Zhuanggu Zhitong Capsule alleviates osteosarcopenia in rats by up-regulating PI3K/Akt/Bcl2 signaling pathway

Extracellular vesicles secreted from mesenchymal stem cells ameliorate renal ischemia reperfusion injury by delivering miR-100-5p targeting FKBP5/AKT axis

The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) due to ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is increasing. There is no effective treatment for AKI, and because of this clinical challenge, AKI often progresses to chronic kidney disease, which is closely associated with poor patient outcomes and high mortality rates. Small extracellular vesicles from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSC-sEVs) play increasingly vital roles in protecting tissue function from the effects of various harmful stimuli owing to their specific biological features. In this study, we found that miR-100-5p was enriched in hUCMSC-sEVs, and miR-100-5p targeted FKBP5 and inhibited HK-2 cell apoptosis by activating the AKT pathway. HK-2 cells that were exposed to IR injury were cocultured with hUCMSC-sEVs, leading to an increase in miR-100-5p levels, a decrease in FKBP5 levels, and an increase in AKT phosphorylation at Ser 473 (AKT-473 phosphorylation). Notably, these effects were significantly reversed by transfecting hUCMSCs with an miR-100-5p inhibitor. Moreover, miR-100-5p targeted FKBP5, as confirmed by a dual luciferase reporter assay. In vivo, intravenous infusion of hUCMSC-sEVs into mice suffering from IR injury resulted in significant apoptosis inhibition, functional maintenance and renal histological protection, which in turn decreased FKBP5 expression levels. Overall, this study revealed an effect of hUCMSC-sEVs on inhibiting apoptosis; hUCMSC-sEVs reduced renal IR injury by delivering miR-100-5p to HK-2 cells, targeting FKBP5 and thereby promoting AKT-473 phosphorylation to activate the AKT pathway. This study provides novel insights into the role of hUCMSC-sEVs in the treatment of AKI.

Interplay between zinc and cell proliferation and implications for the growth of livestock

Zinc (Zn) plays a critical role in the growth of livestock, which depends on cell proliferation. In addition to modifying the growth associated with its effects on food intake, mitogenic hormones, signal transduction and gene transcription, Zn also regulates body weight gain through mediating cell proliferation. Zn deficiency in animals leads to growth inhibition, along with an arrest of cell cycle progression at G0/G1 and S phase due to depression in the expression of cyclin D/E and DNA synthesis. Therefore, in the present study, the interplay between Zn and cell proliferation and implications for the growth of livestock were reviewed, in which Zn regulates cell proliferation in several ways, especially cell cycle progression at the G0/G1 phase DNA synthesis and mitosis. During the cell cycle, the Zn transporters and major Zn binding proteins such as metallothioneins are altered with the requirements of cellular Zn level and nuclear translocation of Zn. In addition, calcium signaling, MAPK pathway and PI3K/Akt cascades are also involved in the process of Zn-interfering cell proliferation. The evidence collected over the last decade highlights the necessity of Zn for normal cell proliferation, which suggests Zn supplementation should be considered for the growth and health of poultry.

Methods and research progress in the construction of animal models of osteosarcopenia: a scoping review

Background

Osteosarcopenia(OS) is a significant health concern resulting from the ageing process. Currently, as the population grows older, the prevalence of OS, a disease that entails the synchronous degeneration of muscles and bones, is mounting. This poses a serious threat to the health of the elderly while placing an enormous burden on social care. In order to comprehend the pathological mechanism of OS and develop clinical drugs, it is pertinent to construct an efficient animal model of OS. To investigate the modeling techniques of diverse experimental models of OS and elucidate their respective benefits and drawbacks, with the purpose of furnishing a theoretical foundation to advance experimental research on OS.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Embase database, China Knowledge Network, Wanfang data platform and Vipshop journal platform databases from 2000 through to September 1, 2023. We included animal studies on sarcopenia or osteoporosis or osteosarcopenia or sarcopenia-osteoporosis, modeling methods for osteosarcopenia. Two independently screened study abstracts and full reports and complete data extraction.

Results

Eventually, Of 112, 106 citations screened. 4938 underwent full-text review and 38 met the inclusion criteria. we reviewed and analyzed the literature and categorized the animal models of OS into the following five categories: Aging OS models; Hormonal deficiency model of OS;Chemical injection to induce OS;Disuse OS models and Genetic engineering OS models.

Conclusion

This review outlines animal modeling approaches for OS, providing a comprehensive summary of their advantages and disadvantages. The different models were evaluated and selected based on their respective strengths and weaknesses to enable higher quality research outcomes in various research directions. The most widely used and established approach is considered to be the ageing and chemical injection OS model, which has the advantages of excellent reproducibility and low cost.

The translational potential of this article

To gain a profound comprehension of the pathological mechanism of OS and to devise efficacious clinical treatments, it is imperative to establish a viable laboratory animal model of OS. This article surveys various modeling techniques assessing their benefits, drawbacks and areas of applicability while predominantly employing mice as the primary model animal. Additionally, the evaluation indicators of OS models are briefly described.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant traditional Chinese Medicine in treatment and prevention of osteoporosis

A metabolic bone disorder called osteoporosis is characterized by decreased bone mass and compromised microarchitecture. This condition can deteriorate bones and raise the risk of fractures. The two main causes of osteoporosis are an increase in osteoclast activity or quantity and a decrease in osteoblast viability. Numerous mechanisms, including estrogen shortage, aging, chemical agents, and decreased mechanical loads, have been linked to osteoporosis. Inflammation and oxidative stress have recently been linked to osteoporosis, according to an increasing number of studies. The two primary medications used to treat osteoporosis at the moment are bisphosphonates and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). These medications work well for osteoporosis brought on by aging and estrogen deprivation, however, they do not target inflammation and oxidative stress-induced osteoporosis. In addition, these drugs have some limitations that are attributed to various side effects that have not been overcome. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been applied in osteoporosis for many years and has a high safety profile. Therefore, in this review, literature related to botanical drugs that have an effect on inflammation and oxidative stress-induced osteoporosis was searched for. Moreover, the pharmacologically active ingredients of these herbs and the pathways were discussed and may contribute to the discovery of more safe and effective drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis.

Preparation of synbiotic milk powder and its effect on calcium absorption and the bone microstructure in calcium deficient mice

Calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis. Adequate calcium intake can improve calcium deficiency and prevent osteoporosis. Milk powder is the best source of dietary calcium supplements. Probiotics and prebiotics are considered to be beneficial substances for promoting calcium absorption. In this study, synbiotic milk powder (SMP) was prepared by combining the three, and its calcium supplementation effect and osteogenic activity were evaluated in calcium deficient mice. Through prebiotic screening experiments in vitro, after adding 1.2% iso-malto-oligosaccharide, the number of viable bacteria and the calcium enrichment of Lactobacillus plantarum JJBYG12 increased by 8.15% and 94.53% compared with those of the control group. Long-term calcium deficiency led to a significant reduction in calcium absorption and bone calcium content in mice, accompanied by structural deterioration of bone trabeculae. SMP significantly improved apparent calcium absorption, increased serum calcium and phosphorus levels, and decreased ALP activity and CTX-1 levels. In the meantime, the bone mineral density increased significantly, and the number of bone trabeculae and the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts also increased. SMP has good dietary calcium supplementation capacity and bone remodeling ability without significant side effects on major organs. These findings provide insights into using SMP as a dietary calcium source to improve bone health.

Human umbilical vein endothelial cells-derived exosomes enhance cardiac function after acute myocardial infarction by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Currently, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the leading causes of human health issues worldwide. The sudden and continuous occlusion of the coronary artery results in myocardial hypoxic-ischemic necrosis, which is accompanied by inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis, leading to pathological cardiac remodeling. Exosome-based therapy is a promising cell-free approach for repairing the ischemic myocardium. This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanism of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs)-derived exosomes on AMI. The results indicated that the localized injection of HUVECs-derived exosomes in the infarcted area could significantly improve cardiac function in AMI mouse models. It could also ameliorate myocardial fibrosis and decrease infarct size after AMI. Additionally, HUVECs-derived exosomes had cardioprotective effects on the H9C2 cells in hypoxic culture conditions, including increased cell viability and decreased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. In both the in-vivo and in-vitro experiments, HUVECs-derived exosomes could effectively inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The low expression levels of Bcl-2–associated X protein (Bax) and cleaved caspase-3, high expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p-PI3K), and phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) were detected in AMI mouse models treated with HUVECs-derived exosomes in-vivo. In conclusion, HUVECs-derived exosomes effectively enhanced cardiac function after AMI and inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which might be regulated through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/ protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway.

Effectiveness of Yushen Hezhi therapy for postmenopausal osteoporosis: An overview of systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

To review systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) of Yushen Hezhi therapy (YSHZT) for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) to provide an evidence-based recommendation for researchers and decision makers.

METHODS

We searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biology Medicine (CBM) and Wanfang databases for published SRs and MAs on YSHZT for the treatment of PMOP. The retrieval time was limited to July 2022. The Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR)-2 tool and Grades of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) classification system were used to evaluate the methodological quality and the evidence quality of the SRs and MAs, respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 14 SRs and MAs involving 14720 cases of PMOP were included. The results of the methodological quality evaluation indicated that there were no studies with medium- or high-quality methodology included in the study and that there were 9 and 5 low- and very low-quality studies, respectively. The GRADE evaluation results show that while there was no high-level evidence based on 86 evaluation indicators, there was 1 study with moderate-level evidence (1%), 44 studies with low-level evidence (51%) and 41 with very low-level evidence (48%) based on other indicators. YSHZT can significantly improve the bone mineral density (BMD) of Ward's triangle, with a mean difference range of 0.03 to 0.12. Different conclusions were reported regarding the BMD of the lumbar spine, femoral trochanter, femoral neck, and hip, as well as bone turnover markers, adverse reactions and other outcome indicators in different SRs and thus still need further study.

CONCLUSIONS

The methodological quality and the evidence quality of the outcome indicators for YSHZT in the treatment of PMOP are poor, and the efficacy and safety of YSHZT in the treatment of PMOP still need to be further verified by more high-quality studies.