Beneficial Effect of 7-O-Galloyl-D-sedoheptulose, a Polyphenol Isolated from Corni Fructus, against Diabetes-Induced Alterations in Kidney and Adipose Tissue of Type 2 Diabetic db/db Mice

Effects of Bushen-Jiangya granules on blood pressure and pharmacogenomic evaluation in low-to-medium-risk hypertensive patients: study protocol for a randomized double-blind controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and its control rates remain low worldwide. The most effective strategy is that patients with hypertension should be diagnosed and treated early. Preliminary studies showed that the Bushen Jiangya granule (BSJY) could suppress ventricular hypertrophy and inflammatory responses, lower blood pressure, and protect the target organs of hypertension. We designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of BSJY in patients with low-to-medium risk hypertension.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This trial is a one-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. A total of 260 participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to an experimental group (BSJY plus amlodipine) and a control group (placebo plus amlodipine). The trial cycle will last 8 weeks. The primary outcome is the change in 24-h average systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The secondary outcomes include heart rate variability, pharmacogenomic evaluation, improvement in TCM syndrome, and serum pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines between the two groups. The safety of medication will also be evaluated. All the data will be recorded in electronic case report forms and analyzed by SPSS V.22.0.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, China (No. 2019-186-KY-01). The participants are volunteers, understand the process of this trial, and sign an informed consent. The results of this study will be disseminated to the public through peer-reviewed journals and academic conferences.

DISCUSSION

We hypothesize that patients with low-to-medium-risk hypertension will benefit from BSJY. If successful, this study will provide evidence-based recommendations for clinicians.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiMCTR1900002876. Registered in November 2019.

Cornuside Alleviates Diabetes Mellitus-Induced Testicular Damage by Modulating the Gut Microbiota

BACKGROUND

Male reproductive damage, as a common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), is getting more attention lately. We aimed to explore the protective effects and mechanism of cornuside (Cor) modulating gut microbiota to alleviate diabetes mellitus- (DM-) induced testicular damage.

METHODS

KK-Ay mice with reproductive damage were randomly divided into the model and Cor treatment groups, and the C57BL/6J mice were used as the normal group. These mice were orally administered Cor for 8 weeks.

RESULTS

Cor administration ameliorated the diabetes-related symptoms of polydipsia and polyphagia and lowered the fasting blood glucose (FBG) level. The results of pathological injury showed that Cor improved testicular lesions (the rupture of seminiferous tubules, degeneration of germ cells, and structural shrinkage and separation from each other) in DM model mice. Cor significantly increased the testis/body weight ratio, testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in KK-Ay mice. Cor also protected from reproductive damage by inhibiting apoptosis in the testes of KK-Ay mice. Moreover, Cor significantly increased the sperm count and sperm motility. Additionally, 16S rDNA sequencing analysis showed that Cor could notably reverse the changes in the distribution of gut microbiota and decrease the abundance of Weissella confusa (Weissella), Clostridium sp. ND2 (Clostridium sensu stricto 1), uncultured bacterium (Roseburia), Anaerotruncus colihominis DSM 17241 (Anaerotruncus), [Clostridium] leptum (Anaerotruncus), unidentified (Ruminococcus 1), and uncultured bacterium (Bilophila), which may be a potential biomarker for diagnosing the testicular injury caused by DM. Meanwhile, the heat map of phylum level suggested that the testicular injury caused by DM is closely related to gut microbiota.

CONCLUSIONS

Cor could alleviate DM-induced testicular damage, probably by modulating the gut microbiota.

Traditional Chinese medicine protects against hypertensive kidney injury in Dahl salt-sensitive rats by targeting transforming growth factor-β signaling pathway

This study investigated the therapeutic efficacy of Bu-Shen-Jiang-Ya decoction (BSJYD) on hypertensive renal damage to determine whether it regulates the expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/SMADs signaling pathways, thereby relieving renal fibrosis in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats. Dahl SS rats on a high-sodium diet were prospectively treated with BSJYD (n = 12) or valsartan (n = 12) for 8 weeks. The blood pressure (BP) of these rats was measured and their kidneys were subjected to biochemical analysis, including serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN); hematoxylin and eosin staining; Masson trichrome staining; real-time polymerase chain reaction; and western blot analysis. The primary outcome was that BSJYD significantly reduced BP, debased BUN, and Scr and ameliorated renal pathological changes. As underlying therapeutic mechanisms, BSJYD reduces TGFβ1 and Smad2/3 expression and suppresses renal fibrosis, as suggested by the decreased expression of connective tissue growth factor(CTGF). These data suggest that BSJYD acts as an optimal therapeutic agent for hypertensive renal damage by inhibiting the TGF-β/SMADs signaling pathway.

Comparative Study of Crude and Wine-Processing Corni Fructus on Chemical Composition and Antidiabetic Effects

Wine processing is a specialized technology which involves sautéing crude herbal medicine using Chinese rice wine. Herein, we identified the changes in chemical profiles and antidiabetic effects of Corni Fructus (CF) after wine processing in high-fat diet (HFD) streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetic mice. A novel high-efficiency method for simultaneously quantifying gallic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, morroniside, loganin, sweroside, and cornuside by UPLC was developed, and validating crude and wine-processing CF was done for the first time. Mice were randomly divided into the following groups and orally given different solutions for 4 weeks: normal group (NC, 0.4% (w/v) CMC-Na), model group (DM, 0.4% (w/v) CMC-Na), crude CF group (CP, 3.87 g/kg), and wine-processing CF group (PP, 3.87 g/kg) followed by HFD and multiple subcutaneous injection of STZ (40 mg/kg) to induce the diabetes model except the NC group. Biochemical indexes (body weight, fasting blood glucose level, lipid level, insulin, and free fatty acid) and other parameters involving liver toxicity were measured with commercial kits and immunohistochemical method. Comparative studies on pharmacology showed that the crude extracts possess higher efficacy on hypoglycemia and hypolipidemia, while wine-processing products exhibit better effects on liver preservation. Our data suggested that wine processing was recommended when CF was used for protecting the liver; however, crude products should be used as antidiabetic drugs.

Corni Fructus attenuates testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia by suppressing 5α-reductase and androgen receptor expression in rats

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is a major cause of abnormal overgrowth of the prostate mainly in the elderly. Corni Fructus has been reported to be effective in the prevention and treatment of various diseases because of its strong antioxidant effect, but its efficacy against BPH is not yet known. This study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of Corni Fructus water extract (CF) in testosterone-induced BPH rats.

MATERIALS/METHODS

To induce BPH, rats were intraperitoneal injected with testosterone propionate (TP). Rats in the treatment group were orally administered with CF with TP injection, and finasteride, which is a selective inhibitor of 5α-reductase type 2, was used as a positive control.

RESULTS

Our results showed that the increased prostate weight and histopathological changes in BPH model rats were suppressed by CF treatment. CF, similar to the finasteride-treated group, decreased the levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone by TP treatment in the serum, and it also reduced 5α-reductase expression and concentration in prostate tissue and serum, respectively. In addition, CF significantly blocked the expression of the androgen receptor (AR), AR co-activators, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in BPH rats, and this blocking was associated with a decrease in prostate-specific antigen levels in serum and prostate tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that CF may weaken the BPH status through the inactivation of at least 5α-reductase and AR activity and may be useful for the clinical treatment of BPH.

Simultaneous Determination of 11 High-Polarity Components from Fructus Corni: A Quantitative LC-MS/MS Method for Improved Quality Control

Fructus Corni, the dried ripe sarcocarp of Cornus officinalis Sieb.et Zucc (Cornaceae), is widely used in traditional medicine. Pharmacological studies to date have attributed many biological effects to the high-polarity components. However, current quality control methods focus on only several iridoid glycoside components, and, of note, there is no comprehensive method available to simultaneously quantify the high-polarity components in Fructus Corni. Here, a simple, sensitive and robust liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to simultaneously determine 11 high-polarity constituents (5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural, gallic acid, sweroside, cornin, loganin, morroniside, 7α-O-methylmorroniside, 7β-O-methylmorroniside, 7α-O-ethylmorroniside and 7β-O-ethylmorroniside, cornuside) of Fructus Corni. This method showed good specificity, linearity (r2 ≥ 0.9907), repeatability (RSD < 5.98%) and recovery (93.24 ~ 112.92%, RSD < 9.06%). This validated method was successfully employed to assess the component variation of crude Fructus Corni of three regional origins as well as after processing. In particular, the iridoid isomers were, for the first time, included as the quality markers for Fructus Corni. We propose that this method may provide a new and powerful tool for achieving comprehensive quality control of Fructus Corni.