Berberine Improves Inflammatory Responses of Diabetes Mellitus in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats and Insulin-Resistant HepG2 Cells through the PPM1B Pathway.

Berberine (BBR), a natural compound extracted from a Chinese herb, has been shown to effectively attenuate insulin resistance (IR) and inflammation in the clinic. However, its ameliorative mechanism against IR is not well defined. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of BBR and protein phosphatase, Mg2+/Mn2+-dependent 1B (PPM1B) on IR. Biochemical measurements and liver histopathology were detected using the biochemical analyzer and HE staining in ZDF rats, respectively. Microarray analysis of liver tissues was performed, and differentially expressed gene (DEG) levels were examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blot. Additionally, the effect of BBR was also explored in HepG2-IR cells. The glucose oxidase method and the fluorescent glucose analog were used to detect glucose consumption and uptake, respectively. The PKA inhibitor H89, ELISA, qPCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence staining were employed to estimate the expression levels of related signaling pathways. To evaluate the roles of PPM1B, HepG2-IR cells were stably infected with lentivirus targeting PPM1B. The administration of BBR drastically decreased the body weight, urine volume, blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), CHOL, hepatic index levels, and pathologic changes and improved ALB levels in ZDF rats with PPM1B upregulation. Furthermore, BBR effectively improves glucose consumption, uptake, and inflammation in HepG2-IR cells. The knockdown of PPM1B expression aggravated the inflammatory response and glycometabolism disorder in HepG2-IR cells. Mechanistically, a reversal in the expression of cAMP, PKA, PPM1B, PPARγ, LRP1, GLUT4, NF-κB p65, JNK, pIKKß Ser181, IKKß, IRS-1 Ser307, IRS-1, IRS-2 Ser731, IRS-2, PI3K p85, and AKT Ser473 contributes to ameliorate IR in HepG2-IR cells with BBR treatment. Altogether, these results suggest that BBR might regulate IR progression through the regulation of the cAMP, PKA, PPM1B, PPARγ, LRP1, GLUT4, NF-κB p65, JNK, pIKKß Ser181, IKKß, IRS-1 Ser307, IRS-1, IRS-2 Ser731, IRS-2, PI3K p85, and AKT Ser473 expression in the liver.

The Effect of Shen Qi Wan Medicated Serum on NRK-52E Cells Proliferation and Migration by Targeting Aquaporin 1 (AQP1).

BACKGROUND Shen Qi Wan (SQW) as a well-known formula for the amelioration of kidney yang deficiency syndrome (KYDS), and it has been widely employed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This study aimed to investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of SQW medicated serum on proliferation and migration in NRK-52E cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS We employed the real-time cell analysis (RTCA) system to investigate the effect of SQW medicated serum on proliferation and migration in NRK-52E cells. In addition, the migration was further investigated by using a wound-healing assay. The mRNA and protein expression level of aquaporin 1 (AQP1) of NRK-52E cells with SQW medicated serum-treated were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) and western blot assay, respectively. Furthermore, NRK-52E cells were transfected with lentivirus AQP1-RNAi to assess migratory cell abilities in vitro. RESULTS The migratory abilities of NRK-52E cells were significantly increased after SQW medicated serum treatment (P<0.05), and no significant difference in cell proliferation. In addition, SQW medicated serum was significantly upregulated the mRNA and protein expression level of AQP1 in NRK-52E cells (P<0.05). Additionally, the in vitro metastasis test proved that knockdown of AQP1 suppressed migratory abilities according to RTCA and wound healing test while was reversed by SQW medicated serum (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that SQW medicated serum effectively promotes the migration of NRK-52E cells by increasing AQP1 expression, and AQP1 may be as a therapeutic target of SQW for renal injury treatment under KYDS.

Intracerebroventricular injection of Aß1-42 combined with two-vessel occlusion accelerate Alzheimer's disease development in rats.

Numerous experimental studies and clinical observations suggest that cerebral ischemia may contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Two-vessel occlusion caused cerebral ischemia model is often used in the study of vascular dementia (VaD). But how cerebral ischemia works on AD rat model which induced by intracerebroventricular injection of Aß1-42 remains unclear. In the following study, we investigated the characteristics of rat model caused by intracerebroventricular injection of Aß1-42 or two-vessel occlusion (2-VO) only and by both of the two operations. The animal cognitive functions were accessed by the Morris water maze. Regional cerebral blood flow was detected by Laser Doppler Blood Flowmeter. HE&Nissl staining, Congo red staining and immunohistochemistry were used to observe the status of neuronal loss, Aß deposition and the phosphorylated tau expression in hippocampus, respectively. We also measured the contents of AchE and ChAT in serum and hippocampus by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. The MWM results showed that rats of Aß1-42+2-VO group had a disorder in cognitive functions, at an early stage of one week after modeling, comparing with rats of sham group. The regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was significantly reduced in Aß1-42+2-VO and 2-VO group one week after modeling, and still maintained low perfusion levels four weeks after modeling. HE and Nissl staining showed that Aß1-42+2-VO rats' hippocampal CA1 neurons were in disorder, degeneration and necrosis, severe neuronal loss from the first week to the fourth week, while this phenomenon only appeared in the fourth week after modeling in rats of Aß1-42 group and 2-VO group. Congo red staining showed that Aß1-42 + 2-VO group rats' hippocampus CA1 had amyloid deposits from the first week to the fourth week, Aß1-42 group were not find amyloid deposition significantly until four weeks after modeling, however, 2-VO group had no significant amyloid deposition all the time. Notably, IHC showed that, two weeks after modeling, the p-tau positive total area and integrated optical density of hippocampal CA1 region were significantly increased in Aß1-42 + 2-VO group rats, while 2-VO group and Aß1-42 group rats had no significantly changes all the time. We also found that the content of AchE was increased both in serum and hippocampus of Aß1-42 + 2-VO group rats, and ChAT was decreased. However, there was no significantly change in cortex of content of AchE: acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and choline acetylase (ChAT) all three groups. Together, our study suggest that intracerebroventricular injection of Aß1-42 combined with two-vessel occlusion may accelerate Alzheimer's disease development in rats. Also, this may serve as a less-time consuming new model to study the Alzheimer's disease and especially AD accompanied by cerebral ischemia.

[Effect of Zhenwu Tang on regulating of "AVP-V2R-AQP2" pathway in NRK-52E cells].

This study was aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of Zhenwu Tang on AVP-V2R-AQP2 pathway in NRK-52E cells in vitro. Forty eight male SD rats were randomly divided into eight groups with 6 animals in each group. Distilled water or 22.68 g·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹ Zhenwu Tang(calculated by raw drug dosage meter) was given by gavage. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture， and the medicated serum was centrifuged from the blood by 3 000 r·min⁻¹. NRK-52E cells were treated with different medicated serum or dDAVP. The condition of cell proliferation was detected by RTCA. The distribution of V2R and AQP2 in cells were detected by immunofluorescence. The expression of V2R， PKA and AQP2 were detected by Western blot and AQP2 mRNA level was detected by real-time PCR. Results showed that the level of AQP2 mRNA(P<0.01) and protein expression of V2R， PKA and AQP2(P<0.05， P<0.01， P<0.05) of Z7d group which was treated with Zhenwu Tang medicated serum for 24 h were significantly higher than that of normal rat serum group. And the expression level of V2R， p-AQP2 and AQP2(P<0.01， P<0.05， P<0.01) of Z7d+dDAVP group were significantly increased comparing to normal rat serum group. The results indicate that the applying of Zhenwu Tang medicated serum could increase the expression level of V2R， PKA and AQP2 which exist in AVP-V2R-AQP2 pathway in NRK-52E， and there is synergistic effect between Zhenwu Tang medicated serum and dDAVP. So the pathway of AVP-V2R-AQP2 may be one of the mechanism for which Zhenwu Tang regulate balance of water transportation.

Identification and Verification of Potential Therapeutic Target Genes in Berberine-Treated Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats through Bioinformatics Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Berberine is used to treat diabetes and dyslipidemia. However, the effect of berberine on specific diabetes treatment targets is unknown. In the current study, we investigated the effect of berberine on the random plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), AST, ALT, BUN and CREA levels of Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, and we identified and verified the importance of potential therapeutic target genes to provide molecular information for further investigation of the mechanisms underlying the anti-diabetic effects of berberine. METHODS: ZDF rats were randomly divided into control (Con), diabetic (DM) and berberine-treated (300 mg⋅kg-1, BBR) groups. After the ZDF rats were treated with BBR for 12 weeks, its effect on the random plasma glucose and HbA1C levels was evaluated. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), CREA and OGTT were measured from blood, respectively. The levels of gene expression in liver samples were analyzed using an Agilent rat gene expression 4x44K microarray. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened as those with log2 (Con vs DM) ≥ 1 and log2 (BBR vs DM) ≥ 1 expression levels, which were the genes with up-regulated expression, and those with log2 (Con vs DM) ≤ -1 and log2 (BBR vs DM) ≤ -1 expression levels, which were the genes with down-regulated expression; the changes in gene expression were considered significant at P<0.05. The functions of the DEGs were determined using gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis. Furthermore, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING and Cytoscape software. The expression levels of the key node genes in the livers of the ZDF rats were also analyzed using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: We found that 12 weeks of berberine treatment significantly decreased the random plasma glucose, HbA1C levels and improved glucose tolerance. There was a tendency for berberine to reduce AST, ALT, BUN except increase CREA levels. In the livers of the BBR group, we found 154 DEGs, including 91 genes with up-regulated expression and 63 genes with down-regulated expression. In addition, GO enrichment analysis showed significant enrichment of the DEGs in the following categories: metabolic process, localization, cellular process, biological regulation and response to stimulus process. After the gene screening, KEGG pathway analysis showed that the target genes are involved in multiple pathways, including the lysine degradation, glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis-chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate and pyruvate metabolism pathways. By combining the results of PPI network and KEGG pathway analyses, we identified seven key node genes. The qRT-PCR results confirmed that the expression of the RHOA, MAPK4 and DLAT genes was significantly down-regulated compared with the levels in DM group, whereas the expression of the SgK494, DOT1L, SETD2 and ME3 genes was significantly up-regulated in the BBR group. CONCLUSION: Berberine can significantly improve glucose metabolism and has a protective effects of liver and kidney function in ZDF rats. The qRT-PCR results for the crucial DEGs validated the microarray results. These results suggested that the RHOA, MAPK4, SGK494, DOT1L, SETD2, ME3 and DLAT genes are potential therapeutic target genes for the treatment of diabetes.

[Protective effect of ß-asarone on PC12 cells injury induced by Aß1₋42 astrocytic activation].

This study was aimed to investigate the protective effect and mechanism of ß-asarone on PC12 cells injury induced byAß1₋42 activated astrocytes, and provide experimental basis for ß-asarone application in the prevention and control of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Firstly, RA-h and PC12 cells were co-cultured in the special transwell chamber, and the Real time cell analysis (RTCA) system was used to real-time observe its effect on PC12 cells survival rate in the co-culture system after astrocytes injury induced by Aß1₋42. The best intervention time of ß-asarone was selected according to the survival curve and parameters generated automatically. ß-asarone with different concentrations was used for intervention on astrocytes, then the changes of PC12 cells survival rate in the co-culture system were observed. Secondly, MTT assay was used to detect the effect of Aß1₋42 on PC12 cells survival rate as well as the intervention effect of ß-asarone, and verify the testing results of RTCA. The levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α and BDNF in culture media of the lower chamber were detected by ELISA. The NF-κB activity and phosphorylation levels of ERK, p38 and JNK were detected by Western blot. Results showed that ß-asarone (55.5 mg•L⁻¹) could significantly slowdown the decline of PC12 cells survival rate caused by Aß1₋42-induced RA-h activation (P<0.01), significantly reduce the levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α and the phosphorylation levels of ERK, p38 and JNK in culture media of the lower chamber (P<0.01). ß-asarone(166.7 mg•L⁻¹) could promote the release of BDNF in culture media of the lower chamber(P<0.05). These results indicated that Aß1₋42 could induce RA-h activation and its release of IL-1ß, TNF-α and other inflammatory factors to aggravate the PC12 cells injury; ß-asarone could reduce the levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α, promote the release of BDNF, and inhibit the NF-κB activity as well as phosphorylation levels of ERK, p38 and JNK protein in PC12 cells.

Anti-apoptotic effect of insulin in the control of cell death and neurologic deficit after acute spinal cord injury in rats.

Recent studies confirmed that the new cell survival signal pathway of Insulin-PI3K-Akt exerted cyto-protective actions involving anti-apoptosis. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential neuroprotective effects of insulin in the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury (SCI) and evaluate its therapeutic effects in adult rats. SCI was produced by extradural compression using modified Allen's stall with damage energy of 40 g-cm force. One group of rats was subjected to SCI in combination with the administration of recombinant human insulin dissolved in 50% glucose solution at the dose of 1 IU/kg day, for 7 days. At the same time, another group of rats was subjected to SCI in combination with the administration of an equal volume of sterile saline solution. Functional recovery was evaluated using open-field walking, inclined plane tests, and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) during the first 14 days post-trauma. Levels of protein for B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 gene (Bcl-2), Caspase-3, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were quantified in the injured spinal cord by Western blot analysis. Neuronal apoptosis was detected by TUNEL, and spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) was measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF). Ultimately, the data established the effectiveness of insulin treatment in improving neurologic recovery, increasing the expression of anti-apoptotic bcl-2 proteins, inhibiting caspase-3 expression decreasing neuronal apoptosis, reducing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines iNOS and COX-2, and ameliorating microcirculation of injured spinal cord after moderate contusive SCI in rats. In sum, this study reported the beneficial effects of insulin in the treatment of SCI, with the suggestion that insulin should be considered as a potential therapeutic agent.