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Dong Z, Wang Y, Jin W. Liver cirrhosis: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic interventions. MedComm (Beijing) 2024; 5:e721. [PMID: 39290252 PMCID: PMC11406049 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.721] [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: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 08/19/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Liver cirrhosis is the end-stage of chronic liver disease, characterized by inflammation, necrosis, advanced fibrosis, and regenerative nodule formation. Long-term inflammation can cause continuous damage to liver tissues and hepatocytes, along with increased vascular tone and portal hypertension. Among them, fibrosis is the necessary stage and essential feature of liver cirrhosis, and effective antifibrosis strategies are commonly considered the key to treating liver cirrhosis. Although different therapeutic strategies aimed at reversing or preventing fibrosis have been developed, the effects have not be more satisfactory. In this review, we discussed abnormal changes in the liver microenvironment that contribute to the progression of liver cirrhosis and highlighted the importance of recent therapeutic strategies, including lifestyle improvement, small molecular agents, traditional Chinese medicine, stem cells, extracellular vesicles, and gut remediation, that regulate liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. Meanwhile, therapeutic strategies for nanoparticles are discussed, as are their possible underlying broad application and prospects for ameliorating liver cirrhosis. Finally, we also reviewed the major challenges and opportunities of nanomedicine‒biological environment interactions. We hope this review will provide insights into the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of liver cirrhosis, thus facilitating new methods, drug discovery, and better treatment of liver cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihe Dong
- The First School of Clinical Medicine Lanzhou University Lanzhou People's Republic of China
- Institute of Cancer Neuroscience Medical Frontier Innovation Research Center The First Hospital of Lanzhou University Lanzhou People's Republic of China
| | - Yeying Wang
- The First School of Clinical Medicine Lanzhou University Lanzhou People's Republic of China
- Institute of Cancer Neuroscience Medical Frontier Innovation Research Center The First Hospital of Lanzhou University Lanzhou People's Republic of China
| | - Weilin Jin
- The First School of Clinical Medicine Lanzhou University Lanzhou People's Republic of China
- Institute of Cancer Neuroscience Medical Frontier Innovation Research Center The First Hospital of Lanzhou University Lanzhou People's Republic of China
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Shen L, Fan L, Luo H, Li W, Cao S, Yu S. Cow placenta extract ameliorates d-galactose-induced liver damage by regulating BAX/CASP3 and p53/p21/p16 pathways. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 323:117685. [PMID: 38171467 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Placenta is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, known as "Ziheche", which has the function of tonifying qi and blood, nourishing liver and kidney. Placenta extract (PE) has been used for delaying organismal aging and treating various liver diseases. Cow placenta is a rich natural resource with large mass. Its composition is similar to that of human placenta, but it has not been effectively utilized. However, little is known about the effect of CPE on the liver of aging mice. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this study is to explore the protective effect and mechanism of CPE on the liver of d-galactose (D-gal) induced aging mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Statistical methods were used to calculate mouse body weight and liver index. Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to detect the morphological structure of the liver. Automatic biochemical analyzer was used to measure serum biochemical indicators. Three special staining methods were used to observe hepatocytes apoptosis, senescence and proliferation respectively. Relative kits were used to detect oxidative, inflammatory, and aging markers in the liver. Finally, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western-blot were used to detect aging related signaling pathways. RESULTS CPE significantly improved the morphological damage and dysfunction of liver, restored the activities of liver enzymes in serum, and alleviated liver oxidative stress and inflammatory response in D-gal induced aging mice. Furthermore, CPE inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis and senescence, and promoted hepatocyte proliferation by regulating BAX/CASP3 and p53/p21/p16 signaling pathways, ultimately reduced the effects of aging on the liver. CONCLUSION CPE effectively ameliorated the impact of aging on the liver by inhibiting free radical production or scavenging excessive free radicals, and its mechanism is associated to the regulation of apoptosis and proliferation-related factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuhong Shen
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
| | - Lei Fan
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Hao Luo
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Weiyao Li
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Suizhong Cao
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Shumin Yu
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
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Hu Y, Li L, Tian Y, Xiao Y, Tang J, Zeng S, Zou Z, Shang H. Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel UDCA-aminopyrimidine hybrids as ATX inhibitors for the treatment of hepatic and pulmonary fibrosis. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 264:116029. [PMID: 38091892 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
To discover novel anti-fibrotic agents, a series of UDCA-aminopyrimidine hybrids were designed and synthesized as potent ATX inhibitors by molecular hybridization strategy. The ATX inhibitory activities of all synthesized compounds were evaluated using the LPC choline release assay. The preliminary structure-activity relationship was concluded. Among them, 12a and 12h exhibited the strongest ATX inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 7.62 ± 0.62 and 7.51 ± 0.72 nM respectively, which were 9-fold more effective than the positive control drug GLPG-1690. Molecular docking studies revealed that 12a and 12h occupied the hydrophobic pocket and tunnel of the ATX binding site. The cytotoxicity assay of 12a and 12h revealed that they had no obvious toxicity at concentrations up to 80 μM, therefore their anti-hepatic fibrosis and anti-pulmonary fibrosis activities were further investigated. The results suggested that 12a and 12h significantly decreased the gene and protein expression of α-SMA, COL1A1 and FN in both TGF-β1-induced HSC-LX2 and CCC-HPF-1 cells. In addition, 12a and 12h significantly inhibited cells migration in both TGF-β1-induced HSC-LX2 and CCC-HPF-1 cells. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that 12a and 12h exerted anti-hepatic fibrosis and anti-pulmonary fibrosis effects by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. Overall, our findings suggested that 12a and 12h might be two promising anti-fibrotic agents, or might serve as two new lead compounds for the further development of anti-fibrotic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Hu
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Lingyu Li
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yu Tian
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yingjie Xiao
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Jiawei Tang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Shuoyu Zeng
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zhongmei Zou
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China; State Key Laboratory of Basis and New Drug Development of Natural and Nuclear Drugs, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Hai Shang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China.
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Wang C, Wu R, Zhang S, Gong L, Fu K, Yao C, Peng C, Li Y. A comprehensive review on pharmacological, toxicity, and pharmacokinetic properties of phillygenin: Current landscape and future perspectives. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 166:115410. [PMID: 37659207 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Forsythiae Fructus is a traditional Chinese medicine frequently in clinics. It is extensive in the treatment of various inflammation-related diseases and is renowned as 'the holy medicine of sores'. Phillygenin (C21H24O6, PHI) is a component of lignan that has been extracted from Forsythiae Fructus and exhibits notable biological activity. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that PHI demonstrates significant activities in the treatment of various diseases, including inflammatory diseases, liver diseases, cancer, bacterial infection and virus infection. Therefore, this review comprehensively summarizes the pharmacological effects of PHI up to June 2023 by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, CNKI, and SciFinder databases. According to the data, PHI shows remarkable anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antitumour, antibacterial, antiviral, immunoregulatory, analgesic, antihypertensive and vasodilatory activities. More importantly, NF-κB, MAPK, PI3K/AKT, P2X7R/NLRP3, Nrf2-ARE, JAK/STAT, Ca2+-calcineurin-TFEB, TGF-β/Smads, Notch1 and AMPK/ERK/NF-κB signaling pathways are considered as important molecular targets for PHI to exert these pharmacological activities. Studies of its toxicity and pharmacokinetic properties have shown that PHI has very low toxicity, incomplete absorption in vivo and low oral bioavailability. In addition, the physico-chemical properties, new formulations, derivatives and existing challenges and prospects of PHI are also reviewed and discussed in this paper, aiming to provide direction and rationale for the further development and clinical application of PHI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Key Laboratory of Standardization for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Rui Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Key Laboratory of Standardization for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Shenglin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Key Laboratory of Standardization for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Lihong Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Key Laboratory of Standardization for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Ke Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Key Laboratory of Standardization for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Chenhao Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Key Laboratory of Standardization for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Cheng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Key Laboratory of Standardization for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China.
| | - Yunxia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Key Laboratory of Standardization for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China.
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Shen LH, Fan L, Zhang Y, Zhu YK, Zong XL, Peng GN, Cao SZ. Protective Effect and Mechanism of Placenta Extract on Liver. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14235071. [PMID: 36501102 PMCID: PMC9737791 DOI: 10.3390/nu14235071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The placenta contains multiple biologically active substances, which exert antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and delayed aging effects. Its extract can improve hepatic morphology and function: on the one hand, it can reduce liver interstitial collagen deposition, lipogenesis, and inflammatory cell infiltration and improve fibrosis; on the other hand, it can prevent hepatocellular degeneration by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibiting inflammatory cytokine production, further improve hepatocyte apoptosis and necrosis, and promote hepatocyte regeneration, making it a promising liver-protective agent. Current research on placenta extract (PE) mainly focuses on treating a specific type of liver injury, and there are no systematic reports. Therefore, this review comprehensively summarizes the treatment reports of PE on liver injury and analyzes its mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu-Hong Shen
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-181-0901-7590
| | - Lei Fan
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Ying-Kun Zhu
- School of Agriculture & Food Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Xiao-Lan Zong
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Guang-Neng Peng
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Sui-Zhong Cao
- The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, The Medical Research Center for Cow Disease, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
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