Corydalis edulis Maxim. Promotes Insulin Secretion via the Activation of Protein Kinase Cs (PKCs) in Mice and Pancreatic ß Cells.

Corydalis edulis Maxim., a widely grown plant in China, had been proposed for the treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study, we found that C. edulis extract (CE) is protective against diabetes in mice. The treatment of hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-/- mice with a high dose of CE reduced serum glucose by 28.84% and serum total cholesterol by 17.34% and increased insulin release. We also found that CE significantly enhanced insulin secretion in a glucose-independent manner in hamster pancreatic ß cell (HIT-T15). Further investigation revealed that CE stimulated insulin exocytosis by a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent signaling pathway and that CE selectively activated novel protein kinase Cs (nPKCs) and atypical PKCs (aPKCs) but not conventional PKCs (cPKCs) in HIT-T15 cells. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to identify the PKC pathway as a direct target and one of the major mechanisms underlying the antidiabetic effect of CE. Given the good insulinotropic effect of this herbal medicine, CE is a promising agent for the development of new drugs for treating diabetes.

Longxuetongluo capsule inhibits atherosclerosis progression in high-fat diet-induced ApoE-/- mice by improving endothelial dysfunction.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chinese dragon's blood has been used to treat blood stasis for thousands of years. Its total phenolic extract (Longxuetongluo capsule, LTC) is used for the treatment of ischemic stroke; however, its protective effect against atherosclerosis remains poorly understood. This paper aims to investigate the antiatherosclerotic effect of LTC and the underlying mechanisms in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced ApoE-/- mice. METHODS: The levels of plasma lipid and areas of atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic sinus in ApoE-/- mice were evaluated. The effect of LTC on the nitric oxide (NO) production in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was determined. The adhesion of monocytes to ox-LDL-stimulated HUVECs was further studied. RESULTS: LTC at low, medium, and high doses markedly decreased the atherosclerotic lesion areas of the aortic sinus in HFD-induced ApoE-/- mice by 26.4% (p < 0.05), 30.1% (p < 0.05), and 46.5% (p < 0.01), respectively, although it did not improve the dyslipidemia. Furthermore, LTC restored the diminished NO production of ox-LDL-stimulated HUVECs (p < 0.001) and inhibited the adhesion between monocytes and endothelial cells (p < 0.01). LTC appeared to alleviate ox-LDL-stimulated dysfunction of HUVECs, and inhibit the adhesion of monocytes to HUVECs via the MAPK/IKK/IκB/NF-κB signaling pathway, thus decrease atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic sinus in HFD-induced ApoE-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the potential of LTC for use as an effective agent against atherosclerosis.

Longxuetongluo Capsule Improves Erythrocyte Function against Lipid Peroxidation and Abnormal Hemorheological Parameters in High Fat Diet-Induced ApoE-/- Mice.

Chinese dragon's blood, the red resin of Dracaena cochinchinensis, one of the renowned traditional medicines, has been used to facilitate blood circulation and disperse blood stasis for thousands of years. Phenolic compounds are considered to be responsible for its main biological activities. In this study, total phenolic compounds of Chinese dragon's blood were made into capsule (Longxuetongluo Capsule, LTC) and their effects on the abnormal hemorheological properties were examined by high fat diet (HFD) induced ApoE-/- mice. Compared to the model group, LTC recovered the abnormal hemorheological parameters in HFD-induced ApoE-/- mice by reducing whole blood viscosity (WBV) at high rate and improving erythrocyte function. In conclusion, LTC could ameliorate erythrocyte deformability and osmotic fragility through the reduction of lipid peroxidation on plasma and erythrocyte membranes in HFD-induced ApoE-/- mice, which supported the traditional uses of Chinese dragon's blood as an effective agent for improving blood microcirculation in hypercholesterolemia.

[Inhibitory effect of ilexpernoside C from Ilex pernyi on aggregated LDL-induced foam cells formation].

The aggregation of macrophage-derived foam cells on vascular wall is considered to be a main cause of atherosclerosis. In the present study, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of the compound ilexpernoside C (IC1) extracted from Ilex pernyi (Aquifoliaceae) on foam cell formation in THP-1 macrophages cells which were induced by low density lipoproteins aggregates (LDL aggregates). Results showed that IC1 could significantly inhibit the formation of foam cells. The analysis on related receptors of foam cells indicated that IC1 could significantly decrease the expression of low density lipoprotein-related receptor 1(LRP1). Therefore, these findings indicated that IC1 inhibited the formation of foam cells by inhibiting endocytosis of macrophages, thus it may act as a potential anti-atherosclerotic agent.