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Li J, Huang Q, Ma W, Yi J, Zhong X, Hu R, Sun J, Ma M, Lv M, Han Z, Zhang W, Feng W, Sun X, Zhou X. Hepatoprotective efficacy and interventional mechanism of JianPi LiShi YangGan formula in acute-on-chronic liver failure. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 318:116880. [PMID: 37422102 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116880] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) progresses rapidly with a high short-term death rate. Although JianPi LiShi YangGan formula (YGF) has been used to treat ACLF by managing inflammatory responses and reducing endotoxemia, hepatocyte injury, and mortality, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY This study aims to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the efficacy and protective benefits of YGF in mice with ACLF. MATERIALS AND METHODS YGF composition was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. We constructed a mouse model of ACLF using carbon tetrachloride, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and D-galactosamine (D-Gal), as well as an in vitro model of D-Gal/LPS-induced hepatocyte injury. The therapeutic effects of YGF in ACLF mice were verified using hematoxylin-eosin, Sirius red, and Masson staining, and by measuring serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and inflammatory cytokine levels. Mitochondrial damage in hepatocytes was evaluated using electron microscopy, while superoxide anion levels in liver tissue were investigated using dihydroethidium. Transcriptome analysis, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and immunofluorescence assays were performed to explore the mechanisms underlying the ameliorative effects of YGF against ACLF. RESULTS In mice with ACLF, YGF therapy partially decreased serum inflammatory cytokine levels, as well as hepatocyte injury and liver fibrosis. The livers of ACLF mice treated with YGF exhibited decreased mitochondrial damage and reactive oxygen species generation, as well as a decreased number of M1 macrophages and increased number of M2 macrophages. Transcriptome analysis revealed that YGF may regulate biological processes such as autophagy, mitophagy, and PI3K/AKT signaling. In ACLF mice, YGF promoted mitophagy and inhibited PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activation in hepatocytes. Meanwhile, the autophagy inhibitor 3M-A reduced the capacity of YGF to induce autophagy and protect against hepatocyte injury in vitro. In contrast, the PI3K agonist 740 Y-P suppressed the ability of YGF to control PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activation and induce autophagy. CONCLUSIONS Together, our findings suggest that YGF mediates autophagy, tight junctions, cytokine generation, and other biological processes. In addition, YGF inhibits hepatic inflammatory responses and ameliorates hepatocyte injury in mice with ACLF. Mechanistically, YGF can promote mitophagy to ameliorate acute-on-chronic liver failure by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Macau University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Taipa, Macau; Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Qi Huang
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Wenfeng Ma
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - JinYu Yi
- Macau University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Taipa, Macau; Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Xin Zhong
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Rui Hu
- Macau University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Taipa, Macau; Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Jialing Sun
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - MengQing Ma
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Minling Lv
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Zhiyi Han
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Wenxing Feng
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Xinfeng Sun
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China
| | - Xiaozhou Zhou
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China; The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen, 518033, China.
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Domínguez-Avila JA. Dietary Phenolic Compounds Exert Some of Their Health-Promoting Bioactivities by Targeting Liver X Receptor (LXR) and Retinoid X Receptor (RXR). Foods 2023; 12:4205. [PMID: 38231664 DOI: 10.3390/foods12234205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Consuming foods of vegetable origin has been shown to exert multiple health-related effects, many of them attributed to their phenolic compounds. These molecules are known for being bioactive across multiple cells and organs, with documented changes in gene expression being commonly reported. Nuclear receptors are signal transducers capable of regulating gene expression in response to endogenous and/or exogenous ligands. Liver X receptor (LXR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) are two important nuclear receptors that can be acted on by phenolic compounds, thereby modifying gene expression and potentially exerting numerous subsequent bioactivities. The present work summarizes recent evidence of the effects of the phenolic compounds that are exerted by targeting LXR and/or RXR. The data show that, when LXR is being targeted, changes in lipid metabolism are commonly observed, due to its ability to regulate genes relevant to this process. The effects vary widely when RXR is the target since it is involved in processes like cell proliferation, vitamin D metabolism, and multiple others by forming heterodimers with other transcription factors that regulate said processes. The evidence therefore shows that phenolic compounds can exert multiple bioactivities, with a mechanism of action based, at least in part, on their ability to modulate the cell at the molecular level by acting on nuclear receptors. The data point to a promising and novel area of study that links diet and health, although various unknowns justify further experimentation to reveal the precise way in which a given phenolic can interact with a nuclear receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Abraham Domínguez-Avila
- CONAHCYT-Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo A. C., Carretera Gustavo Enrique Astiazaran Rosas No. 46, La Victoria, Hermosillo 83304, SO, Mexico
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