Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38888462›Full record

ArticleImmunity, inflammation and disease2024

Quantitative proteomic analysis of circulating exosomes reveals the mechanism by which Triptolide protects against collagen-induced arthritis.

Xiuchan Liu, Xu Liu, Hui Wang, Ming Chen, Geng Zhang, Dongyun Ren, Na Zhang, Wei Wei

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Immunity, inflammation and disease, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. FeBioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Frontiers in immunology · 2026
    Review
  6. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Xiuchan LiuDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Xu LiuDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Binhai Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Hui WangDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Ming ChenDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Geng ZhangDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Tianjin Medical University Baodi Clinical College, Tianjin, China.
Dongyun RenDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Na ZhangDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Wei WeiDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4386-8577

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTriptolide (TP), a natural product derived from the herbal medicine Tripterygium wilfordii, exhibits potent immunosuppressive activity. However, the mechanisms underlying its effects in rheumatoid arthritis remain incompletely understood.

methodsCollagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by immunization with bovine type II collagen, and TP was administrated as treatment. The therapeutic effect of TP was evaluated based on paw swelling, histopathology, and serum levels of inflammatory factors. Exosomes isolated from rat serum were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and western blot analysis. Proteomic profiling of exosomes was analyzed by direct DIA quantitative proteomics analysis. Gene ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases were employed for enrichment analysis related to molecular function, biological processes, and signaling pathways. Western blot analysis was used to analyze differentially expressed proteins.

resultsTP treatment ameliorated arthritic phenotypes in CIA rats as evidenced by reduced arthritis score, paw swelling, pathological injury severity scores, and serum levels of inflammatory cytokines. The proteomic analysis revealed that TP treatment significantly inhibited complement and coagulation cascades, interleukin-17 signaling pathway, and cholesterol metabolism, which were reactivated in CIA rats. Importantly, lipocalin 2 (LCN2) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels were markedly upregulated in the CIA group but suppressed upon TP administration. Furthermore, in synovial tissues, LCN2 and MPO expression levels were also elevated in the CIA group but decreased following TP treatment.

conclusionOur findings demonstrate that TP alleviates CIA, possibly through modulation of exosomal LCN2 and MPO proteins.

Indexed as

Arthritis, ExperimentalDiterpenesEpoxy CompoundsExosomesPhenanthrenesProteomicsRats, Sprague-DawleyAnimalsArthritis, RheumatoidDisease Models, AnimalMaleRatsSignal TransductionDiterpenesEpoxy CompoundsPhenanthrenestriptolideexosomesinflammationproteomicsrheumatoid arthritistriptolide

Identifiers

PMID38888462
PMCPMC11184934

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.