Oxymatrine-mediated prevention of amyloid β-peptide-induced apoptosis on Alzheimer's model PC12 cells: in vitro cell culture studies and in vivo cognitive assessment in rats

Unlocking the Potential of Oxymatrine: A Comprehensive Review of Its Neuroprotective Mechanisms and Therapeutic Prospects in Neurological Disorders

Sophora flavescens, the source of oxymatrine, is gaining popularity due to its potential in neuroprotection and treatment of various neurological conditions like epilepsy, depression, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis. Its natural occurrence and promising preliminary research highlight its ability to reduce nerve cell damage and inflammation, attributed to its antiapoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, challenges like solubility, potential adverse effects and limited bioavailability hinder its full therapeutic utilization. Current strategies, including formulation optimization and innovative drug delivery systems, aim to enhance its efficacy and safety. Despite its potential, further research is necessary to overcome these obstacles and maximize its clinical effectiveness. Conclusively, oxymatrine demonstrates distinct neuroprotective properties, offering unique advantages over other agents currently being studied or used in clinical practice for neurological disorders. nevertheless, additional study is necessary to surmount current obstacles and maximize its effectiveness for clinical settings. This study provides a comprehensive overview of oxymatrine's neuroprotective mechanisms and therapeutic potential while emphasizing the need for continued investigation and development for practical clinical application.

Oxymatrine induces apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells by downregulating TRIM46

Sophora flavescens Aiton, a traditional Chinese medicine that was supposed to predominantly play an anti-inflammatory role, has been used to treat multiple diseases, including cancer, for over two thousand years. Recently, it has attracted increasing attention due to the anti-tumor properties of Oxymatrine, one of the most active alkaloids extracted from S. flavescens. This study aims to explore it's anti-tumor effects in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the underlying mechanisms. We first investigated the effects of oxymatrine on cell apoptosis in lung cancer cell lines A549 and PC9 as well as explored related genes in regulating the apoptosis by transcriptome analysis. Subsequently, to further study the role of TRIM46, we constructed two types of TRIM46 over-expression cells (A549TRIM46+ and PC9TRIM46+ cells) and then investigated the effect of TRIM46 on oxymatrine-induced apoptosis. Moreover, we explored the effect of TRIM46 on downstream signaling pathways. Transcriptome analysis suggested that shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in A549 and PC9 cells treated with oxymatrine were CACNA1I, PADI2, and TRIM46. According to TCGA database analysis, the abundance of TRIM46 expression was higher than CACNA1I, and PADI2 in lung cancer tissues, then was selected as the final DEG for subsequent studies. We observed that oxymatrine resulted in down-expression of TRIM46 as well as induced the apoptosis of the cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Meanwhile, we found that apoptosis induced by oxymatrine was inhibited by over-expressing TRIM46. Furthermore, our study indicated that the NF-κB signaling pathway was involved in apoptosis suppressed by TRIM46. We conclude that TRIM46 is the direct target of oxymatrine to induce anti-tumor apoptosis and may activate the downstream NF-κB signaling pathway.

Oxymatrine mitigates Aspergillus fumigatus keratitis by suppressing fungal activity and restricting pyroptosis

Fungal keratitis (FK) is a refractory keratitis caused by excessive inflammation and fungal damage. Excessive inflammation can lead to tissue damage and corneal opacity, resulting in a poor prognosis for FK. Oxymatrine (OMT) is a natural alkaloid, which has rich pharmacological effects, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammation. However, its antifungal activity and the mechanism of action in FK have not been elucidated. This study confirmed that OMT suppressed Aspergillus fumigatus growth, biofilm formation, the integrity of fungal cell and conidial adherence. OMT not only effectively reduced corneal fungal load but also inflammation responses. OMT lessened the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages in FK. In addition, OMT up-regulated the expression of Nrf2 and down-regulated the expression of IL-18, IL-1β, caspase-1, NLRP3 and GSDMD. Pre-treatment with Nrf2 inhibitor up-regulated the expression of IL-1β, IL-18, caspase-1, NLRP3 and GSDMD supressed by OMT. In conclusion, OMT has efficient anti-inflammatory and antifungal effects by suppressing fungal activity and restricting pyroptosis via Nrf2 pathway. OMT is considered as a potential option for the treatment of FK.