Exploration of the Effect and Mechanism of Fructus Lycii, Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, and Paeonia lactiflora in the Treatment of AMD Based on Network Pharmacology and in vitro Experimental Verification

The Medicinal Species of the Lycium Genus (Goji Berries) in East Asia: A Review of Its Effect on Cell Signal Transduction Pathways

Natural plants contain numerous chemical compounds that are beneficial to human health. The berries from the Lycium genus are widely consumed and are highly nutritious. Moreover, their chemical constituents have attracted attention for their health-promoting properties. In East Asia, there are three varieties of the Lycium genus (Lycium barbarum L., Lycium chinense Miller, and L. ruthenicum Murray) that possess medicinal value and are commonly used for treating chronic diseases and improving metabolic disorders. These varieties are locally referred to as "red Goji berries" or "black Goji berries" due to their distinct colors, and they differ in their chemical compositions, primarily in terms of carotenoid and anthocyanin content. The pharmacological functions of these berries include anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-exercise fatigue effects. This review aims to analyze previous and recent studies on the active ingredients and pharmacological activities of these Lycium varieties, elucidating their signaling pathways and assessing their impact on the gut microbiota. Furthermore, the potential prospects for using these active ingredients in the treatment of COVID-19 are evaluated. This review explores the potential targets of these Lycium varieties in the treatment of relevant diseases, highlighting their potential value in drug development.

Potential application of traditional Chinese medicine in age-related macular degeneration-focusing on mitophagy

Retinal pigment epithelial cell and neuroretinal damage in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can lead to serious visual impairments and blindness. Studies have shown that mitophagy, a highly specialized cellular degradation system, is implicated in the pathogenesis of AMD. Mitophagy selectively eliminates impaired or non-functioning mitochondria via several pathways, such as the phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced kinase 1/Parkin, BCL2-interacting protein 3 and NIP3-like protein X, FUN14 domain-containing 1, and AMP-activated protein kinase pathways. This has a major impact on the maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis. Therefore, the regulation of mitophagy could be a promising therapeutic strategy for AMD. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) uses natural products that could potentially prevent and treat various diseases, such as AMD. This review aims to summarize recent findings on mitophagy regulation pathways and the latest progress in AMD treatment targeting mitophagy, emphasizing methods involving TCM.

Progress of research into the pharmacological effect and clinical application of the traditional Chinese medicine Rehmanniae Radix

The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Rehmanniae Radix (RR) refers to the fresh or dried root tuber of the plant Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch of the family Scrophulariaceae. As a traditional Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), it possesses multiple effects, including analgesia, sedation, anti-inflammation, antioxidation, anti-tumor, immunomodulation, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular regulation, and nerve damage repair, and it has been widely used in clinical practice. In recent years, scientists have extensively studied the active components and pharmacological effects of RR. Active ingredients mainly include iridoid glycosides (such as catalpol and aucuboside), phenylpropanoid glycosides (such as acteoside), other saccharides, and unsaturated fatty acids. In addition, the Chinese patent medicine (CPM) and Chinese decoction related to RR have also become major research subjects for TCM practitioners; one example is the Bolus of Six Drugs, which includes Rehmannia, Lily Bulb and Rehmannia Decoction, and Siwu Decoction. This article reviews recent literature on RR; summarizes the studies on its chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and clinical applications; and analyzes the progress and limitations of current investigations to provide reference for further exploration and development of RR.

Integrated network pharmacology and experimental validation to explore the potential pharmacological mechanism of Qihuang Granule and its main ingredients in regulating ferroptosis in AMD

BACKGROUND

Qihuang Granule (QHG) is a traditional prescription  that has exhibited potential in safeguarding against age-related maculopathy (AMD). Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) and Fructus lycii (FL) are the main components of QHG. Ferroptosis, a newly discovered, iron-dependent, regulated cell death pathway, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AMD. This study delves into the intricate mechanism by which SM/FL and QHG confer protection against AMD by modulating the ferroptosis pathway, employing a combination of network pharmacology and experimental validation.

METHODS

Bioactive compounds and potential targets of SM and FL were gathered from databases such as TCMSP, GeneCard, OMIM, and FerrDb, along with AMD-related genes and key genes responsible for ferroptosis regulation. Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were performed to discover the potential mechanism. The construction of an interaction network involving AMD, ferroptosis, SM/FL potential target genes was facilitated by the STRING database and realized using Cytoscape software. Subsequent validation was accomplished through molecular docking and in vitro cell experiments.

RESULTS

Noteworthy active compounds including quercetin, tanshinone IIA, luteolin, cryptotanshinone, and hub targets such as HIF-1α, EGFR, IL6, and VEGFA were identified. KEGG enrichment unveiled the HIF-1 signalling pathway as profoundly enriched, and IL6 and VEGF were involved. The molecular docking revealed the significant active compounds with hub genes and quercetin showed good binding to HIF-1α, which is involved in inflammation and angiogenesis. Experimental results verified that both herbs and QHG could regulate key ferroptosis-related targets in the retinal pigment epithelium and inhibit the expression of HIF-1α, VEGFA, and IL-6, subsequently increase cell viability and decrease the ROS content induced by H2O2.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the molecular mechanism through which SM/FL and QHG protect against AMD and emerges as a plausible mechanism underlying this protection.

Curcumol suppresses endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition via inhibiting the AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway and alleviates pulmonary arterial hypertension in rats

Endothelial dysfunction is essential in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) pathogenesis and is considered to be a therapeutic target of PAH. Curcumol is a bioactive sesquiterpenoid with pharmacological properties including restoring endothelial cells damage. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of curcumol on PAH rats and investigate its possible mechanisms. PAH was induced by subcutaneous injection of 60 mg/kg monocrotaline (MCT) in male Sprague Dawley rats. Curcumol (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg/day) were administered by intragastric administration for 3 weeks. The results demonstrated that curcumol dose-dependently alleviated MCT-induced right ventricular hypertrophy and pulmonary arterial wall thickness. In addition, endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) in the pulmonary arteries of MCT-challenged rats was inhibited after curcumol treatment, as evidenced by the restored expressions of endothelial and myofibroblast markers. The possible pharmacological mechanisms of curcumol were analyzed using network pharmacology. After screening the common therapeutic targets of PAH and curcumol by searching related databases and comparison, pathway enrichment was performed and AKT/GSK3β was screened out as a possible signaling pathway which was relevant to the therapeutic mechanism of curcumol on PAH. Western blot analysis verified this in lung tissues. Moreover, combination of TNF-α, TGF-β1 and IL-1β-induced EndMT in primary rat pulmonary arterial endothelial cells were blocked by curcumol, and this effect was resembled by PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002. Above all, our study suggested that curcumol inhibited EndMT via inhibiting the AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway, which may contribute to its alleviated effect on PAH. Curcumol may be developed as a therapeutic for PAH in the future.

Ming-Mu-Di-Huang-Pill Activates SQSTM1 via AMPK-Mediated Autophagic KEAP1 Degradation and Protects RPE Cells from Oxidative Damage

Oxidative stress and diminished autophagy in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Enhancing autophagy has recently been identified as an important strategy to protect RPE cells from oxidative damage. Ming-Mu-Di-Huang-Pill (MMDH pill) is a traditional herbal medicine used to treat AMD, and its molecular mechanism is not well understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the MMDH pill relieved acute oxidative damage by activating autophagy in an in vitro and in vivo model of sodium iodate (NaIO3). The results showed that NaIO3 induced cell death and inhibited proliferation. The MMDH pill increased cell viability, restored the activities of antioxidant enzymes, and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) fluorescence intensity. The MMDH pill mediated Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) degradation and decreased oxidative damage, which was blocked in autophagy inhibitor (chloroquine) or sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1) siRNA-treated RPE cells. Furthermore, we indicated that the MMDH pill could promote adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and autophagy adaptor-SQSTM1 expression, which could stimulate autophagic degradation of Keap1. In addition, the MMDH pill increased nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation in a SQSTM1-dependent manner and induced the expression of the downstream antioxidant factors heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1). In conclusion, MMDH pill plays a protective role in relieving NaIO3-induced oxidative stress by activating the AMPK/SQSTM1/Keap1 pathway. The MMDH pill may be useful to treat AMD by maintaining redox homeostasis and autophagy.