Simultaneous anti-diabetic and anti-vascular calcification activity of Nocardia sp. UTMC 751

Mining the soil myxobacteria and finding sources of anti-diabetic metabolites

Secondary metabolites produced by myxobacterial genera are often characterized as diverse molecules with unique structural properties which drove us to search for myxobacterial source of anti-diabetic drug discovery. In the present study, from 80 soil samples, out of sixty-five observed isolates, 30 and 16 were purified as Myxococcus and non-Myxococcus, respectively. Isolated strains taxonomically belonged to the genera Myxococcus, Corallococcus and Cystobacter, Archangium, Nanocystis, and Sorangium, and some could not be attributed. Secondary metabolites of selected non-Myxococcus isolates extracted by the liquid-liquid method showed that the myxobacterium UTMC 4530 demonstrated the highest inhibition on the formation of carbonyl group and fructosamine, respectively. In addition, it showed 23% and 15.8% inhibitory activity on α-glucosides and α-amylase compared to acarbose (23%, 18%), respectively. The extract of strain UTMC 4530 showed 35% induction effect on glucose adsorption while showing no radical scavenging activity and no toxic effect on HRBC lysis and HepG2 in cytotoxicity assays. The strain UTMC 4530 (ON808962), with the multiple antidiabetic activity, showed 87.3% similarity to Corallococcus llansteffanensis which indicates its affiliation to a new genus. The results of this study revealed that secondary metabolites produced by strain UTMC 4530 can be considered a promising source to find new therapeutic and pharmaceutical applications perhaps a multi-mechanism anti-diabetic compound.

Nanomaterials Versus The Microbial Compounds With Wound Healing Property

Age and diabetes related slow-healing or chronic wounds may result in morbidity and mortality through persistent biofilms infections and prolonged inflammatory phase. Nano-materials [metal/metal oxide NPs (39%), lipid vehicles (21%), polymer NPs (19%), ceramic nanoparticles (NPs) (14%), and carbon nanomaterials (NMs) (7%)] can be introduced as a possible next-generation therapy because of either their intrinsic wound healing activity or via carrying bioactive compounds including, antibiotics, antioxidants, growth factor or stem cell. The nanomaterials have been shown to implicate in all four stages of wound healing including hemostasis (polymer NPs, ceramic NPs, nanoceria-6.1%), inflammation (liposome/vesicles/solid lipid NPs/polymer NPs/ceramic NPs/silver NPs/gold NPs/nanoceria/fullerenes/carbon-based NPs-32.7%), proliferation (vesicles/liposome/solid lipid NPs/gold NPs/silver NPs/iron oxide NPs/ceramic NPs/copper NPs/self-assembling elastin-like NPs/nanoceria/micelle/dendrimers/polymer NPs-57.1%), remodeling (iron oxide NPs/nanoceria-4.1%). Natural compounds from alkaloids, flavonoids, retinoids, volatile oil, terpenes, carotenoids, or polyphenolic compounds with proven antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, or antimicrobial characteristics are also well known for their potential to accelerate the wound healing process. In the current paper, we survey the potential and properties of nanomaterials and microbial compounds in improving the process of wound and scar healing. Finally, we review the potential biocompounds for incorporation to nano-material in perspective to designate more effective or multivalent wound healing natural or nano-based drugs.

Celastrol attenuates arterial and valvular calcification via inhibiting BMP2/Smad1/5 signalling

Vascular calcification is an important risk factor for the mortality and morbidity in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Unfortunately, until now there is no certain medication targeting vascular calcification in CKD. In this study, we explored the inhibitory effect of celastrol on high calcium–induced vascular calcification and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Cell proliferation assay showed that celastrol inhibited aortic valve interstitial cell (VIC) and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation when its concentration was higher than 0.6 μmol/L. 0.8 μmol/L celastrol inhibited the expression of osteogenic genes and calcium deposition induced by high‐calcium medium in both AVICs and VSMCs. In mouse vascular calcification model induced by adenine combined with vitamin D, alizarin red and immunostaining showed that celastrol inhibited pro‐calcification gene expression and calcium deposition in aortic wall and aortic valve tissues. At the molecular level, celastrol inhibited the increase of BMP2, phosphorylated Smad1/5 (p‐Smad1/5) and non‐phosphorylated β‐catenin (n‐p‐β‐catenin) induced by high‐calcium medium both in vitro and in vivo. Also, BMP2 overexpression reversed the anti‐calcification effects of celastrol by recovering the decrease of p‐Smad1/5 and n‐p‐β‐catenin. Furthermore, celastrol prevented the up‐regulation of BMPRII and down‐regulation of Smad6 induced by high calcium, and this protectory effect can be abolished by BMP2 overexpression. In conclusion, our data for the first time demonstrate that celastrol attenuates high calcium–induced arterial and valvular calcification by inhibiting BMP2/Smad1/5 signalling, which may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for arterial and valvular calcification in patients with CKD.

Natural and non-natural antioxidative compounds: potential candidates for treatment of vascular calcification

Vascular calcification (VC) is highly prevalent in patients with advanced age, or those with chronic kidney disease and diabetes, accounting for substantial global cardiovascular burden. The pathophysiology of VC involves active mineral deposition by transdifferentiated vascular smooth muscle cells exhibiting osteoblast-like behavior, building upon cores with or without apoptotic bodies. Oxidative stress drives the progression of the cellular phenotypic switch and calcium deposition in the vascular wall. In this review, we discuss potential compounds that shield these cells from the detrimental influences of reactive oxygen species as promising treatment options for VC. A comprehensive summary of the current literature regarding antioxidants for VC is important, as no effective therapy is currently available for this disease. We systematically searched through the existing literature to identify original articles investigating traditional antioxidants and novel compounds with antioxidant properties with regard to their effectiveness against VC in experimental or clinical settings. We uncovered 36 compounds with antioxidant properties against VC pathology, involving mechanisms such as suppression of NADPH oxidase, BMP-2, and Wnt/β-catenin; anti-inflammation; and activation of Nrf2 pathways. Only two compounds have been tested clinically. These findings suggest that a considerable opportunity exists to harness these antioxidants for therapeutic use for VC. In order to achieve this goal, more translational studies are needed.