1.The chemical constituents and hypoglycemic activity of alcoholic extract of sea buckthorn leaves
Chang-yu YAN ; Zhao-jun DING ; Xiao-min LI ; Xin-liang MAO ; Zong-sheng YU ; Zhi-fang WANG ; Jian-wen YE ; Kurihara HIROSHI ; Yi-fang LI ; Lei LIANG ; Rong-rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2023;58(2):396-404
The purpose of this research is to identify the chemical constituents of sea buckthorn leaves extract (SBLE) and explore its hypoglycemic biological activity. SBLE was prepared by hot reflux extraction with 65% ethanol, and its chemical composition was analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (UHPLC-PDA-MS/MS) system. The animal experiments were compliant with ethical principles for animal use and had been approved by the Animal Experiment Ethics Committee of Jinan University. Mice were injected with streptozocin (STZ) to establish a hyperglycemic animal model, and SBLE (1.5 g·kg-1) was administered by gavage for 5 weeks. The fasting blood glucose (FBG) and oral glucose tolerance were detected. Normal mice were given SBLE (1.5 g·kg-1) by intragastric administration for 10 days, and blood was collected from the tail vein to detect the changes in blood glucose within 120 min after sucrose or starch loading. The mucous membrane of the small intestine of mice was taken to detect the activity of
2.Mechanism of Zhibai Dihuang decotion in treating postmenopausal osteoporosis
Man-ya JIANG ; Yue YE ; Qiong-yi ZHANG ; Gan-qing LUO ; Wen-zhe DENG ; Meng WANG ; Kurihara HIROSHI ; Jian-bo HE ; Yi-fang LI ; Rong-rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2023;58(10):3040-3048
In this study, the ovarian surgery (ovariectomy, OVX) was used to establish the osteoporosis mice model of primary menstruation, in order to evaluate the protective effects and mechanisms of Zhibai Dihuang decotion on postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). The animal experimental protocol has been reviewed and approved by Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Jinan University (number: 20210315-03), in compliance with the Institutional Animal Care Guidelines. C57BL/6 mice were divided into five groups, including Sham group, OVX group, low (32 g·kg-1·day-1) and high dose (64 g·kg-1·day-1) of Zhibai Dihuang decotion groups, positive drug group (alendronate, 9.9 mg·kg-1·q3d). After modeling, mice were given medication intervention for 8 weeks, and then femoral and tibial tissues were taken to detect indicators such as bone microstructure, bone resorption, and oxidative stress. The experimental results showed that after Zhibai Dihuang decotion administration, the bone microstructure damage caused by OVX surgery was alleviated, and the relevant parameters bone mineral density (BMD), bone volume/total volume (BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb. N) and connectivity density (Conn. D) both significantly increased. At the same time, the number of TRAP positive osteoclasts decreased significantly, and the levels of proteins and genes related to osteoclast differentiation decreased, indicating that Zhibai Dihuang decoction could inhibit the increased activity of osteoclast caused by OVX. Afterwards, network pharmacology was used to construct the active compound action target network of Zhibai Dihuang decotion, and it was found that the target genes of its active ingredients were closely related to the oxidative stress pathway. Finally, the detection results of oxidative stress levels in bone tissues showed that after treatment with Zhibai Dihuang decotion, the levels of oxidative stress products 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in bone tissues of mice significantly decreased, while the levels of antioxidant stress substance
3.The role of lipid peroxidation in modulating immune function
Xin-xing CHEN ; Shu-hua OUYANG ; Hiroshi KURIHARA ; Yi-fang LI ; Yan-ping WU ; Rong-rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2023;58(11):3230-3241
The immune system plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and progression of diseases. Lipid peroxidation, as a key effector molecule in the execution of ferroptosis, exerts critical effects on the functionality and survival of various immune cells and is involved in the pathological processes of multiple diseases. There is accumulating evidence suggesting the presence of ferroptosis in immune cells as well. Lipid peroxidation is closely associated with immune cell function. Accumulation of lipid peroxidation products in immune cells can lead to ferroptosis, directly impacting immune cell function. Non-immune cells, through lipid peroxidation-mediated cell death, release signaling molecules that regulate immune cell function. They jointly influence the body's homeostasis. This article provides a comprehensive review of the latest research progress on the regulatory role of lipid peroxidation in immune function. It analyzes the relationship between lipid peroxidation and immune cells, and provides a theoretical foundation for potential strategies targeting cellular lipid peroxidation and immunotherapy in the treatment of diseases.
4.The disbalance of LRP1 and SIRPα by psychological stress dampens the clearance of tumor cells by macrophages.
Yanping WU ; Xiang LUO ; Qingqing ZHOU ; Haibiao GONG ; Huaying GAO ; Tongzheng LIU ; Jiaxu CHEN ; Lei LIANG ; Hiroshi KURIHARA ; Yi-Fang LI ; Rong-Rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2022;12(1):197-209
The relationship between chronic psychological stress and tumorigenesis has been well defined in epidemiological studies; however, the underlying mechanism remains underexplored. In this study, we discovered that impaired macrophage phagocytosis contributed to the psychological stress-evoked tumor susceptibility, and the stress hormone glucocorticoid (GC) was identified as a principal detrimental factor. Mechanistically, GC disturbed the balance of the "eat me" signal receptor (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1, LRP1) and the "don't eat me" signal receptor (signal regulatory protein alpha, SIRPα). Further analysis revealed that GC led to a direct, glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-dependent trans-repression of LRP1 expression, and the repressed LRP1, in turn, resulted in the elevated gene level of SIRPα by down-regulating miRNA-4695-3p. These data collectively demonstrate that stress induces the imbalance of the LRP1/SIRPα axis and entails the disturbance of tumor cell clearance by macrophages. Our findings provide the mechanistic insight into psychological stress-evoked tumor susceptibility and indicate that the balance of LRP1/SIRPα axis may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for tumor treatment.
5.Qingre Xiaoyanning inhibits emotional stress-induced reactivation of latent herpes simplex virus type 1 in mice
Shan JIANG ; Jie NIU ; Shu-hua OUYANG ; Tao JIANG ; Hong-ying PENG ; Zhuo LUO ; Kurihara HIROSHI ; Yi-fang LI ; Rong-rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2022;57(6):1641-1648
In this study, according to TCM theory of "liver qi stagnation forming fire", emotional stress mice model was employed to evaluate the protective effects of Qingre Xiaoyanning on herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) induced reactivation. The animal experimental protocol has been reviewed and approved by Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Jinan University, in compliance with the Institutional Animal Care Guidelines. BALB/c mice were divided into six groups, including mock group, HSV-1 latency group, HSV-1 reactivation group (HSV-1 latency + stress), low (0.658 g·kg-1·day-1) and high dose (1.316 g·kg-1·day-1) of Qingre Xiaoyanning groups and positive control group (acyclovir, 0.206 g·kg-1·day-1). Except for the normal group and HSV-1 latency group, all mice in other groups received a daily 12-h restraint stress for 4 days. After 7-day treatment of drugs, body weight and recurrent eye infections of mice were recorded. Brain tissues were harvested to monitor HSV-1 antigen distribution by immunohistochemical staining and detect virus titer by plaque assay. In the meantime, the mRNA and protein levels of infected cell polypeptide (ICP27) and glycoprotein B (gB) in the brain tissues were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The level of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and expressions of ferroptosis-related proteins were measured by Western blot. The evaluation of malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the brain tissues was conducted by MDA assay commercial kit. The results showed that Qingre Xiaoyanning significantly retarded the decline of body weight of mice induced by HSV-1 reactivation, reduced the activation rate of HSV-1 and recurrent eye infections, declined virus titer of HSV-1, down-regulated gene and protein expressions of ICP27 and gB, and hindered the distribution of HSV-1 antigen in the brain of mice. Meanwhile, Qingre Xiaoyanning also decreased the protein expression of ferroptosis-related proteins, including DMT1, TFR1 and ALOX15 in the brain tissue of HSV-1 reactivated mice. The levels of lipid peroxidation products, 4-HNE and MDA, were also reduced by Qingre Xiaoyanning treatment. All the above results indicate that Qingre Xiaoyanning significantly inhibited HSV-1 reactivation by restraint stress, which might be related to the regulation of ferroptosis. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for the application of "clearing liver-fire" TCM on treatmenting HSV-1 reactivation-related symptoms.
6.Effect of Qinggan Xiefei Fang on increasing susceptibility of influenza virus caused by "liver fire invading lung"
Yu-hui LU ; Shu-hua OUYANG ; Jing-yu WENG ; Pei LIU ; Xin-xing CHEN ; Kurihara HIROSHI ; Yi-fang LI ; Rong-rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2022;57(6):1649-1656
In this study, chronic emotional stress-induced H1N1 influenza susceptibility model was employed to simulate the states of "emotional stagnation" and "liver fire invading lung", and the protective effect of Qinggan Xiefei Fang on viral pneumonia was investigated. Survival rate and morbidity rate of mice were observed within 21 days after H1N1 infection, the symptoms of viral pneumonia and the level of phospholipid peroxidation were detected in lungs of mice after 6-day infection. The experimental results showed that Qinggan Xiefei Fang could alleviate the decline of survival rate and morbidity rate of mice caused by chronic constraint stress loaded with H1N1, inhibit the replication of H1N1 and the production of inflammatory factors, reduce the level of phospholipid peroxidation, and improve the symptoms of pneumonia in mice. The results also showed that compound-target network of Qinggan Xiefei Fang contained 171 compounds and 260 corresponding targets involved in the signaling pathway of oxidative stress, inflammation and immunity. All the above results indicate that Qinggan Xiefei Fang protecting influenza virus pneumonia was related to the regulation of oxidative stress. The animal experimental protocol has been reviewed and approved by Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Jinan University, in compliance with the Institutional Animal Care Guidelines.
7.Research progress on the detection methods and their application in ferroptosis
Shu-hua OUYANG ; Yan-ping WU ; Wan-yang SUN ; Chang-yu YAN ; Hiroshi KURIHARA ; Yi-fang LI ; Rong-rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2022;57(6):1544-1556
Ferroptosis is a novel type of cell death, which is distinguished from the traditional cell death pathways such as apoptosis, proptosis, necrosis and autophagy in terms of morphology, biochemistry and genetics. The main features of ferroptosis are the iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation. The regulation mechanism of ferroptosis involves glutathione metabolism, lipid peroxidation reactions and iron metabolism, which are closely related to the pathological process of tumor, aging, neurodegenerative diseases, ischemia reperfusion injury, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, kidney injury, hepatic fibrosis and so on. How to effectively study the role of ferroptosis regulation mechanism in the treatment of diseases becomes the hot spot and focus of the ferroptosis research. In recent years, with the in-depth study of ferroptosis, the identification, confirmation and the mechanism of ferroptosis have been developed significantly and have come forth continuously, in the meantime, techniques based on the morphology, biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics have been widely applied in the detection of ferroptosis. In order to deepen readers' understanding of ferroptosis and its detection methods, this paper will mainly review the current research progress on the detection methods and their application in ferroptosis, summarize and discuss their advantages and disadvantages in the detection of ferroptosis, this knowledge are crucial for better understanding and studying the biological function of ferroptosis.
8.Phospholipid remodeling and Parkinson's disease
Meng WANG ; Hiroshi KURIHARA ; Yi-fang LI ; Wen-jun DUAN ; Rong-rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2022;57(6):1557-1564
The remodeling of phospholipid includes two processes: deacylation and reacylation. It realizes the conversion of nascent phospholipids to mature phospholipids by changing the length and types of fatty acids at specific sites of phospholipids, which is a key step in phospholipid metabolism. Phospholipids are not only the basic components of biological membranes, but also participate in the transduction of many molecular signals in cells. Therefore, phospholipid remodeling disorders can affect the structure and function of cell membranes, as well as the activity of membrane proteins, causing a series of intricate signaling cascades, and finally lead to many pathological changes including neurodegeneration. This paper reviews the basic process of phospholipid remodeling and the involvement of its key enzymes, calcium independent group VIA phospholipase A2 (iPLA2
9.Mechanism of omege-6 PUFA increasing the susceptibility to acute myocardial ischemia injury
Jiang-han-zi LIU ; Xiao-hui MA ; Tian-hui YUAN ; Wan-yang SUN ; Yi-fang LI ; Kurihara HIROSHI ; Rong-rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2022;57(6):1657-1663
The abnormal lipids metabolism is a critical pathological feature of coronary heart disease (CHD). Additional supplemental intake of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) has long been considered to be an effective strategy for preventing CHD, but more and more clinical trials have denied this view. Still, it is ambiguity for the specific mechanism of PUFA in CHD. The experimental programs are compliant with ethical principles for animal use and have been approved by the Animal Experiment Ethics Committee of Jinan University. In the present study, we established an animal model by intake of omega-6 PUFA combined acute myocardial ischemia to explore the mechanism of CHD. Intragastric administration of linoleic acid (LA) for 14 days, intraperitoneal injection of isoprenaline (ISO) was applied to induce acute myocardial ischemia for the animal model establishment. The animal ultrasound imaging system was used to detect cardiac function
10.Phospholipid peroxidation: a key factor in "susceptibility" to neurodegenerative diseases
Xiao-min LIN ; Wan-yang SUN ; Wen-jun DUAN ; Hai-biao GONG ; Long-fang TU ; Yi-fang LI ; Hiroshi KURIHARA ; Rong-rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2021;56(8):2154-2163
The biochemical integrity of the brain is necessary to maintain normal function. Oxidative damage is one of the mortal important reasons leading to the destruction of this integrity. The nervous system is enriched in phospholipid and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Due to the nature of high oxygen-consumption and rich lipids, brain is particularly vulnerable to oxidative damages. Phospholipid peroxidation is one of the results of imbalance in oxidation-antioxidant system. Once the antioxidant system is insufficient to resist oxidative damage, membrane phospholipids will be prone to free radical attack. Phospholipid peroxidation leads to a variety of toxic oxidation products, including membrane damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, rapid accumulation of amyloid, etc. Multiple proteins and nucleic acids can be covalently modified by peroxidation products, resulting in the loss of the protein functions, which eventually triggers programmed cell death and general neuroinflammation in brain, and ends up with an increased susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases. Based on the knowledge of mechanisms of phospholipid peroxidation, this review focuses on the characteristics of phospholipid peroxidation as a key factor in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, in order to provide theoretical basis for targeted intervention of phospholipid peroxidation as a potential strategy to prevent neurodegenerative diseases.

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