Effect of dendrobium mixture in alleviating diabetic cognitive impairment associated with regulating gut microbiota

Upregulation of Nrf2 signaling: A key molecular mechanism of Baicalin's neuroprotective action against diabetes-induced cognitive impairment

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Diabetes-associated cognitive impairment (DCI) is a prevalent complication of diabetes. However, there is a lack of viable strategies for preventing and treating DCI. This study aims to explore the efficacy of baicalin (Bai) in attenuating DCI and elucidating the underlying mechanisms.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

GK rats fed a high-fat and high-glucose diet were utilized to investigate the therapeutic potential of Bai. Cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze and novel object recognition tests. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying Bai's neuro-protective effects, co-cultured BV2/HT22 cells were established under high-glucose (HG) stimulation. The modes of action of Bai were subsequently confirmed in vivo using the DCI model in db/db mice.

KEY RESULTS

Bai restored cognitive and spatial memory and attenuated neuron loss, along with reducing expressions of Aβ and phosphorylated Tau protein in diabetic GK rats. At the cellular level, Bai exhibited potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects against HG stimulation. These effects were associated with the upregulation of Nrf2 and supressed Keap1 levels. Consistent with these in vitro findings, similar mechanisms were observed in db/db mice. The significant neuroprotective effects of Bai were abolished when co-administered with ATRA, a Nrf2 blocker, in db/db mice, confirming that KEAP1-Nrf2 signaling pathway was responsible for the observed effect.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Bai demonstrates a great therapeutic potential for attenuating DCI. The antioxidant defense and anti-inflammatory actions of Bai were mediated through the KEAP1-Nrf2 axis. These findings advance our understanding of potential treatment approaches for DCI, a common complication associated with diabetes.

Mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in elderly diabetes mellitus and a systematic review of its clinical application

Objective: Affected by aging, the elderly diabetes patients have many pathological characteristics different from the young people, including more complications, vascular aging, cognitive impairment, osteoporosis, and sarcopenia. This article will explore their pathogenesis and the mechanism of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) intervention, and use the method of systematic review to evaluate the clinical application of TCM in elderly diabetes. Method: Searching for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from January 2000 to November 2023 in the following databases: Web of Science, Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Sinomed, China National Knowledge Internet, Wanfang and VIP. They were evaluated by three subgroups of Traditional Chinese Prescription, Traditional Chinese patent medicines and Traditional Chinese medicine extracts for their common prescriptions, drugs, adverse reactions and the quality of them. Results and Conclusion: TCM has the advantages of multi-target and synergistic treatment in the treatment of elderly diabetes. However, current clinical researches have shortcomings including the inclusion of age criteria and diagnosis of subjects are unclear, imprecise research design, non-standard intervention measures, and its safety needs further exploration. In the future, the diagnosis of elderly people with diabetes needs to be further clarified. Traditional Chinese patent medicines included in the pharmacopoeia can be used to conduct more rigorous RCTs, and then gradually standardize the traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions and traditional Chinese medicine extracts, providing higher level evidence for the treatment of elderly diabetes with traditional Chinese medicine.

Natural Sweetener Glycyrrhetinic Acid Monoglucuronide Improves Glucose Homeostasis in Healthy Mice

Noncaloric or low-caloric sweeteners have become popular worldwide, although debates persist regarding their impact on health. To investigate whether the sweeteners are favorable for glucose homeostasis, our study assessed the effects of glycyrrhetinic acid monoglucuronide (GAMG) and several commonly used sweeteners [glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), stevioside, erythritol, sucralose, and aspartame] on glycometabolism and elucidated the underlying mechanisms. The C57BL/6J male mice were exposed to different sweeteners for 10 weeks, and our results showed that GAMG significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels (FBG-control: 3.81 ± 0.42 mmol/L; FBG-GAMG: 3.37 ± 0.38 mmol/L; p < 0.05) and the blood glucose levels 15 and 30 min after sucrose or maltose loading (p < 0.05). Furthermore, it improved glucose tolerance (p = 0.028) and enhanced insulin sensitivity (p = 0.044), while the other sweeteners had negligible or adverse effects on glucose homeostasis. Subsequent experiments showed that GAMG inhibited α-glucosidases potently (IC50 = 0.879 mg·mL-1), increased three SCFA-producing bacteria and SCFAs levels (p < 0.05), and promoted the gene expression of SCFA receptor GPR43 (p = 0.018). These results suggest that GAMG may regulate blood glucose by inhibiting α-glucosidases and modulating gut microbial SCFAs. Our findings prove that GAMG, beneficial to blood glucose regulation, is a promising natural sweetener for future utilization.

Catalpol rescues LPS-induced cognitive impairment via inhibition of NF-Κb-regulated neuroinflammation and up-regulation of TrkB-mediated BDNF secretion in mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Septic-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a key manifestation of sepsis. Nevertheless, specific treatment for SAE is still lacking. Catalpol is an active component derived from Rehmanniae Radix, and has been demonstrated to be a potential neuroprotective agent. However, its effect on SAE still needs to be fully explored.

AIM

To address the benefits of catalpol on post-sepsis cognitive deterioration and related mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Novel object recognition test, temporal order task, histopathology, and immunochemistry were applied to address the benefits of catalpol on LPS-triggered post-sepsis cognitive decline in mice. Xuebijing injection (10 ml/kg) has been utilized as a positive control in the above animal studies. After treatment, the catalpol content in the hippocampus was determined using LC-MS/MS. Finally, the mechanisms of catalpol were further assessed in BV2 and PC12 cells in vitro using Western blot, RT-PCR, flow cytometry, molecular docking tests, thermal shift assay, transmission electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence analysis.

RESULTS

Behavior tests showed that catalpol therapy could lessen the cognitive impairment induced by LPS damage. HE, Nissl, immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, and Golgi staining further reflected that catalpol treatment could restore lymphocyte infiltration, blood-brain barrier (BBB) degradation, and the decreasing complexity of dendritic trees. According to LC-MS/MS analysis, catalpol had a 136 ng/mg concentration in the hippocampus. In vitro investigation showed that catalpol could inhibit microglia M1 polarization via blocking NF-κB phosphorylation, translocation and then reducing inflammatory cytokine release in BV2 microglia cells. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) release up-regulation and TrkB pathway activation were observed in the catalpol treatment group in vivo and in vitro. The effect of catalpol on enhancing BDNF expression was inhibited by the specific inhibitor of TrkB (GNF-5837) in PC12 cells. Further molecular docking tests showed that catalpol formed weak hydrophobic bonds with TrkB. Besides, thermal shift assay also reflected that catalpol incubation caused a considerable change in the melting temperature of the TrkB.

CONCLUSION

Catalpol alleviates LPS-triggered post-sepsis cognitive impairment by reversing neuroinflammation via blocking the NF-κB pathway, up-regulating neurotrophic factors via the activation of TrkB pathway, and preserving BBB integrity.

Gut microbiota regulation of inflammatory cytokines and microRNAs in diabetes-associated cognitive dysfunction

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has a major comorbidity known as diabetes-associated cognitive dysfunction (DACD). Studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiota is crucial in mediating the cognitive abnormalities that occur in diabetic individuals. Additionally, changes in dietary fatty acid intake levels, inflammatory cytokines, and microRNAs (miRs) have an effect on cognitive performance. However, further studies are needed to identify the link between gut microbiota and cognition in T2DM patients and the role that the above indicators play in this process. In order to provide a new rationale for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction in diabetes, this study was conducted in the middle-aged and elderly Beijing population to examine the differences in gut microbiota between DACD and T2DM patients as well as to further explore the role of erythrocyte membrane fatty acids, inflammatory cytokines, and miRs in gut microbiota-mediated cognitive impairment. According to the results, the abundance of norank_f_Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group, Acidaminococcus, Enterorhabdus, and norank_f_Clostridium_methylpentosum_group was higher in DACD patients compared to T2DM patients at the genus level. Compared with T2DM patients, plasma interleukin-12 (IL-12) concentrations were significantly higher in DACD patients than in T2DM patients, and IL-12 was significantly positively correlated with norank_f_Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group. In addition, plasma miR-142-5p was significantly positively correlated with Enterorhabdus and norank_f_Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group. We therefore hypothesize that cognitive impairment in T2DM patients is associated with altered gut microbial composition and that the effect of microbiota on cognition may be mediated through IL-12 and miR-142-5p. KEY POINTS: • Type 2 diabetes with or without cognitive impairment differs in gut microbiota. • Differential genera of gut microbiota were associated with inflammatory cytokines. • Differential genera of gut microbiota were associated with plasma microRNAs.

Dendrobium mixture ameliorates hepatic injury induced by insulin resistance in vitro and in vivo through the downregulation of AGE/RAGE/Akt signaling pathway

Dendrobium mixture (DM) is a patented Chinese herbal medicine which has been shown to ameliorate type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in vivo and in vitro. We aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism of DM as a therapeutic agent in attenuating liver steatosis in relation to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). DM (16.2 g/kg/d) was administered to db/db mice for 4 weeks. The db/m mice and db/db mice in the control and model groups were given normal saline. Additionally, DM (11.25 g/kg/d) was administered to Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, and the serum was collected and used in an experiment involving palmitic acid (PA)-induced human liver HepG2 cells with abnormal lipid and glucose metabolism. In db/db mice, the administration of DM significantly alleviated liver steatosis, including histological damage and cell apoptosis. DM was found to prevent the upregulation of the RAGE and AKT1 proteins in liver tissues. The underlying mechanism of DM was further studied in PA-induced HepG2 cells. Post-DM administration serum from SD rats reduced lipid accumulation and regulated glucose metabolism in HepG2 cells. Consequently, it inhibited RAGE/AKT signaling and restored autophagy activity. The upregulated autophagy was associated with the mTOR-AMPK signaling pathway. Furthermore, post-DM administration serum reduced apoptosis of hepatocytes in PA-induced HepG2 cells. Our study supports the potential use of DM as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of NAFLD in T2DM. The mechanism underlying this therapeutic potential is associated with the downregulation of the AGE/RAGE/Akt signaling pathway.

Association of medicinal plant consumption with all-cause mortality and cognitive impairment in older adult: A large prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Panax ginseng and other medicinal plants have long been believed to have beneficial effects on health, and there is substantial evidence supporting their mechanisms of action. However, the extent of the health benefits derived from consuming these medicinal plants lacks substantial evidence from large-scale longitudinal population studies. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of consuming these medicinal plants on all-cause mortality and cognitive impairment.

METHODS

A population-based cohort study was conducted using the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), which was established in 1998 and has been followed up till now. The main exposure was the frequency of eating medicinal plants, including Panax ginseng, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Angelica sinensis, etc. According to the consumption patterns of medicinal plants, the participants were divided into three groups: frequent use, occasional use, and rarely or never use group. The participants were individually tracked to determine their mortality and cognitive impairment status during the period from 2008 to 2018. Cox proportional hazards regression and competing risk model were used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) for the association between the use of medicinal plants and the all-cause mortality and cognitive impairment.

RESULTS

Among 13,918 participants, the average age was 87.2 ± 11.3 years old, and 70.1% (9,754/13,918) of the participants died during follow-up. The proportion of those frequently using, occasionally using, and rarely using medicinal plants was 8.4%, 20.7%, and 70.8%, respectively. Compared with the rarely or never use group, the occasional and frequent use groups demonstrated significantly lower risks for all-cause mortality, with HR of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.71 - 0.79) and 0.53 (95% CI: 0.49 - 0.58), respectively. The protective effect of medicinal plants against all-cause mortality decreased with increasing age in the subgroup analysis. Additionally, frequent use of medicinal plants reduced the risk of cognitive impairment in the competing risk model (HR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60 - 0.87). However, there was no protective effect on cognitive function for those who occasional use medicinal plants.

CONCLUSION

In elderly individuals, occasional and frequent use of medicinal plants was associated with reductions in risk of all-cause mortality, and frequent use of medicinal plants could reduce the risk of cognitive impairment.

Anti-diabetic effect of Ornithogalum caudatum Jacq. polysaccharides via the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway and regulation of gut microbiota

This study evaluated the anti-diabetic effect of polysaccharides isolated from Ornithogalum caudatum and their underlying mechanisms. To achieve this, a type 2 diabetes mellitus mouse model was established using a combination of a high-fat diet and low-dose streptozotocin injection. The mice were treated with Ornithogalumcaudatum polysaccharides (OCPs) for 4 weeks. OCPs treatment significantly decreased body weight loss, fasting blood glucose levels, and plasma insulin levels in diabetic mice. Additionally, compared with the untreated group, OCPs treatment significantly decreased total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels, but increased those of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in diabetic mice. Moreover, antioxidant enzyme activity and histopathology results revealed that OCPs effectively alleviated oxidative stress and streptozotocin-induced lesions by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity. Results from mechanistic studies showed that OCPs treatment significantly increased the expression of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-GSK-3β in the liver. Moreover, OCPs optimized the gut microbiota composition of diabetic mice by significantly decreasing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increasing the levels of beneficial bacteria (Muribaculaceae_norank, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001 and Alloprevotella). Overall, these findings suggest that OCPs exert anti-diabetic effects by triggering the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway and regulating the gut microbiota.

Low glycemic index potato biscuits alleviate physio-histological damage and gut dysbiosis in rats with type-2 diabetes mellitus induced by high-sugar and high-fat diet and streptozotocin

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common type of diabetes globally and poses a major concern for human health. This study aimed to investigate the effects on T2DM of low-glycemic index (GI) potato biscuits with oat bran and inulin as functional additives. T2DM was induced in rats by streptozotocin (STZ) and a high-sugar and high-fat diet. The alleviation of T2DM by low-GI potato biscuits at different doses was evaluated based on the analysis of glycolipid levels, histological observations, inflammatory markers and gut microbiota structure. Compared to wheat biscuits, low-GI potato biscuits resulted in lower postprandial blood glucose levels. After eight weeks of intervention, fasting blood sugar levels were 16.9% lower in T2DM rats fed high-dose low-GI potato biscuits than in untreated T2DM rats. Moreover, the intervention with low-GI potato biscuits significantly alleviated T2DM-induced pathological damage, glucose and lipid metabolic disorders, and inflammation by reversing the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, transforming growth factor-β, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Moreover, the levels of short-chain fatty acids and gut microbiota structure in T2DM rats were significantly reversed. The abundance of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bifidobacterium, Lachnoclostridium, Roseburia) in the gut of T2DM rats was significantly increased whereas the abundance of Escherichia-Shigella and Desulfovibrio decreased. The present study revealed that low-GI potato biscuits alleviated damages caused by high-sugar and high-fat diet- and STZ-induced T2DM in rats, as well as reversed disturbances in the gut microbiota. Thus, low-GI potato biscuits are potentially beneficial to T2DM patients.

Intermittent fasting alleviates type 1 diabetes-induced cognitive dysfunction by improving the frontal cortical metabolic disorder

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an ecological strategy to control various metabolic disorder symptoms, but its protective effect on type 1 diabetes (T1D)-induced cognitive dysfunction and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. Herein, we examined the efficacy of IF in altering the behaviors and brain metabolome in T1D mice and investigated the potential molecular mechanisms. We demonstrated that IF remarkably improved frontal cortical-dependent memory in T1D mice and reduced the loss of neuronal cells. Metabolomics and targeted mass spectrometry assay showed that IF reprogrammed the frontal cortical metabolome composition, including activated the aspartate and glutamate pathway and reversed glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid depositions in T1D mice. Mechanistically, IF attenuated the levels of oxidative stress proteins, such as NOX2, NOX4, 8-OHdG, 4-HNE, and inhibited the levels of pro-apoptotic factors Bax and cleaved Caspase-3, finally improved the memory ability of T1D mice. In vitro studies confirmed the protective effect of the supplemented N-acetylaspartate, a pivotal metabolite involved in IF-regulated T1D-induced cognitive dysfunction, in high glucose-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells by eliminating toxic lipids accumulation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. To conclude, the frontal cortical metabolites mediated the protective effects of IF against T1D-induced cognitive dysfunction by attenuating oxidative stress and apoptotic signaling. Thus, IF can be a potential therapeutic strategy for T1D-induced cognitive dysfunction.

Dendrobium mixture ameliorates type 2 diabetes mellitus with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through PPAR gamma: An integrated study of bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification

Dendrobium mixture (DM) is a patented Chinese herbal medicine indicated which has anti-inflammatory and improved glycolipid metabolism. However, its active ingredients, targets of action, and potential mechanisms are still uncertain. Here, we investigate the role of DM as a prospective modulator of protection against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and illustrate the molecular mechanisms potentially involved. The network pharmacology and TMT-based quantitative protomics analysis were conducted to identify potential gene targets of the active ingredients in DM against NAFLD and T2DM. DM was administered to the mice of DM group for 4 weeks, and db/m mice (control group) and db/db mice (model group) were gavaged by normal saline. DM was also given to Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, and the serum was subjected to the palmitic acid-induced HepG2 cells with abnormal lipid metabolism. The mechanism of DM protection against T2DM-NAFLD is to improve liver function and pathological morphology by promoting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) activation, lowering blood glucose, improving insulin resistance (IR), and reducing inflammatory factors. In db/db mice, DM reduced RBG, body weight, and serum lipids levels, and significantly alleviated histological damage of liver steatosis and inflammation. It upregulated the PPARγ corresponding to the prediction from the bioinformatics analysis. DM significantly reduced inflammation by activating PPARγ in both db/db mice and palmitic acid-induced HepG2 cells.

Neobaicalein Inhibits Th17 Cell Differentiation Resulting in Recovery of Th17/Treg Ratio through Blocking STAT3 Signaling Activation

Huangqin is the dried root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, which has been widely utilized for heat-clearing (Qingre) and dewetting (Zaoshi), heat-killed (Xiehuo) and detoxifying (Jiedu) in the concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is used for treating inflammation and cancer in clinical formulas. Neobaicalein (NEO) is of flavonoid isolated from Huangqin and has been reported to possess prominent anti-inflammatory effects in published work. Th17/Treg balance shift to Th17 cells is an essential reason for autoimmune inflammatory diseases. However, the role NEO plays in Th17 and Treg and the underlying mechanism has not been elucidated yet. Network pharmacology-based study revealed that NEO predominantly regulated IL-17 signaling pathway. Moreover, our result shown that NEO (3-30 μmol/L) down-regulated Th17 differentiation and cellular supernatant and intracellular IL-17A level and tumor necrosis factor α production in a concentration-dependent manner. The further mechanism research revealed that NEO also specifically inhibited phosphorylation of STAT3(Tyr725) and STAT4 (Y693) without influence on activation of STAT5 and STAT6 in splenocytes. Immunofluorescence results illuminated that NEO effectively blocked STAT3 translocated into nucleus. Interestingly, NEO at appreciated dose could only inhibit Th17 cell differentiation and have no effect on Treg differentiation. The present study revealed that NEO effectively inhibited Th17 cell differentiation through specifically blocking the activation of STAT3 signaling without inactivation of STAT5 and STAT6. Additional inhibitory effect on activation of STAT4 by NEO also suggested the potential for antagonism against Th1 differentiation. All work suggested that NEO may be a potential candidate for immunoregulation and treating autoimmune inflammatory diseases through inhibiting immune cell viability and T cell differentiation.

Dendrobium mixture improves gestational diabetes mellitus through regulating Nrf2/HO1 signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is characterized by insulin resistance during pregnancy, and it is always combined with serious complications. Dendrobium mixture (DMix) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, and it has been proved to be an effective treatment for diabetes. However, the regulatory role of DMix in GDM remains elusive.

METHODS

High fat feed combined with streptozotocin injection and high glucose medium were used to establish GDM animal and cell models, respectively. The levels of blood glucose, blood lipid, and insulin were measured with commercial kits. Western blotting was used to detect protein expression.

RESULTS

DMix improved pancreas and placenta injury in GDM rats. DMix reversed the influence of GDM on the levels of SOD, MDA, and glutathione in the serum. Hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in GDM rats were suppressed by DMix. The activation of MAPK and inhibition of Nrf2/HO1 in GDM animal and cell models were reversed by DMix. The increase of ROS intensity, apoptosis, and inflammation factors in HG treated cells were reversed by DMix.

CONCLUSION

This research proved that DMix improved GDM through inhibiting oxidative condition, inflammation factors, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. This study might provide a novel thought for the prevention and treatment of GDM.

Perspectives of herbs and their natural compounds, and herb formulas on treating diverse diseases through regulating complicated JAK/STAT signaling

JAK/STAT signaling pathways are closely associated with multiple biological processes involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, differentiation, immune response, and epigenetics. Abnormal activation of the STAT pathway can contribute to disease progressions under various conditions. Moreover, tofacitinib and baricitinib as the JAK/STAT inhibitors have been recently approved by the FDA for rheumatology disease treatment. Therefore, influences on the STAT signaling pathway have potential and perspective approaches for diverse diseases. Chinese herbs in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which are widespread throughout China, are the gold resources of China and have been extensively used for treating multiple diseases for thousands of years. However, Chinese herbs and herb formulas are characterized by complicated components, resulting in various targets and pathways in treating diseases, which limits their approval and applications. With the development of chemistry and pharmacology, active ingredients of TCM and herbs and underlying mechanisms have been further identified and confirmed by pharmacists and chemists, which improved, to some extent, awkward limitations, approval, and applications regarding TCM and herbs. In this review, we summarized various herbs, herb formulas, natural compounds, and phytochemicals isolated from herbs that have the potential for regulating multiple biological processes via modulation of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway based on the published work. Our study will provide support for revealing TCM, their active compounds that treat diseases, and the underlying mechanism, further improving the rapid spread of TCM to the world.

Integrated transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis of the hippocampus reveals altered neuroinflammation, downregulated metabolism and synapse in sepsis-associated encephalopathy

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is an intricated complication of sepsis that brings abnormal emotional and memory dysfunction and increases patients’ mortality. Patients’ alterations and abnormal function seen in SAE occur in the hippocampus, the primary brain region responsible for memory and emotional control, but the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. In the current study, we employed an integrative analysis combining the RNA-seq-based transcriptomics and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics to comprehensively obtain the enriched genes and metabolites and their core network pathways in the endotoxin (LPS)-injected SAE mice model. As a result, SAE mice exhibited behavioral changes, and their hippocampus showed upregulated inflammatory cytokines and morphological alterations. The omics analysis identified 81 differentially expressed metabolites (variable importance in projection [VIP] &gt; 1 and p &lt; 0.05) and 1747 differentially expressed genes (Foldchange &gt;2 and p &lt; 0.05) were detected in SAE-grouped hippocampus. Moreover, 31 compounds and 100 potential target genes were employed for the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Markup Language (KGML) network analysis to explore the core signaling pathways for the progression of SAE. The integrative pathway analysis showed that various dysregulated metabolism pathways, including lipids metabolism, amino acids, glucose and nucleotides, inflammation-related pathways, and deregulated synapses, were tightly associated with hippocampus dysfunction at early SAE. These findings provide a landscape for understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of the hippocampus in the progression of SAE and pave the way to identify therapeutic targets in future studies.

Association of gut microbiota with sort-chain fatty acids and inflammatory cytokines in diabetic patients with cognitive impairment: A cross-sectional, non-controlled study

Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and inflammatory cytokines play important roles in the pathogenesis of diabetic cognitive impairment (DCI). However, little is known about alterations of gut microbiota and SCFA levels as well as the relationships between inflammatory cytokines and cognitive function in Chinese DCI patients. Herein, the differences in the gut microbiota, plasma SCFAs, and inflammatory cytokines in DCI patients and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients were explored. A cross-sectional study of 30 DCI patients and 30 T2DM patients without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was conducted in Tianjin city, China. The gut microbiota, plasma SCFAs, and inflammatory cytokines were determined using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and Luminex immunofluorescence assays, respectively. In addition, the correlation between gut microbiota and DCI clinical characteristics, SCFAs, and inflammatory cytokines was investigated. According to the results, at the genus level, DCI patients presented a greater abundance of Gemmiger, Bacteroides, Roseburia, Prevotella, and Bifidobacterium and a poorer abundance of Escherichia and Akkermansia than T2DM patients. The plasma concentrations of acetic acid, propionic acid, isobutyric acid, and butyric acid plummeted in DCI patients compared to those in T2DM patients. TNF-α and IL-8 concentrations in plasma were significantly higher in DCI patients than in T2DM patients. Moreover, the concentrations of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and isovaleric acid in plasma were negatively correlated with TNF-α, while those of acetic acid and butyric acid were negatively correlated with IL-8. Furthermore, the abundance of the genus Alloprevotella was negatively correlated with butyric acid, while that of Holdemanella was negatively correlated with propanoic acid and isobutyric acid. Fusobacterium abundance was negatively correlated with propanoic acid. Clostridium XlVb abundance was negatively correlated with TNF-α, while Shuttleworthia abundance was positively correlated with TNF-α. It was demonstrated that the gut microbiota alterations were accompanied by a change in SCFAs and inflammatory cytokines in DCI in Chinese patients, potentially causing DCI development. These findings might help to identify more effective microbiota-based therapies for DCI in the future.

Anti-Diabetic Potential of Chlorella Pyrenoidosa-Based Mixture and its Regulation of Gut Microbiota

The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-diabetic effect of CGSGCG and its beneficial effects on gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes (T2D) mice induced by streptozotocin and high sucrose and high fat diet. The results showed that treatment with CGSGCG reduced fasting blood glucose, improved oral glucose tolerance test, protected the liver from injury, and reduced inflammation in T2D mice. The contents of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, valeric acid and isovaleric acid in CGSGCG group were 2.49-, 1.74-, 3.31-, 1.93-, 1.36- and 1.30-fold than that of the model group. Moreover, administration of CGSGCG up-regulated the expression of INSR/IRS-1/PI3K/AKT/GLUT4 and mTOR but down-regulated the P38MAPK expression. Furthermore, the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Verrucomicrobia, Proteobacteria, Osillibacter, Dubosiella and Lactococcus in intestinal tract increased, indicating that CGSCGG regulated and improved the bacterial community structure of T2D mice, which were closely related to glycometabolism.