Coriolus versicolor alleviates diabetic cardiomyopathy by inhibiting cardiac fibrosis and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Coriolus versicolor (CV) is a traditional medicine and food mushroom. Our previous study demonstrated that CV extract exhibited anti-hyperglycemia and anti-insulin resistance effects. However, the effect of CV on cardiac function in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of CV on cardiac function in diabetes mellitus (DM) rats. We found that the cardiac dysfunction of DM rats was markedly improved by CV extract treatment. CV extract administration significantly attenuated cardiac fibrosis in DM rats, which was accompanied by suppressed transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1)/Smad signaling as indicated by decreased levels of TGF-ß1, p-Smad2, and p-Smad3 and increased Smad7 expression. Moreover, CV extract treatment significantly alleviated cardiac inflammation as shown by decreased levels of NLRP3 receptor, cleaved caspase-1, IL-1ß, and IL-18 in DM rats at least partly due to the inhibition of the NF-κB. In addition, high-glucose treatment induced cardiac fibrosis and increased cardiac inflammation in cardiac fibroblast cells, but these effects were ameliorated by CV extract treatment. Therefore, we conclude that the protective effect of CV on DCM is associated with the suppression of TGF-ß1/Smad signaling and attenuation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, suggesting that CV extract may be a potential therapeutic agent for DCM.

Silymarin ameliorates diabetic cardiomyopathy via inhibiting TGF-ß1/Smad signaling.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. Previous studies have shown that the transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1)/Smad signaling pathway plays a key role in the development of myocardial fibrosis in DCM. Silymarin (SMN) is used clinically to treat liver disorders and acts by influencing TGF-ß1. However, the possible effects of silymarin on DCM remain to be elucidated. In our study, the DM animal model was induced by streptozotocin (STZ) injection. Fasting blood glucose level was measured, and the structure and function of the heart were measured by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson staining, echocardiography, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Western blot was used to detect the expression of TGF-ß1, Smad2/3, phosphorylation Smad2/3(p-Smad2/3), and Smad7. Our results showed that silymarin downregulated blood glucose level and significantly improved cardiac fibrosis and collagen deposition in DM rats detected by H&E, Masson staining, and TEM assays. The echocardiography results showed that silymarin administration attenuated cardiac dysfunction in DM rats. Additionally, compared with untreated DM rats, levels of TGF-ß1 and p-Smad2/3 were decreased, whereas Smad7 was increased following silymarin administration. These data demonstrate that silymarin ameliorates DCM through the inhibition of TGF-ß1/Smad signaling, suggesting that silymarin may be a potential target for DCM treatment.

[Acute lumbar sprain treated with massage combined with acupuncture at different distal acupoints: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe treatment efficacy of acupuncture at different distal acupoints for acute lumbar sprain after massage. METHODS: One hundred and fifty patients with acute lumbar sprain were randomly divided into a Yaotongdian (Extra) group, a Houxi (SI 3) group, a Weizhong (BL 40) group, a Chengshan (BL 57) group and a Shuigou (GV 26) group, total 5 groups, 30 cases in each one. After the same massage treatment and based on groups divided, different distal acupoints above-mentioned were selected to be acupunctured. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, lumbar activity and treatment efficacy of patients in 5 groups were evaluated. RESULTS: With acupuncture at distal acupoints after massage,VAS scores of patients in 5 groups were decreased compared with those after massage treatment (all P<0.05); lumbar activity was all obviously improved (all P<0.01); and cured and markedly effective rates were all increased in comparison with those after massage (all P<0.01). But among 5 groups the differences of VAS scores, lumbar activity and cured and markedly effective rates were not statistically significant(all P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on massage treatment, acupuncture at distal acupoints could further improve the treatment efficacy for acute lumbar sprain, but there is no obvious effective difference among every distal acupoint. As long as choosing acupoints with lower pain threshold and stimulating enough, good efficacy could be acquired for acute lumbar sprain.