Integrating network pharmacology and in vivo experimental validation to reveal the alleviation of mailuoning oral liquid on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) especially the later stage non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) seriously endangers human's health and has become a global public health issue in recent years. Mailuoning Oral Liquid (MLN) is a modern traditional Chinese medicine prescription composed by Lonicerae japonicae flos, Achyranthis bidentatae radix, Scrophulariae radix and Dendrobium Caulis. MLN is generally used to treat the syndrome of blood stasis in clinical practice. PURPOSE: To observe the alleviation of MLN on NASH in vivo, and explore the possible underlying mechanism. Furthermore, this study also aims to find which Chinese medicinal drug contained in MLN exerts the main pharmacological activity. METHODS: NASH model was induced in mice by feeding with methionine and choline deficient (MCD) diet. The effects of MLN on hepatic lipids accumulation, liver inflammation, hepatic fibrosis, and the expression of some molecules were investigated by histological observation, biochemical index analysis, quantitative real-time PCR and western blot. Network pharmacology was applied to predict those involved molecular targets and potential mechanisms, which was further validated in vivo. BODIPY fluorescence staining assay was used to detect cellular lipids accumulation. RESULTS: MLN (7.8, 23.4 ml/kg) improved NASH in MCD-fed mice. Network pharmacology results demonstrated that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) signaling pathway was crucially involved in the MLN-provided alleviation on NASH. Further experimental validation results showed that MLN increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and restored the decreased expression of nuclear PPARα in MCD-fed mice. Further results displayed that Achyranthis bidentatae radix and Lonicerae japonicae flos contributed greatly to the MLN-provided alleviation on NASH in vivo. BODIPY fluorescence staining assay showed that 25R-inokosterone and cynaroside, two compounds from Achyranthis bidentatae radix and Lonicerae japonicae flos, obviously reduced intracellular lipids accumulation in hepatocytes stimulated by non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA). CONCLUSION: MLN improved NASH in MCD-fed mice, and the PGC-1α-PPARα signaling pathway was involved in this process. Moreover, Lonicerae japonicae flos and Achyranthis bidentatae radix contained in MLN contributed greatly to the MLN-provided improvement on NASH.

The Ashitaba (Angelica keiskei) Chalcones 4-hydroxyderricin and Xanthoangelol Suppress Melanomagenesis By Targeting BRAF and PI3K.

Malignant melanoma is an aggressive tumor of the skin and still lacks effective preventive and therapeutic treatments. In melanoma, both the BRAF/MEK/ERK and PI3-K/AKT signaling pathways are constitutively activated through multiple mechanisms, which result in cell-cycle progression and prevention of apoptosis. Therefore, the development of novel strategies for targeting BRAF and PI3K are of utmost importance. In this study, we found that Ashitaba (Angelica keiskei) chalcones, 4-hydroxyderricin (4HD) and xanthoangelol (XAG), suppressed melanoma development by directly targeting both BRAFV600E and PI3K, which blocked the activation of downstream signaling. This led to the induction of G1 phase cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in melanoma cells. Importantly, 4HD or XAG dramatically attenuated tumor incidence and volume in the BRAF-activated Pten-deficient melanoma mouse model. Our findings suggest that 4HD and XAG are promising chemopreventive or potential therapeutic agents against melanomagenesis that act by targeting both BRAF and PI3K, providing hope for rapid clinical translation. Cancer Prev Res; 11(10); 607-20. ©2018 AACR.

The responses of the inflammatory marker, pentraxin 3, to dietary sodium and potassium interventions.

Pentraxin-3 is a sensitive marker of inflammation that plays dual roles, pathogenic and cardioprotective, in the progression of cardiovascular diseases. Inflammation is intimately involved in salt-induced hypertension. We investigated the responses of pentraxin-3 to sodium and potassium supplementation to elucidate the potential role of pentraxin-3 in salt-induced hypertension. A total of 48 participants from northwest China were enrolled. All participants were maintained on a 3-day normal diet, which was sequentially followed by a 7-day low-sodium diet, a 7-day high-sodium diet, and a 7-day high-sodium plus potassium diet. Plasma concentrations of pentraxin-3 were assessed using ELISA. Plasma pentraxin-3 decreased significantly during the low-salt period compared to baseline (0.57 ± 0.19 ng/mL vs 0.72 ± 0.33 ng/mL, P = .012) and increased during the high-salt period (0.68 ± 0.26 ng/mL vs 0.57 ± 0.19 ng/mL, P = .037). Potassium supplementation inhibited salt-induced increase in pentraxin-3 (0.56 ± 0.21 ng/mL vs 0.68 ± 0.26 ng/mL, P = .015). Ln-transformed pentraxin-3 at baseline was inversely correlated with BMI (r = -.349, P = .02), DBP (r = -.414, P = .005), MAP (r = -.360, P = .017). We found a positive correlation between the ln-transformed concentrations of pentraxin-3 and 24-hour urinary sodium during low and high Na+ periods (r = .269, P = .012) and a negative relationship with 24 hours urinary potassium excretion during high-salt and high-salt plus potassium periods (r = -.246, P = .02). These correlations remained significant after adjusting for confounders. Pentraxin-3 responses were more prominent in salt-sensitive individuals than salt-resistant individuals. Dietary salt and potassium interventions significantly altered circulating pentraxin-3.

Icariside II, a Broad-Spectrum Anti-cancer Agent, Reverses Beta-Amyloid-Induced Cognitive Impairment through Reducing Inflammation and Apoptosis in Rats.

Beta-amyloid (Aß) deposition, associated neuronal apoptosis and neuroinflammation are considered as the important factors which lead to cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Icariside II (ICS II), an active flavonoid compound derived from Epimedium brevicornum Maxim, has been extensively used to treat erectile dysfunction, osteoporosis and dementia in traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, ICS II attracts great interest due to its broad-spectrum anti-cancer property. ICS II shows an anti-inflammatory potential both in cancer treatment and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. It is not yet clear whether the anti-inflammatory effect of ICS II could delay progression of AD. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the effects of ICS II on the behavioral deficits, Aß levels, neuroinflammatory responses and apoptosis in Aß25-35-treated rats. We found that bilateral hippocampal injection of Aß25-35 induced cognitive impairment, neuronal damage, along with increase of Aß, inflammation and apoptosis in hippocampus of rats. However, treatment with ICS II 20 mg/kg could improve the cognitive deficits, ameliorate neuronal death, and reduce the levels of Aß in the hippocampus. Furthermore, ICS II could suppress microglial and astrocytic activation, inhibit expression of IL-1ß, TNF-α, COX-2, and iNOS mRNA and protein, and attenuate the Aß induced Bax/Bcl-2 ratio elevation and caspase-3 activation. In conclusion, these results showed that ICS II could reverse Aß-induced cognitive deficits, possibly via the inhibition of neuroinflammation and apoptosis, which suggested a potential protective effect of ICS II on AD.

Nanoparticles based on hydrophobic alginate derivative as nutraceutical delivery vehicle: vitamin D3 loading.

We report the application of Vitamin D3 (VD(3)) in nanoparticles of oleoyl alginate ester (OAE)(OAE-VD(3)). The internalization of fluorescent OAE-VD(3) by Caco-2 cells was visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies showed that incorporation into OAE nanoparticles resulted in increased absorption of VD(3). Its application in the treatment of rickets was assayed using a model of nutritionally induced vitamin D-deficiency rickets. The results showed that the encapsulated VD(3) had better efficacy than that of the free drug in vivo. Our studies provide evidence that OAE nanoparticles are valuable as nutraceutical delivery vehicles to enhance the absorption of VD(3).

Self-assembled L-alanine derivative organogel as in situ drug delivery implant: characterization, biodegradability, and biocompatibility.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work is to prepare and characterize the novel in situ forming implants, obtained through self-assembling of N-stearoyl-L-alanine methyl ester (SAM) in pharmaceutical oils, and to evaluate the biodegradability and biocompatibility of this organogel system. METHODS: Minimum gelation concentration was used to measure the gelling ability of gelator SAM in different oils to select the optimal oil for further research. Phase transition temperatures of SAM/soybean oil organogels were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. Comparative studies on the in vitro degradation and in vivo degradation of SAM/soybean oil organogels in mice were investigated. Cytotoxicity tests and histological analysis of SAM/soybean oil organogels were studied by using mouse fibrosarcoma cells and mouse, respectively. RESULTS: As an organogelator, SAM could gel a variety of oils at different minimum gelation concentration. Among them, it had the best-gelling ability in soybean oil, and the SAM/soybean oil organogel could be turned into gels abruptly at body temperature when the concentration of SAM was higher than 5% (w/v) to be used as an injectable system. The in vitro degradation rate of organogel was inversely proportional to the organogelator concentration, whereas the degradation rate in vivo was much higher than in vitro, and gels were almost disappeared after 6 weeks. The selected formulation showed excellent biocompatibility as tested by in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo histological evaluation. CONCLUSION: SAM/soybean oil organogel has excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility, which indicates that it has a great potential for safe in situ forming drug delivery.