1.The effects of curcumin on myosin light chain kinase in the intestinal mucosa of rats with nonalcoholic fat-ty liver disease
Hongtao HOU ; Yanmei QIU ; Jian ZHANG ; Yiting HU ; Yun BAI ; Cunkai WANG ; Jimin ZHENG
The Journal of Practical Medicine 2017;33(20):3363-3367
Objective To investigate the effects of curcumin on myosin light chain kinase(MLCK)in the intestinal mucosa of rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD). Methods 35 SD rats were randomly di-vided into the normal control group ,the high fat group and the curcumin group. The high fat group ,curcumin group were given high fat diet for 16 weeks. After 8 weeks of high fat feeding in the curcumin group ,the rats were gavaged with 200 mg/(kg·d)curcumin for 8 weeks. The levels of ALT,AST,LPS and DAO in blood and expres-sion of MLCK in the intestinal mucosa were detected. The changes of liver pathology and tight junction(TJ)of the intestinal mucosa were observed. Results Compared with the control group,the blood levels of ALT,AST,LPS and DAO in the high fat group were obviously increased(P<0.05);Compared with the high fat group,the blood levels of ALT、AST、LPS and DAO in the curcumin group were obviously decreased (P < 0.05). In the high fat group ,hepatocellular steatosis was obvious ,while in the curcumin group hepatocellular steatosis was decreased. TJ was disrupted in the high fat group ,and the intercellular space was larger in the TJ group than the control group (P<0.05). The intercellular space was narrower in the curcumin group than the high fat group(P<0.05). The expression of MLCK in the high fat group was significant higher than that in the control group(P<0.05). The pos-itive staining in the curcumin group was significant lower than that in the high fat group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Curcumin can ameliorate hepatic steatosis by downregulating expression of MLCK in the intestinal mucosa of rats with NAFLD,improving TJ structure of the intestinal mucosa.
2.Effect of oxaliplatin on the activation of hepatic stellate cells and its mechanism
Cunkai WANG ; Yijun WANG ; Dandan WANG ; Xiaoli XIE ; Hongyu LIU ; Yun BAI ; Huiqing JIANG ; Yuzhen WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(6):1142-1148
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of oxaliplatin on the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), as well as the association of oxaliplatin with microRNA-30a-5p and autophagy. MethodsHSC-LX2 cells were cultured and divided into groups according to the following three protocols: control group, PDGF treatment group, oxaliplatin treatment group, oxaliplatin+PDGF treatment group; control group, microRNA-30a-5p transfection group, PDGF treatment group, microRNA-30a-5p transfection+PDGF treatment group; control group, 3-MA group, microRNA-30a-5p inhibitor group, microRNA-30a-5p inhibitor+3-MA group. Western Blot was used to measure the expression of HSC activation-related proteins (Collagen-I and alpha-smooth muscle actin [α- SMA]) and HSC autophagy-related proteins (Beclin-1, P62, and LC3B); LysoTracker staining and immunofluorescence assay were used to measure the expression of LC3B autophagosomes; RT-PCR was used to measure the expression level of microRNA-30a-5p; bioinformatics techniques were used to predict the potential targets of microRNA-30a-5p in HSCs. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups; a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsAfter the cells were treated with oxaliplatin, RT-PCR results showed that the oxaliplatin treatment group had a significantly higher expression level of microRNA-30a-5p than the control group (P<0.01); Western Blot showed that the oxaliplatin treatment group had significant reductions in the expression levels of the HSC activation-related proteins α-SMA and Collagen-Ⅰ and the autophagy-related proteins Beclin 1 and LC3BⅡ/Ⅰ (all P<0.001); immunofluorescence assay showed that the oxaliplatin treatment group had a significantly lower number of autophagosomes than the control group (P<0.05). After HSC-LX2 cells were transfected with microRNA-30a-5p mimic, compared with the control group, the microRNA-30a-5p mimic group had significant reductions in the expression levels of the autophagy-related proteins Beclin 1 and LC3BⅡ/Ⅰ (P<0.05) and the HSC activation-related protein Collagen-Ⅰ (P<0.001); after HSC-LX2 cells were transfected with microRNA-30a-5p inhibitor, Western Blot showed that compared with the control group, the microRNA-30a-5p inhibitor group had significant increases in the expression levels of the HSC activation-related proteins Collagen-Ⅰ and α-SMA and the autophagy-related protein Beclin 1 (t=2.41, 2.32, and 4.57, all P<0.05). Western Blot showed that compared with the control group, the microRNA-30a-5p inhibitor group had significant increases in the expression levels of the HSC autophagy-related protein Beclin 1 and the HSC activation-related protein α-SMA (both P<0.05), and after the treatment with the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA, there were no significant differences in the expression of these proteins between the two groups (P>0.05). The bioinformatics analysis using TargetScan, PicTar, and miRanda databases showed that the autophagy-related protein Beclin-1 might be a potential target of miRNA-30a-5p. ConclusionOxaliplatin can inhibit the activation of HSCs by upregulating the expression of microRNA-30a-5p, which provides new ideas and a new target for the treatment of liver fibrosis.
3.Value of albumin-bilirubin score combined with neutrophil count and procalcitonin in ascites in predicting spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with cirrhotic ascites
Ping JIANG ; Rencheng DOU ; Zijin CUI ; Yinni TONG ; Chen LI ; Shanshan JIANG ; Yun BAI ; Jimin ZHENG ; Cunkai WANG ; Yuzhen WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2021;37(9):2097-2101
Objective To investigate the risk factors for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in patients with cirrhotic ascites, and to establish a new model for predicting the development of SBP. Methods A total of 215 patients who were diagnosed with cirrhotic ascites in Hebei General Hospital from September 2016 to September 2020 were enrolled, and according to the presence or absence of SBP, they were divided into SBP group with 55 patients and non-SBP group with 160 patients. Related clinical data were collected and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, MELD combined with serum sodium concentration (MELD-Na) score, and Child-Pugh score were calculated. The t -test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups; a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen out independent risk factors, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the performance of ALBI score, procalcitonin (PCT), polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) count in ascites, and the ALBI-PMN-PCT combined model in the diagnosis of SBP. Results Compared with the SBP group, the non-SBP group had a significantly higher concentration of Na + ( Z =-3.414, P =0.001) and significantly lower total bilirubin ( Z =-2.720, P =0.007), creatinine ( Z =-1.994, P =0.046), urea nitrogen ( Z =-2.440, P =0.015), C-reactive protein ( Z =-9.137, P < 0.001), PCT ( Z =-8.096, P < 0.001), prothrombin time ( Z =-1.969, P =0.049), international normalized ratio ( Z =-2.073, P =0.038), PMN ( Z =-8.292, P < 0.001), MELD score ( Z =-2.736, P =0.006), MELD-Na score ( Z =-3.188, P =0.001), Child-Pugh score ( Z =-3.419, P =0.001), and ALBI score ( t =-5.010, P < 0.001), and there were also significant differences between the two groups in the presence or absence of gastrointestinal bleeding or hepatic encephalopathy ( χ 2 =16.551 and 8.142, P < 0.001 and P =0.004). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ALBI score (odds ratio [ OR ]=3.460, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.296-9.240, P =0.013), PMN ( OR =1.012, 95% CI : 1.007-1.017, P < 0.001), and PCT ( OR =6.019, 95% CI : 2.821-12.843, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for SBP in patients with cirrhotic ascites. The ROC curve showed that ALBI, PCT, PMN, and ALBI-PMN-PCT had areas under the ROC curve of 0.711, 0.866, 0.875, and 0.934, respectively, in the diagnosis of SBP, with sensitivities of 50.91%, 73.36%, 72.73%, and 89.09%, respectively, and specificities of 86.87%, 81.25%, 100.00%, and 91.87%, respectively. The patients with ALBI-PMN-PCT > 0.272 had an increased risk of developing SBP. Conclusion The ALBI-PMN-PCT combined model has a high value in predicting the onset of SBP in patients with cirrhotic ascites.