Swertisin, a novel SGLT2 inhibitor, with improved glucose homeostasis for effective diabetes therapy

Cornus officinalis var. koreana Kitam extracts alleviate cadmium-induced renal fibrosis by targeting matrix metallopeptidase 9

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Cornus officinalis var. koreana Kitam (Cornus officinalis) is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine and has a good clinical efficacy in kidney and liver diseases. Recent years, a number of studies reported the significant effects of Cornus officinalis on renal fibrosis. However, it is still unclear about the underlying specific mechanism, the bioactive ingredients, and the target gene regulatory network.

AIM OF THE STUDY

We investigated the impact of Cornus officinalis extract on cadmium-induced renal fibrosis, screened the bioactive ingredients of Cornus officinalis using a pharmacological sub-network analysis, and explored the regulatory effects of Cornus officinalis extracts on target gene matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9).

METHODS

Male C57BL/6N mice were treated with single or combinatorial agents such as saline, cadmium chloride, Cornus officinalis, Isoginkgetin and FSL-1. Isoginkgetin is a compound with anti-MMP9 activity. FSL-1 can induce MMP9 expression. Masson staining and Western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses were used for assessing renal fibrosis. In addition, wound healing model was established using BUMPT (Boston university mouse proximal tubular) cells to investigate how Cornus officinalis affected cadmium-induced cell migration. The main Cornus officinalis bioactive compounds were identified by UHPLC-MS (Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry). The MMP9 target for Cornus officinalis active ingredients were confirmed through a pharmacological sub-network analysis.

RESULTS

Aqueous extracts of Cornus officinalis protected from renal dysfunction and kidney fibrosis induced by cadmium chloride in mice. In vitro experiments validated that Cornus officinalis extracts inhibited cell migration ability especially in cadmium chloride condition. The sub-network analysis and chemical components profiling technique revealed the active compounds of Cornus officinalis. Cellular thermal shift assay verified the binding abilities of three active components Daidzein, N-Acetyl-L-tyrosine or Swertisin with matrix metalloproteinase-9. Gelatin zymography assay revealed that the activity of MMP9 was inhibited by the three active components. We further confirmed that MMP9 was involved in the process of Cornus officinalis extracts reducing renal fibrosis. Cornus officinalis attenuated the cadmium-induced renal fibrosis was correlated with decreased expression of MMP9, collagen I, α-SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin) and vimentin.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that Cornus officinalis extracts could alleviate the cadmium chloride-induced renal fibrosis by targeting MMP9, and might provide new insights into the mechanism of treating renal fibrosis by Cornus officinalis.

Influence of metabolically compromised Adipose derived stem cell secretome on islet differentiation and functionality

Islet integrity plays a major role in maintaining glucose homeostasis and thus replenishment of damaged islets by differentiation of resident endocrine progenitors into neo islets regulates the islet functionality. Islet differentiation is affected by many factors including crosstalk with various organs by secretome. Adipose derived stem cells (ADSC) secrete a large array of factors in the extracellular milieu that exhibit regulatory effects on other tissues including pancreatic islets. The microenvironment of metabolically compromised human ADSCs (hADSCs) has a detrimental impact on islet functionality. In the present study, the role of secretome was studied on the differentiation of islets. Expression of key transcription factors like HNF-3B, NGN-3, NeuroD, PDX- 1, Maf-A, and GLUT-2 involved in development were differentially regulated in obese hADSC secretome as compared to control hADSC secretome. Islet like cell clusters (ILCCs) functionality and viability were critically hampered under obese hADSC secretome with compromised yield, morphometry, lower expression of C-peptide and Glucagon as well as higher ROS activity and cell death parameters. This study provides considerable insights on two major findings which are (i) exploring the use of hADSC secretome in islet differentiation and (ii) understanding the regulating effect of altered hADSC secretome under a metabolically compromised condition.