Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic profiling reveals the tissue-specific flavonoid compositions and their biosynthesis pathways in Ziziphora bungeana

Mitochondrial dysfunctions in T cells: focus on inflammatory bowel disease

Mitochondria has emerged as a critical ruler of metabolic reprogramming in immune responses and inflammation. In the context of colitogenic T cells and IBD, there has been increasing research interest in the metabolic pathways of glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, and glutaminolysis. These pathways have been shown to play a crucial role in the metabolic reprogramming of colitogenic T cells, leading to increased inflammatory cytokine production and tissue damage. In addition to metabolic reprogramming, mitochondrial dysfunction has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD. Studies have shown that colitogenic T cells exhibit impaired mitochondrial respiration, elevated levels of mROS, alterations in calcium homeostasis, impaired mitochondrial biogenesis, and aberrant mitochondria-associated membrane formation. Here, we discuss our current knowledge of the metabolic reprogramming and mitochondrial dysfunctions in colitogenic T cells, as well as the potential therapeutic applications for treating IBD with evidence from animal experiments.

Chemical composition and cardiotropic activity of Ziziphora clinopodioides subsp. bungeana (Juz.) Rech.f

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ziziphora clinopodioides subsp. bungeana (Juz.) Rech.f. is a subshrub that is widely distributed in China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The species is used in traditional medicine for the relief of symptoms connected to cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease or hypertension.

AIM OF THE STUDY

was to validate traditional use of Z. clinopodioides subsp. bungeana for the treatment of coronary hearth diseases using in vivo models and to find active compounds responsible for the activity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Multiple extracts were obtained from the aerial parts of Z. clinopodioides subsp. bungeana using maceration, liquid-liquid extraction, CO2 extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction. Preliminary screening studies for the evaluation of the efficacy of Z. clinopodioides subsp. bungeana extracts on the model of hemic hypoxia were performed. The most effective samples were selected and included in the main study. Stage 2 of the study evaluated the cardiotropic activity of the selected extracts on a model of chronic heart failure. Preparations were administered to animals intragastrically once a day for 28 days. For the isolation of individual compounds plant material was extracted with 96% ethanol. The obtained crude extract was sequentially extracted with n-hexane and dichloromethane and separated by chromatography on a Diaion HP-20 column. The obtained fractions were further subjected to Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and eluted isocratically with 96% ethanol (EtOH) to yield subfractions, which were further separated by preparative HPLC to obtain 13 individual compounds.

RESULTS

Extracts obtained from Ziziphora clinopodioides subsp. bungeana (Juz.) Rech.f. herb were subjected to pharmacological screening for the evaluation of their efficacy on hemic hypoxia. Based on the obtained results, out of the sixteen tested extracts two (AR and US 60%) were selected for further evaluation of their cardiotropic activity. Modeling of chronic heart failure was carried out in accordance with the following stages: 1) anesthesia with chloral hydrate at a dose of 450 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, 2) artificial ventilation of the lungs, 3) thoracotomy, 4) modeling of permanent ischemic or ischemic-reperfusion damage. Both extracts effected the indicators of contraction and output, comparable to the reference drug - Monopril. Based on the extraction methods used to obtain RAF and US60 and data from the literature, it can be assumed that they contain compounds with medium polarity, including polyphenols and terpenoids. At the next stage three previously undescribed monoterpenoid derivatives - Ziziphoric acid (1), Ziziphoroside D (2) and 6'-malonylziziphoroside A (3), along with two previously described megastigmane glucosides - blumenol C glucoside (4), blumenol C 9-O-(6'-O-malonyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5) and two previously described monoterpenoids 7a-hydroxymintlactone (6), 7-hydroxypiperitone (7) together with six polyphenols - pinocembrine-7-O-rutinoside (8), chrysine-7-O-rutinoside (9), acacetin-7-O-rutinoside (10), luteolin-7-O-rutinoside (11), rutin (12) and rosmarinic acid (13) were isolated from Z. clinopodioides subsp. bungeana extracts.

CONCLUSION

Our results support the traditional use of Z. clinopodioides subsp. bungeana for the treatment of coronary diseases. As a result of Z. clinopodioides subsp. bungeana extracts screening in vivo, two extracts were selected as potential cardiotropic agents. Phytochemical analysis of the plant material led to the isolation of five terpenoid derivatives, two megastigmane glycosides, five flavonoids and one cinnamic acid derivative, which could be responsible for the reported biological activity. Future experiments are required to understand the mechanisms of action for the isolated compounds.

Warm needle acupuncture for osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Warm needle acupuncture (WA) is considered a potential intervention in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA).

PURPOSE

To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of WA in the treatment of OA.

STUDY DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis METHODS: Fourteen databases were searched from their inception until May 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of WA for treating OA were identified. Study selection and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. The Cochrane risk of bias tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation program were used to assess all included RCTs.

RESULTS

A total of 66 RCTs met the inclusion criteria for this review. Most of the included studies had an unclear risk of bias, and the certainty of the evidence was very low. Twenty-four RCTs compared the effects of WA with those of oral drug therapies. Meta-analysis showed superior effects of WA for the total effective rate (risk ratio (RR): 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.17 to 1.27, I² = 26%, p < 0.001, 24 studies, n = 2278), pain, and function. Eight RCTs compared the effects of WA+drug therapy, and meta-analysis showed favorable effects for the total effective rate (RR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.18 to 1.35, I² =0%, p < 0.001, 8 studies, n = 646). Eight RCTs compared the effects of WA and intra-articular sodium hyaluronate (IASH) injection on OA and found equivalent effects of WA on the symptoms of OA. Twenty-eight RCTs compared the effects of WA+IASH injection with those of IASH injection, and meta-analysis showed superior effects of WA+IASH in terms of the total effective rate (RR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.19, I² =27.3%, p < 0.001, 25 studies, n = 2208), pain, and function. None of the RCTs reported serious adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

WA may have some distinct advantages in the treatment of OA. However, well-designed RCTs with larger sample sizes are needed.

Integrated transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed regulatory mechanisms of flavonoid biosynthesis in Radix Ardisia

Background

Radix Ardisia (Jab Bik Lik Jib) is a common Miao medicine and is widely distributed in the Guizhou region of southern China. The botanical origin of Radix Ardisia includes the dry root and rhizome of Ardisia Crenata Sims (ACS) or Ardisia Crispa (Thunb.) A.DC. (AC), which are closely related species morphologically. However, the secondary metabolites in their roots are different from one another, especially the flavonoids, and these differences have not been thoroughly explored at the molecular level. This project preliminarily identified regulatory molecular mechanisms in the biosynthetic pathways of the flavonoids between ACS and AC using a multi-omics association analysis.

Methods

In this study, we determined the total levels of saponin, flavonoid, and phenolic in Radix Ardisia from different origins. Integrated transcriptome and metabolome analyses were used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed metabolites (DEM). We also performed conjoint analyses on DEGs and DEMs to ascertain the degree pathways, and explore the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis.

Results

The total flavonoid and phenolic levels in ACS were significantly higher than in AC (P < 0.05). There were 17,685 DEGs between ACS vs. AC, 8,854 were upregulated and 8,831 were downregulated. Based on this, we continued to study the gene changes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, and 100 DEGs involving flavonoid biosynthesis were differentially expressed in ACS and AC. We validated the accuracy of the RNA-seq data using qRT-PCR. Metabolomic analyses showed that 11 metabolites were involved in flavonoid biosynthesis including: Naringenin, Luteolin, Catechin, and Quercetin. A conjoint analysis of the genome-wide connection network revealed the differences in the types and levels of flavonoid compounds between ACS and AC. The correlation analysis showed that Naringenin, Luteolin, Catechin, and Quercetin were more likely to be key compounds in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway also including 4CL, AOMT, CHS, CHI, DFR, F3'5'H, FLS, and LAR.

Conclusions

This study provides useful information for revealing the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis and the regulatory relationship between metabolites and genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in Radix Ardisia from different origins.

Unraveling the Glucosylation of Astringency Compounds of Horse Chestnut via Integrative Sensory Evaluation, Flavonoid Metabolism, Differential Transcriptome, and Phylogenetic Analysis

The seeds of Chinese horse chestnut are used as a source of starch and escin, whereas the potential use of whole plant has been ignored. The astringency and bitterness of tea produced from the leaves and flowers were found to be significantly better than those of green tea, suggesting that the enriched flavonoids maybe sensory determinates. During 47 flavonoids identified in leaves and flowers, seven flavonol glycosides in the top 10 including astragalin and isoquercitrin were significantly higher content in flowers than in leaves. The crude proteins of flowers could catalyze flavonol glucosides' formation, in which three glycosyltransferases contributed to the flavonol glucosylation were screened out by multi-dimensional integration of transcriptome, evolutionary analyses, recombinant enzymatic analysis and molecular docking. The deep exploration for flavonol profile and glycosylation provides theoretical and experimental basis for utilization of flowers and leaves of Aesculus chinensis as additives and dietary supplements.

Application of High-Throughput Sequencing on the Chinese Herbal Medicine for the Data-Mining of the Bioactive Compounds

The Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) has been used worldwide in clinic to treat the vast majority of human diseases, and the healing effect is remarkable. However, the functional components and the corresponding pharmacological mechanism of the herbs are unclear. As one of the main means, the high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies have been employed to discover and parse the active ingredients of CHM. Moreover, a tremendous amount of effort is made to uncover the pharmacodynamic genes associated with the synthesis of active substances. Here, based on the genome-assembly and the downstream bioinformatics analysis, we present a comprehensive summary of the application of HTS on CHM for the synthesis pathways of active ingredients from two aspects: active ingredient properties and disease classification, which are important for pharmacological, herb molecular breeding, and synthetic biology studies.

Acacetin Protects Myocardial Cells against Hypoxia-Reoxygenation Injury through Activation of Autophagy

Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. We previously demonstrated that acacetin protects against myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rats, although the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the effects of acacetin on autophagy during hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury by exposing H9c2 myocardial cells to H/R with or without acacetin pretreatment during hypoxia. Our results show that acacetin significantly increased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and suppressed protein apoptosis of rat cardiomyocytes H9c2 cells following H/R injury. In addition, lentiviral infection of H9c2 cardiomyocytes revealed that acacetin pretreatment significantly enhanced the fluorescence intensity of autophagy proteins Beclin 1, LC3-II, and p62. These results indicate that acacetin protected H9c2 cardiomyocytes from H/R damage by enhancing autophagy. Moreover, we found that application of acacetin increased activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, whereas cotreatment with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 reversed the inhibition of apoptosis and autophagy induced by acacetin. In conclusion, acacetin mitigated H/R injury by promoting autophagy through activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.