Naringin regulates mitochondrial dynamics to protect against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity by activating the AMPK/Nrf2 signaling pathway in vitro

Empagliflozin impact on experimentally induced acetaminophen toxicity: Imprint of mitochondrial dynamics, biogenesis, and cGAS/STING signal in amending liver insult

Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the most clinically relevant medications associated with acute liver damage. A prolific deal of research validated the hepatoprotective effect of empagliflozin (EMPA); however, its effect on APAP-induced hepatotoxicity has still not been investigated. In this study, the prospective hepatoprotective impact of EMPA against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity was investigated. Twenty-eight Balb-C mice were assigned to four groups: control, APAP, EMPA10/APAP, and EMPA25/APAP. At the end of the experiment, serum hepatotoxicity biomarkers, MDA level, and GSH content were estimated. Hepatic mitofusin-2 (MFN2), optic atrophy 1 (OPA1), dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), and mitochondrial fission 1 protein (FIS1) were immunoassayed. PGC-1α, cGAS, and STING mRNA expression were assessed by real-time PCR. Histopathological changes and immunohistochemistry of INF-β, p-NF-κB, and iNOS were evaluated. APAP treatment caused significant hepatic functional impairment and increased hepatic MDA levels, as well as a concomitant decrease in GSH content. Marked elevation in Drp1 and FIS1 levels, INF-ß, p-NF-κB, and iNOS immunoreactivity, and reduction in MFN2 and OPA1 levels in the APAP-injected group, PGC-1α downregulation, and high expression of cGAS and STING were also documented. EMPA effectively ameliorated APAP-generated structural and functional changes in the liver, restored redox homeostasis and mitochondrial dynamics balance, and enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis, remarkably diminished hepatic expression of cGAS and STING, and elicited a reduction in hepatic inflammation. Moreover, the computational modeling data support the interaction of APAP with antioxidant system-related proteins as well as the interactions of EMPA against Drp1, cGAS, IKKA, and iNOS proteins. Our findings demonstrated for the first time that EMPA has an ameliorative impact against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity in mice via modulation of mitochondrial dynamics, biogenesis, and cGAS/STING-dependent inflammation. Thus, this study concluded that EMPA could be a promising therapeutic modality for acute liver toxicity.

Reactive Oxygen Species Responsive Multifunctional Fusion Extracellular Nanovesicles: Prospective Treatments for Acute Heart Transplant Rejection

Heart transplantation offers life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure; however, ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and subsequent immune responses remain significant challenges. Current therapies primarily target adaptive immunity, with limited options available for addressing IRI and innate immune activation. Although plant-derived vesicle-like nanoparticles show promise in managing diseases, their application in organ transplantation complications is unexplored. Here, this work develops a novel reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive multifunctional fusion extracellular nanovesicles carrying rapamycin (FNVs@RAPA) to address early IRI and Ly6C+Ly6G- inflammatory macrophage-mediated rejection in heart transplantation. The FNVs comprise Exocarpium Citri grandis-derived extracellular nanovesicles with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and mesenchymal stem cell membrane-derived nanovesicles expressing calreticulin with macrophage-targeting ability. A novel ROS-responsive bio-orthogonal chemistry approach facilitates the active targeting delivery of FNVs@RAPA to the heart graft site, effectively alleviating IRI and promoting the polarization of Ly6C+Ly6G- inflammatory macrophages toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Hence, FNVs@RAPA represents a promising therapeutic approach for mitigating early transplantation complications and immune rejection. The fusion-targeted delivery strategy offers superior heart graft site enrichment and macrophage-specific targeting, promising improved transplant outcomes.

Regulatory mechanism and therapeutic potentials of naringin against inflammatory disorders

Naringin is a natural flavonoid with therapeutic properties found in citrus fruits and an active natural product from herbal plants. Naringin has become a focus of attention in recent years because of its ability to actively participate in the body's immune response and maintain the integrity of the immune barrier. This review aims to elucidate the mechanism of action and therapeutic efficacy of naringin in various inflammatory diseases and to provide a valuable reference for further research in this field. The review provided the chemical structure, bioavailability, pharmacological properties, and pharmacokinetics of naringin and found that naringin has good therapeutic potential for inflammatory diseases, exerting anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidative stress, anti-ulcerative and detoxifying effects in the disease. Moreover, we found that the great advantage of naringin treatment is that it is safe and can even alleviate the toxic side effects associated with some of the other drugs, which may become a highlight of naringin research. Naringin, an active natural product, plays a significant role in systemic diseases' anti-inflammatory and antioxidant regulation through various signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms.

Progress of research on the role of active ingredients of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium in liver injury

BACKGROUND

Liver is a vital organ responsible for metabolizing and detoxifying both endogenous and exogenous substances in the body. However, it is susceptible to damage from chemical and natural toxins. The high incidence and mortality rates of liver disease and its associated complications impose a significant economic burden and survival pressure on patients and their families. Various liver diseases exist, including cholestasis, viral and non-viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, drug-induced liver injury, alcoholic liver injury, and severe end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCA). Recent research has shown that flavonoids found in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) have the potential to normalize blood glucose, cholesterol levels, and liver lipid levels. Additionally, these flavonoids exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, prevent oxidation and lipid peroxidation, and reduce liver toxicity, thereby preventing liver injury. Given these promising findings, it is essential to explore the potential of active components in CRP for developing new drugs to treat liver diseases.

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have revealed that flavonoids, including hesperidin (HD), hesperetin (HT), naringenin (NIN), nobiletin (NOB), naringin (NRG), tangerine (TN), and erodcyol (ED), are the primary bioactive components in CRP. These flavonoids exhibit various therapeutic effects on liver injury, including anti-oxidative stress, anti-cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrosis, and anti-tumor mechanisms. In this review, we have summarized the research progress on the hepatoprotective effects of HD, HT, NIN, NOB, NRG, TN, ED and limonene (LIM), highlighting their underlying molecular mechanisms. Despite their promising effects, the current clinical application of these active ingredients in CRP has some limitations. Therefore, further studies are needed to explore the full potential of these flavonoids and develop new therapeutic strategies for liver diseases.

METHODS

For this review, we conducted a systematic search of three databases (ScienceNet, PubMed, and Science Direct) up to July 2022, using the search terms "CRP active ingredient," "liver injury," and "flavonoids." The search data followed the PRISMA standard.

RESULTS

Our findings indicate that flavonoids found in CRP can effectively reduce drug-induced liver injury, alcoholic liver injury, and non-alcoholic liver injury. These therapeutic effects are mainly attributed to the ability of flavonoids to improve liver resistance to oxidative stress and inflammation while normalizing cholesterol and liver lipid levels by exhibiting anti-free radical and anti-lipid peroxidation properties.

CONCLUSION

Our review provides new insights into the potential of active components in CRP for preventing and treating liver injury by regulating various molecular targets within different cell signaling pathways. This information can aid in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for liver disease.

Naringin protects mice from D-galactose-induced lung aging and mitochondrial dysfunction: Implication of SIRT1 pathways

AIM

Aging is the leading risk factor for diminishing lung function, as well as injury and lung disorder. The target of our research was to examine the potential protective effect of naringin and the possible role of SIRT1 in mice with D-galactose-induced lung aging, by evaluating its effects on antioxidant systems, mitochondrial biogenesis, autophagy, and apoptosis, by referring to the potential involvement of Nrf2/NQO1, LKB1/AMPK/PGC-1α, FOXO1, and P53/caspase-3 signaling.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The mice were randomly sorted into 5 groups (10 each): 1st^: normal group received subcutaneous normal saline and intragastric distilled water, 2nd^: naringin 300 mg/kg orally, 3rd^: D-galactose (200 mg/kg/day) was administered subcutaneously into mice for eight weeks, to accelerate aging, 4th & 5th: oral naringin (150, 300 mg/kg) was given daily concurrently with D-galactose injection for 8 weeks.

KEY FINDING

In silico investigation revealed that naringin substantially stimulates the SIRT1 and AMPK molecules. At the molecular level, our findings indicated that treatment with naringin stimulated the mitochondrial biogenesis pathway through regulation of the LKB1/AMPK/PGC-1α signals and upregulated FOXO1-mediated autophagy. Furthermore, naringin exhibited antioxidant properties by activating the Nrf2/NQO1 pathway and inhibiting MDA and AGEs levels. In addition, Naringin ameliorated alveolar spaces destruction and bronchial wall thickening, as well as alleviated P53/caspase-3 apoptosis signaling.

SIGNIFICANCE

Naringin exerts protective effects against D-galactose-induced lung aging and enhances longevity by activating SIRT1. SIRT1 regulates various aging-related molecular pathways via restoring pro-oxidant/antioxidant homeostasis, activation of mitochondrial biogenesis, modulating of autophagy and inhibition of apoptosis.