Oxymatrine provides protection against Coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis in BALB/c mice

Study on Oxymatrine-Based Research from 2001 to 2022: A Bibliometric Analysis

Oxymatrine is a quinolizidine alkaloid mainly derived from Kushen; it possesses various therapeutic effects, such as organ- and tissue-protective, anticancer, and antiviral effects. The research directions for oxymatrine remain broad. In order to explore the overall status of oxymatrine-based research, we carried out a bibliometric analysis to summarize the oxymatrine-based, English-written studies published in the past 22 years. In total, 267 studies were included, most of which were original. The number of annual studies slowly increased with some fluctuations. Other than China, 11 different countries conducted studies on oxymatrine; the variety in the country of origin of these publications is presented as a recently increasing trend. Many affiliates and researchers have participated in oxymatrine-based research. Various treatment mechanisms involving different oxymatrine pathways have led to research in a wide range of fields, being published in numerous journals. Two particularly popular research fields related to oxymatrine involved anticancer and anti-inflammation. From this research, we concluded that with increasing and continuous in-depth studies, more therapeutic effects and mechanisms will be elucidated, and oxymatrine may present as a viable option for the treatment of additional diseases.

Specialized metabolites from plants as a source of new multi-target antiviral drugs: a systematic review

Viral infections have always been the main global health challenge, as several potentially lethal viruses, including the hepatitis virus, herpes virus, and influenza virus, have affected human health for decades. Unfortunately, most licensed antiviral drugs are characterized by many adverse reactions and, in the long-term therapy, also develop viral resistance; for these reasons, researchers have focused their attention on investigating potential antiviral molecules from plants. Natural resources indeed offer a variety of specialized therapeutic metabolites that have been demonstrated to inhibit viral entry into the host cells and replication through the regulation of viral absorption, cell receptor binding, and competition for the activation of intracellular signaling pathways. Many active phytochemicals, including flavonoids, lignans, terpenoids, coumarins, saponins, alkaloids, etc., have been identified as potential candidates for preventing and treating viral infections. Using a systematic approach, this review summarises the knowledge obtained to date on the in vivo antiviral activity of specialized metabolites extracted from plant matrices by focusing on their mechanism of action.

Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis of Oxymatrine in Psoriasis Treatment

Purpose

Psoriasis is a common, chronic, inflammatory, recurrent, immune-mediated skin disease. Oxymatrine is effective for treating moderate and severe psoriasis. Here, transcriptional changes in skin lesions before and after oxymatrine treatment of patients with psoriasis were identified using full-length transcriptome analysis and then compared with those of normal skin tissues.

Patients and Methods

Co-expression modules were constructed by combining the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score with weighted gene co-expression network analysis to explore the action mechanism of oxymatrine in improving clinical PASI. The expression of selected genes was verified using immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time PCR, and Western blotting.

Results

Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome pathway analysis revealed that oxymatrine treatment reversed the abnormal pathways, with an improvement in lesions and a reduction in PASI scores. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that oxymatrine treatment led to altered GO terms being regulated with a decrease in the PASI score in patients. Therefore, oxymatrine treatment may improve the skin barrier, differentiation of keratinocytes, and alleviate abnormality of organelles such as desmosomes. Protein-protein interaction network interaction analysis revealed that the top five hub genes among many interrelated genes were CNFN, S100A8, SPRR2A, SPRR2D, and SPRR2E, associated with the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC). EDC regulates keratinocyte differentiation. This result indicates that oxymatrine treatment can restore keratinocyte differentiation by regulating the expression of EDC-related genes.

Conclusion

Oxymatrine can improve erythema, scales, and other clinical symptoms of patients with psoriasis by regulating EDC-related genes and multiple pathways, thereby promoting the repair of epithelial tissue and maintaining the dynamic balance of skin keratosis.

Recent Advances in Cardiovascular Diseases Research Using Animal Models and PET Radioisotope Tracers

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is a collective term describing a range of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. Due to the varied nature of the disorders, distinguishing between their causes and monitoring their progress is crucial for finding an effective treatment. Molecular imaging enables non-invasive visualisation and quantification of biological pathways, even at the molecular and subcellular levels, what is essential for understanding the causes and development of CVD. Positron emission tomography imaging is so far recognized as the best method for in vivo studies of the CVD related phenomena. The imaging is based on the use of radioisotope-labelled markers, which have been successfully used in both pre-clinical research and clinical studies. Current research on CVD with the use of such radioconjugates constantly increases our knowledge and understanding of the causes, and brings us closer to effective monitoring and treatment. This review outlines recent advances in the use of the so-far available radioisotope markers in the research on cardiovascular diseases in rodent models, points out the problems and provides a perspective for future applications of PET imaging in CVD studies.

Development of Inhalable Chitosan-Coated Oxymatrine Liposomes to Alleviate RSV-Infected Mice

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is the most important cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in infants, neonates, and young children, even leading to hyperinflation and atelectasis. Oxymatrine (OMT), originating from natural herbs, possessed potential antivirus activity against influenza A virus, Coxsackie B3 virus, and RSV, whereas the absence of an in vivo study indicated the difficulties in overcoming the physiological obstacles. Since RSV basically replicated in lung tissue, in this study, we fabricated and characterized a chitosan (CS)-coated liposome with OMT loaded for the treatment of lethal RSV infection via inhalation. The results uncovered that OMT, as a hydrophilic drug, was liable to diffuse in the mucus layer and penetrate through the gas-blood barrier to enter systemic circulation quickly, which might restrict its inhibitory effect on RSV replication. The CS-coated liposome enhanced the distribution and retention of OMT in lung tissue without restriction from mucus, which contributed to the improved alleviative effect of OMT on lethal RSV-infected mice. Overall, this study provides a novel inhalation therapy for RSV infection, and the CS-coated liposome might be a potential inhalable nanocarrier for hydrophilic drugs to prevent pulmonary infections.

The exploration of the potential mechanism of oxymatrine-mediated antipruritic effect based on network pharmacology and weighted gene co-expression network analysis

The treatment of chronic itch is considered to be a challenge for its non-histamine dependence and the search for alternative medicine is still striving. The pathology of the chronic itch is closely related to immune system regulation and inflammatory response. Oxymatrine (OMT) is a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient extracted from the roots of Sophora flavescens Aiton with significant antitumor, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the underlying mechanism of OMT on chronic itch is obscure, which limits clinical application. Hence, this study is aimed to clarify the pruritus alleviation mechanism of OMT by combining network pharmacology analysis, weighted gene co-expression analysis (WGCNA), and molecular docking. We screened 125 common targets of OMT regulating inflammation and pruritus with pharmacology technology, the GO enrichment function analysis and KEGG signaling pathway analysis to demonstrate the close relation to the signaling pathways regulating inflammation such as MAPK signaling pathway and PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. We adopted the most relevant templates for pruritus diseases, combined with network pharmacology to preliminarily screen out 3 OMT functions and regulatory targets, exerting a good connection and correlation with the target at the screened disease targets. Further experiments were conducted to explore the potential mechanism of OMT using the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell inflammation model. The results showed that pretreatment with different concentrations of OMT (25 μM, 50 μM, and 100 μM) for 24 h, inhibited expression of IL-6, iNOS TLR4 and TGFR-1 as well as apoptosis of Raw264.7 cells induced by LPS. Moreover, OMT effectively inhibited LPS-induced MAPK pathway activation and the expression of related sites MAP2K1, MAPK8 MAP2K4, and MAPKAP-K2 in RAW 264.7 cells. The OMT also reduced the phosphorylation of p-38, associated with site in the activation of MAPK signaling pathway. These results could contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying how OMT alleviates inflammation to treat chronic pruritic diseases and provide a potential drug for the treatment of chronic itch.

Protective role of nutraceuticals against myocarditis

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium that mostly affects young adults. The disease is commonly caused by viral infection, medications, autoimmune disorders, and inflammatory conditions. Nearly 50% of the cases of myocarditis are due to post-viral immune response in a setting of an identifiable or non-identifiable infection. The clinical manifestation is nonspecific ranging from asymptomatic courses to sudden death in infants and young patients. This review describes the properties of phytochemicals as plant-derived active ingredients which can be used in the prevention and treatment of myocarditis and its associated risk factors. Meanwhile, it has illustrated epidemiological analyses, mechanism of action, and the metabolism of phytochemicals in animal and human clinical trials. We also mentioned the precise mechanism of action by which phytochemicals elicit their anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects and how they regulate signal transduction pathways. Nevertheless, comprehensive clinical trials are required to study the properties of phytochemicals in vivo, in vitro, and in silico for a proper management of myocarditis. Our findings indicate that phytochemicals function as potent adjunctive therapeutic drugs in myocarditis and its related complications.

Synthesis and evolution of neuroprotective effects of oxymatrine derivatives as anti-Alzheimer's disease agents

While screening for natural product scaffolds as potential anti-Alzheimer's disease (AD), oxymatrine (OMT) was found to relieve symptoms of AD through diminishing death of neuronal cells caused by microglia-induced inflammation. In this study, 13 derivatives of OMT were synthesized and their neuroprotective effects were evaluated on Aβ_1-42 -induced PC12 cells using MTT method. In addition, the best neuroprotective potencies were obtained with compounds 4, 6e, and 6f, which were selected for evaluation of decrease in IL-1β and TNF-α in Aβ_1-42 -treated PC12 cells. Collectively, these data reveal that derivatives 6e and 6f possess the best ability of diminish IL-1β production and reverse cell damage in all compounds, which are possible to develop as therapeutic agents for AD.

Lupeol alleviates coxsackievirus B3-induced viral myocarditis in mice via downregulating toll-like receptor 4

Objectives

To investigate the effect of lupeol in a mouse model of viral myocarditis induced by coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3).

Methods

Mice were separated into controls (DMEM, n = 20) and CVB3 infected groups (i.e., untreated CVB3 [n = 40]; CVB3 + lupeol 50 mg/kg [n = 40]; CVB3 + lupeol 100 mg/kg [n = 40]; CVB3 + small interfering RNA (siRNA)- toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) [n = 20]; siRNA + EXP-H mice [n = 20]). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western-blot assay, immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assay and histopathology were performed to investigate the cardioprotective role of lupeol.

Results

The elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines in CVB3-infected mice (i.e., interleukin-1β [IL-1β]; interleukin-6 [IL-6]; tumour necrosis factor-α [TNF-α]) were significantly reduced by lupeol 50 or 100 mg/kg. Interestingly, the mRNA level and protein level of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) were inhibited by lupeol.

Conclusions

Lupeol alleviates CVB3-induced viral myocarditis and myocardial damage in mice. The underlying mechanism may due to downregulation of TLR4.

Antiviral peptides against Enterovirus A71 causing hand, foot and mouth disease

The emergence of new and resistant viruses is a serious global burden. Conventional antiviral therapy with small molecules has led to the development of resistant mutants. In the case of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), the absence of a US-FDA approved vaccine calls for urgent need to develop an antiviral that could serve as a safe, potent and robust therapy against the neurovirulent Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71). Natural peptides such as lactoferrin, melittin and synthetic peptides such as SP40, RGDS and LVLQTM have been studied against EV-A71 and have shown promising results as potent antivirals in pre-clinical studies. Peptides are considered safe, efficacious and pose fewer chances of resistance. Poor pharmacokinetic features of peptides can be overcome by the use of chemical modifications to improve in vivo delivery particularly by oral route. The use of nanotechnology can remarkably assist in the oral delivery of peptides and enhance stability in vivo. This can greatly increase patient compliance and make it more attractive as antiviral therapy.

Crocetin Exerts a Cardio-protective Effect on Mice with Coxsackievirus B3-induced Acute Viral Myocarditis

Previous research has proven that coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is broadly considered virus used in the experimental model of animals, which causes myocarditis in humans. To investigate whether there exists a cardio-protective effect of crocetin in an experimental murine model of acute viral myocarditis (AVM). Male BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to three groups: control, myocarditis treated with placebo and myocarditis treated with crocetin (n = 40 animals per group). Myocarditis was established by intraperitoneal injection with CVB3. Twenty-four hours after infection, crocetin was intraperitoneally administered for 14 consecutive days. Twenty mice were randomly selected from each group to monitor a 14-day survival rate. On day 7 and day 14, eight surviving mice from each group were sacrificed and their hearts and blood were obtained to perform serological and histological examinations. Expression of ROCKs, interleukin-17 (IL-17), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), RORγt, and Foxp3 was quantified by RT-PCR. Plasma levels of TNFα, IL-1β and IL-17 were measured by ELISA. In addition, protein levels of IL-17 and ROCK2 in cardiac tissues were analyzed by Western blot. Crocetin treatment significantly increased survival, attenuated myocardial necrotic lesions, reduced CVB3 replication and expression of ROCK2 and IL-17 in the infected hearts. ROCK pathway inhibition was cardio-protective in viral myocarditis with increased survival, decreased viral replication, and inflammatory response. These findings suggest that crocetin is a potential therapeutic agent for patients with viral myocarditis.

Prospect and clinical value of oxymatrine in prevention and treatment of pancreatic fibrosis

Studies have confirmed that pancreatic stellate cell activation is the central event in the initiation and development of pancreatic fibrosis (PF), but the specific mechanism of PF is still unknown, and there is no specific treatment for PF. Some basic studies have confirmed that oxymatrine (OMT) has a certain therapeutic effect on PF, but further research is needed. It can be predicted that OMT has a far-reaching research prospect and good clinical application value for the prevention and treatment of PF, and is also conducive to the better development and utilization of traditional Chinese herbal medicine radix sophorae flavescentis.

Oxymatrine Inhibits Bocavirus MVC Replication, Reduces Viral Gene Expression and Decreases Apoptosis Induced by Viral Infection

Oxymatrine (OMT), as the main active component of Sophoraflavescens, exhibits a variety of pharmacological properties, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-viral activities, and currently is extensively employed to treat viral hepatitis; however, its effects on parvovirus infection have yet to be reported. In the present study, we investigated the effects of OMT on cell viability, virus DNA replication, viral gene expression, cell cycle, and apoptosis in Walter Reed canine cells/3873D infected with minute virus of canines (MVC). OMT, at concentrations below 4 mmol/L(no cellular toxicity), was found to inhibit MVC DNA replication and reduce viral gene expression at both mRNA and protein levels, which was associated with the inhibition of cell cycle S-phase arrest in early-stage of MVC infection. Furthermore, OMT significantly increased cell viability, decreased MVC-infected cell apoptosis, and reduced the expression of activated caspase 3. Our results suggest that OMT has potential application in combating parvovirus infection.

Astragalus polysaccharide from Astragalus Melittin ameliorates inflammation via suppressing the activation of TLR-4/NF-κB p65 signal pathway and protects mice from CVB3-induced virus myocarditis

Inflammation plays a crucial role in regulating cardiomyopathy and injuries of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced viral myocarditis (VM). It has been reported that Astragalus polysaccharide (AP) from Astragalus Melittin could inhabit inflammatory gene expression under a variety of pathological conditions. However, the functional roles of AP in CVB3-induced VM still remain unknown. Here, we found that AP significantly enhanced survival for CVB3-induced mice. AP protected the mice against CVB3-induced myocardial injuries characterized by the increased body weight and depressed serum level of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), aspartate transaminases (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), enhanced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS). At the pathological level, AP ameliorated the mice against CVB3-induced myocardial damage, dilated cardiomyopathy and chronic myocardial fibrosis. We subsequently found that AP significantly suppressed CVB3-induced expression of inflammation marker (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, INF-γ and MCP-1) in heart. Furthermore, we confirmed that AP suppressed the CVB3-induced expression of TLR-4 and phosphorylated NF-κB p65 in heart. Taken together, the data suggest that AP protects against CVB3-induced myocardial damage and inflammation, which may partly attribute to the regulation of TLR-4/NF-κB p65 signal pathway, moreover, suppressive effect of AP on CVB3-induced activation of TLR-4/NF-κB p65 signal was TNF-α-independent.

Oxymatrine protects against DSS-induced colitis via inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Oxymatrine (OMT), an alkaloid derived from the root of the Sophora flavescens, has been reported to possess a significant effect on relieving UC owing to its anti-inflammatory property. But the other therapeutic mechanism of OMT remains unclear. Recent studies have found, PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of UC by pro-inflammatory effects and activating T cells. Moreover, PI3K/AKT pathway is one of the most important pathways for regulating cell apoptosis. Thus, we aim to explore whether OMT protects against UC by targeting PI3K/AKT pathway. We established the UC mice models, using LY294002 (a specific inhibitor of PI3K/AKT) as a positive control, to observe the effect of low, medium and high dose of OMT on UC and its influence on PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Our data indicated that OMT can significantly ameliorate UC through anti-inflammatory, pro-apoptotic, down-regulating the differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells via PI3K/AKT pathway. This study reveals that PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is a potential mechanism of OMT-induced UC remission and suggests that OMT is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of UC.

Oxymatrine Causes Hepatotoxicity by Promoting the Phosphorylation of JNK and Induction of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Mediated by ROS in LO2 Cells

Oxymatrine (OMT) often used in treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus infection in clinic. However, OMT-induced liver injury has been reported. In this study, we aim to investigate the possible mechanism of OMT-induced hepatotoxicity in human normal liver cells (L02). Exposed cells to OMT, the cell viability was decreased and apoptosis rate increased, the intracellular markers of oxidative stress were changed. Simultaneously, OMT altered apoptotic related proteins levels, including Bcl-2, Bax and pro-caspase-8/-9/-3. In addition, OMT enhanced the protein levels of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress makers (GRP78/Bip, CHOP, and cleaved-Caspase-4) and phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), as well as the mRNA levels of GRP78/Bip, CHOP, caspase-4, and ER stress sensors (IREI, ATF6, and PERK). Pre-treatment with Z-VAD-fmk, JNK inhibitor SP600125 and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, partly improved the survival rates and restored OMT-induced cellular damage, and reduced caspase-3 cleavage. SP600125 or NAC reduced OMT-induced p-JNK and NAC significantly lowered caspase-4. Furthermore, 4-PBA, the ER stress inhibitor, weakened inhibitory effect of OMT on cells, on the contrary, TM worsen. 4-PBA also reduced the levels of p-JNK and cleaved-caspase-3 proteins. Therefore, OMT-induced injury in L02 cells was related to ROS mediated p-JNK and ER stress induction. Antioxidant, by inhibition of p-JNK or ER stress, may be a feasible method to alleviate OMT-induced liver injury.

DHEA prevents ribavirin-induced anemia via inhibition of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase

Ribavirin has been widely used for antiviral therapy. Unfortunately, ribavirin-induced anemia is often a cause of limiting or interrupting treatment. Our team has observed that dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has a protective effect against in vitro and in vivo ribavirin-induced hemolysis. The aim of this study was to better understand this effect as well as the underlying mechanism(s). DHEA was able to reduce in vitro intraerythrocytic ATP depletion induced by ribavirin. Only 1% of ATP remained after incubation with ribavirin (2 mM) at 37 °C for 24 h vs. 37% if DHEA (200 μM) was added (p < 0.01). DHEA also helped erythrocytes conserve their size, with a shrinkage of only 10% vs 40% at 24 h with ribavirin alone (p < 0.01), and reduced phosphatidylserine exposure at the outer membrane, i.e. 27% vs 40% at 48 h, (p < 0.05). DHEA also inhibits ribavirin-induced hemolysis, i.e. 34% vs 46.5% at 72 h (p < 0.01). DHEA is an inhibitor of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), a key enzyme in the hexose monophosphate shunt connected to the glycolytic pathway which is the only energy supplier of the red blood cell in the form of ATP. We have confirmed this inhibitory effect in the presence of ribavirin. All these observations suggest that ribavirin-induced hemolysis was initiated by ATP depletion, and that the inhibitory effect of DHEA on G6PD was able to rescue enough ATP to limit this hemolysis. This mechanism could be important for improving the therapeutic management of patients treated with ribavirin.