On April 29th, 2018, Ji Xinying, a professor from the School of Medical Science of Henan University, obtained a new breakthrough in the experimental treatment of diaphragmatic dysfunction, and his research results “Hydrogen sulfide alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced diaphragm dysfunction in rats by reducing apoptosis and inflammation through ROS/MAPK and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathways” were formally received by the SCI journal "Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity" (JCR Zone 2). Professors Ji Xinying and Wu Dongdong are corresponding authors of the paper. Zhang Guoyu, Lu Dan (a graduate student of the grade 2015) and Duan Shaofeng are the co-first authors. The study was supported by 3 National Natural Science Foundation projects and 1 Joint Fund project. And with this paper, in 2018, another National Natural Science Foundation project was submitted.

The research team has been working on the study of post-infection diaphragmatic muscle dysfunction for many years, particularly on its relationship between nuclear protein PCNP (PEST proteolytic signal containing nuclear protein, nuclear protein containing PEST protein cleavage signal) and in-depth discussion of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on sepsis-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction. They found that the exogenous H2S can reduce apoptosis and inflammatory response of muscle cells through ROS/MAPK and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathways, thereby improving diaphragm muscle dysfunction of the rats induced by bacterial endotoxin.

The significance of this work is to find that H2S has the function of protecting diaphragm muscles after infection and reducing the damage of diaphragm muscles. It will provide new targets, new approaches and new thinking for clinical treatment of diaphragmatic muscle dysfunction, which might bring hope for many intensive care unit patients.

In 2006, the research team leader Dr. Ji Xinying was invited by the International Diaphragm Inability authorities, Professor Supinski and Callahan from the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the Georgia Medical University to serve as a laboratory researcher. Then he moved to the University of Kentucky Medical School with two professors, where he served as an assistant professor to continue the research on the molecular mechanism of post-infection diaphragmatic muscle weakness. He was the first to demonstrate that infection in intensive care unit (ICU) patients is an important cause of diaphragm weakness, resulting in dyspnea which needs rescue. Its molecular mechanism is related to the three signaling pathways of p38, JNK1, and PKR.

After returning home, Professor Ji Xinying continued his research on the molecular mechanism of the post-infection diaphragmatic muscle weakness. And he firstly found that the negative immune regulator TIPE2 and nuclear protein PCNP plays an important role in the occurrence of diaphragmatic weakness. One the features of research directions in his team is the molecular mechanism of post-infection diaphragmatic muscle weakness. And the main achievements in this area are:

lHaving published 11 SCI papers on infection and diaphragm weakness;

lHaving obtained 4 projects,2 of which obtained by professor Jin Xinying, from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in the field of post-infection diaphragmatic muscle weakness, with a total funding of 1.97 million yuan;

lThe successful cultivation of the world's first PCNP knockout mice, which are currently being expanded. And it will be used to study the molecular mechanism of PCNP in the post-infection diaphragmatic muscle;

lHaving trained 7 postgraduates in the field of the diaphragmatic dysfunction, including 2 foreign doctoral students;

lIt possesses experimental platforms for the determination of rat diaphragmatic muscle strength, testing personnel, and techniques, which took the lead at home;

lIt has published the first SCI paper on PCNP function research globally;

lSuccessfully applied for a PCNP patent.

lIn 2017, it was approved to establish the Henan International Laboratory of Nuclear Protein Gene Regulation;

lThe nuclear protein PCNP website was created, which will soon be officially operational.

These achievements have laid a solid foundation for the future development of the laboratory, which will become the highlights of the college's scientific research work. And they will gradually make the research on diaphragmatic dysfunction an academic advantage of the School of Basic Medical Science.

In the future plans of development, the research team will strive to win the international cooperation key project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China for the study on the inability of diaphragmatic muscle at the base of the Henan International Joint Lab of Nuclear Protein Gene Regulation. They will also recruit outstanding experts, doctors and postdoctoral researchers at home and abroad. They are determined to make breakthroughs in the submission of high-level papers and projects. In addition, they would invite well-known experts at home and abroad to visit and give lectures to highly improve the scientific research level of the laboratory, thus help promote the “Double Top-Class Major” project of our university and contribute to the success of winning the recognition of the first level doctoral degree of basic medicine of our school.

More about ProfessorJi Xinying

http://bms.henu.edu.cn/info/1759/2656.htm

More about Professor Wu Dongdong

http://bms.henu.edu.cn/info/1760/2701.htm