Regulatory effect of traditional Chinese medicine on gut microbiota in patients with atherosclerosis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Shenfu injection improves isoproterenol-induced heart failure in rats by modulating co-metabolism and regulating the trimethylamine-N-oxide - inflammation axis

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic condition that progressively worsens and continues to be a major financial burden and public health concern. The "gut-heart" axis provides an innovative perspective and therapeutic strategy for preventing and treating heart failure. Shenfu injection (SFI) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine-based treatment demonstrating potential as a therapeutic strategy for heart failure. However, the precise therapeutic mechanisms of SFI in heart failure are not completely characterized. In this study, HF models were established utilizing subcutaneous multipoint injection of isoproterenol (ISO) at a dosage of 5 mg kg-1·d-1 for 7 days. Serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers were quantified using protein microarrays. Rat feces were analyzed using untargeted metabolomics research and 16S rRNA sequencing. The link between gut microbiota and metabolites was examined using a MetOrigin and Spearman correlation analysis. Our results show that Shenfu injection effectively enhances cardiac function in rats with ISO-induced heart failure by potentially modulating pro-/anti-inflammatory imbalance and reducing serum and urine Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) levels. Moreover, SFI significantly increases the abundance of Bacteroidota at the phylum level, thereby improving disrupted gut microbiota composition. Additionally, SFI supplementation enriches specific genera known for their capacity to produce short-chain fatty acids. SFI was found to be associated with three key metabolic pathways, as revealed by fecal metabonomics analysis, including the pentose phosphate pathway, pyrimidine metabolism, and purine metabolism. Metabolite tracing analysis revealed that Taurine and hypotaurine metabolism was found to be specific to the microbial community. The biosynthesis of Pyrimidine metabolism, Purine metabolism, beta-alanine metabolism, Naphthalene degradation, Pantothenate, and CoA biosynthesis were identified as co-metabolic pathways between microbes and host. The Spearman correlation analysis was also significantly correlated to differentially expressed metabolites regulated by SFI and the gut microbiota. These results suggest that SFI improves ISO-induced heart failure by modulating co-metabolism and regulating the TMAO-inflammation axis.

Natural essential oils: A promising strategy for treating cardio-cerebrovascular diseases

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Essential oils (EO) are volatile compounds obtained from different parts of natural plants, and have been used in national, traditional and folk medicine to treat various health problems all over the world. Records indicate that in history, herbal medicines rich in EO have been widely used for the treatment of CVDs in many countries, such as China.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review focused on the traditional application and modern pharmacological mechanisms of herbal medicine EO against CVDs in preclinical and clinical trials through multi-targets synergy. Besides, the EO and anti-CVDs drugs were compared, and the broad application of EO was explained from the properties of drugs and aromatic administration routes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Information about EO and CVDs was collected from electronic databases such as Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The obtained data sets were sequentially arranged for better understanding of EO' potential.

RESULTS

The study showed that EO had significant application in CVDs at different countries or regions since ancient times. Aiming at the complex pathological mechanisms of CVDs, including intracellular calcium overload, oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular endothelial cell injury and dysfunction and dyslipidemia, we summarized the roles of EO on CVDs in preclinical and clinical through multi-targets intervention. Besides, EO had the dual properties of drug and excipients. And aromatherapy was one of the complementary therapies to improve CVDs.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper reviewed the EO on traditional treatment, preclinical mechanism and clinical application of CVDs. As important sources of traditional medicines, EO' remarkable efficacy had been confirmed in comprehensive literature reports, which showed that EO had great medicinal potential.

Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy Combined with Molecular Docking and in vitro Validation Study to Explore the Underlying Mechanism of Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan in Treating Atherosclerosis

Background

Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan (HLXLD), a famous Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classical formula, possesses anti-atherosclerosis (AS) activity. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain obscure.

Aim

The network pharmacology approach, molecular docking strategy, and in vitro validation experiment were performed to explore the potential active compounds, key targets, main signaling pathways, and underlying molecular mechanisms of HLXLD in treating AS.

Methods

Several public databases were used to search for active components and targets of HLXLD, as well as AS-related targets. Crucial bioactive ingredients, potential targets, and signaling pathways were acquired through bioinformatics analysis. Subsequently, the molecular docking strategy and molecular dynamics simulation were carried out to predict the affinity and stability of active compounds and key targets. In vitro cell experiment was performed to verify the findings from bioinformatics analysis.

Results

A total of 108 candidate compounds and 321 predicted target genes were screened. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that quercetin, dihydrotanshinone I, pelargonidin, luteolin, guggulsterone, and β-sitosterol may be the main ingredients. STAT3, HSP90AA1, TP53, and AKT1 could be the key targets. MAPK signaling pathway might play an important role in HLXLD against AS. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation results suggested that the active compounds bound well and stably to their targets. Cell experiments showed that the intracellular accumulation of lipid and increased secretory of TNF-α, IL-1β, and MCP-1 in ox-LDL treated RAW264.7 cells, which can be significantly suppressed by pretreating with dihydrotanshinone I. The up-regulation of STAT3, ERK, JNK, and p38 phosphorylation induced by ox-LDL can be inhibited by pretreating with dihydrotanshinone I.

Conclusion

Our findings comprehensively demonstrated the active compounds, key targets, main signaling pathways, and underlying molecular mechanisms of HLXLD in treating AS. These findings would provide a scientific basis for the study of the complex mechanisms underlying disease and drug action.