1.Molecular mechanism of active ingredients of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus against osteoporosis
Wenchi WANG ; Tian XIA ; Ruiqi WU ; Haohan LIANG ; Zhenyang NI ; Zhenhao ZHANG ; Zhenxing LI ; Guanghui CHEN ; Han SU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(18):3856-3867
BACKGROUND:Traditional Chinese medicine has been proved to have a significant role in anti-osteoporosis,and the effectiveness and mechanism of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus and its the active ingredients against osteoporosis have gradually gained the attention of scholars.OBJECTIVE:To analyze and summarize the research progress of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus and its active ingredients against osteoporosis in vitro and in vivo.METHODS:We searched the relevant literature included in CNKI and PubMed databases using the search terms of"Osteoporosis,Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,Osteoblast,Osteoclast,Ligustri Lucidi Fructus,Signal path"in Chinese and English,respectively.According to the needs of the research,we established the corresponding criteria and screened the literature.A total of 82 papers were included in the final review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The active ingredients of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus that exert anti-osteoporotic effects in vitro and in vivo mainly involve the following:Salidroside activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by inhibiting the expression of Sclerostin and Dickkopf-related protein 1.This activation process enhances the expression of phosphorylated low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 in ovariectomized rats and primary osteoblasts,while decreasing the expression of glycogen synthase kinase 3β.Further,it promotes the expression of β-catenin,runt-related transcription factor 2 and cellular myelocytomatosis oncogene in the nucleus,thereby promoting the bone formation capacity of osteoblasts.The advantage is that it acts directly on osteoblasts to promote bone formation,which provides a new strategy for the treatment of osteoporosis.(2)Olive bittersweet significantly increases bone mineral density and regulates bone metabolism by decreasing terminal interleukin-6 and alkaline phosphatase concentrations in Sprague-Dawley rats.In vitro experiments showed that olive bittersweet promotes the proliferation of osteoblasts and up-regulates the protein and mRNA expression of osteoprotegerin,while inhibiting the protein and mRNA expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand.This mechanism of action is closely related to the regulation of the balance of the osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand system,demonstrating the advantage of increasing bone mineral density and maintaining bone health by regulating factors related to bone metabolism,but there is no significant effect on Ca2+concentration,which may limit its use in some specific types of osteoporosis.(3)By decreasing the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase,reducing the phosphorylation of protein kinase B and the expression of osteoclast-specific marker protein c-Fos,pineconiferin effectively inhibits the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B/c-Fos pathway in osteoclasts.This inhibition reduces the proliferation and maturation of osteoclasts,which can help to reduce bone resorption.The advantage of this inhibition is that it can directly target osteoclasts,which provides a new target for osteoporosis treatment.However,the specific regulatory mechanism of osteoclasts needs to be studied in depth,and its long-term effect and safety need to be further evaluated.(4)The active ingredients of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus have shown good therapeutic effects on osteoporosis,but their mechanism of action is complex,involving the interaction of multiple genes,proteins and signaling pathways.In the future,large-scale clinical trials need to be carried out to verify its effectiveness and safety,and the strategy of combining the active ingredients of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus with other drugs needs to be further explored in order to obtain better therapeutic effects.
2.High-efficient discovering the potent anti-Notum agents from herbal medicines for combating glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.
Yuqing SONG ; Feng ZHANG ; Jia GUO ; Yufan FAN ; Hairong ZENG ; Mengru SUN ; Jun QIAN ; Shenglan QI ; Zihan CHEN ; Xudong JIN ; Yunqing SONG ; Tian TIAN ; Zhi QIAN ; Yao SUN ; Zhenhao TIAN ; Baoqing YU ; Guangbo GE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(8):4174-4192
Notum, a negative feedback regulator of the Wnt signaling, has emerged as a promising target for treating glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). This study showcases an efficient strategy for discovering the anti-Notum constituents from herbal medicines (HMs) as novel anti-GIOP agents. Firstly, a rapid-responding near-infrared fluorogenic substrate for Notum was rationally engineered for high-throughput identifying the anti-Notum HMs. The results showed that Bu-Gu-Zhi (BGZ), a known anti-osteoporosis herb, potently inhibited Notum in a competitive-inhibition manner. To uncover the key anti-Notum constituents in BGZ, an efficient strategy was adapted via integrating biochemical, phytochemical, computational, and pharmacological assays. Among all identified BGZ constituents, three furanocoumarins were validated as strong Notum inhibitors, while 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MP) showed the most potent anti-Notum activity and favorable safety profiles. Mechanistically, 5-MP acted as a competitive inhibitor of Notum via creating strong hydrophobic interactions with Trp128 and Phe268 in the catalytic cavity of Notum. Cellular assays showed that 5-MP remarkably promoted osteoblast differentiation and activated Wnt signaling in dexamethasone (DXMS)-challenged MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. In dexamethasone-induced osteoporotic mice, 5-MP strongly elevated bone mineral density (BMD) and improved cancellous and cortical bone thickness. Collectively, this study constructs a high-efficient platform for discovering key anti-Notum constituents from HMs, while 5-MP emerges as a promising anti-GIOP agent.
3.Molecular mechanism of active ingredients of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus against osteoporosis
Wenchi WANG ; Tian XIA ; Ruiqi WU ; Haohan LIANG ; Zhenyang NI ; Zhenhao ZHANG ; Zhenxing LI ; Guanghui CHEN ; Han SU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(18):3856-3867
BACKGROUND:Traditional Chinese medicine has been proved to have a significant role in anti-osteoporosis,and the effectiveness and mechanism of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus and its the active ingredients against osteoporosis have gradually gained the attention of scholars.OBJECTIVE:To analyze and summarize the research progress of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus and its active ingredients against osteoporosis in vitro and in vivo.METHODS:We searched the relevant literature included in CNKI and PubMed databases using the search terms of"Osteoporosis,Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,Osteoblast,Osteoclast,Ligustri Lucidi Fructus,Signal path"in Chinese and English,respectively.According to the needs of the research,we established the corresponding criteria and screened the literature.A total of 82 papers were included in the final review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The active ingredients of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus that exert anti-osteoporotic effects in vitro and in vivo mainly involve the following:Salidroside activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by inhibiting the expression of Sclerostin and Dickkopf-related protein 1.This activation process enhances the expression of phosphorylated low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 in ovariectomized rats and primary osteoblasts,while decreasing the expression of glycogen synthase kinase 3β.Further,it promotes the expression of β-catenin,runt-related transcription factor 2 and cellular myelocytomatosis oncogene in the nucleus,thereby promoting the bone formation capacity of osteoblasts.The advantage is that it acts directly on osteoblasts to promote bone formation,which provides a new strategy for the treatment of osteoporosis.(2)Olive bittersweet significantly increases bone mineral density and regulates bone metabolism by decreasing terminal interleukin-6 and alkaline phosphatase concentrations in Sprague-Dawley rats.In vitro experiments showed that olive bittersweet promotes the proliferation of osteoblasts and up-regulates the protein and mRNA expression of osteoprotegerin,while inhibiting the protein and mRNA expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand.This mechanism of action is closely related to the regulation of the balance of the osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand system,demonstrating the advantage of increasing bone mineral density and maintaining bone health by regulating factors related to bone metabolism,but there is no significant effect on Ca2+concentration,which may limit its use in some specific types of osteoporosis.(3)By decreasing the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase,reducing the phosphorylation of protein kinase B and the expression of osteoclast-specific marker protein c-Fos,pineconiferin effectively inhibits the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B/c-Fos pathway in osteoclasts.This inhibition reduces the proliferation and maturation of osteoclasts,which can help to reduce bone resorption.The advantage of this inhibition is that it can directly target osteoclasts,which provides a new target for osteoporosis treatment.However,the specific regulatory mechanism of osteoclasts needs to be studied in depth,and its long-term effect and safety need to be further evaluated.(4)The active ingredients of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus have shown good therapeutic effects on osteoporosis,but their mechanism of action is complex,involving the interaction of multiple genes,proteins and signaling pathways.In the future,large-scale clinical trials need to be carried out to verify its effectiveness and safety,and the strategy of combining the active ingredients of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus with other drugs needs to be further explored in order to obtain better therapeutic effects.
4.A NIR fluorescent probe for Vanin-1 and its applications in imaging, kidney injury diagnosis, and the development of inhibitor.
Zhenhao TIAN ; Fei YAN ; Xiangge TIAN ; Lei FENG ; Jingnan CUI ; Sa DENG ; Baojing ZHANG ; Tian XIE ; Shanshan HUANG ; Xiaochi MA
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2022;12(1):316-325
Vanin-1 is an amidohydrolase that catalyses the conversion of pantetheine into the amino-thiol cysteamine and pantothenic acid (coenzyme A precursor), which plays a vital role in multiple physiological and pathological processes. In this study, an enzyme-activated near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe (DDAV) has been constructed for sensitively detecting Vanin-1 activity in complicated biosamples on the basis of its catalytic characteristics. DDAV exhibited a high selectivity and sensitivity toward Vanin-1 and was successfully applied to the early diagnosis of kidney injury in cisplatin-induced kidney injury model. In addition, DDAV could serve as a visual tool for in situ imaging endogenous Vanin-1 in vivo. More importantly, Enterococcus faecalis 20247 which possessed high expression of Vanin-1 was screened out from intestinal bacteria using DDAV, provided useful guidance for the rational use of NSAIDs in clinic. Finally, oleuropein as a potent natural inhibitor for Vanin-1 was discovered from herbal medicines library using a high-throughput screening method using DDAV, which held great promise for clinical therapy of inflammatory bowel disease.

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