1.Role of autophagy in treatment of paracetamol-induced liver injury
Guojing XING ; Lifei WANG ; Longlong LUO ; Xiaofeng ZHENG ; Chun GAO ; Xiaohui YU ; Jiucong ZHANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(2):389-394
N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP) is an antipyretic analgesic commonly used in clinical practice, and APAP overdose can cause severe liver injury and even death. In recent years, the incidence rate of APAP-induced liver injury (AILI) tends to increase, and it has become the second most common cause of liver transplantation worldwide. Autophagy is a highly conserved catabolic process that removes unwanted cytosolic proteins and organelles through lysosomal degradation to achieve the metabolic needs of cells themselves and the renewal of organelles. A large number of studies have shown that autophagy plays a key role in the pathophysiology of AILI, involving the mechanisms such as APAP protein conjugates, oxidative stress, JNK activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammatory response and apoptosis. This article elaborates on the biological mechanism of autophagy in AILI, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of AILI and the development of autophagy regulators.
2.Research progress in small molecule inhibitors of complement factor B
Shuai WEN ; Yao ZHAO ; Yan WANG ; Xing LI ; Yi MOU ; Zheng-yu JIANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):37-47
The alternative pathway (AP) of the complement system is a key contributor to the pathogenesis of several diseases including paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), C3 glomerular disease (C3G) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Complement factor B (CFB) is a trypsin-like serine protein that circulates in the human bloodstream in a latent form. As a key node of the alternative pathway, it is an important target for the treatment of diseases mediated by the complement system. With the successful launch of iptacopan, the CFB small molecule inhibitors has become a current research hotspot, a number of domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies are actively developing CFB small molecule inhibitors. In this paper, the research progress of CFB small molecule inhibitors in recent years is systematically summarized, the representative compounds and their activities are introduced according to structural types and design ideas, so as to provide reference and ideas for the subsequent research on CFB small molecule inhibitors.
3.Different exercise modalities promote functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury
Xiaoxuan ZHAO ; Shuaiyi LIU ; Qi LI ; Zheng XING ; Qingwen LI ; Xiaolei CHU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(6):1248-1256
BACKGROUND:Exercise as a form of active rehabilitation can improve the dysfunction caused by peripheral nerve injury,and different exercise modalities target different lesion sites and recovery mechanisms. OBJECTIVE:To comprehensively analyze the application and mechanisms of different exercise modalities in functional recovery from peripheral nerve injury. METHODS:A computerized search was conducted in PubMed and CNKI databases for relevant literature published before January 2024.The search terms used were"peripheral nerve injury,spinal cord,exercise,cerebral cortex,muscle atrophy,mirror therapy,blood flow restriction training"in both English and Chinese.Finally,77 articles were included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Peripheral nerve injury can cause systemic pathological changes such as skeletal muscle atrophy,corresponding spinal cord segmental lesions,and sensorimotor cortex remodeling.Aerobic exercise can improve dysfunction by enhancing the immune response,promoting glial cell polarization,and promoting the release of nerve growth factor.Blood flow restriction exercise can regulate the secretion of muscle growth factor,promote muscle growth and enhance muscle strength.Mirror movement has a good effect in activating the cerebral cortex and reducing cortical remodeling.Different exercise modalities have potential benefits in functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury;however,there are still some problems and challenges,such as the choice of exercise modalities,the control of exercise intensity and frequency,and the detailed analysis of mechanisms.
4.Lactate Transferase Function of Alanyl-transfer t-RNA Synthetase and Its Relationship With Exercise
Ying-Ying SUN ; Zheng XING ; Feng-Yi LI ; Jing ZHANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(6):1337-1348
Lactylation (Kla), a protein post-translational modification characterized by the covalent conjugation of lactyl groups to lysine residues in proteins, is widely present in living organisms. Since its discovery in 2019, it has attracted much attention for its role in regulating major pathological processes such as tumorigenesis, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. By mediating core biological processes such as signal transduction, epigenetic regulation, and metabolic homeostasis, lactylation contributes to disease progression. However, the lactylation donor lactyl-CoA has a low intracellular concentration, and the specific enzyme catalyzing lactylation is not yet clear, which has become an urgent issue in lactate research. A groundbreaking study in 2024 found that alanyl-transfer t-RNA synthetase 1/2 (AARS1/2), members of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) family, can act as protein lysine lactate transferases, modifying histones and metabolic enzymes directly with lactate as a substrate, without relying on the classical substrate lactyl-CoA, promoting a new stage in lactate research. Although exercise significantly increases lactate levels in the body and can induce changes in lactylation in multiple tissues and cells, the regulation of lactylation by exercise is not entirely consistent with lactate levels. Research has found that high-intensity exercise can induce upregulation of lactate at 37 lysine sites in 25 proteins of adipose tissue, while leading to downregulation of lactate at 27 lysine sites in 22 proteins. The level of lactate is not the only factor regulating lactylation through exercise. We speculate that the lactate transferase AARS1/2 play an important role in the process of lactylation regulated by exercise, and AARS1/2 should also be regulated by exercise. This review introduces the molecular biology characteristics, subcellular localization, and multifaceted biological functions of AARS, including its canonical roles in alanylation and editing, as well as its newly identified lactate transferase activity. We detail the discovery of AARS1/2 as lactylation catalysts and the specific process of them as lactate transferases catalyzing protein lactylation. Furthermore, we discuss the pathophysiological significance of AARS in tumorigenesis, immune dysregulation, and neuropathy, with a focus on exploring the expression regulation and possible mechanisms of AARS through exercise. The expression of AARS in skeletal muscle regulated by exercise is related to exercise time and muscle fiber type; the skeletal muscle AARS2 upregulated by long-term and high-intensity exercise catalyzes the lactylation of key metabolic enzymes such as pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 alpha subunit (PDHA1) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT2), reducing exercise capacity and providing exercise protection; physiological hypoxia caused by exercise significantly reduces the ubiquitination degradation of AARS2 by inhibiting its hydroxylation, thereby maintaining high levels of AARS2 protein and exerting lactate transferase function; exercise induced lactate production can promote the translocation of AARS1 cytoplasm to the nucleus, exert lactate transferase function upon nuclear entry, regulate histone lactylation, and participate in gene expression regulation; exercise induced lactate production promotes direct interactions between AARS and star molecules such as p53 and cGAS, and is widely involved in the occurrence and development of tumors and immune diseases. Elucidating the regulatory mechanism of exercise on AARS can provide new ideas for improving metabolic diseases and promote health through exercise.
5.Research on the chemical compositions and their biological activities of Piper nigrum L.
Xing GAO ; Fengping ZHAO ; Wentao WANG ; Wei TIAN ; Canhui ZHENG ; Xin CHEN
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2025;43(7):313-319
Piper nigrum L. is an evergreen climbing vine, which belongs to the genus Piperia in the Piperaceae family. Piper nigrum L., which known as the “king of spices”, is used as both food and medicine. The main active substances in Piper nigrum L. are alkaloids mainly composed of amides, and essential oil, as well as phenolic compounds. In this paper, the chemical compositions, especially amide alkaloids, and their biological activities of Piper nigrum L. were summarized. These studies showed that Piper nigrum L., as a medicinal and food plant, had a wide range of biological activities and was deserved further research and in-depth utilization.
6.Research progress on the treatment role and chemical synthesis methods of isoselenoazolones
Wentao WANG ; Xing GAO ; Fengping ZHAO ; Canhui ZHENG ; Xin CHEN
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2025;43(8):367-372
Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) is a key selenoenzyme that protects the body from oxidative damage. A series of small molecular organic selenium compounds have been designed and synthesized as functional mimics of GPx, among which isoselenazolones are the most widely studied. Taking ebselen as a representative, the catalytic mechanism of isoselenazolones in mimicing GSH-Px activity in vivo, the therapeutic effects of isoselenazolones in stroke, sensorineurium deafness and tinnitus, treatmentresistant depression (TRD) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and research on their chemical synthesis methods were summarized and discussed in this paper.
7.Recommendations for Standardized Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis of Animal Experiments
Qingyong ZHENG ; Donghua YANG ; Zhichao MA ; Ziyu ZHOU ; Yang LU ; Jingyu WANG ; Lina XING ; Yingying KANG ; Li DU ; Chunxiang ZHAO ; Baoshan DI ; Jinhui TIAN
Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine 2025;45(4):496-507
Animal experiments are an essential component of life sciences and medical research. However, the external validity and reliability of individual animal studies are frequently challenged by inherent limitations such as small sample sizes, high design heterogeneity, and poor reproducibility, which impede the effective translation of research findings into clinical practice. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis represent a key methodology for integrating existing evidence and enhancing the robustness of conclusions. Currently, however, the application of systematic reviews and meta-analysis in the field of animal experiments lacks standardized guidelines for their conduct and reporting, resulting in inconsistent quality and, to some extent, diminishing their evidence value. To address this issue, this paper aims to systematically delineate the reporting process for systematic reviews and meta-analysis of animal experiments and to propose a set of standardized recommendations that are both scientific and practical. The article's scope encompasses the entire process, from the preliminary preparatory phase [including formulating the population, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO) question, assessing feasibility, and protocol pre-registration] to the key writing points for each section of the main report. In the core methods section, the paper elaborates on how to implement literature searches, establish eligibility criteria, perform data extraction, and assess the risk of bias, based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement, in conjunction with relevant guidelines and tools such as Animal Research: Reporting of in Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) and a risk of bias assessment tool developed by the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE). For the presentation of results, strategies are proposed for clear and transparent display using flow diagrams and tables of characteristics. The discussion section places particular emphasis on how to scientifically interpret pooled effects, thoroughly analyze sources of heterogeneity, evaluate the impact of publication bias, and cautiously discuss the validity and limitations of extrapolating findings from animal studies to clinical settings. Furthermore, this paper recommends adopting the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to comprehensively grade the quality of evidence. Through a modular analysis of the entire reporting process, this paper aims to provide researchers in the field with a clear and practical guide, thereby promoting the standardized development of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of animal experiments and enhancing their application value in scientific decision-making and translational medicine.
8.Progress on the relationship of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 with human diseases and its small-molecule activators
Xiangpei SUN ; Xing GAO ; Fengping ZHAO ; Wentao WANG ; Tianyi ZHANG ; Wei TIAN ; Canhui ZHENG ; Xin CHEN
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2024;42(1):6-11
Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is one of important factors against from the damage under oxidative stress in human body. A high proportion of East Asians carry ALDH2 inactive mutation gene. There are many diseases closely related to ALDH2, such as cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and liver diseases. Recent studies also have found that ALDH2 is associated with ferroptosis. Therefore, ALDH2 has becoming a potential target for the treatment of the above related diseases. Several types of small molecule activators with potential value of clinical application have been reported. The research progress on the structure and function of ALDH2 , the relationship with human diseases and its activators were summarized in this paper.
9.Oncolytic Newcastle disease virus inhibits IL-6 induced migration and invasion of human glioblastoma U87MG cells
TAO Weiyi ; QIN Ying ; WU Xing ; ZHENG Tingting ; FAN Xiaohui ; LIANG Ying
Chinese Journal of Cancer Biotherapy 2024;31(1):27-31
[摘 要] 目的:探讨溶瘤新城疫病毒(NDV)对IL-6诱导的人胶质母细胞瘤U87MG细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭的作用及其可能的机制。方法:将U87MG细胞分为对照组、IL-6组、NDV组、NDV+IL-6组,其中IL-6组与NDV+IL-6组用75 ng/mL IL-6预处理1 h,其余组用DMEM预处理1 h,后分别用DMEM、75 ng/mL IL-6、1 HU NDV、1 HU NDV+75 ng/mL IL-6处理24 h。MTT法、细胞划痕实验和Transwell侵袭实验分别检测IL-6、NDV对U87MG细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭的影响,WB法检测各组细胞JAK2、p-JAK2、STAT3、p-STAT3和MMP2蛋白的表达水平。结果:与对照组相比,IL-6组细胞迁移率显著升高(P<0.05),侵袭细胞数目显著增多(P<0.01);与IL-6组相比,NDV+IL-6组U87MG细胞增殖率显著降低(P<0.05),细胞迁移率和侵袭细胞数目均显著降低(均P<0.01)。WB实验结果显示,与对照组相比,IL-6组p-STAT3/STAT3比值显著升高(P<0.01),NDV组p-JAK2/JAK2、p-STAT3/STAT3比值显著降低(P<0.05,P<0.01),MMP-2蛋白表达量显著降低(P<0.01);与IL-6组相比,NDV+IL-6组p-STAT3/STAT3比值、MMP-2蛋白表达量均显著降低(均P<0.05)。结论:NDV能抑制IL-6对人脑胶质瘤U87MG细胞迁移和侵袭的诱导作用,其机制可能与JAK2/STAT3信号通路的参与调控有关。
10.Therapeutic effect of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells co-cultured with bone marrow M2 macrophages on a rat model of liver cirrhosis
Xinrui ZHENG ; Yannan XU ; Danyang WANG ; Feifei XING ; Mengyao ZONG ; Shihao ZHANG ; Junyi ZHAN ; Wei LIU ; Gaofeng CHEN ; Jiamei CHEN ; Ping LIU ; Yongping MU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(1):96-103
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) co-cultured with bone marrow-derived M2 macrophages (M2-BMDMs), named as BMSCM2, on a rat model of liver cirrhosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)/2-acetaminofluorene (2-AAF). MethodsRat BMDMs were isolated and polarized into M2 phenotype, and rat BMSCs were isolated and co-cultured with M2-BMDMs at the third generation to obtain BMSCM2. The rats were given subcutaneous injection of CCl4 for 6 weeks to establish a model of liver cirrhosis, and then they were randomly divided into model group (M group), BMSC group, and BMSCM2 group, with 6 rats in each group. A normal group (N group) with 6 rats was also established. Since week 7, the model rats were given 2-AAF by gavage in addition to the subcutaneous injection of CCl4. Samples were collected at the end of week 10 to observe liver function, liver histopathology, and hydroxyproline (Hyp) content in liver tissue, as well as changes in the markers for hepatic stellate cells, hepatic progenitor cells, cholangiocytes, and hepatocytes. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the N group, the M group had significant increases in the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P<0.01); compared with the M group, the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in ALT and AST (P<0.01), and the BMSCM2 group had significantly better activities than the BMSC group (P<0.05). Compared with the N group, the M group had significant increases in Hyp content and the mRNA and protein expression levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the liver (P<0.01); compared with the M group, the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in Hyp content and the expression of α-SMA (P<0.05), and the BMSCM2 group had a significantly lower level of α-SMA than the BMSC group (P<0.01). Compared with the N group, the M group had significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the hepatic progenitor cell markers EpCam and Sox9 and the cholangiocyte markers CK7 and CK19 (P<0.01) and significant reductions in the expression levels of the hepatocyte markers HNF-4α and Alb (P<0.01); compared with the M group, the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam, Sox9, CK7, and CK19 (P<0.05) and significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of HNF-4α and Alb (P<0.05), and compared with the BMSC group, the BMSCM2 group had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam and CK19 (P<0.05) and significant increase in the expression level of HNF-4α (P<0.05). ConclusionM2-BMDMs can enhance the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on CCl4/2-AAF-induced liver cirrhosis in rats, which provides new ideas for further improving the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on liver cirrhosis.

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