Efficacy of CoQ10 as supplementation for migraine: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Migraine ranks among the most frequent neurological disorders globally. Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a nutritional agent that might play a preventative role in migraine. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of CoQ10 as a supplemental agent in migraine. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library were searched for potential articles that assessed the effects of CoQ10 on migraine. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers and analyzed with Revman 5.2 software (The Nordic Cochrane Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark). RESULTS: We included five studies with 346 patients (120 pediatric and 226 adult subjects) in the meta-analysis. CoQ10 was comparable with placebo with respect to migraine attacks/month (P = 0.08) and migraine severity/day (P = 0.08). However, CoQ10 was more effective than placebo in reducing migraine days/month (P < 0.00001) and migraine duration (P = 0.009). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate the effects of CoQ10 supplementation on migraine. The results support the use of CoQ10 as a potent therapeutic agent with respect to migraine duration and migraine days/month. Nonetheless, more studies are needed to support the conclusions.

Protective Effects of 2-Dodecyl-6-Methoxycyclohexa-2,5 -Diene-1,4-Dione Isolated from Averrhoa Carambola L. (Oxalidaceae) Roots on Neuron Apoptosis and Memory Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The roots of Averrhoa carambola L. (Oxalidaceae) have long been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of headaches, vomiting, coughing and hangovers. 2-dodecyl-6-methoxycyclohexa-2, 5-1, 4-dione (DMDD) has been isolated from A. carambola L. roots, and this study was carried out to investigate the potential beneficial effects of DMDD on neuron apoptosis and memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease. METHODS: The effects of a DMDD on learning and memory in APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice in vivo were investigated via Morris water maze and Y-type electric maze tests. In vitro, Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8. Apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry assay, and transmission electron microscopy assay. Relative quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were used to determine the expressions of genes and proteins. RESULTS: The spatial learning and memory deficit, fear memory deficit, as well as apoptosis and loss of neuron in hippocampal area of APP/PS1 mice were reversed by DMDD in APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice. DMDD protected against the Aß1-42-induced apoptosis, loss of mitochondria membrane potential, induction of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein Bax, reduction of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins Bcl-2, and activation of Caspase-3, and -9 in PC-12 cells. The Bcl-2/Bax ratio was also increased in DMDD-pretreated PC-12 cells in vitro and APP/PS1 mice in vivo. CONCLUSION: DMDD has potential benefit on treating learning and memory deficit in APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice, and its effects may be associated with reversing the apoptosis of neuron via inhibiting Bax/Bcl-2 mediated mitochondrial membrane potential loss.

Protective Effect of 2-Dodecyl-6-Methoxycyclohexa-2, 5-Diene-1, 4-Dione, Isolated from Averrhoa Carambola L., Against Palmitic Acid-Induced Inflammation and Apoptosis in Min6 Cells by Inhibiting the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Studies have demonstrated that 2-dodecyl-6-methoxycyclohexa-2, 5-diene-1, 4-dione (DMDD), isolated from the roots of Averrhoa carambola L., has significant therapeutic potential for the treatment of diabetes. However, the protective effect of DMDD against pancreatic beta cell dysfunction has never been reported. We investigated whether DMDD protected against palmitic acid-induced dysfunction in pancreatic ß-cell line Min6 cells by attenuating the inflammatory response and apoptosis and to shed light on its possible mechanism. METHODS: Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion levels and inflammatory cytokines levels were examined by ELISA. Apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V-FITC/PI Flow cytometry assay, Hoechst 33342/PI double-staining assay, and Transmission electron microscopy assay. Relative quantitative real-time PCR and western blot were used to determine the expressions of genes and proteins. RESULTS: Cell viability and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion levels were increased in DMDD-pretreated Min6 cells. DMDD inhibited inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-α and MCP-1 generations in palmitic acid (PA)-induced Min6 cells. Moreover, DMDD protected against PA-induced Min6 cells apoptosis and the expression of Cleaved-Caspase-3, -8 and -9 were down-regulated and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio was increased in DMDD-pretreated Min6 cells. In addition, the expression of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB were down-regulated in DMDD-pretreated Min6 cells and TAK-242-pretreated group cells. CONCLUSIONS: DMDD protected Min6 cells against PA-induced dysfunction by attenuating the inflammatory response and apoptosis, and its mechanism of this protection was associated with inhibiting the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway.

17-Methoxyl-7-Hydroxy-Benzene-Furanchalcone Ameliorates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rat by Inhibiting Apoptosis and Autophagy Via the PI3K-Akt Signal Pathway.

17-Methoxyl-7-hydroxy-benzene-furanchalcone (MHBFC), a monomer isolated from the root of Millettia pulchra (Benth.) Kurz var. Laxior (Dunn) Z. Wei (Papilionaceae), has been demonstrated to exhibit protective effects on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. However, the mechanisms for the effect are not completely clear. In the present study, we tested whether MHBFC could reduce I/R-induced apoptosis and overautophagy via the PI3K-Akt pathway. The rat I/R model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min and then followed by reperfusion for 2 h. MHBFC (10 mg/kg, intravenously) was administered alone or along with LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor, 0.3 mg/kg, intravenously) 5 min before the onset of reperfusion. We found that MHBFC postconditioning prevented I/R-induced release of creatine kinase-MB and tumor necrosis factor-α, inhibited the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore, and promoted nitric oxide production. Additionally, MHBFC caused a significant increase in PI3K, phosphorylation of Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and a decrease in the expression of cleaved caspase-3, Beclin1, and conversion of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3. However, the above functions of MHBFC were blocked by LY294002. These observations indicate that MHBFC plays a protective role against myocardial I/R injury by inhibiting apoptosis and excessive autophagy, which might be related to the activation of the PI3K-Akt signal pathway.

Effects of Averrhoa carambola L. (Oxalidaceae) juice mediated on hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and its influence on regulatory protein expression in the injured kidneys of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

Recently, many reports have shown that Averrhoa carambola L. (Oxalidaceae) juice (EACJ) could reduce blood glucose in humans. However, its mechanisms have not been well explored; therefore, our study aimed to investigate the beneficial effects of EACJ on hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and renal injury in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Those mice were injected with STZ via the tail vein (120 mg/kg body weight) and were identified as diabetic mice when the level of blood glucose was ≥ 11.1 mmol/L. Those mice were intragastriced gavage with saline, EACJ (25, 50, 100 g/kg body weight/d) and metformin (320 mg/kg body weight/d) for 21 days. The fasting blood glucose (FBG), free fatty acids (FFA), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), Scr (CREA) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were significantly decreased, while the sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), Cyclic Adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and insulin were elevated. Diabetes-dependent alterations in the kidney, such as glomerular hypertrophy, thicken and tubular basement membrane, were improved after 21 days of EACJ treatment. Hyperglycemia, renal formation and the expressions of related proteins such as connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1) were markedly decreased by EACJ. These results indicate that EACJ treatment decrease hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and inhibit the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN), which may be linked to regulating several pharmacological targets for treating or preventing DN.

Puerarin, isolated from Pueraria lobata (Willd.), protects against diabetic nephropathy by attenuating oxidative stress.

In this study, we evaluated the effect of puerarin (PR) on diabetic nephropathy (DN) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. The fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr), as well as 24-hour urine protein levels were effectively ameliorated in DN mice treated with PR (20, 40, 80mg/kg/day). Furthermore, PR treatment markedly resulted in down-regulation of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in kidney. Interestingly, the activities of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and catalase (CAT) were increased by PR. An improvement in kidney tissue damage could be observed after PR administration. Further ultrastructural investigation revealed a dramatically ameliorative effect of PR on mitochondrial damage. Meanwhile, the silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1), forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and alpha subunit of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 (PGC-1α) expressions were significantly up-regulated at protein level by PR administration in renal cortex. However, the protein expression of nuclear-factor kappa B (NF-κB) was down-regulated in PR groups. Our present study demonstrates the hypoglycemic and renal protective effects of PR in DN mice, which support its anti-diabetic property. PR exerts its renal protection effect probably via the mechanism of attenuating SIRT1/FOXO1 pathway for renal protection.