Fructus Zanthoxyli extract improves glycolipid metabolism disorder of type 2 diabetes mellitus via activation of AMPK/PI3K/Akt pathway: Network pharmacology and experimental validation.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the potential mechanisms behind the beneficial effects of Fructus Zanthoxyli (FZ) against type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) based on network pharmacology and experimental validation. METHODS: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to identify the constituents of FZ. Next, the differentially expressed genes linked to the treatment of diabetes with FZ were screened using online databases (including Gene Expression Omnibus database and Swiss Target Prediction online database), and the overlapping genes and their enrichment were analyzed by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Finally, the pathway was verified by in vitro experiments, and cell staining with oil red and Nile red showed that the extract of FZ had a therapeutic effect on T2DM. RESULTS: A total of 43 components were identified from FZ, and 39 differentially expressed overlapping genes were screened as the possible targets of FZ in T2DM. The dug component-target network indicated that PPARA, PPARG, PIK3R3, JAK2 and GPR88 might be the core genes targeted by FZ in the treatment of T2DM. Interestingly, the enrichment analysis of KEGG showed that effects of FZ against T2DM were closely correlated with the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathways. In vitro experiments further confirmed that FZ significantly inhibited palmitic acid-induced lipid formation in HepG2 cells. Moreover, FZ treatment was able to promote the AMPK and PI3K/Akt expressions in HepG2 cells. CONCLUSION: Network pharmacology combined with experimental validation revealed that FZ extract can improve the glycolipid metabolism disorder of T2DM via activation of the AMPK/PI3K/Akt pathway.

Compound Cocktail Inhibits Influenza Viral Pneumonia via Phospholipase Cγ1 Phosphorylation-Related Necroptosis and Partial Autophagy in Natural Killer Cells.

Influenza viral infections are prone to global outbreaks and cause pneumonia in affected populations. High morbidity and mortality caused by pneumonia occur during an influenza pandemic. Antivirals or control of inflammation is the primary means of influenza treatment. A compound cocktail composed of arctiin, daidzein, glycyrrhizic acid, and liquiritin inhibited mouse pneumonia resulting from a PR8 viral infection and caused a weight gain after oral administration. Natural killer cell activating receptors, both Ly49D and Ly49H in the lungs, were increased in the treatment in mice. In H3N2 virus-infected natural killer-92MI cells, the cocktail treatment had different effects on phosphorylation sites of phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1) and killed infected cells through necroptosis or late apoptosis, in which RIP3 was increased and both caspase-3 and phosphorylated-JNK in the cells were downregulated. Acid phosphatase activity in viral-infected natural killer-92MI cells was induced by the compound cocktail treatment, which could be related to the p62 decrease in natural killer-92MI cells. In addition, an autophagic flux induction was observed in alveolar basal epithelial cells (A549). Protein p65, but not phosphorylated-p65, was significantly decreased by the treatment. Our results indicate that the compound cocktail strengthened the phosphorylation of PLCγ1-related necroptosis and partial autophagy in natural killer cells, which could yield an inhibitory effect on viral pneumonia in influenza.

Effects of green tea extract on overweight and obese women with high levels of low density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C): a randomised, double-blind, and cross-over placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine the effects of green tea extract (GTE) supplement on overweight and obese women with high levels of low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C). METHODS: The randomized, double-blind, crossover and placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted from August 2012 to December 2013. Seventy-three out of 90 subjects aged between 18 and 65 years, with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27 kg/m2 and LDL-C ≥ 130 mg/dl were included in the analysis. The subjects were randomly divided into Groups A and B. Group A received GTE supplement treatment for the first 6 weeks, while Group B received placebo daily. After 6 weeks of treatment and 14 days of washout period, Group A switched to placebo and Group B switched to GTE treatment for 6 weeks. The reduction of LDL-C level between treatments was assessed as the outcome. Additionally, anthropometric measurements, plasma lipoproteins and hormone peptides of both groups were measure at the beginning of weeks 6, 8, and 14 after treatment. RESULTS: Subjects treated with GTE (n = 73) for 6 weeks showed significant differences, with 4.8% (p = 0.048) reduction in LDL-C and 25.7% (p = 0.046) increase in leptin. However, there was no statistical difference in the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and high density lipoprotein between the GTE and placebo groups after treatments. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that green tea extract effectively increases leptin and reduces LDL in overweight and obese women after 6 weeks of treatment even though there were no significant changes in other biochemical markers related to overweight. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This clinical trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02116517 on 17 April 2014. Retrospectively registered. The first patient enrolled in October 2012 and the study was completed December 2013.

Anti-metastatic effects of isolinderalactone via the inhibition of MMP-2 and up regulation of NM23-H1 expression in human lung cancer A549 cells.

Metastatic lung cancer is a leading cause of mortality and has a mortality rate of ≥90%. Isolinderalactone (ILL) is a sesquiterpene lactone compound that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine. Research has demonstrated that ILL has anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties; however, to the best of our knowledge, studies investigating whether ILL can inhibit lung cancer cell metastasis have not been conducted. In the present study, 1-10 µM ILL was applied in the culturing of the A549 lung cancer cell line to investigate the effects of ILL on the invasion and migration of lung cancer cells, including whether the possible mechanisms of ILL are associated with the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and NME/NM23 nucleoside diphosphate kinase 1 (NM23-H1) genes. The results of the present study indicated that ILL inhibited the invasion and migration of the A549 cancer cells and exhibited a dose-response association. ILL also significantly inhibited the protein expression and activity of MMP-2 (P<0.05), exhibiting a trend similar to that of its invasion- and migration-associated properties. Further research revealed that ILL significantly increased the expression of NM23-H1 protein and inhibited the expression of ß-catenin protein (P<0.05). The results of the present study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to confirm that ILL can inhibit the invasion and migration of A549 cancer cells, with the possible mechanisms potentially involving the inhibition of MMP-2 and ß-catenin protein expression resulting from the up regulation of NM23-H1 expression.

The Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation Program on Quality of Life in Cancer Outpatients: An Exploratory Study.

OBJECTIVE: Numerous studies have investigated the efficacy of mindfulness meditation (MM) in managing quality of life (QoL) in cancer populations, yet only a few have studied the Asian population. The aim of this exploratory study is to evaluate the effect of a MM program on the QoL outcomes in Taiwanese cancer outpatients. METHODS: Patients with various cancer diagnoses were enrolled and assigned to the MM group and usual care (UC) group. The meditation intervention consisted of 3 sessions held monthly. The outcomes of the whole intervention were measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument. RESULTS: A total of 35 participants in the MM group and 34 in the UC group completed the study. The results showed that the postintervention scores were significantly higher than the preintervention scores in the MM group. In the UC group, there was no significant difference between preintervention and postintervention scores, except for the lower environment domain scores. There was no significant difference between the follow-up scores and postintervention scores in the MM group, indicating that improvement can be maintained for 3 months after completing the MM course. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides preliminary outcomes of the effects on the QoL in Taiwanese cancer patients. The results suggest that MM may serve as an effective mind-body intervention for cancer patients to improve their QoL, and the benefits can persist over a 3-month follow-up period. This occurred in a diverse cancer population with various cancer diagnoses, strengthening the possibility of general use.

Quercetin metabolites inhibit MMP-2 expression in A549 lung cancer cells by PPAR-γ associated mechanisms.

Our previous study demonstrated that quercetin-metabolite-enriched plasma (QP) but not quercetin itself upregulates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) expression to induce G2/M arrest in A549 cells. In the present study, we incubated A549 cells with QP as well as quercetin-3-glucuronide (Q3G) and quercetin-3'-sulfate (Q3'S), two major metabolites of quercetin, to investigate the effects of quercetin metabolites on cell invasion and migration, the possible mechanisms and the role of PPAR-γ. We also compared the effects of QP with those of quercetin and troglitazone (TGZ), a PPAR-γ ligand. The results showed that QP significantly suppressed cell invasion and migration, as well as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 activity and expression in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of 10% QP on those parameters were similar to those of 10µM quercetin and 20µM TGZ. However, QP and TGZ rather than quercetin itself increased the expressions of nm23-H1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-2). Furthermore, we demonstrated that Q3G and Q3'S also inhibited the protein expression of MMP-2. GW9662, a PPAR-γ antagonist, significantly diminished such an effect of Q3G and Q3'S. Silencing PPAR-γ expression in A549 cells also significantly diminished the suppression effect of Q3G and Q3'S on MMP-2 expression. Taken together, our study demonstrated that QP inhibited cell invasion and migration through nm23-H1/TIMP-2/MMP-2 associated mechanisms. The upregulation of PPAR-γ by quercetin metabolites such as Q3G and Q3'S could play an important role in the effects of QP.