BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
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2019
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IF 4.825
Wensong Yao,Zhen Lin,Peiying Shi,Bing Chen,Gang Wang,Jianyong Huang,Yuxia Sui,Qicai Liu,Shaoguang Li,Xinhua Lin,Qicai Liu,Hong Yao
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide and tends to have drug resistance. Delicaflavone (DLF), a novel anticancer agent of biflavonoid from Selaginella doederleinii Hieron , showed strong anti-CRC activities, which has not yet been reported. In this study, we investigated the effects and possible anti-CRC mechanism of DLF in vitro and in vivo . It was shown that DLF significantly inhibited the cells viability and induced G2/M phase arrest, apoptosis , the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), generation of ROS and increase of intracellular Ca 2+ in HT29 and HCT116 cells by MTT assay, TEM, flow cytometry and inverted fluorescence microscope. Western blot and qPCR assays results further confirmed DLF induced caspase-dependent apoptosis and inhibited PI3K/AKT/mTOR and Ras/MEK/Erk signaling pathways in CRC cells. Meanwhile, DLF significantly suppressed the tumor growth via activation of Caspase-9 and Caspase-3 protein and decrease of ki67 and CD34 protein without apparent side effects in vivo . In summary, these results indicated DLF induced ROS-mediated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through ER stress and mitochondrial pathway accompanying with the inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR and Ras/MEK/Erk signaling cascade. Thus DLF could be a potential therapeutic agent for CRC.
研究领域:
肿瘤学
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药理学
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细胞生物学
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分子生物学
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高影响因子
IMMUNOLOGY
·
2026
·
IF 5.4
Sisi Zhang,Zhou Jingxiang,Caixia Tan,Yuanyuan Xiao,Ju Zou,Biyue Tian,Anhua Wu,Chunhui Li
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) remains a major cause of antibiotic-associated colitis and is characterized by excessive intestinal inflammation, epithelial barrier disruption and impaired mucosal repair. Although sodium butyrate (NaB), a microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acid, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and barrier-protective properties, the immunological mechanisms underlying its protective effects during CDI remain incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated the role of NaB in regulating macrophage polarization and epithelial repair using murine CDI models, primary bone marrow-derived macrophages, THP-1-derived macrophages, Caco-2 epithelial cells and macrophage–epithelial co-culture systems. NaB treatment significantly alleviated CDI-associated weight loss, colonic shortening, histopathological injury and inflammatory cytokine production while restoring epithelial barrier integrity and tight junction protein expression. Mechanistically, NaB promoted macrophage polarization towards an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, characterized by increased CD206 and IL-10 expression and reduced CD86 and IL-1β expression. These immunomodulatory effects were accompanied by suppression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling in both colonic tissues and macrophages. Pharmacological inhibition and activation studies further supported the involvement of this pathway in NaB-mediated macrophage reprogramming. Importantly, conditioned medium from NaB-treated macrophages enhanced epithelial viability, migration and barrier-associated protein expression, whereas IL-10 neutralization partially abolished these protective effects, highlighting a critical role for macrophage–epithelial crosstalk. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that low-dose NaB protects against CDI-induced intestinal injury through coordinated regulation of macrophage polarization and epithelial barrier repair, at least in part via modulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling. These results identify NaB as a promising host-directed therapeutic strategy for CDI and provide new insights into microbiota-derived metabolite–immune interactions during intestinal inflammation.
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FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
·
2026
·
IF 8
Shenghui Zhang,Qin Liu,Bo Chen,Hui Chang,Ying Pan,Yanli Liu,Xin Zhao,Juntang Lin
MenSC-EVs alleviate STZ-induced ovarian dysfunction in diabetic mice. • MenSC-EVs suppress high-glucose-induced ferroptosis in granulosa cells. • EV-associated HSPA5 mediates protection via AKT/mTOR–BECN1/SLC7A11 signaling. Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is associated with ovarian dysfunction, including menstrual irregularities, impaired ovarian reserve, and premature reproductive aging, yet effective therapeutic strategies to safeguard ovarian function against metabolic stress remain limited. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as pivotal regulators of tissue homeostasis, with their paracrine effects largely mediated by extracellular vesicles (EVs). Here, we demonstrate that menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cell-EVs (MenSC-EVs) alleviate streptozotocin (STZ)-induced ovarian dysfunction and inhibit granulosa cells (GCs) ferroptosis by delivering HSPA5. Mechanistically, EV-associated HSPA5 restored AKT/mTOR signaling and was accompanied by reduced BECN1 phosphorylation, thereby preserving the SLC7A11/GPX4-associated antioxidant pathway. We further show that BECN1 directly interacts with SLC7A11, linking BECN1 signaling to regulation of the system Xc−/GPX4 antioxidant axis. MenSC-EVs preserved this antioxidant pathway and reduced lipid peroxidation in injured GCs. Collectively, these findings identify an HSPA5-dependent anti-ferroptotic mechanism through which MenSC-EVs ameliorate T1DM-associated ovarian dysfunction, supporting their potential as an ovarian-protective strategy under diabetic conditions. Download: Download high-res image (241KB) Download: Download full-size image
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NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERGS ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY
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2026
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IF 4
Liu Hengxu,Xiong Rui,Zhang Shipeng,Zheng Quanyou,Lai Xiaodan
Fatigue is a widespread health problem, and abnormal autophagy in skeletal muscle cells is a key mechanism driving fatigue progression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) on fatigue in ammonium chloride (NH 4 Cl)-induced C2C12 myoblasts cells and to elucidate its potential molecular mechanism. The potential anti-fatigue mechanism of Rg3 was predicted by network pharmacology and molecular dynamics simulations. C2C12 cells were treated with NH 4 Cl to construct an in vitro fatigue model and then treated with Rg3. CCK-8, live/dead staining, Giemsa staining, autolysosome staining, and Western blot were used to evaluate cell viability, myotube morphology, autophagic flow, and key protein expression. Network pharmacology analysis indicated that the anti-fatigue effect of Rg3 was associated with the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway-regulated autophagy. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that Rg3 binds strongly to PI3K. Cell experiments showed that Rg3 significantly attenuated cell death, myotube injury and abnormal autophagy in NH 4 Cl-induced C2C12 cells. Moreover, Rg3 effectively activated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Our results indicated that the anti-fatigue effect of Rg3 may be associated with the attenuation of autophagy through activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. This provides a potential therapeutic candidate for fatigue intervention.
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Journal of Inflammation Research
·
2025
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IF 4.1
Jing Ma,Lu Ding,Xiaoyu Zang,Yingying Yang,Wei Zhang,Xiangyan Li,Daqing Zhao,Zepeng Zhang,Zeyu Wang,Linhua Zhao,Xiaolin Tong
Purpose Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) is a severe interstitial lung disease currently lacking effective prevention strategies. Endothelial mesenchymal transition (EndMT), a novel mechanism for fibroblast production, is closely associated with PF. The precise mechanisms underlying the contribution of EndMT-derived fibroblasts to PF, however, remain unclear.Methods Using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics, we identified the key targets and pathways through which Qimai Feiluoping decoction (QM) combats PF. EndMT and autophagy proteins were quantified in bleomycin (BLM) -induced C57BL/6 mice, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and zebrafish using Western blotting (WB), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), Transwell migration assays, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), revealing the targets and pathways through which QM mitigates PF.Results Network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics suggest that QM combats PF by modulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Observations from the study indicated that QM was found to alleviate EndMT by restoring autophagy, primarily through inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in both BLM-induced C57 mice and HUVECs. Supporting evidence from zebrafish models demonstrated that QM not only counteracts EndMT but also improves a range of vascular functional disorders and remodeling issues following EndMT.Conclusion Our research validates the active compounds, core targets, and signaling pathways through which QM counters PF, providing valuable insights for its therapeutic application in PF management.
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MATERIALS & DESIGN
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2026
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IF 8.2
Jiali Deng,Xiaoqiong Huang,Yang Yang,Linjuan Li,Jiaqi Shen,Wenyi Zeng,Xiaolin Yu,Feilong Deng,Ruogu Xu,Zhengchuan Zhang
Ti‑preconditioned exosomes suppress macrophage inflammation via autophagy activation. • Lyophilized exosome–loaded biomimetic periosteum was successfully constructed. • The delivery system promotes M2 macrophage polarization to facilitate angiogenic osteogenesis. Critical-sized bone defects remain a clinical challenge due to dysregulated inflammation that impairs angiogenesis. Here, we developed a cell-free biomaterial system consisting of a decellularized biomimetic periosteum (DBP) loaded with engineered exosomes derived from nanoporous titanium–preconditioned mesenchymal stem cells (Ti–Exos). We further demonstrated that Ti-Exos significantly attenuated LPS-induced macrophage inflammation by enhancing autophagy through the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, thereby promoting M1-to-M2 macrophage polarization and anti‑inflammatory cytokine secretion. The bilayer DBP scaffold enabled sustained release of Ti-Exos and mimicked key functions of natural periosteum. In a rat critical-sized calvarial defect model, DBP/Ti-Exos facilitated the early macrophage transition from the M1 to M2 phenotype, reduced inflammatory infiltration, stimulated angiogenesis, and ultimately enhanced the formation of mature and mineralized bone. Collectively, this study demonstrates that the engineered exosomes integrated within a biomimetic periosteum can synergistically orchestrate immunomodulation and angiogenesis, offering a promising cell–free therapeutic strategy for vascularized bone regeneration of critical-sized bone defects. This study introduces an engineered exosome–based cell–free strategy that orchestrates the local immune microenvironment to accelerate vascularized bone repair. Specifically, nanoporous Ti-preconditioned exosomes (Ti-Exos) were fabricated and proven to attenuate LPS-induced macrophage inflammation by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/mTOR to activate autophagy. Lyophilized Ti-Exos-loaded decellularized biomimetic periosteum (DBP/Ti-Exos) was constructed and exhibited uniform distribution of Ti-Exos. DBP/Ti-Exos was demonstrated to drive M1-to-M2 macrophage polarization, and promote angiogenic osteogenesis in rat calvarial defects. Download: Download high-res image (182KB) Download: Download full-size image
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高影响因子
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
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2023
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IF 5.1
Ren-Fen Ma,Hu Liu,Xue-Chun Zhao,Peipei Shan,Ping Sun,Jun-Juan Xue,Guodong Wei,Hua Zhang
Phytochemical investigation into the leaves and branches of Daphne genkwa afforded 25 meroterpenoids ( 1 – 16 ) including nine pairs of enantiomers ( 1a / 1b − 8a / 8b and 12a / 12b ), among which 20 compounds have been reported in the present work for the first time. The structures with absolute configurations of the new molecules (excluding 10 – 13 ) were established via comprehensive spectroscopic analyses especially electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and Mosher’s methods. A preliminary in vitro cell viability assay revealed remarkable cytotoxicities of selective compounds against A549 (lung), Hela (cervical), MDA-MB231 (breast) and MCF-7 (breast) cancer cells, and compound 8a showed the best inhibitory activity with IC 50 values in the range of 3.12–4.67 μM toward the four cell lines. Subsequent in vitro antitumor evaluation of 8a disclosed that it could inhibit the proliferation and metastasis, as well as induce significant apoptosis and cycle arrest, of A549 cells. Further mechanistic investigations revealed that 8a could exert its antitumor activity via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
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高影响因子
Materials Today Bio
·
2022
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IF 10.761
Lili Liu,Xianjing Li,Wenhuan Bu,Nianqiang Jin,Yuan Meng,Yi Wang,Duan Wang,Xiaowei Xu,Ding Zhou,Hongchen Sun
Pulp injury is one of the most common clinical diseases, and severe cases are usually associated with the functional loss of the tooth, while the current clinical treatment modality is only a cavity filling procedure without the regeneration of the dentin-pulp complex, thus leading to a devitalized and brittle tooth. In this study, carbon dots (CDots) with excellent biocompatibility are prepared from ascorbic acid and polyethyleneimine via a hydrothermal method. The as-prepared CDots can enhance extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), giving rise to increased cell adhesion on ECM and a stronger osteogenic/odontogenic differentiation capacity of DPSCs. Further, the mechanism underlying CDots-enhanced ECM secretion is revealed by the transcriptome analysis, Western blot assay and molecular dynamics simulation, identifying that the pharmacological activities of CDots are originated from a reasonable activation of the autophagy, which is mediated by regulating phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway. Based on the abundant CDots-induced ECM and thereby the reinforcement of the cell-ECM adhesion, an intact dental pulp stem cell sheet can be achieved, which in return promote in vivo the efficient regeneration of dentin-pulp complex as well as blood vessels.
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高影响因子
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL LABORATORY ANALYSIS
·
2022
·Vol. 36
·期 7
·e24406
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IF 3.124
Zhihai Li,Qiaozhi Jin,Yana Sun
Background LINC00941 has been proved to be related to various tumors, but its relationship with laryngocarcinoma remains vague. Methods LINC00941 expression in laryngocarcinoma tumor and laryngocarcinoma cells was determined by real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Besides, the five-year survival of laryngocarcinoma patients with different LINC00941 expression was analyzed with Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, and the clinical characteristics of laryngocarcinoma patients were also recorded. After transfection, cell viability, cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, migration, and invasion were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, flow cytometry, cell scratch, and Transwell assays, respectively. Glycolysis was assessed by the colorimetric method. Expressions of proliferation-associated proteins, migration-associated proteins, glycolysis-associated proteins, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signal pathway-associated proteins were detected by Western blot. Results In laryngocarcinoma tumor tissues and cells, LINC00941 was highly expressed. High expression of LINC00941 decreased the 5-year survival of laryngocarcinoma patients, and it was positively related to lymph node metastasis and clinical stages. LINC00941 overexpression decreased apoptosis but promoted cell viability, proliferation, cell-cycle progression, migration, and invasion, and glucose consumption and lactate production in laryngocarcinoma cells. Moreover, LINC00941 overexpression elevated expressions of Ki-67, PCNA, MMP2, N-Cadherin, HK2, PFKFB4, and PKM, activated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal pathway but reduced E-Cadherin expression, while LINC00941 silencing had the opposite effects. PKM overexpression reversed the effects of LINC00941 silencing on cellular and glycolytic phenotypes. Conclusion LINC00941 promoted in vitro progression and glycolysis of laryngocarcinoma cells by upregulating PKM via activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.
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MOLECULAR MEDICINE
·
2021
·Vol. 27
·期 1
·1-16
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IF 6.354
Cui Jing,Guo Yao,Wu Heshui,Xiong Jiongxin,Peng Tao
Background Gemcitabine (GEM) resistance remains a significant clinical challenge in pancreatic cancer treatment. Here, we investigated the therapeutic utility of everolimus (Evr), an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), in targeting the Warburg effect to overcome GEM resistance in pancreatic cancer. Methods The effect of Evr and/or mTOR overexpression or GEM on cell viability, migration, apoptosis, and glucose metabolism (Warburg effect) was evaluated in GEM-sensitive (GEM sen ) and GEM-resistant (GEM res ) pancreatic cancer cells. Results We demonstrated that the upregulation of mTOR enhanced cell viability and favored the Warburg effect in pancreatic cancer cells via the regulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling. However, this effect was counteracted by Evr, which inhibited aerobic glycolysis by reducing the levels of glucose, lactic acid, and adenosine triphosphate and suppressing the expression of glucose transporter 1, lactate dehydrogenase-B, hexokinase 2, and pyruvate kinase M2 in GEM sen and GEM res cells. Evr also promoted apoptosis by upregulating the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cytochrome-c and downregulating the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. GEM was minimally effective in suppressing GEM res cell activity, but the therapeutic effectiveness of Evr against pancreatic cancer growth was greater in GEM res cells than that in GEM sen cells. In vivo studies confirmed that while GEM failed to inhibit the progression of GEM res tumors, Evr significantly decreased the volume of GEM res tumors while suppressing tumor cell proliferation and enhancing tumor apoptosis in the presence of GEM. Conclusions Evr treatment may be a promising strategy to target the growth and activity of GEM-resistant pancreatic cancer cells by regulating glucose metabolism via inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling.
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ACTA BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA SINICA
·
2018
·Vol. 50
·期 6
·567-578
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IF 2.224
Zhang Yingying,Cong Linhai,He Jiayan,Wang Yu,Zou Yingying,Yang Zhihong,Hu Yuexin,Zhang Shiwen,He Xiaoguang
Hypopharyngeal carcinoma (HC) is one of the most malignant tumors in the upper aerodigestive tract. Currently, there are no effective treatments for HC. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are a promising tool that can be used for plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT), which refers to the use of electromagnetic radiation, most often in near infrared (NIR) region, for the treatment of various medical conditions including cancer. AuNPs have been proved to be a promising tool for NIR spectroscopy-mediated photothermal therapies. In this study, we chemically conjugated AuNPs with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a cell-surface receptor that is overexpressed in many cancers. We then assessed the effect of NIR photothermal treatment with the EGFRmAb–AuNPs in FaDu HC cells. Our data showed that nanoparticle conjugation with the EGFRmAb improved the specific targeting towards FaDu cells and reduced cytotoxicity towards normal (293 T) cells which do not overexpress the EGFR. A significant amount of our EGFRmAb-conjugated AuNPs could enter the nucleus. Moreover, the expression levels of double strand DNA break repair proteins, including p-ATR, p-CHK1, and p-CHK2 were increased following AuNPs treatment, indicating the presence of DNA damage. These findings suggest that the AuNPs can potentially disrupt genome integrity and induce apoptosis. In addition, EGFRmAb–AuNPs+NIR could induce FaDu cell apoptosis, accompanied by the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and stimulation of DNA damage response. Based on these data, PPTT using the EGFRmAb–AuNPs could be a new promising treatment for HC.
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Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines
·
2025
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IF 4.9
Lushan Xu,Chenggang Li,ChenChen Zhao,Zibu Wang,Zhi Zhang,Xin Shu,Xiang Cao,Shengnan Xia,Xinyu Bao,Pengfei Shao,Yun Xu
Microglia, the resident immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS), rapidly transition from a resting to an active state in the acute phase of ischemic brain injury. This active state mediates a pro-inflammatory response that can exacerbate the injury. Targeting the pro-inflammatory response of microglia in the semi-dark band during this acute phase may effectively reduce brain injury. Shionone (SH), an active ingredient extracted from the dried roots and rhizomes of the genus Aster (Asteraceae), has been reported to regulate the inflammatory response of macrophages in sepsis-induced acute lung injury. However, its function in post-stroke neuroinflammation, particularly microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, remains uninvestigated. This study found that SH significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced elevation of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), in microglia in vitro . Furthermore, the results demonstrated that SH alleviated infarct volume and improved behavioral performance in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mice, which may be attributed to the inhibition of the microglial inflammatory response induced by SH treatment. Mechanistically, SH potently inhibited the phosphorylation of serine-threonine protein kinase B (AKT), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). These findings suggest that SH may be a potential therapeutic agent for relieving ischemic stroke (IS) by alleviating microglia-associated neuroinflammation.
研究领域:
神经科学
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药理学
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免疫学
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