Acta Pharmacologica Sinica最新文献

Coronary atherosclerosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is characterized by complex molecular and cellular mechanisms involving lipid dysregulation, endothelial dysfunction, immune-inflammatory processes, and vascular remodeling. Despite advancements in conventional therapies, including statins and antiplatelet agents, significant residual risk persists, particularly in patients with genetic dyslipidemias, persistent inflammation, or limited access to advanced care. Recent breakthroughs in precision medicine, multiomics technologies, and high-resolution imaging are transforming our approach to cardiovascular risk assessment by enabling refined stratification through single-cell transcriptomics, polygenic risk scoring, and artificial intelligence-powered plaque analysis. This review synthesizes the contemporary understanding of disease mechanisms and emerging therapeutic strategies, highlighting novel interventions targeting PCSK, inflammatory pathways, and vascular regeneration through cell-based therapies. We further explored the transformative potential of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing for durable lipid lowering, nanotechnology-enabled drug delivery, and gut microbiota modulation targeting metabolites such as trimethylamine N-oxide. Although these innovations promise personalized atherosclerosis management, challenges remain in terms of accessibility, health equity, and clinical implementation. The integration of multimodal data analytics with targeted therapeutics heralds a new era of precision cardiology aimed at reducing the global burden of coronary artery disease.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a central organelle for protein synthesis and folding, lipid metabolism and calcium signaling, etc. To maintain ER homeostasis, cells employ a specific autophagy process termed ER-phagy (reticulophagy), which depredates ER components via three forms: macro-ER-phagy (involving bulk ER sequestration), micro-ER-phagy (lysosome-direct), and ER-to-lysosome-associated degradation (ERLAD). The identification of specific ER-phagy receptors including FAM134A, FAM134B, FAM134C, TEX264, SEC62, RTN3L, CCPG1, ATL3, CALCOCO1 and others has significantly advanced our understanding of ER quality control mechanisms. In this review we summarize the current knowledge on ER-phagy receptors, and emerging evidence linking ER-phagy dysfunction to various disease pathologies including neurological disorders, cancer, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, infections and immune disorders. Recent evidence shows that ER-phagy receptors can form novel ER-derived structures, such as ER-tubular bodies (ER-TBs) consisted of ATL3 and RTN3L, which mediate Golgi-bypassing unconventional protein secretion under stress conditions, revealing non-degradative functions of these receptors beyond quality control. Targeting ER-phagy receptors may provide insights into potential therapeutic strategies for diseases associated with this fundamental cellular process.

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) is an important therapeutic target for various inflammatory diseases, cancers, and rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, inhibiting JAK2 has become a promising approach for treating these conditions. In this study, molecular descriptors such as Morgan fingerprints, Molecular Access System (MACCS), and PaDEL were calculated and used to develop machine-learning models. Among these models, CatBoost combined with Morgan fingerprints performed the best, achieving an accuracy of 0.94 on the test dataset. This CatBoost model was then used to screen the Korean Chemical Databank (KCB) to identify the most potent JAK2 inhibitors. Computational analyses, including density functional theory (DFT), molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations, were carried out to evaluate the performance of the top-ranked molecules. Finally, four compounds were selected for experimental testing, and the results showed that their IC₅₀ values were less than 10 μM. The integration of AI-driven modeling with experimental validation provides a promising strategy for personalized medicine, enabling the development of more precise and effective kinase-targeted therapies while reducing the time and cost required to bring new drugs to clinical trials.

5T4 is an oncofetal antigen overexpressed in a wide range of solid tumors with minimal presence in normal adult tissues, highlighting its promise as a therapeutic target. In this study, we identified germline-like human monoclonal antibodies targeting human 5T4 with high affinity, among which antibody m603 exhibits superior cell binding activity to various cancer cells including breast, pancreatic, ovarian, lung and liver cancer cell lines. Subsequently, we constructed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell based on m603. By conjugating the antibody with cytotoxic payload DM4 or MMAE, the resulting ADCs demonstrated potent and antigen-dependent cell killing activity in vitro. The ADC conjugated with MMAE payload elicited durable tumor suppression in pancreatic cancer xenograft models. Furthermore, third-generation CAR-T cells derived from m603 (603z-CAR-T), incorporating 4-1BB and CD28 costimulatory domains, effectively induced IFN-γ and IL-2 secretion and remarkable tumor eradication. The germline-like antibody as a versatile platform for 5T4-targeted therapies offers promising immunotherapies for treating solid tumors.

Neurodevelopment is governed by precisely timed biological processes that are sensitive to environmental influences across generations. Among these, the gut microbiota (GM) has emerged as a key regulator of neurodevelopmental trajectories, not only within individuals but also through intergenerational transmission. This review highlights the emerging significance of the GM in shaping offspring brain and behavior, emphasizing its capacity to mediate maternal influences across generations. We first summarize the temporal and intergenerational effects of GM on host physiology and neurobehavioral outcomes. We then explore the mechanistic basis of neuro-microbial-immunometabolic interactions including epigenetic regulation, neurotransmitter modulation, neuroinflammation and intestinal barrier function in the context of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Particular attention is given to how these mechanisms mediate the long-term impact of maternal states-such as stress, diet and inflammation-on offspring neurodevelopment. We further highlight the translational gap from animal models to humans and propose integrating multi-omics, computational modeling, and clinical approaches to define developmental windows and guide precision microbiota-based interventions for neurodevelopmental disorders. By elucidating how microbiota influence neurodevelopment across generations, this review aims to inform the development of novel microbial and pharmacological therapies to promote brain health from the maternal period through early offspring life.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a prevalent neurodegenerative dementia, presents therapeutic challenges due to safety concerns about amyloid-targeting strategies. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may offer alternative avenues for exploration. Ginsenoside Rg1, a key bioactive component of ginseng, has shown neuroprotective potential in okadaic acid (OKA)-induced rat model, its limited brain bioavailability suggests that its metabolite protopanaxatriol (Ppt) may exert these effects. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of Ppt on OKA-induced mice model and the underlying mechanisms. Cultured hippocampal neurons were treated with OKA (0.5 nM) with or without Ppt co-treatment for 24 h. We showed that Ppt (1.25-40 nM) exerted dose-dependent neuroprotection against OKA-induced cytotoxicity, with the maximal protection observed at 10 nM. The suppressed tau aggregation by Ppt was confirmed using a Venus-tau bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) system. Molecular dynamics simulations and microscale thermophoresis (MST) revealed that Ppt bound to the catalytic domain of CDK5 at Cys83, destabilizing the CDK5/p25 complex. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays with CDK5 mutants (S159T, C83A, F80A and D86A) validated this interaction. In vivo mice were treated with Ppt (10 mg/kg, i.g.) for 25 days. On D8 and D9, the mice were bilaterally microinjected with OKA into the cerebral ventricles. We showed that Ppt administration improved spatial memory deficits in Novel Object Recognition and Barnes Maze tests; these effects were abolished in mice expressing a lentivirus-mediated CDK5[C83A] mutant. Hippocampal transcriptomic profiling in OKA-challenged mice following Ppt intervention revealed that Ppt modulated Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission/fusion dynamics, mitigating OKA-induced mitochondrial homeostasis disruption. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Ppt attenuates tau pathology by selectively targeting CDK5 at Cys83, thereby reducing pathological kinase activity, rebalancing mitochondrial function, and improving cognitive outcomes in an OKA-induced mice neurodegeneration model. The study underscores the therapeutic potential of Ppt in AD treatment and supports CDK5 modulation as a strategic approach for addressing tau-related neurodegeneration.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) boasts the advantages of high spatiotemporal selectivity and non-invasiveness, but its clinical application is still limited by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and inherent drawbacks of traditional photosensitizers such as aggregation-induced quenching (ACQ), insufficient targeting ability, and systemic toxicity. We previously conducted a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study on a plant-derived alkaloid, berberine, and found that its derivative B12 not only significantly enhanced antitumor efficacy but also improved water solubility and bioavailability. In this study, we characterized the photodynamic properties of B12, investigated its anticancer mechanisms, and evaluated the photodynamic therapeutic efficacy and biosafety of B12 in the tumors of xenograft mouse models. We showed that B12 was a novel photosensitizer without ACQ effect, exhibited both type I and type II photodynamic activities, and generated a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. In addition, B12 (12.5, 25 μM) significantly enhanced its therapeutic effect against RKO and HCT116 cells in the hypoxic microenvironment by inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and downregulating the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor HIF-1α. In RKO cells, B12 (2 μM) exhibited dynamic dual-organelle-targeting properties after photoactivation: it first induced the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, then translocated to the nucleus and bound to DNA. It improved the intersystem crossing (ISC) efficiency by narrowing the singlet-triplet energy gap, thereby amplifying the generation of ROS and damaging DNA integrity. In mice xenografted with B16 cells, intratumoral injection of B12 (5 mg/kg) followed by 10 min light irradiation daily for 9 days significantly suppressed tumor growth with good biosafety. In conclusion, the small molecule B12 simultaneously possesses type I and type II photodynamic activities, dynamic organelle-targeting and hypoxia adaptation properties. This study may provide a reference for the research and design of hypoxia-tolerant small-molecule photosensitizers and break through the clinical bottlenecks of photodynamic therapy.

Cardiac fibroblasts progressively replace deceased cardiomyocytes during the development of myocardial fibrosis, an irreversible pathological repair process that ultimately leads to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. Cardiac injury was evaluated by echocardiography and Masson staining in myocardial  infarction (MI) mice with zinc finger BED-type containing 6 (ZBED6) knockdown or overexpression. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs), and luciferase reporter assays were used to explore the target of ZBED6. ZBED6 expression was notably decreased in vivo in MI hearts and in vitro in TGF-β-induced primary mouse cardiac fibroblasts (PMCFs). Transgenic overexpression of ZBED6 specifically in cardiac fibroblasts improved cardiac dysfunction, reduced the infarct area, and decreased the expression levels of fibrotic genes after MI injury. Conversely, physiological knockdown of ZBED6 induced cardiac dysfunction and remodeling, which is consistent with the phenomena observed in vitro. Mechanistically, ZBED6, which functions as a transcriptional inhibitor of Piezo1, failed to prevent its transcription owing to mutations in the promoter binding sites. Stimulation of Piezo1 in PMCFs facilitates YAP translocation into the nucleus, whereas knockdown of Piezo1 or the use of a Piezo1 inhibitor suppresses this translocation. Moreover, the activation of Piezo1 reversed the cardioprotective effects of ZBED6 overexpression. In summary, the protective effect of ZBED6 against myocardial fibrosis injury is achieved through the inhibition of Piezo1 transcription, leading to reduced YAP nuclear translocation. These findings suggest that ZBED6 may become a potential therapeutic target for the clinical treatment of myocardial fibrosis.

The severe inflammation associated with infectious or inflammatory diseases significantly contributes to mortality. Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) represents a potential anti-inflammatory target, but the development of IRF3 inhibitors has not yielded satisfactory results to date. In this study, we established a phenotype-based high-throughput screening system to conduct activity-guided hierarchical screening of clinical frequently used anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic herbal extracts and compounds. Employing a Gaussia-luciferase reporter system driven by the IFNB1 promoter, we identified sinomenine as a potent type I interferon (IFN) inhibitor from a set of 28 anti-inflammatory herbal products. Furthermore, among 24 synthesized sinomenine derivatives modified by various electrophilic groups, Sim-9 (2.5-10 μM) dose-dependently inhibited IFN responses triggered by TLRs, RLRs, and STING activation in mouse RAW264.7 cells and in human THP-1 cells, HT-29 cells and A549 cells. We demonstrated that Sim-9, by covalently binding to Cys222, induced a conformational change in the pLxIS motif-binding surface of IRF3, thus blocking its interaction with upstream adapters, including TRIF, MAVS and STING, and subsequent homodimerization of IRF3 itself, which were all essential for activation of type I IFN responses. In in vivo experiments, we showed that injection of Sim-9 (30, 60 mg/kg, i.p.) effectively protected against devastating inflammation in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis in mice, and improved cerulein-induced pancreatitis by inhibiting IRF3. Our study discovers Sim-9 as a novel covalent allosteric inhibitor of IRF3 and reveals that the pLxIS motif binding surface represents a previously uncharacterized druggable target for IRF3 activation, providing a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of severe inflammatory injuries.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains the most refractory breast cancer subtype because of its high invasiveness, lack of therapeutic targets and heterogeneity. Type I protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are important epigenetic enzymes that catalyze the methylation of arginine residues in various proteins, playing crucial roles in numerous cellular processes. Targeting type I PRMTs represents a promising strategy for TNBC. In this study we characterized a novel selective type I PRMTs inhibitor, SKLB06489. Compared with the precursor compound SKLB06329 (F = 0.2%), SKLB06489 exhibited a markedly enhanced oral bioavailability (F = 88.4%). SKLB06489 inhibited PRMT1, PRMT6, and PRMT8 with IC₅₀ values of 64.55, 4.21, and 51.27 nM, respectively. In TNBC cell lines MDA-MB-231, Hs578T, and BT549, SKLB06489 dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation with IC₅₀ values in the low micromolar range. In MDA-MB-231 subcutaneous xenograft models, administration of SKLB06489 (40, 80 mg·kg^-1·d^-1, i.g. for 33 days) dose-dependently suppressed tumor growth. RNA sequencing and in vitro validation revealed that SKLB06489 inhibited TNBC proliferation by impairing DNA replication, compromising DNA damage repair, and ultimately inducing G₀/G₁-phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In addition, SKLB06489 (5, 10 μΜ) dose-dependently enhanced intracellular cholesterol efflux in MDA-MB-231 cells and Hs578T cells via upregulation of the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1), thereby disrupting cholesterol metabolic homeostasis. We conclude that SKLB06489 is a potent type Ⅰ PRMTs inhibitor with great therapeutic potential and is expected to overcome the TNBC treatment bottleneck. The discovery of SKLB06489-regulated cholesterol homeostasis provides a novel perspective on the biological function of type Ⅰ PRMTs, particularly their role in regulating metabolic pathway.