Geniposide promotes the proliferation and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 and ATDC5 cells by regulation of microRNA-214

A review of "plant gold" Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.: A medicinal and food homologous plant with economic value and prospect

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. is an ancient and precious plant that has been used as medicine in China for more than 2000 years. Because its bark, leaves, seeds, and male flowers can be used in medicine, it plays an important role in medicine, food, chemical industry, and other fields, so it is also called "plant gold". 246 compounds have been isolated from E. ulmoides, which endow E. ulmoides with many unique pharmacological effects and make it wide to study in the fields of osteoporosis, hypertension, liver protection, and so on. Besides, E. ulmoides also has significant medicinal effects on anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulation, and neuroprotection, and is often used in clinical compound medicines of traditional Chinese medicine. In addition to updating its ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology information, the economic botany of leaves, seeds, and male flowers was also introduced. It hopes hoping to fully understand this economically important Chinese medicine and provide a scientific basis for further development and utilization of E. ulmoides.

Investigation on the potential adverse outcome pathway of the sensitive endpoint for nephrotoxicity induced by gardenia yellow based on an integrated strategy using bioinformatics analysis and in vitro testing validation

To explore the potential the adverse outcome pathway of Gardenia Yellow (GY)-induced sensitive endpoint for nephrotoxicity, an integrated strategy was applied in the present study. Using bioinformatic analysis, based on the constructed Protein-protein interaction networks, Gene Ontology function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis on the core target network were performed to illustrate the potential gene targets and signal pathways. Then, the most enriched pathway was validated with Cell counting kit-8 assays and Western blot analysis in embryonic kidney epithelial 293 cell models. According to the findings, GY may interact with 321 targets related to the endpoint. The five targets on the top ranking in the PPI network were STAT3, SRC, HRAS, AKT1, EP300. Among them, PI3K/Akt was the most enriched pathway. In vitro testing showed that GY exerted a proliferative effect on the cell variability in a dose-dependent manner. GY at concentration of 1000 μg/ml and stimulation for 30 min can significantly enhance the expression of phosphorylated Akt. Thus, after the quantitative weight of evidence evaluation, Akt phosphorylation induced PI3K/Akt activation was speculated as a molecular initiating event leading to a proliferative and inflammatory response in renal tubular epithelial cells.

Metformin activates Wnt/β-catenin for the treatment of diabetic osteoporosis

BACKGROUND

With the deepening of social aging, the incidence rate of osteoporosis and diabetes continues to rise. More and more clinical studies show that diabetes is highly correlated with osteoporosis. Diabetes osteoporosis is considered as a metabolic bone disease of diabetes patients. This study aims to explore the role and mechanism of metformin (Met) in diabetic osteoporosis.

METHODS

Mouse MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with Met (0.5 mM) and exposed to high glucose (HG, 35 mM). The cells were cultured in an osteogenic medium for osteogenic differentiation, and the cell proliferation ability was determined using Cell Counting Kit-8; Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity detection and alizarin red staining were utilized to evaluate the effect of Met on MC3T3-E1 osteogenic differentiation. Western blot was used to detect the expressions of osteogenesis-related proteins (Runx2 and OCN) as well as Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related proteins in MC3T3-E1 cells.

RESULTS

HG inhibited proliferation and calcification of MC3T3-E1 cells, down-regulated ALP activity, and the expression of Runx2 and OCN in MC3T3-E1 cells. Meanwhile, the activity of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was inhibited. Met treatment was found to significantly stimulate the proliferation and calcification of MC3T3-E1 cells under HG conditions, as well as increase the ALP activity and the protein expression level of Runx2 and OCN in the cells. As a result, osteogenic differentiation was promoted and osteoporosis was alleviated. Apart from this, Met also increased the protein expression level of Wnt1, β-catenin, and C-myc to activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

Met can stimulate the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells under HG conditions. Met may also treat diabetic osteoporosis through Wnt/β-catenin activation.

Geniposide ameliorated dexamethasone-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial apoptosis in osteoblasts

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver has been traditionally used for treatment of various diseases, including osteoporosis, knee pain, and paralysis. The extract of Eucommia ulmoides has been reported to stimulate the bone formation and suppress the bone resorption, leading to protection against osteoporosis (OP). Geniposide (GEN) has been considered as one of the effective compounds responsible for the therapeutic efficacy of Eucommia ulmoides against OP.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To explore whether GEN protected against dexamethasone (DEX)-induced osteoporosis (OP) by activating NRF2 expression and inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The DEX-induced rat OP models were duplicated. The pathological changes were examined by histological/immunohistochemical evaluation and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) assessment. Apoptosis was detected by a flow cytometer. Mitochondrial Ca²⁺ concentrations and mitochondrial membrane potential were detected. Western blot assays were used to detect the protein expression.

RESULTS

GEN effectively reversed DEX-induced pathological changes of trabecular bone in rats. In addition, the DEX-increased expression of ATF4/CHOP was also ameliorated. In MC3T3-E1 cells, DEX promoted endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and mitochondrial apoptosis. Inhibition of ER stress abolished the induction of apoptosis by DEX. Similarly, GEN significantly ameliorated DEX-induced mitochondrial apoptosis. The possible underlying mechanism might be associated with the pharmacological effects of GEN on activating the expression of NRF2 and alleviating ER stress in DEX-treated MC3T3-E1 cells.

CONCLUSION

GEN ameliorated DEX-induced ER stress and mitochondrial apoptosis in osteoblasts.

Updated Pharmacological Effects, Molecular Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Potential of Natural Product Geniposide

At present, the potential of natural products in new drug development has attracted more and more scientists’ attention, and natural products have become an important source for the treatment of various diseases or important lead compounds. Geniposide, as a novel iridoid glycoside compound, is an active natural product isolated from the herb Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (GJ) for the first time; it is also the main active component of GJ. Recent studies have found that geniposide has multiple pharmacological effects and biological activities, including hepatoprotective activity, an anti-osteoporosis effect, an antitumor effect, an anti-diabetic effect, ananti-myocardial dysfunction effect, a neuroprotective effect, and other protective effects. In this study, the latest research progress of the natural product geniposide is systematically described, and the pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity of geniposide are also summarized and discussed comprehensively. We also emphasize the major pathways modulated by geniposide, offering new insights into the pharmacological effects of geniposide as a promising drug candidate for multiple disorders.

Network pharmacology of iridoid glycosides from Eucommia ulmoides Oliver against osteoporosis

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines for the treatment of osteoporosis, and iridoid glycosides are considered to be its active ingredients against osteoporosis. This study aims to clarify the chemical components and molecular mechanism of iridoid glycosides of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver in the treatment of osteoporosis by integrating network pharmacology and molecular simulations. The active iridoid glycosides and their potential targets were retrieved from text mining as well as Swiss Target Prediction, TargetNet database, and STITCH databases. At the same time, DisGeNET, GeneCards, and Therapeutic Target Database were used to search for the targets associated with osteoporosis. A protein–protein interaction network was built to analyze the interactions between targets. Then, DAVID bioinformatics resources and R 3.6.3 project were used to carry out Gene Ontology enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis. Moreover, interactions between active compounds and potential targets were investigated through molecular docking, molecular dynamic simulation, and binding free energy analysis. The results showed that a total of 12 iridoid glycosides were identified as the active iridoid glycosides of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver in the treatment of osteoporosis. Among them, aucubin, reptoside, geniposide and ajugoside were the core compounds. The enrichment analysis suggested iridoid glycosides of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver prevented osteoporosis mainly through PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway and Estrogen signaling pathway. Molecular docking results indicated that the 12 iridoid glycosides had good binding ability with 25 hub target proteins, which played a critical role in the treatment of osteoporosis. Molecular dynamic and molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area results revealed these compounds showed stable binding to the active sites of the target proteins during the simulations. In conclusion, our research demonstrated that iridoid glycosides of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver in the treatment of osteoporosis involved a multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway mechanism, which provided new suggestions and theoretical support for treating osteoporosis.

Geniposide Ameliorated Dexamethasone-Induced Cholesterol Accumulation in Osteoblasts by Mediating the GLP-1R/ABCA1 Axis

Background: Overexposure to glucocorticoid (GC) produces various clinical complications, including osteoporosis (OP), dyslipidemia, and hypercholesterolemia. Geniposide (GEN) is a natural iridoid compound isolated from Eucommia ulmoides. Our previous study found that GEN could alleviate dexamethasone (DEX)-induced differentiation inhibition of MC3T3-E1 cells. However, whether GEN protected against Dex-induced cholesterol accumulation in osteoblasts was still unclear. Methods: DEX was used to induce rat OP. Micro-CT data was obtained. The ALP activity and mineralization were determined by the staining assays, and the total intracellular cholesterol was determined by the ELISA kits. The protein expression was detected by western blot. Results: GEN ameliorated Dex-induced micro-structure damages and cell differentiation inhibition in the bone trabecula in rats. In MC3T3-E1 cells, Dex enhanced the total intracellular cholesterol, which reduced the activity of cell proliferation and differentiation. Effectively, GEN decreased DEX-induced cholesterol accumulation, enhanced cell differentiation, and upregulated the expression of the GLP-1R/ABCA1 axis. In addition, inhibition of ABAC1 expression reversed the actions of GEN. Treatment with Exendin9-39, a GLP-1R inhibitor, could abrogate the protective activity of GEN. Conclusions: GEN ameliorated Dex-induced accumulation of cholesterol and inhibition of cell differentiation by mediating the GLP-1R/ABCA1 axis in MC3T3-E1 cells.

Geniposide inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells by inactivating the HCP5/miR-27b-3p/MET axis

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is commonly treated with R-CHOP, but ~30 to 50% of the patients are poorly responsive to this strategy. Geniposide, an extract from the Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, plays antitumor roles in human gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and oral squamous carcinoma. However, the effects of geniposide treatment on DLBCL cells, as well as its underlying mechanism, are still unknown. Here, we found that geniposide inhibited the proliferation of OCI-LY7 and OCI-LY3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, geniposide increased the percentage of apoptotic cells and upregulated the levels of cleaved PARP and cleaved caspase-3 in DLBCL cells. Interestingly, geniposide treatment significantly reduced the expression of the long noncoding RNA HLA complex P5 (lncRNA HCP5) in DLBCL cells. HCP5 expression was revealed to be upregulated in DLBCL tissues and cell lines. Moreover, HCP5 knockdown resulted in proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in OCI-LY7 and OCI-LY3 cells. miR-27b-3p was predicted as a potential target of HCP5 using the lnCAR web tool. Both HCP5 silencing and geniposide treatment increased the level of miR-27b-3p in DLBCL cells. Accordingly, a luciferase reporter assay identified miR-27b-3p as a direct target of HCP5. The expression of miR-27b-3p was upregulated and inversely correlated with the HCP5 level in DLBCL tissues. HCP5 knockdown reduced MET protein expression, which was subsequently rescued by miR-27b-3p silencing in DLBCL cells. Importantly, the restoration of MET partially reversed the geniposide-induced proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of DLBCL cells. In conclusion, geniposide inhibits the proliferation and induces the apoptosis of DLBCL cells at least partially by regulating the HCP5/miR-27b-3p/MET axis, indicating a potential strategy for DLBCL treatment.