Glavonoid-rich oil supplementation reduces stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 expression and improves systemic metabolism in diabetic, obese KK-Ay mice

Natural isoflavone glabridin targets PI3Kγ as an adjuvant to increase the sensitivity of MDA-MB-231 to tamoxifen and DU145 to paclitaxel

Glabridin is a natural isoflavone with estrogen receptor agonism and significant anti-tumor activity. Additionally, glabridin has a regulation effect on PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, but its exact target remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the antitumor activity of glabridin against breast cancer and prostate cancer cells, and further clarified its targeting to PI3K. We found that glabridin could significantly inhibit the cell viability of human breast cancer and prostate cancer cell lines. It induced caspase activation cascade and cell apoptosis through decreasing the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and increasing the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, glabridin could attenuate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression by inhibiting cell migration. PharmMapper calculation showed that PI3Kγ might be the most potential target protein because of the highest Normal Fit score (0.9735) and z'-score (0.9797). Molecular docking and bio-layer interferometry (BLI) analysis further demonstrated the PI3Kγ targeting of glabridin. In vivo experiments showed that glabridin can effectively inhibit the tumor growth of breast cancer xenograft model, and does not show obvious hepatorenal toxicity. Moreover, glabridin could effectively promote the anti-proliferation and pro-apoptotic effects of tamoxifen on MDA-MB-231 cell and taxol on DU145 cell. Elucidating the targeting of glabridin to PI3K may lay a theoretical foundation for the structural derivatization of glabridin, which is expected to greatly promote the application and development of glabridin in the field of cancer therapy.

Identification of ferroptosis-related genes in type 2 diabetes mellitus based on machine learning

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which has a high incidence and several harmful consequences, poses a severe danger to human health. Research on the function of ferroptosis in T2DM is increasing. This study uses bioinformatics techniques identify new diagnostic T2DM biomarkers associated with ferroptosis.

METHODS

To identify ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) that are differentially expressed between T2DM patients and healthy individuals, we first obtained T2DM sequencing data and FRGs from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and FerrDb database. Then, drug-gene interaction networks and competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks linked to the marker genes were built after marker genes were filtered by two machine learning algorithms (LASSO and SVM-RFE algorithms). Finally, to confirm the expression of marker genes, the GSE76895 dataset was utilized. The protein and RNA expression of some marker genes in T2DM and nondiabetic tissues was also examined by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).

RESULTS

We obtained 58 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with ferroptosis. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that these DEGs were significantly enriched in hypoxia and ferroptosis. Subsequently, eight marker genes (SCD, CD44, HIF1A, BCAT2, MTF1, HILPDA, NR1D2, and MYCN) were screened by LASSO and SVM-RFE machine learning algorithms, and a model was constructed based on these eight genes. This model also has high diagnostic power. In addition, based on these eight genes, we obtained 48 drugs and constructed a complex ceRNA network map. Finally, Western blotting, IHC, IF, and qRT-PCR results of clinical samples further confirmed the results of public databases.

CONCLUSIONS

The diagnosis and aetiology of T2DM can be greatly aided by eight FRGs, providing novel therapeutic avenues.

Regulation of Fatty Acid Metabolism and Inhibition of Colorectal Cancer Progression by Erchen Decoction

Erchen decoction (ECD) is a traditional Chinese prescription widely used in the treatment of various diseases such as obesity, fatty liver, diabetes, and hypertension. In this study, we investigated the effect of ECD on fatty acid metabolism in a colorectal cancer (CRC) mouse model fed a high-fat (HF) diet. The HF-CRC mouse model was established by azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) combined with a high-fat diet. Mice were then gavaged with ECD. Change in the body weight was recorded every two weeks for 26 weeks. Changes in blood glucose (GLU), total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TG), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Colorectal tissues were collected to observe changes in colorectal length and tumorigenesis. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemical staining were performed to observe changes in intestinal structure and inflammatory markers. Fatty acids and the expression of related genes in colorectal tissues were also studied. ECD gavage inhibited HF-induced weight gain. CRC induction and HF diet intake resulted in increased GLU, TC, TG, and CRP, where ECD gavage reduced these elevated indicators. ECD gavage also increased colorectal length and inhibited tumorigenesis. HE staining revealed that ECD gavage suppressed inflammatory infiltration of colorectal tissues. ECD gavage suppressed the fatty acid metabolism abnormalities caused by HF-CRC in colorectal tissues. Consistently, ECD gavage lowered ACSL4, ACSL1, CPT1A, and FASN levels in colorectal tissues. Conclusions. ECD inhibited HF-CRC progression through the regulation of fatty acid metabolism.

An Ethnopharmaceutical Study on the Hypolipidemic Formulae in Taiwan Issued by Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacies

Globally, approximately one-third of ischemic heart diseases are due to hyperlipidemia, which has been shown to cause various metabolic disorders. This study was aimed to disassemble and analyze hypolipidemic formulae sold by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacies. Using commonly used statistical parameters in ethnopharmacology, we identified the core drug combination of the hypolipidemic formulae, thereby exploring the strategy by which the Taiwanese people select hypolipidemic drugs. Most important of all, we preserved the inherited knowledge of TCM. We visited 116 TCM pharmacies in Taiwan and collected 91 TCM formulae. The formulae were mainly disassembled by macroscopical identification, and the medicinal materials with a relative frequency of citation (RFC) >0.2 were defined as commonly used medicinal materials. Subsequently, we sorted the information of medicinal materials recorded in the Pharmacopeia, searched for modern pharmacological research on commonly used medicinal materials using PubMed database, and visualized data based on the statistical results. Finally, the core hypolipidemic medicinal materials used in folk medicine were obtained. Of the 91 TCM formulae collected in this study, 80 traditional Chinese medicinal materials were used, belonging to 43 families, predominantly Lamiaceae. Roots were the most commonly used part as a medicinal material. There were 17 commonly used medicinal materials. Based on medicinal records in Pharmacopeia, most flavors and properties were warm and pungent, the majority traditional effects were “tonifying and replenishing” and “blood-regulating.” Besides, the targeted diseases searching from modern pharmacological studies were diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. The core medicinal materials consisted of Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge, and the core formulae were Bu-Yang-Huan-Wu-Tang and Xie-Fu-Zhu-Yu-Tang. In addition, 7 groups of folk misused medicinal materials were found. Although these TCMs have been used for a long period of time, their hypolipidemic mechanisms remain unclear, and further studies are needed to validate their safety and efficacy.