Youbo Zhang

Peking University Assistant Research Fellow

Research Areas

Natural Products Research

ADME/Tox. Properties of TCM

Education & Positions

University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), B.S., 1994

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D., 2000

Natural Institutes of Health, Postdoctoral Fellow, 2015-2016

Peking University, Ph. D. 2007-2010

Shandong University of TCM, M. Sc. 2004-2007

Shandong University of TCM, B. Sc. 2000-2004

Peking University Assistant Research Fellow, 2010-now

Faculty Accolades

Ministry of Education, Natural Science Second Prize 2013

Winner of Young Talents Support Program of Peking University 2012-2013        

Winner of Young Talents Support Program of Beijing universities 2013-2015       

Research Interests

Our research program spans a broad range of natural products, ADME/Tox. properties of TCM, metabolic enzymes regulation, and physiological effects of metabolic enzymes. We discovered 13 metabolites of columbianadin (CBN), one of the main bioactive components of Angelicae Pubescentis, in liver microsomes system. Pharmacological research found CBN has good anti-inflammatory effect via inhibiting P38 phosphorylation.However, the anti-inflammatory effects of its metabolites are significantly reduced. Structure-activity relationships of the main bioactive constituents of Euodia ruticarpa on AHR activation found N-14 atom was a key factor affecting AHR activation of rutaecarpine (RUT), evodiamine (EOD) and dehydroevodiamine (DHED). Besides, RUT also can ameliorate DSS-induced inflammatory bowel disease through activation of the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. When CYP2E1 was deleted/inhibited, mice showed more resistance to HFD induced metabolic syndrome. Mechanism research revealed that deletion of CYP2E1 could activate PPARα/FGF21/UCP1 signal pathway.

Grants and fundings

National Natural Science Foundation of China. Metabolic research of the main active ingredients of Radix Angelicae (RMB214,200).

National Natural Science Foundation of Beijing. Study on the mechanism of liver metabolism of Columbianadin and anti-inflammatory mechanism of its metabolites (RMB80,000).

Publications

1. Zhang Y.B.; Yan T.T.; Sun D.X.; Xie C.; Zheng Y.R.; Zhang L.; Tomoki Y.; Kristopher W.K.; William H.B.; Yang X.W.; Frank J.G. Structure-activity relationships of the main bioactive constituents of Euodia ruticarpa on aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation and bile acid homeostasis. Drug Metabolism and Disposition. 2018, 46, 1030–1040.

2. Hu X.J.¹; Zhang Y.B.¹; Zhao Z.J.; Zhang L.; Wang Q.*; Yang X.W.*. Metabolic detoxification of bakuchiol is mediated by oxidation of CYP 450s in liver microsomes. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2018, 111, 385~392

3. Zhang Y.B.; Yang X.B.; Yang X.W.*; Xu W.; Li F.; Frank J. G. Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry: A Sensitive Method for the Determination of Dehydrodiisoeugenol in Rat Cerebral Nuclei. Molecules, 2016, 21, 321~331.

4. Zhao A.H.¹; Zhang Y.B.¹; Yang X.W.*. Simultaneous determination and pharmacokinetics of sixteen Angelicae dahurica coumarins in vivo by LC–ESI-MS/MS following oral delivery in rats. Phytomedicine, 2016, 23, 1029~1036.

5. Zhang Y.B.; Zhu L.Q.; Yang X.W.*. Cerebral nuclei distribution study of dehydrodiisoeugenol as an anxiogenic agent determined by RP-HPLC. Fitoterapia, 2013, 84, 47~53.