Reyanning mixture inhibits M1 macrophage polarization through the glycogen synthesis pathway to improve lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Reyanning (RYN) mixture is a traditional Chinese medicine composed of Taraxacum, Polygonum cuspidatum, Scutellariae Barbatae and Patrinia villosa and is used for the treatment of acute respiratory system diseases with significant clinical efficacy. AIM OF THE STUDY: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a common clinical disease characterized by acute respiratory failure. This study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effects of RYN on ALI and to explore its mechanism of action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze the chemical components of RYN. 7.5 mg/kg LPS was administered to induce ALI in rats. RYN was administered by gavage at doses of 2 ml/kg, 4 ml/kg or 8 ml/kg every 8 h for a total of 6 doses. Observations included lung histomorphology, lung wet/dry (W/D) weight ratio, lung permeability index (LPI), HE staining, Wright-Giemsa staining. ELISA was performed to detect the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, Arg-1,UDPG. Immunohistochemical staining detected IL-6, F4/80 expression. ROS, MDA, SOD, GSH/GSSG were detected in liver tissues. Multiple omics techniques were used to predict the potential mechanism of action of RYN, which was verified by in vivo closure experiments. Immunofluorescence staining detected the co-expression of CD86 and CD206, CD86 and P2Y14, CD86 and UGP2 in liver tissues. qRT-PCR detected the mRNA levels of UGP2, P2Y14 and STAT1, and immunoblotting detected the protein expression of UGP2, P2Y14, STAT1, p-STAT1. RESULTS: RYN was detected to contain 1366 metabolites, some of the metabolites with high levels have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant properties. RYN (2, 4, and 8 ml/kg) exerted dose-dependent therapeutic effects on the ALI rats, by reducing inflammatory cell infiltration and oxidative stress damage, inhibiting CD86 expression, decreasing TNF-α and IL-6 levels, and increasing IL-10 and Arg-1 levels. Transcriptomics and proteomics showed that glucose metabolism provided the pathway for the anti-ALI properties of RYN and that RYN inhibited lung glycogen production and distribution. Immunofluorescence co-staining showed that RYN inhibited CD86 and UGP2 expressions. In vivo blocking experiments revealed that blocking glycogen synthesis reduced UDPG content, inhibited P2Y14 and CD86 expressions, decreased P2Y14 and STAT1 mRNA and protein expressions, reduced STAT1 protein phosphorylation expression, and had the same therapeutic effect as RYN. CONCLUSION: RYN inhibits M1 macrophage polarization to alleviate ALI. Blocking glycogen synthesis and inhibiting the UDPG/P2Y14/STAT1 signaling pathway may be its molecular mechanism.

Curcumin Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Regulating miR-21/TIMP3 Axis.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Curcumin exhibits anticancer effects against various types of cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). miR-21 has been reported to be involved in the malignant biological properties of HCC. However, whether miR-21 plays a role in curcumin-mediated treatment of HCC is unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify the potential functions and mechanisms of miR-21 in curcumin-mediated treatment of HCC. METHODS: The anticancer effects of curcumin were assessed in vivo and in vitro. The underlying mechanism of miR-21 in curcumin-mediated treatment of HCC was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), western blot, and Dual-Luciferase Reporter assays. RESULTS: The present study revealed that curcumin suppressed HCC growth in vivo and inhibited HCC cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. Meanwhile, the curcumin treatment can downregulate miR-21 expression, upregulate TIMP3 expression, and inhibit the TGF-ß1/smad3 signaling pathway. miR-21 inhibition enhanced the effect of curcumin on cell proliferation inhibition, apoptosis, and TGF-ß1/smad3 signaling pathway inhibition in HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells. It demonstrated that TIMP3 was a direct target gene of miR-21. Interestingly, the effect of miR-21 inhibition on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and TGF-ß1/smad3 signaling pathway in HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells exposed to curcumin was attenuated by TIMP3 silencing. CONCLUSION: Taken together, the present study suggests that miR-21 is involved in the anticancer activities of curcumin through targeting TIMP3, and the mechanism possibly refers to the inhibition of TGF-ß1/smad3 signaling pathway.