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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The pathogenesis of CRC primarily stems from the gradual accumulation of genetic mutations, which drive oncogene (e.g., KRAS ) activation and tumor suppressor gene (e.g., TP53 ) inactivation. Loss of genetic stability facilitates the conversion of proto-oncogenes into active oncogenes and the functional impairment of tumor suppressors, collectively propelling CRC progression. The tumor suppressor protein p53, a transcription factor, induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and DNA damage repair under cellular stress, and prevents cancer development by regulating various cellular responses. However, in CRC pathogenesis, TP53 mutations (detected in ~ 74% of cases) subvert these protective mechanisms through dual mechanisms: (i) dominant-negative suppression of wild-type p53 (wt-p53) function, and (ii) acquisition of neomorphic pro-tumorigenic activities, termed gain-of-function (GOF) mutations. New evidence from laboratory and clinical trials shows that some new therapeutic strategies have the potential to treat CRC by reactivating and restoring p53 function, depleting p53 mutants, or targeting p53 with immunotherapy. In this review, we summarize the function of p53 and characterize its mutation in CRC, emphasizing the influence of p53 mutation in the pathogenesis of CRC. In addition, we also describe the current therapeutic strategies for targeting p53 mutants in CRC.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory airway disorder characterized by persistent airflow limitation and pathological features such as airway remodeling. Identifying molecular targets involved in airway epithelial dysfunction is crucial for developing COPD therapies. Crocin, a carotenoid glycoside from saffron ( L.), may exhibit pan-assay interference compounds (PAINS)-like properties owing to its conjugated polyene structure. This can lead to non-specific effects and complicate its pharmacological interpretation. Therefore, a multidimensional assessment strategy (network analysis + + ) is essential to mitigate such limitations. We first employed predictive strategies, including network analysis, to identify common targets of crocin and COPD. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed, and core targets were screened via topology analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed to predict signaling pathways. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations were then used to assess the binding potential between crocin and the core targets. Finally, the function of crocin against COPD was evaluated using the Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (CETSA) and a cigarette smoke-induced mouse model . Network analysis predicted 243 common targets, from which 48 candidate targets were identified. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses suggested the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway as a potentially key mechanism. Among the top-ranked core targets, molecular docking indicated favorable binding energies between crocin and proteins such as ALB and AKT1, a finding further corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations. Subsequent CETSA suggested a direct interaction between crocin and AKT1. experiments demonstrated that crocin administration significantly alleviated lung injury and inflammation and reduced the p-AKT1/AKT1 ratio, consistent with network analysis and CETSA findings, suggesting the observed effects were not solely attributable to PAINS interference. These findings support the therapeutic potential of crocin in COPD through its anti-inflammatory activity and regulation of AKT1. Despite potential PAINS properties, the consistency across network, , and data strengthens the biological relevance of its observed effects.

Crocus sativus L., an herbaceous species belonging to the Iridaceae family is renowned for its medicinal properties. The vibrant color of its petals and leaves is attributed to anthocyanins, whereas the highly valued stigma predominantly accumulates apocarotenoids, such as crocin, as its main pigments. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are multifunctional enzymes, with many members playing a crucial role in the transport of anthocyanins and other flavonoids. In this study, we isolated the cDNA sequence of a GST gene from saffron, designated CsGST , using RT-PCR and RACE techniques. The sequence revealed a 795 bp open reading frame encoding 264 amino acids. The corresponding genomic sequence was 1074 bp, containing two exons and one intron. Phylogenetic and conserved domain analysis classified CsGST as a Tau-type GST. Expression analysis detected CsGST transcripts in leaves, petals, pistils, and stamens, with its expression in petals showing a significant positive correlation with anthocyanin content. The recombinant CsGST protein was expressed in E. coli and exhibited fundamental GST enzymatic activity. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis suggested a potential interaction between CsGST and crocin, the main carotenoid pigment in the stigma. This study represents the first comprehensive identification and characterization of a GST gene in saffron, providing a foundational basis for future research into its roles in the transport of secondary metabolites.

With habitat fragmentation causing the isolation of species populations, the construction of ecological security pattern (ESP) has become a vital approach to safeguarding biodiversity. While identifying ecological sources is considered a key step in ESP construction, existing studies often lack an integrated assessment of ecological sources and overlook the influence of vertical zonation on mountainous ESP. Therefore, this study aims to construct three types of ecological security patterns in the Funiu Mountain region: one based on connectivity, one based on ecological importance, and a third that integrates these with niche suitability, in order to examine how vertical zonation influences their spatial configuration and network performance. The results showed that the spatial distribution of ecological sources, corridors and nodes in ESP3 was superior to that in ESP1 and ESP2. ESP3 contained 13 ecological sources (5932 km2), 53 corridors (3308 km) and 48 nodes. The area of ecological sources and the length of ecological corridors in EPS3 were distributed in unimodal peaks at 800–1200 m, with optimal network connectivity (α = 0.6977, β = 2.2083, γ = 0.8030) and a slight improvement in cost ratio (0.9838). The findings provided a scientific basis for enhancing the conservation and sustainable development of mountain ecosystems from a vertical zonation perspective. ESPs constructed by different methods showed distinct advantages and limitations. Ecological sources identification improved significantly by coupling three models. Integrated niche suitability model to enhance ecological sources identification. Analyzed mountain ESP based on vertical zonation across different elevation gradients.

β-Amyloid (Aβ) is regarded as an important pathogenic target for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease. Aβ can assemble into oligomers and fibrils, and produce neurotoxicity. Therefore, Aβ aggregation inhibitors may have anti-AD therapeutic efficacies. It was found, here, that the marine-derived alkaloid, fascaplysin, inhibits Aβ fibrillization in vitro. Moreover, the new analogue, 9-methylfascaplysin, was designed and synthesized from 5-methyltryptamine. Interestingly, 9-methylfascaplysin is a more potent inhibitor of Aβ fibril formation than fascaplysin. Incubation of 9-methylfascaplysin with Aβ directly reduced Aβ oligomer formation. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that 9-methylfascaplysin might interact with negatively charged residues of Aβ42 with polar binding energy. Hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions between the key amino acid residues of Aβ42 and 9-methylfascaplysin were also suggested. Most importantly, compared with the typical Aβ oligomer, Aβ modified by nanomolar 9-methylfascaplysin produced less neuronal toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. 9-Methylfascaplysin appears to be one of the most potent marine-derived compounds that produces anti-Aβ neuroprotective effects. Given previous reports that fascaplysin inhibits acetylcholinesterase and induces P-glycoprotein, the current study results suggest that fascaplysin derivatives can be developed as novel anti-AD drugs that possibly act via inhibition of Aβ aggregation along with other target mechanisms.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a mainstream drug used in chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy regimens for the clinical treatment of malignancies, such as gastric cancer (GC), colorectal cancer, and breast cancer. However, the molecular mechanism of action of 5-FU in GC has not yet been studied using a network pharmacology approach. The mechanism of action of 5-FU in GC was determined using a network pharmacology technique, and our findings were confirmed by various computational approaches and experimental tests using the GeneCards database, ChEMBL database, STRING database, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, DAVID, GEPIA, Kaplan‒Meier Plotter, CCK-8 assays, colony formation experiments, cell proliferative assay, apoptosis assays, wound-healing assays, Real-time PCR and Western blot tests. A total of 21 shared and 13 potential targets were identified using PPI network analysis. Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses indicated that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway may be a significant pathway. Combined with molecular docking and database verification, F10, NR3C1, DHFR, CA2, BCHE, ACHE, and ITGA4 were identified as candidate core genes. Moreover, the experimental results illustrated that ITGA4 induces 5-FU resistance by up-regulating PI3K/AKT signaling. Network pharmacology is a feasible scientific research strategy for revealing the multitarget-multipathway role of 5-FU in the treatment of GC and provides ITGA4-based new ideas and therapeutic strategy to overcome 5-FU resistance for GC treatment.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) significantly reduces the quality of life of patients and exacerbates the burden on their families and society. Resistance exercise significantly enhances the overall cognitive function of the elderly and patients with AD while positively improving memory, executive function, and muscle strength, reducing fall risks, and alleviating psychological symptoms. As AD is a neurodegenerative disorder, some nerve factors are readily activated and released during exercise. Therefore, several prior studies have concentrated on exploring the molecular mechanisms of resistance exercise and their impact on brain function and neural plasticity. Recent investigations have identified an intrinsic relationship between individuals with AD and the pathological mechanisms of skeletal muscle atrophy, establishing a correlation between patients with AD cognitive level and skeletal muscle content. Resistance exercise primarily targets the skeletal muscle, which improves cognitive impairment in patients with AD by reducing vascular and neuroinflammatory factors and further enhances cognitive function in patients with AD by restoring the structural function of skeletal muscle. Furthermore, the effects of resistance training vary among distinct subgroups of cognitive impairment. Individuals exhibiting lower cognitive function demonstrate more pronounced adaptive responses in physical performance over time. Consequently, further investigation is warranted to determine whether tailored guidelines—such as variations in the frequency and duration of resistance exercise—should be established for patients with varying levels of dementia, in order to optimize the benefits for those experiencing cognitive impairment. This study aimed to review the relationship between AD and skeletal muscle atrophy, the impact of skeletal muscle atrophy on AD cognition, the mechanism by which resistance exercise improves cognition through skeletal muscle improvement, and the optimal resistance exercise mode to elucidate the additional advantages of resistance exercise in treating cognitive function in patients with AD and skeletal muscle atrophy.

The main pathological features of ischemic stroke include neuronal damage and blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction. Previous studies have shown that Evans Blue, a dye used to probe BBB integrity, could enter the brain only during the pathological status of ischemic stroke, indicating the potential pathologically activated therapeutic use of this chemical to treat ischemic stroke. In this study, we have reported that Evans Blue could produce in vitro neuroprotective effects against iodoacetic acid (IAA)-induced hypoxia neuronal death in HT22 cells. We further found that P2X purinoreceptor 4 (P2X4R), a subtype of ATP-gated cation channel, was expressed in HT22 cells. Evans Blue could prevent IAA-induced increase of P2X4R mRNA and protein expression. Interestingly, shRNA of P2X4R could protect against IAA-induced activation of p38, and SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38, could reverse IAA-induced neurotoxicity, indicating that p38 is a downstream signaling molecule of P2X4R. Molecular docking analysis further demonstrated the possible interaction between Evans Blue and the ATP binding site of P2X4R. Most importantly, pre-treatment of Evans Blue could largely reduce neurological and behavioral abnormity, and decrease brain infarct volume in middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO) rats. All these results strongly suggested that Evans Blue could exert neuroprotective effects via inhibiting the P2X4R/p38 pathway, possibly by acting on the ATP binding site of P2X4R, indicating that Evans Blue might be further developed as a pathologically activated therapeutic drug against ischemic stroke.

Gastrointestinal cancers account for approximately one-third of the total global cancer incidence and mortality with a poor prognosis. It is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Most of these diseases lack effective treatment, occurring as a result of inappropriate models to develop safe and potent therapies. As a novel preclinical model, tumor patient-derived organoids (PDOs), can be established from patients’ tumor tissue and cultured in the laboratory in 3D architectures. This 3D model can not only highly simulate and preserve key biological characteristics of the source tumor tissue in vitro but also reproduce the in vivo tumor microenvironment through co-culture. Our review provided an overview of the different in vitro models in current tumor research, the derivation of cells in PDO models, and the application of PDO model technology in gastrointestinal cancers, particularly the applications in combination with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, tumor microenvironment simulation, drug screening, drug development, and personalized medicine. It also elucidates the ethical status quo of organoid research and the current challenges encountered in clinical research, and offers a forward-looking assessment of the potential paths for clinical organoid research advancement.

The oligomer of β-amyloid (Aβ) is considered the main neurotoxin in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Therefore, the inhibition of the formation of Aβ oligomer could be a target for AD therapy. In this study, with the help of the dot blotting assay and transmission electronic microscopy, it was have discovered that 5-hydroxycyclopenicillone, a cyclopentenone recently isolated from a sponge-associated fungus, effectively reduced the formation of Aβ oligomer from Aβ peptide in vitro. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested hydrophobic interactions between 5-hydroxycyclopenicillone and Aβ peptide, which might prevent the conformational transition and oligomerization of Aβ peptide. Moreover, Aβ oligomer pre-incubated with 5-hydroxycyclopenicillone was less toxic when added to neuronal SH-SY5Y cells compared to the normal Aβ oligomer. Although 5-hydroxycyclopenicillone is not bioavailable in the brain in its current form, further modification or encapsulation of this chemical might improve the penetration of 5-hydroxycyclopenicillone into the brain. Based on the current findings and the anti-oxidative stress properties of 5-hydroxycyclopenicillone, it is suggested that 5-hydroxycyclopenicillone may have potential therapeutic efficacy in treating AD.