Connective Tissue Growth Factor: Regulation, Diseases, and Drug Discovery.

In drug discovery, selecting targeted molecules is crucial as the target could directly affect drug efficacy and the treatment outcomes. As a member of the CCN family, CTGF (also known as CCN2) is an essential regulator in the progression of various diseases, including fibrosis, cancer, neurological disorders, and eye diseases. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of CTGF in different diseases may contribute to the discovery of novel drug candidates. Summarizing the CTGF-targeting and -inhibitory drugs is also beneficial for the analysis of the efficacy, applications, and limitations of these drugs in different disease models. Therefore, we reviewed the CTGF structure, the regulatory mechanisms in various diseases, and drug development in order to provide more references for future drug discovery.

Discovery of the small molecular inhibitors against sclerostin loop3 as potential anti-osteoporosis agents by structural based virtual screening and molecular design.

Sclerostin is a secreted glycoprotein that expresses predominantly in osteocytes and inhibits bone formation by antagonizing the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, and the loop3 region of sclerostin has recently discovered as a novel therapeutic target for bone anabolic treatment without increasing cardiovascular risk. Herein, we used a structural based virtual screening to search for small molecular inhibitors selectively targeting sclerostin loop3. A novel natural product hit ZINC4228235 (THFA) was identified as the sclerostin loop3-selective inhibitor with a Kd value of 42.43 nM against sclerostin loop3. The simplification and derivation of THFA using molecular modeling-guided modification allowed the discovery of an effective and loop3-selective small molecular inhibitor, compound (4-(3-acetamidoprop-1-yn-1-yl)benzoyl)glycine (AACA), with improved binding affinity (Kd = 15.4 nM) compared to the hit THFA. Further in-vitro experiment revealed that compound AACA could attenuate the suppressive effect of transfected sclerostin on Wnt signaling and bone formation. These results make AACA as a potential candidate for development of anti-osteoporosis agents without increasing cardiovascular risk.

Control of Aluminum and Titanium Contents in the Electroslag Remelting of ATI 718PlusTM Alloy.

The burning loss of Al and Ti elements in superalloys during electroslag remelting has become a prevalent issue. And the existing slag system is not suitable for smelting the ATI 718PlusTM alloy. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a new slag system for smelting the ATI 718PlusTM alloy. To mitigate this issue, a thermodynamic model of the oxidation reaction of Al and Ti at the slag and alloy interface was established based on the ion and molecule coexistence theory (IMCT). The thermodynamic model was used to investigate the correlation between the equilibrium content of Al and Ti, slag composition, smelting temperature, and initial Al and Ti content of the electrode. The results indicate that while increasing the smelting temperature can effectively inhibit the burning loss of Al, it will exacerbate the burning loss of Ti. Increasing CaO and Al2O3 contents can inhibit the Al burning loss, while an increase in the TiO2 content can inhibit the Ti burning loss. Although an increase in the MgO content results in the burning loss of Al, its impact on the Al is minimal. The burning loss of Al and Ti was not affected by the change in the CaF2 content. The high Al content in ATI 718PlusTM makes it prone to burning loss of Al during the electroslag remelting. The combustion loss of Al can be reduced by increasing the Ti content in the electrode or adding a suitable amount of aluminum powder to the slag system. The accuracy of the model had been validated through experimental verification.

Unique quinoline orientations shape the modified aptamer to sclerostin for enhanced binding affinity and bone anabolic potential.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare genetic disease characterized by bone fragility and bone formation. Sclerostin could negatively regulate bone formation by antagonizing the Wnt signal pathway, whereas it imposes severe cardiac ischemic events in clinic. Our team has screened an aptamer that could promote bone anabolic potential without cardiovascular risk. However, the affinity of the aptamer is lower and needs to be improved. In the study, hydrophobic quinoline molecule with unique orientations (seven subtypes) were incorporated into key sites of a bone anabolic aptamer against sclerostin to form a modified aptamer library. Among all the quinoline modifications, 5-quinoline modification could shape the molecular recognition of modified aptamers to sclerostin to facilitate enhancing its binding to sclerostin toward the highest affinity by interacting with newly participated binding sites in sclerostin. Further, 5-quinoline modification could facilitate the modified aptamer attenuating the suppressed effect of the transfected sclerostin on both Wnt signaling and bone formation marker expression levels in vitro, promoting bone anabolism in OI mice (Col1a2+/G610C). The proposed quinoline-oriented modification strategy could shape the molecular recognition of modified aptamers to proteins to facilitate enhancing its binding affinity and therapeutic potency.

A bimolecular modification strategy for developing long-lasting bone anabolic aptamer.

The molecular weight of nucleic acid aptamers (20 kDa) is lower than the cutoff threshold of the renal filtration (30-50 kDa), resulting in a very short half-life, which dramatically limits their druggability. To address this, we utilized 3-(2,5-dioxo-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-N-(4-hydroxy-2-oxo-2H-chromen-6-yl)propenamide (HC) and 12-((2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)-12-oxododecanoic acid (DA), two newly designed coupling agents, for synergistic binding to human serum albumin (HSA). Both HC and DA are conjugated to a bone anabolic aptamer (Apc001) against sclerostin to form an Apc001OC conjugate with high binding affinity to HSA. Notably, HC and DA could synergistically facilitate prolonging the half-life of the conjugated Apc001 and promoting its bone anabolic potential. Using the designed blocking peptides, the mechanism studies indicate that the synergistic effect of HC-DA on pharmacokinetics and bone anabolic potential of the conjugated Apc001 is achieved via their synergistic binding to HSA. Moreover, biweekly Apc001OC at 50 mg/kg shows comparable bone anabolic potential to the marketed sclerostin antibody given weekly at 25 mg/kg. This proposed bimolecular modification strategy could help address the druggability challenge for aptamers with a short half-life.

Construction of 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives with adjacent quaternary and tertiary stereocenters via ternary catalysis.

4-Hydroxycoumarin derivatives represent one of the most important scaffolds in biologically active substances, pharmaceuticals and functional materials. Herein, we describe an efficient Pd/amine/Brønsted acid ternary-catalytic multicomponent reaction for the rapid construction of substituted 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives with adjacent quaternary and tertiary stereocenters via convergent assembly of two in situ generated active intermediates. Furthermore, the late-stage transformations of coumarin derivatives and their in vitro trial of antitumor activity successfully demonstrated the potential utilities of the products as platform molecules.

Identification of potentially functional circRNAs and prediction of the circRNA-miRNA-hub gene network in mice with primary blast lung injury.

OBJECTIVES: Primary blast lung injury (PBLI) is the main cause of death in blast injury patients, and is often ignored due to the absence of a specific diagnosis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are becoming recognized as new regulators of various diseases, but the role of circRNAs in PBLI remain largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate PBLI-related circRNAs and their probable roles as new regulators in PBLI in order to provide new ideas for PBLI diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The differentially expressed (DE) circRNA and mRNA profiles were screened by transcriptome high-throughput sequencing and validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The GO and KEGG pathway enrichment was used to investigate the potential function of DE mRNAs. The interactions between proteins were analyzed using the STRING database and hub genes were identified using the MCODE plugin. Then, Cytoscape software was used to illustrate the circRNA-miRNA-hub gene network. RESULTS: A total of 117 circRNAs and 681 mRNAs were aberrantly expressed in PBLI, including 64 up-regulated and 53 down-regulated circRNAs, and 315 up-regulated and 366 down-regulated mRNAs. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that the DE mRNAs might be involved in the TNF signaling pathway and Fanconi anemia pathway. Hub genes, including Cenpf, Ndc80, Cdk1, Aurkb, Ttk, Aspm, Ccnb1, Kif11, Bub1 and Top2a, were obtained using the MCODE plugin. The network consist of 6 circRNAs (chr18:21008725-21020999 + , chr4:44893533-44895989 + , chr4:56899026-56910247-, chr5:123709382-123719528-, chr9:108528589-108544977 + and chr15:93452117-93465245 +), 7 miRNAs (mmu-miR-3058-5p, mmu-miR-3063-5p, mmu-miR-668-5p, mmu-miR-7038-3p, mmu-miR-761, mmu-miR-7673-5p and mmu-miR-9-5p) and 6 mRNAs (Aspm, Aurkb, Bub1, Cdk1, Cenpf and Top2a). CONCLUSIONS: This study examined a circRNA-miRNA-hub gene regulatory network associated with PBLI and explored the potential functions of circRNAs in the network for the first time. Six circRNAs in the circRNA-miRNA-hub gene regulatory network, including chr18:21008725-21020999 + , chr4:44893533-44895989 + , chr4:56899026-56910247-, chr5:123709382-123719528-, chr9:108528589-108544977 + and chr15:93452117-93465245 + may play an essential role in PBLI.

The role of sclerostin in lipid and glucose metabolism disorders.

Lipid and glucose metabolism are critical for human activities, and their disorders can cause diabetes and obesity, two prevalent metabolic diseases. Studies suggest that the bone involved in lipid and glucose metabolism is emerging as an endocrine organ that regulates systemic metabolism through bone-derived molecules. Sclerostin, a protein mainly produced by osteocytes, has been therapeutically targeted by antibodies for treating osteoporosis owing to its ability to inhibit bone formation. Moreover, recent evidence indicates that sclerostin plays a role in lipid and glucose metabolism disorders. Although the effects of sclerostin on bone have been extensively examined and reviewed, its effects on systemic metabolism have not yet been well summarized. In this paper, we provide a systemic review of the effects of sclerostin on lipid and glucose metabolism based on in vitro and in vivo evidence, summarize the research progress on sclerostin, and prospect its potential manipulation for obesity and diabetes treatment.

miR-223: a key regulator of pulmonary inflammation.

Small noncoding RNAs, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), are vital for the regulation of diverse biological processes. miR-223, an evolutionarily conserved anti-inflammatory miRNA expressed in cells of the myeloid lineage, has been implicated in the regulation of monocyte-macrophage differentiation, proinflammatory responses, and the recruitment of neutrophils. The biological functions of this gene are regulated by its expression levels in cells or tissues. In this review, we first outline the regulatory role of miR-223 in granulocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells, epithelial cells and dendritic cells (DCs). Then, we summarize the possible role of miR-223 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute lung injury (ALI), coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other pulmonary inflammatory diseases to better understand the molecular regulatory networks in pulmonary inflammatory diseases.

Chemically modified aptamers for improving binding affinity to the target proteins via enhanced non-covalent bonding.

Nucleic acid aptamers are ssDNA or ssRNA fragments that specifically recognize targets. However, the pharmacodynamic properties of natural aptamers consisting of 4 naturally occurring nucleosides (A, G, C, T/U) are generally restricted for inferior binding affinity than the cognate antibodies. The development of high-affinity modification strategies has attracted extensive attention in aptamer applications. Chemically modified aptamers with stable three-dimensional shapes can tightly interact with the target proteins via enhanced non-covalent bonding, possibly resulting in hundreds of affinity enhancements. This review overviewed high-affinity modification strategies used in aptamers, including nucleobase modifications, fluorine modifications (2'-fluoro nucleic acid, 2'-fluoro arabino nucleic acid, 2',2'-difluoro nucleic acid), structural alteration modifications (locked nucleic acid, unlocked nucleic acid), phosphate modifications (phosphorothioates, phosphorodithioates), and extended alphabets. The review emphasized how these high-affinity modifications function in effect as the interactions with target proteins, thereby refining the pharmacodynamic properties of aptamers.

Crosstalk between Inflammation and Hemorrhage/Coagulation Disorders in Primary Blast Lung Injury.

Primary blast lung injury (PBLI), caused by exposure to high-intensity pressure waves from explosions in war, terrorist attacks, industrial production, and life explosions, is associated with pulmonary parenchymal tissue injury and severe ventilation insufficiency. PBLI patients, characterized by diffused intra-alveolar destruction, including hemorrhage and inflammation, might deteriorate into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with high mortality. However, due to the absence of guidelines about PBLI, emergency doctors and rescue teams treating PBLI patients rely on experience. The goal of this review is to summarize the mechanisms of PBLI and their cross-linkages, exploring potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets of PBLI. We summarize the pathophysiological performance and pharmacotherapy principles of PBLI. In particular, we emphasize the crosstalk between hemorrhage and inflammation, as well as coagulation, and we propose early control of hemorrhage as the main treatment of PBLI. We also summarize several available therapy methods, including some novel internal hemostatic nanoparticles to prevent the vicious circle of inflammation and coagulation disorders. We hope that this review can provide information about the mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of PBLI for all interested investigators.

Copper-catalyzed multicomponent assembly of γ-butenolides via the interception of carbonyl ylides with iminium ions.

A Cu(I)-catalyzed three-component reaction of cyclopropenes, enamines and aldehydes has been realized. This reaction proceeds via the interception of carbonyl oxonium ylide intermediates with α, ß-unsaturated iminium ions that are in situ generated from enamines and aldehydes under the catalysis of Cu(MeCN)4PF6, leading to the desired γ-butenolide derivatives in good yields and with moderate diastereoselectivities. Access to these derivatives with tethered ketone and alkynal groups will expand the structural diversity of multi-substituted butenolides.

An enantioselective four-component reaction via assembling two reaction intermediates.

A reaction intermediate is a key molecular entity that has been used in explaining how starting materials converts into the final products in the reaction, and it is usually unstable, highly reactive, and short-lived. Extensive efforts have been devoted in identifying and characterizing such species via advanced physico-chemical analytical techniques. As an appealing alternative, trapping experiments are powerful tools in this field. This trapping strategy opens an opportunity to discover multicomponent reactions. In this work, we report various highly diastereoselective and enantioselective four-component reactions (containing alcohols, diazoesters, enamines/indoles and aldehydes) which involve the coupling of in situ generated intermediates (iminium and enol). The reaction conditions presented herein to produce over 100 examples of four-component reaction products proceed under mild reaction conditions and show high functional group tolerance to a broad range of substrates. Based on experimental and computational analyses, a plausible mechanism of this multicomponent reaction is proposed.

Strategies for developing long-lasting therapeutic nucleic acid aptamer targeting circulating protein: The present and the future.

Aptamers are short, single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotide sequences that can bind specific targets. The molecular weight of aptamers (<20 kDa) is lower than the renal filtration threshold (30∼50 kDa), resulting in very short half-lives in vivo, which limit their druggability. The development of long-lasting modification approaches for aptamers can help address the druggability bottleneck of aptamers. This review summarized two distinct kinds of long-lasting modification approaches for aptamers, including macromolecular modification and low-molecular-weight modification. Though it is a current approach to extend the half-life of aptamers, the macromolecular modification approach could limit the space for the dosage increases, thus causing potential compliance concerns due to large molecular weight. As for the other modification approach, the low-molecular-weight modification approach, which uses low molecular weight coupling agents (LMWCAs) to modify aptamers, could greatly increase the proportion of aptamer moiety. However, some LMWCAs could bind to other proteins, causing a decrease in the drug amounts in blood circulation. Given these issues, the outlook for the next generation of long-lasting modification approaches was proposed at the end, including improving the administration method to increase dosage for aptamer drugs modified by macromolecule and developing Artificial intelligence (AI)-based strategies for optimization of LMWCAs.

Multicomponent Assembly of Complex Oxindoles by Enantioselective Cooperative Catalysis.

Chiral oxindoles are important chemical scaffolds found in many natural products, and their enantioselective synthesis thus attracts considerable attention. Highly diastereo- and enantioselective synthetic methods for constructing C3 quaternary oxindoles have been well-developed. However, the efficient synthesis of chiral 3-substituted tertiary oxindoles has been rarely reported due to the ease of racemization of the tertiary stereocenter via enolization. Therefore, we herein report on the multicomponent assembly (from N-aryl diazoamides, aldehydes, and enamines/indoles) of complex oxindoles by enantioselective cooperative catalysis. These reactions proceed under mild conditions and show broad substrate scope, affording the desired coupling products (>90 examples) with good to excellent stereocontrol. Additionally, this research also demonstrates the synthetic potential of this annulation by constructing the 6,6,5-tricyclic lactone core structure of Speradine A.

Drug discovery of sclerostin inhibitors.

Sclerostin, a protein secreted from osteocytes, negatively regulates the WNT signaling pathway by binding to the LRP5/6 co-receptors and further inhibits bone formation and promotes bone resorption. Sclerostin contributes to musculoskeletal system-related diseases, making it a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of WNT-related bone diseases. Additionally, emerging evidence indicates that sclerostin contributes to the development of cancers, obesity, and diabetes, suggesting that it may be a promising therapeutic target for these diseases. Notably, cardiovascular diseases are related to the protective role of sclerostin. In this review, we summarize three distinct types of inhibitors targeting sclerostin, monoclonal antibodies, aptamers, and small-molecule inhibitors, from which monoclonal antibodies have been developed. As the first-in-class sclerostin inhibitor approved by the U.S. FDA, the monoclonal antibody romosozumab has demonstrated excellent effectiveness in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis; however, it conferred high cardiovascular risk in clinical trials. Furthermore, romosozumab could only be administered by injection, which may cause compliance issues for patients who prefer oral therapy. Considering these above safety and compliance concerns, we therefore present relevant discussion and offer perspectives on the development of next-generation sclerostin inhibitors by following several ways, such as concomitant medication, artificial intelligence-based strategy, druggable modification, and bispecific inhibitors strategy.

Erratum: MicroRNA-23a-3p Inhibits Mucosal Melanoma Growth and Progression through Targeting Adenylate Cyclase 1 and Attenuating cAMP and MAPK Pathways: Erratum.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7150/thno.30516.].

MicroRNAs: Important Regulatory Molecules in Acute Lung Injury/Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an overactivated inflammatory response caused by direct or indirect injuries that destroy lung parenchymal cells and dramatically reduce lung function. Although some research progress has been made in recent years, the pathogenesis of ALI/ARDS remains unclear due to its heterogeneity and etiology. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a type of small noncoding RNA, play a vital role in various diseases. In ALI/ARDS, miRNAs can regulate inflammatory and immune responses by targeting specific molecules. Regulation of miRNA expression can reduce damage and promote the recovery of ALI/ARDS. Consequently, miRNAs are considered as potential diagnostic indicators and therapeutic targets of ALI/ARDS. Given that inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ALI/ARDS, we review the miRNAs involved in the inflammatory process of ALI/ARDS to provide new ideas for the pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis, and treatment of ALI/ARDS.

Drug Discovery of DKK1 Inhibitors.

Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is a well-characterized Wnt inhibitor and component of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, whose dysregulation is associated with multiple abnormal pathologies including osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and various cancers. The Wnt signaling pathway has fundamental roles in cell fate determination, cell proliferation, and survival; thus, its mis-regulation can lead to disease. Although DKK1 is involved in other signaling pathways, including the ß-catenin-independent Wnt pathway and the DKK1/CKAP4 pathway, the inhibition of DKK1 to propagate Wnt/ß-catenin signals has been validated as an effective way to treat related diseases. In fact, strategies for developing DKK1 inhibitors have produced encouraging clinical results in different pathological models, and many publications provide detailed information about these inhibitors, which include small molecules, antibodies, and nucleic acids, and may function at the protein or mRNA level. However, no systematic review has yet provided an overview of the various aspects of their development and prospects. Therefore, we review the DKK1 inhibitors currently available or under study and provide an outlook on future studies involving DKK1 and drug discovery.

A novel animal model of primary blast lung injury and its pathological changes in mice.

BACKGROUND: Primary blast lung injury (PBLI) is a major cause of death in military conflict and terrorist attacks on civilian populations. However, the mechanisms of PBLI are not well understood, and a standardized animal model is urgently needed. This study aimed to establish an animal model of PBLI for laboratory study. METHODS: The animal model of PBLI was established using a self-made mini shock tube simulation device. In brief, mice were randomly divided into two groups: the control group and the model group, the model group were suffered 0.5 bar shock pressures. Mice were sacrificed at 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours after injury. Lung tissue gross observation, hematoxylin and eosin staining and lung pathology scoring were performed to evaluated lung tissue damage. Evans blue dye leakage and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid examination were performed to evaluated pulmonary edema. The relative expression levels of inflammation factors were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analysis. The release of neutrophil extracellular traps was observed by immunofluorescence stain. RESULTS: In the model group, the gross observation and hematoxylin and eosin staining assay showed the inflammatory cell infiltration, intra-alveolar hemorrhage, and damaged lung tissue structure. The Evans blue dye and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid examination revealed that the lung tissue permeability and edema was significantly increased after injury. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting assays showed that IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α were upregulated in the model group. Immunofluorescence assay showed that the level of neutrophil extracellular traps in the lung tissue increased significantly in the model group. CONCLUSION: The self-made mini shock tube simulation device can be used to establish the animal model of PBLI successfully. Pathological changes of PBLI mice were characterized by mechanical damage and inflammatory response in lung tissue.