Protective effect of sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide on LPS-induced acute lung injury

Trends in parthenolide research over the past two decades: A bibliometric analysis

Parthenolide (PTL) is a new compound extracted from traditional Chinese medicine. In recent years, it has been proven to play an undeniable role in tumors, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory diseases. Similarly, an increasing number of experiments have also confirmed the biological mechanism of PTL in these diseases. In order to better understand the development trend and potential hot spots of PTL in cancer and other diseases, we conducted a detailed bibliometric analysis. The purpose of presenting this bibliometric analysis was to highlight and inform researchers of the important research directions, co-occurrence relationships and research status in this field. Publications related to PTL research from 2002 to 2022 were extracted on the web of science core collection (WoSCC) platform. CiteSpace, VOSviewers and R package "bibliometrix" were applied to build relevant network diagrams. The bibliometric analysis was presented in terms of performance analysis (including publication statistics, top publishing countries, top publishing institutions, publishing journals and co-cited journals, authors and co-cited authors, co-cited references statistics, citation bursts statistics, keyword statistics and trend topic statistics) and science mapping (including citations by country, citations by institution, citations by journal, citations by author, co-citation analysis, and keyword co-occurrence). The detailed discussion of the results explained the focus and latest trends from the bibliometric analysis. Finally, the current status and shortcomings of the research field on PTLwere clearly pointed out for reference by scholars.

Exploring the Mechanism of Bergamot Essential Oil against Asthma Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease. Bergamot essential oil (BEO) is extracted from the bergamot peel, which is widely used as a medicinal and food plant in China. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that BEO has anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting potential in treating asthma. First, the main active ingredients of BEO were detected and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Network pharmacology methods were used to explore the possible core targets and main pathways of BEO in asthma treatment. Then ovalbumin (OVA)-induced in vivo and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced in vitro models were established to investigate the antiasthmatic effects of BEO. BEO showed a good antiasthmatic effect by improving lung inflammation and inhibiting collagen deposition. Then, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were used to explore the possible mechanism of BEO in asthma treatment. Furthermore, experimental verification showed that BEO could suppress the release of inflammatory factors in vitro and inhibit the activation of MAPK and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. This study demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of BEO against asthma. Moreover, it supplies a theoretical basis for the clinical application of BEO.

Endoplasmic reticulum secretory pathway: Potential target against SARS-CoV-2

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has recently emerged throughout the world, resulting in more than 400 million cases and over 6 million deaths worldwide as of January 2022. Coronaviruses subvert or use certain aspects of the unfolded protein response in the endoplasmic reticulum to overcome protein translation shutdown to benefit their replication. New virions use the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment to assemble and gain transportation to the cell membrane. Extensive remodeling of the ER has been demonstrated during SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this review article, we discuss the role of the endoplasmic reticulum secretory pathway in the replication cycle of SARS-CoV-2. Currently, there is a dearth of therapeutic options for intervening with SARS-CoV-2 infection. To accelerate drug development, efforts around the globe have been focusing on repurposing drugs that have already been approved for clinical use by regulatory agencies. Targeting the ERS pathway is reasonable, as prior work has shown that SARS-CoV-2 egress is dependent on this pathway. Here we discuss the feasibility of off-patent, FDA-approved, pharmacological inhibitors of the ERS pathway to suppress the SARS-CoV-2 replication cycle, a promising approach that warrants investigation.

ACT001 suppressing M1 polarization against inflammation via NF-κB and STAT1 signaling pathways alleviates acute lung injury in mice

ACT001 has been shown to exhibit excellent antitumor and anti-fibrosis activities. However, the role of ACT001 in acute lung injury (ALI) and the underlying mechanism remains largely unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of ACT001 on ALI and explore the potential mechanisms. Herein, we firstly established the ALI mouse model induced by intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). ACT001 treatment significantly alleviated histopathological changes of lung tissues with lower infiltration of pulmonary M1 macrophages in ALI mice. Then, we performed in vitro experiment and found that ACT001 treatment effectively inhibited the M1 phenotype of RAW264.7 and THP-1.. Next, we performed pull-down and mass spectrometry analysis to screen the interacting proteins of ACT001, identifying IKKβ and STAT1 as the critical target proteins of ACT001. And ACT001 treatment significantly suppressed the NF-κB and STAT1 pathways, thereby inhibiting the M1 polarization against inflammation in vivo and in vitro. Finally, we used IMD 0354 (IMD) and Fludarabine (Flud) to specifically block the activity of IKKβ and STAT1, and stimulated macrophages through IKKβ and STAT1 overexpression. Our data clearly showed that ACT001-induced decrease of the M1 polarization was blocked by IMD and Flud treatment, and reversed by IKKβ and STAT1 overexpression in RAW264.7 cells. In conclusion, we discovered that ACT001 significantly alleviates inflammation and limits M1 phenotype of pulmonary macrophages via suppressing NF-κB and STAT1 signaling pathways, providing new insights for the development of drugs to treat ALI/ARDS.

Ganoderic Acid A Alleviates OVA-Induced Asthma in Mice

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of ganoderic acid A (GAA) on OVA-induced asthma in mice. Mouse asthma model was established by ovalbumin (OVA) in vitro. Diff-Quik staining was used to observe the total numbers of cells and the number of classification cells in each group, and HE staining was used to observe lung inflammation in lung tissue sections. ELISA was used to detect the effect of GAA on the levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, and IL-13 in serum and lung tissue. The expression levels of TLR/NF-κB were detected by Western blot. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe the expression changes of TLR4 and P-P65. Compared with the normal group, the inflammatory cell count, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 expression in the model group increased, and TLR/NF-kB signal protein expression increased. Compared with the model group, in GAA group, the number of inflammatory cells, the expression of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 decreased, and the expression of TLR/NF-kB signaling protein decreased. GAA regulated lung inflammation in asthmatic mice by inhibiting TLR/NF-kB signaling pathway.

The Anti-inflammatory Potential of Selected Plant-derived Compounds in Respiratory Diseases

Inflammation plays a major role in chronic airway diseases like asthma, COPD, and cystic fibrosis. Inflammation plays a crucial role in the worsening of the lung function resulting in worsening symptoms. The inflammatory process is very complexed, therefore the strategies for developing an effective treatment for inflammatory airway diseases would benefit from the use of natural substances. Plant products have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties on various lung disease models and numerous natural plant agents have successfully been used to treat inflammation. Naturally occurring substances may exert some anti-inflammatory effects by modulating some of the inflammatory pathways. These agents have been used in different cultures for thousands of years and have proven to be relatively safe. Parthenolide, apocynin, proanthocyanidins, and boswellic acid present different mechanisms of actions - among others, through NF-kB or NADPH oxidase inhibition, therefore showing a wide range of applications in various inflammatory diseases. Moreover, some of them have also antioxidant properties. This review provides an overview of the anti-inflammatory effects of some of the natural agents and illustrates their great potential as sources of drugs to cover an extensive range of pharmacological effects.

Ganoderic acid B attenuates LPS-induced lung injury

Acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious respiratory disease, the mechanism is unclear. This paper revealed the mechanism of ganoderic acid B (BB) on lipopolysaccharide-induced pneumonia in mice. Pneumonia model was induced by LPS in mice and A549 cells. Lung dry/wet weight (W/D) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in lung were examined. Lung histopathological changes was observed by HE staining. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in mice and A549 cells were detected. Rho/NF-κB pathway in mice and A549 cells were examined by Western Blot. BB significantly reduced W/D and MPO activity, restored lung histopathological changes. BB also increased SOD, decreased MDA, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in mice and A549 cells. In addition, BB inhibited Rho/NF-κB pathway in mice and A549 cells. BB has protective effect on LPS-induced pneumonia in mice, and its mechanism is related to the regulation of Rho/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Terpenoids as Potential Geroprotectors

Terpenes and terpenoids are the largest groups of plant secondary metabolites. However, unlike polyphenols, they are rarely associated with geroprotective properties. Here we evaluated the conformity of the biological effects of terpenoids with the criteria of geroprotectors, including primary criteria (lifespan-extending effects in model organisms, improvement of aging biomarkers, low toxicity, minimal adverse effects, improvement of the quality of life) and secondary criteria (evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of action, reproducibility of the effects on different models, prevention of age-associated diseases, increasing of stress-resistance). The number of substances that demonstrate the greatest compliance with both primary and secondary criteria of geroprotectors were found among different classes of terpenoids. Thus, terpenoids are an underestimated source of potential geroprotectors that can effectively influence the mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases.

Ganoderic acid A attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury in mice

The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of ganoderic acid A (GAA) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury. In mouse model of LPS-induced acute lung injury, we found that GAA led to significantly lower lung wet-to-dry weight ratio and lung myeloperoxidase activity, and attenuated pathological damages. In addition, GAA increased superoxide dismutase activity, but decreased malondialdehyde content and proinflammatory cytokines levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Mechanistically, GAA reduced the activation of Rho/ROCK/NF-κB pathway to inhibit LPS-induced inflammation. In conclusion, our study suggests that GAA attenuates acute lung injury in mouse model via the inhibition of Rho/ROCK/NF-κB pathway.

Alkannin attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury in mice via Rho/ROCK/NF-κB pathway

We investigated the effects and associated mechanism of alkannin (AL) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury in a mouse model. Pretreatment with AL in vivo significantly reduced the lung wet/dry weight ratio and inhibited lung myeloperoxidase activity and malondialdehyde content, while increasing superoxide dismutase activity. Hematoxylin and eosin staining demonstrated that AL attenuated lung histopathological changes. In addition, AL-inhibited overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissues in LPS-injured mice and LPS-exposed A549 cells. Further analysis showed that AL-inhibited induction of the Rho/ROCK/NF-κB pathway via LPS-induced inflammation in mice and A549 cells. Fasudil, a selective ROCK inhibitor, showed similar effects. Overall, the findings indicate that AL suppresses the expression of messenger RNAs and proteins associated with Rho/ROCK/NF-κB signaling to effectively ameliorate lung injury.

Reduced peripheral blood miR-140 may be a biomarker for acute lung injury by targeting Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a common complication of sepsis to which patients often succumb due to poor effective pharmacological interventions. Recent studies have focused on the potential application of circulating microRNAs (miRs or miRNAs) as novel prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers. The present study focuses mainly on miR-140, the role of which is poorly understood in the progression of ALI. The results of the present study revealed that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression was upregulated the lungs of rats with ALI. Meanwhile, serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β were significantly increased in rats with ALI compared with normal control rats. These data indicated the successful establishment of LPS-induced ALI. Furthermore, miR-140 was decreased in the peripheral blood of patients with ALI compared with control subjects. Receiver operator characteristic analysis indicated that miR-140 could be used to screen ALI patients and distinguish them from healthy controls. MiR-140 was demonstrated to be downregulated in the plasma and lungs of rats with ALI compared with the normal control group. A dual luciferase reporter assay indicated that TLR4 was a target gene of miR-140. To investigate whether miR-140 exerted its role via TLR4, a specific TLR4-targeting small interfering RNA was selected. It was revealed that TLR4 silencing was able to suppress the phosphorylation of NF-κB even in cells transfected with miR-140 inhibitor. In summary, reduced miR-140 expression and increased TLR4 signaling activation may serve a key role in the progression of ALI.

Anti-inflammatory Role of Pilose Antler Peptide in LPS-Induced Lung Injury

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of pilose antler peptide (PAP) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury. BalB/c mice intraperitoneally received PAP (10 and 20 mg/kg) or dexamethasone (2 mg/kg) 1 h prior to intratracheal instillation of LPS. PAP significantly decreased lung wet-to-dry weight (W/D) ratio and lung myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and restored LPS-induced lung histopathological changes. PAP also increased super oxide dismutase (SOD) level and inhibited malondialdehyde (MDA) content and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in LPS-stimulated mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that PAP inhibited Rho/NF-κB pathway in LPS-induced mice. Our experimental results indicated that the protective mechanism of PAP might be attributed partly to the inhibition of Rho/NF-κB pathway.