1.Characterization and Application of Moisture Absorption Kinetics of Traditional Chinese Medicines Based on Double Exponential Model:A Review
Yanting YU ; Lei XIONG ; Yan HE ; Wei LIU ; Jing YANG ; Yao ZHANG ; Jiali CHEN ; Xiaojian LUO ; Xiaoyong RAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(5):340-346
Hygroscopicity research has long been a key focus and hot topic in Chinese materia medica(CMM). Elucidating hygroscopic mechanisms plays a vital role in formulation design, process optimization, and storage condition selection. Hygroscopic models serve as essential tools for characterizing CMM hygroscopic mechanisms, with various types available. The double exponential model is a kinetic mathematical model constructed based on the law of conservation of energy and Fick's first law of diffusion, tailored to the physical properties of CMM extracts. In recent years, this model has been extensively applied to simulate the dynamic moisture absorption behavior of CMM extracts and solid dosage forms under varying humidity conditions. It has revealed the correlation between moisture absorption kinetic parameters and material properties, offering a new perspective for characterizing the moisture uptake behavior of CMM. This paper systematically reviews the application progress of this model in the field of CMM, analyzes its advantages, disadvantages, and challenges in this domain, and explores its potential application trends in other fields. It aims to provide references for elucidating the moisture absorption mechanisms of CMM and researching moisture-proofing technologies, while also offering insights for its broader application in food and polymer materials.
2.Epigenetic changes and exercise regulation:mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle aging and improvement
Rao FAN ; Jianda KONG ; Lin LI ; Teng ZHAI ; Zirou YANG ; Lei ZHU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(2):419-429
BACKGROUND:Muscle aging is closely related to various epigenetic changes,and exercise has a certain regulatory effect on these epigenetic changes.However,the specific mechanism is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE:To review the epigenetic mechanisms of skeletal muscle and how exercise can improve skeletal muscle aging and promote adaptive changes in muscle through these epigenetic mechanisms,aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding of skeletal muscle aging and disease mechanisms. METHODS:During the period from June 1st to August 1st,2023,literature searches were conducted for relevant literature published from database inception to August 2023 in databases including Web of Science,PubMed,CNKI,WanFang,and VIP.The search terms used included"skeletal muscle,""muscle,""aging,""older adult,""aging,""exercise,""physical exercise,""epigenetic,"and"epigenetics"in Chinese as well as"skeletal muscle,muscle,aging,older adult,senescence,age,exercise,sports,physical activity,epigenetic,epigenetics"in English.Boolean logic operators were used to connect the search terms for retrieval,and corresponding strategies were developed.According to the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria,70 eligible articles were selected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Epigenetics refers to the phenomenon where gene expression and function are regulated without changes in gene sequence,and epigenetic changes in skeletal muscle are an important field.The epigenetic mechanisms of skeletal muscle play an important role in muscle aging,mainly involving DNA methylation,histone modification,regulation of non-coding RNAs,chromatin remodeling,changes in mitochondrial function and expression changes of aging-related genes.Exercise significantly regulates the epigenetics of skeletal muscle,including promoting DNA methylation,muscle histone modification,regulating miRNA expression,and regulating lncRNA expression,regulating muscle factors(such as interleukin-6),regulating mitochondrial function(such as peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors γ co-activator 1α).Future studies are recommended for long-term,cross-diverse population-based exercise interventions;the application of multi-omics techniques such as proteomics and metabolomics;strengthening the understanding of epigenetic changes at the single-cell level;cross-species comparative studies as well as human clinical trials for the translation of animal model findings to humans;strategies for combining exercise and pharmacological interventions to assess their synergistic effects;and epigenetic studies of crosstalk interactions between skeletal muscle and different organs.
3.Construction of a Disease-Syndrome Integrated Diagnosis and Treatment System for Gastric "Inflammation-Cancer" Transformation Based on Multi-Modal Phenotypic Modeling
Hao LI ; Huiyao ZHANG ; Wei BAI ; Tingting ZHOU ; Guodong HUANG ; Xianjun RAO ; Yang YANG ; Lijun BAI ; Wei WEI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(5):458-463
By analyzing the current application of multi-modal data in the diagnosis of gastric "inflammation-cancer" transformation, this study explored the feasibility and strategies for constructing a disease-syndrome integrated diagnosis and treatment system. Based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) phenomics, we proposed utilizing multi-modal data from literature research, cross-sectional studies, and cohort follow-ups, combined with artificial intelligence technology, to establish a multi-dimensional diagnostic and treatment index system. This approach aims to uncover the complex pathogenesis and transformation patterns of gastric "inflammation-cancer" progression. Additionally, by dynamically collecting TCM four-diagnostic information and modern medical diagnostic information through a long-term follow-up system, we developed three major modules including information extraction, multi-modal phenotypic modeling, and information output, to make it enable real-world clinical data-driven long-term follow-up and treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis. This system can provide technical support for clinical diagnosis, treatment evaluation, and research, while also offering insights and methods for intelligent TCM diagnosis.
4.Treatment of Renal Injury in Wilson Disease Based on Pathogenesis of Latent Toxin in Kidney Collaterals
Ke DIAO ; Wenming YANG ; Xiang LI ; Yue YANG ; Yulong YANG ; Zhihong RAO ; Shuzhen FANG ; Yufeng DING
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(15):132-139
Hepatolenticular degeneration, also known as Wilson disease (WD), is a hereditary disease caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene, leading to copper metabolism disorders. Gene mutations result in impaired synthesis of copper-binding protein, and abnormal excretion of copper through bile leads to pathological deposition of copper in various organs, ultimately causing multi-organ damage. The insidious onset and low specificity of symptoms make it difficult to diagnose this disease. On the basis of existing studies and the theory of latent toxin, this paper proposes that latent toxin in kidney collaterals is the main pathogenesis of renal injury in WD. It is pointed out that health Qi deficiency and latent pathogen are the premises for the occurrence of this disease, and the transformation of latent pathogen into toxin is the ley pathological process. Toxin damaging kidney collaterals is the ultimate result. According to the pathogenesis, this paper proposes the treatment principle of reinforcing healthy Qi and resolving toxin and treatment based on syndrome differentiation. This review provides new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of renal injury in WD with traditional Chinese medicine.
5.Clinical Efficacy of Gandouling Decoction Combined with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Dysphagia in Wilson Disease with Combined Phlegm and Stasis
Zhihong RAO ; Wenming YANG ; Yue YANG ; Xiang LI ; Peng HUANG ; Yulong YANG ; Ke DIAO ; Shuzhen FANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(15):155-162
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of Gandouling decoction combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in the treatment of dysphagia in Wilson disease (WD) with combined phlegm and stasis. MethodsA total of 80 WD patients with dysphagia due to combined phlegm and stasis treated in the Department of Encephalopathy, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine were randomized into a control group and an observation group, with 40 patients in each group. In addition, 40 healthy volunteers were recruited as the normal group. The control group was treated with basic copper drainage combined with NMES. The observation group was treated with Gandouling Decoction on the basis of the therapy in the control group. Each course of treatment lasted for 8 days, and the patients were treated for a total of 4 courses. All subjects underwent video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) before and after treatment. During the examination, contrast agents with 4 different characters were used for the swallowing action, and the passing time was recorded. The TCM syndrome score, water swallow test score, standard swallowing assessment (SSA) score, and 24-h urinary copper level before and after treatment were analyzed. ResultsWhen performing VFSS, the passing time of contrast agents of different characters in the oral stage was longer in the WD group than in the normal group (P<0.01), while it had no significant difference in the pharyngeal stage. After treatment, the passing time in the oral stage shortened in the control and observation groups (P<0.01), and the observation group outperformed the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, both the control and observation groups showed declines in TCM syndrome score and SSA score (P<0.01) and an increase in water swallow test score (P<0.01), and the changes were more obvious in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.01). In addition, the treatment in the control and observation groups elevated the 24-h urinary copper level (P<0.01), and the elevation in the observation group was more obvious than that in the control group (P<0.01). Neither group showed obvious adverse reaction. ConclusionGandouling decoction combined with NMES can significantly ameliorate dysphagia in WD patients with the syndrome of combined phlegm and stasis regarding the TCM syndrome score, water swallow test score, and SSA score, demonstrating definite clinical efficacy and high safety.
6.Interpretation of Chinese Expert Consensus on Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Management of Wilson Disease-related Renal Damage
Wenming YANG ; Ke DIAO ; Hu XI ; Zhihong RAO ; Taohua WEI ; Yulong YANG ; Shuzhen FANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(20):168-176
Wilson disease is a copper metabolism disorder caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene, which encodes a copper-transporting ATPase β, and can result in multisystem damage. The kidneys are the third most commonly affected organs after the liver and brain. In recent years, numerous diagnostic and treatment guidelines for Wilson disease have emerged. However, most of these focus primarily on hepatic and neurological manifestations and their management, with limited coverage of renal involvement. The high incidence, low awareness, and lack of clinical specificity of Wilson disease-related renal damage (WDRD) have made early detection and intervention particularly challenging in clinical practice. To further optimize the treatment of patients with WDRD, improve clinical diagnosis and management, and enhance patients' quality of life, the Neurology Committee of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine, in April 2024, initiated a revision of the first expert consensus on the integrated diagnosis, treatment, and management of WDRD. This effort brought together experts in hepatology, encephalopathy (neurology), and nephrology from many tertiary-level grade A hospitals and research institutions across China. Through comprehensive literature review and integration of frontline clinical experience, the expert group jointly developed Chinese Expert Consensus on Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Management of Wilson Disease-related Renal Damage (hereinafter referred to as the "Consensus"). This article provides a detailed interpretation of the Consensus in terms of diagnostic criteria, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation and treatment classification, and comprehensive disease management, aiming to better guide clinical application. Regarding diagnostic criteria, the Consensus integrates the latest standards in China and abroad, highlights the importance of biochemical diagnosis, and compensates for the limitations of genetic testing. In the area of TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment, the Consensus refines four major syndrome types, introduces a newly defined syndrome, i.e., phlegm, blood stasis, and heat accumulation, and elaborates on treatment principles, prescriptions, and clinical modification rules for each syndrome. For comprehensive disease management, the Consensus emphasizes multi-dimensional intervention strategies, including diet, exercise, emotional regulation, medication, and medical care, with the goal of maximally controlling the progression of renal dysfunction and helping patients achieve a better quality of life.
7.Increasing trends of hyperglycemia and diabetes in treatment-naive people living with HIV in Shenzhen from 2013 to 2019: An emerging health concern.
Liqin SUN ; Haipeng ZHU ; Man RAO ; Fang ZHAO ; Yang ZHOU ; Lukun ZHANG ; Xia SHI ; Jianwei WU ; Yun HE ; Hongzhou LU ; Jiaye LIU
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(16):2043-2045
9.Research progress on pentacyclic triterpenoids in medicinal Ilex species and their pharmacological activities.
Yu-Ling LIU ; Yi-Ran WU ; Bao-Lin WANG ; Xiao-Wei SU ; Qiu-Juan CHEN ; Yi RAO ; Shi-Lin YANG ; Li-Ni HUO ; Hong-Wei GAO
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(12):3252-3266
Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) capable of clearing heat and removing toxin is most commonly used in clinical practice and has the effect of removing fire-heat and toxin. Studies have shown that most of the Ilex plants have the effect of clearing heat and removing toxin, among which the varieties of I. cornuta, I. pubescens, I. rotunda, I. latifolia, and I. chinensis are most widely used. These plants generally contain triterpenoids and their glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, and other chemical components, especially pentacyclic triterpenoids. According to their skeletons, pentacyclic triterpenoids can be divided into the oleanane type, the ursane type, the lupinane type, etc. Among them, ursane-type components are the most abundant, and 136 species have been found so far. These components have been proved to have pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, hypolipidemic, anti-thrombosis, cardiomyocyte-protective, antibacterial, and hepatoprotective effects. Therefore, this paper systematically reviews the domestic and foreign literature on Ilex plants with a focus on the research progress on pentacyclic triterpenoids and their pharmacological activities, aiming to provide reference for the development of TCM resources with the effect of clearing heat and removing toxin.
Ilex/chemistry*
;
Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*
;
Pentacyclic Triterpenes/pharmacology*
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
;
Humans
;
Animals
10.Targeting SARS-CoV-2 main protease for the discovery of a broad-spectrum COVID-19 inhibitor by intensive multi-tiered validation.
Min ZHANG ; Changjian WANG ; Lu FENG ; Qi YANG ; Yipeng CAO ; Yao ZHAO ; Junhua ZHANG ; Yuefei WANG ; Zihe RAO ; Boli ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(11):5789-5802
SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants continue to pose a significant global public health threat. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) is a critical target for the development of antiviral agents that can inhibit viral replication and transcription. In this study, we identified chebulagic acid (CHLA), isolated from Terminalia chebula Retz., as a potent non-peptidomimetic and non-covalent Mpro inhibitor. CHLA exhibited intermolecular interactions and provided significant protection to Vero E6 cells against a range of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the wild-type, Delta, Omicron BA.1.1, BA.2.3, BA.4, and BA.5, with EC50 values below 2 μmol/L. Moreover, in vivo studies confirmed the antiviral efficacy of CHLA in K18-hACE2 mice. Notably, CHLA bound to a unique groove at the interface between Mpro domains I and II, which was revealed by the high-resolution crystal structure (1.4 Å) of the Mpro-CHLA complex, shrinking the substrate binding pocket of Mpro and inducing Mpro aggregation. CHLA was proposed to act as an allosteric inhibitor. Pharmacokinetic profiling and safety assessments underscore CHLA's potential as a promising broad-spectrum antiviral candidate. These findings report a novel binding site on Mpro and identify antiviral activity of CHLA, providing a robust framework for lead compounds discovery and elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms of inhibition.

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