Renoprotective effect of Tanshinone IIA against kidney injury induced by ischemia-reperfusion in obese rats.

OBJECTIVE: Obesity enhances the frequency and severity of acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR). Tanshinone IIA (TIIA) pre-treatment was used to alleviate renal injury induced by renal IR, and whether TIIA can attenuate renal cell apoptosis via modulating mitochondrial function through PI3K/Akt/Bad pathway in obese rats was examined. METHODS: Male rates were fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to generate obesity, followed by 30 min of kidney ischemia and 24 h reperfusion induced AKI. The male obese rates were given TIIA (5 mg/kg.d, 10 mg/kg.d, and 20 mg/kg.d) for 2 weeks before renal IR. RESULTS: TIIA alleviated the pathohistological injury and apoptosis induced by IR. In addition, TIIA improved renal function, inflammatory factor, and balance of oxidation and antioxidation in obese rats after renal IR. At the same time, TIIA can inhibit cell apoptosis by improving mitochondrial function through the PI3K/Akt/Bad pathway. Mitochondrial dysfunction was supported by decreasing intracellular ATP, respiration controlling rate (RCR), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex enzymes, and by increasing ROS, the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), and the mtDNA damage. The injury to mitochondrial dynamic function was assessed by decreasing Drp1, and increasing Mfn1/2; and the injury of mitochondrial biogenesis was assessed by decreasing PGC-1, Nrf1, and TFam. CONCLUSIONS: Renal mitochondrial dysfunction occurs along with renal IR and can induce renal cell apoptosis. Obesity can aggravate apoptosis. TIIA can attenuate renal cell apoptosis via modulating mitochondrial function through PI3K/Akt/Bad pathway in obese rats.

A possible new activator of PI3K-Huayu Qutan Recipe alleviates mitochondrial apoptosis in obesity rats with acute myocardial infarction.

Obesity, which has unknown pathogenesis, can increase the frequency and seriousness of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study evaluated effect of Huayu Qutan Recipe (HQR) pretreatment on myocardial apoptosis induced by AMI by regulating mitochondrial function via PI3K/Akt/Bad pathway in rats with obesity. For in vivo experiments, 60 male rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: sham group, AMI group, AMI (obese) group, 4.5, 9.0 and 18.0 g/kg/d HQR groups. The models fed on HQR with different concentrations for 2 weeks before AMI. For in vitro experiments, the cardiomyocytes line (H9c2) was used. Cells were pretreated with palmitic acid (PA) for 24 h, then to build hypoxia model followed by HQR-containing serum for 24 h. Related indicators were also detected. In vivo, HQR can lessen pathohistological damage and apoptosis after AMI. In addition, HQR improves blood fat levels, cardiac function, inflammatory factor, the balance of oxidation and antioxidation, as well as lessen infarction in rats with obesity after AMI. Meanwhile, HQR can diminish myocardial cell death by improving mitochondrial function via PI3K/Akt/Bad pathway activation. In vitro, HQR inhibited H9c2 cells apoptosis, improved mitochondrial function and activated the PI3K/Akt/Bad pathway, but effects can be peripeteiad by LY294002. Myocardial mitochondrial dysfunction occurs following AMI and can lead to myocardial apoptosis, which can be aggravated by obesity. HQR can relieve myocardial apoptosis by improving mitochondrial function via the PI3K/Akt/Bad pathway in rats with obesity.

Development of a highly efficient virus-free regeneration system of Salvia miltiorrhiza from Sichuan using apical meristem as explants.

BCAKGROUND: The dry root and rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza are used to treat cardiovascular diseases, chronic pain, and thoracic obstruction over 2000 years in Asian countries. For high quality, Sichuan Zhongjiang is regarded as the genuine producing area of S. miltiorrhiza. Given its abnormal pollen development, S. miltiorrhiza from Sichuan (S.m.-SC) relies on root reproduction and zymad accumulation; part of diseased plants present typical viral disease symptoms and seed quality degeneration. This study aim to detected unknown viruses from mosaic-diseased plants and establish a highly efficient virus-free regeneration system to recover germplasm properties. RESULTS: Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) were detected from mosaic-diseased plants. Primary apical meristem with two phyllo podium in 0.15-0.5 mm peeled from diseased plants were achieved 73.33% virus-free rate. The results showed that the medium containing MS, 0.5 mg/L 6-BA, 0.1 mg/L NAA, 0.1 mg/L GA3, 30 g/L sucrose and 7.5 g/L agar can achieve embryonic-tissue (apical meristem, petiole and leaf callus) high efficient organogenesis. For callus induction, the optimal condition was detected on the medium containing MS, 2 mg/L TDZ, 0.1 mg/L NAA by using secondary petiole of virus-free plants under 24 h dark/d condition for 21 d. The optimal system for root induction was the nutrient solution with 1/2 MS supplemented with 1 mg/L NAA. After transplant, the detection of agronomic metric and salvianolic acid B content confirmed the great germplasm properties of S.m.-SC virus-free plants. CONCLUSIONS: A highly efficient virus-free regeneration system of S.m.-SC was established based on the detected viruses to recover superior seed quality. The proposed system laid support to control disease spread, recover good germplasm properties in S.m.-SC.

Tanshinone IIA combined with CsA inhibit myocardial cell apoptosis induced by renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in obese rats.

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial injury (AMI), which is induced by renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR), is a significant cause of acute kidney injury (AKI)-related associated death. Obesity increases the severity and frequency of AMI and AKI. Tanshinone IIA (TIIA) combined with cyclosporine A (CsA) pretreatment was used to alleviate myocardial cell apoptosis induced by renal IR, and to determine whether TIIA combined with CsA would attenuate myocardial cell apoptosis by modulating mitochondrial function through the PI3K/Akt/Bad pathway in obese rats. METHODS: Male rates were fed a high fat diet for 8 weeks to generate obesity. AKI was induced by 30 min of kidney ischemia followed 24 h of reperfusion. Obese rats were given TIIA (10 mg/kg·d) for 2 weeks and CsA (5 mg/kg) 30 min before renal IR. After 24 h of reperfusion, the rats were anaesthetized, the blood were fetched from the abdominal aorta and kidney were fetched from abdominal cavity, then related indicators were examined. RESULTS: TIIA combined with CsA can alleviate the pathohistological injury and apoptosis induced by renal IR in myocardial cells. TIIA combined with CsA improved cardiac function after renal ischemia (30 min)-reperfusion (24 h) in obese rats. At the same time, TIIA combined with CsA improved mitochondrial function. Abnormal function of mitochondria was supported by decreases in respiration controlling rate (RCR), intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), oxygen consumption rate, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and increases in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), mitochondrial DNA damage, and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex enzymes. The injury of mitochondrial dynamic function was assessed by decrease in dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), and increases in mitofusin1/2 (Mfn1/2), and mitochondrial biogenesis injury was assessed by decreases in PPARγ coactivator-1-α (PGC-1), nucleo respiratory factor1 (Nrf1), and transcription factor A of mitochondrial (TFam). CONCLUSION: We used isolated mitochondria from rat myocardial tissues to demonstrate that myocardial mitochondrial dysfunction occurred along with renal IR to induce myocardial cell apoptosis; obesity aggravated apoptosis. TIIA combined with CsA attenuated myocardial cell apoptosis by modulating mitochondrial function through the PI3K/Akt/Bad pathway in obese rats.

Vascular Endothelial Function as a Valid Predictor of Variations in Pulmonary Function in T2DM Patients Without Related Complications.

To assess the variations in pulmonary function and vascular endothelial function in their early stages (without related complications). A total of 162 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients without diabetes complications and 55 healthy people were selected, comprising the T2DM group and the control group, respectively, to evaluate changes in vascular endothelial function and lung function and determine the correlation between them. In this study, the T2DM group exhibited significantly lower pulmonary function than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The T2DM group also showed significantly lower flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and nitric oxide (NO) (P < 0.05) than those of the control group. Pulmonary functional indexes correlated positively with FMD and NO (P < 0.05) and correlated negatively with endothelin-1 (ET-1) (P < 0.05). FMD and NO correlated negatively with diabetes duration/HbA1c (P < 0.05), whereas ET-1 correlated positively with glycosylated hemoglobinA1c (HbA1c)/diabetes duration (P < 0.05). Pulmonary functional indexes negatively correlated with HbA1c/diabetes duration (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between vascular endothelial function indexes (FMD, ET-1, and NO) and pulmonary functional indexes. The results indicated that each vascular endothelial function index (FMD, ET-1, and NO) was significantly correlated with the pulmonary functional index (P < 0.05). The patients with T2DM presented changes in the subclinical vascular endothelial and pulmonary function. They also had impaired vascular endothelial functions, which were characterized by reduced vascular endothelial function relative to those of healthy people. Regulating glycemia may improve vascular endothelial and pulmonary functions. Moreover, microvascular lesions in preclinical stages, vascular endothelial function indexes (FMD, ET-1, and NO) were valid predictors of alterations in pulmonary function in T2DM patients without related complications. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03575988.