Exercise and pyridostigmine prevents gastric emptying delay and increase blood pressure and cisplatin-induced baroreflex sensitivity in rats

Moderate physical exercise and ATP modulate the P2X7 receptor and improve cisplatin-induced gastric emptying delay in rats

Patients undergoing chemotherapy with cisplatin commonly present gastrointestinal effects such as constipation and gastric emptying (GE) delay. Both the purinergic system and physical exercise modulate the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In the current study, we investigated the role of ATP, physical exercise, and P2X7 receptor blocking on GE delay induced by cisplatin in rats. Male rats were divided into the following groups: control (C), cisplatin (Cis), exercise (Ex), Brilliant Blue G (BBG), ATP, Cis+Ex, Cis+ATP, Cis+BBG, Cis+Ex+BBG, Cis+Ex+BBG+ATP, and Cis+ATP+BBG. GE delay was induced by treatment with 1 mg/kg cisplatin (1 time/week for 5 weeks, ip). The moderate physical exercise was swimming (1 h/day, 5 days/week for 5 weeks). At the end of the treatment or exercise and 30 min before the GE assessment, some groups received BBG (50 mg/kg, sc) or ATP (2 mg/kg, sc). Then, GE was assessed after a 10-min postprandial period. Chronic use of Cis decreased GE delay (P<0.05) compared to the control group. Both exercise and ATP prevented (P<0.05) GE delay compared to Cis. The pretreatment with BBG significantly inhibited (P<0.05) the effect of exercise and ATP. On the other hand, the association between exercise and ATP reversed (P<0.05) the effect of the BBG and prevented GE delay. Therefore, we suggest that both exercise and treatment with ATP activate P2X7 receptors and prevent GE delay induced by cisplatin in rats.

Physical exercise alleviates oxidative stress in brown adipose tissue and causes changes in body composition and nutritional behavior in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome

AIM

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a very common endocrine disorder in women. We investigate the effect of physical exercise on body composition, nutritional parameters, and oxidative stress in rats with PCOS.

METHODS

Female rats were into three groups: Control, PCOS, and PCOS + Exercise. PCOS was induced by letrozole (1 mg/kg via p.o.) for 21 days consecutively. Physical exercise was swimming, for 21 consecutive days, 1 h/day with 5 % load. In all groups, we assessed the nutritional and murinometric parameters, body composition, thermography, and oxidative stress in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and peri-ovarian adipose tissue (POAT).

KEY FINDINGS

In PCOS we observed an increase (P < 0.05) in body weight vs. the Control group. But, the PCOS + Exercise group prevent this weight gain (P < 0.05). The temperature in BAT, decrease (P < 0.05) in the PCOS group vs. Control group. PCOS + Exercise prevented this reduction (P < 0.05) in BAT temperature vs. PCOS groups. We observed decreases (P < 0.05) in Lee Index and BMI in POS + Exercise vs. PCOS group. In PCOS rats, we observed an increase (P < 0.05) in murinometric (SRWG, EI, and FE) and body composition parameters (TWB, ECF, ICF, and FFM) vs. the Control group. The PCOS + Exercise prevents (P < 0.05) these changes in all groups, compared with PCOS. Regarding the BAT, we observe an increase (P < 0.05) in MPO and MDA levels in the PCOS vs. Control group. PCOS + Exercise prevents (P < 0.05) these increases vs. the PCOS group.

SIGNIFICANCE

PCOS modifies body composition, and nutritional parameters, and induces changes in oxidative stress in BAT. Physical exercise prevented these alterations.

Liujunzi Decoction ameliorated cisplatin-induced anorexia by inhibiting the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and coordinating anorexigenic and orexigenic neuropeptides in rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

As a traditional Chinese formula, Liujunzi Decoction (LJZD) originated from the Yi Xue Zheng Zhuan, and has a promising effect in treating chemotherapy-induced anorexia (CIA).

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study aims to investigate whether LJZD acts on interleukin-6 (IL-6)/leptin mediated janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway that regulates hypothalamus anorexigenic and orexigenic peptides to ameliorate CIA, and also elucidates the potential mechanism by metabolomic analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Network pharmacology analyses were conducted to screen out potential targets and pathways. The CIA rat model was established via an intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin. The histological changes of gastric antrum, liver and ileum were observed by HE staining. The serum levels of leptin, ghrelin, IL-6 and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) were measured by ELISA. The JAK1/2 and STAT levels in gastric antrum and hypothalamus were detected by Western blot. The transcriptions of gastric antrum and hypothalamus IL-6R mRNA, and hypothalamus cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), upregulated orexigenic peptides neuropeptide Y (NPY), and agouti-related protein (AGRP) mRNA were assessed by RT-qPCR. The blood samples of control, model and high dose LJZD groups were analyzed by metabolomic.

RESULTS

Network pharmacology highlighted the IL-6/leptin mediated JAK-STAT signaling pathway, which regulated downstream anorexigenic and orexigenic peptides in hypothalamus. LJZD ameliorated CIA via stimulating food intake and water consumption in rats. Cisplatin-induced gastric antrum, liver, ileum injuries were ameliorated, serum leptin level reduction was elevated, and ghrelin, IL-6, GDF15 level increases were decreased after LJZD treatments. In gastric antrum and hypothalamus, LJZD inhibited cisplatin-induced activation of JAK-STAT signaling pathway, downregulated the transcriptions of downstream anorexigenic peptides CART, POMC, TRH, and upregulated orexigenic peptides NPY, AGRP in hypothalamus. Importantly, the effect of LJZD in treating CIA might partly relate to the improvements of 23 abnormal metabolites.

CONCLUSION

This study implies that inhibiting JAK-STAT signaling pathway, regulating the expressions of anorexigenic and orexigenic peptides, and mediating various metabolic pathways might be potential mechanisms of LJZD's effect against CIA.

The Cholinergic Drug Pyridostigmine Alleviates Inflammation During LPS-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a critical illness complication that is associated with high mortality. ARDS is documented in severe cases of COVID-19. No effective pharmacological treatments for ARDS are currently available. Dysfunctional immune responses and pulmonary and systemic inflammation are characteristic features of ARDS pathogenesis. Recent advances in our understanding of the regulation of inflammation point to an important role of the vagus-nerve-mediated inflammatory reflex and neural cholinergic signaling. We examined whether pharmacological cholinergic activation using a clinically approved (for myasthenia gravis) cholinergic drug, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor pyridostigmine alters pulmonary and systemic inflammation in mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ARDS. Male C57Bl/6 mice received one intratracheal instillation of LPS or were sham manipulated (control). Both groups were treated with either vehicle or pyridostigmine (1.5 mg/kg twice daily, 3 mg/day) administered by oral gavage starting at 1 h post-LPS and euthanized 24 h after LPS administration. Other groups were either sham manipulated or received LPS for 3 days and were treated with vehicle or pyridostigmine and euthanized at 72 h. Pyridostigmine treatment reduced the increased total number of cells and neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in mice with ARDS at 24 and 72 h. Pyridostigmine also reduced the number of macrophages and lymphocytes at 72 h. In addition, pyridostigmine suppressed the levels of TNF, IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ in BALF and plasma at 24 and 72 h. However, this cholinergic agent did not significantly altered BALF and plasma levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Neither LPS nor pyridostigmine affected BALF IFN-γ and IL-10 levels at 24 h post-LPS. In conclusion, treatments with the cholinergic agent pyridostigmine ameliorate pulmonary and systemic inflammatory responses in mice with endotoxin-induced ARDS. Considering that pyridostigmine is a clinically approved drug, these findings are of substantial interest for implementing pyridostigmine in therapeutic strategies for ARDS.