Publications by authors named "Mengdie Gong"

Targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis with small-molecular inhibitors is a promising approach for immunotherapy. Here, we identify a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, Pygenic Acid A (PA), as a PD-1 signaling inhibitor. PA exerts anti-tumor activity in hPD-1 knock-in C57BL/6 mice and enhances effector functions of T cells to promote immune responses by disrupting the PD-1 signaling transduction.

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Article Synopsis
  • Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is an α-herpesvirus that causes immunosuppression and severe neurological diseases by affecting N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) in the brain.
  • Research showed that PRV infection decreases NMDAR expression in the hippocampus and leads to significant neuronal damage, with symptoms worsening by day six post-infection.
  • Additional studies indicate that inhibiting NMDAR increases cytotoxicity in T lymphocytes, raises pro-inflammatory cytokines, and worsens immune suppression, suggesting that NMDAR plays a critical role in PRV-related neurological diseases.
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Currently, the identification of herb metabolites is challenging due to a lack of clear standards. Here, using Gelsemium as an example, we present a protocol for characterizing target components of herbs. This approach utilizes high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry guided by an in-house herb metabolite database based on reported studies and mass spectrometry.

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Vitamin B is an indispensable micronutrient in organisms and is widely distributed in blood, tissues, and organs. Changes in the content and ratio of vitamin B6 can affect the entire physiological condition of the body, so it becomes particularly important to reveal the relationship between changes in its content and disease by monitoring vitamin B6 levels in the organism. In this study, a two-dimensional liquid chromatography-UV detector (2D-LC-UV) was used to establish a method for the simultaneous detection of PLP, PA, and PL for the first time.

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is a medicinal plant that has been used to treat various diseases, but it is also well-known for its high toxicity. Complex alkaloids are considered the main poisonous components in . However, the toxic mechanism of remains ambiguous.

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Asian () has a wide range of pharmacological activities. However, its strong toxicity limits its potential development and application. Interestingly, there are significant gender differences in toxicity in rats.

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Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an effective drug target for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, a tertiary point mutation (C797S) at the ATP binding pocket of the EGFR induces resistance to the third-generation EGFR inhibitors, due to the loss of covalent interaction with Cys797. Here, we designed a series of 4-anilinoquinazoline derivatives that simultaneously occupied the ATP binding pocket and the allosteric site.

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Rationale: Rankinidine belongs to the humantenine-type alkaloids isolated from Gelsemium. Currently, the mechanism behind the toxicity differences of rankinidine has not been explained. In this study, our purpose was to elucidate the major in vitro metabolic pathways of rankinidine and to compare the formation of metabolites of rankinidine in human (HLMs), rat (RLMs), goat (GLMs) and pig (PLMs) liver microsomes.

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Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare single-gene neurodegenerative disease, which can only be treated symptomatically. Currently, there are no approved drugs for HD on the market. Studies have found that MAPK11 can serve as a potential therapeutic target for HD.

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