1.Improvement of myocardial injury by traditional Chinese medicine:mitochondrial calcium homeostasis mediates macrophage autophagy and pyroptosis pathway
Lingyun LIU ; Guixin HE ; Weibin QIN ; Hui SONG ; Liwen ZHANG ; Weizhi TANG ; Feifei YANG ; Ziyi ZHU ; Yangbin OU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(6):1276-1284
BACKGROUND:The repair process of myocardial injury involves complex cellular and molecular mechanisms,especially mitochondrial calcium homeostasis,macrophage autophagy and pyroptosis pathways.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has shown significant clinical efficacy in improving myocardial injury,but its mechanism of action needs to be thoroughly investigated. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the role of mitochondrial calcium homeostasis-mediated macrophage autophagy and pyroptosis pathways in myocardial injury,and to summarize the progress of TCM in this field. METHODS:A computerized search was performed for relevant literature from the database inception to March 2024 in the Web of Science,PubMed and CNKI.The search terms were"mitochondrial calcium homeostasis,macrophage autophagy,macrophage pyroptosis,traditional Chinese medicine,myocardial injury,myocardial injury reperfusion"in Chinese and English.Through literature review,we analyzed the relationship between mitochondrial calcium homeostasis and macrophage autophagy and pyroptosis,explored the mechanism of their roles in myocardial injury,and summarized the pathways of multi-targeted,multi-pathway effects of TCM. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The maintenance of mitochondrial calcium homeostasis has been found to be closely related to the normal function of cardiomyocytes.Macrophages can participate in the repair process of myocardial injury through autophagy and pyroptosis pathways.Autophagy contributes to cell clearance and regulation of inflammatory response,while pyroptosis affects myocardial repair by releasing inflammatory factors.TCM regulates mitochondrial calcium homeostasis and macrophage function through multiple mechanisms.For example,astragalosid regulates calcium homeostasis by lowering mitochondrial membrane potential and inhibiting cytochrome C,and epimedium glycoside plays a role in reducing β-amyloid deposition.In addition,herbal compounds and single drugs promote myocardial repair by activating or inhibiting specific signaling pathways,such as PI3K/AKT and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways.Future studies should focus on the interactions between mitochondrial calcium homeostasis,autophagy and pyroptosis pathways,as well as how TCM can exert therapeutic effects through these pathways to provide new strategies and drugs for the treatment of myocardial injury.
2.Zishen Tiaogan Prescription Treats Diminished Ovarian Reserve in Rats via Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway
Zhongtong LI ; Yaping ZHANG ; Chen YOU ; Qingqing LI ; Yingjie WANG ; Siwen OU ; Taomei XUE ; Chuqi ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(7):72-80
ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Zishen Tiaogan prescription on the oxidative stress injury in the rat model of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) and explore the role of the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)/nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathway. MethodsForty-eight female SD rats were randomly assigned into a normal group (n=12) and a modeling group (n=36). The rats in the modeling group received subcutaneous injection of galactose (350 mg·kg-1) combined with immobilization stress daily. After 28 days of modeling, 6 rats in the normal group and 6 rats in the modeling group were sacrificed to examine the modeling results. The successfully modeled rats were assigned into model, estradiol valerate (0.09 mg·kg-1), and low-, medium-, and high-dose (6.39, 12.78, 25.56 g·kg-1, respectively) Zishen Tiaogan prescription groups. The intervention lasted for 4 weeks with 6 animals per group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the estrous cycle and the pathological changes in the ovarian tissue. The ovarian index was calculated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the serum levels of sex hormones and oxidative stress-related indexes. Western blot and real-time PCR were employed to determine the protein and mRNA levels, respectively, of Nrf2, Keap1 and HO-1 in the ovarian tissue. The positive expression of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) in the ovarian tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). ResultsCompared with the normal group, the model group showed reduced follicles in the ovary, loose arrangement of the follicle granule layer, declined levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and estradiol (E2) in the serum, elevated levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (P<0.01), lowered levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) (P<0.01), and increased accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) (P<0.01). In addition, the modeling led to up-regulated protein and mRNA levels of Keap1 (P<0.01), the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 protein was significantly decreased (P<0.01), the mRNA expression of Nrf2 was significantly decreased (P<0.05), the mRNA expression of HO-1 was significantly decreased (P<0.01), in the ovarian tissue. Compared with model group, the estradiol valerate and low-, medium-, and high-dose Zishen Tiaogan prescription groups showed increases in the ovarian index (P<0.01) and serum E2 and AMH levels (P<0.01), declined levels of FSH and LH (P<0.01), increased follicles in the ovary, elevated levels of SOD, CAT, and GSH, and reduced accumulation of MDA (P<0.05, P<0.01). Furthermore, these groups showcased down-regulated protein and mRNA levels of Keap1 (P<0.01), the expression of Nrf2 protein was significantly increased (P<0.01), the expression level of HO-1 protein was increased (P<0.05,P<0.01), and increased positive expression of SOD2 (P<0.01). ConclusionZishen Tiaogan prescription can regulate the serum levels of hormones, down-regulate the expression of Keap1, up-regulate the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and SOD2, enhance the antioxidant capacity, and reduce the peroxidation damage in the ovarian tissue to improve the ovarian reserve function in the rat model of DOR. High-dose Zishen Tiaogan prescription demonstrated the best effect and the mechanism is associated with the regulation of the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.
3.Zishen Tiaogan Prescription Treats Diminished Ovarian Reserve in Rats via Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway
Zhongtong LI ; Yaping ZHANG ; Chen YOU ; Qingqing LI ; Yingjie WANG ; Siwen OU ; Taomei XUE ; Chuqi ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(7):72-80
ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Zishen Tiaogan prescription on the oxidative stress injury in the rat model of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) and explore the role of the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)/nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathway. MethodsForty-eight female SD rats were randomly assigned into a normal group (n=12) and a modeling group (n=36). The rats in the modeling group received subcutaneous injection of galactose (350 mg·kg-1) combined with immobilization stress daily. After 28 days of modeling, 6 rats in the normal group and 6 rats in the modeling group were sacrificed to examine the modeling results. The successfully modeled rats were assigned into model, estradiol valerate (0.09 mg·kg-1), and low-, medium-, and high-dose (6.39, 12.78, 25.56 g·kg-1, respectively) Zishen Tiaogan prescription groups. The intervention lasted for 4 weeks with 6 animals per group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the estrous cycle and the pathological changes in the ovarian tissue. The ovarian index was calculated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the serum levels of sex hormones and oxidative stress-related indexes. Western blot and real-time PCR were employed to determine the protein and mRNA levels, respectively, of Nrf2, Keap1 and HO-1 in the ovarian tissue. The positive expression of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) in the ovarian tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). ResultsCompared with the normal group, the model group showed reduced follicles in the ovary, loose arrangement of the follicle granule layer, declined levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and estradiol (E2) in the serum, elevated levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (P<0.01), lowered levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) (P<0.01), and increased accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) (P<0.01). In addition, the modeling led to up-regulated protein and mRNA levels of Keap1 (P<0.01), the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 protein was significantly decreased (P<0.01), the mRNA expression of Nrf2 was significantly decreased (P<0.05), the mRNA expression of HO-1 was significantly decreased (P<0.01), in the ovarian tissue. Compared with model group, the estradiol valerate and low-, medium-, and high-dose Zishen Tiaogan prescription groups showed increases in the ovarian index (P<0.01) and serum E2 and AMH levels (P<0.01), declined levels of FSH and LH (P<0.01), increased follicles in the ovary, elevated levels of SOD, CAT, and GSH, and reduced accumulation of MDA (P<0.05, P<0.01). Furthermore, these groups showcased down-regulated protein and mRNA levels of Keap1 (P<0.01), the expression of Nrf2 protein was significantly increased (P<0.01), the expression level of HO-1 protein was increased (P<0.05,P<0.01), and increased positive expression of SOD2 (P<0.01). ConclusionZishen Tiaogan prescription can regulate the serum levels of hormones, down-regulate the expression of Keap1, up-regulate the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and SOD2, enhance the antioxidant capacity, and reduce the peroxidation damage in the ovarian tissue to improve the ovarian reserve function in the rat model of DOR. High-dose Zishen Tiaogan prescription demonstrated the best effect and the mechanism is associated with the regulation of the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.
4.Rapid Video Analysis for Contraction Synchrony of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Cardiac Tissues
Yuqing JIANG ; Mingcheng XUE ; Lu OU ; Huiquan WU ; Jianhui YANG ; Wangzihan ZHANG ; Zhuomin ZHOU ; Qiang GAO ; Bin LIN ; Weiwei KONG ; Songyue CHEN ; Daoheng SUN
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2025;22(2):211-224
BACKGROUND:
The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time.
METHODS:
We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed.
RESULTS:
Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results.
CONCLUSION
This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.
5.Rapid Video Analysis for Contraction Synchrony of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Cardiac Tissues
Yuqing JIANG ; Mingcheng XUE ; Lu OU ; Huiquan WU ; Jianhui YANG ; Wangzihan ZHANG ; Zhuomin ZHOU ; Qiang GAO ; Bin LIN ; Weiwei KONG ; Songyue CHEN ; Daoheng SUN
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2025;22(2):211-224
BACKGROUND:
The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time.
METHODS:
We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed.
RESULTS:
Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results.
CONCLUSION
This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.
6.Rapid Video Analysis for Contraction Synchrony of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Cardiac Tissues
Yuqing JIANG ; Mingcheng XUE ; Lu OU ; Huiquan WU ; Jianhui YANG ; Wangzihan ZHANG ; Zhuomin ZHOU ; Qiang GAO ; Bin LIN ; Weiwei KONG ; Songyue CHEN ; Daoheng SUN
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2025;22(2):211-224
BACKGROUND:
The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time.
METHODS:
We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed.
RESULTS:
Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results.
CONCLUSION
This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.
7.Rapid Video Analysis for Contraction Synchrony of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Cardiac Tissues
Yuqing JIANG ; Mingcheng XUE ; Lu OU ; Huiquan WU ; Jianhui YANG ; Wangzihan ZHANG ; Zhuomin ZHOU ; Qiang GAO ; Bin LIN ; Weiwei KONG ; Songyue CHEN ; Daoheng SUN
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2025;22(2):211-224
BACKGROUND:
The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time.
METHODS:
We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed.
RESULTS:
Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results.
CONCLUSION
This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.
8.Rapid Video Analysis for Contraction Synchrony of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Cardiac Tissues
Yuqing JIANG ; Mingcheng XUE ; Lu OU ; Huiquan WU ; Jianhui YANG ; Wangzihan ZHANG ; Zhuomin ZHOU ; Qiang GAO ; Bin LIN ; Weiwei KONG ; Songyue CHEN ; Daoheng SUN
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2025;22(2):211-224
BACKGROUND:
The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time.
METHODS:
We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed.
RESULTS:
Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results.
CONCLUSION
This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.
9.Clinical switching patterns and reasons between bevacizumab biosimilar and originator drugs
Min OU ; Yaqin WANG ; Zhimin ZHU ; Fangfang ZHANG ; Qiongni ZHU
China Pharmacy 2025;36(18):2297-2300
OBJECTIVE To analyze clinical switching patterns and reasons between bevacizumab biosimilar and originator drugs. METHODS The data were collected from 1 175 cancer patients treated with bevacizumab at Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2023. The patients were divided into originator group (n=250) and biosimilar group (n=925). The switching rate, switching type and reasons of the two groups were compared. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in the switching rate, switching types, and the number of switches between the two groups (P>0.05). Single, one-way switches were the switching type in both groups. The proportion of patients in the biosimilar group who switched due to adverse events was significantly higher than originator group, while the proportion of patients who switched due to treatment costs was significantly lower than originator group (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the proportions of patients who switched due to efficacy and drug accessibility between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The switching between bevacizumab biosimilar and the originator drugs mainly involves single, one- way switches. Treatment costs and drug accessibility are the main factors for the switches among users of originator drugs, while drug accessibility and adverse events are the main factors for the switches among users of biosimilar.
10.Comparative analysis of the predictive value of fried frailty phenotype, liver fraily index and short physical performance battery in the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis
Jia LUO ; Dai ZHANG ; Shan SHAN ; Xiaoming WANG ; Xiaojuan OU ; Yu WANG ; Jidong JIA
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(9):1818-1828
ObjectiveTo investigate the value of Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP), liver frailty index (LFI), and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) in predicting 2-year all-cause mortality and decompensation events in patients with liver cirrhosis. MethodsA total of 277 patients with liver cirrhosis who were hospitalized in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, from December 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled, and FFP, LFI, and SPPB were used to assess the state of frailty. Based on the scores of each tool, these patients were divided into frail and non-frail groups. These three tools were compared in terms of consistency and independent predictive performance. The primary endpoints were 2-year all-cause mortality rate and composite endpoints (death+decompensation events), and the Cox regression analysis, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, net reclassification index (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) index were used to analyze the predictive value of the three tools. Normally distributed continuous data were compared between two groups using the independent samples t-test, while non-normally distributed continuous data were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical data were compared between groups using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. The agreement among different frailty tools was evaluated using Cohen’s Kappa statistic. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted, and a survival analysis was performed using the log-rank test. ResultsThe prevalence rate of frailty assessed by FFP, LFI, and SPPB was 37.2%, 22.4%, and 20.2%, respectively, with a moderate consistency between FFP and LFI/SPPB (κ=0.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47 — 0.67; κ=0.51, 95%CI: 0.41 — 0.62) and a relatively high consistency between LFI and SPPB (κ=0.87, 95%CI: 0.80 — 0.94). Compared with the non-frailty group, the frailty group had significantly higher all-cause mortality rate and incidence rate of composite endpoints (P0.001). After multivariate adjustment, FFP, LFI, and SPPB had a hazard ratio of 2.42(95%CI: 1.51 — 5.11), 2.21(95%CI: 1.11 — 4.42), and 2.21(95%CI: 1.14 — 4.30), respectively, in predicting all-cause mortality, as well as a hazard ratio of 2.51(95%CI: 1.61 — 3.91), 2.40(95%CI: 1.51 — 3.80), and 2.20(95%CI: 1.39 — 3.47), respectively, in predicting composite endpoints. Compared with Child-Pugh score, FFP had a significantly greater area under the ROC curve (AUC) in predicting all-cause mortality (0.79 vs 0.69, P=0.032) and composite endpoints (0.75 vs 0.68, P=0.044). Frailty assessment tools combined with Child-Pugh score significantly improved the performance in predicting all-cause mortality and composite endpoints, with an AUC of 0.81 — 0.82 and 0.77 — 0.78, respectively (P0.05). NRI and IDI analyses further confirmed the improvement of the combined model in classification (all P0.001). ConclusionFFP, LFI, and SPPB can independently predict adverse outcomes in patients with liver cirrhosis, among which FFP has the best predictive performance, and the combination of frailty assessment tools with Child-Pugh score can significantly enhance the accuracy of prognostic evaluation.

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