Antioxidant and Pulmonary Protective Potential of Fraxinus xanthoxyloides Bark Extract against CCl4 -Induced Toxicity in Rats

Fraxinus xanthoxyloides is a perennial shrub belonging to family Oleaceae, traditionally used for malaria, jaundice, pneumonia, inflammation, and rheumatism. Our study is aimed to assess the total phenolics (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), terpenoids contents (TTC) and antioxidant profiling of F. xanthoxyloides methanol bark extract (FXBM) and its fractions, hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and aqueous, along with high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD). Further, the antioxidant and pulmonary protective potential was explored against carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄ )-induced CCl4-induced pulmonary tissue damage in rats. The highest TPC, TFC and TTC were found in FXBM (133.29±4.19 mg/g), ethyl acetate fraction (279.55±10.35 mg/g), and chloroform fraction (0.79±0.06 mg/g), respectively. The most potent antioxidant capacity was depicted by FXBM (29.21±2.40 μg/mg) and ethyl acetate fraction (91.16±5.51 μg/mg). The HPLC-DAD analysis revealed the predominance of gallic, chlorogenic, vanillic and ferulic acid in FXBM. The administration of CCl₄ induced oxidative stress, suppressed antioxidant enzymes' activities including catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathione reductase. Further, it increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and H₂ O₂ levels, induced DNA injuries and reduced the total protein and glutathione content in lung tissues. The treatment of rats with FXBM restored these biochemical parameters to the normal level. Moreover, the histopathological studies of lung tissues demonstrated that FXBM protected rats' lung tissues from oxidative damage restoring normal lung functions. Thus, F. xanthoxyloides bark extract is recommended as adjuvant therapy as protective agent for patients with lung disorders.

Zinc Deficiency Promotes Testicular Cell Apoptosis in Mice

Zinc (Zn) plays an important role in spermatogenesis, and carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) induces testicular oxidative damage and cell death. The objective of the present study was to define the effects of Zn deficiency in combination with CCl₄ treatment on testicular apoptosis and the associated mechanisms. Mice were fed the following diets with three different Zn levels for 6 weeks: normal zinc (ZN) diet (30 mg Zn/kg), zinc-deficient (ZD) diet (2 mg Zn/kg), and adequate zinc (ZA) diet (100 mg Zn/kg). Beginning in the third week, CCl₄ was intraperitoneally injected into half of the mice in each diet group six times over 3 weeks. We found that Zn was distributed in various tissues and organs in normal mice and that the zinc content in the testis of normal mice was high. The Zn-deficient diet reduced the zinc concentration in the testis tissue, and the testicular/body weight ratio significantly decreased. Moreover, the TUNEL results proved that CCl₄ stimulation of mice fed with a zinc-deficient diet caused marked apoptosis of testicular cells. Furthermore, the ROS levels in the testes obviously increased after Zn-deficient mice were stimulated with CCl₄, whereas reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) showed reduced activities. In addition, proteins associated with the apoptosis signaling pathway were detected with ELISA kits. P-p53, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved PRAP, p-Bad, p-JNK, p-ERK, and p-NF-κB p65 increased by varying degrees under zinc deficiency or CCl₄ stimulation. All the data indicated that Zn deficiency significantly enhanced the harm to the testis induced by oxidative stress and damage, while CCl₄ stimulation exacerbated the oxidative damage in testicular cells, leading to apoptosis through the activation of p53, MAPK, and NF-κB.

Long non-coding RNA LINC00485 acts as a microRNA-195 sponge to regulate the chemotherapy sensitivity of lung adenocarcinoma cells to cisplatin by regulating CHEK1

Background

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a family of non-protein-coding RNAs, which have the ability to influence the chemo-resistance of lung adenocarcinoma (LAC). In this study, we explored the mechanism by which LINC00485 competitively binds to microRNA-195 (miR-195) in the regulation of the chemotherapy sensitivity in LAC by regulating checkpoint kinase 1 (CHEK1).

Methods

Microarray analysis was used to screen out LAC related genes, and interaction between CHEK1 and miR-195, as well as that between miR-195 and LINC00485, was further confirmed by RNA-pull down and RIP. LINC00485 expression in LAC cells (A549 and H1299) was determined. The cells were then introduced with miR-195, anta-miR-195, LINC00485 or si-LINC00485 to identify the role of miR-195 and LINC00485 in LAC through evaluating the expression of CHEK1, CHEK1, Bax, Bcl-2, VEGF and HIF-1α in LAC cells by either RT-qPCR or Western blot analysis. After being treated with different concentration of cisplatin, cell proliferation, colony formation and apoptosis were assessed.

Results

LINC00485 acted as a competitive endogenous RNA against miR-195, and miR-195 directly targeted CHEK1. The expression of LINC00485 was higher in LAC cells. The down-regulation of LINC00485 or the up-regulation of miR-195 decreased the expression of CHEK1, Bcl-2, VEGF and HIF-1α, while also increasing the expression of Bax. Moreover, the over-expression of miR-195, or the silencing of LINC00485 enhanced the sensitivity of LAC cells to cisplatin, thereby promoting the apoptosis of LAC cells while suppressing the proliferation.

Conclusion

LINC00485 competitively binds to miR-195 to elevate CHEK1 expression in LAC cells, suggesting that LINC00485 is a novel direction for therapeutic strategies of LAC.