LncRNA PCED1B-AS1 activates the proliferation and restricts the apoptosis of glioma through cooperating with miR-194-5p/PCED1B axis.

Glioma with poor prognosis is accepted as a lethal, malignant intracranial tumor among central nervous system diseases. It has been frequently exhibited that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert indispensable functions in glioma through regulating gene expression through various molecular mechanisms. To unveil a novel lncRNA functioning in glioma, we browsed the cancer genome atlas dataset and chose the lncRNA PC-esterase domain containing 1B antisense RNA 1 (PCED1B-AS1) for further investigations. Loss-of-function experiments depicted that the proliferation ability was restrained and apoptosis ability was induced in glioma cells by PCED1B-AS1 silencing and this phenomenon was also observed when PCED1B was knocked down. In view of the position of PCED1B-AS1 in the cytoplasm, we produced the Venn diagram and discovered one shared microRNA of PCED1B-AS1 and PCED1B. The competing endogenous RNA network formed by PCED1B-AS1, miR-194-5p, and PCED1B was attested by mechanism assays. Rescue experiments reconfirmed that miR-194-5p suppression or PCED1B overexpression neutralized the obstructive impacts of PCED1B-AS1 silence on proliferation and the promoting effects of PCED1B-AS1 silence on apoptosis. The modulation mechanism of the PCED1B-AS1/miR-194-5p/PCED1B axis in glioma was investigated and affirmed, which supports researchers with a new insight into the therapy of patients with glioma.

microRNA-539 functions as a tumor suppressor in papillary thyroid carcinoma via the transforming growth factor ß1/Smads signaling pathway by targeting secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid malignancy, with growing incidence every year. microRNAs (miRs) are known to regulate the physiological and pathological processes of cancers, such as proliferation, migration, invasion, survival, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Herein, this study aimed to investigate the effect of miR-539 on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and EMT by targeting secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) via the transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1)/Smads signaling pathway in PTC. First, PTC-related differentially expressed genes and regulatory miR were screened using bioinformatics analysis, dual luciferase reporter gene assay, and ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation, which identified the SLPI gene and the regulatory miR-539 for this study. We identified SLPI as a highly expressed gene in PTC tissues, and SLPI was targeted and negatively regulated by miR-539. Then, we introduced a series of miR-539 mimics, miR-539 inhibitors, and small interfering RNA against SLPI plasmids into CGTHW-3 cells to examine the effects of miR-539 and SLPI on the expression of TGF-ß1/Smads signaling pathway-, EMT-, and apoptosis-related factors, as well as cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. The obtained results indicated that CGTHW-3 cells treated with silenced SLPI or overexpressed miR-539 suppressed the cell proliferation, migration, invasion abilities, and resistance to apoptosis of PTC cells, corresponding to increased expression of Bcl-2-associated X protein, TGF-ß1, Sekelsky mothers against dpp 4, and epithelial cadherin, and decreased B cell lymphoma 2, Vimentin, and N-cadherin. Altogether, we concluded that overexpressed miR-539 could inhibit the PTC cell proliferation and promote apoptosis and EMT by targeting SPLI via activation of the TGF-ß1/Smads signaling pathway.

Protective effects of polydatin on LPS-induced endometritis in mice.

Endometritis, a common inflammation of the uterus, often causes severe damage to human and animal reproductive health. Polydatin is a polyphenol extracted from the rhizome of Polygonum cuspidatum that has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying protective effects and mechanisms of polydatin against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endometritis in mice. The mouse model of endometritis was established by injection of LPS through the vagina. The uterine tissues of each group were gathered to analyze histopathological changes, inflammatory cytokine production, and the degree of activation of the NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling pathways. The myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity assay indicated that polydatin treatment significantly alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration in LPS-induced endometritis mice. Furthermore, polydatin treatment remarkably impeded the expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 by ELISA assay. Hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E) showed that polydatin significantly decreased impairment of the uterus. In addition, polydatin was also found to suppress LPS-induced NF-κB activation in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 was enhanced by polydatin treatment. All the results suggest that polydatin helpfully alleviates LPS-induced endometritis by suppressing the NF-ĸB signaling pathway and activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway.

The let-7 family of microRNAs suppresses immune evasion in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by promoting PD-L1 degradation.

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of immunosuppressive protein programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) has been documented in several cancers and contributes to the evasion of the host immune system. However, cancer cell-intrinsic signaling-dependent control of PD-L1 expression remains to be elucidated. Herein, we aimed to identify the let-7 family of microRNAs as candidates that up-regulate tumor cell PD-L1 expression and mediates immune evasion of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: The expression of let-7 family and PD-L1 was quantified in HNSCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. PD-L1 degradation was evaluated in HNSCC cells in response to elevated expressions of let-7a or let-7b. The regulation of let-7 family on PD-L1 degradation through a mechanism involving T-cell factor-4 (TCF-4) control of ß-catenin/STT3 pathway was evaluated. Immune recognition of HNSCC in vivo was examined in subcutaneous tumor-bearing C3H mice in the presence of let-7a/b and/or CTLA-4 antibody. RESULTS: The let-7 family were significantly down-regulated in the context of HNSCC, sharing a negative correlation with PD-L1 expression. Glycosylated PD-L1 was detected in HNSCC cells, which was reduced by let-7a/b over-expression. TCF-4, the target of let-7a/b, activated the ß-catenin/STT3 pathway and promoted PD-L1 degradation. In vivo analysis demonstrated that let-7a/b over-expression potentiated anticancer immunotherapy by CTLA-4 blockade. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings highlight targeting let-7 family as a potential strategy to enhance immune checkpoint therapy for HNSCC.

Targeting CD133(+) laryngeal carcinoma cells with chemotherapeutic drugs and siRNA against ABCG2 mediated by thermo/pH-sensitive mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) represent a new form of drug nanocarrier with thermo/pH-coupling sensitivity and site-specificity. CD133(+) Hep-2 laryngeal cancer cells are responsible for multidrug resistance due to elevated expression of ABCG2. Since positively charged nanoparticles could easily uptake nucleic acids, we examined the possibility of using this new drug delivery system to simultaneously deliver different chemotherapeutic drugs and siRNA targeting ABCG2. Our results demonstrated that both antitumor drugs and siRNA against ABCG2 were successfully delivered into CD133(+) cancer cells by loaded MSNs. Down-regulation of ABCG2 significantly enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drug-induced apoptosis in laryngeal carcinoma cells. Furthermore, the chemotherapeutic drug and siRNA loaded nanoparticles inhibited tumor growth in vivo in a laryngeal cancer mouse model.

Sappanone A Attenuates Allergic Airway Inflammation in Ovalbumin-Induced Asthma.

BACKGROUND: Sappanone A (SA) is isolated from the heartwood of Caesalpinia sappan and exerts a wide range of pharmacological activities. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of SA on allergic asthma in a murine model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma. METHODS: BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged. Then, the mice were intraperitoneally injected with SA (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg) 1 h before OVA challenge; 24 h after the last challenge, the mice were sacrificed, and data were collected by different experimental methods. RESULTS: The results showed that SA dose-dependently reduced inflammatory cell counts, levels of cytokines IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13, and OVA-specific IgE in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The level of IFN-γ decreased by OVA was upregulated by the treatment with SA. Furthermore, SA was found to attenuate the airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion induced by the OVA challenge. In addition, SA dose-dependently upregulated the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1. SA inhibited OVA-induced asthma by activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that SA may have a potential use as a therapeutic agent for asthma.

Modified traditional TNM staging of pyriform sinus and hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer based on lymph node ratio and its clinical significance: a population-based study combined with external validation.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the application value of a new TLNRM staging prediction model based on lymph node ratio (LNR) in patients with Pyriform Sinus and Hypopharyngeal and Laryngeal cancer (PHLC). METHODS: A total of 2,257 patients with pathologically diagnosed PHLC from 2004 through 2019 were collected from the SEE database for analysis. The N staging of AJCC was replaced by LNR, and we compared the differences in patient prognosis and judgment ability between the new TLNRM staging and the 8th edition TNM staging. At the same time, data from 1,094 people in our hospital were included for external verification and validation. RESULTS: We selected four cutoff points based on LNR and reclassified N staging into five groups (LNR1-5). Compared to the traditional TNM staging (8th edition), the new TLNRM staging showed a statistically significant 5-year OS difference. The decision curve showed that the new TLNRM staging had a higher net benefit for different decision thresholds than the traditional TNM staging system's prediction line. The smaller AIC and BIC suggested that the new staging system had a higher sensitivity to prognosis evaluation compared to the traditional staging system. TLNRM stage III patients can benefit from radiotherapy, while TLNRM IVA and IVB patients can benefit from chemoradiotherapy. The same conclusion has been drawn from external validation data from our center. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the traditional 8th edition AJCC staging system, the new TLNRM staging system has advantages in predicting the staging and prognosis of PHLC patients, and can independently guide postoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients.

Clinical implications of cancer stem cell-like side population cells in human laryngeal cancer.

In this study, we try to detect and isolate the cancer stem cell-like side population cells (SP) from the laryngeal carcinoma cell line and primary laryngeal carcinoma and explore the clinical implications of SP cells in laryngeal carcinoma. The SP cells and non-side population cells (NSP) cells were sorted by Hoechst 33342 through FACS. The proliferation capacity, invasion ability, migration ability, and tumorigenic activity of the SP cells were evaluated. In addition, the association between the SP cells ratio and the prognostic factors of laryngeal cancer was analyzed. As a result, the percentage of the SP cells in Hep-2 cells was 5.1%. The SP cells depicted float colonies, but the NSP cells failed to generate the typical cell spheres. The clone formation ratios were 47.47 ± 10.20% vs. 4.98 ± 1.41% in the flat plates and 46.82 ± 5.67% vs. 12.53 ± 3.51% in the soft agar for SP and NSP cells (P = 0.01 and 0.01). The SP cells depicted a higher migrating potency than the NSP cells in both the transwell assay and scarification test (all P < 0.05). The matrigel invasion assay showed that the artificial basement membrane penetration rate of SP cells was 39.04 ± 4.78%, which was higher than 25.16 ± 4.63% of the NSP cells (P < 0.05). Only 10(3) SP cells were able to form tumors in mice, whereas 10(4) NSP cells failed to form tumors. The SP cells were correlated with the differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage of the laryngeal cancers. In conclusion, SP cells may be a potential prognostic factor of laryngeal cancer.

Dihydrotanshinone Attenuates LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice by Upregulating LXRα.

Dihydrotanshinone (DIH) is an extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. It has been reported that DIH could regulate NF-κB signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate whether DIH could protect mice from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. In this study, sixty mice were randomly divided into five groups, one group as blank control group, the second group as LPS control group, and the last three groups were pre-injected with different doses of DIH and then inhaled LPS for experimental comparison. After 12 h of LPS treatment, the wet-dry ratio, histopathlogical changes, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of lungs were measured. In addition, ELISA kits were used to measure the levels of TNF-α and IL-1ß inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF), and western blot analysis was used to measure the activity of NF-κB signaling pathway. The results demonstrated that DIH could effectively reduce pulmonary edema, MPO activity, and improve the lung histopathlogical changes. Furthermore, DIH suppressed the levels of inflammatory cytokines in BALF, such as TNF-α and IL-1ß. In addition, DIH could also downregulate the activity of NF-κB signaling pathway. We also found that DIH dose-dependently increased the expression of LXRα. In addition, DIH could inhibit LPS-induced IL-8 production and NF-κB activation in A549 cells. And the inhibitory effects were reversed by LXRα inhibitor geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP). Therefore, we speculate that DIH regulates LPS-induced ALI in mice by increasing LXRα expression, which subsequently inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway.

Vanillin Attenuates Cadmium-Induced Lung Injury Through Inhibition of Inflammation and Lung Barrier Dysfunction Through Activating AhR.

Vanillin, the main constituents of vanillin beans, has been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects. However, the effects of vanillin on the cadmium-induced lung injury are still unclear. Therefore, we assay whether vanillin has potential preventive activity on cadmium-induced lung injury in mice. Mice were given vanillin (5, 10, 20 mg/kg) and treated with cadmium for 7 days. The detection data of vanillin on lung tissue changes were analyzed after the cadmium treatment. The results displayed that vanillin obviously decreased the lung histological alterations and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Vanillin also suppressed the levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in BALF. Furthermore, vanillin prevented cadmium-induced NF-κB activation and upregulation the expression of tight junction protein ZO-1 and occludin. In addition, vanillin significantly increased the expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and inhibition of AhR by its agonist could reverse the protective effects of vanillin on cadmium-induced lung injury. To sum up, vanillin could be a potential drug for the treatment of cadmium-induced lung injury.

Silencing of long non-coding RNA LINC00520 promotes radiosensitivity of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Aberrant expression of LINC00520 has been identified in head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC). However, its function in the radiosensitivity of HNSCC remain unclear. Herein, we aimed to define the role LINC00520 in the radiosensitivity of HNSCC and identify the underlying mechanism. Tumour tissues and adjacent normal tissue were collected from HNSCC patients. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HNSCC tumour were obtained from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. Interactions between LINC00520 and miR-195, homeobox A10 (HOXA10) and miR-195 were evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP), and RNA pull-down assay. The effects of LINC00520/miR-195/HOXA10 on radiosensitivity of HNSCC were analysed in the evaluation of radiotherapy outcome. Cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis of HNSCC cells were accessed via gain- and loss-of-function approaches. Tumour xenograft in nude mice was conducted in order to confirm the results in vivo. LINC00520 was upregulated while miR-195 was downregulated in HNSCC cells and tissues. Silencing LINC00520 or overexpressing miR-195 promoted radiosensitivity and inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis in HNSCC. Moreover, these in vitro findings were reproduced in vivo in human HNSCC xenograft in nude mice. LINC00520/miR-195/HOXA10 is involved in the radiosensitivity mediation, providing potential therapeutic target for HNSCC treatment.

Piperine protects LPS-induced mastitis by inhibiting inflammatory response.

Mastitis, inflammation in the breast, affects breastfeedingwomenin the postpartumperiod. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of piperine against mastitis using a mouse mastitis model. LPS-induced mastitis was established by injecting LPS into the canals of the mammary gland. Piperine was given intraperitoneally 1 h before and 12 h after LPS treatment. The results showed that the LPS-induced mammary histopathological changes and MPO activity were attenuated by piperine. LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines TNF-α andIL-1ß were also inhibited by piperine. Furthermore, LPS-induced NF-κB activation was suppressed by the treatment with piperine. In addition, we found piperine dose-dependently increased the expression of PPARγ. All of these results suggested that piperine had protective effects against LPS-induced mastitis and that the mechanism may be mediated through the activation of PPARγ.

Morin Protects LPS-Induced Mastitis via Inhibiting NLRP3 Inflammasome and NF-κB Signaling Pathways.

Mastitis is one of the most common diseases that both affects human and animals. Morin is derived from the member of Moraceae family, which has been used in the treatment of many inflammatory diseases. The purpose of this study was to test the protective effect of morin on LPS-induced mastitis and to clarify the possible mechanism. In vivo, the mastitis model was established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and morin was treated 1 h before stimulation of LPS. In vitro, peritoneal macrophages were used to test the regulation mechanisms of morin on mastitis. The inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6) was tested by ELISA. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was measured by MPO kit. The expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signaling pathway proteins were detected by western blotting. The results showed that morin alleviated the pathological damage of mammary gland tissues, MPO activity, and the production of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in mammary gland tissues. In vitro, morin significantly suppressed the production of inflammatory cytokines. In addition, it also inhibited the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signaling pathway induced by LPS. In conclusion, the present study suggested that the protective effect of morin against LPS-induced mastitis may be due to its ability to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome expression and NF-κB signaling pathway.

LINC00641/miR-4262/NRGN axis confines cell proliferation in glioma.

Glioma is the most prevalent brain malignancy with high mortality. In recent decades, the regulatory role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been unmasked in glioma. In this study, we focused on the function and mechanism of LINC00641 in glioma. First of all, we found that LINC00641 was expressed at a low level in glioma cell lines. Importantly, overexpression of LINC00641 prevented cell proliferation but enhanced cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, NRGN, a previously-reported downregulated mRNA in GBM, was disclosed as a tumor suppressor in glioma cells. Besides, we verified that NRGN could be positively regulated by LINC00641 in glioma cells. Moreover, the cellular distribution of LINC00641 was identified to be cytoplasmic. Therefore, bioinformatics analysis and mechanism experiments were carried out and we determined that miR-4262 was the shared miRNA between LINC00641 and NRGN. In contrast to LINC00641 and NRGN, miR-4262 was dramatically upregulated in glioma cells. Furthermore, we confirmed that LINC00641 acted as a ceRNA in glioma cells via absorbing miR-4262 to upregulate NRGN. More importantly, silenced NRGN countervailed the repression on glioma cell proliferation caused by LINC00641 upregulation. Collectively, our findings unveiled that LINC00641 serves as a tumor inhibitor in glioma by targeting miR-4262/NRGN axis, providing a new potential therapeutic target for glioma patients.

Dimethyl itaconate protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced endometritis by inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB and activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in mice.

OBJECTIVES: Endometritis is the inflammation of the uterine lining that is associated with infertility. It affects milk production and reproductive performance and leads to huge economic losses in dairy cows. Dimethyl itaconate (DI), a promising chemical agent, has recently been proved to have multiple health-promoting effects. However, the effects of DI on endometritis remain to be unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we assessed the anti-inflammatory effects of DI on Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endometritis in mice. The endometritis was induced by LPS treatment for 24 hr, and DI was given 24 hr before induction of LPS. RESULTS: As a result, DI administered mice significantly suffered less impairment of uterine tissue and less recruitment of inflammatory cells than LPS administered mice. In addition, DI markedly inhibited uterine myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and pro-inflammatory cytokines of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) induced by LPS. Moreover, LPS-induced toll-like receptor 4/ nuclear factor-kappa B (TLR4/NF-κB) activation was suppressed by DI. In addition, the expressions of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase (HO-1) were upregulated by DI. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that DI has anti-inflammatory functions in the LPS-induced mice and may be a therapeutic agent against endometritis.

Targeting laryngeal cancer cells with 5-fluorouracil and curcumin using mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the inhibitory and synergistic effects of 5-fluorouracil and curcumin on Hep-2 laryngeal cancer cells and clarify the effect of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as drug carriers. METHODS: The inhibitory effects of 5-fluorouracil and curcumin on Hep-2 cells were detected using the CCK-8 assay. CompuSyn was used to calculate the synergistic effect of the 2 drugs. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis and cell cycle arrest induced by 5-fluorouracil and curcumin. The drugs were loaded into mesoporous nanoparticles. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of related proteins after treatment. The growth of subcutaneous tumors in BALB/c nude after the intraperitoneal injection with drug-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles was recorded. RESULTS: 5-Fluorouracil and curcumin synergistically induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in Hep-2 cells. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles as drug carriers enhanced the therapeutic effects of 5-fluorouracil and curcumin. CONCLUSIONS: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are expected to be effective drug carriers that enhance the synergistic effects of 5-fluorouracil and curcumin on laryngeal cancer.

MicroRNA-129-5p suppresses nasopharyngeal carcinoma lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis by targeting ZIC2.

PURPOSE: The etiology of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is multifactorial, complex and not fully characterized yet. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) have been found to contribute to the development and progression of NPC. Here, we aimed to investigate the putative role of miR-129-5p in NPC lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis (LNM), including the involvement of its target gene ZIC2 and the Hedgehog signaling pathway. METHODS: The expression of miR-129-5p and ZIC2 in primary NPC tissues was assessed using RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses, followed by LNM and lymph vessel density (LVD) correlation analyses. A direct interaction between miR-129-5p and ZIC2 was verified using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of miR-129-5p and ZIC2 expression on NPC cell invasion, migration and proliferation in vitro, as well as on LDV and LNM in nude mice in vivo. Additionally, RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses were performed to determine the expression levels of Hedgehog signaling pathway-related factors. RESULTS: We found that ZIC2 was highly expressed, and miR-129-5p was lowly expressed, in primary NPC tissues. In addition, we found that miR-129-5p can directly bind to and reduce ZIC2 expression. LVD was found to be negatively correlated with miR-129-5p and to be positively correlated with ZIC2 expression. Concomitantly, we found that miR-129-5p abrogated activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway via ZIC2 targeting, leading to suppression of NPC cell invasion, migration and proliferation in vitro as well as suppression of LNM and LVD in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: From our data we conclude that miR-129-5p, by decreasing ZIC2 expression, may inhibit NPC lymphangiogenesis and LNM through suppression of the Hedgehog signaling pathway.

Suppression of NLRP3 and NF-κB signaling pathways by α-Cyperone via activating SIRT1 contributes to attenuation of LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice.

α-Cyperone is the volatile oil component in Cyperus rotundus L. The previous reports had shown the inhibition of α-Cyperone on NF-κB signaling in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. However, it is still unclear whether α-Cyperone could suppress inflammatory response in acute lung injury (ALI) induced by LPS. The aim of this study is to investigate the suppression of α-Cyperone on LPS-induced ALI in mice. In this study, we established the LPS-induced ALI model and compared different doses of α-Cyperone with the control group and LPS group. Accordingly, the following indexes would be compared, including lung wet/dry ratio, MPO activity, inflammatory cell number, histopathological changes, levels of inflammatory cytokines, NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling pathways activation. The results demonstrated that α-Cyperone had the effect on reducing the wet/dry ratio and MPO activity. Furthermore, the increase of inflammatory cells and inflammatory cytokines could be inhibited by α-Cyperone. Meanwhile, α-Cyperone could downregulate NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling pathways. Finally, we found α-Cyperone could up-regulate the expression of SIRT1 and SIRT1 inhibitor could reverse the protective effects of α-Cyperone on ALI. In conclusion, α-Cyperone showed the protective effect on LPS-induced ALI in mice by suppressing the NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling pathways, mainly via up-regulating SIRT1. This provides a potential drug for the treatment of LPS-induced ALI.

Isoliquiritigenin Inhibits Cigarette Smoke-Induced COPD by Attenuating Inflammation and Oxidative Stress via the Regulation of the Nrf2 and NF-κB Signaling Pathways.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the major leading cause of disease with high-mortality worldwide. Cigarette smoke (CS) is a major factor for COPD. CS causes chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which contributes to lung dysfunction in COPD. Isoliquiritigenin (ILG), a natural flavonoid derived from the root of liquorice, has been reported to possess antiinflammatory and antioxidant activity. In the present study, we tested the mechanism and protective effects of ILG on CS-induced COPD. Mice were exposed to CS for 2 h twice a day for 4 weeks. ILG was given orally 1 h before CS exposure twice a day for 4 weeks. The bronchial alveolar lavage fluid was collected to test the levels of inflammatory cytokines and the number of inflammatory cells. The lung tissues were obtained to evaluate the pathological changes, lung edema, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, as well as the expression of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2 (Nrf2) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways. The results showed that ILG reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the production of inflammatory cytokines. ILG also reversed CS-induced lung pathological injuries, wet/dry ratio, MPO activity, and MDA level. Further research also showed that ILG dose-dependently up-regulated the expression of Nrf2 and down-regulated the expression of NF-κB signaling pathways induced by CS. In conclusion, ILG protected against CS-induced COPD by inhibiting inflammatory and oxidative stress via the regulation of the Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Biochanin A protects lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine-induced acute liver injury in mice by activating the Nrf2 pathway and inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Biochanin A, an isoflavone existed in red clover and peanuts, has been reported to possess a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, the protective effects and mechanism of biochanin A on liver injury have not been reported. In this study, acute liver injury was induced by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and d-galactosamine (D-GalN). Biochanin A was administrated 1h prior to LPS/D-GalN challenge. Serum ALT, AST, IL-1ß, and TNF-α levels, hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), GPx, SOD, and Catalase contents, tissue histology, IL-1ß, TNF-α, NLRP3, and Nrf2 expression were detected. The results showed that serum ALT, AST, IL-1ß, and TNF-α levels and hepatic MDA content increased after LPS/GalN treatment. These changes were attenuated by biochanin A. Meanwhile, biochanin A dose-dependently up-regulated the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1. Biochanin A also inhibited hepatic IL-1ß and TNF-α expression in a dose-dependent manner. Biochanin A did not inhibit LPS/D-GalN-induced hepatic NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 expression. However, the interaction of NLRP3 with ASC and caspase-1 were inhibited by biochanin A. In addition, LPS/D-GalN-induced up-regulation of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and interaction between TXNIP and NLRP3 were also inhibited by biochanin A. In conclusion, biochanin A protected against LPS/GalN-induced liver injury by activating the Nrf2 pathway and inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.