Evidence mapPaperPMID 41788408Full record

ArticleFrontiers in aging neuroscience2026

Systems-level molecular and immunological evidence identifies Th17/Treg modulation as a key mechanism of CRSJ's neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease.

Xun Li, XiYu Li, ShiYa Chen, Lin Wang, JinYan Xia, MeiLing Zheng, ChuTian Zhang, XiaoQian Chen, Jing Cai

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

9 authors.

Xun Li *School of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
XiYu Li *School of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
ShiYa ChenThe Third Affiliated People's Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
Lin WangSchool of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
JinYan XiaSchool of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
MeiLing ZhengSchool of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
ChuTian ZhangDepartment of Neurology, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.
XiaoQian ChenThe Third Affiliated People's Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
Jing CaiThe Second Affiliated People's Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which neuroinflammation plays a central role. Congrong Shujing Granules (CRSJ), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, have shown clinical benefits in PD, yet their immunomodulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Methods: We investigated the effects of CRSJ on Th17/Treg immune balance. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to identify representative chemical constituents of CRSJ. Representative CRSJ compounds were characterized, and their binding affinities were evaluated by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. An MPTP-induced PD mouse model was established and treated with CRSJ. Behavioral outcomes, dopaminergic neuroprotection, immune cell subsets, transcriptomic profiles, and cytokine networks were assessed using flow cytometry, RNA sequencing, multiplex assays, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting. Results: HPLC analysis identified 44 representative compounds in CRSJ spanning multiple chemical classes associated with immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and antioxidant activities. Molecular-level prioritization of CRSJ-derived serum constituents highlighted paeoniflorin as a key Th17/Treg balance immunoregulatory candidate, exhibiting stable interactions with RORγt, Foxp3, and α-synuclein in molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. In an MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease mouse model, CRSJ treatment dose-dependently improved motor performance, preserved dopaminergic neurons, and reduced striatal α-synuclein accumulation. Transcriptomic profiling revealed CRSJ-associated shifts toward regulatory immune programs, characterized by attenuation of Th17-related signatures and enhancement of Treg-associated pathways, accompanied by consistent modulation of the TGF-β/SMAD3 signaling axis. These molecular changes were supported by protein-level validation. CRSJ further alleviated neuroinflammation by promoting microglial M1/M2 polarization and partially normalizing dysregulated cytokine and chemokine profiles. Integrated immunological analyses demonstrated restoration of Th17/Treg balance and suppression of CX3CL1/CX3CR1-Th17 signaling, collectively supporting an immuno-neuroprotective profile of CRSJ in PD. Conclusion: CRSJ exerts neuroprotective effects in PD by restoring Th17/Treg homeostasis and suppressing neuroinflammatory pathways, supporting its potential as an immunomodulatory therapy.

Indexed as

Congrong Shujing GranulesneuroprotectionParkinson’s diseasesystems-levelTh17/Treg

Identifiers

PMID41788408
PMCPMC12957185

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.