Molecular Mechanism of Palmitic Acid on Myocardial Contractility in Hypertensive Rats and Its Relationship with Neural Nitric Oxide Synthase Protein in Cardiomyocytes

A study on the treatment effects of Crataegus pinnatifida polysaccharide on non-alcoholic fatty liver in mice by modulating gut microbiota

The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of Crataegus pinnatifida polysaccharide (CPP) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. The findings demonstrated that CPP improved free fatty acid (FFA)-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells and effectively reduced liver steatosis and epididymal fat weight in NAFLD mice, as well as decreased serum levels of TG, TC, AST, ALT, and LDL-C. Furthermore, CPP exhibited inhibitory effects on the expression of fatty acid synthesis genes FASN and ACC while activating the expression of fatty acid oxidation genes CPT1A and PPARα. Additionally, CPP reversed disturbances in intestinal microbiota composition caused by HFD consumption. CPP decreased the firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, increased Akkermansia abundance, and elevated levels of total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content specifically butyric acid and acetic acid. Our results concluded that CPP may intervene in the development of NAFLD by regulating of intes-tinal microbiota imbalance and SCFAs production. Our study highlights that CPP has a potential to modulate lipid-related pathways via alterations to gut microbiome composition thereby ex-erting inhibitory effects on obesity and NAFLD development.

Retracted: Molecular Mechanism of Palmitic Acid on Myocardial Contractility in Hypertensive Rats and Its Relationship with Neural Nitric Oxide Synthase Protein in Cardiomyocytes

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2021/6657476.].

Chai-Gui Decoction and its representative components ameliorate spontaneous hypertension rats by modulating lipid metabolism and gut microbiota

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Hypertension coincides with the category of "vertigo" and/or "headache" on the basis clinical manifestations and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory. Chai-Gui Decoction (CGD), which is in usage for relieving "vertigo" and/or "headache", had been demonstrated to be useful in ameliorating hypertension.

AIM OF STUDY

This study was planned to investigate the mechanism of CGD and its components in hypertension by using spontaneous hypertension rat (SHR).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CGD extract and its classification component samples (compounds in plasma, CP; compounds in gut, CG; compounds in plasma and gut, CPG) were prepared for animal experiment. SHR rats were induced with CGD extract (3 g/kg/d BW, 5 g/kg/d BW, 15 g/kg/d BW) and CGD-component classes (CP = 19.501 mg/kg/d, CG = 5.240 mg/kg/d, CPG = 24.741 mg/kg/d) for 4 weeks. Blood pressure (BP) and indexes of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS system) were measured. Histopathology was carried out to assess the efficacy of CGD and its components on aorta tissues. Untargeted metabolomics of lipid from rat serum samples were applied by Ultra-High performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and chemometric analysis to explore the relationship between metabolic pathways and hypertension. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of rat colon content and bioinformatics analysis were used to characterize the effects of CGD and its components on the gut microbiota composition of SHR rats.

RESULTS

CGD and its component mixtures showed antihypertensive effect on SHR rats, decreased the blood pressure and reduced the aortic wall thickness in SHR rats. CGD and its component mixtures could improve the RAAS in SHR rats, including increase the percentage of angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7), decrease the percentage of angiotensin II (Ang II), and decrease the Ang Ⅱ/Ang 1-7 ratio. CGD and its component mixtures could regulate the metabolome in SHR rats, mainly as decreasing the higher serum levels of Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) 16: 0, LPC 20: 4, and LPC 22: 6. In addition, bacteria from family S24-7 were negatively correlated with levels of LPE 16:0, LPE 18:0, LPE 18:1, and LPE 18:2.

CONCLUSION

CGD and its component mixtures exhibited antihypertensive effect on SHR rats. The underlying mechanism could be related to modulation on RAAS, LPC metabolism and the bacterial abundance of family S24-7 in gut.

Chaetomorpha linum polysaccharides alleviate NAFLD in mice by enhancing the PPARα/CPT-1/MCAD signaling

BACKGROUND

Green algae contain many polysaccharides. However, there is no information on whether Chaetomorpha linum polysaccharides (CLP) can modulate lipid and glucose metabolism.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

CLP were extracted from chlorella and their components were characterized. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomized and provided with control chow as the control, or high fat diet (HFD) to induce nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD mice were treated orally with water as the HFD group or with 50 or 150 mg/kg CLP daily for 10 weeks. The impact of CLP treatment on lipid and glucose metabolism and the PPARα signaling was examined by histology, Western blotting and biochemistry.

RESULTS

CLP mainly contained arabinogalactan sulfate. Compared with the control, HFD feeding increased body weights, lipid droplet liver deposition and induced hyperlipidemia, liver functional impairment and glucose intolerance in mice. Treatment with CLP, particularly with a higher dose of CLP, limited the HFD-increased body weights and liver lipid droplet deposition, mitigated the HFD-induced hyperlipidemia and improved liver function and glucose tolerance in mice. Mechanistically, feeding with HFD dramatically decreased the expression of liver PPARα, CPT-1, and MCAD, but treatment with CLP enhanced their expression in a trend of dose-dependent in mice.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicated that CLP treatment alleviated the gain in body weights, NAFLD, and glucose intolerance in mice after HFD feeding by enhancing the PPARα/CPT-1/MCAD signaling.

Research Advances in Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort

Cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs) are a serious threat to human health and account for 31% of global mortality. Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (CX) is derived from umbellifer plants. Its rhizome, leaves, and fibrous roots are similar in composition but have different contents. It has been used in Japanese, Korean, and other traditional medicine for over 2000 years. Currently, it is mostly cultivated and has high safety and low side effects. Due to the lack of a systematic summary of the efficacy of CX in the treatment of CVDs, this article describes the material basis, molecular mechanism, and clinical efficacy of CX, as well as its combined application in the treatment of CVDs, and has been summarized from the perspective of safety. In particular, the pharmacological effect of CX in the treatment of CVDs is highlighted from the point of view of its mechanism, and the complex mechanism network has been determined to improve the understanding of CX's multi-link and multi-target therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and endothelial cells. This article offers a new and modern perspective on the impact of CX on CVDs.