Effect of Artemisia rupestris L. Extract on Gastrointestinal Hormones and Brain-Gut Peptides in Functional Dyspepsia Rats

Bioactive compounds from dichloromethane extract of Artemisia rupestris L. alleviates CCl4/ConA-induced acute liver injury by inhibiting PI3K-AKT pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Artemisia rupestris L. (AR) is a traditional medicinal herb commonly used in the Uyghurs and Kazakhs; it was first documented in the Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica written by Zhao Xuemin in the Qing Dynasty of China and is used clinically to treat colds, hepatitis, and allergic diseases.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The material basis and mechanisms of AR in acute liver injury (ALI) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to reveal the possible active components involved in liver protection in AR and to preliminarily explore their pharmacological mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The chemical composition of the ethanolic extract (ARA) was identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS and confirmed by 32 reference standards. The pharmacodynamic results were utilized to screen the active part within the ARA that contribute to the amelioration of CCl4/ConA-induced ALI. The main active components and core targets were predicted by network pharmacology and verified by molecular docking combined with qPCR and Western blotting.

RESULTS

A total of 131 chemical components were identified in the ARA. The extraction parts of ARA had different therapeutic effects on ALI, among which the dichloromethane extract (ARA-D), which might constitute the main effective fraction of ARA, had significant anti-ALI effects. The network pharmacology results showed that targets including PIK3R1, AKT1, and EGFR, as well as 7 compounds, such as artemetin, vitexicarpin and rupestonic acid may play pivotal roles in treating CCl4/ConA-induced ALI. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway was the main pathway involved. In each model, ARA-D dose-dependently reduced the increase in ALT levels. High-dose ARA-D markedly decreased ALT activity from 196.79 ± 24.82 to 66.37 ± 16.19 U/L in the CCl4 model group and from 178.00 ± 28.39 to 50.67 ± 7.39 U/L in the ConA model group. Further studies revealed that ARA-D significantly inhibited TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 expression and inhibited the protein expression of PI3K, p-PI3K, and p-AKT in CCl4/ConA-induced ALI.

CONCLUSION

ARA-D exhibits protective effects against ALI induced by CCl4/ConA, potentially through inhibition of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. These findings may help to determine the material basis and mechanisms of action of ARA-D for liver protection and provide ideas for future comprehensive studies.

Motilin and its receptor are expressed in the dorsal horn in a rat model of acute incisional pain: Intrathecal motilin injection alleviates pain behaviors

Aims

To observe the effects of intrathecal administration of motilin on pain behavior and expression of motilin (MTL)/motilin receptor (MTLR) in the spinal cord of a rat model of acute incisional pain.

Methods

An incisional pain model was established in rats using a unilateral plantar incision. The rats were also injected intrathecally with 1, 5, or 25 μg of motilin. The mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were determined. MTL/MTLR expression in the spinal cord was detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence. The expression of MTL in the spinal cord, stomach, duodenum, and plasma was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

Motilin/motilin receptor were detected in the spinal cord. Spinal cord MTL/MTLR expression peaks at 2 h after modeling (P < 0.05) and start to decrease at 24 h (P < 0.05) to almost reach baseline levels at 72 h. The changes in gastric, duodenal, plasma, and spinal cord motilin levels correlated with MWT and TWL (all R ² > 0.82). The intrathecal injection of 1, 5, or 25 μg of motilin could increase the pain threshold of rats with incisional pain within 72 h in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusion

This study showed for the first time that MTL/MTLR are expressed in rats' spinal dorsal horn. Acute pain increased MTL/MTLR expression in the spinal dorsal horn. Also, for the first time, this study showed that motilin intrathecal injection alleviates pain in rat models of acute incisional pain. These results suggest that MTL/MTLR could be a novel target for the management of acute pain.

Secondary Metabolites and Their Cytotoxic Activity of Artemisia nitrosa Weber. and Artemisia marschalliana Spreng

As a promising source of biologically active substances, the Artemisia species from Kazakhstan have not been investigated efficiently. Considering the rich history, medicinal values, and availability of the Artemisia plants, systematic investigations of two Artemisia species growing in the East Kazakhstan region were conducted. In this study, one new germacrane-type sesquiterpene lactone (11), together with 10 known sesquiterpenes and its dimer, were characterized from A. nitrosa Weber. Additionally, one new chromene derivative (1') with another 12 known compounds, including coumarins, sesquiterpene diketones, phenyl propanoids, polyacetylenics, dihydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, fatty acids, naphthalene derivatives, flavones, and caffeic acid derivatives were isolated from A. marschalliana Spreng. All compounds were isolated and identified for the first time from these two Artemisia species. The structures of new compounds (11, 1') were established by using UV, TOFMS, LC-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses. The cytotoxicity of all isolated compounds was evaluated. As a result, all compounds did not show significant inhibition against HL-60 and A-549 cell lines. The sesquiterpenoids isolated from A. nitrosa were tested for their inhibitory activity against the LPS-induced NO release from the RAW624.7 cells, and neither of them exhibited significant activity.

Effects of Ganoderic Acid A on Gastrointestinal Motility and Brain-Gut Peptide in Rats with Functional Dyspepsia

Objective

The therapeutic effect of drugs for functional dyspepsia (FD) is still limited. Ganoderic acid A (GAA) has anti-inflammatory and cellular protective activities. The aim of this study is to explore the therapeutic effect of GAA on FD.

Methods

The FD rat model was established via tail damping and forced exercise fatigue. The gastric emptying rate and intestinal propulsion rate of the rats in each group were then detected, and the pathological damage of gastric antrum and duodenum tissues was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to determine the levels of motilin (MTL), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), leptin, gastrin (GAS), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and somatostatin (SS) in plasma, and Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of occludin, zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1), and junctional adhesion molecule-1 (JAM-1) in the duodenal tissue.

Results

Treatment with GAA significantly raised the gastric emptying rate and intestinal propulsion rate of FD rats and histologically alleviated the gastric and duodenal damage. Meanwhile, GAA positively regulated the secretion of brain-gut proteins, such as upregulation of MTL, GAS, and SS and downregulation of VIP, leptin, and CGRP. In addition, GAA treatment increased the protein expression levels of occludin, ZO-1, and JAM-1 in the duodenal tissue of the FD rats.

Conclusion

GAA may exhibit protective effects on FD by regulating the secretion of brain-gut peptide, protecting the intestinal barrier and improving gastrointestinal motility.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and In Vivo Model to Investigate the Mechanism of Biheimaer in the Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia

Objective. Biheimaer (BHM) is a hospital formulation for clinical treatment of dyspepsia and acid reflux, based on Compatibility Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This study anticipated to elucidate the molecular mechanism of BHM against Functional dyspepsia via combined network pharmacology prediction with experimental verification. Methods. Based on network pharmacology, the potential active components and targets of BHM in the treatment of functional dyspepsia were explored by prediction and molecular docking technology. The results of protein–protein interaction analysis, functional annotation, and pathway enrichment analysis further refined the main targets and pathways. The molecular mechanism of BHM improving functional dyspepsia mice induced by L-arginine + atropine was verified on the basis of network pharmacology. Results. In this study, 183 effective compounds were screened from BHM; moreover, 1007 compound-related predicted targets and 156 functional dyspepsia-related targets were found. The results of enrichment analysis and in vivo experiments showed that BHM could regulate intestinal smooth muscle contraction to play a therapeutic role in functional dyspepsia by reducing the expression of NOS3, SERT, TRPV1, and inhibiting the inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β, TNF-α) to intervene the inflammatory response in mice. Conclusions. This study revealed the molecular biological mechanisms of the Traditional Chinese Medicine formulation of BHM in functional dyspepsia by network pharmacology and experimental verification, meanwhile provided scientific support for subsequent clinical medication.

Aqueous Extract of Phyllanthus emblica L. Alleviates Functional Dyspepsia through Regulating Gastrointestinal Hormones and Gut Microbiome In Vivo

Phyllanthus emblica L. fruits were extracted by a hot water assistant with ultrasonication to obtain aqueous Phyllanthus emblica L. extract (APE). The ameliorating functional dyspepsia (FD) effect of a low dose (150 mg/kg) and a high dose (300 mg/kg) of APE was exhibited by determining the gastrointestinal motility, gastrointestinal hormones, and gut microbiome shifts in reserpine induced FD male balb/c mice. APE increased the gastrointestinal motility including the gastric emptying (GE) rate and small intestinal transit (SIT) rate. The level of serum gastrointestinal hormones such as motilin (MTL) and gastrin (GAS) increased, and the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) level decreased after the administration of APE. Furthermore, the gut microbiome analysis demonstrated that APE could regulate the microbiome structure and restore homeostasis by elevating useful bacterial abundance, while simultaneously decreasing harmful bacterial abundance. This study demonstrated the ameliorating FD effect of APE and its potential efficacy in curing functional gastrointestinal disorders and maintaining a healthy digestive tract.

Effect of Dexmedetomidine-Assisted Intravenous Anesthesia on Gastrointestinal Motility in Colon Cancer Patients After Open Colectomy

Background

To explore the effect of dexmedetomidine (Dex)-assisted intravenous anesthesia on gastrointestinal motility in patients with colon cancer (CC) after open colectomy.

Methods

A total of 102 patients with CC, undergoing open colectomy in our hospital from January 2018 to January 2020, were selected and randomly divided into an observation group (n = 51) and a control group (n = 51). The patients in the control group received a routine combination of intravenous and inhalation anesthesia (CIIA), while those in the observation group received a Dex-assisted CIIA. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), the diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), and the mean arterial pressure (MAP) were compared at different time points between the two groups. In addition, the intraoperative general conditions, the dosage of anesthetics, and the recovery of gastrointestinal functions were also compared between the two groups. Moreover, before operation and at 24 h after operation, the levels of serum gastrin (GAS) and plasma motilin (MTL) were detected by radioimmunoassay, and the level of plasma cholecystokinin (CCK) was detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The incidence of gastrointestinal complications was recorded in both groups.

Results

At T₁-T₃, the HR, SBP, DBP, and MAP levels were lower in both groups than those at T₀. In addition, they were also lower in the observation group than those in the control group, showing significant differences (p < 0.05). The dosage of propofol and remifentanil in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, and there was a significant difference (p < 0.05). In the observation group, the postoperative first exhaust time, first defecation time, first ambulation time, and first feeding time were all earlier than those in the control group with significant differences (p < 0.05). After the operation, the observation group had higher levels of GAS and MTL but a lower level of CCK than the control group, and the differences were significant (p < 0.05). The incidence rate of gastrointestinal complications in the observation group (7.04%) was lower than that in the control group (19.61%), and there was a significant difference (χ² = 4.346, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Dex-assisted intravenous anesthesia can facilitate the recovery of gastrointestinal motility, can regulate the levels of gastrointestinal hormones, and can stabilize the levels of hemodynamic indexes in patients with CC after open colectomy.