Eurotium cristatum Fermented Loose Dark Tea Ameliorates Cigarette Smoke-Induced Lung Injury by MAPK Pathway and Enhances Hepatic Metabolic Detoxification by PXR/AhR Pathway in Mice

Liver toxicity in rats after subchronic exposure to HTP aerosol and cigarette smoke

Background

Heated tobacco product (HTP) considered to be a novel tobacco product which was reported safer than traditional cigarettes evidenced by lower potential harmful components released. Liver is an important detoxification organ of the body, the chemical components in aerosols are metabolized in the liver after absorbed, so it is necessary to explore the effect of HTP on the liver.

Materials and Methods

The potential effect of HTP and cigarette smoke (CS) on SD rats was explored according to OECD 413 subchronic inhalation. The rats were randomly divided into Sham (air), different dosage of HTP groups (HTP_10, 23 and 50 μg nicotine/L aerosol) and Cig_23 (23 μg nicotine/L aerosol) group. After exposure, the clinical pathology, inflammation and oxidative stress were measured.

Results

The clinical pathology results showed that both HTP_50 and Cig_23 led to abnormality of ALT for male rats. CS and HTP exposure reduced the expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α and mitochondrial medicated oxidative stress. In addition, the ATP production was reduced in Cig_23 group. Although inflammation and oxidative stress were displayed, no apoptosis were observed by TUNEL assay and these existed obvious pathological changes only in HTP_50 group, while in CS group with equivalent nicotine, hepatocytes swelling were observed in liver.

Conclusion

CS exposure induced liver damage through mitochondrial mediated oxidative stress and inflammation, which was also observed in high concentration of HTP exposure group. For the same equivalent nicotine, HTP may show lower toxic effect on liver than CS.

Fu Brick Tea as a Staple Food Supplement Attenuates High Fat Diet Induced Obesity in Mice

Fu brick tea (FBT), a product of microbial fermentation from primary dark tea, also known as raw material tea (RMT), has been extensively studied for its functional properties. However, its potential as a staple food supplement for weight loss remains poorly understood. This study compared the weight loss effects of orlistat, traditional plain noodles (NN), and noodles supplemented with varying amounts of RMT (RMTN) and FBT (FBTN), with the aim to elucidate their lipid-reducing effects and underlying mechanisms. Experimental trials on high fat diet fed mice revealed significant weight loss, lipid-lowering, and hypoglycemic effects upon supplementation with orlistat, RMTN, and FBTN. Moreover, supplementation with orlistat, RMTN, and FBTN effectively restored serum and liver-related index levels, mitigating high-fat diet-induced dyslipidemia. Additionally, these supplements ameliorated liver and kidney damage by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, orlistat, RMTN, and FBTN exert their anti-obesity effects primarily by modulating genes associated with lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses and through regulation of the composition and structure of the gut microbiota. Importantly, FBTN demonstrated a significantly stronger lipid-lowering effect compared to RMTN, particularly at higher tea addition ratios. In contrast, NN supplementation exhibited minimal to no weight loss effects. Based on these findings, it could be inferred that FBT holds promise as a staple food supplement to ameliorate high-fat diet-induced obesity and its associated health conditions.

Tripterygium wilfordii protects against an animal model of autoimmune hepatitis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Tripterygium wilfordii tablets (TWT) is widely used to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Celastrol, one main active ingredient in TWT, has been shown to produce a variety of beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory. However, whether TWT could protect against Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced hepatitis remains unclear.

THE AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aims to investigate the protective effect of TWT against Con A-induced hepatitis and elucidate the underlying mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Metabolomic analysis, pathological analysis, biochemical analysis, qPCR and Western blot analysis and the Pxr-null mice were used in this study.

RESULTS

The results indicated that TWT and its active ingredient celastrol could protect against Con A-induced acute hepatitis. Plasma metabolomics analysis revealed that metabolic perturbations related to bile acid and fatty acid metabolism induced by Con A were reversed by celastrol. The level of itaconate in the liver was increased by celastrol and speculated as an active endogenous compound mediating the protective effect of celastrol. Administration of 4-octanyl itaconate (4-OI) as a cell-permeable itaconate mimicker was found to attenuate Con A-induced liver injury through activation of the pregnane X receptor (PXR) and enhancement of the transcription factor EB (TFEB)-mediated autophagy.

CONCLUSIONS

Celastrol increased itaconate and 4-OI promoted activation of TFEB-mediated lysosomal autophagy to protect against Con A-induced liver injury in a PXR-dependent manner. Our study reported a protective effect of celastrol against Con A-induced AIH via an increased production of itaconate and upregulation of TFEB. The results highlighted that PXR and TFEB-mediated lysosomal autophagic pathway may offer promising therapeutic target for the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate ameliorates liver injury secondary to Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a dangerous pathogen causing nosocomial pneumonia. P. aeruginosa infection-induced liver damage is another fatal threat, and antibiotic treatment is not effective in relieving P. aeruginosa virulence-triggered damage. We here evaluated the protective effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a substance that inhibits virulence of P. aeruginosa through quorum quenching, on liver damage secondary to P. aeruginosa infection. Mice were pretreated with EGCG (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg) for 3 days, and then infected with P. aeruginosa through intratracheal instillation to model acute pneumonia. The mice were sacrificed after 24 h of infection, and samples were harvested for subsequent analysis. EGCG significantly decreased the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Histopathological changes of liver were significantly ameliorated by EGCG. It also significantly reduced oxidative stress that induced liver damage in P. aeruginosa infection, which relied not on the activation of the Nrf₂-HO-1 pathway but on the upregulation of the activity of antioxidative enzymes. Then, the inflammatory response in the liver was tested. EGCG inhibited the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) by blocking the inflammation regulating signaling of the TLR4-myD88-NF-κB pathway. EGCG upregulated the activation of nuclear receptors to stronger the liver protective activity against P. aeruginosa infection. Conclusively, EGCG exhibited a significant hepatoprotective effective against P. aeruginosa infection.

Overexpression of llm1 Affects the Synthesis of Secondary Metabolites of Aspergillus cristatus

Putative methyltransferases are thought to be involved in the regulation of secondary metabolites in filamentous fungi. Here, we report the effects of overexpression of a predicted LaeA-like methyltransferase gene llm1 on the synthesis of secondary metabolites in Aspergillus cristatus. Our results revealed that overexpression of the gene llm1 in A. cristatus significantly hindered the production of conidia and enhanced sexual development, and reduced oxidative tolerance to hydrogen peroxide. Compared with the wild-type, the metabolic profile of the overexpression transformant was distinct, and the contents of multiple secondary metabolites were markedly increased, mainly including terpenoids and flavonoids, such as (S)-olEuropeic acid, gibberellin A62, gibberellin A95, ovalitenone, PD 98059, and 1-isomangostin. A total of 600 significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified utilizing transcriptome sequencing, and the DEGs were predominantly enriched in transmembrane transport and secondary metabolism-related biological processes. In summary, the strategy of overexpressing global secondary metabolite regulators successfully activated the expression of secondary metabolite gene clusters, and the numerous secondary metabolites were greatly strengthened in A. cristatus. This study provides new insights into the in-depth exploitation and utilization of novel secondary metabolites of A. cristatus.

Integrative analysis of transcriptome and metabolome reveals the mechanism of foliar application of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens to improve summer tea quality (Camellia sinensis)

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is a promising microbial agent for quality improvement in crops; however, the effects of B. amyloliquefaciens biofertilizers on tea leaf metabolites are relatively unknown. Herein, a combination of metabolome profiling and transcriptome analysis was employed to investigate the effects of foliar spraying with B. amyloliquefaciens biofertilizers on tea leaf quality. The tea polyphenol to amino acid ratio (TP/AA), catechin, and caffeine levels decreased, but theanine level increased in tea leaves after foliar spraying with B. amyloliquefaciens. The differentially accumulated metabolites included flavonoids, phenolic acids, organic acids, amino acids, and carbohydrates. The decrease in catechin was correlated with the catechin/flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. The AMPD gene was highly associated with caffeine content, while the GOGAT gene was associated with theanine accumulation. Foliar spraying with B. amyloliquefaciens biofertilizers may improve summer tea quality. Our findings provide a basis for the application of B. amyloliquefaciens biofertilizers in tea plants and new insights on summer tea leaf resource utilization.

Effects of Fermented Green Tea Waste Extract Gels on Oxidative Damage in Short-Term Passive Smoking Mice

Passive smoking is extensively studied because of its harmfulness to human health. In this study, the effects of fermented green tea waste extract gels (GTEG) on oxidative damage in mice exposed to short-term cigarette smoke (CS) were investigated. The GTEG is prepared from green tea waste extract and microbial transglutaminase (MTGase). The lung injury model of mice was established through passive smoking for 5 days. The experimental results revealed the following findings. (1) The GTEG induced by MTGase has obvious gel properties; (2) GTEG has strong biological activity and antioxidant properties in vitro; (3) The passive smoking model was established successfully; specifically, the lung tissue of the model mice exhibited inflammatory symptoms, oxidative stress response appeared in their bodies, and their inflammatory indicators increased; (4) Compared with the passive smoking model group, the mice, which were exposed to CS and received GTEG treatment, exhibited increased food intake and body weight; increased total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity in serum; significant decreases (p < 0.05) in the content levels of the inflammatory factors malondialdehyde, interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α); and inhibited expression of IL-6, IL-33, TNF-α, and IL-1β inflammatory genes. The results indicated that taking GTEG can relieve the oxidative stress injury of mice caused by short-term CS and has antioxidant properties.

Protective Effect of Eurotium cristatum Fermented Loose Dark Tea and Eurotium cristatum Particle on MAPK and PXR/AhR Signaling Pathways Induced by Electronic Cigarette Exposure in Mice

Electronic-cigarette smoke (eCS) has been shown to cause a degree of oxidative stress and inflammatory damage in lung tissue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the repair mechanism of Eurotium cristatum fermented loose dark tea (ECT) and Eurotium cristatum particle metabolites (ECP) sifted from ECT after eCS-induced injury in mice. Sixty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a blank control group, an eCS model group, an eCS + 600 mg/kg ECP treatment group, an eCS + 600 mg/kg ECT treatment group, an eCS + 600 mg/kg ECP prevention group, and an eCS + 600 mg/kg ECT prevention group. The results show that ECP and ECT significantly reduced the eCS-induced oxidative stress and inflammation and improved histopathological changes in the lungs in mice with eCS-induced liver injury. Western blot analysis further revealed that ECP and ECT significantly inhibited the eCS-induced upregulation of the phosphorylation levels of the extracellular Regulated protein Kinases (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38MAPK) proteins, and significantly increased the eCS-induced downregulation of the expression levels of the pregnane X receptor (PXR) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) proteins. Conclusively, these findings show that ECP and ECT have a significant repairing effect on the damage caused by eCS exposure through the MAPK and PXR/AhR signaling pathways; ECT has a better effect on preventing eCS-induced injury and is suitable as a daily healthcare drink; ECP has a better therapeutic effect after eCS-induced injury, and might be a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of eCS-induced injury.

PXR as the tipping point between innate immune response, microbial infections, and drug metabolism

Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a xenosensor that acts as a transcription factor in the cell nucleus to protect cells from toxic insults. In response to exposure to several chemical agents, PXR induces the expression of enzymes and drug transporters that biotransform xenobiotic and endobiotic and eliminate metabolites. Recently, PXR has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects that involve cross-communication with molecular pathways in innate immunity cells. Conversely, several inflammatory factors regulate PXR signaling. This review examines the crosstalk between PXR and nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB), Toll-like receptors (TLRs), and inflammasome components. Discussions of the consequences of these interactions on immune responses to infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites are included together with a review of the effects of microorganisms on PXR-associated drug metabolism. This paper aims to encourage researchers to pursue studies that will better elucidate the relationship between PXR and the immune system and thus inform treatment development.