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WANG Zhenzhen
Associate Professor

Department :

Department of Pharmacology

Platform :

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines
Beijing Key Laboratory of New Drug Mechanisms and Pharmacological Evaluation

Contact Details

Chen Naihong's group
wangzz@imm.ac.cn
Brief Introduction

Wang Zhenzhen mainly focuses on exploring the novel pathogenesis and drug targets of depression and the pharmacological research of innovative antidepressant drugs. The specific research contents are as follows:

1. Novel pathogenesis and drug targets of depression: the function of gap junction or hemichannel mediated by connexin 43 in astrocytes; the mechanisms of stress sensitivity and resistance; the relationship between glucocorticoid receptor and depression, etc.

2. Innovative antidepressant drugs: the antidepressant mechanisms of Ginsenoside Rg1 and other natural products; R&D of selective PDE4D inhibitors and fast-acting antidepressant innovative drugs, etc.

Achievements

Papers

1. Novel antidepressant mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1: Regulating biosynthesis and degradation of connexin43.  Journal of Ethnopharmacology ,2021: 114212.

2. Comparative proteomic characterization of ventral hippocampus in susceptible and resilient rats subjected to chronic unpredictable stress.  Frontiers in Neuroscience , 2021; doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.675430.

3. Hair growth predicts a depression-like phenotype in rats as a mirror of stress traceability.  Neurochemistry International , 2021: 105110.

4. The receptor hypothesis and the pathogenesis of depression: Genetic bases and biological correlates.  Pharmacological Research , 2021; 167: 105542.

5. Update on the association between alpha-synuclein and tau with mitochondrial dysfunction: Implications for Parkinson's disease.  European Journal of Neuroscience, 2021; 53(9):2946-2959.

6. Mitophagy, a Form of Selective Autophagy, Plays an Essential Role in Mitochondrial Dynamics of Parkinson's Disease.  Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology , 2021; doi: 10.1007/s10571-021-01039-w.

7. Connexin 43: A novel ginsenoside Rg1-sensitive target in a rat model of depression.  Neuropharmacology, 2020; 170:108041.

8. The protective effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on depression may benefit from the gap junction function in hippocampal astrocytes.  European Journal of Pharmacology , 2020; 882:173309.

9. Potential Application of Endocannabinoid System Agents in Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Diseases-Focusing on FAAH/MAGL Inhibitors.  Acta Pharmacologica Sinica,  2020; 41(10):1263-1271.

10. Role of Non-coding RNA in the Pathogenesis of Depression.  Gene , 2020;735:144276.

11. Dynamin-related protein 1: A critical protein in mitochondrial fission, mitophagy, and neuronal death of Parkinson's disease.  Pharmacological Research , 2020;151:104553.

12. The effects of glucocorticoids on depressive and anxiety-like behaviors, mineralocorticoid receptor-dependent cell proliferation regulates anxiety-like behaviors. Behavioural Brain Research, 2019; 362: 288-298.

13. RNAi-mediated knockdown of DJ-1 leads to mitochondrial dysfunction via Akt/GSK-3ss and JNK signaling pathways in dopaminergic neuron-like cells. Brain Res Bull, 2019;146:228-236.

14. Mangiferin: A multipotent natural product preventing neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease models. Pharmacological Research, 2019;146:104336.

15. The extended application of The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates in rats of various body weight. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2018; 307: 60-69.

16. A novel mechanism of depression: role for connexins. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2018; 28(4): 483-498.

17. Gap junction channels as potential targets for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 2018; 235(1):1-12.

18. Ginsenoside Rg1 alleviates corticosterone-induced dysfunction of gap junctions in astrocytes. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2017; 208: 207-213.

19. Corticosterone impairs gap junctions in the prefrontal cortical and hippocampal astrocytes via different mechanisms. Neuropharmacology, 2017; 131: 20-30.

20. Ginsenoside Rg1-induced antidepressant effects involve the protection of astrocyte gap junctions within the prefrontal cortex. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 2017; 75: 183-191.

21. Possible target-related proteins of stress-resistant rats suggested by label-free protemic analysis. RSC Advances, 2017; 7: 40957-40964.

22. Does mineralocorticoid receptor play a vital role in the development of depressive disorder? Life Sciences, 2016; 152: 76-81.

23. Phosphodiesterase-4D Knock-down in the Prefrontal Cortex Alleviates Chronic Unpredictable Stress-Induced Depressive-Like Behaviors and Memory Deficits in Mice. Scientific Reports, 2015; 5: 11332.

24. Phosphodiesterase (PDEs): An interface connecting cognitive deficits to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2015; 21: 303-316.

25. Effects of chronic mild stress on behavioral and neurobiological parameters - Role of glucocorticoid. Hormones and Behavior, 2015; 78: 150-159.

26. Chemokine-like factor 1 promotes the migration of rat primary cortical neurons by the induction of actin polymerization. Neuroreport, 2014; 25: 1221-1226.

27. Systematic review of traditional chinese medicine for depression in Parkinson's disease. American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2014; 42: 1035-1051.

28. RNA interference-mediated phosphodiesterase-4D splice variants knockdown in the prefrontal cortex produces antidepressant-like and cognition-enhancing effects. British Journal of Pharmacology, 2013; 168: 1001-1014.

29. A meta-analysis of the relationship of the Parkin p.Val380Leu polymorphism to Parkinson's disease. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2013; 162: 235-244.

30. Developmental expression of chemokine-like factor 1, a novel member of chemokines family, in postnatal rat cerebral cortex. Neuroscience Letters, 2012; 519: 51-55.

31. Lack of association between p.Ser167Asn variant of Parkin and Parkinson's disease: A meta-analysis of 15 studies involving 2,280 cases and 2,459 controls. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2012; 159B: 38-47.

32. Meta-analysis of the influence of Parkin p.Asp394Asn variant on the susceptibility of Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience Letters, 2012; 524: 60-64.

33. Chemokine-like factor 1, a novel cytokine, induces nerve cell migration through the non-extracellular Ca2+-dependent tyrosine kinases pathway. Brain Research, 2010; 1308: 24-34.

34. Protection of Veratrum nigrum L. var. ussuriense Nakai alkaloids against ischemia-reperfusion injury of the rat liver. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2007; 13: 564-571.


Books

Honors & Awards

The winner of the 18th SERVIER-CNPHARS Award by Chinese Pharmacological Society (CNPHARS) and Servier, France, in October 2014.