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1.
Research Progress on the Pathogenesis of Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection in Metabolism.
Zhou, Y, Wang, T, Fan, H, Liu, S, Teng, X, Shao, L, Shen, Z
Current problems in cardiology. 2024;(1 Pt A):102040
Abstract
Aortic aneurysm and dissection are complicated diseases having both high prevalence and mortality. It is usually diagnosed at advanced stages and posing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to the limitations of current detecting methods for aortic dissection used in clinics. Metabonomics demonstrated its great potential capability in the early diagnosis and personalized treatment of several diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that metabolic disorders including amino acid metabolism, glycometabolism, and lipid metabolism disturbance are involved in the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysm and dissection by affecting multiple functional aortic cells. The purpose of this review is to provide new insights into the metabolism alterations and their related regulatory mechanisms with a focus on recent advances and findings and provide a theoretical basis for the diagnosis, prevention, and drug development for aortic aneurysm and dissection.
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2.
Targeting EBV-encoded products: Implications for drug development in EBV-associated diseases.
Lv, M, Ding, Y, Zhang, Y, Liu, S
Reviews in medical virology. 2024;(1):e2487
Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus, a human gamma-herpesvirus, has a close connection to the pathogenesis of cancers and other diseases, which are a burden for public health worldwide. So far, several drugs or biomolecules have been discovered that can target EBV-encoded products for treatment, such as Silvestrol, affinity toxin, roscovitine, H20, H31, curcumin, thymoquinone, and ribosomal protein L22. These drugs activate or inhibit the function of some biomolecules, affecting subsequent signalling pathways by acting on the products of EBV. These drugs usually target LMP1, LMP2; EBNA1, EBNA2, EBNA3; EBER1, EBER2; Bam-HI A rightward transcript and BHRF1. Additionally, some promising findings in the fields of vaccines, immunological, and cellular therapies have been established. In this review, we mainly summarise the function of drugs mentioned above and unique mechanisms, hoping that we can help giving insight to the design of drugs for the treatment of EBV-associated diseases.
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3.
Progression of unfolded protein response and ferroptosis in angiogenesis.
He, B, Hu, Y, Cao, Q, Li, Y, Tang, Y, Cao, T, Zhou, X, Liu, S
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie. 2024;:116354
Abstract
Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels on preexisting ones. It is the outcome of a multifactorial effect involving several cells, which can be brought on by different stress reactions.The accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum occurs when cells are stressed due to environmental changes, where physical or chemical stimuli induce endoplasmic reticulum stress, thereby activating the unfolded protein response (UPR), a homeostasis response designed to re-establish protein balance. Ferroptosis is a planned death of lipid peroxidation and anomalies in metabolism that is dependent on iron. Large concentrations of iron ions accumulate there, along with high concentrations of lipid peroxides and reactive oxygen species, all of which can contribute to the development of several diseases. Through the production of growth factors, adhesion factors, and inflammatory factors that trigger the start of angiogenesis, both UPR and Ferroptosis can be implicated in angiogenesis.To set the stage for further research on angiogenesis, this work concentrated on the effects of Ferroptosis and UPR on angiogenesis, respectively.
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4.
Disturbed Follicular Microenvironment in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Relationship to Oocyte Quality and Infertility.
Dai, M, Hong, L, Yin, T, Liu, S
Endocrinology. 2024;(4)
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder associated with infertility and poor reproductive outcomes. The follicular fluid (FF) microenvironment plays a crucial role in oocyte development. This review summarizes evidence elucidating the alterations in FF composition in PCOS. Various studies demonstrated a pronounced proinflammatory milieu in PCOS FF, characterized by increased levels of cytokines, including but not limited to interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α, C-reactive protein, and IL-1β, concomitant with a reduction in anti-inflammatory IL-10. T lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells are dysregulated in PCOS FF. PCOS FF exhibit heightened reactive oxygen species production and the accumulation of lipid peroxidation byproducts, and impaired antioxidant defenses. Multiple microRNAs are dysregulated in PCOS FF, disrupting signaling critical to granulosa cell function. Proteomic analysis reveals changes in pathways related to immune responses, metabolic perturbations, angiogenesis, and hormone regulation. Metabolomics identify disturbances in glucose metabolism, amino acids, lipid profiles, and steroid levels with PCOS FF. Collectively, these pathological alterations may adversely affect oocyte quality, embryo development, and fertility outcomes. Further research on larger cohorts is needed to validate these findings and to forge the development of prognostic biomarkers of oocyte developmental competence within FF. Characterizing the follicular environment in PCOS is key to elucidating the mechanisms underlying subfertility in this challenging disorder.
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5.
Phytochemical reduces toxicity of PM2.5: a review of research progress.
Guo, Y, Zhao, J, Ma, X, Cai, M, Chi, Y, Sun, C, Liu, S, Song, X, Xu, K
Nutrition reviews. 2024;(5):654-663
Abstract
Studies have shown that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) affects various cells, systems, and organs in vivo and in vitro. PM2.5 adversely affects human health through mechanisms such as oxidative stress, inflammatory response, autophagy, ferroptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Phytochemicals are of interest for their broad range of physiological activities and few side effects, and, in recent years, they have been widely used to mitigate the adverse effects caused by PM2.5 exposure. In this review, the roles of various phytochemicals are summarized, including those of polyphenols, carotenoids, organic sulfur compounds, and saponin compounds, in mitigating PM2.5-induced adverse reactions through different molecular mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms, inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress and ferroptosis, and regulation of autophagy. These are useful as a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of disease caused by PM2.5.
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6.
A comprehensive review of ethnopharmacology, chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and quality control of gardeniae fructus.
Wang, L, Chen, S, Liu, S, Biu, AM, Han, Y, Jin, X, Liang, C, Liu, Y, Li, J, Fang, S, et al
Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2024;:117397
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Gardeniae Fructus (GF), the desiccative mature fruitage of Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis (G. jasminoides), belongs to the Rubiaceae family. It has abundant medicinal value, such as purging fire and eliminating annoyance, clearing heat and diuresis, cooling blood, and detoxifying. GF is usually used in combination with other drugs to treat diseases such as fever and jaundice in damp heat syndrome in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) clinical practice. THE AIM OF THE REVIEW This review comprehensively summarizes the research progress in botany, traditional medical use, processing method, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, quality control, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology, which aims to provide a scientific basis for the rational application and future research of GF. MATERIALS AND METHODS ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Embase, Scopus etc. databases were retrieved to gain the comprehensive information of GF. RESULTS At present, more than 215 compounds were isolated and identified from GF, including iridoids, diterpenes, triterpenoids, flavonoids, organic esters, and so on. The traditional application of GF mainly focused on clearing heat and detoxification. Pharmacological studies proved that GF had anti-inflammatory, antioxidation, antifatigue, antithrombotic, liver and gallbladder protection, and other pharmacological effects. In addition, many improved processing methods can alleviate the side effects and toxic reactions caused by long-term use of GF, so controlling its quality through multi-component content measurement has become an important means of research. CONCLUSION GF has a wide range of applications, the mechanisms by which some effective substances exert their pharmacological effects have not been clearly explained due to the complexity and diversity of its components. This review systematically elaborates on the traditional medical use, processing method, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, quality control, and toxicology of GF, and it is expected to become a candidate drug for treating diseases, such as depression, pancreatitis, alcoholic or non-alcoholic fatty liver.
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7.
The Changes of Blood and CSF Ion Levels in Depressed Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Meng, Y, Liu, S, Yu, M, Liang, H, Tong, Y, Song, J, Shi, J, Cai, W, Wu, Q, Wen, Z, et al
Molecular neurobiology. 2024
Abstract
Micronutrient deficiencies and excesses are closely related to developing and treating depression. Traditional and effective antidepressants include tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and lithium. There is no consensus on the fluctuation of zinc (Zn2+), magnesium (Mg2+), calcium (Ca2+), copper (Cu2+), iron (Fe2+), and manganese (Mn2+) ion levels in depressed individuals before and after therapy. In order to determine whether there were changes in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of these ions in depressed patients compared with healthy controls and depressed patients treated with TCAs, SSRIs, or lithium, we applied a systematic review and meta-analysis. Using the Stata 17.0 software, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the changes in ion levels in human samples from healthy controls, depressive patients, and patients treated with TCAs, SSRIs, and lithium, respectively. By searching the PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WAN FANG databases, 75 published analyzable papers were chosen. In the blood, the levels of Zn2+ and Mg2+ in depressed patients had decreased while the Ca2+ and Cu2+ levels had increased compared to healthy controls, Fe2+ and Mn2+ levels have not significantly changed. After treatment with SSRIs, the levels of Zn2+ and Ca2+ in depressed patients increased while Cu2+ levels decreased. Mg2+ and Ca2+ levels were increased in depressed patients after Lithium treatment. The findings of the meta-analysis revealed that micronutrient levels were closely associated with the onset of depression and prompted more research into the underlying mechanisms as well as the pathophysiological and therapeutic implications.
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8.
LncRNAs-circRNAs as Rising Epigenetic Binary Superstars in Regulating Lipid Metabolic Reprogramming of Cancers.
Liu, S, Jiao, B, Zhao, H, Liang, X, Jin, F, Liu, X, Hu, JF
Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany). 2024;(1):e2303570
Abstract
As one of novel hallmarks of cancer, lipid metabolic reprogramming has recently been becoming fascinating and widely studied. Lipid metabolic reprogramming in cancer is shown to support carcinogenesis, progression, distal metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance by generating ATP, biosynthesizing macromolecules, and maintaining appropriate redox status. Notably, increasing evidence confirms that lipid metabolic reprogramming is under the control of dysregulated non-coding RNAs in cancer, especially lncRNAs and circRNAs. This review highlights the present research findings on the aberrantly expressed lncRNAs and circRNAs involved in the lipid metabolic reprogramming of cancer. Emphasis is placed on their regulatory targets in lipid metabolic reprogramming and associated mechanisms, including the clinical relevance in cancer through lipid metabolism modulation. Such insights will be pivotal in identifying new theranostic targets and treatment strategies for cancer patients afflicted with lipid metabolic reprogramming.
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9.
Potential Therapeutic Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Chronic Pain.
Tang, Y, Du, J, Wu, H, Wang, M, Liu, S, Tao, F
Current neuropharmacology. 2024;(2):191-203
Abstract
The intestinal homeostasis maintained by the gut microbiome and relevant metabolites is essential for health, and its disturbance leads to various intestinal or extraintestinal diseases. Recent studies suggest that gut microbiome-derived metabolites short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are involved in different neurological disorders (such as chronic pain). SCFAs are produced by bacterial fermentation of dietary fibers in the gut and contribute to multiple host processes, including gastrointestinal regulation, cardiovascular modulation, and neuroendocrine-immune homeostasis. Although SCFAs have been implicated in the modulation of chronic pain, the detailed mechanisms that underlie such roles of SCFAs remain to be further investigated. In this review, we summarize currently available research data regarding SCFAs as a potential therapeutic target for chronic pain treatment and discuss several possible mechanisms by which SCFAs modulate chronic pain.
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10.
Recent Advances in Grayanane Diterpenes: Isolation, Structural Diversity, and Bioactivities from Ericaceae Family (2018-2024).
Liu, S, Sun, L, Zhang, P, Niu, C
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2024;(7)
Abstract
Diterpenes represent one of the most diverse and structurally complex families of natural products. Among the myriad of diterpenoids, grayanane diterpenes are particularly notable. These terpenes are characterized by their unique 5/7/6/5 tetracyclic system and are exclusive to the Ericaceae family of plants. Renowned for their complex structures and broad spectrum of bioactivities, grayanane diterpenes have become a primary focus in extensive phytochemical and pharmacological research. Recent studies, spanning from 2018 to January 2024, have reported a series of new grayanane diterpenes with unprecedented carbon skeletons. These compounds exhibit various biological properties, including analgesic, antifeedant, anti-inflammatory, and inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). This paper delves into the discovery of 193 newly identified grayanoids, representing 15 distinct carbon skeletons within the Ericaceae family. The study of grayanane diterpenes is not only a deep dive into the complexities of natural product chemistry but also an investigation into potential therapeutic applications. Their unique structures and diverse biological actions make them promising candidates for drug discovery and medicinal applications. The review encompasses their occurrence, distribution, structural features, and biological activities, providing invaluable insights for future pharmacological explorations and research.