Hirsutella sinensis Treatment Shows Protective Effects on Renal Injury and Metabolic Modulation in db/db Mice

Uncovering anti-influenza mechanism of Ophiocordyceps sinensis using network pharmacology, molecular pharmacology, and metabolomics

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a precious Chinese traditional herb with a long medicinal history. This study used UPLC-MS metabolomics to explore and compare the metabolic profiles of the stroma (OSBSz), sclerotium (OSBSh), and mycelium (OSBS) of O sinensis to analyze their differential metabolites and identified potential active components. Then combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking to explore the mechanism of differential metabolites with anti-influenza properties. The results indicate that the stroma, sclerotium, and mycelium showed significant differences in metabolites. The key pathways for differential metabolites were butanoate metabolism, thiamin metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, citrate cycle, and arginine biosynthesis. Protein-protein interaction analysis identified potential targets, including SRC, RHOA, HSP90AA1, VEGFA, ITGB1, PRKCA, and ITGA1, and the key protective pathways in-volved PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, influenza A, and Coronavirus disease 2019. The molecular docking results showed that the core metabolite D-(-)-glutamine has high binding affinity with SRC, RHOA, and EGFR, re-flecting the multi-component and multi-target network system of O sinensis. In short, the combination of metabonomics, network pharmacology and macromolecular docking technology provides a new way to explore the anti-influenza research of O sinensis. This is undoubtedly an important theoretical support for the clinical application of O sinensis in the future.

AI Machine Learning Technique Characterizes Potential Markers of Depression in Two Animal Models of Depression

(1) Background: there is an urgent clinical need for rapid and effective antidepressants. (2) Methods: We employed proteomics to profile proteins in two animal models (n = 48) of Chronic Unpredictable Stress and Chronic Social Defeat Stress. Additionally, partial least squares projection to latent structure discriminant analysis and machine learning were used to distinguish the models and the healthy control, extract and select protein features and build biomarker panels for the identification of different mouse models of depression. (3) Results: The two depression models were significantly different from the healthy control, and there were common changes in proteins in the depression-related brain regions of the two models; i.e., SRCN1 was down-regulated in the dorsal raphe nucleus in both models of depression. Additionally, SYIM was up-regulated in the medial prefrontal cortex in the two depression models. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that perturbed proteins are involved in energy metabolism, nerve projection, etc. Further examination confirmed that the trends of feature proteins were consistent with mRNA expression levels. (4) Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to probe new targets of depression in multiple brain regions of two typical models of depression, which could be targets worthy of study.

Natural Products as Outstanding Alternatives in Diabetes Mellitus: A Patent Review

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic syndrome that can be considered a growing health problem in the world. High blood glucose levels are one of the most notable clinical signs. Currently, new therapeutic alternatives have been tackled from clinicians' and scientists' points of view. Natural products are considered a promising source, due to the huge diversity of metabolites with pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, this review aimed to uncover the latest advances in this field as a potential alternative to the current therapeutic strategies for the treatment of DM. This purpose is achieved after a patent review, using the Espacenet database of the European Patent Office (EPO) (2016-2022). Final screening allowed us to investigate 19 patents, their components, and several technology strategies in DM. Plants, seaweeds, fungi, and minerals were used as raw materials in the patents. Additionally, metabolites such as tannins, organic acids, polyphenols, terpenes, and flavonoids were found to be related to the potential activity in DM. Moreover, the cellular transportation of active ingredients and solid forms with special drug delivery profiles is also considered a pharmaceutical technology strategy that can improve their safety and efficacy. From this perspective, natural products can be a promissory source to obtain new drugs for DM therapy.

Bailing capsule (Cordyceps sinensis) ameliorates renal triglyceride accumulation through the PPARα pathway in diabetic rats

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe diabetic complication of the kidney and is the main cause of end-stage kidney disease worldwide. Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis) is not only a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) but also a healthy food. In China, C. sinensis has been widely used to treat various kidney diseases. Bailing Capsule, which active ingredient is C. sinensis, is approved to treat kidney disease, respiratory disease, and immune disease. However, its underlying mechanism in DN remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the underlying mechanism of Bailing Capsule on kidney in diabetic rats. The DN model was established by streptozotocin (STZ) injection. Low and high doses of Bailing Capsule were orally administrated for 12 weeks after diabetes induction. Renal function was evaluated by serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, 24-h urinary protein, and urinary albumin. Mesangial matrix expansion and renal fibrosis were measured using histopathology staining. We found that the disorder of renal function and pathology in DN rats was significantly modified by Bailing Capsule treatment. Consistently, Bailing Capsule markedly alleviated DN rat glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial injury and renal fibrosis as shown by pathological staining. Moreover, Bailing Capsule significantly reduced the kidney triglyceride content and renal lipid droplet formation in DN rats. The renal transcriptome revealed that Bailing Capsule-treated kidneys had 498 upregulated genes and 448 downregulated genes. These differentially expressed genes were enriched in the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) pathway and fatty acid metabolism function ontology. mRNA and protein expression analyses revealed substantial enhancement of the lipolysis pathway and inhibition of lipogenesis in Bailing Capsule-treated rat kidneys compared to DN rats. Bailing Capsule activated the expression of PPARα, ACOX1 (acyl-CoA oxidase 1), and SCD (stearoyl-CoA desaturase) in diabetic nephropathy while suppressing the expression of FASN (fatty acid synthase). In conclusion, Bailing Capsule could attenuate renal triglyceride accumulation in diabetic rats by moderating PPARα pathway.

Potential Therapeutic Strategies for Renal Fibrosis: Cordyceps and Related Products

At present, there is no effective drug for the treatment of renal fibrosis; in particular, a safe and effective treatment for renal fibrosis should be established. Cordyceps has several medical effects, including immunoregulatory, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, and may prevent kidney, liver, and heart diseases. Cordyceps has also been reported to be effective in the treatment of renal fibrosis. In this paper, we review the potential mechanisms of Cordyceps against renal fibrosis, focusing on the effects of Cordyceps on inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, regulation of autophagy, reduction of extracellular matrix deposition, and fibroblast activation. We also discuss relevant published clinical trials and meta-analyses. Available clinical studies support the possibility that Cordyceps and related products provide benefits to patients with chronic kidney diseases as adjuvants to conventional drugs. However, the existing clinical studies are limited by low quality and significant heterogeneity. The use of Cordyceps and related products may be a potential strategy for the treatment of renal fibrosis. Randomized controlled trial studies with good methodological quality, favorable experimental design, and large sample size are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Cordyceps.

Non-invasive metabolic biomarkers for early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy: Meta-analysis of profiling metabolomics studies

AIM

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the worst complications of diabetes. Despite a growing number of DN metabolite profiling studies, most studies are suffering from inconsistency in their findings. The main goal of this meta-analysis was to reach to a consensus panel of significantly dysregulated metabolites as potential biomarkers in DN.

DATA SYNTHESIS

To identify the significant dysregulated metabolites, meta-analysis was performed by "vote-counting rank" and "robust rank aggregation" strategies. Bioinformatics analyses were performed to identify the most affected genes and pathways. Among 44 selected studies consisting of 98 metabolite profiles, 17 metabolites (9 up-regulated and 8 down-regulated metabolites), were identified as significant ones by both the meta-analysis strategies (p-value<0.05 and OR>2 or <0.5) and selected as DN metabolite meta-signature. Furthermore, enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of various effective biological pathways in DN pathogenesis, such as urea cycle, TCA cycle, glycolysis, and amino acid metabolisms. Finally, by performing a meta-analysis over existing time-course studies in DN, the results indicated that lactic acid, hippuric acid, allantoin (in urine), and glutamine (in blood), are the topmost non-invasive early diagnostic biomarkers.

CONCLUSION

The identified metabolites are potentially involved in diabetic nephropathy pathogenesis and could be considered as biomarkers or drug targets in the disease.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42020197697.

Genome sequencing and analysis of fungus Hirsutella sinensis isolated from Ophiocordyceps sinensis

Ophiocordyceps sinensis has been used as a traditional medicine or healthy food in China for thousands of years. Hirsutella sinensis was reported as the only correct anamorph of O. sinensis. It is reported that the laboratory-grown H. sinensis mycelium has similar clinical efficacy and less associated toxicity compared to the wild O. sinensis. The research of the H. sinensis is becoming more and more important and urgent. To gain deeper insight into the biological and pharmacological mechanisms, we sequenced the genome of H. sinensis. The genome of H. sinensis (102.72 Mb) was obtained for the first time, with > 99% coverage. 10,200 protein-encoding genes were predicted based on the genome sequence. A detailed secondary metabolism analysis and structure verification of the main ingredients were performed, and the biosynthesis pathways of seven ingredients (mannitol, cordycepin, purine nucleotides, pyrimidine nucleotides, unsaturated fatty acid, cordyceps polysaccharide and sphingolipid) were predicted and drawn. Furthermore, infection process and mechanism of H. sinensis were studied and elaborated in this article. The enzymes involved in the infection mechanism were also predicted, cloned and expressed to verify the mechanism. The genes and proteins were predicted and annotated based on the genome sequence. The pathways of several active components in H. sinensis were predicted and key enzymes were confirmed. The work presented here would improve the understanding of the genetic basis of this organism, and contribute to further research, production and application of H. sinensis.