Cardiovascular disease stands as the leading cause of death globally, with hypertension emerging as an independent risk factor for its development. The worldwide prevalence of hypertension hovers around 30%, encompassing a staggering 1.2 billion patients, and continues to escalate annually. Medication plays a pivotal role in managing hypertension, not only effectively regulating blood pressure (BP) but also substantially mitigating the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This review comprehensively outlines the categories, mechanisms, clinical applications, and drawbacks of conventional antihypertensive drugs. It delves into the five primary pharmacological classifications, namely β-receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers (CCBs), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and diuretics. The emphasis is placed on elucidating the mechanisms, advantages, and research progress of novel antihypertensive drugs targeting emerging areas. These include mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), atrial natriuretic peptides (ANPs), neutral endopeptidase inhibitors (NEPIs), sodium-dependent glucose transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2Is), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs), soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) agonists, brain aminopeptidase A inhibitors (APAIs), and small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs) targeting hepatic angiotensinogen. Compared to conventional antihypertensive drugs, these novel alternatives exhibit favorable antihypertensive effects with minimal adverse reactions. This review serves as a valuable reference for future research and the clinical application of antihypertensive drugs.

Diabetes poses a significant global threat to human health and life, emphasizing the crucial role of glycemic control in mitigating complications and mortality associated with the condition. While chemotherapeutic drugs effectively manage diabetes, their adverse effects have profound implications on the health and overall quality of life of the patients. In contrast, specific natural monomers have demonstrated promising anti-diabetic properties. This review highlights recent advancements in understanding the anti-diabetic effects of six groups of natural monomers, including alkaloids, plant polysaccharides, flavonoids, quinones, saponins, and terpenoids. The review synthesizes the latest research findings on the anti-diabetic potential of these natural monomers, elucidating their mechanisms of action. These mechanisms include the enhancement of insulin secretion, modulation of the expression of proteins involved in the signaling pathway, and regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. Exploring these natural monomers contributes to the current understanding of anti-diabetic agents and holds promise for developing of novel drugs for managing diabetes.

Atherosclerosis is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, which is related to dyslipidemia, endothelial injury, inflammation, thrombosis, dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages, etc. Puerarin, a natural monomer from Chinese herb Pueraria lobata, presents multiple cardiovascular protective activities. The paper firstly reviewed the risk factors and drug of atherosclerosis. And then, extraction and synthesis of puerarin were summarized. Especially, it focused on the latest advances in anti-atherosclerosis activities of puerarin from six aspects including lipid-regulating, hyperglycemic, antiinflammatory, inhibiting thrombosis, promoting microcirculation, improving functions of vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Some novel puerarin derivatives also exhibited favorable anti-atherosclerosis activity. The review would provide new molecular skeletons and lead compounds for anti-atherosclerosis new drug development based on puerarin.

Coumarin is a kind of lactone compound with skeleton of benzo-alpha-pyranones, which have favorable druggability due to its advantages of outstanding pharmacological activities, little drug-resistance, low toxicity, simple skeleton, easy synthesis and structural modification, and extensive sources. The review summarizes the classification, synthesis methods, pharmacological effects of coumarin and its derivatives. It focuses on their latest progresses in anti-bacteria, anti-virus, anti-inflammation and anti-rheumatism, anti-autoimmune diseases, anti-oxidation, anti-coagulation, anti-cancer and antiangiogenic effects in detail. Especially, coumarins exhibited outstanding effects on clinical difficult miscellaneous diseases with rare drugs, difficult cure and bad prognosis, such as coronavirus disease-19, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune neuroinflammation, systemic lupus erythematosus, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, etc. The review would provide new skeletons and promising lead compounds with little drug-resistance, high-efficiency and low toxicity for new drug development for related diseases based on coumarins.

The crystal structure of a target‐ligand plays an indispensable role in rational drug design, structural optimization, and understanding the molecular interaction mechanism. For drug targets without crystal structures, the simulated 3D structure will provide an alternative important reference. However, the credibility of the simulated structure and its difference from the real crystal structure deserve deep consideration. The complex crystal structures of the target Hsp90 N and its four small molecular inhibitors has previously been successfully determined. Herein, computer‐aided molecular docking technology is applied to predict complex 3D structures, and the comparison between the simulated 3D structures and crystal structures is analyzed. Compared with the complex crystal structures, the simulated 3D structures of the four groups have higher consistency with the main chains, whereas the branch chains, binding modes of inhibitors, and molecular interactions are different in detail. Thus, the simulated 3D complex structure can provide useful information to guide drug design and structural optimization of inhibitors when the crystal structure is missing, but it cannot replace the crystal structure and should be used with caution.

Age-related macular degeneration(ARMD)is one of the main causes of irreversible visual impairment in the middle-aged and elderly people, which severely impacts the patient's life quality and poses a substantial health economic burden on society. There are two types of late ARMD in clinic: wet ARMD and dry ARMD. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs, as first-line clinical drugs for wet ARMD, achieved remarkable efficacy. For dry ARMD, however, effective therapies are in the air. This review focuses on the potential drugs, biological therapies and traditional Chinese medicines that made significant progresses in clinical trials for dry ARMD, including anti-inflammatory drugs(doxycycline and FHTR2163), anti-oxidants(risuteganib and elamipretide), complement inhibitors(APL-2 and zimura), visual cycle modulators(ALK-001), neuroprotective agents(brimonidine), stem cell transplantation(MA09-hRPE and BMMF), gene therapy(HMR59), and traditional Chinese medicine(saffron, curcumin, quercetin and resveratrol). The new drugs exhibited favorable clinical efficacy and broad application prospects, which would foster hope for improvement and treatment of ARMD.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and Chinese herb monomers could provide new structural skeletons for anti-hypertension new drug development. Paeonol is a Chinese herbal monomer extracted from Cortex moutan, exhibited some anti-hypertensive activity. The study focused on the structural optimization of paeonol to provide promising lead compounds for anti-hypertension new drug development. Herein, twelve new paeonol derivatives (PD) were designed and synthesized and their vasodilation activity was evaluated by in vitro vasodilation drug screening platform based on Myograph. Its anti-hypertension activity, PD-C302 (2-hydroxy-4-methoxyvalerophenone) as a representative with the optimal vasodilation activity, was determined by its response to blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) in vivo. Moreover, its molecular mechanism was probed by the vasodilation activity of rat superior mesenteric artery rings with or without endothelium pre-contracted by potassium chloride (KCl) or phenylephrine hydrochloride (PE). It was indicated that PD-C302 significantly reduced the blood pressure in SHR, which would involve in PD-C302-induced vasodilation. Furthermore, endothelium-dependent pathways and endothelium-independent pathways both contributed importantly to PD-C302-induced vasodilation at low concentration of PD-C302. Endothelium-independent pathways (vascular smooth muscle cell-mediated vasodilation), were mainly responsible for the PD-C302-induced vasodilation at high concentration of PD-C302, which involved in opening multiple K+ channels to restrain Ca2+ channels, and then triggered vasodilation to reduce blood pressure. PD-C302 has a simple structure and favorable anti-hypertensive activity in vivo, which could be a promising lead compound for anti-hypertension new drug development.

骨膜蛋白(periostin,POSTN)是一种在骨组织中发现的分泌型细胞外基质蛋白,在进化中保守,易于通过患者血液、尿液和组织间液等体液样品检测,在体内多种组织中表达,其表达水平与多种疾病发生发展密切相关,有望成为一种有潜力的疾病早期诊断的分子标志物.该文系统综述了POSTN表达水平与心肌梗死、血管钙化、骨代谢相关疾病、慢性肾病与各种癌症发生发展的关系,探讨其作用与机制,为基于POSTN的疾病早期诊断试剂盒与药物研发提供科学依据.

New targeted chemotherapy agents greatly improved five-year survival in NSCLC patients, but which were susceptible to drug resistance. NVP-AUY922, terminated in phase II clinical trials, exhibited promising anti-NSCLC (non-small-cell lung cancer) activity targeting to Hsp90N (heat shock protein), which demonstrated advantages in overcoming drug resistance as a broad-spectrum anti-cancer target. It was expected to develop novel anti-NSCLC drugs to overcome drug resistance by the structural optimization of NVP-AUY922. However, the absence of high-resolution complex crystal structure of Hsp90N-NVP-AUY922 blocked the way. Herein, 1.59 Å-resolution complex crystal structure of Hsp90N-NVP-AUY922 (PDB ID 6LTI) was successfully determined by X-ray diffraction. Meanwhile, there was a strong binding capability between NVP-AUY922 and its target Hsp90N verified by TSA (ΔTm, −15.56 ± 1.78°C) and ITC (Kd, 5.10 ± 2.10 nM). Results by the complex crystal structure, TSA and ITC verified that NVP-AUY922 well accommodated in the ATP-binding pocket of Hsp90N to disable the molecular chaperone activity of Hsp90. Therefore, NVP-AUY922 exhibited approving inhibitory activity on NSCLC cell line H1299 (IC50, 2.85 ± 0.06 μM) by inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing cell cycle arrest and promoting cell apoptosis. At the basis of the complex crystal structure and molecular interaction analysis, thirty-two new NVP-AUY922 derivatives were further designed, and among which twenty-eight new ones display enhanced binding force with Hsp90N by molecular docking evaluation. The results would promote anti-NSCLC new drug development to overcome drug resistance based on the lead compound NVP-AUY922.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinical sustained arrhythmia; clinical therapeutic drugs have low atrial selectivity and might cause more severe ventricle arrhythmias while stopping AF. As an anti-AF drug target with high selectivity on the atrial muscle cells, the undetermined crystal structure of Kv1.5 potassium channel impeded further new drug development. Herein, with the simulated 3D structure of Kv1.5 as the drug target, a series of 3-morpholine linked aromatic amino substituted 1H-indoles as novel Kv1.5 channel inhibitors were designed and synthesized based on target–ligand interaction analysis. The synthesis route was practical, starting from commercially available material, and the chemical structures of target compounds were characterized. It was indicated that compounds T16 and T5 (100 μM) exhibited favorable inhibitory activity against the Kv1.5 channel with an inhibition rate of 70.8 and 57.5% using a patch clamp technique. All compounds did not exhibit off-target effects against other drug targets, which denoted some selectivity on the Kv1.5 channel. Interestingly, twelve compounds exhibited favorable vasodilation activity on pre-contracted arterial rings in vitro using KCl or phenylephrine (PE) by a Myograph. The vasodilation rates of compounds T16 and T4 (100 μM) even reached over 90%, which would provide potential lead compounds for both anti-AF and anti-hypertension new drug development.

SNX-2112, as a promising anticancer lead compound targeting heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), absence of complex crystal structure of Hsp90 N -SNX-2112 hindered further structural optimization and understanding on molecular interaction mechanism. Herein, a high-resolution complex crystal structure of Hsp90 N -SNX-2112 was successfully determined by X-ray diffraction, resolution limit, 2.14 Å, PDB ID 6LTK, and their molecular interaction was analyzed in detail, which suggested that SNX-2112 was well accommodated in the ATP-binding pocket to disable molecular chaperone activity of Hsp90, therefore exhibiting favorable inhibiting activity on three non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines (IC 50 , 0.50 ± 0.01 μM for A549, 1.14 ± 1.11 μM for H1299, 2.36 ± 0.82 μM for H1975) by inhibited proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest, and aggravated cell apoptosis. SNX-2112 exhibited high affinity and beneficial thermodynamic changes during the binding process with its target Hsp90 N confirmed by thermal shift assay (TSA, ΔTm, and −9.51 ± 1.00°C) and isothermal titration calorimetry ( K d , 14.10 ± 1.60 nM). Based on the complex crystal structure and molecular interaction analysis, 32 novel SNX-2112 derivatives were designed, and 25 new ones displayed increased binding force with the target Hsp90 N verified by molecular docking evaluation. The results would provide new references and guides for anti-NSCLC new drug development based on the lead compound SNX-2112.

心脑血管疾病是全球人类首要致死因素,动脉粥样硬化(As)是其主要病理基础.As发病机制复杂,临床使用的化学药物疗效单一,价格昂贵,不良反应较大.作用靶点多、不良反应少、价廉易得的中草药已成为防治心脑血管疾病的研究热点,丹参作为代表药物在As防治方面具有独特作用.该文章从中医与As关系以及丹参主要有效组分抗As活性方面,综述了丹参抗As的药理学研究进展,重点介绍了其水溶性组分丹酚酸B和丹酚酸A、脂溶性组分丹参酮ⅡA和隐丹参酮抗As活性与作用机制,以期为丹参抗As应用提供参考.

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in the urinary system, and its early diagnosis is conducive to improving clinical prognosis and prolonging overall survival time. However, few biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity are used as diagnostic markers for BC. Multiple long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in BC, and play key roles in tumorigenesis, progression and prognosis of BC. In this review, we summarize the expression, function, molecular mechanisms and the clinical significance of lncRNAs on bladder cancer. There are more than 100 dysregulated lncRNAs in BC, which are involved in the regulation of proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration, invasion, metabolism and drug resistance of BC. Meanwhile, the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in BC was explored, including lncRNAs interacting with DNA, RNA and proteins. Additionally, the abnormal expression of thirty-six lncRNAs is closely associated with multiple clinical characteristics of BC, including tumor size, metastasis, invasion, and drug sensitivity or resistance of BC. Furthermore, we summarize some potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of lncRNA for BC. This review provides promising novel biomarkers in early diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of BC based on lncRNAs.

The inherent brittle nature, low tensile strength and poor cracking resistance of concrete make it prone to cracking, which leads to the reduction of structural load-bearing capacity. Therefore, based on the loose and porous characteristics of the old mortar attached to the surface of the recycled aggregate, this study prepared self-healing recycled concrete with recycled aggregate as microbial carrier and investigated its crack healing capacity and uniaxial compressive stress-strain full curve. 24 specimens were designed for loading tests, namely: carrier adsorbed bacteria recycled concrete (C-BRC), direct-blended bacterial recycled concrete (D-BRC), no bacteria recycled concrete (NRC), and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC), and were further explored by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) tests. The crack healing capacity, stress process and failure mode of each specimen were observed, and the repair performance, complete stress-strain curve, peak stress, peak strain, elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio of each specimens under different conditions were analyzed, and the mechanism analysis of mechanical properties recovery were investigated. The study showed that when the specimen were repaired for 28 days, all the cracks in the C-BRC were repaired to 100% with a maximum healing crack width of 0.27 mm. At the same healing time, the C-BRC had the best healing capacity, followed by the D-BRC, and the NRC had the lowest. The geometric characteristics of the stress-strain curve for self-healing recycled concrete prism specimen under uniaxial compression and the failure mode were similar to those of recycled concrete and ordinary concrete. At 56 days after healing, the peak stress recovery ratio of the C-BRC reached 86.94%, which was 37.01 MPa. The repair performance, peak stress, peak strain and elastic modulus of each specimens increased in different degrees with the increase of healing time. The Poisson's ratio of self-healing recycled concrete was measured to be roughly 0.16-0.23, which is slightly larger than that of recycled concrete. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

载脂蛋白A-Ⅰ(apolipoprotein A-Ⅰ,ApoA-Ⅰ)是高密度脂蛋白(high density lipoprotein,HDL)的主要蛋白成分,在胆固醇逆转运(reverse cholesterol transport,RCT)中发挥关键作用,是抗动脉粥样硬化(atherosclerosis,As)药物研发的重要靶标.靶向ApoA-Ⅰ α螺旋研发的模拟肽和基于重组ApoA-Ⅰ研发的HDL模拟肽已进入临床试验,展示了良好的促RCT与抗As活性.本文综述了ApoA-Ⅰ的结构和功能,ApoA-Ⅰ与ABCA1(ATP-binding cassette transporter A1)、LCAT(lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase)、SR-B1(scavenger receptor class B type 1)的分子互作机制,总结了靶向ApoA-Ⅰ模拟肽的研究进展,以期为模拟肽类抗As新药研发提供参考.

KW-2478 is a promising anti-cancer lead compound targeting to the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 N (Hsp90N). Absence of complex crystal structure of Hsp90N-KW-2478, however, hampered further structure optimization of KW-2478 and understanding on the molecular interaction mechanism. Herein, a high-resolution complex crystal structure of Hsp90N-KW-2478 was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD, resolution limit: 1.59 Å; PDB ID: 6LT8) and their molecular interaction was analyzed in detail, which suggested that KW-2478 perfectly bound in the N-terminal ATP-binding pocket of Hsp90 to disable its molecular chaperone function, therefore suppressed or killed cancer cells. The results from thermal shift assay (TSA, ΔTm, 18.82 ± 0.51 °C) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC, Kd, 7.30 ± 2.20 nM) suggested that there is an intense binding force and favorable thermodynamic changes during the process of KW-2478 binding with Hsp90N. Additionally, KW-2478 exhibited favorable anti-NSCLC activity in vitro, as it inhibited cell proliferation (IC50, 8.16 μM for A549; 14.29 μM for H1975) and migration, induced cell cycle arrest and promoted apoptosis. Thirty-six novel KW-2478 derivatives were designed, based on the complex crystal structure and molecular interaction analysis of Hsp90N-KW-2478 complex. Among them, twenty-two derivatives exhibited increased binding force with Hsp90N evaluated by molecular docking assay. The results would provide new guidance for anti-NSCLC new drug development based on the lead compound KW-2478.

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Atherosclerosis is the main pathological basis of cardiovascular diseases and it is closely associated with hyperlipidemia, endothelial injury, macrophage-derived foam cells formation, proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), platelet aggregation, and altered gut microbiota. Various symptomatic treatments, that are currently used to inhibit atherosclerosis, need to be administered in long term and their adverse effects cannot be ignored. Berberine (BBR) has beneficial effects on atherosclerosis through regulating multiple aspects of its progression. This review highlights the recent advances in understanding the anti-atherosclerosis mechanism of BBR. BBR alleviated atherosclerosis by attenuation of dyslipidemia, correction of endothelial dysfunction, inhibition of macrophage inflammation and foam cell formation, activation of macrophage autophagy, regulation of the proliferation and migration of VSMCs, attenuation of platelet aggregation, and modulation of gut microbiota. This review would provide a modern scientific perspective to further understanding the molecular mechanism of BBR attenuating atherosclerosis and supply new ideas for atherosclerosis management.

Background Vascular calcification is a closely linked to cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension and aging. The extent of vascular calcification is closely correlate with adverse clinical events and cardiovascular all-cause mortality. The role of autophagy in vascular calcification is complex with many mechanistic unknowns. Methods In this review, we analyze the current known mechanisms of autophagy in vascular calcification and discuss the theoretical advantages of targeting autophagy as an intervention against vascular calcification. Results Here we summarize the functional link between vascular calcification and autophagy in both animal models of and human cardiovascular disease. Firstly, autophagy can reduce calcification by inhibiting the osteogenic differentiation of VSMCs related to ANCR, ERα, β-catenin, HIF-1a/PDK4, p62, miR-30b, BECN1, mTOR, SOX9, GHSR/ERK, and AMPK signaling. Conversely, autophagy can induce osteoblast differentiation and calcification as mediated by CREB, degradation of elastin, and lncRNA H19 and DUSP5 mediated ERK signaling. Secondly, autophagy also links apoptosis and vascular calcification through AMPK/mTOR/ULK1, Wnt/β-catenin and GAS6/AXL synthesis, as apoptotic cells become the nidus for calcium-phosphate crystal deposition. The failure of mitophagy can activate Drp1, BNIP3, and NR4A1/DNA‑PKcs/p53 mediated intrinsic apoptotic pathways, which have been closely linked to the formation of vascular calcification. Additionally, autophagy also plays a role in osteogenesis by regulating vascular calcification, which in turn regulates expression of proteins related to bone development, such as osteocalcin, osteonectin, etc. and regulated by mTOR, EphrinB2 and RhoA. Furthermore, autophagy also promotes vitamin K2-induced MC3T3 E1 osteoblast differentiation and FGFR4/FGF18- and JNK/complex VPS34–beclin-1-related bone mineralization via vascular calcification. Conclusion The interaction between autophagy and vascular calcification are complicated, with their interaction affected by the disease process, anatomical location, and the surrounding microenvironment. Autophagy activation in existent cellular damage is considered protective, while defective autophagy in normal cells result in apoptotic activation. Identifying and maintaining cells at the delicate line between these two states may hold the key to reducing vascular calcification, in which autophagy associated clinical strategy could be developed.

Debio0932 is a promising lead compound in phase I clinical trials targeting the N-terminal ATP-binding pocket of the molecular chaperone heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90N). The absence of a crystal structure of the Hsp90N-Debio0932 complex, however, has impeded further structural optimization of Debio0932 and understanding of the molecular-interaction mechanism. Here, a high-resolution crystal structure of the Hsp90N-Debio0932 complex was successfully determined (resolution limit 2.20 Å; PDB entry 6lr9) by X-ray diffraction and the molecular-interaction mechanism was analysed in detail, which suggested that Debio0932 suppresses cancer cells by accommodating itself in the ATP-binding pocket of Hsp90N, disabling its molecular-chaperone capability. The results of a thermal shift assay (ΔTm = 8.83 ± 0.90°C) and isothermal titration calorimetry (Kd = 15.50 ± 1.30 nM) indicated strong binding and favourable thermodynamic changes in the binding of Hsp90N and Debio0932. Based on the crystal structure of the complex and on molecular-interaction analysis, 30 new Debio0932 derivatives were designed and nine new derivatives exhibited increased binding to Hsp90N, as determined by molecular-docking evaluation. Additionally, Debio0932 suppressed cell proliferation (IC50 values of 3.26 ± 2.82 µM for A549, 20.33 ± 5.39 µM for H1299 and 3.16 ± 1.04 µM for H1975), induced cell-cycle arrest and promoted apoptosis in three non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. These results provide novel perspectives and guidance for the development of new anti-NSCLC drugs based on the lead compound Debio0932.

The similarity of spatial structure between radicicol and matrine urged us to perform conformation modification of matrine, followed by L-shaped matrine derivatives, 6, 12, 21a-h and 22a-h were originally designed, synthesized and evaluated for Hsp90N inhibitors as anticancer agents. TSA (Thermal Shift Assay) results indicated that 21e, 22a-c and 22e-g exhibited strong binding force against Hsp90N with∣ΔTm∣ > 3, meanwhile, MTT assay also revealed these compounds displayed potent anticancer activity with IC50 values below 25 μM against HepG2, HeLa and MDA-MB-231 cells lines. Then, compound 22g with a high ΔTm = 10.92 was chosen as a representative to perform further mechanism study. It can induce cell apoptosis, arrest the cell cycle at the S phase and decrease the expression level of Hsp90 in Hela cell. These results originally provided targeted modification strategy for matrine derivatives to serve as Hsp90 inhibitors for cancer therapy.