1.Mechanisms of Gut Microbiota Influencing Reproductive Function via The Gut-Gonadal Axis
Ya-Qi ZHAO ; Li-Li QI ; Jin-Bo WANG ; Xu-Qi HU ; Meng-Ting WANG ; Hai-Guang MAO ; Qiu-Zhen SUN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(5):1152-1164
Reproductive system diseases are among the primary contributors to the decline in social fertility rates and the intensification of aging, posing significant threats to both physical and mental health, as well as quality of life. Recent research has revealed the substantial potential of the gut microbiota in improving reproductive system diseases. Under healthy conditions, the gut microbiota maintains a dynamic balance, whereas dysfunction can trigger immune-inflammatory responses, metabolic disorders, and other issues, subsequently leading to reproductive system diseases through the gut-gonadal axis. Reproductive diseases, in turn, can exacerbate gut microbiota imbalance. This article reviews the impact of the gut microbiota and its metabolites on both male and female reproductive systems, analyzing changes in typical gut microorganisms and their metabolites related to reproductive function. The composition, diversity, and metabolites of gut bacteria, such as Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Firmicutes, including short-chain fatty acids, 5-hydroxytryptamine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and bile acids, are closely linked to reproductive function. As reproductive diseases develop, intestinal immune function typically undergoes changes, and the expression levels of immune-related factors, such as Toll-like receptors and inflammatory cytokines (including IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β), also vary. The gut microbiota and its metabolites influence reproductive hormones such as estrogen, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone, thereby affecting folliculogenesis and spermatogenesis. Additionally, the metabolism and absorption of vitamins can also impact spermatogenesis through the gut-testis axis. As the relationship between the gut microbiota and reproductive diseases becomes clearer, targeted regulation of the gut microbiota can be employed to address reproductive system issues in both humans and animals. This article discusses the regulation of the gut microbiota and intestinal immune function through microecological preparations, fecal microbiota transplantation, and drug therapy to treat reproductive diseases. Microbial preparations and drug therapy can help maintain the intestinal barrier and reduce chronic inflammation. Fecal microbiota transplantation involves transferring feces from healthy individuals into the recipient’s intestine, enhancing mucosal integrity and increasing microbial diversity. This article also delves into the underlying mechanisms by which the gut microbiota influences reproductive capacity through the gut-gonadal axis and explores the latest research in diagnosing and treating reproductive diseases using gut microbiota. The goal is to restore reproductive capacity by targeting the regulation of the gut microbiota. While the gut microbiota holds promise as a therapeutic target for reproductive diseases, several challenges remain. First, research on the association between gut microbiota and reproductive diseases is insufficient to establish a clear causal relationship, which is essential for proposing effective therapeutic methods targeting the gut microbiota. Second, although gut microbiota metabolites can influence lipid, glucose, and hormone synthesis and metabolism via various signaling pathways—thereby indirectly affecting ovarian and testicular function—more in-depth research is required to understand the direct effects of these metabolites on germ cells or granulosa cells. Lastly, the specific efficacy of gut microbiota in treating reproductive diseases is influenced by multiple factors, necessitating further mechanistic research and clinical studies to validate and optimize treatment regimens.
2.A new pyrazine from Hypecoum erectum L.
Yun LIU ; Meng-ya HU ; Wen-jing ZHANG ; Yu-xin FAN ; Rui-wen XU ; Deng-hui ZHU ; Yan-jun SUN ; Wei-sheng FENG ; Hui CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(1):183-187
Four pyrazines were isolated from the
3.Therapeutic effect of QiShenYiQi Dripping Pills on mice with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Zhen-zhen ZHANG ; Meng-yao WANG ; Yan-lu HAN ; Yun-hui HU ; Xiao-qiang LI ; Kai-min GUO ; Ya-jun DUAN ; Shuang ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(11):3094-3103
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) accounts for about half of the number of patients with heart failure. In addition to the typical features of heart failure such as myocardial stiffness and diastolic function impairment, the key characteristic of HFpEF is the normal left ventricular ejection fraction, which increases the difficulty of clinical diagnosis. QiShenYiQi Dripping Pills (QSYQ) is a standardized traditional Chinese medicine approved by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), and many clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of QSYQ in the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, but the role of QSYQ in HFpEF has not been clarified. In this paper, high fat diet (HFD) and drinking water containing
4.Population structure of food-borne Staphylococcus aureus in China.
Ya Hui GUO ; Zi Long HE ; Qing Long JI ; Hai Jian ZHOU ; Fan Liang MENG ; Xiao Feng HU ; Xiao Yue WEI ; Jun Cai MA ; Yu Hua YANG ; Wei ZHAO ; Li Jin LONG ; Xin WANG ; Jia Ming FAN ; Xiao Jie YU ; Jian Zhong ZHANG ; De HUA ; Xiao Mei YAN ; Hai Bin WANG
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2023;44(6):982-989
Objective: To understand the population structure of food-borne Staphylococcus (S.) aureus in China. Methods: Whole genome sequencing was used to analyze 763 food-borne S. aureus strains from 16 provinces in China from 2006 to 2020. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST), staphylococcal protein A gene (spa) typing, and staphylococcal chromosome cassettemec (SCCmec) typing were conducted, and minimum spanning tree based on ST types (STs) was constructed by BioNumerics 7.5 software. Thirty-one S. aureus strains isolated from imported food products were also included in constructing the genome phylogenetic tree. Results: A total of 90 STs (20 novel types) and 160 spa types were detected in the 763 S. aureus isolates. The 72 STs (72/90, 80.0%) were related to 22 clone complexes. The predominant clone complexes were CC7, CC1, CC5, CC398, CC188, CC59, CC6, CC88, CC15, and CC25, accounting for 82.44% (629/763) of the total. The STs and spa types in the predominant clone complexes changed over the years. The methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) detection rate was 7.60%, and 7 SCCmec types were identified. The ST59-t437-Ⅳa (17.24%, 10/58), ST239-t030-Ⅲ (12.07%, 7/58), ST59-t437-Ⅴb (8.62%, 5/58), ST338-t437-Ⅴb (6.90%, 4/58) and ST338-t441-Ⅴb (6.90%, 4/58) were the main types in MRSA strains. The genome phylogenetic tree had two clades, and the strains with the same CC, ST, and spa types clustered together. All CC7 methicillin sensitive S. aureus strains were included in Clade1, while 21 clone complexes and all MRSA strains were in Clade2. The MRSA strains clustered according to the SCCmec and STs. The strains from imported food products in CC398, CC7, CC30, CC12, and CC188 had far distances from Chinese strains in the tree. Conclusions: In this study, the predominant clone complexes of food-borne strains were CC7, CC1, CC5, CC398, CC188, CC59, CC6, CC88, CC15, and CC25, which overlapped with the previously reported clone complexes of hospital and community-associated strains in China, suggesting that close attention needs to be paid to food, a vehicle of pathogen transmission in community and food poisoning.
Humans
;
Staphylococcus aureus/genetics*
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Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/genetics*
;
Multilocus Sequence Typing
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Phylogeny
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Staphylococcal Infections/epidemiology*
;
China/epidemiology*
5.Identification of constituents in vitro and blood-absorbed ingredients of protective effect on acute liver injury from Yin Chen Hao decoction based on UPLC-QTOF/MS
Yi-qing YAO ; Qi CAO ; Xuan WANG ; Hui-lin MA ; Yu-miao CHEN ; Si-yi ZHAO ; Min-xuan GUO ; Jia-meng HU ; Dong-yao WANG ; Di-ya LÜ
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2023;58(5):1173-1180
To identify the active constituents
6.Value of MRI Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting and Data System in Differentiating Benign and Malignant Ovarian-Adnexal Lesions
Wen-hao FU ; Xiao-xiao HU ; Meng-ya SUN ; Fan ZHANG ; Ke WANG ; Guang-lei TANG ; Jian GUAN
Journal of Sun Yat-sen University(Medical Sciences) 2023;44(1):99-105
ObjectiveTo explore the value of MRI ovarian-adnexal reporting and data system (O-RADS MRI) in differentiating benign and malignant ovarian-adnexal masses.MethodsTotally 146 patients (202 masses) with ovarian-adnexal lesions who underwent pelvic examination at 3.0 T MRI according to standardized scan protocol of O-RADS MRI and were pathologically confirmed in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2020 and February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Two radiologists classified the ovarian-adnexal masses as risk levels 1~5 according to O-RADS MRI and evaluated their consistency by Cohen’s kappa. Using pathological findings as the gold standard, the detection yield of malignant lesions with O-RADS MRI classification was analyzed. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated (cutoff for malignancy, score ≥ 4).ResultsOf 202 masses, 62 (30.7%) were malignant, 140 (69.3%) were benign. The two radiologists presented good agreement in O-RADS MRI classification of ovarian adnexal masses (Kappa=0.932). The malignancy rates of masses with scores of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 were 0%, 0%, 7.7%, 95%, 97.6%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 96.8% (60/62), 98.6% (138/140), 98.0% (198/202), 0.977.ConclusionsO-RADS MRI yields high diagnostic efficiency for benign and malignant ovarian adnexal masses and its widespread implementation will improve communication between radiologists and clinicians, and facilitate optimal patient management. Therefore, O-RADS MRI warrants widespread use in clinical setting.
8.Alkaloids from fruit of Lycium chinense var. potaninii.
Meng-Ya HU ; Wen-Jing ZHANG ; Yun LIU ; Yan-Jun SUN ; Wei-Sheng FENG ; Hui CHEN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2023;48(6):1546-1552
Ten alkaloids(1-10) were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the fruit of Lycium chinense var. potaninii by silica gel, ODS, and preparative high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), and identified by NMR and MS as methyl(2S)-[2-formyl-5-(hydroxymethyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl]-3-(phenyl)propanoate(1), methyl(2R)-[2-formyl-5-(methoxymethyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl]-3-(phenyl)propanoate(2), 3-hydroxy-4-ethyl ketone pyridine(3), indolyl-3-carbaldehyde(4),(R)-4-isobutyl-3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]oxazine-6-carbaldehyde(5),(R)-4-isopropyl-3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]oxazine-6-car-baldehyde(6), methyl(2R)-[2-formyl-5-(methoxymethyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl]-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoate(7), dimethyl(2R)-[2-formyl-5-(methoxymethyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl]butanedioate(8), 4-[formyl-5-(methoxymethyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl]butanoate(9), 4-[2-formyl-5-(methoxymethyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl]butanoic acid(10). All the compounds were isolated from the plant for the first time. Among them, compounds 1-3 were new compounds. Compounds 1-9 were evaluated for hypoglycemic activity in vitro with the palmitic acid-induced insulin resistance in HepG2 cells. At 10 μmol·L~(-1), compounds 4, 6, 7, and 9 can promote the glucose consumption of HepG2 cells with insulin resistance.
Lycium/chemistry*
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Fruit/chemistry*
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Insulin Resistance
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Propionates
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Alkaloids/pharmacology*
9.Predictive value of serum lactate dehydrogenase on prognosis of patients with paraquat poisoning.
Ya Hui TANG ; Kai Yuan CHEN ; Yu Chen HU ; Meng Xuan LI ; Ran YIN ; Zhong Qiu LU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2023;41(7):528-533
Objective: To investigate the predictive value of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the prognosis of patients with paraquat (PQ) poisoning, and to provide evidence for early prognosis assessment. Methods: In February 2022, 50 patients with PQ poisoning who completed serum LDH detection admitted to the Department of Emergency Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 2012 to December 2021 were selected as the observation group, and 50 healthy physical examination personnel were randomly selected as the control group. Patients with PQ poisoning were divided into survival group and death group according to the prognosis, and the differences of blood routine routine, liver and kidney function and other indicators in the first admission between the two groups were compared. Multivariate logisitic regression model was established, ROC curve was drawn, and the influencing factors of prognosis of patients with PQ poisoning were analyzed. Results: Compared with the control group, the white blood cell count (WBC), total bilirubin (TBil), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), LDH, glucose (GLU) and creatinine (Cr) in observation group were significantly increased, while albumin (ALB) and total cholesterol (TC) were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that WBC, elevated LDH (>247 U/L), TBil, ALT, AST and Cr were significantly different between PQ poisoning survival group and death group (P<0.05). Multivariate logisitic regression analysis showed that elevated serum LDH was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of PQ poisoning patients (OR=9.95, 95%CI: 1.34-73.82, P=0.025). The area under the ROC curve of LDH was 0.811 (95%CI: 0.692-0.930). When the cut-off value was 340 U/L, the sensitivity was 0.889 and the specificity was 0.719. Log-rank test showed that there was a statistically significant difference in survival rate between the normal LDH group and the elevated LDH group (P=0.001) . Conclusion: Serum LDH has a good predictive value in evaluating the prognosis of patients with PQ poisoning. Elevated LDH is a risk factor for poor prognosis of patients with PQ poisoning.
10.Humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody as a salvage therapy for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Ya Xue WU ; De Pei WU ; Xiao MA ; Shan Shan JIANG ; Meng Jia HOU ; Yu Tong JING ; Bin LIU ; Qian LI ; Xin WANG ; Yuan Bing WU ; Xiao Hui HU
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2023;44(9):755-761
Objective: To investigate the efficacy of humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients. Methods: A total of 64 patients with SR-aGVHD between June 2019 and October 2020 in Suchow Hopes Hematology Hospital were enrolled in this study. Humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies 1 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1) were administered on days 1, 3, and 8, and then once per week according to the disease progression. Efficacy was assessed at days 7, 14, and 28 after humanized anti-CD 25 treatment. Results: Of the 64 patients with a median age of 31 (15-63) years, 38 (59.4%) were male and 26 (40.6%) were female. The overall response (OR) rate of the humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody in 64 patients with SR-aGVHD on days 7, 14, and 28 were 48.4% (31/64), 53.1% (34/64), and 79.7% (51/64), respectively. Liver involvement is an independent risk factor for poor efficacy of humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody for SR-aGVHD at day 28 (OR=9.588, 95% CI 0.004-0.291, P=0.002). The median follow-up time for all patients was 17.1 (0.2-50.8) months from the start of humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody therapy. The 1- and 2-year OS rates were 63.2% (95% CI 57.1% -69.3%) and 52.6% (95% CI 46.1% -59.1%), respectively. The 1- and 2-year DFS rates were 58.4% (95% CI 52.1% -64.7%) and 49.8% (95% CI 43.4% -56.2%), respectively. The 1- and 2-year NRM rates were 28.8% (95% CI 23.1% -34.5%) and 32.9% (95% CI 26.8% -39.0%), respectively. The results of the multifactorial analysis showed that liver involvement (OR=0.308, 95% CI 0.108-0.876, P=0.027) and GVHD grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ (OR=9.438, 95% CI 1.211-73.577, P=0.032) were independent risk factors for OS. Conclusion: Humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody has good efficacy and safety for SR-aGVHD. This study shows that SR-aGVHD with pretreatment grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ GVHD and GVHD involving the liver has poor efficacy and prognosis and requires early intervention.
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle Aged
;
Acute Disease
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Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use*
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Graft vs Host Disease/therapy*
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Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects*
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Salvage Therapy/methods*
;
Steroids
;
Adolescent
;
Young Adult

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