1.Treatment Approach for Diabetes with Coronary Heart Disease Based on the Heart-Spleen-Kidney Triad Holistic Perspective
Xitong SUN ; Xinbiao FAN ; Huan ZHOU ; Xiaofei GENG ; Aolin LI ; Wenyu SHANG ; Junping ZHANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(7):750-754
It is believed that diabetes complicated with coronary heart disease is closely related to the functional interplay of the heart, spleen, and kidneys. This paper proposed the concept of the heart-spleen-kidney as a unified system for understanding and treating the disease. At the early stage, spleen and kidney deficiency leads to the internal accumulation of phlegm, dampness, and turbid lipids, causing impaired blood circulation and vascular obstruction, so treatment should focus on tonify the kidneys and strengthening the spleen, activating blood circulation and resolving stasis, using the self-prescribed Tangxin Maiwen Formula (糖心脉温方). As the disease progresses, further decline of spleen and kidney function results in inadequate nourishment of the heart, leading to blood stasis and the accumulation of phlegm, dampness, and turbid lipids, which may transform into pathogenic heat and toxins, causing heart damage, then treatment should emphasize on boosting qi and nourishing yin, clearing heat, activating blood and resolving toxins, using the self-prescribed Tangxin Maiqing Formula (糖心脉清方). In advanced stages, three zang organs, the heart, spleen, and kidneys, become severely impaired, leading to mental activity fail to be nourished and abnormal cognitive functions, so treatment should focus on harmonizing the three zang organs simultaneously, using the self-prescribed Yunpi Tiaoxin Decoction (运脾调心汤). This approach aims to provide a clinical framework for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes with coronary heart disease.
2.Differentiation and Treatment of Non-Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Based on the Concept of Nourishing the Heart and Softening the Hardness
Xiaofei GENG ; Xinbiao FAN ; Xitong SUN ; Wenyu SHANG ; Wenxiu LI ; Chi ZHANG ; Junping ZHANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(8):846-850
This article summarized clinical experience in differentiating and treating non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) based on the concept of nourishing the heart and softening the hardness. It is considered that HCM belongs to the category of "heart accumulation", with the fundamental cause being depletion of the spleen and kidney, and phlegm-stasis accumulation, as well as qi-yin exhaustion, serving as the manifestations. Spleen and kidney depletion leads to the transformation of phlegm and stasis, which accumulate in the heart; over time, this phlegm-stasis accumulation consumes heart qi and yin, resulting in the heart being deprived of nourishment, which eventually leads to the damage to both the function and structure of heart. Therefore, the method of nourishing the heart and softening the hardness is proposed for the treatment of non-obstructive HCM. Emphasis is placed on softening hardness and dissipating masses throughout the entire treatment process, often using Modified Siwei Ruanjian Formula (四味软坚方加减). During periods with prominent symptoms, the main treatment is boosting qi and nourishing yin to soften hardness and dissipate masses with self-made Yuxin Ruanjian Formula (自拟育心软坚方) in modifications; in stable periods, the main treatment is boosting kidney and fortifying spleen to soften hardness and dissipate masses with self-made Pishen Tongzhi Formula (脾肾同治方) in modifications.
3.Application of single-cell RNA sequencing technology in Parkinson's disease
Ziyu LIU ; Dandan GENG ; Runjiao ZHANG ; Qing LIU ; Yibo LI ; Hongfang WANG ; Wenmeng XIE ; Wenyu WANG ; Jiaxin HAO ; Lei WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(1):193-201
BACKGROUND:Parkinson's disease has the main pathological changes in the midbrain,especially in the dense substantia nigra,leading to impaired motor and non-motor function in patients.At present,research is limited by cellular heterogeneity,and its pathogenesis still needs to be further elucidated.In recent years,single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)has gradually been applied in neurodegenerative diseases,which is of great significance for understanding intercellular heterogeneity,disease development mechanisms,and treatment strategies. OBJECTIVE:To review the research progress of scRNA-seq technology applied to Parkinson's disease in recent years,providing a theoretical basis for the application of scRNA-seq in the treatment and diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. METHODS:The first author used a computer system to search for relevant literature in the CNKI,WanFang,PubMed,and Web of Science databases,with the Chinese search terms"single-cell RNA sequencing,Parkinson's disease,cell heterogeneity,cell subtypes,dopaminergic neurons,glial cells"and English search terms"single-cell RNA seq,Parkinson disease,heterogenicity,subtypes,dopaminergic neurons,glial cells."71 articles were ultimately included for review and analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)scRNA-seq is a high-throughput experimental technique that utilizes RNA sequencing at the single-cell level to quantify gene expression profiles in specific cell populations,revealing cellular mysteries at the molecular level.Compared with traditional sequencing techniques,scRNA-seq technology is used to reveal the diversity of cell types and changes in specific gene expression in complex tissues under various physiological and pathological conditions through automatic clustering analysis of cell transcriptome.(2)By using scRNA-seq,the development process of dopaminergic neurons and the unique functional characteristics of various cell subtypes are elucidated,in order to better understand potential therapeutic molecular targets.(3)The use of scRNA-seq analysis has improved our understanding of the response of Parkinson's disease glial cells,enabling us to comprehensively map and characterize different cell type populations,identify specific glial cell subpopulations related to neurodegeneration,and draw valuable single cell maps as reference data for future research.(4)The application of scRNA-seq to detect embryonic mice and stem cells will help improve the in vitro differentiation protocol and quality control of cell therapy,as well as evaluate the overall cell quality and developmental stage of dopaminergic neurons derived from stem cells.
4.Clinical Efficacy of Zhuyuwan in Treatment of Hyperlipidemia with Syndrome of Phlegm Turbidity and Obstruction
Lele YANG ; Danmei LUO ; Jiao CHEN ; Xiaobo ZHANG ; Wei SONG ; Wenyu ZHU ; Xin ZHOU ; Xueping LI ; Tao SHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):29-37
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Zhuyuwan in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. MethodsIn this study, hyperlipidemia patients treated in the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) from September 2022 to December 2023 were randomly assigned into a control group and an observation group. Finally, 162 valid cases were included, encompassing 74 cases in the control group and 88 cases in the observation group. The control group was treated with atorvastatin calcium tablets, and the observation group with atorvastatin calcium tablets + Zhuyuwan extract granules. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. The efficacy in terms of blood lipid level recovery, blood lipid levels, TCM syndrome distribution, efficacy in terms of TCM syndrome, and TCM symptom scores were compared between the two groups as well as between before and after treatment. Liver and kidney functions were monitored for safety assessment. ResultsIn terms of blood lipid level recovery, the total response rate in the observation group was 86.36% (76/88) and that in the control group was 86.49% (64/74), with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. After treatment, both groups showed declines in levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (P<0.05) and elevations in the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P<0.05). Moreover, the observation group outperformed the control group in recovering the levels of TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C (P<0.05, P<0.01). In terms of TCM syndrome, hyperlipidemia was mostly caused by phlegm turbidity and obstruction. The total response rate in terms of TCM syndrome in the observation group was 87.30% (55/63), which was higher than that (63.46%, 33/52) in the control group (χ2=9.102, P<0.01). After treatment, the scores of total TCM symptoms, primary symptoms, and secondary symptoms decreased in both groups (P<0.05), and the observation group had lower scores than the control group (P<0.01). The observation group was superior to the control group in alleviating obesity, chest tightness, and low food intake (P<0.05). In terms of safety, the level of aminotransferase was slightly elevated in the control group, and no obvious adverse reaction was observed in the observation group, with no statistical significance in the incidence of adverse reactions. ConclusionZhuyuwan combined with atorvastatin can not only recover blood lipid levels and alleviate TCM symptoms but also reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions.
5.Clinical Efficacy of Zhuyuwan in Treatment of Hyperlipidemia with Syndrome of Phlegm Turbidity and Obstruction
Lele YANG ; Danmei LUO ; Jiao CHEN ; Xiaobo ZHANG ; Wei SONG ; Wenyu ZHU ; Xin ZHOU ; Xueping LI ; Tao SHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):29-37
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Zhuyuwan in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. MethodsIn this study, hyperlipidemia patients treated in the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) from September 2022 to December 2023 were randomly assigned into a control group and an observation group. Finally, 162 valid cases were included, encompassing 74 cases in the control group and 88 cases in the observation group. The control group was treated with atorvastatin calcium tablets, and the observation group with atorvastatin calcium tablets + Zhuyuwan extract granules. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. The efficacy in terms of blood lipid level recovery, blood lipid levels, TCM syndrome distribution, efficacy in terms of TCM syndrome, and TCM symptom scores were compared between the two groups as well as between before and after treatment. Liver and kidney functions were monitored for safety assessment. ResultsIn terms of blood lipid level recovery, the total response rate in the observation group was 86.36% (76/88) and that in the control group was 86.49% (64/74), with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. After treatment, both groups showed declines in levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (P<0.05) and elevations in the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P<0.05). Moreover, the observation group outperformed the control group in recovering the levels of TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C (P<0.05, P<0.01). In terms of TCM syndrome, hyperlipidemia was mostly caused by phlegm turbidity and obstruction. The total response rate in terms of TCM syndrome in the observation group was 87.30% (55/63), which was higher than that (63.46%, 33/52) in the control group (χ2=9.102, P<0.01). After treatment, the scores of total TCM symptoms, primary symptoms, and secondary symptoms decreased in both groups (P<0.05), and the observation group had lower scores than the control group (P<0.01). The observation group was superior to the control group in alleviating obesity, chest tightness, and low food intake (P<0.05). In terms of safety, the level of aminotransferase was slightly elevated in the control group, and no obvious adverse reaction was observed in the observation group, with no statistical significance in the incidence of adverse reactions. ConclusionZhuyuwan combined with atorvastatin can not only recover blood lipid levels and alleviate TCM symptoms but also reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions.
6.Distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Elements in Different Risk Populations of Heart Failure Complicated with Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Study Based on Nomogram Model and Factor Analysis
Tingting LI ; Zhipeng YAN ; Yajie FAN ; Wenxiu LI ; Wenyu SHANG ; Yongchun LIANG ; Yiming ZUO ; Yuxin KANG ; Boyu ZHU ; Junping ZHANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(11):1140-1146
ObjectiveTo analyze the distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome elements in different risk populations of heart failure complicated with type 2 diabetes. MethodsClinical data of 675 type 2 diabetes patients were retrospectively collected. Lasso-multivariate Logistic regression was used to construct a clinical prediction nomogram model. Based on this, 441 non-heart failure patients were divided into a low-risk group (325 cases) and a high-risk group (116 cases) according to the median risk score of heart failure complicated with type 2 diabetes. TCM diagnostic information (four diagnostic methods) was collected for both groups, and factor analysis was applied to summarize the distribution of TCM syndrome elements in different risk populations. ResultsLasso-multivariate Logistic regression analysis identified age, disease duration, coronary heart disease, old myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, absolute neutrophil count, activated partial thromboplastin time, and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase as independent risk factors for heart failure complicated with type 2 diabetes. These were used as final predictive factors to construct the nomogram model. Model validation results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the modeling group and validation group were 0.934 and 0.935, respectively. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test (modeling group P = 0.996, validation group P = 0.121) indicated good model discrimination. Decision curve analysis showed that the curves for All and None crossed in the upper right corner, indicating high clinical utility. The low-risk and high-risk groups each obtained 14 common factors. Preliminary analysis revealed that the main disease elements in the low-risk group were qi deficiency (175 cases, 53.85%), dampness (118 cases, 36.31%), and heat (118 cases, 36.31%), with the primary locations in the spleen (125 cases, 38.46%) and lungs (99 cases, 30.46%). In the high-risk group, the main disease elements were yang deficiency (73 cases, 62.93%), blood stasis (68 cases, 58.62%), and heat (49 cases, 42.24%), with the primary locations in the kidney (84 cases, 72.41%) and heart (70 cases, 60.34%). ConclusionThe overall disease characteristics in different risk populations of type 2 diabetes patients with heart failure are a combination of deficiency and excess, with deficiency being predominant. Deficiency and heat are present throughout. The low-risk population mainly shows qi deficiency with dampness and heat, related to the spleen and lungs. The high-risk population shows yang deficiency with blood stasis and heat, related to the kidneys and heart.
7.Pharmacokinetic interactions between empagliflozin and donafenib/lenvatinib in rats
Ying LI ; Zihan LIU ; Wenyu DU ; Jing AN ; Congyang DING ; Yue ZHAO ; Bingnan REN ; Zefang YU ; Yajing LI ; Zhanjun DONG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(9):1853-1860
ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of empagliflozin combined with donafenib or lenvatinib on the pharmacokinetic parameters of each drug, and to provide a reference for combined medication in clinical practice. MethodsA total of 48 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 8 groups: empagliflozin group 1 and 2, donafenib group, lenvatinib group, donafenib pretreatment+empagliflozin group, lenvatinib pretreatment + empagliflozin group, empagliflozin pretreatment+donafenib group, and empagliflozin pretreatment+lenvatinib group, with 6 rats in each group. The doses of empagliflozin, donafenib, and lenvatinib were 2.5 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg, and 1.2 mg/kg, respectively. The rats in the empagliflozin group, donafenib group, and lenvatinib group were given a blank solvent by gavage for 7 consecutive days, followed by a single dose of empagliflozin, donafenib, or lenvatinib on day 7 after the administration of the blank solvent; the rats in the pretreatment groups were given the pretreatment drug by gavage for 7 consecutive days, followed by a single dose of drug combination on day 7 after administration of the pretreatment drug. Blood samples were collected at different time points, and plasma was separated to measure the concentration of each drug. A validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was used to measure the plasma concentrations of donafenib, lenvatinib, and empagliflozin, and a non-compartmental model was used to calculate the main pharmacokinetic parameters of each drug (area under the plasma concentration-time curve [AUC], time to peak [Tmax], peak concentration [Cmax], and half-life time [t1/2]). The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups. ResultsCompared with the empagliflozin group, the donafenib pretreatment+empagliflozin group had significant increases in the AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ of empagliflozin (P=0.011 and 0.008), while the lenvatinib pretreatment+empagliflozin group had no significant change in the AUC of empagliflozin, with a slightly shorter Tmax (P=0.019). Compared with the donafenib group, the empagliflozin pretreatment+donafenib group had significant increases in the AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ of donafenib (P=0.027 and 0.025), as well as a significant increase in Cmax (P=0.015) and significant reductions in CLz/F and Vz/F (P=0.005 and 0.004); compared with the lenvatinib group, the empagliflozin pretreatment+lenvatinib group had a reduction in the t1/2 of lenvatinib by approximately 5 hours (P=0.002), with a trend of reduction in AUC0-t (P0.05). ConclusionEmpagliflozin combined with donafenib may alter the pharmacokinetic parameters of both drugs, leading to a significant increase in the exposure levels of both drugs, and efficacy and adverse reactions should be monitored during co-administration. There are no significant changes in the exposure levels of empagliflozin and lenvatinib during co-administration.
8.Impairment of Autophagic Flux After Hypobaric Hypoxia Potentiates Oxidative Stress and Cognitive Function Disturbances in Mice.
Shuhui DAI ; Yuan FENG ; Chuanhao LU ; Hongchen ZHANG ; Wenke MA ; Wenyu XIE ; Xiuquan WU ; Peng LUO ; Lei ZHANG ; Fei FEI ; Zhou FEI ; Xia LI
Neuroscience Bulletin 2024;40(1):35-49
Acute hypobaric hypoxic brain damage is a potentially fatal high-altitude sickness. Autophagy plays a critical role in ischemic brain injury, but its role in hypobaric hypoxia (HH) remains unknown. Here we used an HH chamber to demonstrate that acute HH exposure impairs autophagic activity in both the early and late stages of the mouse brain, and is partially responsible for HH-induced oxidative stress, neuronal loss, and brain damage. The autophagic agonist rapamycin only promotes the initiation of autophagy. By proteome analysis, a screen showed that protein dynamin2 (DNM2) potentially regulates autophagic flux. Overexpression of DNM2 significantly increased the formation of autolysosomes, thus maintaining autophagic flux in combination with rapamycin. Furthermore, the enhancement of autophagic activity attenuated oxidative stress and neurological deficits after HH exposure. These results contribute to evidence supporting the conclusion that DNM2-mediated autophagic flux represents a new therapeutic target in HH-induced brain damage.
Mice
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Animals
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Hypoxia
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Oxidative Stress
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Autophagy
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Cognition
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Sirolimus/therapeutic use*
9.Targeting FAPα-positive lymph node metastatic tumor cells suppresses colorectal cancer metastasis.
Shuran FAN ; Ming QI ; Qi QI ; Qun MIAO ; Lijuan DENG ; Jinghua PAN ; Shenghui QIU ; Jiashuai HE ; Maohua HUANG ; Xiaobo LI ; Jie HUANG ; Jiapeng LIN ; Wenyu LYU ; Weiqing DENG ; Yingyin HE ; Xuesong LIU ; Lvfen GAO ; Dongmei ZHANG ; Wencai YE ; Minfeng CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2024;14(2):682-697
Lymphatic metastasis is the main metastatic route for colorectal cancer, which increases the risk of cancer recurrence and distant metastasis. The properties of the lymph node metastatic colorectal cancer (LNM-CRC) cells are poorly understood, and effective therapies are still lacking. Here, we found that hypoxia-induced fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAPα) expression in LNM-CRC cells. Gain- or loss-function experiments demonstrated that FAPα enhanced tumor cell migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stemness, and lymphangiogenesis via activation of the STAT3 pathway. In addition, FAPα in tumor cells induced extracellular matrix remodeling and established an immunosuppressive environment via recruiting regulatory T cells, to promote colorectal cancer lymph node metastasis (CRCLNM). Z-GP-DAVLBH, a FAPα-activated prodrug, inhibited CRCLNM by targeting FAPα-positive LNM-CRC cells. Our study highlights the role of FAPα in tumor cells in CRCLNM and provides a potential therapeutic target and promising strategy for CRCLNM.
10.The relationship between serum levels of lncRNA NEAT1 and miR-23c and disease progression in patients with diabetic nephropathy
Duopei WU ; Jialing YANG ; Wenyu CHEN ; Li JIA
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2024;45(6):727-732
Objective To investigate the relationship between serum levels of long non-coding RNA(ln-cRNA)nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1(NEAT1)and microRNA miR-23c in patients with diabetic ne-phropathy(DN).Methods A total of 136 DN patients admitted to the hospital from May 2019 to May 2020 were enrolled in the study as the DN group.Fifty-eight healthy people who underwent physical examination in the hospital during the same period were enrolled as the control group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qPCR)was used to detect serum lncRNA NEAT1,miR-23c,kidney injury molecule-1(KIM-1),neutro-phil gelatinase-associated lipocalin(NGAL),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)mRNA and interleukin-6(IL-6)mRNA in the two groups.Pearson/Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation of serum ln-cRNA NEAT1 and miR-23c with KIM-1,NGAL,TNF-α,IL-6 mRNA levels and eGFR in DN patients.DN pa-tients were divided into different CKD stages,and the levels of serum lncRNA NEAT1,miR-23c,KIM-1,NGAL,TNF-α,and IL-6 mRNA in patients in different CKD stages were compared.Multivariate ordered Lo-gistic regression was used to analyze whether serum levels of lncRNA NEAT1 and miR-23c were influencing factors for the progression of DN.Results Compared with the control group,the serum levels of lncRNA NEAT1,KIM-1,NGAL,TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA in the DN group were increased,while miR-23c and esti-mated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)were decreased,and the differences were all statistically significant(P<0.05).The serum levels of lncRNA NEAT1,KIM-1,NGAL,TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA in DN patients in G1-G5 stages were increased in order,and the level of miR-23c was decreased in order(P<0.05).Serum ln-cRNA NEAT1 in DN patients was positively correlated with KIM-1,NGAL,TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA levels(P<0.05),and negatively correlated with miR-23c and eGFR(P<0.05).The level of serum miR-23c was negatively correlated with the mRNA levels of KIM-1,NGAL,TNF-α and IL-6(P<0.05),and positively cor-related with eGFR(P<0.05).lncRNA NEAT1(OR=2.177,95%CI:2.113-2.441)was an independent risk factor for DN progression,while miR-23c(OR=0.595,95%CI:0.543-0.726)was an independent pro-tective factor(P<0.05).Conclusion Elevated serum lncRNA NEAT1 levels and reduced miR-23c levels in DN patients are closely associated with the progression of DN disease.

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