OBJECTIVE To screen out the pharmacodynamic substances of Cistanches Herba aqueous extracts, explore the basis of the pharmacodynamic substances and their mechanism of action in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy(DN), based on the spectral relationship between the mass spectral peak areas of different elution sites of Cistanches Herba aqueous extracts and their anti-DN effects. METHODS UPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS technique was used to characterise the chromatographic peaks; MTT method was used to detect the effects of different elution sites of Cistanches Herba aqueous extract on the proliferation of high glucose and high fat HK-2 cells; grey correlation analysis and partial least squares method were used to analyse the spectral relationship between mass spectrometry peak area and anti-DN activity. MTT method was used to determine the anti-DN activities of the individual components of Cistanches Herba aqueous extract; biochemical kit and ELISA were used to determine the levels of oxidative indicators(SOD, GSH-P) and inflammatory factors(IL-1β, TNF-α, TGF-β); Western blotting was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. RESULTS UPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS technique speculated and identified 72 common compounds; In Cistanches Herba aqueous extracts, water, 20% ethanol, and 40% ethanol-eluted sites differentially increased the proliferation rate of HK-2 cells in a high-sugar, high-fat environment; Partial least squares and grey correlation analyses showed that the constituents of the aqueous extracts of Cistanches Herba with greater anti-DN contributions were 8-epideoxymatricinic acid, geniposidic acid, pinoresinol, betaine and syringin, et al. MTT assay reveals that 8-epi-deoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid had significant proliferative effects on HK-2 cells in a high glucose and high fat environment; Biochemical kit and ELISA showed that 8-epideoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid were able to up-regulate the activity of SOD and GSH-Px, and at the same time they had an inhibitory effect on the expression of inflammatory factors IL-1β, TNF-α and TGF-β. Western blotting results showed that 8-epideoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid were able to down-regulate and up-regulate the markers of dermal mesenchymal transition: α-SMA, Collagen Ⅰ and E-cadherin, and they could exert anti-DN effects by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt pathway. CONCLUSION The two compounds, 8-epideoxystrychnic acid and geniposidic acid, which are screened by the spectroeffective relationship of anti-DN among the many chemical constituents contained in Cistanches Herba, can affect oxidative stress, inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of renal tubular cells by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway, and improve renal pathology, degree of fibrosis and renal function, which will be useful for the in-depth study of aqueous extracts of Cistanches Herba in the treatment of DN.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of linalool against acute liver injury induced by aflatoxin B₁（AFB₁） in rats and explore its protective mechanism. MethodTwenty male SPF SD rats were randomly divided into three groups： Control （n=6）， AFB₁ （n=7）， and linalool （n=7） groups. Linalool solution （200 mg·kg^-1） was administered preventatively for 14 days， while the control and AFB₁ groups intragastrically received an equivalent volume of double distilled water. After preventative administration of linalool， AFB₁ solution （1 mg·kg^-1， dissolved in saline） was intraperitoneally injected for two consecutive days to induce acute liver injury in rats. Samples were collected and processed 14 days after model establishment. Pathological changes in liver tissue of rats were observed using Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining and Masson staining. Biochemical detection was performed to measure the levels of alanine transaminase（ALT）， aspartate transaminase（AST）， γ-glutamyl transferase（GGT）， lactate dehydrogenase（LDH）， alkaline phosphatase（ALP）， total bilirubin（TBil）， direct bilirubin（DBil）， indirect bilirubin（IBil）， malondialdehyde（MDA）， superoxidedismutase（SOD）， catalase（CAT） ， glutathione（GSH）， Fe³⁺， and Fe²⁺ in the liver tissue. Western blot was adopted to assess protein expression levels of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2（Nrf2） and heme oxygenase-1（HO-1）. Molecular docking was performed to verify the binding between linalool and key proteins of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. Molecular dynamics techniques were used to confirm the stability and affinity of linalool binding with key proteins of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. ResultPathological results showed that compared to that in the AFB₁ group， the liver structure in the linalool group tended to be normal， with a significant decrease in blue collagen fibers. The linalool group exhibited significantly reduced levels of ALT， AST， GGT， LDH， ALP， TBil， DBil， and IBil （P<0.01）， Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ content， and oxidative stress marker MDA （P<0.01）. The levels of antioxidants SOD， CAT， and GSH significantly increased （P<0.01）. Molecular docking showed a molecular docking energy between linalool and Nrf2 and HO-1 targets of -5.495 6 and -5.199 4 kcal·mol^-1（1 cal≈4.186 J）， respectively. Molecular dynamics results indicated strong affinity in the binding of linalool with Nrf2 and HO-1. Western blot revealed a significant increase in Nrf2 protein expression （P<0.05） and a decrease in HO-1 protein expression （P<0.01） in the linalool group. ConclusionLinalool may protect against AFB₁-induced acute liver injury by modulating the Nrf2/HO-1 ferroptosis signaling pathway to inhibit liver cell ferroptosis and regulate hepatic oxidative stress levels.

ObjectiveMetabolomics was utilized to investigate the preventive effect of notoginseng total saponins（NTS） on aspirin（acetyl salicylic acid， ASA）-induced small bowel injury in rats. MethodFifty male SD rats were randomly divided into normal and model groups， NTS high-dose and low-dose groups（62.5， 31.25 mg·kg^-1）， and positive drug group（omeprazole 2.08 mg·kg^-1+rebamipide 31.25 mg·kg^-1）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group， rats in other groups were given ASA enteric-coated pellets 10.41 mg·kg^-1 daily to establish a small intestine injury model. On this basis， each medication group was gavaged daily with the corresponding dose of drug， and the normal group and the model group were gavaged with an equal amount of drinking water. Changes in body mass and fecal characteristics of rats were recorded and scored during the period. After 14 weeks of administration， small intestinal tissues of each group were taken for hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining， scanning electron microscopy to observe the damage， and the apparent damage of small intestine was scored. Serum from rats in the normal group， the model group， and the NTS high-dose group was taken and analyzed for metabolomics by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS）， and the data were processed by multivariate statistical analysis， the potential biomarkers were screened by variable importance in the projection（VIP） value≥1.0， fold change（FC）≥1.5 or ≤0.6 and t-test P<0.05， and pathway enrichment analysis of differential metabolites was performed in conjunction with Human Metabolome Database（HMDB） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG）. ResultAfter 14 weeks of administration， the average body mass gain of the model group was lower than that of the normal group， and the NTS high-dose group was close to that of the normal group. Compared with the normal group， the fecal character score of rats in the model group was significantly increased（P<0.05）， and compared with the model group， the scores of the positive drug group and the NTS high-dose group were reduced， but the difference was not statistically significant. HE staining and scanning electron microscopy results showed that NTS could significantly improve ASA-induced small intestinal injury， compared with the normal group， the small bowel injury score of the model group was significantly increased（P<0.01）， compared with the model group， the small bowel injury scores of the NTS low and high dose groups were significantly reduced（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum metabolomics screened a total of 75 differential metabolites between the normal group and the model group， of which 55 were up-regulated and 20 were down-regulated， 76 differential metabolites between the model group and the NTS groups， of which 14 were up-regulated and 62 were down-regulated. NTS could modulate three differential metabolites（salicylic acid， 3-hydroxybenzoic acid and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid）， which were involved in 3 metabolic pathways， namely， the bile secretion， the biosynthesis of folic acid， and the biosynthesis of phenylalanine， tyrosine and tryptophan. ConclusionNTS can prevent ASA-induced small bowel injury， and the underlying mechanism may be related to the regulation of bile secretion and amino acid metabolic pathways in rats.

Objective:To establish a real-time fluorescence-based PCR method for the rapid identification of mycobacteria in skin biopsies.Methods:Primers and probes targeting the genus Mycobacterium and 14 common Mycobacterium species were self-designed, and a real-time fluorescence-based PCR detection system/method was established. Twelve standard strains of Mycobacterium were used for in vitro validation. Tissue samples were collected from 119 patients clinically diagnosed with cutaneous mycobacterial infections at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Peking University First Hospital from 2019 to 2021, and were tested with the established real-time fluorescence-based PCR method. Results:In vitro testing demonstrated that the method had good sensitivity and specificity for all the 12 standard strains of Mycobacterium. Among the 119 skin biopsy samples from patients clinically diagnosed with cutaneous mycobacterial infections, the culture positivity rate was only 21.0% (25/119) ; the real-time fluorescence-based PCR yielded a positivity rate of 76.5% (91/119) for the detection of mycobacteria, and 44.5% (53/119) were identified to the species level with Mycobacterium marinum as the predominant species; 31.9% (38/119) were identified only to the genus level. Conclusion:A real-time fluorescence-based PCR method has been established for the efficient detection of mycobacteria in skin tissue samples; however, there remains a possibility of missed diagnoses, other molecular diagnostic techniques are required to be combined to improve the sensitivity and specificity.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate(PDTC)on neuroinflammatory injury in the penumbra of traumatic brain injury(TBI)in rats.Methods Sixty Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the PDTC group,TBI group,sham operation group and control group according to the random number table method,with 15 rats in each group.Rats in the PDTC group were intraperitoneally injected with PDTC(100 mg·kg-1)at 15 minutes before surgery;while the rats in the TBI group,sham operation group,and control group were intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of double distilled water.After the cranial window of rats in the TBI group and PDTC group was created,a 2.5 g steel rod with an inner diameter of 6.0 mm was dropped freely from a height of 75 cm through a transparent polyvinyl chloride tube with an inner diameter of 7.0 mm to impact the dura mater and induce right parietal lobe contusion and laceration to establish the TBI model;rats in the sham operation group were sealed with bone wax after the cranial window creation,without any impact applied;rats in the control group were raised under normal conditions.The modified neurological severity score(mNSS)was used to evaluate the degree of neurobehavioral damage in rats in each group at 1,4 and 7 days after modeling.At 2 days after modeling,5 rats in each group were decapitated,and brain tissues were taken for hematoxylin & eosin(HE)staining,and morphological changes of the brain tissues were observed under an optical microscope.The expressions of β-amyloid precursor protein(β-APP)and glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP)in the brain tissues of rats in each group were detected by immunohistochemical staining.At 24 hours after modeling,5 rats in each group were decapitated,and the right injured penumbra tissues were obtained;the expressions of nuclear transcription factor-κB(NF-κB)P65,phosphorylated NF-κB P65,inhibitor of NF-κB(IκB),phosphorylated IKB,NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)and caspase-1 protein in the right injured penumbra tissue of rats in each group were detected by Western blot,and the expressions of NF-κB P65,IκB,NLRP3 and caspase-1 mRNA in the right injured penumbra tissue of rats in each group were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Results At 1,4,and 7 days after modeling,the mNSS scores of rats in the TBI group were signifi-cantly higher than those in the PDTC group,control group and sham operation group.The mNSS scores of rats in the PDTC group were significantly higher than those in the control group and sham operation group(P＜0.05);there was no statistically significant difference in mNSS scores between the sham operation group and the control group(P＞0.05).The neurons and neurogliocyte of rats in the control group and the sham operation group exhibited normal morphology,without swelling and wide-ning of intercellular space.Diffuse hemorrhagic changes were observed in the brain tissues of rats in the TBI group,with different morphologies of neuronal cell body,unclear cell membrane and cytoplasm,pyknosis of cell nuclei,often triangular shape,disappearance of normal structure and nucleoli,and diffuse white blood cells and red blood cells filling the field of vision.The lesion surrounding area of rats in the PDTC group showed ischemic changes,with mild shrinkage of neuronal volume,a uniform light red color,karyopyknosis,nuclear-cytoplasmic dissociation,disappearance of normal structure and nucleoli,and localization of neuroinflammation.There was no significant expression of β-APP and GFAP in the cerebral cortex of rats in the control group and the sham operation group,while the accumulation of β-APP and GFAP in neuronal serosae and/or axons was observed in the brain tissues of rats in the TBI group and the PDTC group.Compared with the TBI group,a decrease in the number and the expression intensity of β-APP and GFAP-positive stained neuronal cells in the cerebral cortex of rats was observed in the PDTC group.The relative expression of NF-κB P65 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the sham operation group,TBI group and PDTC group was significantly higher than that in the control group,and the relative expression of NF-κB P65 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group was significantly higher than that in the TBI group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of phosphorylated NF-κB P65 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group and the sham operation group was significantly lower than that in the control group,the relative expression of phosphorylated NF-κB P65 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the TBI group was significantly higher than that in the control group and the sham operation group,and the relative expression of phosphorylated NF-κB P65 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group was significantly lower than that in both TBI group and sham operation group(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the relative expression of IκB protein in the brain tissues of rats between the sham operation group and the control group(P＞0.05);the relative expression of IκB protein in the brain tissues of rats in the TBI group was significantly higher than that in the control group,and the relative expression of IκB protein in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group was significantly lower than that in the control group,sham operation group,and TBI group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of phosphorylated IκB protein in the brain tissues of rats in the TBI group was significantly lower than that in the control group and the sham operation group,and the relative expression of phosphorylated IκB protein in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group was significantly higher than that in the TBI group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of NLRP3 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the sham opera-tion group was significantly higher than that in the control group,the relative expression of NLRP3 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the TBI group and the PDTC group was significantly lower than that in the sham operation group and the control group,and the relative expression of NLRP3 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the TBI group was significantly lower than that in the PDTC group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of caspase-1 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the sham opera-tion group,PDTC group,and TBI group was significantly higher than that in the control group,and the relative expression of caspase-1 protein in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group was significantly lower than that in the TBI group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of NF-κB P65 mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group,TBI group,and sham operation group was significantly higher than that in the control group,the relative expression of NF-κB P65 mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group and TBI group was significantly higher than that in the sham operation group,and the relative expres-sion of NF-κB P65 mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group was significantly lower than that in the TBI group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of IκB mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group and TBI group were signifi-cantly higher than that in the control group,and the expression of IκB mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the sham operation group was significantly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of IκB mRNA in the brain tis-sues of rats in the PDTC group and TBI group was significantly higher than that in the sham operation group,and the relative expression of IκB mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group was significantly lower than that in the TBI group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of NLRP3 mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group and TBI group was significantly higher than that in the control group,the relative expression of NLRP3 mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the sham operation group was significantly lower than that in the control group,the relative expression of NLRP3 mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group and TBI group was significantly higher than that in the sham operation group,and the relative expression of NLRP3 mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the PDTC group was significantly lower than that in the TBI group(P＜0.05).The relative expression of caspase-1 mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the sham operation group,TBI group,and PDTC group was significantly lower than that in the control group,the relative expression of caspase-1 mRNA in the brain tissues of rats in the TBI group and PDTC group was significantly higher than that in the sham operation group(P＜0.05).Conclusion PDTC can effectively improve neural functional deficit score and reduce neuroinflammatory injury in TBI rats,the mechanism of which may be related to regulating mRNA and protein expression of NF-κB/NLRP3 axis-related inflammatory injury indicators and regulating downstream inflammatory factors.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of initiating continuous blood purification (CBP) treatment at different times for patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), and to explore the optimal timing for starting CBP treatment for SAP, so as to provide evidence for clinicians to start CBP treatment.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was used to select patients with SAP who received CBP treatment in People's Hospital of Hunan Province from January 2020 to December 2023. According to the timing of CBP initiation, the patients were divided into early initiation group (diagnosis of SAP to the first CBP treatment time < 24 hours) and late initiation group (diagnosis of SAP to the first CBP treatment time of 24-48 hours). The general data, acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ(APACHEⅡ), bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP) score and laboratory indicators, local complications and systemic complications, intensive care unit (ICU) treatment time, hospital stay, treatment cost, and clinical outcome of the two groups were collected and compared.Results:A total of 130 patients with SAP who received CBP treatment were enrolled, including 90 patients in the early initiation group and 40 patients in the late initiation group. Before treatment, there were no significant differences in gender, age, APACHEⅡscore, BISAP score, etiology and laboratory examination indexes between the early initiation group and late initiation group. At 48, 72, 96 hours after treatment, the blood calcium level of the two groups was significantly higher than that before treatment, and the levels of white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), lactic acid, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), APACHEⅡscore and BISAP score were significantly lower than those before treatment. The WBC level, APACHEⅡscore and BISAP score of the late initiation group were significantly lower than those of the early initiation group at 72 hours and 96 hours after treatment [WBC (×10 9/L): 10.96 (8.68, 13.04) vs. 12.45 (8.93, 16.30) at 72 hours after treatment, and 10.18 (8.68, 12.42) vs. 11.96 (8.81, 16.87) at 96 hours after treatment; APACHEⅡscore: 9.50 (5.75, 12.00) vs. 11.00 (6.25, 14.00) at 72 hours after treatment, and 10.00 (4.00, 12.00) vs. 12.00 (7.00, 14.75) at 96 hours after treatment; BISAP score: 2.35±1.03 vs. 2.76±1.10 at 72 hours after treatment, and 2.08±1.21 vs. 2.70±1.11 at 96 hours after treatment], the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). In terms of complications, the incidence of pancreatic abscess in the late initiation group was significantly lower than that in the early initiation group [5.00% (2/40) vs. 20.00% (18/90)], but the incidence of abdominal compartment syndrome was significantly higher than that in the early initiation group [42.50% (17/40) vs. 13.33% (12/90)], the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). In addition, the ICU treatment time in the early initiation group was significantly shorter than that in the late initiation group [days: 11.00 (6.00, 20.00) vs. 15.00 (9.75, 25.00), P < 0.05], and there were no statistically significant differences in hospitalization costs, length of stay and mortality between the two groups. Conclusions:CBP can effectively increase the level of blood calcium and decrease the level of lactic acid and inflammatory factors. Starting CBP within 24-48 hours after diagnosis of SAP can reduce WBC level and disease severity score faster, and reduce the occurrence of pancreatic abscess. Initiation of CBP within 24 hours after diagnosis of SAP can reduce the incidence of abdominal compartment syndrome and shorten the duration of ICU treatment.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an interstitial lung disease that is difficult to diagnose clinically, and finding appropriate biomarkers to assist in the diagnosis and prognosis monitoring of IPF can improve the proportion of early diagnosis and timely treatment of these patients and improve the quality of life of patients

Objective:The combined diagnosis models was constructed with the test indicators and its application value in the clinical evaluation of patients with interstitial lung disease was evaluated.Methods:Methodology development and validation. A total of 101 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and 107 patients with non-IPF interstitial lung disease admitted to China-Japan Friendship Hospital from 2022 to 2023 were collected, and 98 healthy people were collected during the same period. The population in each group was divided into modeling group (180 cases) and validation group (126 cases) by complete randomization. Serum samples and clinical test results were collected. The test indicators included white blood cell count, lymphocyte count, monocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, highly sensitive C-reactive protein, Krebs von den Lungen 6, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, adenosine deaminase, neuron-specific enolase, alpha-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin 19 fragment, carbohydrate antigen 15-3, gastrin releasing peptide precursor, squamous cell carcinoma antigen and interleukin 1 (IL-1), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-α, interferon-γ. Multiple collinearity test, univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed for the included test indicators in each group, and nomograms were established and validated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves and clinical decision curves.Results:By comparing interstitial lung disease to healthy people, carbohydrate antigen 15-3 ( OR=1.285, 95% CI 1.178-1.402), IL-6 ( OR=1.128, 95% CI 1.011-1.258), adenosine deaminase ( OR=1.465, 95% CI 1.261-1.702), and Krebs von den Lungen-6 ( OR=1.013, 95% CI 1.008-1.017) were independent risk factors for interstitial lung disease. Based on these four indexes, the nomogram model was constructed. The AUCs of the combined diagnosis model in the modeling group and validation group were 0.967(95%CI 0.941-0.993)and 0.948(95% CI 0.911-0.984), respectively.Decision curve analysis showed that the net benefit of the combined diagnosis model in diagnosing IPF was higher than that of a single indicator within the threshold range of 0.01-1. In the comparison of IPF and non-IPF interstitial lung disease, alpha-fetoprotein ( OR=1.403, 95% CI 0.975-2.019) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen ( OR=0.531, 95% CI 0.321-0.878) were independent risk factors for IPF. The AUCs of the combined diagnosis model in the modeling group and validation group were 0.703 (95% CI 0.597-0.81) and 0.642 (95% CI 0.528-0.757), respectively. Through calibration curve and clinical decision curve verification, it was found that it had a certain value in the differential diagnosis of IPF. Conclusions:Carbohydrate antigen 15-3, IL-6, adenosine deaminase and Krebs von den Lungen 6 are risk factors of interstitial lung disease, which can be used to construct a combined diagnostic model for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. Alpha-fetoprotein and squamous cell carcinoma antigen are risk factors of IPF, which can be used to construct a combined diagnostic model to distinguish IPF from non-IPF interstitial lung disease and assist clinical diagnosis of IPF.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an interstitial lung disease that occurs mostly in the middle-aged and eldly people, with a short median survival and cannot be cured, and the etiology is still unclear. Currently, it is believed that the pathogenesis is related to cellular aging, and abnormal cellular aging leads to the failure of damaged alveolar epithelial cells that cannot be repaired normally, which promotes the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis. Senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), SASP affects pulmonary fibrosis through different signaling pathways in IPF patients, and this article reviews the expression level and mechanism of existing SASP in IPF patients.

Background/Aims: The occurrence and development of hepatitis B virus-associated acute-onchronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is closely related to the immune pathway. We explored the heterogeneity of peripheral blood T cell subsets and the characteristics of exhausted T lymphocytes, in an attempt to identify potential therapeutic target molecules for immune dysfunction in ACLF patients. Methods: A total of 83,577 T cells from HBV-ACLF patients and healthy controls were screened for heterogeneity by single-cell RNA sequencing. In addition, exhausted T-lymphocyte subsets were screened to analyze their gene expression profiles, and their developmental trajectories were investigated. Subsequently, the expression of exhausted T cells and their capacity in secreting cytokines (interleukin 2, interferon γ, and tumor necrosis factor α) were validated by flow cytometry. Results: A total of eight stable clusters were identified, among which CD4 + TIGIT + subset and CD8 + LAG-3 + subset, with high expression of exhaust genes, were significantly higher in the HBV-ACLF patients than in normal controls. As shown by pseudotime analysis, T cells experienced a transition from naïve T cells to effector T cells and then exhausted T cells. Flow cytometry confirmed that the CD4 + TIGIT + subset and CD8 + LAG-3 + subset in the peripheral blood of the ACLF patients were significantly higher than those in the healthy controls. Moreover, in vitro cultured CD8 + LAG-3 + T cells were significantly fewer capable of secreting cytokines than CD8 + LAG-3- subset. Conclusions Peripheral blood T cells are heterogeneous in HBV-ACLF. The exhausted T cells markedly increase during the pathogenesis of ACLF, suggesting that T-cell exhaustion is involved in the immune dysfunction of HBV-ACLF patients.