Integrating systematic pharmacology-based strategy and experimental validation to explore the synergistic pharmacological mechanisms of Guanxin V in treating ventricular remodeling

Molecular mechanism of triptolide in myocardial fibrosis through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Objective. Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is a common manifestation of end-stage cardiovascular diseases. Triptolide (TP) provides protection against cardiovascular diseases. This study was to explore the functional mechanism of TP in MF rats via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Methods. The MF rat model was established via subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (ISO) and treated with low/medium/high doses of TP (L-TP/M-TP/H-TP) or Wnt agonist BML-284. Cardiac function was examined by echocardiography. Pathological changes of myocardial tissues were observed by HE and Masson staining. Col-I/Col-III/Vimentin/α-SMA levels were detected by immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, and Western blot. Collagen volume fraction content was measured. Expression levels of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related proteins (β-catenin/c-myc/Cyclin D1) were detected by Western blot. Rat cardiac fibroblasts were utilized for in vitro validation experiments. Results. MF rats had enlarged left ventricle, decreased systolic and diastolic function and cardiac dysfunction, elevated collagen fiber distribution, collagen volume fraction and hydroxyproline content. Levels of Col-I/Col-III/Vimentin/α-SMA, and protein levels of β-catenin/c-myc/Cyclin D1 were increased in MF rats. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway was activated in the myocardial tissues of MF rats. TP treatment alleviated impairments of cardiac function and myocardial tissuepathological injury, decreased collagen fibers, collagen volume fraction, Col-I, Col-III, α-SMA and Vimentin levels, HYP content, inhibited Wnt/β-catenin pathway, with H-TP showing the most significant effects. Wnt agonist BML-284 antagonized the inhibitive effect of TP on MF. TP inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to repress the proliferation and differentiation of mouse cardiac fibroblasts in vitro. Conclusions. TP was found to ameliorate ISO-induced MF in rats by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Identification of Potential Crucial Biomarkers in STEMI Through Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis

BACKGROUND

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is one of the leading causes of fatal cardiovascular diseases, which have been the prime cause of mortality worldwide. Diagnosis in the early phase would benefit clinical intervention and prognosis, but the exploration of the biomarkers of STEMI is still lacking.

OBJECTIVES

In this study, we conducted a bioinformatics analysis to identify potential crucial biomarkers in the progress of STEMI.

METHODS

We obtained GSE59867 for STEMI and stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) patients. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened with the threshold of |log2fold change| > 0.5 and p <0.05. Based on these genes, we conducted enrichment analysis to explore the potential relevance between genes and to screen hub genes. Subsequently, hub genes were analyzed to detect related miRNAs and DAVID to detect transcription factors for further analysis. Finally, GSE62646 was utilized to assess DEGs specificity, with genes demonstrating AUC results exceeding 75%, indicating their potential as candidate biomarkers.

RESULTS

133 DEGs between SCAD and STEMI were obtained. Then, the PPI network of DEGs was constructed using String and Cytoscape, and further analysis determined hub genes and 6 molecular complexes. Functional enrichment analysis of the DEGs suggests that pathways related to inflammation, metabolism, and immunity play a pivotal role in the progression from SCAD to STEMI. Besides, related-miRNAs were predicted, has-miR-124, has-miR-130a/b, and has-miR-301a/b regulated the expression of the largest number of genes. Meanwhile, Transcription factors analysis indicate that EVI1, AML1, GATA1, and PPARG are the most enriched gene. Finally, ROC curves demonstrate that MS4A3, KLRC4, KLRD1, AQP9, and CD14 exhibit both high sensitivity and specificity in predicting STEMI.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that immunity, metabolism, and inflammation are involved in the development of STEMI derived from SCAD, and 6 genes, including MS4A3, KLRC4, KLRD1, AQP9, CD14, and CCR1, could be employed as candidate biomarkers to STEMI.

Identification and prognostic evaluation of differentially expressed long noncoding RNAs associated with immune infiltration in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a malignant bone cancer that originates from the bone with the strongest invasiveness. Tumor formation strongly correlates with immune cell infiltration into the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Therefore, we aimed to identify TIME-related biomarkers as potential prognostic markers of osteosarcoma. The mRNA and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) transcriptome data of 88 patients with osteosarcoma and the expression profile of GSE99671 were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus, respectively. Immune infiltration scores and types were evaluated using ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT. A linear model was established to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and lncRNAs (DElncRNAs). Functional enrichment analysis of DEGs was conducted by Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, gene set enrichment analysis, and gene set variation analysis. DElncRNAs were analyzed using a weighted gene co-expression network. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was applied to screen for prognostic markers. Patient survival was predicted by the risk score and analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve. Clinical features affecting patient survival were assessed. Immune infiltration positively correlated with osteosarcoma patient survival. Different immune cell infiltrates in patients with osteosarcma may serve as prognostic indicators and targets for immunotherapy. In total, 1125 DEGs, 80 DElncRNAs, and 11 pairs of co-expressed lncRNA-mRNAs were identified. DEGs in the three modules were associated with immune infiltration into the TIME. Four DElncRNAs, namely AC015819.1, AC015911.3, AL365361.1, and USP30-AS1, showed good prognostic ability for osteosarcoma and were positively correlated with the immune score. Tumor metastasis and risk scores alone were good prognostic indicators, and a combination of the two variables can better predict the prognosis of osteosarcoma. We identified four lncRNAs, AC015819.1, AC015911.3, AL365361.1, and USP30-AS1, as potential biomarkers for osteosarcoma prognosis.

Discovery and identification of the prognostic significance and potential mechanism of FMO2 in breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Flavin containing dimethylaniline monoxygenase 2 (FMO2), is downexpressed in diverse tumors and displays vital roles in tumorigenesis. However, the prognostic value and potential mechanism of FMO2 in breast cancer remain unclear.

METHODS

The expression of FMO2 was analyzed and the relationship between FMO2 expression level and clinical indicators in breast cancer was analyzed. Then the prognostic value of FMO2 in breast cancer was assessed. The FMO2-correlated genes were obtained, and the highest-ranked gene was chosen. The expression, therapeutic responder analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis of the highest-ranked gene were conducted.

RESULTS

FMO2 was downregulated in breast cancer and was closely related to clinical indicators. Patients with decreased FMO2 expression showed poor overall survival, post-progression survival, relapse-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival. FMO2 correlates with N/ER/PR subgroups in breast cancer and patients with high FMO2 levels were sensitive to anti-programmed cell death protein 1, anti-programmed death-ligand 1, and anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 immunotherapies. Mechanically, FMO2 was positively and highly correlated with secreted Frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1), which was downregulated in breast cancer due to hypermethylation. Moreover, SFRP1 was correlated to pathological complete response and relapse-free survival status at 5 years regardless of any chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and anti-HER2 therapy. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed enrichment of component and coagulation cascades, focal adhesion, protein export, and spliceosome.

CONCLUSIONS

FMO2 was lower expressed in breast cancer than normal tissues and contributes to subtype classification and prognosis prediction with co-expressed SFRP1.

Design, synthesis and anti-tumor efficacy evaluation of novel 1,3-diaryl propane-based polyphenols obtained from Claisen rearrangement reaction

Polyphenols such as resveratrol, honokiol and nordihydroguaiaretic acid are widely existing in nature products or synthetic compounds with interesting biological activities. Inspired by their structural feature, a total of 49 1,3-diaryl propane-based polyphenols were designed and synthesized through Claisen rearrangement reaction. New compounds were initially assessed for their anti-proliferative activities against various cancer cell lines (PC-3, U87MG, U251, HCT116) at a concentration of 50 μM, and the results guided the SAR of this series of compounds. Further screening of selected compounds against seven cancer cell lines (three additional colon cancer cell lines namely COLO205, HT29 and SW480 were chosen) led to the identification of two advanced leads 2t and 3t with IC50 values ranging from 8.2 ± 0.1 to 19.3 ± 1.9 μM. Both compounds also showed promising anti-proliferative activities against COLO205 in dose- and time-dependent manners. Furthermore, 2t and 3t exhibited good anti-tumor efficacy in COLO205 xenografted mice model with TGI values ranging from 38% to 58%. These results warrant the further investigation of this series of compounds.

Guanxin V alleviates ventricular remodeling by promoting transforming growth factor-beta 1-mediated proteasomal degradation of Vimentin

More and more studies have demonstrated that proteasomal degradation occurs in the development of various diseases, including ventricular remodeling, which is a cardiac pathological change and seriously makes patient outcomes worse. Our preliminary results showed that Guanxin V, an effective and safe complementary and alternative medicine for ventricular remodeling, reverses ventricular hypertrophy by transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1), but the specific mechanism needs to be explored. The left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated to build a ventricular remodeling model. Cardiac function and histopathology were measured. Fibrosis-related indicators were detected. Moreover, cardiomyocytes were exposed to hydrogen peroxide to construct an in vitro model of ventricular remodeling. The stability of the Vimentin protein was assessed with cycloheximide and MG132. Endogenous and exogenous TGF-β1-Vimentin interactions were detected by co-immunoprecipitation. Guanxin V significantly eased heart function and improved fibrosis in ventricular remodeling. Mechanistically, Guanxin V promoted TGF-β1-mediated proteasomal degradation of Vimentin and reduced the TGF-β1-Vimentin interaction. Here, we reported a completely new mechanism, Guanxin V alleviates ventricular remodeling by promoting and targeting TGF-β1-mediated proteasomal degradation of Vimentin, which provides a new target for the management of ventricular remodeling and lays the foundation for the further clinical promotion of Guanxin V.

Immune landscape and regulatory mechanisms in human atherosclerotic coronary plaques: Evidence from single-cell and bulk transcriptomics

Atherosclerosis is a chronic immuno-inflammatory disease, however, the immune landscape and regulatory mechanisms have not been clear. We detected seven principal immune cell clusters with distinct phenotypic and spatial characteristics using single-cell RNA-sequencing of aortic immune cells from patients with acute coronary syndrome and stable angina pectoris. Then we acquired 265 differentially expressed immune-related genes and the high scores were mainly found in T cells and monocytes, which were differentially regulated in atherosclerotic coronary plaques. The CCL signaling pathway was the most relevant pattern in the T cells and CCL5-CCR1 and CCL5-CCR5 ligand-receptor pairs played a vital role in the CCL signaling pathway. Further comparative analysis indicated MCH-I signaling was the most relevant pattern in the T cells and HLA ligand-related ligand-receptor pairs played a vital role. Functional analysis of the single-cell and bulk transcriptomics pointed to multiple pathways, such as antigen presentation and immune response. Nineteen common differentially expressed immune-related genes were found in both immune cells and the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Nine common differentially expressed transcription factors were differentially expressed in both T cell and monocyte clusters from the coronary plaques and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the network demonstrated that CEBPB might play an essential role in the transcriptional regulation of atherosclerosis as a hub transcription factor. The definition of immune cell diversity and heterogeneity by single-cell level analysis of aortic immune cell subsets not only unveils cell-type-specific pathways and new immune mechanisms but also discovers the functional correlation of immune cells in human atherosclerosis. Our findings provide great promise for the discovery of novel molecular mechanisms and precise therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis.

IKBIP might be a potential prognostic biomarker for glioblastoma multiforme

BACKGROUND

Due to the negative association between inhibitor of nuclear factor-kB kinase-interacting protein (IKBIP) and survival in gliomas, this study aimed to comprehensively analyze the potential function of IKBIP in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

METHODS

GBM samples were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas as training and validation cohorts, respectively, and survival and Cox regression analyses were conducted. Based on clinical indicators and IKBIP, three prognostic models were established and then verified using the validation dataset. Infiltrating immune cell analysis and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis were also conducted to explore the underlying mechanisms. Finally, the key findings were validated through molecular biology experiments.

RESULTS

Patients in the high IKBIP score group had poorer survival. Based on Cox regression and subgroup analyses, IKBIP was identified as an independent prognostic factor. Among the three models constructed, the model combining the IKBIP signature and clinical features displayed good performance in terms of discrimination, calibration, and model improvement capability in the training cohort. This model was also successfully validated in an external cohort from the CGGA. Further analysis revealed that many immune cells and related pathways were involved in the high-risk group. In vitro experiments revealed that the knockdown of IKBIP inhibited cell invasion and proliferation, and promoted their senescence.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognostic value of IKBIP and its positive impact on the invasiveness of GBM were identified, indicating that IKBIP may serve as an underlying target for the treatment of GBM.

Zhilong Huoxue Tongyu Capsule attenuates hemorrhagic transformation through the let-7f/TLR4 signaling pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Hemorrhagic transformation after acute ischemic stroke is a life-threatening disease that currently has no effective chemotherapy. Zhilong Huoxue Tongyu Capsule (ZL) is an empirical prescription of traditional Chinese medicine that is used to prevent and treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in China. However, only a few studies have addressed the mechanisms of ZL in treating hemorrhagic transformation.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of ZL on hemorrhagic transformation model rats and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Murine RAW264.7 cells were treated with ZL and LPS (1 μg/mL), and cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8 assay. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of inflammatory chemokines, microRNA let-7a/e/i/f, toll like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) p65. The protein expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB p65, and apoptosis related molecules were determined by Western blotting. The apoptosis rate of RAW264.7 macrophages was detected by Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. A hemorrhagic transformation model in rats was established by intraperitoneal injection of high glucose solution combined with thread embolization. Then, the model rats were observed behaviourally, pathologically, and molecularly. The gene expression of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 was measured by RT-qPCR and used to evaluate the protective effect of ZL against hemorrhagic transformation in rats.

RESULTS

ZL (5, 20, 40 μg/mL) was beneficial in cell proliferation. LPS (1 μg/mL) stimulated the production of inflammatory chemokines and inhibited the production of let-7a/e/i/f, with let-7f being influenced most strongly. Moreover, overexpression of let-7f decreased the gene and protein levels of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB p65, downregulated TLR4, and inhibited its transcriptional activity. ZL (5, 20, and 40 μg·mL-1) inhibited the production of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 and promoted the production of let-7f in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the blockade of TLR4 antagonized the promoting effects of TLR4 pathway activation in cell inflammation and apoptosis by downregulating let-7f. Critically, it was confirmed in vivo and in vitro that ZL upregulated the expression of let-7f and inhibited the gene expression of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 to reduce inflammatory cell infiltration, which determined the occurrence of hemorrhagic transformation.

CONCLUSIONS

ZL can reduce inflammatory response by upregulating let-7f and subsequently inhibiting the TLR4 signaling pathway, thereby decreasing the occurrence of hemorrhagic transformation.

Identification and characterization of circular RNAs as novel putative biomarkers to predict anti-PD-1 monotherapy response in metastatic melanoma patients - Knowledge from two independent international studies

Melanoma is the most aggressive skin malignancy with high morbidity. Anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) monotherapy has been applied in metastatic melanoma. However, still most of the patients do not respond to anti-PD-1 and the availability of the present approved biomarkers therefore is limited. Here we combined the transcriptomic and clinical data of 163 advanced melanoma patients receiving anti-PD-1 from NIH Melanoma Genome Sequencing Project (phs000452, 122 patients) as the training and internal validation cohort, and Melanoma Institute Australia cohort (PRJEB23709, 41 patients) as the external validation cohort, respectively. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are an evolutionarily conserved novel class of noncoding endogenous RNAs (ncRNAs) found in the eukaryotic transcriptome and were used based on RNAseq data for our analyses. 74,243 circular RNAs (circRNAs) were identified with NCLscan and CIRCexplorer2. Thereof, 70 circRNAs significantly associated with progression-free survival and overall survival. Further, a prognostic circRNAs signature consisting of HSA_CIRCpedia_1497, HSA_CIRCpedia_12559, HSA_CIRCpedia_43640, HSA_CIRCpedia_43070, and HSA_CIRCpedia_21660 could be determined with LASSO regression. This signature was a prognostic factor of overall survival and progression-free survival among the analyzed advanced melanoma patients. The concordance indexes (C-index of OS_training: 0.61, C-index of PFS_training: 0.68) also confirmed its credibility and accuracy. First enrichment analysis indicated that immune response and pathways related to tumor immune microenvironment were enriched. In conclusion, we succeeded to construct and validate novel prognostic circRNAs signature for advanced melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Guanxin V attenuates myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury through regulating iron homeostasis

CONTEXT

Guanxin V (GX), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, is safe and effective in the treatment of coronary artery disease. However, its protective effect on myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the cardioprotective effect of GX on MIRI and explore the potential mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into Sham, MIRI and MIRI + GX groups. GX (6 g/kg) was administered to rats via intragastric administration for seven days before ischaemia reperfusion (IR) surgery. The infarct size, histopathology, serum enzyme activities, ultrastructure of the cardiac mitochondria were assessed. H9c2 cells were pre-treated with GX (0.5 mg/mL), and then exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR). The cell viability and LDH levels were measured. Network pharmacology was conducted to predict the potential mechanism. The related targets of GX were predicted using the TCMSP database, DrugBank database, etc. Finally, pharmacological experiments were used to validate the predicted results.

RESULTS

In vivo, GX significantly reduced the myocardial infarct size from 56.33% to 17.18%, decreased the levels of AST (239.32 vs. 369.18 U/L), CK-MB (1324.61 vs. 2066.47 U/L) and LDH (1245.26 vs. 1969.62 U/L), and reduced mitochondrial damage. In vitro, GX significantly increased H9c2 cell viability (IC₅₀ = 3.913 mg/mL) and inhibited the release of LDH (207.35 vs. 314.33). In addition, GX could maintain iron homeostasis and reduce oxidative stress level by regulating iron metabolism-associated proteins.

CONCLUSIONS

GX can attenuate MIRI via regulating iron homeostasis, indicating that GX may act as a potential candidate for the treatment of MIRI.

Pharmacological mechanisms of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Background

More and more evidence indicates sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) may display clinical benefits for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, the mechanisms of the action remain unclear.

Methods

A systematic pharmacology-based strategy was applied for predicting the potential molecular mechanisms of SGLT2is in HFpEF. The potential targets of SGLT2is and HFpEF were contained from diverse databases. After networks were constructed, Metascape was applied to functional enrichment. Moreover, the key findings were validated through molecular docking.

Results

We obtained 487 SGLT2is related targets and 1505 HFpEF related targets. The networks showed the complex relationship of HFpEF-target-HFpEF. The results of functional enrichment analysis suggested that several biological processes, including muscle system process, inflammatory response, vasculature development, heart development, regulation of MAPK cascade, positive regulation of ion transport, negative regulation of cell population proliferation, cellular response to nitrogen compound, apoptotic signaling pathway, multicellular organismal homeostasis, response to oxidative stress, regulation of cell adhesion, positive regulation of cell death, response to growth factor, and cellular response to lipid, and signaling pathways, such as cardiomyopathy, cAMP signaling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, apoptosis, MAPK signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, and NF-kappa B signaling pathway. Finally, we validated the interactions and combinations of SGLT2is and core targets.

Conclusion

SGLT2is play the potential role of anti-HFpEF through the direct or indirect synergy of multiple targets and pathways. Our study promotes the explanation of the molecular mechanisms of SGLT2is in HFpEF.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-022-02693-8.

Guanxin V alleviates acute myocardial infarction by restraining oxidative stress damage, apoptosis, and fibrosis through the TGF-β1 signalling pathway

BACKGROUND

Oxidative stress, apoptosis, and fibrosis have important roles in acute myocardial infarction, which is the main cause of global morbidity and mortality. Guanxin V significantly ameliorates acute myocardial infarction, the underlying mechanism, however, is still unclear.

PURPOSE

In this study, we detected the anti-oxidative, anti-apoptotic, and anti-fibrosis effects of Guanxin V on acute myocardial infarction.

METHODS

We used left anterior descending coronary artery ligation to construct an acute myocardial infarction model. Cardiac function, heart weight, infarction size, and histopathology were measured. Cardiomyocytes were treated with hydrogen peroxide to build an in vitro model. Cell apoptosis, fibrosis, and reactive oxygen species-related markers were tested. We observed the mitochondrial ultrastructure through transmission electron microscopy. The levels of collagens and TGF-β1 signalling were measured. The lentiviral vector containing the full-length TGF-β1 sequence was administered to investigate the rescue role of Guanxin V.

RESULTS

Guanxin V significantly decreased apoptosis and inhibited oxidative stress damage and fibrosis in acute myocardial infarction. Hydrogen peroxide could stimulate cardiomyocytes to produce reactive oxygen species and Guanxin V could significantly reverse hydrogen peroxide-induced cell damage, inhibit oxidative stress damage, apoptosis, and fibrosis, and enhance mitochondrial dynamic balance. Mechanistically, Guanxin V attenuated oxidative stress damage, apoptosis, and fibrosis induced by the TGF-β1 signalling pathway activation.

CONCLUSIONS

Guanxin V effectively relieved apoptosis, oxidative stress damage, and fibrosis through down-regulating the TGF-β1 signalling pathway, which enhances the knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanism of Guanxin V in treating acute myocardial infarction.

Guanxin V Acts as an Antioxidant in Ventricular Remodeling

Background: Our previous studies have shown that Guanxin V (GXV) is safe and effective in the treatment of ventricular remodeling (VR), but its mechanism related to oxidative stress has not been studied deeply.

Methods: We applied integrating virtual screening and network pharmacology strategy to obtain the GXV-, VR-, and oxidative stress-related targets at first, and then highlighted the shared targets. We built the networks and conducted enrichment analysis. Finally, the main results were validated by molecular docking and solid experiments.

Results: We obtained 251, 11,425, and 9,727 GXV-, VR-, and oxidative stress-related targets, respectively. GXV-component-target-VR and protein–protein interaction networks showed the potential mechanism of GXV in the treatment of VR. The following enrichment analysis results gathered many biological processes and “two GXV pathways” of oxidative stress-related to VR. All our main results were validated by molecular docking and solid experiments.

Conclusion: GXV could be prescribed for VR through the mechanism, including complex interactions between related components and targets, as predicted by virtual screening and network pharmacology and validated by molecular docking and solid experiments. Our study promotes the explanation of the biological mechanism of GXV for VR.

Guanxin V protects against ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction through the interaction of TGF-β1 and Vimentin

BACKGROUND

Our previous study demonstrated that Guanxin V (GXV), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has a significant therapeutic effect on ventricular remodeling. However, the mechanistic action of GXV in ventricular remodeling warrants clarification.

PURPOSE

Here, we aimed to explore the anti-ventricular remodeling contribution of GXV and to provide an experimental basis for clinical generalization.

METHODS

A ventricular remodeling model after acute myocardial infarction was constructed in Syrian hamsters. The echocardiography and biochemical indices of cardiac function and remodeling were evaluated in different groups. Moreover, we built a remodeling model in cardiomyocytes and further explored the mechanism. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of cardiomyocytes. The vital markers involved in the signaling pathway were detected by RT-qPCR and immunoblotting. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) was overexpressed with lentivirus to verify the necessity of TGF-β1 in GXV's anti-ventricular remodeling effect. Finally, co-immunoprecipitation was conducted to test the interaction of TGF-β1 and Vimentin.

RESULTS

In hamster cardiac remodeling induced by acute myocardial infarction, GXV alleviated apoptosis, cardiac hypertrophy, and cardiac remodeling, and even improved cardiac function. Mechanistically, GXV inhibited the remodeling process by directly targeting TGF-β1. Overexpression of TGF-β1 exacerbated the ventricular remodeling, whereas GXV reversed this dysregulation. GXV also decreased the up-regulated Vimentin level in pathological ventricular remodeling. Moreover, the interaction of Vimentin and TGF-β1 was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation, and GXV impeded this interaction.

CONCLUSION

We showed that the interaction of Vimentin and TGF-β1 may be a novel target for ventricular remodeling and that GXV might be a new agent to fight against ventricular remodeling by targeting TGF-β1 and impeding its interaction with Vimentin.

Cellular and Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Ventricular Remodeling

Ventricular remodeling is related to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, immune system, and various cytokines involved in inflammation, apoptosis, and cell signal regulation. Accumulated studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine can significantly inhibit the process of ventricular remodeling, which may be related to the mechanism mentioned above. Here, we conducted a system overview to critically review the cellular and molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine on ventricular remodeling. We mainly searched PubMed for basic research about the anti-ventricular remodeling of traditional Chinese medicine in 5 recent years, and then objectively summarized these researches. We included more than 25 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines including Qi-Li-Qian-Xin, Qi-Shen-Yi-Qi Pill, Xin-Ji-Er-Kang Formula, and Yi-Qi-Wen-Yang Decoction, and found that they can inhibit ventricular remodeling effectively through multi-components and multi-action targets, which are promoting the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine.

Potential Mechanism of Dingji Fumai Decoction Against Atrial Fibrillation Based on Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking, and Experimental Verification Integration Strategy

Background: Dingji Fumai Decoction (DFD), a traditional herbal mixture, has been widely used to treat arrhythmia in clinical practice in China. However, the exploration of the active components and underlying mechanism of DFD in treating atrial fibrillation (AF) is still scarce.

Methods: Compounds of DFD were collected from TCMSP, ETCM, and literature. The targets of active compounds were explored using SwissTargetPrediction. Meanwhile, targets of AF were collected from DrugBank, TTD, MalaCards, TCMSP, DisGeNET, and OMIM. Then, the H-C-T-D and PPI networks were constructed using STRING and analyzed using CytoNCA. Meanwhile, VarElect was utilized to detect the correlation between targets and diseases. Next, Metascape was employed for systematic analysis of the mechanism of potential targets and protein complexes in treating AF. AutoDock Vina, Pymol, and Discovery Studio were applied for molecular docking. Finally, the main findings were validated through molecular biology experiments.

Results: A total of 168 active compounds and 1,093 targets of DFD were collected, and there were 89 shared targets between DFD and AF. H-C-T-D network showed the relationships among DFD, active compounds, targets, and AF. Three functional protein complexes of DFD were extracted from the PPI network. Further systematic analysis revealed that the regulation of cardiac oxidative stress, cardiac inflammation, and cardiac ion channels were the potential mechanism of DFD in treating AF. Addtionally, molecular docking verified the interactions between active compounds and targets. Finally, we found that DFD significantly increased the level of SIRT1 and reduced the levels of ACE, VCAM-1, and IL-6.

Conclusions: DFD could be utilized in treating AF through a complicated mechanism, including interactions between related active compounds and targets, promoting the explanation and understanding of the molecular biological mechanism of DFD in the treatment of AF.

Integrative Analyses and Verification of the Expression and Prognostic Significance for RCN1 in Glioblastoma Multiforme

Glioblastoma multiform is a lethal primary brain tumor derived from astrocytic, with a poor prognosis in adults. Reticulocalbin-1 (RCN1) is a calcium-binding protein, dysregulation of which contributes to tumorigenesis and progression in various cancers. The present study aimed to identify the impact of RCN1 on the outcomes of patients with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The study applied two public databases to require RNA sequencing data of Glioblastoma multiform samples with clinical data for the construction of a training set and a validation set, respectively. We used bioinformatic analyses to determine that RCN1 could be an independent factor for the overall survival of Glioblastoma multiform patients. In the training set, the study constructed a predictive prognostic model based on the combination of RCN1 with various clinical parameters for overall survival at 0.5-, 1.0-, and 1.5-years, as well as developed a nomogram, which was further validated by validation set. Pathways analyses indicated that RCN1 was involved in KEAS and MYC pathways and apoptosis. In vitro experiments indicated that RCN1 promoted cell invasion of Glioblastoma multiform cells. These results illustrated the prognostic role of RCN1 for overall survival in Glioblastoma multiform patients, indicated the promotion of RCN1 in cell invasion, and suggested the probability of RCN1 as a potential targeted molecule for treatment in Glioblastoma multiform.