Efficacy and Mechanism of Qianshan Huoxue Gao in Acute Coronary Syndrome via Regulation of Intestinal Flora and Metabolites

Eubacterium siraeum suppresses fat deposition via decreasing the tyrosine-mediated PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in high-fat diet-induced obesity

BACKGROUND

Obesity in humans can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Similarly, subcutaneous fat (SCF) in pigs affects feed utilization, and excessive SCF can reduce the feed efficiency of pigs. Therefore, identifying factors that suppress fat deposition is particularly important. Numerous studies have implicated the gut microbiome in pigs' fat deposition, but research into its suppression remains scarce. The Lulai black pig (LL) is a hybrid breed derived from the Laiwu pig (LW) and the Yorkshire pig, with lower levels of SCF compared to the LW. In this study, we focused on these breeds to identify microbiota that regulate fat deposition. The key questions were: Which microbial populations reduce fat in LL pigs compared to LW pigs, and what is the underlying regulatory mechanism?

RESULTS

In this study, we identified four different microbial strains, Eubacterium siraeum, Treponema bryantii, Clostridium sp. CAG:413, and Jeotgalibaca dankookensis, prevalent in both LW and LL pigs. Blood metabolome analysis revealed 49 differential metabolites, including tanshinone IIA and royal jelly acid, known for their anti-adipogenic properties. E. siraeum was strongly correlated with these metabolites, and its genes and metabolites were enriched in pathways linked to fatty acid degradation, glycerophospholipid, and glycerolipid metabolism. In vivo mouse experiments confirmed that E. siraeum metabolites curb weight gain, reduce SCF adipocyte size, increase the number of brown adipocytes, and regulate leptin, IL-6, and insulin secretion. Finally, we found that one important pathway through which E. siraeum inhibits fat deposition is by suppressing the phosphorylation of key proteins in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway through the reduction of tyrosine.

CONCLUSIONS

We compared LW and LL pigs using fecal metagenomics, metabolomics, and blood metabolomics, identifying E. siraeum as a strain linked to fat deposition. Oral administration experiments in mice demonstrated that E. siraeum effectively inhibits fat accumulation, primarily through the suppression of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, a critical regulator of lipid metabolism. These findings provide a valuable theoretical basis for improving pork quality and offer insights relevant to the study of human obesity and related chronic metabolic diseases. Video Abstract.

Lysophosphatidylcholine trigger myocardial injury in diabetic cardiomyopathy via the TLR4/ZNF480/AP-1/NF-kB pathway

Background

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DC), a frequent complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is mainly associated with severe adverse outcomes. Previous research has highlighted the role of Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in inducing myocardial injury; however, the specific mechanisms through which LPC mediate such injury in DC remain elusive. The existing knowledge gap underscores the need for additional clarification. Consequently, this study aimed to explore the impact and underlying mechanisms of LPC on myocardial injury in DC.

Methods

A total of 55 patients diagnosed with T2DM and 62 healthy controls were involved. A combination of 16s rRNA sequencing, metabolomic analysis, transcriptomic RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), and whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed on fecal and peripheral blood samples collected from the participants. Following this, correlation analysis was carried out, and the results were further validated through the mouse model of T2DM.

Results

Four LPC variants distinguishing T2DM patients from healthy controls were identified, all of which were upregulated in T2DM patients. Specifically, Lysopc (16:0, 2 N isoform) and LPC (16:0) exhibited a positive correlation with nuclear factor kappa B subunit 2 (NFKB2) and a negative correlation with Zinc finger protein 480 (ZNF480) Furthermore, the expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), c-Jun, c-Fos, and NFKB2 were upregulated in the peripheral blood of T2DM patients and in the myocardial tissue of T2DM mice, whereas ZNF480 expression level was downregulated. Lastly, myocardial injury was identified in T2DM mice.

Conclusions

The results indicated that LPC could induce myocardial injury in DC through the TLR4/ZNF480/AP-1/NF-kB pathway, providing a precise target for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of DC.

The Role of Gut Microbiota in Thromboangiitis Obliterans: Cohort and Mendelian Randomization Study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO), also known as Buerger's disease, is a rare vasculitis. Observational epidemiology studies have suggested a relationship between the gut microbiota and TAO. However, due to confounding factors and reverse causality, the causal relationship remains unclear. Based on the assumption of their association, this study sought specific gut microbiota causally linked to TAO.

METHODS

The case-control study was conducted at the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from November 2022 to January 2023 including twelve TAO patients and nine healthy controls. We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study using summary statistics from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of gut microbiota and TAO. Considering the scale and accessibility of the data, the MiBioGen consortium served as the exposure, whereas the FinnGen consortium GWAS study served as the outcome. Finally, we compared the results of the MR with those of the case-control studies.

RESULTS

The inverse variance weighted (IVW) (OR = 0.119, 95% CI: 0.021-0.688, p = 0.017) and maximum likelihood (ML) (OR = 0.121, 95% CI: 0.020-0.742, p = 0.022) estimates suggest that Ruminiclostridium 5 has a suggestive protective effect on TAO while the IVW (OR = 5.383, 95% CI: 1.128-25.693, p = 0.035) and ML (OR = 5.658, 95% CI: 1.142-28.021, p = 0.034) estimates suggest that Eubacterium (xylanophilum group) has a suggestive risk effect on TAO, and the ML (OR = 0.055, 95% CI: 0.004-0.755, p = 0.030) estimates suggest that Lachnospira has a suggestive protective effect on TAO. No significant heterogeneity of instrumental variables or horizontal pleiotropy was found. The results of the case-control study showed that the TAO had a lower relative abundance of Ruminiclostridium 5 (p = 0.015) and Lachnospira (p = 0.048), and a higher relative abundance of Eubacterium (xylanophilum group) (p = 0.029) than the healthy controls. These results were consistent with the MR analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates that Ruminiclostridium 5, Lachnospira, and Eubacterium (xylanophilum group) are causally related to TAO, suggesting their potential significance for the prevention and treatment of TAO.

Propolis Alleviates Acute Lung Injury Induced by Heat-Inactivated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus via Regulating Inflammatory Mediators, Gut Microbiota and Serum Metabolites

Propolis has potential anti-inflammatory properties, but little is known about its efficacy against inflammatory reactions caused by drug-resistant bacteria, and the difference in efficacy between propolis and tree gum is also unclear. Here, an in vivo study was performed to study the effects of ethanol extract from poplar propolis (EEP) and poplar tree gum (EEG) against heat-inactivated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. Pre-treatment with EEP and EEG (100 mg/kg, p.o.) resulted in significant protective effects on ALI in mice, and EEP exerted stronger activity to alleviate lung tissue lesions and ALI scores compared with that of EEG. Furthermore, EEP significantly suppressed the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators in the lung, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that both EEP and EEG could modulate the composition of the gut microbiota, enhance the abundance of beneficial microbiota and reduce the harmful ones, and partly restore the levels of short-chain fatty acids. EEP could modulate more serum metabolites and showed a more robust correlation between serum metabolites and gut microbiota. Overall, these results support the anti-inflammatory effects of propolis in the treatment of ALI, and the necessity of the quality control of propolis.

Lactobacillus plantarum attenuates glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis by altering the composition of rat gut microbiota and serum metabolic profile

Introduction

Osteoporosis, one of the most common non-communicable human diseases worldwide, is one of the most prevalent disease of the adult skeleton. Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis(GIOP) is the foremost form of secondary osteoporosis, extensively researched due to its prevalence.Probiotics constitute a primary bioactive component within numerous foods, offering promise as a potential biological intervention for preventing and treating osteoporosis. This study aimed to evaluate the beneficial effects of the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum on bone health and its underlying mechanisms in a rat model of glucocorticoid dexamethasone-induced osteoporosis, using the osteoporosis treatment drug alendronate as a reference.

Methods

We examined the bone microstructure (Micro-CT and HE staining) and analyzed the gut microbiome and serum metabolome in rats.

Results and discussion

The results revealed that L. plantarum treatment significantly restored parameters of bone microstructure, with elevated bone density, increased number and thickness of trabeculae, and decreased Tb.Sp. Gut microbiota sequencing results showed that probiotic treatment increased gut microbial diversity and the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidota decreased. Beneficial bacteria abundance was significantly increased (Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Ruminococcus, UCG_005, Romboutsia, and Christensenellaceae_R_7_group), and harmful bacteria abundance was significantly decreased (Desulfovibrionaceae). According to the results of serum metabolomics, significant changes in serum metabolites occurred in different groups. These differential metabolites were predominantly enriched within the pathways of Pentose and Glucuronate Interconversions, as well as Propanoate Metabolism. Furthermore, treatment of L. plantarum significantly increased serum levels of Pyrazine and gamma-Glutamylcysteine, which were associated with inhibition of osteoclast formation and promoting osteoblast formation. Lactobacillus plantarum can protect rats from DEX-induced GIOP by mediating the "gut microbial-bone axis" promoting the production of beneficial bacteria and metabolites. Therefore L. plantarum is a potential candidate for the treatment of GIOP.

Gut microbiota contribute to Methamphetamine-induced cardiotoxicity in mouse model

Methamphetamine (METH) is a psychotropic drug known to cause cardiotoxicity. The gut-heart axis is emerging as an important pathway linking gut microbiota to cardiovascular disease, but the precise association between METH-induced cardiotoxicity and gut microbiota has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we established an escalating dose-multiple METH administration model in male BALB/c mice, examined cardiac injury and gut microbiota, and investigated the contribution of gut microbiota to cardiotoxicity induced by METH. Additionally, we treated mice with antibiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to assess the impact of gut microbiota on cardiotoxicity. Our results showed that METH exposure altered the p53 and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways and modulated the apoptosis pathway in heart tissue, accompanied by elevated levels of Bax/BCL-2 expression and cleaved caspase-3 proteins. METH exposure increased the diversity and richness of gut microbiota, and significantly changed the microbial community composition, accompanied by elevated abundance of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and decreased abundance of Bacteroides, norank_f_Muribaculaceae and Alistipes. Eliminating gut microbiota by antibiotics treatment alleviated METH-induced cardiotoxicity, while FMT treatment transferred similar cardiac injury manifestations from METH-exposed mice to healthy recipient mice. Our study unveils the crucial involvement of gut microbiota in the development of cardiotoxicity induced by METH and provides potential strategies for treating cardiac complications caused by METH.