Huang Lian Jie Du Tang attenuates paraquat-induced mitophagy in human SH-SY5Y cells: A traditional decoction with a novel therapeutic potential in treating Parkinson's disease

Huang Lian Jie Du decoction attenuates inflammation in septic rats by activating autophagy and altering the intestinal microbiome

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of HLJDD on septic rats and the underlying mechanisms.

Materials and methods

Adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) adult rats (150-180 g) were randomly divided into the following 5 groups (n = 7 per group): the Sham group, caecal ligation and puncture (CLP) group, HLJDD + CLP (Huang Lian Jie Du Decoction, HLJDD) group (1 g/mL/100 g), HLJDD + Rap + CLP (H. Rap) group (Rap: 3 mg/kg), and HLJDD+3-MA + CLP (H. 3-MA) group (3-MA: 30 mg/kg). Rapamycin (Rap) and 3-methyladenosine (3-MA) were used to activate and inhibit autophagy, respectively. HLJDD was purchased from Beijing Tong Ren Tang Guiyang Branch and verified by experts as a genuine product. We used CLP to establish an animal model of sepsis in the last four groups. Survival was analysed by the Kaplan‒Meier method. Then, we examined autophagy-related genes (Atgs) and proteins using real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The microstructure of the ileum and the number of autophagosomes were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Analyses of HE-stained pathological ileum and inflammatory factor levels were examined to assess the extent of septic injury. The effect of HLJDD on the gut microbiota was analysed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing of faeces.

Results

In this study, we identified the protective effects of HLJDD on mortality and inflammation in septic rats. Several key proteins, including LC3-II, Beclin-1 and p62, were examined and showed that HLJDD could effectively reverse the sepsis-induced decrease in autophagy. TEM was performed and the expression of Atgs was assessed to evaluate fluctuations in autophagy. Then, we examined the intestinal tight junction protein zona occludens (ZO-1), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and inflammatory factors, and found that HLJDD effectively alleviated the increase in ZO-1 gene expression, the level of LPS and serum level of inflammatory factors caused by sepsis. These results were consistent with those obtained from pathological sectioning and TEM analysis. Moreover, autophagy activation effectively ameliorated sepsis, and autophagy inhibition exacerbated the systemic symptoms caused by infection. By examining the expression of key proteins upstream of the autophagy pathway, we found that HLJDD inhibited mTOR via the MAPK/PI3K signalling pathway to promote autophagy in septic rats. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that HLJDD significantly affected the diversity and physiological function of the gut microbiota in septic rats.

Conclusions

The results of this study indicate that autophagy activation is a potential mechanism underlying the protective effect of HLJDD on the intestine in septic rats.

Geniposide protects against neurotoxicity in mouse models of rotenone-induced Parkinson's disease involving the mTOR and Nrf2 pathways

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Fructus Gardeniae, with the effects of discharging fire, eliminating vexation, reducing fever and causing diuresis, and cooling blood to remove apthogentic heat, could be used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD). Geniposide, as the main active ingredient of Fructus Gardeniae, has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in several rodent models. Rotenone, a commonly used neurotoxin, induced PD model progresses slowly, but simulates the pathological changes of PD's slow progression.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Herein, we mainly investigated the neuroprotective effects of geniposide on rotenone-induced mouse model of PD and the underlined mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

C57BL/6 mice were treated with rotenone (30 mg/kg, p. o.) daily for 60 days. Geniposide (25 and 50 mg/kg, p. o.) were administered at alterative day 30 min before rotenone. On day 60, the challenging beam, spontaneous activity, and adhesive removal tests were performed to evaluate the motor activity. Dopamine, DOPAC and HVA levels were detected by UPLC-MS/MS methods. Dopaminergic neurodegeneration was assessed using immunohistochemistry staining. ROS production, MDA level and GSH: GSSG ratio were measured to analyze oxidative stress. Cleavage of PARP and caspase-3 were detected to assess neuronal apoptosis. The expression of Nrf2 and mTOR signaling were detected using Western blot.

RESULTS

Geniposide improved motor dysfunction, restored neurotransmitters levels, and attenuated dopaminergic neurodegeneration induced by rotenone in mice. Geniposide suppressed rotenone-induced neuronal oxidative damage associated with Nrf2 signaling, and neuronal apoptosis involving mTOR pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Geniposide may exert a neuroprotective effect in a mouse model of PD by rotenone, and this effect might be relevant to Nrf2 associated antioxidant signaling and mTOR involved anti-apoptosis pathway.

Linking Heat Shock Protein 70 and Parkin in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of elderly people worldwide and is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). The precise mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of PD are still not fully understood, but it is well accepted that the misfolding, aggregation, and abnormal degradation of proteins are the key causative factors of PD. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is a molecular chaperone that participates in the degradation of misfolded and aggregated proteins in living cells and organisms. Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, participates in the degradation of proteins via the proteasome pathway. Recent studies have indicated that both Hsp70 and Parkin play pivotal roles in PD pathogenesis. In this review, we focus on discussing how dysregulation of Hsp70 and Parkin leads to PD pathogenesis, the interaction between Hsp70 and Parkin in the context of PD and their therapeutic applications in PD.

Integrated analysis of metabolomic and transcriptomic profiling reveals the effect of Buyang Huanwu decoction on Parkinson's disease in mice

BACKGROUND

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common, complex, and chronic neurodegenerative disorder involved in multi-system. At present, medicine for PD has many limitations. Buyang Huanwu decoction (BHD), a famous traditional Chinese medicinal (TCM) formulae, is used in the treatment of PD clinically in China. However, the therapeutic mechanism is still unknown.

PURPOSE

We aimed to explore the pharmacological mechanism of BHD alleviating PD through an integrated liver metabolome and brain transcriptome analysis.

METHODS

The mice with PD were induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Behavioral tests and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of BHD. The non-targeted metabolomics analysis was conducted to profile differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) in the liver using a UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS/MS method. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the brain were investigated by transcriptomic analysis on an Illumina sequencing platform. The correlations of DAMs and DEGs were investigated using an integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic approach.

RESULTS

The results of behavioral tests and immunohistochemistry proved the alleviated effects of BHD on PD symptoms. A total of 14 and 36 DAMs were detected in the groups treated with low- (L group) and high-dose (H group) BHD respectively under the positive ion mode. Compared with the PD model group (M group), three enriched pathways including metabolic pathways, ABC transporters, and biosynthesis of amino acids were common in the L and H group. Transcriptomic analysis proved that BHD could regulate the expression of numerous genes, some of which were targeted by Ben-Ldopa such as Creb5, Gm45623, Ccer2, Cd180, Fosl2, Crip3, and Noxred1. Based on the integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis, 7 metabolite-gene pairs were found in four comparisons, including C vs M, M vs P, M vs L, and M vs H, and 6 enriched pathways containing purine metabolism, glycine/serine/threonine metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms, thiamine metabolism, and ABC transporters were overlapped.

CONCLUSIONS

Though the underlying pharmacological mechanism of BHD is still lacking, we provided evidence that BHD could improve dopaminergic neurons in MPTP-induced PD mice by regulating liver metabolism and brain transcriptome. The correlation between the liver and the brain was preliminarily revealed in this study.

Huang-Lian-Jie-Du decoction alleviates depressive-like behaviors in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis mice via Trem2/Dap12 pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Huang-Lian-Jie-Du decoction (HLJD), a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, has been implicated as effective in treating colitis, depression and inflammation-related diseases. Whether HLJD decoction could ameliorate colitis-induced depression was still unknown and the underlying mechanism was needed to be clarified.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Our study aimed to explore the effect and the underlying mechanism of HLJD treatment on colitis-induced depression and the involvement of the inflammatory factors and microglial-activated related genes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The chronic colitis model was established by treating male mice with 1% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 8 weeks. One week after DSS-treated, HLJD decoction was administered orally with 2 and 4 g/kg daily for 7 weeks. Behavior tests (Open field/Elevated plus maze/Novel object recognition) and TUNEL staining were then assessed. The expression of inflammatory-related genes and microglial dysregulation were measured by RT-PCR and the expression of Trem2, Danp12 and Iba1 were assessed by immunofluorescence methods.

RESULTS

Depressive-like behaviors were observed in mice treated with DSS, which suffered colitis. Compared to normal control (NC-V) mice, the density of TUNEL + cells in the habenula (Hb), hippocampus (HIP), and cortex were significantly higher in colitis (DSS-V) mice, especially in Hb. Compared to NC-V and several brain regions, the expression levels of the Il-1β, Il-10 and Dap12 mRNA were significantly increased in the lateral habenula (LHb) of colitis mice. Moreover, the expression of Trem2, Dap12 and Iba1 were increased in LHb of DSS-V mice. HLJD treatment could alleviate depressive-like behaviors, reduce the density of TUNEL + cells in Hb and the expression of Il-6, Il-10 and Dap12 mRNA in LHb of DSS-V mice. The overexpression of Trem2, Dap12 and Iba1 in LHb of DSS-V mice were reversed after HLJD treatment.

CONCLUSION

These results reveal LHb is an important brain region during the process of colitis-induced depression. HLJD treatment could alleviates depressive-like behaviors in colitis mice via inhibiting the Trem2/Dap12 pathway in microglia of LHb, which would contribute to the precise treatment. It provides a potential mechanistic explanation for the effectiveness of HLJD treatment in colitis patients with depression.

The macrophage polarization in inflammatory dermatosis and its potential drug candidates

Inflammatory dermatosis is characterized by persistent inflammatory infiltration and hard repair of diseased skin. As a member of the human innate immune cells, macrophages usually show different phenotypes in different diseases. The macrophage phenotype (M1/M2) imbalance caused by the increase of M1 macrophages or the decrease of M2 macrophages is common in inflammatory dermatosis. In recent years, with the deepening research on inflammatory skin diseases, more and more natural medicines/traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), represented by Shikonin and Angelica Dahurica, have shown their therapeutic effects by affecting the polarization of macrophages. This review introduced macrophage polarization in different inflammatory dermatosis, such as psoriasis. Then summarized the natural medicines/TCMs that have potential therapeutic effects so far and introduced their mechanisms of action and the proteins/signal pathways involved. We found that the TCMs with therapeutic effects listed in this review are closely related to the theory of five flavors and four properties of Chinese medicinal, and most of them are bitter, acrid and sweet. Bitter TCMs have antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, which may improve the persistent inflammation of M1 macrophage infiltration. Acrid TCMs have the effect of promoting blood circulation, while sweet TCMs have the effect of nourishing. These 2 flavors may accelerate the repair of skin lesions of inflammatory dermatosis by affecting M2 macrophages. In conclusion, we hope to provide sufficient knowledge for natural medicine research and the development of inflammatory dermatosis related to macrophage phenotype imbalance.

Current Evidence and Future Directions of Berberine Intervention in Depression

A major type of serious mood disorder, depression is currently a widespread and easily overlooked psychological illness. With the low side effects of natural products in the treatment of diseases becoming the pursuit of new antidepressants, natural Chinese medicine products have been paid more and more attention for their unique efficacy in improving depression. In a view from the current study, the positive antidepressant effects of berberine are encouraging. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to accurately elucidate the efficacy and mechanism of berberine in depression. In this review, the relevant literature reports on the treatment of depression and anxiety by berberine are updated, and the potential pharmacological mechanism of berberine in relieving depression has also been discussed.

The emerging possibility of the use of geniposide in the treatment of cerebral diseases: a review

With the advanced discoveries in the field of pathogenesis, a series of cerebral diseases, such as cerebral ischaemia, Alzheimer's disease, and depression, have been found to have multiple signalling targets in the microenvironment. Only a few existing agents have been shown to have curative effects due to this specific circumstance. In recent decades, active ingredients isolated from natural plants have been shown to be crucial for original drug development. Geniposide, mainly extracted from Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, is representative of these natural products. Geniposide demonstrates various biological activities in the treatment of cerebral, cardiovascular, hepatic, tumorous, and other diseases. The multiple protective effects of geniposide on the brain have especially drawn increasing attention. Thus, this article specifically reviews the characteristics of current models of cerebral ischaemia and illustrates the possible effects of geniposide and its pathogenetic mechanisms on these models. Geniposide has been shown to significantly reduce the area of cerebral infarction and alleviate neuronal damage and necrosis mainly by inhibiting inflammatory signals, including NLRP3, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. Neuronal protection was also involved in activating the PI3K/Akt and Wnt/catenin pathways. Geniposide was able to increase autophagy and inhibit apoptosis by regulating the function of mTOR in treating Alzheimer's disease. Geniposide has also been shown to act as a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist to reduce amyloid plaques and inhibit oxidative stress to alleviate memory impairment as well as synaptic loss. Moreover, geniposide has been shown to exert antidepressant effects primarily by regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Detailed explorations have shown that the biological activities of inhibiting inflammatory cytokine secretion, alleviating oxidative stress, and suppressing mitochondrial damage are also involved in the mechanism of action of geniposide. Therefore, geniposide is a promising agent awaiting further exploration for the treatment of cerebral diseases via various phenotypes or signalling pathways.

Protective Activity of Aspirin Eugenol Ester on Paraquat-Induced Cell Damage in SH-SY5Y Cells

Aspirin eugenol ester (AEE) is a new pharmaceutical compound esterified by aspirin and eugenol, which has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and other pharmacological activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of AEE on paraquat- (PQ-) induced cell damage of SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells and its potential molecular mechanism. There was no significant change in cell viability when AEE was used alone. PQ treatment reduced cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. However, AEE reduced the PQ-induced loss of cell viability. Flow cytometry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), and 4′6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining were used to evaluate cell apoptosis. Compared with the PQ group, AEE pretreatment could significantly inhibit PQ-induced cell damage. AEE pretreatment could reduce the cell damage of SH-SY5Y cells induced by PQ via reducing superoxide anion, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) and increasing the levels of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). At the same time, AEE could increase the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and decrease the activity of malondialdehyde (MDA). The results showed that compared with the control group, the expression of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and Bcl-2 was significantly decreased, while the expression of caspase-3 and Bax was significantly increased in the PQ group. In the AEE group, AEE pretreatment could upregulate the expression of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and Bcl-2 and downregulate the expression of caspase-3 and Bax in SH-SY5Y cells. PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and the silencing of PI3K by shRNA could weaken the protective effect of AEE on PQ-induced SH-SY5Y cells. Therefore, AEE has a protective effect on PQ-induced SH-SY5Y cells by regulating the PI3K/Akt signal pathway to inhibit oxidative stress.