Magnolol protects against acute gastrointestinal injury in sepsis by down-regulating regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted

Efficient synthesis of novel colchicine-magnolol hybrids and evaluation of their inhibitory activity on key proteases of 2019-nCoV replication and acute lung injury

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or 2019-nCoV), is a life-threatening infectious condition. Acute lung injury is a common complication in patients with COVID-19. 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) of 2019-nCoV and neutrophil elastase are critical targets of COVID-19 and acute lung injury, respectively. Colchicine and magnolol are reported to exert inhibitory effects on inflammatory response, the severe comorbidity in both COVID-19 and acute lung injury. We thus designed and synthesized a series of novel colchicine-magnolol hybrids based on a two-step synthetic sequence. It was found that these novel hybrids provided unexpected inhibition on 3CLpro and neutrophil elastase, a bioactivity that colchicine and magnolol did not possess. These findings not only provide perquisites for further in vitro and in vivo investigation to confirm the therapeutic potentiality of novel colchicine-magnolol hybrids, but also suggest that the concurrent inhibition of 3CLpro and neutrophil elastase may enable novel colchicine-magnolol hybrids as effective multi-target drug compounds.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation to Decipher the Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Magnolol on LPS-induced RAW264.7 Cells

INTRODUCTION

Magnolol is beneficial against inflammation-mediated damage. However, the underlying mechanisms by which magnolol exerts anti-inflammatory effects on macrophages remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, network pharmacology and experimental validation were used to assess the effect of magnolol on inflammation caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW264.7 cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Genes related to magnolol were identified in the PubChem and Swiss Target Prediction databases, and gene information about macrophage polarization was retrieved from the GeneCards, OMIM, and PharmGKB databases. Analysis of protein-protein interactions was performed with STRING, and Cytoscape was used to construct a component-target-disease network. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed to ascertain significant molecular biological processes and signaling pathways. LPS was used to construct the inflammatory cell model. ELISA and qRT.PCR were used to examine the expression levels of inflammationassociated factors, immunofluorescence was used to examine macrophage markers (CD86 and CD206), and western blotting was used to examine protein expression levels.

RESULTS

The hub target genes of magnolol that act on macrophage polarization were MDM2, MMP9, IL-6, TNF, EGFR, AKT1, and ERBB2. The experimental validation results showed that magnolol treatment decreased the levels of proinflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6). Moreover, the levels of anti-inflammatory factors (IL-10 and IL-4) were increased. In addition, magnolol upregulated the expression of M2 markers (Agr-1, Fizzl, and CD206) and downregulated M1 markers (CD86). The cell experiment results supported the network pharmacological results and demonstrated that magnolol alleviated inflammation by modulating the PI3k-Akt and P62/keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

According to network pharmacology and experimental validation, magnolol attenuated inflammation in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells mainly by inhibiting M1 polarization and enhancing M2 polarization by activating the PI3K/Akt and P62/keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathways.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel colchicine-magnolol hybrid for inhibiting the growth of Lewis lung carcinoma in Vitro and in Vivo

Colchicine is a bioactive alkaloid originally from Colchicum autumnale and possesses excellent antiproliferative activity. However, colchicine-associated severe toxicity, gastrointestinal side effects in particular, limits its further therapeutic use. In the current study, we thus designed and synthesized a novel hybrid (CMH) by splicing colchicine and magnolol, a multifunctional polyphenol showing favorable gastrointestinal protection. The antitumor activity of CMH in Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) was then evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Biologically, CMH inhibited the growth of LLC cells with an IC₅₀ of 0.26 μM, 100 times more potently than cisplatin (26.05 μM) did. Meanwhile, the cytotoxicity of CMH was 10-fold lower than that of colchicine in normal human lung cells (BEAS-2B). In C57BL/6 mice xenograft model, CMH (0.5 mg/kg) worked as efficacious as colchicine (0.5 mg/kg) to inhibit tumor growth and 2 times more potently than cisplatin (1 mg/kg). In terms of mortality, 7 out of 10 mice died in colchicine group (0.75 mg/kg), while no death was observed in groups receiving CMH or cisplatin at 0.75 mg/kg. Mechanistic studies using Western blot revealed that CMH dose-dependently suppressed the protein expression of phosphorylated ERK. Molecular docking analysis further indicated that CMH was well fitted in the colchicine binding site of tubulin and formed several hydrogen bonds with tubulin protein. These results enable our novel hybrid CMH as a potential antineoplastic agent with lower toxicity, and provide perquisites for further investigation to confirm the therapeutic potentiality of this novel hybrid.

Extracts Prepared from Feed Supplements Containing Wood Lignans Improve Intestinal Health by Strengthening Barrier Integrity and Reducing Inflammation

Lignans are known to exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities, indicating their potential as constituents of feed supplements. This study investigated two extracts derived from the feed supplements ‘ROI’ and ‘Protect’—which contain the wood lignans magnolol and honokiol (‘ROI’), or soluble tannins additional to the aforementioned lignans (‘Protect’)—and their impact on selected parameters of intestinal functionality. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the extracts were determined by measuring their effects on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in vitro. The impact on intestinal barrier integrity was evaluated in Caco-2 cells and Drosophila melanogaster by examining leaky gut formation. Furthermore, a feeding trial using infected piglets was conducted to study the impact on the levels of superoxide dismutase, glutathione and lipid peroxidation. The Protect extract lowered ROS production in Caco-2 cells and reversed the stress-induced weakening of barrier integrity. The ROI extract inhibited the expression or secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Moreover, the ROI extract decreased leaky gut formation and mortality rates in Drosophila melanogaster. Dietary supplementation with Protect improved the antioxidant status and barrier integrity of the intestines of infected piglets. In conclusion, wood lignan-enriched feed supplements are valuable tools that support intestinal health by exerting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and barrier-strengthening effects.

Effects of Shenling Chengqi Decoction on Gastrointestinal Function and Immune Status of Patients with Gastrointestinal Injury in Severe Sepsis

Objective

To investigate the effects of Shenling Chengqi decoction combined with routine treatment on gastrointestinal function and immune status of patients with gastrointestinal injury in severe sepsis.

Methods

160 patients with sepsis were randomly divided into a control group (n = 80) and observation group (n = 80). The control group was given routine treatment such as anti-infection and vasoactive drugs. The observation group was treated with Shenling Chengqi decoction on the basis of routine treatment for 7 days. The improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms, nutritional status, gastrointestinal dynamics, inflammatory response, and immune function was observed before and after treatment. The outcome indicators were evaluation of gastrointestinal symptoms, evaluation of disease severity, nutritional status, gastrointestinal dynamic indexes, inflammatory indexes, and immune function indexes. SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used for data processing. The paired t-test was used for comparison before and after treatment.

Results

Compared with the control group, the disappearance time of reflux, vomiting, and recovery time of bowel sounds in the observation group were significantly shorter (P < 0.05), and the number of defecation per day was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). After 3 and 7 days of treatment, the APACHE II score, SIRS score, serum gas, IgA, IgM, serum hs-CRP, TNF, and PCT of the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05), and the scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The levels of SS and MOT were significantly higher than those before treatment (P < 0.05). After 7 days of treatment, the levels of serum Hb, ALB, and PA in the two groups were significantly higher than those before treatment (P < 0.05), and the nutritional status in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Shenling Chengqi decoction can effectively improve gastrointestinal symptoms, nutritional status, and gastrointestinal dynamics in patients with sepsis. It has high safety and is worthy of clinical promotion.