Baicalin induced dendritic cell apoptosis in vitro

Immuno-modulatory role of baicalin in atherosclerosis prevention and treatment: current scenario and future directions

Atherosclerosis (AS) is recognized as a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by the accumulation of lipids and inflammatory cells within the damaged walls of arterial vessels. It is a significant independent risk factor for ischemic cardiovascular disease, ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. Despite the availability of current treatments such as statins, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, and lifestyle modifications for prevention, AS remains a leading cause of morbidity and economic burden worldwide. Thus, there is a pressing need for the development of new supplementary and alternative therapies or medications. Huangqin (Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. [SBG]), a traditional Chinese medicine, exerts a significant immunomodulatory effect in AS prevention and treatment, with baicalin being identified as one of the primary active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine. Baicalin offers a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including the regulation of immune balance, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and improvement of lipid metabolism dysregulation. Consequently, it exerts beneficial effects in both AS onset and progression. This review provides an overview of the immunomodulatory properties and mechanisms by which baicalin aids in AS prevention and treatment, highlighting its potential as a clinical translational therapy.

Combined use of phospholipid complexes and self-emulsifying microemulsions for improving the oral absorption of a BCS class IV compound, baicalin

The aim of this study was to develop a formulation to improve the oral absorption of baicalin (BA) by combining a phospholipid complex (PC) and self-emulsifying microemulsion drug delivery system (SMEDDS), termed BA–PC–SMEDDS. BA–PC was prepared by a solvent evaporation method and evaluated by complexation percentage (CP). The physicochemical properties of BA–PC were determined. The synergistic effect of PC and SMEDDS on permeation of BA was studied in vitro with Caco-2 cells and in situ with a single pass intestinal perfusion model. The improved bioavailability of BA in BA–PC–SMEDDS was confirmed in an in vivo rat model. The CP of BA–PC reached 100% when the molar ratio of drug to phospholipid (PP) was ≥1:1. The solubility of BA–PC increased in both water and octanol, and the log P_o/w of BA–PC was increased significantly. BA–PC–SMEDDS could be dispersed more evenly in water, compared to BA and BA–PC. Both the Caco-2 cell uptake and single-pass intestinal perfusion models illustrated that transport of BA in BA–PC was lower than that of free BA, while improved significantly in BA–PC–SMEDDS. The relative bioavailability of BA–PC(1:2)–SMEDDS was 220.37%. The combination system of PC and SMEDDS had a synergistic effect on improving the oral absorption of BA.

High glucose increases LPS-induced DC apoptosis through modulation of ERK1/2, AKT and Bax/Bcl-2

Background

This study investigates the effect of glucose on the LPS-induced apoptosis of dendritic cells in the intestinal tract of mice and the dendritic cell line DC2.4.

Methods

Flow cytometry was used to detect dendritic cell apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Hoechst 33258 staining was used to detect the morphological changes characteristic of apoptotic nuclei. Expression of apoptosis related proteins was investigated by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry.

Results

Pretreatment with a high concentration of glucose increased apoptosis of LPS-treated dendritic cells both in vivo and in vitro at 24 h. No effect was evident at the earlier time points of 15 min and 6 h in vitro. Furthermore, at 24 hours the expression of the survival proteins AKT, ERK and Bcl-2 was decreased, while the expression of the proapoptotic protein Bax was increased. AKT, ERK, Bcl-2 and Bax were mainly located in the cytoplasm by immunohistochemistry.

Conclusions

These results suggest that high glucose concentrations might prime dendritic cells for apoptosis induced by LPS in the intestinal tract through upregulating the expression of Bax and downregulating the expression of AKT, ERK and Bcl-2. Therefore, this study may give clues to understanding the immunological mechanism behind gastrointestinal complications in diabetes mellitus.

The 140-kD isoform of CD56 (NCAM1) directs the molecular pathogenesis of ischemic cardiomyopathy

Despite recent advances in understanding the relevance of cell adhesion-related signaling in the pathogenesis of ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) in animal models, substantial questions remain unanswered in the human setting. We have previously shown that the neural cell adhesion molecule CD56 [neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM1)] is specifically overexpressed in ICM; it was the aim of the current study to further elucidate the role of CD56 in the pathogenesis of human ICM. We used quantitative real-time PCR and IHC in human ICM and a rat model of coronary obstruction to demonstrate that CD56(140kD), the only extraneuronally expressed NCAM1 isoform with a cytoplasmic protein domain capable of inducing intracellular signaling, is the only up-regulated CD56 isoform in failing cardiomyocytes in human ICM in vivo. In subsequent analyses of the cellular effects of CD56(140kD) overexpression in the development of ICM using differential whole transcriptome expression analyses and functional in vitro cardiomyocyte cell culture assays, we further show that the up-regulation of CD56(140kD) is associated with profound gene expression changes, increased apoptosis, and reduced Ca(2+) signaling in failing human cardiomyocytes. Because apoptosis and Ca(2+)-related sarcomeric dysfunction are molecular hallmarks of ICM in humans, our results provide strong evidence that CD56(140kD) up-regulation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of ICM and may be a target for future immunotherapeutic strategies in the treatment of this common and often fatal disease.