1.Quality Improvement Pathway of Cultivated Chinese Medicinal Materials Based on Physiological Ecology of Plants Under Adversity
Xiangcai MENG ; Zhaoping MENG ; Yafei YOU ; Wei ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(12):203-208
The quality of Chinese medicinal materials is related to the environment, with an optimal quality under adversity. The origin of Chinese medicinal materials has converted from wild collection to cultivation, and a better cultivation environment leads to a decline in their quality. At present, there are few effective methods to improve the quality of Chinese medicinal materials. Plants are bound to produce a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under adversity, and the quality improvement of Chinese medicinal materials under adversity may be achieved through ROS. This paper described the relationship between plant adversity-ROS-secondary metabolism: ROS can alter the structure of proteins (including enzymes) and regulate enzyme activities, thus affecting secondary metabolism to improve the adaptive capacity of plants. Therefore, ROS is the essential cause of adversity changing secondary metabolism. The cells of plants are omnipotent, and the medicinal parts of plants can independently complete the whole process of secondary metabolism, so regulation of secondary metabolism during the processing of fresh Chinese medicinal materials can significantly improve the quality of Chinese medicinal materials. Exogenous ROS can be used as inducible factors to stimulate medicinal parts, inducing a physiological state of fresh medicinal parts similar to that under adversity, thus enhancing secondary metabolism, and improving the contents of active ingredients in Chinese medicinal materials. In addition, the content and ratio of each ingredient in Chinese medicinal materials are closer to those of wild Chinese medicinal materials. The mechanism of plant adaptation to adversity is the mechanism of the quality formation of Chinese medicinal materials, and the application of ROS as inducible factors can provide a new pathway for the production of high-quality Chinese medicinal materials.
2.Naringenin regulates RAW264.7 macrophage polarization induced by high glucose through RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway
Liping YOU ; Fajiang XIE ; Jian FENG ; Zhuo LAN ; Xisong HE ; Yafei LI ; Jiafu LI
Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University(Medical Sciences) 2021;42(2):225-232
【Objective】 To investigate the effects of naringenin on the polarization of high-glycemic RAW264.7 macrophages and its related mechanism. 【Methods】 The mother solution of NAR was prepared with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and the log-growth phase macrophage RAW264.7 was pre-tested. DMEM medium with different glucose concentrations (1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 g/L) was used for cultivation for 24 h. Before the experiment, DMEM was diluted into NAR mixture with different final concentrations, and the effect of NAR on RAW264.7 cell activity was detected by CCK-8 method; nitric oxide synthase (NOS) type classification determination of checkerboard induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) active filter was used to control the concentration of sugar and high-sugar stimulation. The control group were subdivided into normal control (NG) and osmotic pressure control (NG+M). The high-glucose stimulation group was divided into normal high glucose (HG), high glucose + naringenin (HG+NAR), high glucose + Fasudil (HG+F), and high glucose +C3 transferase (HG+C3). RAW264.7 was cultured for 24 h in each group; the expression levels of supernatant cytokines, namely, interleukin6 (il-6), tumor necrosis factor -α (TNF-α) and interleukin10 (IL-10), were detected by ELISA. Western blotting was used to determine the RhoA/ROCK pathway related proteins, iNOS and Arg-1 protein levels. Type (M1, M2) and proportion (M1/M2) of macrophages were analyzed by flow cytometry. 【Results】 Compared with those in NG group, in HG group RhoA/ROCK pathway-related proteins and iNOS expression were increased, while Arg-1 expression was decreased (P<0.05). The secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α was increased while anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was decreased (P<0.05). The number of M1-type cells and M1/M2 ratio increased (P<0.05). Compared with HG group, RhoA/ROCK pathway related proteins and iNOS expression were decreased in HG+NAR group, HG+F group and HG+C3 group, while Arg-1 expression was increased, IL-6 and TNF- α secretion was decreased, IL-10 was increased, M2-type macrophages were increased, and M1/M2 was decreased (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 NAR may promote the M2-type differentiation of macrophages stimulated by high glucose by down-regulating RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway.
3.Treatment of Pulmonary Inflammatory Diseases by Traditional Chinese Medicine Through Regulating Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress: A Review
Mengdi SHI ; Chao WANG ; Yafei YOU ; Lisha LU ; Yang YANG ; Weichao JING ; Lujia LIU ; Youpeng WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(14):249-258
Pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute lung injury, asthma, and infectious pneumonia are common pulmonary inflammatory diseases worldwide. There is evidence that mitochondria produce a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) when stimulated by inflammation, leading to oxidative stress that affects the onset and progression of pulmonary inflammatory diseases. With in-depth research, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has made significant progress in the treatment of pulmonary inflammatory diseases. An increasing amount of evidence indicates that single TCM and their active components, as well as TCM compound formulas, can improve mitochondrial oxidative stress status through multi-target and multi-pathway mechanisms, thereby effectively treating pulmonary inflammatory diseases. Currently, there is a lack of systematic review and summary of TCM research in this field both domestically and internationally. Therefore, this article aims to summarize and conclude the mechanisms by which TCM regulates mitochondrial oxidative stress to intervene in pulmonary inflammatory diseases, providing a scientific basis for its clinical application and offering new ideas and references for in-depth research on the prevention and treatment of pulmonary inflammatory diseases with TCM.