concentration and cell viability. The results showed that the cell stock solution remained stable for up to 6 h under both low temperature (2-8 ℃) and room temperature (20-26 ℃) conditions, while the intermediate product remained stable for up to 3 h under the same conditions. After formulation reconstitution, using sodium chloride injection diluted with 1% or 2% human serum albumin maintained a viability of over 80% within 4 h. It was observed that different dilution factors had an impact on cell viability. After formulation reconstitution, cultivation in medium with 2% platelet lysate resulted in a cell viability of over 80% after 24 h. In conclusion, the stability of cell stock solution within 6 h and intermediate product within 3 h meets the requirements. The addition of 1% or 2% human serum albumin in the reconstitution diluent can better protect the post-reconstitution cell viability.
10.Omeprazole combined with different probiotics regulates intestinal microbiota to alleviate functional dyspepsia in children
Yun HE ; Li XIAO ; Juan CAO ; Zhigang LIU ; Weiyao LUO
Basic & Clinical Medicine 2024;44(2):219-224
Objective To explore the effect of omeprazole combined with different probiotics on regulating intestinal flora in reducing functional dyspepsia(FD)in children.Methods Two hundreds children with FD admitted to the Pediatric Department of Foshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2022 to February 2023 were se-lected as the study subjects.They were randomly divided into omeprazde(omep)group,groups of omeprazole+yeast(yeast group),+clostridium butyricum(clos group),and+bifidobacterium(bifi group)respectively.Results After treatment,serum level of IL-6,TNF-α,IL-1β,hs-CRP,VIP,SS,Enterobacter and Enterococcus in all groups significantly decreased as compared with the finding before treatment(P<0.05).Those targets in the three combined treatment groups were significantly lower compared to the ome group;After treatment,the serum MOT level,bifidobacteria,and lactobacilli in each group were significantly increased(P<0.05),and the results from three combined treatment groups demonstrated notably higher levels compared to the omep group(P<0.05);The scores of symptoms in all groups showed a significant alleviation after the treatment(P<0.05).Additionally,the three combined treatment groups exhibited significantly lower symptom scores than the group treated with omeprazole alone(P<0.05).There was no difference in the incidence of adverse reactions during treatment among the groups.Conclusions Omeprazole combined with different probiotics have achieved good results in the treatment of FD in children.

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