1.Microscopic Mechanism of Chronic Liver Disease and Novel Thinking of Medicine Management Based on Theory of "Yang Transforming Qi While Yin Constituting Form-sweat Pore"
Yuying XU ; Changpu ZHAO ; Rongzhi LI ; Yu ZHANG ; Fei WANG ; Chenyuan HAO ; Guangjie SHU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):244-255
The theory of "Yang transforming Qi while Yin constituting form" in the Huangdi's Internal Classic is derived from the application, transformation, movement, and balance of Tao. It is highly condensed, revealing the true meaning of Tao and guiding the changes and progress of all natural things, including diseases. Therefore, the appearance of various physical diseases is the manifestation of Yin-Yang Qi transformation. Sweat pore, formed by the Qi transformation of Yin and Yang, is the nourishing and regulating system. It serves as the hub and channel, assisting in the flow and transformation of Qi, facilitating the exchange of material, energy, and information with the outside world. With sweat pore as the hub and based on the macro-control and holistic thinking of "Yang transforming Qi while Yin constituting form", this paper explores the microscopic mechanisms underlying chronic liver disease. In combination with the roles of mitochondria, exosomes, and the ultraliver sieve structure in the formation and progression of chronic liver disease, this paper elucidates the close internal relationship between the disease's initial quality, symptom signs, and its physiological and pathological functions under the guidance of this theory. Modern studies have shown that autophagy, intestinal flora disorders, glucose and lipid metabolism disturbances, activation of inflammatory factors, ferroptosis, and other microscopic pathological mechanisms are involved in the occurrence and development of chronic liver disease. The common connotation of the Yin-Yang concept in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the pathological mechanisms in modern medicine is deeply analyzed. The corresponding relevant microscopic mechanisms and the guiding role of the theory of "Yang transforming Qi while Yin constituting form-sweat pore" in the management of chronic liver disease are summarized. Wind medicine promotes growth and transformation through sweat pore. The combination of pungent and sweet medicines facilitates Yang and disperse Yin. The formulas, combining the characteristics of wind medicine and pungent and sweet medicines, fit the principle of "Yang transforming Qi while Yin constituting form-sweat pore". This paper combines both macro and micro perspectives to explain the scientific connotation and microscopic mechanisms of chronic liver disease based on the theory of "Yang transforming Qi while Yin constituting form-sweat pore", and explore the prevention and treatment of chronic liver disease through the principles, methods, prescriptions, and medicines featured by combination of pungent and sweet medicines, facilitating Yang, activating sweat pore, and dispersing Yin, providing new ideas and reference for the clinical treatment of chronic liver disease.
2.The effect of rutaecarpine on improving fatty liver and osteoporosis in MAFLD mice
Yu-hao ZHANG ; Yi-ning LI ; Xin-hai JIANG ; Wei-zhi WANG ; Shun-wang LI ; Ren SHENG ; Li-juan LEI ; Yu-yan ZHANG ; Jing-rui WANG ; Xin-wei WEI ; Yan-ni XU ; Yan LIN ; Lin TANG ; Shu-yi SI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):141-149
Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and osteoporosis (OP) are two very common metabolic diseases. A growing body of experimental evidence supports a pathophysiological link between MAFLD and OP. MAFLD is often associated with the development of OP. Rutaecarpine (RUT) is one of the main active components of Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RUT has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and can improve the OP of rats. However, whether RUT can improve both fatty liver and OP symptoms of MAFLD mice at the same time remains to be investigated. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months to construct a MAFLD model, and gave the mice a low dose (5 mg·kg-1) and a high dose (15 mg·kg-1) of RUT by gavage for 4 weeks. The effects of RUT on liver steatosis and bone metabolism were then evaluated at the end of the experiment [this experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (approval number: IMB-20190124D303)]. The results showed that RUT treatment significantly reduced hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation, and significantly reduced bone loss and promoted bone formation. In summary, this study shows that RUT has an effect of improving fatty liver and OP in MAFLD mice.
3.The Influence of Social Context on Perceptual Decision Making and Its Computational Neural Mechanisms
Yu-Pei LIU ; Yu-Shu WANG ; Bin ZHAN ; Rui WANG ; Yi JIANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(10):2568-2584
Perceptual decision making refers to the process by which individuals make choices and judgments based on sensory information, serving as a fundamental ability for human adaptation to complex environments. While traditional research has focused on perceptual decision making in isolated contexts, growing evidence highlights the profound influence of social contexts prevalent in real-world scenarios. As a crucial factor supporting individual survival and development, social context not only provides rich information sources but also shapes perceptual decision making through top-down processing mechanisms, prompting researchers to recognize the inherently social nature of human decisions. Empirical studies have demonstrated that social information, such as others’ choices or group norms, can systematically bias individuals’ perceptual decisions, often manifesting as conformity behaviors. Social influence can also facilitate performance under certain conditions, particularly when individuals can accurately identify and adopt high-quality social information. The impact of social context on perceptual decisions is modulated by a variety of external and internal factors, including group characteristics(e.g., group size, response consistency), attributes of peers (e.g., familiarity, social status, distinctions between human and artificial agents), as well as individual differences such as confidence, personality traits, and developmental stage. The motivations driving social influence encompass three primary mechanisms: improving decision accuracy through informational influence, gaining social acceptance through normative influence, and maintaining positive self-concept. Recent computational approaches have employed diverse theoretical frameworks to provide valuable insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying social influence in perceptual decision making. Reinforcement learning models demonstrate how social feedback shapes future choices through reward-based updating. Bayesian inference frameworks describe how individuals integrate personal beliefs with social information based on their respective reliabilities, dynamically updating beliefs to optimize decisions under uncertainty. Drift diffusion models offer powerful tools to decompose social influence into distinct cognitive components, allowing researchers to differentiate between changes in perceptual processing and shifts in decision criteria. Collectively, these models establish a comprehensive methodological foundation for disentangling the multiple pathways by which social context shapes perceptual decisions. Neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies provide converging evidence that social context influences perceptual decision making through multi-level neural mechanisms. At early perceptual processing stages, social influence modulates sensory evidence accumulation in parietal cortex and directly alters primary visual cortex activity, while guiding selective attention to stimulus features consistent with social norms through attentional alignment mechanisms. At higher cognitive levels, the reward system (ventral striatum, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) is activated during group-consistent decisions; emotion-processing networks (anterior cingulate cortex, insula, amygdala) regulate experiences of social acceptance and rejection; and mentalizing-related brain regions (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction) support inference of others’ mental states and social information integration. These neural circuits work synergistically to achieve top-down multi-level modulation of perceptual decision making. Understanding the mechanisms by which social context shapes perceptual decision making has broad theoretical and practical implications. These insights inform the optimization of collective decision-making, the design of socially adaptive human-computer interaction systems, and interventions for cognitive disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and anorexia nervosa. Future studies should combine computational modeling and neuroimaging approaches to systematically investigate the multi-level and dynamic nature of social influences on perceptual decision making.
4.Discovery of a normal-tension glaucoma-suspect rhesus macaque with craniocerebral injury: Hints of elevated translaminar cribrosa pressure difference.
Jian WU ; Qi ZHANG ; Xu JIA ; Yingting ZHU ; Zhidong LI ; Shu TU ; Ling ZHAO ; Yifan DU ; Wei LIU ; Jiaoyan REN ; Liangzhi XU ; Hanxiang YU ; Fagao LUO ; Wenru SU ; Ningli WANG ; Yehong ZHUO
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(4):484-486
5.The protective effect and mechanism of cornuside on diabetic nephropathy model mice
Wei WANG ; Xiaoyang GAN ; Huiqin XU ; Yihui ZHU ; Anmei SHU ; Yingxue FU ; Bin YU ; Gaohong LYU
China Pharmacy 2024;35(4):395-400
OBJECTIVE To investigate the protective effect and potential mechanism of cornuside on diabetic nephropathy (DN) model mice. METHODS Male KK-Ay mice were fed with high-fat and high-sugar diet for two weeks to reproduce the DN model. The successfully modeled mice were randomly grouped into model group, aminoguanidine group (positive control,100 mg/kg) and cornuside group (100 mg/kg), and male C57BL/6J mice were included as normal group, with 6 mice in each group. Administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically, and normal group and model group were given a constant volume of normal saline intragastrically, once a day, for 8 consecutive weeks. The levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), 24 h urinary protein, serum interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-10, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr) were detected; the pathological injury, fibrotic change and glomerular microstructure of renal tissue were observed; the expressions of the receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE), collagen type Ⅳ (COL-Ⅳ) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in renal cortex were detected in each group. RESULTS Compared with normal group, the renal cortex of mice in model group showed obvious inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrotic changes; the mesangial hyperplasia of glomerulus was serious and the basement membrane had a large number of irregular dark dense deposits; the levels of FBG and 24 h urinary protein, the serum levels of IL- 12, BUN and Scr, and the expression levels of RAGE, COL-Ⅳ and iNOS in the renal cortex were significantly increased, while the serum level of IL-10 was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the renal pathological injuries, fibrotic changes and glomerular microstructure of mice in administration groups were improved significantly, and the above quantitative indexes were generally improved (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Cornuside has a certain protective effect on DN model mice. It can inhibit the inflammatory response, reduce urinary protein excretion, and alleviate renal fibrosis, which may be related to the inhibition of the advanced glycation end products/RAGE signaling pathway.
6. Research progress of neuronal injury mediated by microglial activation and depression
Ying HE ; Man-Shu ZOU ; Yu-Hong WANG ; Yuan-Shan HAN ; Man-Shu ZOU ; Yuan-Shan HAN ; Yu-Hong WANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(1):12-15
Depression is a common neurological disorder with high incidence, high recurrence and high disability, but its pathogenesis is unclear. In recent years, the protective and attacking effects of glial cells on neurons have become the frontier of neurological disease research. Neuronal injury caused by abnormal activation of microglia (MG) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of depression. In this paper, through literature retrieval by GeenMedical and CNKI, the relevant pathways and key targets of MG activation in depression are summarized so as to provide a theoretical basis for further clinical research.
7.Study on the potential allergen and mechanism of pseudo-allergic reactions induced by combined using of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection based on metabolomics and bioinformatics
Yu-long CHEN ; You ZHAI ; Xiao-yan WANG ; Wei-xia LI ; Hui ZHANG ; Ya-li WU ; Liu-qing YANG ; Xiao-fei CHEN ; Shu-qi ZHANG ; Lu NIU ; Ke-ran FENG ; Kun LI ; Jin-fa TANG ; Ming-liang ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(2):382-394
Based on the strategy of metabolomics combined with bioinformatics, this study analyzed the potential allergens and mechanism of pseudo-allergic reactions (PARs) induced by the combined use of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection. All animal experiments and welfare are in accordance with the requirements of the First Affiliated Experimental Animal Ethics and Animal Welfare Committee of Henan University of Chinese Medicine (approval number: YFYDW2020002). Based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology combined with UNIFI software, a total of 21 compounds were identified in Reduning and penicillin G mixed injection. Based on molecular docking technology, 10 potential allergens with strong binding activity to MrgprX2 agonist sites were further screened. Metabolomics analysis using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology revealed that 34 differential metabolites such as arachidonic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes were endogenous differential metabolites of PARs caused by combined use of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection. Through the analysis of the "potential allergen-target-endogenous differential metabolite" interaction network, the chlorogenic acids (such as chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, and isochlorogenic acid A) and
8.Lanthanide Metal Organic Framework as A New Unlabeled Fluorescence Anisotropy Probe for Detection of Phosphate Ions
Kai MAO ; Xiao-Yan WANG ; Yu-Jie LUO ; Jia-Li XIE ; Tian-Jin XIE ; Yuan-Fang LI ; Cheng-Zhi HUANG ; Shu-Jun ZHEN
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2024;52(1):35-44,中插1-中插4
Fluorescence anisotropy(FA)analysis has many advantages such as no requirement of separation,high throughput and real-time detection,and thus has been widely used in many fields,including biochemical analysis,food safety detection,environmental monitoring,etc.However,due to the small volume or mass of the target,its combination with the fluorescence probe cannot produce significant signal change.To solve this issue,researchers often use nanomaterials to enhance the mass or volume of fluorophore to improve the sensitivity.Nevertheless,this FA amplification strategy also has some disadvantages.Firstly,nanomaterials are easy to quench fluorescence.As a result,the FA value is easily influenced by light scattering,which reduces the detection accuracy.Secondly,fluorescent probes in most methods require complex modification steps.Therefore,it is necessary to develop new FA probes that do not require the amplification of volume and mass or modification.As a new kind of nanomaterials,luminescent metal-organic framework(MOF)has a large volume(or mass)and strong fluorescence emission.It does not require additional signal amplification materials.As a consequence,it can be used as a potential FA probe.This study successfully synthesized a lanthanide metal organic framework(Ce-TCPP MOF)using cerium ion(Ce3+)as the central ion and 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-carboxylphenyl)porphyrin(H2TCPP)as the ligand through microwave assisted method,and used it as a novel unmodified FA probe to detect phosphate ions(Pi).In the absence of Pi,Ce-TCPP MOF had a significant FA value(r).After addition of Pi,Pi reacted with Ce3+in MOF and destroyed the structure of MOF into the small pieces,resulting in a decrease in r.The experimental results indicated that with the increase of Pi concentration,the change of the r of Ce-TCPP MOF(Δr)gradually increased.The Δr and Pi concentration showed a good linear relationship within the range of 0.5-3.5 μmol/L(0.016-0.108 mg/L).The limit of detection(LOD,3σ/k)was 0.41 μmol/L.The concentration of Pi in the Jialing River water detected by this method was about 0.078 mg/L,and the Pi value detected by ammonium molybdate spectrophotometry was about 0.080 mg/L.The two detection results were consistent with each other,and the detection results also meet the ClassⅡwater quality standard,proving that this method could be used for the detection of Pi in complex water bodies.
9.Mannitol inhibits the proliferation of neural stem cell by a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent signaling pathway
Hai-Zhen DUAN ; Xin ZHOU ; Quan HU ; Meng-Long LIU ; Shu-Hong WANG ; Ji ZHANG ; Xu-Heng JIANG ; Tian-Xi ZHANG ; An-Yong YU
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2024;27(1):42-52
Purpose::Mannitol is one of the first-line drugs for reducing cerebral edema through increasing the extracellular osmotic pressure. However, long-term administration of mannitol in the treatment of cerebral edema triggers damage to neurons and astrocytes. Given that neural stem cell (NSC) is a subpopulation of main regenerative cells in the central nervous system after injury, the effect of mannitol on NSC is still elusive. The present study aims to elucidate the role of mannitol in NSC proliferation.Methods::C57 mice were derived from the animal house of Zunyi Medical University. A total of 15 pregnant mice were employed for the purpose of isolating NSCs in this investigation. Initially, mouse primary NSCs were isolated from the embryonic cortex of mice and subsequently identified through immunofluorescence staining. In order to investigate the impact of mannitol on NSC proliferation, both cell counting kit-8 assays and neurospheres formation assays were conducted. The in vitro effects of mannitol were examined at various doses and time points. In order to elucidate the role of Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) in the suppressive effect of mannitol on NSC proliferation, various assays including reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunocytochemistry were conducted on control and mannitol-treated groups. Additionally, the phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) was examined to explore the potential mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of mannitol on NSC proliferation. Finally, to further confirm the involvement of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent (MAPK) signaling pathway in the observed inhibition of NSC proliferation by mannitol, SB203580 was employed. All data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). The statistical analysis among multiple comparisons was performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Turkey's post hoc test in case of the data following a normal distribution using a Shapiro-Wilk normality test. Comparisons between 2 groups were determined using Student's t-test, if the data exhibited a normal distribution using a Shapiro-Wilk normality test. Meanwhile, data were shown as median and interquartile range and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, if the data failed the normality test. A p < 0.05 was considered as significant difference. Results::Primary NSC were isolated from the mice, and the characteristics were identified using immunostaining analysis. Thereafter, the results indicated that mannitol held the capability of inhibiting NSC proliferation in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner using cell counting kit-8, neurospheres formation, and immunostaining of Nestin and Ki67 assays. During the process of mannitol suppressing NSC proliferation, the expression of AQP4 mRNA and protein was downregulated, while the gene expression of p-p38 was elevated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunostaining, and western blotting assays. Subsequently, the administration of SB203580, one of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway inhibitors, partially abrogated this inhibitory effect resulting from mannitol, supporting the fact that the p38 MAPK signaling pathway participated in curbing NSC proliferation induced by mannitol.Conclusions::Mannitol inhibits NSC proliferation through downregulating AQP4, while upregulating the expression of p-p38 MAPK.
10.Simultaneous content determination of seventeen constituents in Yangxue Ruanjian Capsules by UPLC-MS/MS
Yong-Ming LIU ; Shu-Sen LIU ; Yi-Zhe XIONG ; Xiang WANG ; Yu-Yun WU ; Jin LIU ; Ling-Yun PAN ; Guo-Qing DU ; Hong-Sheng ZHAN
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2024;46(2):353-358
AIM To establish a UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous content determination of liquiritin apioside,alibiflorin,swertiamarin,methyl gallate,benzoylpaeoniflorin,sweroside,6′-O-β-D-glucosylgentiopicroside,isoliquiritigenin,loganic acid,liquiritigenin,gallic acid,paeoniflorin,oxypaeoniflorin,gentiopicroside,glycyrrhizic acid,isoliquiritoside and liquiritin in Yangxue Ruanjian Capsules.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 40℃thermostatic Waters BEH C18column(2.1 mm×100 mm,1.7 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of 2 mmol/L ammonium acetate(containing 0.1%formic acid)-acetonitrile flowing at 0.3 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in negative ion scanning with multiple reaction monitoring mode.RESULTS Seventeen constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r>0.999 6),whose average recoveries were 91.33%-104.03%with the RSDs of 1.58%-3.50%.CONCLUSION This rapid,accurate and stable method can be used for the quality control of Yangxue Ruanjian Capsules.

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