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Zong, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Zong, C..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Establishment of the trans-resveratrol-induced mouse pulmonary fibrosis model and its comparison with the bleomycin-induced model

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a progressive, fatal disease, and its pathogenic mechanism has not yet been identified. The bleomycin (BLM)-induced animal model has several shortcomings that cannot be overcome. We accidentally found that the continuous oral administration of trans-resveratrol (TR) at levels above the prescribed dose can induce PF within a certain period of time, and this model can be successfully replicated in mice, as indicated by the hydroxyproline (HYP) test and pathological analysis. The TR model requires no anesthesia or surgery and thus causes less damage to mice than the BLM model. The progress of fibrosis in the TR model was slow but progressed steadily compared with the BLM model, and the TR model was more comparable to human PF. Although the pathogenesis is not understood, the TR-induced PF model indicated that there may be a close relationship between PF and tumors and antitumor drugs, which requires further exploration.

pharmacology and toxicology

Photo-Disassembly of Membrane Microdomains Revives Conventional Antibiotics against MRSA

Confronted with the rapid evolution and dissemination of antibiotic resistance, there is an urgent need to develop alternative treatment strategies for drug-resistant pathogens. Here, we present an unconventional approach to restore the susceptibility of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) to a broad spectrum of conventional antibiotics via photo-disassembly of functional membrane microdomains. The photo-disassembly of microdomains is based on effective photolysis of staphyloxanthin, the golden carotenoid pigment that gives its name. Upon pulsed laser treatment, cell membranes are found severely disorganized and malfunctioned to defense antibiotics, as unveiled by membrane permeabilization, membrane fluidification, and detachment of membrane protein, PBP2a. Consequently, our photolysis approach increases susceptibility and inhibits development of resistance to a broad spectrum of antibiotics including penicillins, quinolones, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, lipopeptides, and oxazolidinones.\n\nOne Sentence SummaryUsing photons to crash S. aureus cell membrane and its formidable defense against a broad spectrum of antibiotics.

microbiology