Hong Kong Baptist University

HONG KONG, Sept. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Centre for Chinese Herbal Medicine Drug Development (CDD) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has achieved a significant milestone in developing a novel Chinese herbal formulation for ulcerative colitis remission maintenance. Following a submission of Investigational New Drug application for CDD-2103 to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in mid-June this year, CDD has received in late August its authorisation for clinical trial. Continue Reading (From right) Ms Emily Au, Assistant Director (Research and Development); Dr Tan Hor Yue, Assistant Professor; and Mr Duan Zhigang, Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager of CDD at HKBU, introduce the development of the novel Chinese herbal formulation for ulcerative colitis remission maintenance. CDD plans to commence a Phase II clinical trial for this new drug in the Mainland next year to verify its effectiveness and safety as a treatment for remission maintenance for ulcerative colitis. Developed based on traditional Chinese medicine formulation Ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, is becoming increasingly prevalent. It has a rising morbidity particularly in China and other Asian countries. Its main symptoms include diarrhea, rectal bleeding and abdominal cramps, resulting in a reduced quality of life for patients. Ulcerative colitis can be broadly divided into active and remission stages. Currently the main treatment objectives of the disease are to relieve symptoms, sustain the remission period, and reduce recurrence. Existing treatment options for ulcerative colitis cannot completely maintain remission, nor prevent its recurrence. In search of more effective ways to relieve ulcerative colitis, the research team developed a Chinese herbal formulation CDD-2103, with nine Chinese herbal medicines including Codonopsis Radix (dang shen) and Curcumae Longae Rhizoma (jiang huang), based on years of clinical experience. CDD-2103 is formulated for to maintain remission in ulcerative colitis patients who exhibit symptoms of spleen deficiency and internal accumulation of damp heat. According to a clinical study conducted in Hong Kong by the research team, patients who used CDD-2103 in a decoction format demonstrated good tolerability with no adverse effects reported. The research team has developed the CDD-2103 granule in accordance with NMPA's stringent quality control standards, and completed a series of basic experimental studies including preclinical pharmaceutical, pharmacology and non-clinical safety evaluations. Results of the preclinical studies showed that CDD-2103 suppressed the progression of colitis by improving the tolerogenic immune microenvironment, which is achieved by mediating the differentiation of regulatory T cells and reducing the number of inflammatory macrophages in the colon, as well as strengthening the tight junction proteins in the mucosal barriers. The research findings have been published in a number of scientific journals including Journal of Advanced Research, Phytomedicine and Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, Associate Vice-President (Clinical Chinese Medicine) and Director of CDD at HKBU, said: "We are delighted that CDD-2103 has obtained approval to carry out a Phase II clinical trial in the Mainland. The Centre is optimistic that it can improve patients' quality of life. CDD-2103 is a novel Chinese herbal formulation developed based on the modified ancient formulations combined with modern technology. Obtaining clinical trial approval from NMPA for this new drug is one of the important milestones of the Centre, which is also a recognition of the efforts of the research team in the development of novel Chinese herbal drugs." Phase II trial focuses on safety and effectiveness CDD will launch a randomised, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trial in the Mainland in 2025 to evaluate the drug's safety and effectiveness in ulcerative colitis patients in remission. Dr Tan Hor Yue, Assistant Professor of CDD stated: "It is anticipated that the larger scales of clinical trials will be completed in the next five years in order to confirm CDD-2103's therapeutic effect and safety in treating ulcerative colitis. After collecting sufficient data regarding the drug's safety and efficacy, the Centre will submit an application for NMPA's new drug approval, with the objective of obtaining authorisation for the sales of CDD-2103 in the market". CDD, located in the Hong Kong Science Park, is funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission's InnoHK initiative. It is the only centre focusing on the research and development of Chinese herbal medicines at a local university. Since its establishment in 2020, CDD has been focusing on innovative Chinese medicine research for gastrointestinal and immune-related diseases such as chronic constipation and ulcerative colitis. SOURCE Hong Kong Baptist University

HONG KONG, Aug. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A research team led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has discovered that phosphocholine, an important component in the body's metabolism, could counteract the adverse effects of PM2.5 toxicity on lung cells. This discovery highlights the therapeutic potential of phosphocholine in treating lung diseases associated with PM2.5 such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer, and contributes to developing health measures against air pollution. Continue Reading Professor Cai Zongwei, Chair Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis (left), and Dr Yang Zhu, Assistant Professor of the Department of Biology at HKBU (right), discover the potential of phosphocholine in counteracting PM2.5 toxicity in the lungs. The research findings have been published in the international academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. PM2.5 increases health risks The World Health Organisation has linked air pollution to an estimated seven million deaths annually, and recognising it as the leading environmental risk factor globally. PM2.5, a major air pollutant, increases the risk of health problems such as heart and lung diseases. Every type of PM2.5 component possesses distinct impacts on human health. However, the understanding of the toxicity effects of individual PM2.5 components remains limited, and the respective preventive solutions for PM2.5-associated health problems are lacking. To understand the effects of different PM2.5 components on the underlying cell metabolism associated with lung diseases, a team led by Professor Cai Zongwei, Chair Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, and Dr Yang Zhu, Assistant Professor of the Department of Biology at HKBU, analysed a total of 82 components in PM2.5 samples collected from Taiyuan in Shanxi Province and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province between 2017 and 2018. It was found that the overall PM2.5 profiles were similar in both cities. Inorganic ions are the most abundant pollutants, followed by metals and organic compounds polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, a large difference was observed in the relative proportions of PAHs and their derivatives. PM2.5 composition contributes to toxicity The research team discovered that the proportion of PAHs was significantly higher in Taiyuan, especially during the heating season. Since the abundance of PAHs is closely associated with coal combustion, the result suggested that coal combustion was one of the major sources of PM2.5 in the city. Conversely, the seasonal variance of PAHs in Guangzhou was significantly lower. Traffic emissions were the predominant PM2.5 in Guangzhou. Given the disparity in pollutant composition, the research team conducted toxicity and health risk analysis of PM2.5 samples from both cities. A cytotoxicity test revealed that the PM2.5 from winter Taiyuan exhibited much stronger toxicity than the samples from Guangzhou or from other seasons of Taiyuan with the same PM2.5 concentration, as indicated by cell viability which measures the proportion of healthy living cells. Assessment using the incremental lifetime cancer risk model, which estimates increased cancer risk from carcinogen exposure, highlighted that the regional difference in cancer risks linked to PAHs and its derivatives nitro-PAHs' concentration was much higher than the variation in overall PM2.5 concentration. These findings underscore that PM2.5 toxicity cannot be solely attributed to its concentration but also to its composition. Phosphocholine counteracts PM2.5 toxicity The research team further employed correlation analysis to examine the impact of specific PM2.5 components on metabolic alterations in lung cells, and identified 11 metabolites that showed a significant correlation with PM2.5 components. Among these metabolites, the researchers focused on the functions of eight ones whose amount reduced significantly after PM2.5 exposure. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that only supplementing phosphocholine to PM2.5-exposed cells was effective in both rescuing cell viability and stimulat ing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. ATP is a critical molecule for energy storage, which provides the energy needed for a wide range of cellular processes within living cells. Under normal circumstances, lung cells primarily rely on glucose for energy production. However, PM2.5 conditions might impair energy supply from glucose. Fatty acid oxidation is a process in cells that breaks down fatty acids to generate energy. Under normal conditions, the utilisation of fatty acid oxidation pathway contributes minimally to energy production in lung cells. It was found that phosphocholine can reprogramme cellular metabolism to increase fatty acid oxidation to meet the shortfall in energy supply during the PM2.5 challenge, which helps to alleviate cellular dysfunction induced by PM2.5. Professor Cai said: "Our findings highlighted the potential of phosphocholine as a therapeutic agent for lung diseases associated with PM2.5. As air pollution caused by PM2.5 has been recognised as a significant global health risk factor, our discovery provides the prospect of developing novel treatments for related health issues, potentially helping to address this public health challenge." In future, the research may also contribute to the development of diagnosis protocol for lung diseases caused by PM2.5 apart from its potential as a therapeutic agent. SOURCE Hong Kong Baptist University

HONG KONG, July 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A research team at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has developed a new approach for the inspection of sulfur-treated food and Chinese herbal medicinal products through a new chemical marker called tryptophan sulfonate. This approach is more accurate, rapid and efficient for large sample quantities compared to the current testing method. The study marks a potential advancement in food safety and quality assurance, providing the industry with a robust tool for inspecting sulfur-treated food and Chinese herbal medicinal products. Continue Reading Dr Xu Jun, Assistant Professor of the Teaching and Research Division of the School of Chinese Medicine (left), and Mr Chan Kam-chun, Senior Research Assistant of HKBU (right), have developed a tryptophan sulfonate test which can inspect sulfur-treated food and Chinese herbal medicine more accurately and rapidly. The research findings have been published in the international scientific journal Food Chemistry. More accurate and efficient test in need Sulfur treatment, including sulfur fumigation and the addition of sulfites, is a common preservation method employed in the food and Chinese herbal medicinal industries. However, excessive consumption of preservative sulfites in food and Chinese herbal medicinal products can lead to respiratory symptoms and compromised nutritional value and safety. Currently, sulfite test is the most commonly used method for inspecting residual sulfites in sulfur-treated food. Nevertheless, sulfites are chemically unstable, sometimes leading to inaccurate results. Sulfite test is also labour-intensive and time consuming. It can only analyse one sample at a time, making high-throughput analysis challenging. Furthermore, sulfite test may yield false-positive results for food rich in endogenous sulfur-containing components such as garlic and onion. Tryptophan sulfonate as a chemical marker In search of a more accurate and efficient testing approach, Dr Xu Jun , Assistant Professor of the Teaching and Research Division of the School of Chinese Medicine at HKBU, and his research team identified a chemical compound called tryptophan sulfonate in sulfur-fumigated samples using untargeted metabolomics. Tryptophan sulfonate is formed when tryptophan, a naturally occurring amino acid in many foods, reacts with sulfite. The research team conducted comparative experiments on 20 food products using the tryptophan sulfonate test. It was found that tryptophan sulfonate is present consistently in all sulfur-fumigated food samples but not in non-fumigated samples. The finding demonstrated the potential of tryptophan sulfonate as a specific chemical marker for distinguishing sulfur-treated and non-sulfur-treated food products. Tryptophan sulfonate test outperforms sulfite test To evaluate the applicability of tryptophan sulfonate in the inspection of sulfur-treated food products and Chinese herbal medicines, the team applied tryptophan sulfonate and sulfite tests to 50 food and Chinese herbal medicinesamples collected from markets. It was found that tryptophan sulfonate test and sulfite test results were mostly identical except for six food samples, including corn starch, dried star fruit, dried mango, snow fungus, garlic and onion. The tryptophan sulfonate test result was positive in corn starch, dried star fruit, dried mango and snow fungus, but negative in garlic and onion; sulfite test yielded opposite results. As garlic and onion are known to contain endogenous sulfur-containing components, it is evident that the positive sulfite test result is not a consequence of sulfur-treatment. Tryptophan sulfonate test is therefore a more reliable approach for detecting sulfur-treatment for food items with intrinsic sulfur-containing constituents. False-negative due to instability of sulfites For the discrepancies between the two tests on the other four food samples, the research team hypothesised that the sulfite test may produce false-negative results due to the instability of sulfites caused by high temperature and prolonged storage of the food samples. In a separate experiment, the research team found that sulfite levels in sulfur-fumigated ginger, yam and ginseng declined by around 90% to 100% after nine months of storage, and reduced by around 50% to 72% after heating, while the tryptophan sulfonate levels remained stable. They concluded that the instability of residual sulfites could lead to false-negative results. In contrast, tryptophan sulfonate exhibited greater stability over heat and storage, suggesting it serves as a better chemical marker for sulfur-treatment inspection. High throughput screening made possible On the testing procedure, tryptophan sulfonate test is faster and more automated. It involves a direct ultrasonic extraction for one hour and mass spectrometry analysis for two minutes, allowing the parallel handling of batches of samples. In contrast, sulfite test requires 2.5 hours of manual operation, including reflux extraction and titration for a single sample test. Dr Xu Jun said: "Our research showed that tryptophan sulfonate serves as a highly distinctive chemical marker, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of sulfur-treated food and Chinese herbal medicine inspection. It is especially suitable for high throughput screening of large samples size. It demonstrates the potential in offering a more cost-effective alternative for the existing test protocol adopted by the industry." Moving forward, the research team hopes to further develop the tryptophan sulfonate test for commercial application. SOURCE Hong Kong Baptist University