Statin administration or blocking PCSK9 alleviates airway hyperresponsiveness and lung fibrosis in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with airway hyperresponsiveness and lung fibrosis, which may reduce the effectiveness of standard asthma treatment in individuals suffering from both conditions. Statins and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin-9 inhibitors not only reduce serum cholesterol, free fatty acids but also diminish renin-angiotensin system activity and exhibit anti-inflammatory effects. These mechanisms may play a role in mitigating lung pathologies associated with obesity. METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice were induced to develop obesity through high-fat diet for 16 weeks. Conditional TGF-ß1 transgenic mice were fed a normal diet. These mice were given either atorvastatin or proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin-9 inhibitor (alirocumab), and the impact on airway hyperresponsiveness and lung pathologies was assessed. RESULTS: High-fat diet-induced obesity enhanced airway hyperresponsiveness, lung fibrosis, macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and pro-inflammatory mediators in the lung. These lipid-lowering agents attenuated airway hyperresponsiveness, macrophages in BALF, lung fibrosis, serum leptin, free fatty acids, TGF-ß1, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-17a in the lung. Furthermore, the increased RAS, NLRP3 inflammasome, and cholecystokinin in lung tissue of obese mice were reduced with statin or alirocumab. These agents also suppressed the pro-inflammatory immune responses and lung fibrosis in TGF-ß1 over-expressed transgenic mice with normal diet. CONCLUSIONS: Lipid-lowering treatment has the potential to alleviate obesity-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and lung fibrosis by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome, RAS and cholecystokinin activity.

Moringa oleifera fruit induce apoptosis via reactive oxygen species-dependent activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases in human melanoma A2058 cells.

The present study was performed to determine the effect of Moringa oleifera fruit extract on the apoptosis of human melanoma A2058 cells. A2058 cells were treated for 72 h with Moringa oleifera fruit extract at 50-100 µg/ml, and cell viability with apoptotic changes was examined. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) was examined. It was revealed that Moringa oleifera fruit extract significantly inhibited the cell viability and promoted apoptosis of A2058 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Moringa oleifera fruit extract-treated A2058 cells exhibited increased activities of cleaved caspase-9 and caspase-3. It also caused an enhancement of MAPK phosphorylation and ROS production. The pro-apoptotic activity of Moringa oleifera fruit extract was significantly reversed by pretreatment with the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125, extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor PD98058 or ROS inhibitor N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Taken together, Moringa oleifera fruit extract is effective in inducing mitochondrial apoptosis of A2058 cells, which is mediated through induction of ROS formation, and JNK and ERK activation. Moringa oleifera fruit extract may thus have therapeutic benefits for human melanoma A2058 cells.

Hyperoside and rutin of Nelumbo nucifera induce mitochondrial apoptosis through a caspase-dependent mechanism in HT-29 human colon cancer cells.

The present study demonstrates the mechanism of 2 flavonol glycosides, hyperoside and rutin, in the induction of apoptosis in HT-29 human colon cancer cells through the bioactivity-guided fractionation and isolation method. The chemical structure of hyperoside and rutin, isolated from the roots of Nelumbo nucifera, were established using extensive 1- and 2-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance experiments and absolute high resolution fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry, ultraviolet-visible and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectral analytical methods. The treatment of HT-29 colon cancer cells with hyperoside and rutin significantly decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. The concomitant activation of the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway of hyperoside and rutin occurred via modulation of Bcl-2-associated X protein and B-cell lymphoma 2 expression, resulting in the activation of cleaved caspases-3, -8 and -9 and cleaved poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The findings of the present study indicate that hyperoside and rutin induce apoptosis in HT-29 human colon cancer cells, and that this phenomenon is mediated via the death receptor-mediated and mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathways. These results suggest that hyperoside and rutin may be useful in the development of a colon cancer therapy protocol.