Curcumin alleviates acute kidney injury in a dry-heat environment by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in a rat model.

Curcumin exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. We investigated the protective effects of curcumin in a renal injury rat model under dry-heat conditions. We divided Sprague-Dawley rats into four groups: dry-heat 0- (normal temperature control group), 50-, 100-, and 150-minute groups. Each group was divided into five subgroups (n = 10): normal saline (NS), sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMCNa), and curcumin pretreated low, medium, and high-dose (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, respectively) groups. Compared to the normal temperature group, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urinary kidney injury molecule-1, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated load changes in lipoprotein (NGAL) levels were significantly increased in the dry-heat environment group (P < .05); inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and malondialdehyde (MDA) and related inflammatory factor levels were increased in the kidney tissue. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) levels were decreased. However, following all curcumin pretreatment, the serum levels of kidney injury indicators and NGAL were decreased in the urine compared to those in the NS and CMCNa groups (P < .05), whereas renal SOD and CAT activities were increased and MDA was decreased (P < .05). Renal tissues of the 150-minute group showed obvious pathological changes. Compared to the NS group, pathological changes in the renal tissues of the 100- and 200-mg/kg curcumin groups were significantly reduced. Furthermore, iNOS and COX-2 expression and inflammatory factor levels were decreased after curcumin treatment. Curcumin exerted renoprotective effects that were likely mediated by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in a dry-heat environment rat model.

Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analysis of Different Parts of Salsola collina Pall.

Salsola collina Pall has a long history of being used as a traditional medicine to treat hypertension, headache, insomnia, constipation and vertigo. However, only a few biologically active substances have been identified from S. collina. Here, the shoots and roots of S. collina, namely L-Sc and R-Sc, were studied. The primary and secondary metabolites were investigated using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS). A total of 637 putative metabolites were identified and these metabolites were mainly classified into ten different categories. Correlation analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis, principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis of metabolites showed that the L-Sc samples could be clearly separated from the R-Sc samples. Differential accumulated metabolite analysis revealed that most of differential primary metabolites were significantly lower in the L-Sc than in the R-Sc. Conversely, the major differential secondary metabolites had higher levels in the L-Sc than in the R-Sc. Further analysis indicated that the flavonoids were the major putative antioxidant components and most of putative antioxidant components exhibited higher relative concentrations in the L-Sc than the R-Sc. These results improve our understanding of metabolite accumulation and provide a reference for the study of medicinal value in S. collina.

A Late Pleistocene human genome from Southwest China.

Southern East Asia is the dispersal center regarding the prehistoric settlement and migrations of modern humans in Asia-Pacific regions. However, the settlement pattern and population structure of paleolithic humans in this region remain elusive, and ancient DNA can provide direct information. Here, we sequenced the genome of a Late Pleistocene hominin (MZR), dated ∼14.0 thousand years ago from Red Deer Cave located in Southwest China, which was previously reported possessing mosaic features of modern and archaic hominins. MZR is the first Late Pleistocene genome from southern East Asia. Our results indicate that MZR is a modern human who represents an early diversified lineage in East Asia. The mtDNA of MZR belongs to an extinct basal lineage of the M9 haplogroup, reflecting a rich matrilineal diversity in southern East Asia during the Late Pleistocene. Combined with the published data, we detected clear genetic stratification in ancient southern populations of East/Southeast Asia and some degree of south-versus-north divergency during the Late Pleistocene, and MZR was identified as a southern East Asian who exhibits genetic continuity to present day populations. Markedly, MZR is linked deeply to the East Asian ancestry that contributed to First Americans.

Curcumin prevents renal cell apoptosis in acute kidney injury in a rat model of dry-heat environment heatstroke via inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Heatstroke is a life-threatening illness that is characterised by a core body temperature >40°C and central nervous system dysfunction. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of heatstroke, and the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway has been demonstrated to be one of the leading causes of tissue damage and cell death in AKI. Curcumin is a phenol that is extracted from turmeric and demonstrates anti-apoptotic properties. To test if curcumin can protect the kidney from injury caused by heat stress, the effect of curcumin administration on renal injury and apoptosis of renal tissue was examined in a rat model of dry-heat environment. A total of 50 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=10): Standard temperature control, dry-heat control and curcumin treatment groups (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg groups). After exposure to a dry-heat environment for 150 min, the rats were anesthetized and euthanized. Blood, urine and renal tissue were collected to quantify the expression of specific mitochondrial apoptosis-related molecules. Curcumin pre-treatment decreased blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine, urinary kidney injury molecule-1, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels compared with the dry-heat control group. Curcumin was also revealed to downregulate c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), cytochrome c, caspase-3 and caspase-9 expression upon treatment with 100 and 200 mg/kg curcumin, which may result in inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in renal cells. The current study revealed that Curcumin may to have potential for preventing heatstroke-induced AKI.