Exploring the protective mechanisms of total tannins from Geum japonicum var. chinense F.Bolle in mice with hematopoietic dysfunction via the JAK2/STAT3/5 signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Geum japonicum var. chinense F.Bolle (Rnglish name Gei herba, GH), a traditional Miao medicine, promotes hematopoiesis. Emerging evidence shows that total tannins of GH (TGH) can treat ischemic diseases. AIM OF THE STUDY: To explore the protective mechanism of TGH in hematopoietic dysfunction (HD) mice. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Forty-eight female mice were randomly assigned to 6 groups: control, model, Zhenqi Fuzheng positive, and three doses TGH. Cyclophosphamide was injected in mice to establish an HD model. Spleen tissue was examined histomorphologically, peripheral hemograms and organ index were calculated, and serum hematopoietic factor levels were determined. The expression of proteins in the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/transcription 3/5 (STAT3/5) pathway, as well as upstream and downstream proteins, was examined using western blot to elucidate the underlying protective mechanisms of TGH. RESULTS: TGH could effectively alleviate spleen tissue damage in HD mice, improve peripheral hemogram and antagonize organ atrophy, and increase levels of Granulocyte-macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) and Erythropoietin (EPO) in HD mouse serum. Furthermore, after TGH treatment, the protein expression levels of P-JAK2, P-STAT3, P-STAT5, M-CSF, G-CSF, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL were significantly higher than in the model group. At the same time, following TGH treatment, the protein expression levels of LC3 A/B, Beclin1, ATG5, and ATG7 were significantly lower than in the model group. CONCLUSIONS: TGH has been shown to protect HD mice through a mechanism linked to the activation of the JAK2/STAT3/5 pathway, as well as autophagy inhibition and apoptosis activation.

Protective effects of aqueous extract from Gei Herba on blood-deficiency mice: insights gained by a metabolomic approach.

With increasing tumor incidence, anemia (categorized as a blood deficiency in traditional Chinese medicine) caused by chemotherapy has become a major side effect worldwide. Gei Herba, a traditional Miao nation herb, has a prominent effect on the treatment of blood deficiency (BD). However, its application is limited owing to little fundamental research. Therefore, a GC-MS metabolomic approach was used to study the protective effect of aqueous extract from Gei Herba (AEG) on BD mice and its putative mechanism. In this study, 32 male mice were divided into four groups: a control group, a BD model group, and two groups subjected to AEG treatment at a daily dose of 0.15 or 0.30 g kg-1 for 8 d. After AEG treatment, the HGB and HCT levels in the blood of BD mice were significantly increased, the activity of superoxide dismutase was increased, and the histomorphology of the liver was improved. Furthermore, compared with those in the model group, the levels of eight significant metabolites [phosphoric acid, glycine, l-proline, ribitol, (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid, oleic acid, uridine and 4B2H-carbamic acid] in the liver were significantly changed by AEG. The findings of this study provide sound evidence regarding the protective effects of AEG in BD mice from both classical and metabolomic perspectives. The mechanisms of action of AEG could be related to regulation of linoleic acid metabolism and that of glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism.