Use of Anti-angiogenic Drugs Potentially Associated With an Increase on Serum AST, LDH, CK, and CK-MB Activities in Patients With Cancer: A Retrospective Study

Shuangshen ningxin formula attenuates cardiac microvascular ischemia/reperfusion injury through improving mitochondrial function

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Shuangshen Ningxin Formula (SSNX) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula used to treat myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). A randomized controlled trial previously showed that SSNX reduced cardiovascular events, and experiments have also verified that SSNX attenuated ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the mechanism of SSNX in the treatment of microvascular I/R injury is still unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To determine whether SSNX protects the microvasculature by regulating I/R induction in rats and whether this effect depends on the regulation of NR4A1/Mff/Drp1 pathway.

METHODS

The anterior descending coronary artery was ligated to establish a rat MIRI model with 45 min of ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion. The rats were subjected to a 7-day pretreatment with SSNX and nicorandil, after which their cardiac function and microvascular functional morphology were evaluated through diverse methods, including hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining, and transmission electron microscopy. Cell apoptosis was assessed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Additionally, serum levels of ET-1 and eNOS were determined through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression levels of NR4A1, Mff, and proteins related to mitochondrial fission were examined by Western blot (WB). Cardiac microcirculation endothelial cells (CMECs) were cultured and the oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model was duplicated. Following treatment with SSNX and DIM-C-pPhOH, an NR4A1 inhibitor, cell viability was assessed. Fluorescence was used to evaluate mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening. Moreover, vascular endothelial function was evaluated through transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER), Transwell assays and tube formation assays.

RESULTS

The results showed that SSNX reduced the infarction area and no-flow area, improved cardiac function, mitigated pathological alterations, increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression, protected endothelial function, and attenuated microvascular damage after I/R injury. I/R triggered mitochondrial fission and apoptotic signaling in CMECs, while SSNX restored mitochondrial fission to normal levels and inhibited mitochondrial apoptosis. A study using CMECs revealed that SSNX protected endothelial function after OGD/R, attenuating the increase in NR4A1/Mff/Drp1 protein and inactivating VDAC1, HK2, cytochrome c (cyt-c) and caspase-9. Research also shows that SSNX can affect CMEC cell migration and angiogenesis, reduce mitochondrial membrane potential damage, and inhibit membrane opening. Moreover, DIM-C-pPhOH, an NR4A1 inhibitor, partially imitated the effect of SSNX.

CONCLUSION

SSNX has a protective effect on the cardiac microvasculature by inhibiting the NR4A1/Mff/Drp1 pathway both in vivo and in vitro.

Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge total saponins ameliorate diabetic cardiomyopathy by modifying the PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α pathway to restore glycolytic metabolism

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) belongs to the category of "Xiaoke disease" according to the symptoms, and "stasis-heat" is the main pathogenesis of DCM. The Chinese medicine Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge (AAB), as a representative of heat-clearing and engendering fluid, is often used clinically in the treatment of DCM. Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge total saponins (RATS) are the main bioactive components of AAB, the modern pharmacologic effects of RATS are anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and cardioprotective. However, the potential protective mechanisms of RATS against DCM remain largely undiscovered.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The primary goal of this study was to explore the effect of RATS on DCM and its mechanism of action.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Streptozotocin and a high-fat diet were used to induce DCM in rats. UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS was used to determine the chemical components of RATS. The degenerative alterations and apoptotic cells in the heart were assessed by HE staining and TUNEL. Network pharmacology was used to anticipate the probable targets and important pathways of RATS. The alterations in metabolites and main metabolic pathways in heart tissue were discovered using 1 H-NMR metabolomics. Ultimately, immunohistochemistry was used to find critical pathway protein expression.

RESULTS

First of all, UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS analysis showed that RATS contained 11 active ingredients. In animal experiments, we found that RATS lowered blood glucose and lipid levels in DCM rats, and alleviated cardiac pathological damage, and decreased cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, the study found that RATS effectively reduced inflammatory factor release and the level of oxidative stress. Mechanistically, RATS downregulated the expression levels of PI3K, AKT, HIF-1α, LDHA, and GLUT4 proteins. Additionally, glycolysis was discovered to be a crucial pathway for RATS in the therapy of DCM.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the protective effect of RATS on DCM may be attributed to the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α pathway and the correction of glycolytic metabolism.

Quercetin inhibits the NOX2/ROS-mediated NF-κB/TXNIP signaling pathway to ameliorate pyroptosis of cardiomyocytes to relieve sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy

Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC) has high morbidity and mortality. Quercetin (QUE) has been used to treat many inflammatory diseases related to pyroptosis. However, its effect on SIC has not been reported before. We aimed to explore the therapeutic mechanism of QUE on SIC. We found that the expression levels of NOX2, markers of myocardial injury and inflammatory factors related to pyroptosis were upregulated in the serum of SIC patients. QUE improved the viability and reduced the death rate of LPS-treated H9C2 cells. It could downregulate the expression level of NOX2 and alleviate NOX2-induced mitochondrial damage to inhibit the ROS-mediated NF-κB/TXNIP pathway thus ameliorating cell pyroptosis. Overexpression of NOX2 partially attenuated the anti-pyroptotic effects of QUE on LPS-treated H9C2 cells in vitro. Besides, the results of animal experiments reported that the mitochondrial damage was reduced by QUE treatment, which subsequently inhibited the ROS-mediated NF-κB/TXNIP pathway to ameliorate cell pyroptosis to further alleviate myocardial injury in CLP-induced rats in vivo. To conclude, QUE suppressed the NOX2/ROS-mediated NF-κB/TXNIP signaling pathway to ameliorate pyroptosis of cardiomyocytes to relieve SIC.

Black Goji Berry (Lycium ruthenicum Murray): A Review of Its Pharmacological Activity

Lycium ruthenicum Murray (LRM; commonly known as black goji berry or black wolfberry), a plant in the Solanaceae family, grows in the deserts of China's Qinghai-Tibet plateau. LRM is widely consumed in traditional Chinese medicine, and its fruits are frequently used as herbal remedies to treat heart disease, fatigue, inflammation, and other conditions. Many studies have reported that LRM is rich in functional phytochemicals, such as anthocyanins and polysaccharides, and has various pharmacological actions. This article reviews research on the biological and pharmacological effects of the constituents of LRM fruits. LRM has various pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-radiation, immune-enhancing, anti-tumor, and protective effects. LRM has much promise as a dietary supplement for preventing many types of chronic metabolic disease.

Phenolics Extracted from Jasminum sambac Mitigates Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Modulating Oxidative Stress, Apoptotic Mediators and the Nfr-2/HO-1 Pathway in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder defined as hyperglycemia and pancreatic β-cell deterioration, leading to other complications such as cardiomyopathy. The current study assessed the therapeutic effects of phenolic acids extracted from Jasminum sambac phenols of leaves (JSP) against diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy in rats. The rats were divided into four groups, with each group consisting of 20 rats. The rats were given intraperitoneal injections of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg) to induce diabetes. The diabetes-induced groups (III and IV) received treatment for six weeks that included 250 and 500 mg/kg of JSP extract, respectively. In the treated rats, the results demonstrated that JSP extract restored fasting glucose, serum glucose, and hyperlipidemia. Alloxan induced cardiomyopathy, promoted oxidative stress, and altered cardiac function biomarkers, including cardiac troponin I, proBNP, CK-MB, LDH, and IMA. The JSP extract-treated rats showed improved cardiac function indicators, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. In diabetic rats, the mRNA expression of caspase-3, BAX, and Bcl-2 was significantly higher, while Bcl-2, Nrf-2, and HO-,1 was significantly lower. In the treated groups, the expression levels of the BAX, Nrf-2, HO-1, Caspase-3, and Bcl-2 genes were dramatically returned to normal level. According to our findings, the JSP extract prevented cardiomyopathy and heart failure in the hyperglycemic rats by improving cardiac biomarkers and lowering the levels of hyperlipidemia, oxidative stress, apoptosis, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia.

Ischemia reperfusion myocardium injuries in type 2 diabetic rats: Effects of ketamine and insulin on LC3-II and mTOR expression

Objectives: Myocardiopathy occurs in ischemia-induced injury caused by dysregulation of autophagy of cardiac tissues. The present report evaluates the protective effect of ketamine and insulin against myocardial injury in type 2 diabetic rats (T2DM).Methods: The effects of ketamine and its combination with insulin on biochemical parameters and inflammatory cytokines in the serum of I/R-induced myocardial injury in T2DM rats were evaluated. The parameters of reactive oxygen species and the expression of autophagosome signaling pathway proteins were also determined. Using transmission electron microscopy, we investigated autophagosomes. Western blots were used to detect autophagy-associated signaling pathways. Myocardial function was determined by echocardiography and histopathological changes in myocardial tissues were also determined in I/R-induced myocardial injury in type 2 diabetic rats.Results: There was a significant reduction in glucose, AST, LDH, and CK-MB levels and cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) in serum of the ketamine (p < .05) and ketamine + insulin (p < .01) groups than in the diabetic + I/R. MDA and ROS levels were reduced with a substantial (p < .05) increase in GSH levels through improved cardiac function in the ketamine (p < .05) and ketamine + insulin (p < .01) groups than the diabetic + I/R group. There was an increase in mature autophagosomes in diabetic+I/R+Kt+In compared to diabetic+I/R+Kt alone in infarction and marginal zones. It should be noted that the significant increase (p < .01) in protein levels of the autophagy-associated intracellular signaling pathways AMPK and mTOR, as well as an increase in LC3-II and BECLIN-1, suggests that ketamine combined with insulin-activated autophagy-associated intracellular signaling AMPK and mTOR.Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest that ketamine combined with insulin administration remarkably protects I/R-induced myocardial injury in rats with T2DM by reducing the dysregulation of autophagy.