This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot(TFA), the extracts from traditional Chinese medicine indicated for kidney diseases, on insulin resistance(IR) and podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) in diabetic kidney disease(DKD), and further to reveal the scientific connotation. Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a TFA group, and a rosiglitazone(ROS) group. The modified DKD model was induced in rats by methods including high-fat diet feeding, unilateral nephrectomy, and streptozotocin(STZ) intraperitoneal injection. After modeling, the rats in the four groups were given double-distilled water, TFA suspension, and ROS suspension correspondingly by gavage every day. At the end of the 8th week of drug administration, all rats were sacrificed, and the samples of urine, blood, and kidney tissues were collected. The parameters and indicators related to IR and podocyte EMT in the DKD model rats were examined and observed, including the general condition, body weight(BW) and kidney weight(KW), the biochemical parameters and IR indicators, the protein expression levels of the key signaling molecules and structural molecules of slit diaphragm in the renal insulin receptor substrate(IRS) 1/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase(Akt) pathway, foot process form and glomerular basement membrane(GBM) thickness, the expression of the marked molecules and structural molecules of slit diaphragm in podocyte EMT, and glomerular histomorphological characteristics. The results showed that for the DKD model rats, both TFA and ROS could improve the general condition, some biochemical parameters, renal appearance, and KW. The ameliorative effects of TFA and ROS were equivalent on BW, urinary albumin(UAlb)/urinary creatinine(UCr), serum creatinine(Scr), triglyceride(TG), and KW. Secondly, they could both improve IR indicators, and ROS was superior to TFA in improving fast insulin(FIN) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR). Thirdly, they could both improve the protein expression levels of the key signaling molecules in the IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway and glomerulosclerosis in varying degrees, and their ameliorative effects were similar. Finally, both could improve podocyte injury and EMT, and TFA was superior to ROS. In conclusion, this study suggested that podocyte EMT and glomerulosclerosis could be induced by IR and the decreased activation of the IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway in the kidney in DKD. Similar to ROS, the effects of TFA in inhibiting podocyte EMT in DKD were related to inducing the activation of the IRS1/PI3K/Akt pathway and improving IR, which could be one of the scientific connotations of TFA against DKD. This study provides preliminary pharmacological evidence for the development and application of TFA in the field of diabetic complications.
Rats ; Animals ; Diabetic Nephropathies/drug therapy* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Abelmoschus/chemistry* ; Podocytes ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Flavones/pharmacology* ; Insulin Resistance ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Diabetes Mellitus

Renal tubular injury in patients with diabetic kidney disease(DKD) may be accompanied by glomerular and microvascular diseases. It plays a critical role in the progression of renal damage in DKD, and is now known as diabetic tubulopathy(DT). To explore the multi-targeted therapeutic effects and pharmacological mechanisms in vivo of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot(TFA), an extract from traditional Chinese medicine for treating kidney disease, in attenuating DT, the authors randomly divided all rats into four groups: a normal control group(normal group), a DT model group(model group), a DT model+TFA-treated group(TFA group) and a DT model+rosiglitazone(ROS)-treated group(ROS group). The DT rat model was established based on the DKD rat model by means of integrated measures. After successful modeling, the rats in the four groups were continuously given double-distilled water, TFA suspension, and ROS suspension, respectively by gavage every day. After 6 weeks of treatment, all rats were sacrificed, and the samples of their urine, blood, and kidneys were collected. The effects of TFA and ROS on various indicators related to urine and blood biochemistry, renal tubular injury, renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS), as well as the activation of the protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK)-eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α(eIF2α)-activating transcription factor 4(ATF4)-C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP) signaling pathway in the kidney of the DT model rats were investigated. The results indicated that hypertrophy of renal tubular epithelial cells, renal tubular hyperplasia and occlusion, as well as interstitial extracellular matrix and collagen deposition occurred in the DT model rats. Moreover, significant changes were found in the expression degree and the protein expression level of renal tubular injury markers. In addition, there was an abnormal increase in tubular urine proteins. After TFA or ROS treatment, urine protein, the characteristics of renal tubular injury, renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis and ERS, as well as the activation of the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP signaling pathway in the kidney of the DT model rats were improved to varying degrees. Therein, TFA was superior to ROS in affecting the pathological changes in renal tubule/interstitium. In short, with the DT model rats, this study demonstrated that TFA could attenuate DT by multiple targets through inhibiting renal tubular ERS-induced cell apoptosis in vivo, and its effect and mechanism were related to suppressing the activation of the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP signaling pathway in the kidney. These findings provided preliminary pharmacological evidence for the application of TFA in the clinical treatment of DT.
Rats ; Animals ; Abelmoschus ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Flavones/pharmacology* ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; Diabetic Nephropathies/drug therapy* ; Apoptosis ; Diabetes Mellitus

Recent studies have shown that the occurrence and development of common liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, are related to liver aging(LA). Therefore, to explore the effect and mechanism of Dahuang Zhechong Pills(DHZCP), a traditional classic prescription in improving LA with multiple targets, the present study randomly divided 24 rats into a normal group, a model group, a DHZCP group, and a vitamin E(VE) group, with six rats in each group. The LA model was induced by continuous intraperitoneal injection of D-galactose(D-gal) in rats. For the LA model rats, the general situation was evaluated by aging phenotype and body weight(BW). LA was assessed by the pathological characteristics of hepatocyte senescence, hepatic function indexes, the staining characteristics of phosphorylated histone family 2A variant(γ-H2AX), and the expression levels of cell cycle arrest proteins(P21, P53, P16) and senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP) in the liver. The activation of the reactive oxygen species(ROS)-mediated phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt)/forkhead box protein O4(FoxO4) signaling pathway was estimated by hepatic ROS expression feature and the protein expression levels of the key signaling molecules in the PI3K/Akt/FoxO4 signaling pathway. The results showed that after the treatment with DHZCP or VE for 12 weeks, for the DHZCP and VE groups, the characterized aging phenotype, BW, pathological characteristics of hepatocyte senescence, hepatic function indexes, relative expression of ROS in the liver, protein expression levels of key signaling molecules including p-PI3K, p-Akt, and FoxO4 in the liver, staining characteristics of γ-H2AX, and the protein expression levels of P16, P21, P53, interleukin-6(IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in the liver were improved, and the effects of DHZCP and VE were similar. Based on the D-gal-induced LA model in rats, this study demonstrates that DHZCP can ameliorate LA with multiple targets in vivo, and its effects and mechanism are related to regulating the activation of the ROS-mediated PI3K/Akt/FoxO4 signaling pathway in the liver. These findings are expected to provide new pharmacological evidence for the treatment of DHZCP in aging-related liver diseases.
Animals ; Rats ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/genetics* ; Signal Transduction ; Liver ; Aging ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; Interleukin-6

Aim To investigate the expression of Foxos in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)with insulin resistance(IR)induced by high glucose and high fat(HG/HF)stress and its significance.Methods First, the IR model of endothelial cells was established by HG /HF stress.The differential expression of Foxos gene in normal(Ctrl )group and HG /HF group was observed, and the subtypes with the most significant changes in Foxos were screened out, such as Foxo6.Next, Foxo6 was silenced to observe its role in endothelial cell with IR.Finally, whether the mechanism of Foxo6-mediated IR was related to the interaction of NF-κB signaling was investigated.Results The expression increase of Foxo6 was the most significant among Foxos under the IR condition induced by HG/HF.Using a small RNA interference and plasmid transfection technique, we found that the silence effect of the siRNA3 fragments targeting Foxo6 was the most significant among the siRNAs.Moreover, the further study showed that silencing the Foxo6 gene could significantly reverse the endothelial IR induced by HG/HF, and the mechanism of the reversal effect was related to the interaction between the Foxo6 and NF-κB signal.Conclusions Foxo6 mediates the endothelial cell IR induced by the HG /HF stress.The underlying mechanism is that Foxo6 can interact with NF-κBp65 and activate NF-κB signaling pathway.Silencing Foxo6 can improve the IR of vascular endothelial cells induced by HG /HF stress.

Melittin exhibits high antibacterial potency against drug-resistant bacteria. However, the clinical utility of melittin is limited by its serious hemolytic activity. Thus, the need for developing novel melittin analogues with high antimicrobial activity and low hemolytic activity has grown. We designed, synthesized, and evaluated 20 novel melittin analogues with varying hydrophobic, polar or positively charged amino acids. The results showed that 8 compounds had antimicrobial activity (MIC: 1-4 μg·mL^-1) against gram-positive pathogens equal to or better than that of melittin, and 16 compounds had low hemolytic activity (HC₅₀ ≥ 11.9 μg·mL^-1). Compounds 13 (MIC: 2-4 μg·mL^-1) and 15 (MIC: 1-2 μg·mL^-1) showed equal or better antimicrobial activity against both susceptible and resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium compared to melittin (MIC: 4 μg·mL^-1). Compound 13 (HC₅₀: 24.0 ± 4.3 μg·mL^-1) displayed noticeably decreased hemolytic activity compared to melittin (HC₅₀: 5.3 ± 0.4 μg·mL^-1). This work established a base for further study on the structure-activity relationships and structure-toxicity relationships of melittin.

Objective: To explore susceptibility genes for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Methods: Whole-exome sequencing was carried out for 60 family trios affected with sporadic ASD. Genetic variants discovered in over 10% of the patients were selected for genotype-phenotype correlation and pathway enrichment analysis using Phenolyzer software and metascape database. Combining gene-phenotypic scores, pathway-related genes associated with neural and neurite triggering were screened for the candidates. Results: A total of 170 common variants were found to be associated with the ASD phenotype. Among these, there was only one high-confidence gene [SHANK2 (0.8146)] and four medium-confidence genes [ERBB2 (0.1322), LAMC3 (0.1117), PPFIA4 (0.1059), DISC1 (0.1002)]. Twenty-pathways and four biological processes were found to be statistically significant by pathway enrichment analysis, which included neuron projection morphogenesis (GO: 0048812), regulation of neuroblast proliferation (GO: 1902692), modulation of excitatory postsynaptic potential (GO: 0098815), and dendrite morphogenesis (GO: 0048813). Twenty-one genes were found to be closely associated with neurological and neurite triggering, among which only SHANK2, ERBB2, and DISC1 had above-medium confidence correlation scores with the ASD phenotypes. Conclusion Abnormal neuron projection morphogenesis (GO: 0048812) may be closely related to the occurrence of ASD. SHANK2, ERBB2, and DISC1 are susceptibility genes for ASD.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of acupuncture on oxidative stress and apoptosis-related proteins of liver in obese mice induced by high-fat diet. METHODS: A total of 45 male C57BL/6 mice were randomized into a control group (10 mice) and a model established group (35 mice). Mice in the model established group were fed with high-fat diet for 16 weeks to establish the obesity model. After model established, 30 mice were randomized into a model group, a non-acupoint group and an acupoint group, 10 mice in each one. Acupuncture was applied at "Guanyuan" (CV 4), " Zusanli" (ST 36), "Yishu" (EX-B 3) in the acupoint group and the points of 0.5 cm and 1 cm to the base of tail in the non-acupoint group, 15 min each time, once a day for 8 weeks. Mice in the control group were fed with normal diet, while mice in the other 3 groups were fed with high-fat diet continuously for 8 weeks. The body weight was measured at 0, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th, 24th week in each group respectively. After 24-week intervention, the weight of white adipose tissue of epididymis and perirenal and liver was measured; the levels of serum alanine transaminase(ALT) and glutamic oxaloacetic aminotransferase (AST) were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer; liver homogenate was used to detect the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD); the liver morphology was observed by HE staining; the expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the body weight of mice in the model group, the acupoint group and the non-acupoint group was decreased on 16th week into experiment (before intervention, <0.05); compared with the model group and the non-acupoint group, the body weight of mice in the acupoint group were decreased after intervention (<0.05). Compared with the control group, the weight of white adipose tissue and liver, the levels of serum ALT and AST, the level of liver MDA, the expression of liver Bax were increased (<0.05); the activity of liver SOD and the expression of liver Bcl-2 were decreased in the model group after intervention (<0.05). Compared with the model group and the non-acupoint group, the weight of white adipose tissue and liver, the levels of serum ALT and AST, the level of liver MDA, the expression of liver Bax were decreased (<0.05); the activity of liver SOD and the expression of liver Bcl-2 were increased in the acupoint group after intervention (<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture at "Guanyuan" (CV 4), "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Yishu"(EX-B 3) can improve obesity and obesity related hepatic disorder by regulating oxidative stress and inhibiting apoptosis in liver.

Background:Despite the growing epidemic of heart failure (HF),there is limited data available to systematically compare non-cardiac comorbidities in the young-old,old-old,and oldest-old patients hospitalized for HF.The precise differences will add valuable information for better management of HF in elderly patients.Methods:A total of 1053 patients aged 65 years or older hospitalized with HF were included in this study.Patients were compared among three age groups:(1) young-old:65 to 74 years,(2) old-old:75 to 84 years,and (3) oldest-old:≥85 years.Clinical details of presentation,comorbidities,and prescribed medications were recorded.Results:The mean age was 76.7 years and 12.7％ were 85 years or older.Most elderly patients with HF (97.5％) had at least one of the non-cardiac comorbidities.The patterns of common non-cardiac comorbidities were different between the young-old and oldestold group.The three most common non-cardiac comorbidities were anemia (53.6％),hyperlipidemia (45.9％),and diabetes (42.4％) in the young-old group,while anemia (73.1％),infection (58.2％),and chronic kidney disease (44.0％) in the oldest-old group.Polypharmacy was observed in 93.0％ elderly patients with HF.Additionally,29.2％ patients were diagnosed with infection,and 67.0％ patients were prescribed antibiotics.However,60.4％ patients were diagnosed with anemia with only 8.9％ of them receiving iron repletion.Conclusions:Non-cardiac comorbidities are nearly universal in three groups but obviously differ by age,and inappropriate medications are very common in elderly patients with HF.Further treatment strategies should be focused on providing optimal medications for age-specific non-cardiac conditions.

Aim To investigate the effect of broneol on acute lung injury(ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods Male C57 mice were randomly di-vided into saline group, model group, broneol group and dexamethasone group, then the ALI mouse model was induced by instilling intratracheally with LPS. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6) and keratinocyte-de-rived cytokine (KC) were measured at 6h, 12h and 24h after instillation of LPS, and the pathological changes of lung were observed. Mice alveolar macro-phages (MHS) and epithelial cells (MLE-12) were stimulated by LPS. After the stimulation of 1h, 3h, 6h,9h, 12h, 24h, the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in MHS cells and the contents of KC and macrophage in-flammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) in MLE-12 cells were measured. Results Broneol could inhibit the secre-tion of TNF-α,KC and IL-1β;the early effect of bro-neol on IL-6 was not obvious,but the later effect after the treatment of 24 hours was obvious. After LPS instil-lation 6h and 12h,Broneol could significantly improve lung tissue pathological changes. Broneol had no effect on TNF-α secretion of MHS cells, but it obviously af-fected IL-6 secretion in the later stage. In addition, broneol significantly inhibited KC and MIP2 secretion in MLE-12 cells at the later stage of LPS stimulation. Conclusions Broneol can protect LPS-induced acute lung injury. The mechanism may be related to the inhi-bition of the release of inflammatory factors,the activa-tion of inflammatory cells and the aggregation of neutro-phils.

Daphnetin is quickly eliminated in rats after dosing, but the mechanism remains unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the in vitro metabolism of daphnetin using rat liver S9 fractions (RLS9). The metabolites formed in RLS9 were identified and the kinetic parameters for different metabolic pathways were determined. HPLC-DAD-MS analysis showed that daphnetin was biotransformed to six metabolites, which were identified as 7 or 8 mono-glucuronide and mono-sulfate, 8-methylate, and 7-suflo-8-methylate. Methylation and glucuronidation of daphnetin exhibited the Michaelis-Menten kinetic characteristics, whereas the substrate inhibition kinetic and the two-site kinetic were observed for 8-sulfate and 7-sulfate formations. Of the 3 conjugation pathways, the intrinsic clearance rate for sulfation was highest, followed by methylation and glucuronidation. By in vitro-in vivo extrapolation of the kinetic data measured in RLS9, the hepatic clearance were estimated to be 54.9 mL·min^-1·kg^-1 which is comparable to the system clearance (58.5 mL·min^-1·kg^-1) observed in rats. In conclusions, the liver might be the main site for daphnetin metabolism in rats. Sulfation, methylation and glucuronidation are important pathways of the hepatic metabolism of daphnetin in rats.