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Chemical constituents from the Antarctic lichen Usnea aurantiaco-atra and their chemotaxonomic significance. BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2022.104581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Liu Y, Dou C, Wei G, Zhang L, Xiong W, Wen L, Xiang C, Chen C, Zhang T, Altamirano A, Chen Y, Zhang TE, Yan Z. Usnea improves high-fat diet- and vitamin D3-induced atherosclerosis in rats by remodeling intestinal flora homeostasis. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1064872. [PMID: 36506546 PMCID: PMC9732435 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1064872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Usnea has various pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, antiviral, and cardiovasculoprotective effects. Aim of the study: To investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the anti-atherosclerosis (AS) activity of Usnea ethanol extract (UEE) via the regulation of intestinal flora. Materials and Methods: The chemical composition of UEE was determined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole exactive orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-EOMS). Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups. A high-fat diet and intraperitoneal vitamin D3 injections were used to establish a rat model of AS. After 4 weeks of treatment with UEE, hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to evaluate the pathomorphology of the aorta, liver, and colon. The composition and diversity of the rat intestinal flora were determined using high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to measure the levels of plasma trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), serum bile acid (BA), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). The protein expression of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and flavin monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) in the liver and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin in colon tissue was detected via western blotting. Results: Forty-four compounds were identified in UEE. In the rat model of AS, UEE significantly prevented calcium deposition; decreased the serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, LPS, TNF-α, and IL-6; and increased the serum level of HDL-C. Additionally, all UEE dosages decreased the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobiota while increased that of Bacteroidetes. FMO3 protein expression and TMAO levels decreased, whereas CYP7A1 protein expression and BA levels increased. The absorption of intestinal-derived LPS was minimized. Furthermore, the protein expression of ZO-1 and occludin was upregulated. Conclusion: UEE ameliorated AS. The underlying mechanism was the reversal of imbalances in the intestinal flora by Usnea, thereby inhibiting calcium deposition, abnormal lipid metabolism, and inflammatory response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjun Liu
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chongyang Dou
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Guihua Wei
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Liudai Zhang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei Xiong
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lingmiao Wen
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chunxiao Xiang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chunlan Chen
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Tinglan Zhang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Alvin Altamirano
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Yunhui Chen
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Tian-e Zhang
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China,*Correspondence: Tian-e Zhang, ; Zhiyong Yan,
| | - Zhiyong Yan
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China,*Correspondence: Tian-e Zhang, ; Zhiyong Yan,
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Zhao X, Zhu J, Wang L, Li Y, Zhao T, Chen X, Sun Y, Dai Y, Wei G, Altamirano A, Zhang T, Yan Z. U. diffracta extract mitigates high fat diet and VD3-induced atherosclerosis and biochemical changes in the serum liver and aorta of rats. Biomed Pharmacother 2019; 120:109446. [PMID: 31542617 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Usnea diff ;racta Vain. (U. diffracta) belonging to the Usnea genus, is widely used as a folk medicine for the treatment of ulcer, abdominal pain, diarrhea, malaria and so on. However, the antiatherogenic effect of U. diffracta has not yet been reported. This study aims to investigate the antiatherogenic effects of the ethanol extract of U. diffracta and its mechanism. METHOD A high fat diet and VD3 were used to establish the atherosclerotic rat model, with 0.004 g/kg/d of simvastatin as a positive control, fed with 0.7, 1.4, and 2.8 g/kg/d of Usnea ethanol extract for 21 days. The blood, liver, and aorta samples from each rat were collected after the last administration. Pharmacodynamic effects were evaluated. The inflammation related factors, the gene expressions of Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5), myeloid differentiating factor 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were detected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Compared with the model group, simvastatin and ethanol extract of U. diffracta can significantly reduce the serum levels of triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), Ca2+, AST, ALT, the liver contents of total cholesterol (TC), TG, AI and liver index, as well as significantly increase the contents of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) both in serum and liver (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). The serum level of ox-LDL can be significantly reduced by simvastatin, low and medium U. diffracta ethanol extract doses (p < 0.01). In addition, simvastatin and low dosage of U. diffracta ethanol extract can significantly reduce the liver content of LDL-C (p < 0.01). U. diffracta ethanol extract shows a positive antiatherogenic effect. Furthermore, the mechanism may be related to promoting the expression of serum IL-10 and inhibition of TLR5/NF-κB signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqin Zhao
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China
| | - Jiali Zhu
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China
| | - Liwen Wang
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China
| | - Yongbiao Li
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China
| | - Tingting Zhao
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China
| | - Xiu Chen
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China
| | - Yong Sun
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China
| | - Yaolan Dai
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China
| | - Guihua Wei
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China
| | - Alvin Altamirano
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Tiane Zhang
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, PR China.
| | - Zhiyong Yan
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, PR China.
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High-Fat Diets and LXRs Expression in Rat Liver and Hypothalamus. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2019; 39:963-974. [DOI: 10.1007/s10571-019-00692-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Li R, Liu Y, Shi J, Yu Y, Lu H, Yu L, Liu Y, Zhang F. Diosgenin regulates cholesterol metabolism in hypercholesterolemic rats by inhibiting NPC1L1 and enhancing ABCG5 and ABCG8. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2019; 1864:1124-1133. [PMID: 31054325 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2019.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Hypercholesterolemia is a preventable risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanisms of diosgenin (DG) that promote cholesterol homeostasis and alleviate hypercholesterolemia remain elusive. To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of the promotion of cholesterol metabolism by DG, a rat model of hypercholesterolemia was induced by providing a high-fat diet for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, the rats were intragastrically administered high-dose DG (0.3 g/kg/d), low-dose DG (0.15 g/kg/d) or simvastatin (4 mg/kg/d) once a day for 8 weeks. The serum and hepatic cholesterol were tested, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1), liver X receptor-α (LXR-α) and the ATP-binding cassette G5/G8 (ABCG5/G8) transporters were measured. The results indicate that DG could reduce body weight, decrease the serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, liver total cholesterol and free cholesterol levels compared to those in the controls. Simultaneously, liver tissue pathological morphology analyses revealed that DG could attenuate hepatic steatosis compared to that in the high-fat diet group. Further investigation demonstrated that DG significantly decreased the expression of NPC1L1 and LXR-α in the intestine and markedly increased the expression of ABCG5/G8 in the liver and intestine. Compared to the high-fat diet group, the rats in the DG-treated groups ameliorated hypercholesterolemia in a dose- and time-dependent manner. These data suggest that DG may not only inhibit intestinal cholesterol absorption by downregulating NPC1L1 but also enhance cholesterol excretion by increasing the expression of ABCG5/G8. DG could be a new candidate for the prevention of hypercholesterolemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoqi Li
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Jingjing Shi
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yantong Yu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Haifei Lu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Lu Yu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yanqiang Liu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Fengxia Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
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