Sclerostin negatively regulates bone formation.The marketed antibody against sclerostin loop2 promoted bone formation but may have caused severe cardiovascular events in clinical use.In our published studies,sclerosti...Sclerostin negatively regulates bone formation.The marketed antibody against sclerostin loop2 promoted bone formation but may have caused severe cardiovascular events in clinical use.In our published studies,sclerostin loop3 was found to be involved in inhibitory effects of sclerostin on bone formation,whereas cardiovascular protective effects of sclerostin in mice were independent of loop3.It is necessary to investigate how sclerostin loop3 participates in the inhibitory effects of sclerostin on bone formation to facilitate developing precise strategies that promote bone formation without increasing cardiovascular risk.In this study,sclerostin loop3 was identified to bind to LRP4,thereby facilitating binding of sclerostin to LRP6 in osteoblasts.Blockade of sclerostin loop3-LRP4 interaction by both Lrp4 mutation(Lrp4m)and blocking peptide(LRP4-Pep)diminished the antagonistic effect of sclerostin on Wnt/β-catenin signaling in osteoblasts in vitro.Consistently,Lrp4m promoted bone formation in Lrp4m mice in vivo.Mechanistically,osteoblast-conditional correction of Lrp4m to wild-type Lrp4 resulted in significantly lower bone formation than Lrp4m mice,indicating that the promotive effects of Lrp4m on bone formation acted in osteoblasts in vivo.Moreover,re-expression of sclerostin dramatically inhibited bone formation in sost−/−mice,whilst the inhibitory effects of sclerostin were significantly weaker in sost−/−.Lrp4m mice.Pharmacologically,LRP4-Pep diminished the inhibitory effects of sclerostin on bone formation in SOSTki mice.Taken together,osteoblastic sclerostin loop3-LRP4 interaction,as an anchor,was required by sclerostin to bind to LRP6,thereby inhibiting bone formation.Translationally,blockade of sclerostin loop3-LRP4 interaction in osteoblasts would provide precise therapeutic strategies to promote bone formation without increasing cardiovascular risk.展开更多
Objective: To determine the predictive ability of biomarkers for responses to neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) in postmenopausal breast cancer. Methods: Consecutive 160 postmenopausal women with T 1-3 N 0-1 M 0...Objective: To determine the predictive ability of biomarkers for responses to neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) in postmenopausal breast cancer. Methods: Consecutive 160 postmenopausal women with T 1-3 N 0-1 M 0 hormone receptor (HR)-positive invasive breast cancer were treated with anastrozole for 16 weeks before surgery. New slides of tumor specimens taken before and after treatment were conducted centrally for biomarker analysis and classified using the Applied Imaging Ariol MB-8 system. The pathological response was evaluated using the Miller & Payne classification. The cell cycle response was classified according to the change in the Ki67 index after treatment. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the combined index of the biomarkers. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine whether parameters may predict response. Results: The correlation between the pathological and cell cycle responses was low (Spearman correlation coefficient =0.241, P〈0.001; Kappa value =0.119, P=0.032). The cell cycle response was significantly associated with pre-treatment estrogen receptor (ER) status (P=0.001), progesterone receptor (PgR) status (P〈0.001), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) status (P=0.050) and the Ki67 index (P〈0.001), but the pathological response was not correlated with these factors. Pre-treatment ER levels [area under the curve (AUC) =0.634, 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.534-0.735, P=0.008] and combined index of pre-treatment ER and PgR levels (AUC =0.684, 95% CI, 0.591-0.776, P〈0.001) could not predict the cell cycle response, but combined index including per-treatment ER/PR/Her-2/Ki67 expression levels could (AUC =0.830, 95% CI, 0.759-0.902, P〈0.001). Conclusions: The combined use of pre-treatment ER/PgR/Her-2/Ki67 expression levels, instead of HR expression levels, may predict the cell cycle response to NET.展开更多
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is an autoimmune disease.Early studies hold an opinion that gut microbiota is environmentally acquired and associated with RA susceptibility.However,accumulating evidence demonstrates that gene...Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is an autoimmune disease.Early studies hold an opinion that gut microbiota is environmentally acquired and associated with RA susceptibility.However,accumulating evidence demonstrates that genetics also shape the gut microbiota.It is known that some strains of inbred laboratory mice are highly susceptible to collagen-induced arthritis(CIA),while the others are resistant to CIA.Here,we show that transplantation of fecal microbiota of CIA-resistant C57BL/6J mice to CIA-susceptible DBA/1J mice confer CIA resistance in DBA/1J mice.C57BL/6J mice and healthy human individuals have enriched B.fragilis than DBA/1J mice and RA patients.Transplantation of B.fragilis prevents CIA in DBA/1J mice.We identify that B.fragilis mainly produces propionate and C57BL/6J mice and healthy human individuals have higher level of propionate.Fibroblast-like synoviocytes(FLSs)in RA are activated to undergo tumor-like transformation.Propionate disrupts HDAC3-FOXK1 interaction to increase acetylation of FOXK1,resulting in reduced FOXK1 stability,blocked interferon signaling and deactivation of RA-FLSs.We treat CIA mice with propionate and show that propionate attenuates CIA.Moreover,a combination of propionate with anti-TNF etanercept synergistically relieves CIA.These results suggest that B.fragilis or propionate could be an alternative or complementary approach to the current therapies.展开更多
In this study,a convenient method of preparing the substrate is proposed with one-pot synthesis of silver colloid under body heat,and the SERS detection uses the fresh substrate to avoid the drawback of substrates’sh...In this study,a convenient method of preparing the substrate is proposed with one-pot synthesis of silver colloid under body heat,and the SERS detection uses the fresh substrate to avoid the drawback of substrates’short life of use.The synthesis of silver colloid is carried out in a 10 mL vial by using ascorbic acid as a reductant and trisodium citrate as a stabilizer.The vial is grasped with the palm of the experimenter for several minutes without shaking.The proposed method is simple,rapid,green energy and cost-effective.By adjusting the concentration of trisodium citrate,not only the particle size can be controlled from about 110 nm to 50 nm but also the homogeneity of nanoparticles can be improved.As a SERS substrate,the silver colloid has high batch reproducibility and showed good SERS activity.The relative standard deviation between different manufacturers is 5.51%when the substrate of silver colloid is used for the detection of rhodamine 6 G.Using the substrate,the lowest detection concentrations of rhodamine 6 G,crystal violet,enrofloxacin,melamine and leucomalachite green are 1.0×10-8,6.1×10-8,1.4×10-6,7.1×10-5 and 5.1×10-8 mol/L,respectively.Results demonstrate that the developed method has the advantage of convenience and high efficiency in the field preparation of reliable SERS substrate.展开更多
Obesity represents a social health problem worldwide, associated with serious health risks and increased mortality. The prevalence of obesity is reported to be increasing in both developed and developing countries. Ob...Obesity represents a social health problem worldwide, associated with serious health risks and increased mortality. The prevalence of obesity is reported to be increasing in both developed and developing countries. Obesity is associated with a significant range of comorbidities and is linked with increases in mortality, thus the treatment of obesity is very important. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used for weight management both in China and in western countries for many years, the effectiveness and safety of CHMs in obesity have been proved. Yet the principles of treating obesity with CHMs are hard to manage due to the complexity of TCM theory. In this study, a novel text mining method was developed based on a comprehensive collection of literatures in order to explore the treatment principles more intuitively. Networks of TCM patterns and CHMs which are most frequently used in obesity treatment are built-up and analyzed, two major principles are explored in treating obesity: one is resolving phlegm and dampness, the other is clearing heat and reinforcing deficiency. These findings might guide the clinicians in treatment of obesity.展开更多
In recent years,there has been a notable increase in the publication of clinical research on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in internationally renowned journals.Historically,publications on TCM in top medical journa...In recent years,there has been a notable increase in the publication of clinical research on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in internationally renowned journals.Historically,publications on TCM in top medical journals such as the Annals of Internal Medicine,the British Medical Journal,The Lancet,the Journal of the American Medical Association,and the New England Journal of Medicine have predominantly focused on acupuncture,with over 46 randomized controlled trials(RCTs)published on this topic.In contrast,only three RCTs on Chinese herbal medicine(CHM)formulas have been published in these five journals.However,there have been nearly 200 RCTs on CHMformulas published in Q1 journals,indicating a significant body of research in this area within the top-tier scientific community.A prime example of this is the recent publication of“Traditional Chinese medicine FYTF-919(Zhongfeng Xingnao oral prescription)for the treatment of acute intracerebral haemorrhage:a multicentre,randomised,placebo-controlled,double-blind,clinical trial”in The Lancet on November 12,2024.1 This publication underscores the growing recognition of CHMformulas in mainstream therapeutics and presents significant opportunities for further investigation and reflection in this field.展开更多
Cartilage defect repair and osteoarthritis treatments remain clinical challenges.Microfracture is a commonly used surgical procedure for the treatment of cartilage defects but often leads to fibrocartilage repair.The ...Cartilage defect repair and osteoarthritis treatments remain clinical challenges.Microfracture is a commonly used surgical procedure for the treatment of cartilage defects but often leads to fibrocartilage repair.The aim of this study is to compare the effects of 5 bone morphogenetic proteins(BMPs)on chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,as well as to investigate the use of the heparin/poly(ethylene arginine aspartate diglyceride(PEAD)coacervate sustained release system to deliver these BMPs for microfracture-mediated cartilage repair.Our results indicate that all 5 human BMPs significantly enhance the chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(hBMMSCs)with BMPs 2,4 and 9 being more potent than BMP6 or BMP7,as revealed by Alcian blue,SO staining,and immunohistochemistry of COL2.Coacervate-BMPs are biocompatible for both hBMMSCs and rat muscle-derived stem cells(MDSCs)and promote their proliferation.In vivo,sustained release of human BMPs 2,4,6,7,9 with heparin/PEAD coacervate significantly enhances microfracture-mediated cartilage repair in a rat osteochondral defect model,as demon-strated by ICRS macroscopic score,Seller’s histology score,and COL2 staining.These effects are mediated by increasing SOX9 expression in the regenerated cartilage.In conclusion,BMPs 2,4,9 are the most potent BMPS to promote chondrogenic differentiation,while all BMPs enhanced microfracture-mediated cartilage repair when delivered with heparin/PEAD coacervate without a significant difference between the different BMPs.展开更多
Sclerostin, a protein secreted from osteocytes, negatively regulates the WNT signaling pathway by binding to the LRP5/6 co-receptors and further inhibits bone formation and promotes bone resorption. Sclerostin contrib...Sclerostin, a protein secreted from osteocytes, negatively regulates the WNT signaling pathway by binding to the LRP5/6 co-receptors and further inhibits bone formation and promotes bone resorption. Sclerostin contributes to musculoskeletal system-related diseases, making it a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of WNT-related bone diseases. Additionally, emerging evidence indicates that sclerostin contributes to the development of cancers, obesity, and diabetes, suggesting that it may be a promising therapeutic target for these diseases. Notably, cardiovascular diseases are related to the protective role of sclerostin. In this review, we summarize three distinct types of inhibitors targeting sclerostin, monoclonal antibodies, aptamers, and small-molecule inhibitors, from which monoclonal antibodies have been developed. As the first-in-class sclerostin inhibitor approved by the U.S. FDA,the monoclonal antibody romosozumab has demonstrated excellent effectiveness in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis;however, it conferred high cardiovascular risk in clinical trials. Furthermore,romosozumab could only be administered by injection, which may cause compliance issues for patients who prefer oral therapy. Considering these above safety and compliance concerns, we therefore present relevant discussion and offer perspectives on the development of next-generation sclerostin inhibitors by following several ways, such as concomitant medication, artificial intelligence-based strategy, druggable modification, and bispecific inhibitors strategy.展开更多
As coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) threatens human health globally,infectious disorders have become one of the most challenging problem for the medical community.Natural products(NP) have been a prolific source of ...As coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) threatens human health globally,infectious disorders have become one of the most challenging problem for the medical community.Natural products(NP) have been a prolific source of antimicrobial agents with widely divergent structures and a range of vast biological activities.A dataset comprising 618 articles,including 646 NP-based compounds from 672 species of natural sources with biological activities against 21 infectious pathogens from five categories,was assembled through manual selection of published articles.These data were used to identify 268 NP-based compounds classified into ten groups,which were used for network pharmacology analysis to capture the most promising lead-compounds such as agelasine D,dicumarol,dihydroartemisinin and pyridomycin.The distribution of maximum Tanimoto scores indicated that compounds which inhibited parasites exhibited low diversity,whereas the chemistries inhibiting bacteria,fungi,and viruses showed more structural diversity.A total of 331 species of medicinal plants with compounds exhibiting antimicrobial activities were selected to classify the family sources.The family Asteraceae possesses various compounds against C.neoformans,the family Anacardiaceae has compounds against Salmonella typhi,the family Cucurbitacea against the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV),and the family Ancistrocladaceae against Plasmodium.This review summarizes currently available data on NPbased antimicrobials against refractory infections to provide information for further discovery of drugs and synthetic strategies for anti-infectious agents.展开更多
Background:The Ebola virus is highly pathogenic and destructive to humans and other primates.The Ebola virus encodes viral protein 40(VP40),which is highly expressed and regulates the assembly and release of viral par...Background:The Ebola virus is highly pathogenic and destructive to humans and other primates.The Ebola virus encodes viral protein 40(VP40),which is highly expressed and regulates the assembly and release of viral particles in the host cell.Because VP40 plays a prominent role in the life cycle of the Ebola virus,it is considered as a key target for antiviral treatment.However,there is currently no FDA-approved drug for treating Ebola virus infection,resulting in an urgent need to develop effective antiviral inhibitors that display good safety profiles in a short duration.Methods:This study aimed to screen the effective lead candidate against Ebola infection.First,the lead molecules were filtered based on the docking score.Second,Lipinski rule of five and the other drug likeliness properties are predicted to assess the safety profile of the lead candidates.Finally,molecular dynamics simulations was performed to validate the lead compound.Results:Our results revealed that emodin-8-beta-D-glucoside from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Database(TCMD)represents an active lead candidate that targets the Ebola virus by inhibiting the activity of VP40,and displays good pharmacokinetic properties.Conclusion:This report will considerably assist in the development of the competitive and robust antiviral agents against Ebola infection.展开更多
Targeted protein degradation(TPD)is emerging as a strategy to overcome the limitations of traditional small-molecule inhibitors.Proteolysis-targeting chimera(PROTAC)technology can be used to target proteins by hijacki...Targeted protein degradation(TPD)is emerging as a strategy to overcome the limitations of traditional small-molecule inhibitors.Proteolysis-targeting chimera(PROTAC)technology can be used to target proteins by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system.Conceptually,PROTAC aims to target the“undruggable”majority of proteins in the human proteome.Through constant exploration and optimization of PROTACs and the exploitation of other TPD strategies over two decades,TPD has expanded from theoretical studies to clinical strategies,with practical applications in oncological,immunological,and other diseases.In this review,we introduce the mechanisms,features,and molecular targets of orthodox PROTACs and summarize the PROTAC drugs under study as cancer therapeutics in clinical trials.We also discuss PROTAC derivatives and other TPD strategies,such as lysosome-targeting chimeras,autophagy-targeting chimeras,and molecular glue strategies.Collectively,the studies summarized herein support the full potential of TPD in the biomedical industry.展开更多
Clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)are diversified,and based on the manifestations,the patients with RA could be classified into different patterns under traditional Chinese medicine.These patterns dec...Clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)are diversified,and based on the manifestations,the patients with RA could be classified into different patterns under traditional Chinese medicine.These patterns decide the selection of herbal prescription,and thus they can help find a subset of rheumatoid arthritis patients for a type of therapy.In the present study,we combine genome-wide expression analysis with methods of systems biology to identify the functional gene networks for the sets of clinical symptoms that comprise the major information for pattern classification.Clinical manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis were clustered with factor analysis,and two factors(similar to cold and hot patterns in traditional Chinese medicine)were found.Microarray technology was used to reveal gene expression profiles in CD4+T cells from 21 rheumatoid arthritis patients.Protein-protein interaction information for these genes from databases and literature data was searched.The highly-connected regions were detected to infer significant complexes or pathways in this protein-protein interaction network.The significant pathways and function were extracted from these subnetworks using the Biological Network Gene Ontology tool.The genes significantly related to hot and cold patterns were identified by correlations analysis.MAPK signalling pathway,Wnt signaling pathway,and insulin signaling pathway were found to be related to hot pattern.Purine metabolism was related to both hot and cold patterns.Alanine,aspartate,and tyrosine metabolism were related to cold pattern,and histindine metabolism and lysine degradation were related to hot pattern.The results suggest that cold and hot patterns in traditional Chinese medicine were related to different pathways,and the network analysis might be used for identifying the pattern classification in other diseases.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(Project No.2024YFE0216100,Project No.MHP/314/24,Project No.2018YFA0800804)Hong Kong General Research Fund from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(Project No.12102223,Project No.12102524,Project No.12100921,Project No.12100725)+10 种基金Theme-based Research Scheme from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(Project No.T12-201/20-R)Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.82300988)Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Science and Technology Plan Project(Category C)(Grant No.SGDX20230821095359002)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.82270932)Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital High-level Talent Support Cultivation Programme Project(Project No.ynljzc202408)Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund from Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province(Project No.2019B1515120089)Inter-institutional Collaborative Research Scheme from Hong Kong Baptist University(Project No.RC-ICRS/19-20/01)University-Industry Collaboration Programme from Innovation and Technology Commissions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(Project No.UIM/298)University-Industry Collaboration Programme from Innovation and Technology Commissions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(Project No.UIM/328)Shanghai Research Center for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases(Project No.2022ZZ01002)Key Project of Research and Development Plan of Hunan Province(Project No.2022WK2010).
摘要Sclerostin negatively regulates bone formation.The marketed antibody against sclerostin loop2 promoted bone formation but may have caused severe cardiovascular events in clinical use.In our published studies,sclerostin loop3 was found to be involved in inhibitory effects of sclerostin on bone formation,whereas cardiovascular protective effects of sclerostin in mice were independent of loop3.It is necessary to investigate how sclerostin loop3 participates in the inhibitory effects of sclerostin on bone formation to facilitate developing precise strategies that promote bone formation without increasing cardiovascular risk.In this study,sclerostin loop3 was identified to bind to LRP4,thereby facilitating binding of sclerostin to LRP6 in osteoblasts.Blockade of sclerostin loop3-LRP4 interaction by both Lrp4 mutation(Lrp4m)and blocking peptide(LRP4-Pep)diminished the antagonistic effect of sclerostin on Wnt/β-catenin signaling in osteoblasts in vitro.Consistently,Lrp4m promoted bone formation in Lrp4m mice in vivo.Mechanistically,osteoblast-conditional correction of Lrp4m to wild-type Lrp4 resulted in significantly lower bone formation than Lrp4m mice,indicating that the promotive effects of Lrp4m on bone formation acted in osteoblasts in vivo.Moreover,re-expression of sclerostin dramatically inhibited bone formation in sost−/−mice,whilst the inhibitory effects of sclerostin were significantly weaker in sost−/−.Lrp4m mice.Pharmacologically,LRP4-Pep diminished the inhibitory effects of sclerostin on bone formation in SOSTki mice.Taken together,osteoblastic sclerostin loop3-LRP4 interaction,as an anchor,was required by sclerostin to bind to LRP6,thereby inhibiting bone formation.Translationally,blockade of sclerostin loop3-LRP4 interaction in osteoblasts would provide precise therapeutic strategies to promote bone formation without increasing cardiovascular risk.
摘要Objective: To determine the predictive ability of biomarkers for responses to neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) in postmenopausal breast cancer. Methods: Consecutive 160 postmenopausal women with T 1-3 N 0-1 M 0 hormone receptor (HR)-positive invasive breast cancer were treated with anastrozole for 16 weeks before surgery. New slides of tumor specimens taken before and after treatment were conducted centrally for biomarker analysis and classified using the Applied Imaging Ariol MB-8 system. The pathological response was evaluated using the Miller & Payne classification. The cell cycle response was classified according to the change in the Ki67 index after treatment. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the combined index of the biomarkers. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine whether parameters may predict response. Results: The correlation between the pathological and cell cycle responses was low (Spearman correlation coefficient =0.241, P〈0.001; Kappa value =0.119, P=0.032). The cell cycle response was significantly associated with pre-treatment estrogen receptor (ER) status (P=0.001), progesterone receptor (PgR) status (P〈0.001), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) status (P=0.050) and the Ki67 index (P〈0.001), but the pathological response was not correlated with these factors. Pre-treatment ER levels [area under the curve (AUC) =0.634, 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.534-0.735, P=0.008] and combined index of pre-treatment ER and PgR levels (AUC =0.684, 95% CI, 0.591-0.776, P〈0.001) could not predict the cell cycle response, but combined index including per-treatment ER/PR/Her-2/Ki67 expression levels could (AUC =0.830, 95% CI, 0.759-0.902, P〈0.001). Conclusions: The combined use of pre-treatment ER/PgR/Her-2/Ki67 expression levels, instead of HR expression levels, may predict the cell cycle response to NET.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation Council of China(82172386 and 81922081 to C.L.,82100943 to X.F.,82104216 to J.L.,and 82230081,82250710175 and 8226116039 to G.X.)the Department of Education of Guangdong Province(2021KTSCX104 to C.L.)+5 种基金the 2020 Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Strategy Special Fund(Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Lab)(2020B1212030006 to A.L.)the Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Council Grant(2017B030301018 to G.X.)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2022A1515012164 to C.L.,and 2023A1515012000 to X.F.)the Science,Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen(JCYJ20210324104201005 to C.L.,JCYJ20220530115006014 to X.F.,JCYJ20230807095118035 to J.L.,and JCYJ20220818100617036 to G.X.)the Hong Kong General Research Fund(12102722 to A.L.)the Hong Kong RGC Themebased Research Scheme(T12-201/20-R to A.L.).
摘要Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is an autoimmune disease.Early studies hold an opinion that gut microbiota is environmentally acquired and associated with RA susceptibility.However,accumulating evidence demonstrates that genetics also shape the gut microbiota.It is known that some strains of inbred laboratory mice are highly susceptible to collagen-induced arthritis(CIA),while the others are resistant to CIA.Here,we show that transplantation of fecal microbiota of CIA-resistant C57BL/6J mice to CIA-susceptible DBA/1J mice confer CIA resistance in DBA/1J mice.C57BL/6J mice and healthy human individuals have enriched B.fragilis than DBA/1J mice and RA patients.Transplantation of B.fragilis prevents CIA in DBA/1J mice.We identify that B.fragilis mainly produces propionate and C57BL/6J mice and healthy human individuals have higher level of propionate.Fibroblast-like synoviocytes(FLSs)in RA are activated to undergo tumor-like transformation.Propionate disrupts HDAC3-FOXK1 interaction to increase acetylation of FOXK1,resulting in reduced FOXK1 stability,blocked interferon signaling and deactivation of RA-FLSs.We treat CIA mice with propionate and show that propionate attenuates CIA.Moreover,a combination of propionate with anti-TNF etanercept synergistically relieves CIA.These results suggest that B.fragilis or propionate could be an alternative or complementary approach to the current therapies.
摘要In this study,a convenient method of preparing the substrate is proposed with one-pot synthesis of silver colloid under body heat,and the SERS detection uses the fresh substrate to avoid the drawback of substrates’short life of use.The synthesis of silver colloid is carried out in a 10 mL vial by using ascorbic acid as a reductant and trisodium citrate as a stabilizer.The vial is grasped with the palm of the experimenter for several minutes without shaking.The proposed method is simple,rapid,green energy and cost-effective.By adjusting the concentration of trisodium citrate,not only the particle size can be controlled from about 110 nm to 50 nm but also the homogeneity of nanoparticles can be improved.As a SERS substrate,the silver colloid has high batch reproducibility and showed good SERS activity.The relative standard deviation between different manufacturers is 5.51%when the substrate of silver colloid is used for the detection of rhodamine 6 G.Using the substrate,the lowest detection concentrations of rhodamine 6 G,crystal violet,enrofloxacin,melamine and leucomalachite green are 1.0×10-8,6.1×10-8,1.4×10-6,7.1×10-5 and 5.1×10-8 mol/L,respectively.Results demonstrate that the developed method has the advantage of convenience and high efficiency in the field preparation of reliable SERS substrate.
摘要Obesity represents a social health problem worldwide, associated with serious health risks and increased mortality. The prevalence of obesity is reported to be increasing in both developed and developing countries. Obesity is associated with a significant range of comorbidities and is linked with increases in mortality, thus the treatment of obesity is very important. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used for weight management both in China and in western countries for many years, the effectiveness and safety of CHMs in obesity have been proved. Yet the principles of treating obesity with CHMs are hard to manage due to the complexity of TCM theory. In this study, a novel text mining method was developed based on a comprehensive collection of literatures in order to explore the treatment principles more intuitively. Networks of TCM patterns and CHMs which are most frequently used in obesity treatment are built-up and analyzed, two major principles are explored in treating obesity: one is resolving phlegm and dampness, the other is clearing heat and reinforcing deficiency. These findings might guide the clinicians in treatment of obesity.
基金supported by the 2020 Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Strategy Special Fund(Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Lab)(2020B1212030006 to A.L.)the Hong Kong General Research Fund(12102722 to A.L.)the Hong Kong RGC Theme-based Research Scheme(T12-201/20-R to A.L.).
摘要In recent years,there has been a notable increase in the publication of clinical research on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in internationally renowned journals.Historically,publications on TCM in top medical journals such as the Annals of Internal Medicine,the British Medical Journal,The Lancet,the Journal of the American Medical Association,and the New England Journal of Medicine have predominantly focused on acupuncture,with over 46 randomized controlled trials(RCTs)published on this topic.In contrast,only three RCTs on Chinese herbal medicine(CHM)formulas have been published in these five journals.However,there have been nearly 200 RCTs on CHMformulas published in Q1 journals,indicating a significant body of research in this area within the top-tier scientific community.A prime example of this is the recent publication of“Traditional Chinese medicine FYTF-919(Zhongfeng Xingnao oral prescription)for the treatment of acute intracerebral haemorrhage:a multicentre,randomised,placebo-controlled,double-blind,clinical trial”in The Lancet on November 12,2024.1 This publication underscores the growing recognition of CHMformulas in mainstream therapeutics and presents significant opportunities for further investigation and reflection in this field.
基金supported by a Philanthropy gift from the Musculo-skeletal Regeneration Partnership Fund by Mary Sue and Michael Shannon and NIH RO1(R01NR016436)to Dr.Yadong Wang.We Thank Dr.Ehrhart’s lab for providing surgery suite and help with animal pro-tocol.
摘要Cartilage defect repair and osteoarthritis treatments remain clinical challenges.Microfracture is a commonly used surgical procedure for the treatment of cartilage defects but often leads to fibrocartilage repair.The aim of this study is to compare the effects of 5 bone morphogenetic proteins(BMPs)on chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,as well as to investigate the use of the heparin/poly(ethylene arginine aspartate diglyceride(PEAD)coacervate sustained release system to deliver these BMPs for microfracture-mediated cartilage repair.Our results indicate that all 5 human BMPs significantly enhance the chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(hBMMSCs)with BMPs 2,4 and 9 being more potent than BMP6 or BMP7,as revealed by Alcian blue,SO staining,and immunohistochemistry of COL2.Coacervate-BMPs are biocompatible for both hBMMSCs and rat muscle-derived stem cells(MDSCs)and promote their proliferation.In vivo,sustained release of human BMPs 2,4,6,7,9 with heparin/PEAD coacervate significantly enhances microfracture-mediated cartilage repair in a rat osteochondral defect model,as demon-strated by ICRS macroscopic score,Seller’s histology score,and COL2 staining.These effects are mediated by increasing SOX9 expression in the regenerated cartilage.In conclusion,BMPs 2,4,9 are the most potent BMPS to promote chondrogenic differentiation,while all BMPs enhanced microfracture-mediated cartilage repair when delivered with heparin/PEAD coacervate without a significant difference between the different BMPs.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFA0800802)Hong Kong General Research Fund (HKBU 12114416,HKBU 12101117,HKBU 12100918,HKBU 12101018,HKBU 12103519,HKBU 14100218,CUHK 14108816,CUHK 14100218,CUHK 14103420,China)+3 种基金Direct Grant of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (2018.094,China)Interdisciplinary Research Clusters Matching Scheme of Hong Kong Baptist University (RC-IRCs/17-18/02,China)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2019B1515120089,China)Science and Technology Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality Funds (JCYJ20160229210357960,China)。
摘要Sclerostin, a protein secreted from osteocytes, negatively regulates the WNT signaling pathway by binding to the LRP5/6 co-receptors and further inhibits bone formation and promotes bone resorption. Sclerostin contributes to musculoskeletal system-related diseases, making it a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of WNT-related bone diseases. Additionally, emerging evidence indicates that sclerostin contributes to the development of cancers, obesity, and diabetes, suggesting that it may be a promising therapeutic target for these diseases. Notably, cardiovascular diseases are related to the protective role of sclerostin. In this review, we summarize three distinct types of inhibitors targeting sclerostin, monoclonal antibodies, aptamers, and small-molecule inhibitors, from which monoclonal antibodies have been developed. As the first-in-class sclerostin inhibitor approved by the U.S. FDA,the monoclonal antibody romosozumab has demonstrated excellent effectiveness in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis;however, it conferred high cardiovascular risk in clinical trials. Furthermore,romosozumab could only be administered by injection, which may cause compliance issues for patients who prefer oral therapy. Considering these above safety and compliance concerns, we therefore present relevant discussion and offer perspectives on the development of next-generation sclerostin inhibitors by following several ways, such as concomitant medication, artificial intelligence-based strategy, druggable modification, and bispecific inhibitors strategy.
基金supported by the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CI2021A04013)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Public Welfare Research Institutes (L2021029)。
摘要As coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) threatens human health globally,infectious disorders have become one of the most challenging problem for the medical community.Natural products(NP) have been a prolific source of antimicrobial agents with widely divergent structures and a range of vast biological activities.A dataset comprising 618 articles,including 646 NP-based compounds from 672 species of natural sources with biological activities against 21 infectious pathogens from five categories,was assembled through manual selection of published articles.These data were used to identify 268 NP-based compounds classified into ten groups,which were used for network pharmacology analysis to capture the most promising lead-compounds such as agelasine D,dicumarol,dihydroartemisinin and pyridomycin.The distribution of maximum Tanimoto scores indicated that compounds which inhibited parasites exhibited low diversity,whereas the chemistries inhibiting bacteria,fungi,and viruses showed more structural diversity.A total of 331 species of medicinal plants with compounds exhibiting antimicrobial activities were selected to classify the family sources.The family Asteraceae possesses various compounds against C.neoformans,the family Anacardiaceae has compounds against Salmonella typhi,the family Cucurbitacea against the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV),and the family Ancistrocladaceae against Plasmodium.This review summarizes currently available data on NPbased antimicrobials against refractory infections to provide information for further discovery of drugs and synthetic strategies for anti-infectious agents.
基金supported by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong[212613]Faculty Research Grant[FRG2/14-15/063].
摘要Background:The Ebola virus is highly pathogenic and destructive to humans and other primates.The Ebola virus encodes viral protein 40(VP40),which is highly expressed and regulates the assembly and release of viral particles in the host cell.Because VP40 plays a prominent role in the life cycle of the Ebola virus,it is considered as a key target for antiviral treatment.However,there is currently no FDA-approved drug for treating Ebola virus infection,resulting in an urgent need to develop effective antiviral inhibitors that display good safety profiles in a short duration.Methods:This study aimed to screen the effective lead candidate against Ebola infection.First,the lead molecules were filtered based on the docking score.Second,Lipinski rule of five and the other drug likeliness properties are predicted to assess the safety profile of the lead candidates.Finally,molecular dynamics simulations was performed to validate the lead compound.Results:Our results revealed that emodin-8-beta-D-glucoside from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Database(TCMD)represents an active lead candidate that targets the Ebola virus by inhibiting the activity of VP40,and displays good pharmacokinetic properties.Conclusion:This report will considerably assist in the development of the competitive and robust antiviral agents against Ebola infection.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82172386 and 81922081 to C.L.)the Department of Education of Guangdong Province(2021KTSCX104 to C.L.)+2 种基金the 2020 Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Strategy Special Fund(Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Lab)(2020B1212030006 to A.L.)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2022A1515012164 to C.L.)the Science,Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen(JCYJ20210324104201005 to C.L.).
摘要Targeted protein degradation(TPD)is emerging as a strategy to overcome the limitations of traditional small-molecule inhibitors.Proteolysis-targeting chimera(PROTAC)technology can be used to target proteins by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system.Conceptually,PROTAC aims to target the“undruggable”majority of proteins in the human proteome.Through constant exploration and optimization of PROTACs and the exploitation of other TPD strategies over two decades,TPD has expanded from theoretical studies to clinical strategies,with practical applications in oncological,immunological,and other diseases.In this review,we introduce the mechanisms,features,and molecular targets of orthodox PROTACs and summarize the PROTAC drugs under study as cancer therapeutics in clinical trials.We also discuss PROTAC derivatives and other TPD strategies,such as lysosome-targeting chimeras,autophagy-targeting chimeras,and molecular glue strategies.Collectively,the studies summarized herein support the full potential of TPD in the biomedical industry.
基金supported in part by the projects from the Ministry of Sciences and Technology(International Collaboration Project)(No.2006DFA31731)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.90709007,No.30825047)by the E-institutes of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission(No.E03008).
摘要Clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)are diversified,and based on the manifestations,the patients with RA could be classified into different patterns under traditional Chinese medicine.These patterns decide the selection of herbal prescription,and thus they can help find a subset of rheumatoid arthritis patients for a type of therapy.In the present study,we combine genome-wide expression analysis with methods of systems biology to identify the functional gene networks for the sets of clinical symptoms that comprise the major information for pattern classification.Clinical manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis were clustered with factor analysis,and two factors(similar to cold and hot patterns in traditional Chinese medicine)were found.Microarray technology was used to reveal gene expression profiles in CD4+T cells from 21 rheumatoid arthritis patients.Protein-protein interaction information for these genes from databases and literature data was searched.The highly-connected regions were detected to infer significant complexes or pathways in this protein-protein interaction network.The significant pathways and function were extracted from these subnetworks using the Biological Network Gene Ontology tool.The genes significantly related to hot and cold patterns were identified by correlations analysis.MAPK signalling pathway,Wnt signaling pathway,and insulin signaling pathway were found to be related to hot pattern.Purine metabolism was related to both hot and cold patterns.Alanine,aspartate,and tyrosine metabolism were related to cold pattern,and histindine metabolism and lysine degradation were related to hot pattern.The results suggest that cold and hot patterns in traditional Chinese medicine were related to different pathways,and the network analysis might be used for identifying the pattern classification in other diseases.