Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. (Danshen) for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Clinical Evidence and Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy for Developing Supplementary Medical Application

Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of sepsis: Identifying key aging-related biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of sepsis

BACKGROUND

Sepsis remains a crucial global health issue characterized by high mortality rates and a lack of specific treatments. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying sepsis and to identify potential therapeutic targets and compounds.

METHODS

High-throughput sequencing data from the GEO database (GSE26440 as the training set and GSE13904 and GSE32707 as the validation sets), weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, alongside a combination of PPI and machine learning methods (LASSO and SVM) were utilized.

RESULTS

WGCNA identified the black module as positively correlated, and the green module as negatively correlated with sepsis. Further intersections of these module genes with age-related genes yielded 57 sepsis-related genes. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, PPI, LASSO, and SVM selected six hub aging-related genes: BCL6, FOS, ETS1, ETS2, MAPK14, and MYC. A diagnostic model was constructed based on these six core genes, presenting commendable performance in both the training and validation sets. Notably, ETS1 demonstrated significant differential expression between mild and severe sepsis, indicating its potential as a biomarker of severity. Furthermore, immune infiltration analysis of these six core genes revealed their correlation with most immune cells and immune-related pathways. Additionally, compounds were identified in the traditional Chinese medicine Danshen, which upon further analysis, revealed 354 potential target proteins. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of these targets indicated a primary enrichment in inflammation and immune-related pathways. A Venn diagram intersects these target proteins, and our aforementioned six core genes yielded three common genes, suggesting the potential efficacy of Danshen in sepsis treatment through these genes.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the pivotal roles of age-related genes in the molecular mechanisms of sepsis, offers potential biomarkers, and identifies promising therapeutic compounds, laying a robust foundation for future studies on the treatment of sepsis.

Li-Hong Tang alleviates dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis by regulating NRF2/HO-1 signaling pathway and gut microbiota

Introduction

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is marked by recurring inflammation. Existing treatments are ineffective and may have toxic side effects. Thus, new therapeutic agents are urgently needed. We studied the botanical formula "Li-Hong Tang (LHT)", which contains two main ingredients, Salvia plebeia R. Br and Rhodiola crenulata (Hook. f. et Thoms.) H. Ohba. In this study, we aimed to identify the effects of LHT on UC and explore its potential mechanism.

Methods

LHT was analyzed using a mass spectrometer (MS). DSS at a dose of 2.5% was utilized to develop UC in mice. The administered groups received low, medium, and high dosages (0.32 g/kg, 0.64 g/kg, and 1.28 g/kg) of LHT and the positive medication, sulfasalazine (0.2 g/kg), respectively. Body weight, disease activity index (DAI) score, colon length, spleen index, serum myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and inflammatory factor concentrations were monitored. The expression of NRF2 and HO-1 in colonic tissues was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. 16S rDNA sequencing was employed to investigate alterations in the gut microbiota of the mice, aiming to elucidate the extent of LHT's impact.

Results

LHT may ameliorate DSS-induced colitis in mice by lowering inflammation, reducing oxidative stress, restoring the intestinal barrier, and influencing the NRF2/HO-1 pathway. Moreover, LHT treatment exhibited a regulatory effect on the gut microbiota, characterized by elevated levels of Patescibacteria, Verrucomicrobiota, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, Lactobacillus, and Ligilactobacillus levels while decreasing Oscillibacter and Colidextribacter levels. Further study indicated that MPO, NO, and inflammatory factors were positively correlated with Oscillibacter, Colidextribacter, Escherichia-Shigella, Anaerostines, and negatively with Lactobacillus, Clostridiales_unclassified, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, and Patescibacteria. Furthermore, colony network analysis revealed that Lactobacillus was negatively associated with Oscillibacter and Colidextribacter, whereas Oscillibacter was positively related to Colidextribacter.

Conclusion

LHT protects against DSS-induced mice by inhibiting the inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and mucosal injury. The protective role may involve regulating the NRF2/HO-1 signaling pathway and gut microbiota.

5S-Heudelotinone alleviates experimental colitis by shaping the immune system and enhancing the intestinal barrier in a gut microbiota-dependent manner

Aberrant changes in the gut microbiota are implicated in many diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Gut microbes produce diverse metabolites that can shape the immune system and impact the intestinal barrier integrity, indicating that microbe-mediated modulation may be a promising strategy for preventing and treating IBD. Although fecal microbiota transplantation and probiotic supplementation are well-established IBD therapies, novel chemical agents that are safe and exert strong effects on the gut microbiota are urgently needed. Herein, we report the total synthesis of heudelotinone and the discovery of 5S-heudelotinone (an enantiomer) as a potent agent against experimental colitis that acts by modulating the gut microbiota. 5S-Heudelotinone alters the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota and increases the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs); thus, it regulates the intestinal immune system by reducing proinflammatory immune cell numbers, and maintains intestinal mucosal integrity by modulating tight junctions (TJs). Moreover, 5S-heudelotinone (2) ameliorates colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) in an azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced in situ carcinoma model. Together, these findings reveal the potential of a novel natural product, namely, 5S-heudelotinone, to control intestinal inflammation and highlight that this product is a safe and effective candidate for the treatment of IBD and CAC.

Exploring the chemical components of Kuanchang-Shu granule and its protective effects of postoperative ileus in rats by regulating AKT/HSP90AA1/eNOS pathway

BACKGROUND

Postoperative ileus (POI) is a common obstruction of intestinal content passage caused by almost all abdominal operations that seriously strokes the quality of life of patients. Kuanchang-Shu granule (KCSG), a classic modified prescription based on "Da-Cheng-Qi Decoction", has obtained satisfactory efficacy in the clinical therapeutics of POI. However, its material basis and holistic molecular mechanism against POI have not been revealed.

METHODS

The chemical ingredients of KCSG were first characterized by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). Subsequently, an integration strategy of the network pharmacology and molecular docking based on above identified ingredients was performed to unveil the potential targets involved in the treatment of KCSG on POI. Finally, intestinal manipulation induced rat POI model was constructed to verify the efficacy and predicted mechanism of KCSG against POI.

RESULTS

In total, 246 ingredients mainly including organic acids, flavonoids, quinones, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids and phenols were identified. 41 essential ingredients, 24 crucial targets as well as 15 relevant signaling pathways were acquired based on network pharmacology analysis. Pharmacodynamic research showed that KCSG treatment could protect intestinal histological damage, promote the recovery of measurement of gastrointestinal transit disorder and inhibit the secretion of myeloperoxidase in the distal ileum tissues. The up-regulated expression of p-AKT and down-regulated expression of p-eNOS and HSP9OAA1 predicted by molecular docking and validated by western blotting showed that AKT/eNOS/HSP90AA1 pathway may be one of the crucial mechanisms that mediates the protective effect of KCSG.

Role of macrophage-to-myofibroblast transition in chronic liver injury and liver fibrosis

BACKGROUND

Chronic liver injury contributes to liver fibrosis, which is characterized by the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. ECM is mainly composed of myofibroblasts. Recently, macrophage-to-myofibroblasts transition (MMT), has been identified as a novel origin for myofibroblasts. However, the potential functions of MMT in chronic liver injury and liver fibrosis remain unknown.

METHODS

To clarify the transformation of fibrotic cells in hepatic fibrosis, liver specimens were collected from people at different stages in the progression of hepatic fibrosis and stained with immunofluorescence. Models of hepatic fibrosis such as the CCL4 model, HFD-induced NAFLD model, MCD-induced NAFLD model and ethanol-induced AFLD model were demonstrated and were stained with immunofluorescence.

RESULTS

Here, we uncovered macrophages underwent MMT in clinical liver fibrosis tissue samples and multiple animal models of chronic liver injury. MMT cells were found in specimens from patients with liver fibrosis on the basis of co-expression of macrophage (CD68) and myofibroblast (a-SMA) markers. Moreover, macrophages could transform into myofibroblasts in CCL4-induced liver fibrosis model, high-fat diet (HFD) and methionine-choline-deficient diet (MCD)-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) model, and ethanol-induced alcoholic fatty liver diseases (AFLD) model. In addition, we highlighted that MMT cells mainly had a predominant M2 phenotype in both human and experimental chronic liver injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, MMT acts a crucial role in chronic liver injury and liver fibrosis.

Phytochemical analysis and molecular docking studies of two endemic varieties of Salvia sericeotomentosa

The use of medicinal plants for treating various diseases dates back thousands of years and has been a part of many cultures around the world. Various parts of plants, including roots, leaves, and flowers, and their extracts have been used to develop remedies to cure different ailments like fever, pain, inflammation, infections, among others. In this research, the aerial parts of both Salvia varieties were extracted with ethanol and water to obtain infusion and decoction, separately. S. sericeotomentosa var. hatayica Celep & Doğan (SH) and Salvia sericeotomentosa Rech. f. var. sericeotomentosa (ST) plants were chemically analyzed for polar compounds using LC-HRMS for the first time. All SH and ST extracts were found to be very rich in rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, hispidulin-7-O-glucoside, and caffeic acid. The study also investigated the antiinflammatory and carbonic anhydrase inhibition properties of the most abundant secondary metabolites extracted from SH and ST. In silico studies were conducted for the first time to explore the effects of these metabolites on TNF-α, iNOS, and human carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes (hCAI and hCAII). Salvianolic acid B should be considered a strong antiinflammatory agent and a carbonic anhydrase I and II inhibitors due to low binding energy scores with the tested enzymes (TNF-α: -12.391 kcal/mol), (iNOS: -7.547 kcal/mol), (hCAI: -7.877 kcal/mol), and (hCAII: -4.312 kcal/mol).

Gut microbiota, a hidden protagonist of traditional Chinese medicine for acute ischemic stroke

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is one of the leading diseases causing death and disability worldwide, and treatment options remain very limited. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used for thousands of years to treat ischemic stroke and has been proven to have significant efficacy, but its mechanism of action is still unclear. As research related to the brain-gut-microbe axis progresses, there is increasing evidence that the gut microbiota plays an important role during AIS. The interaction between TCM and the gut microbiota has been suggested as a possible key link to the therapeutic effects of TCM. We have compiled and reviewed recent studies on the relationship between AIS, TCM, and gut microbiota, with the expectation of providing more ideas to elucidate the mechanism of action of TCM in the treatment of AIS.

Holism of Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions for inflammatory bowel disease: A review based on clinical evidence and experimental research

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic nonspecific inflammatory disease that causes a heavy burden and lacks effective treatments. Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions (CHMPs), which are characterized by a synergistic usage of herbs, are widely used in the management of IBD. The molecular mechanisms of action of CHMP are still ambiguous as the canonical "one-compound-one-target" approach has difficulty describing the dynamic bioreactions among CHMP objects. It seems more flexible to define the holism of CHMP for IBD by employing high-throughput analysis. However, studies that discuss the development of CHMP in treating IBD in a holistic view are still lacking.

PURPOSE

This review appraised preclinical and clinical research to fully describe the anti-IBD capacity of CHMPs and discussed CHMPs' holistic characteristics that can contribute to better management of IBD.

METHODS & RESULTS

We screened clinical and preclinical references of CHMP being used as treatments for IBD. We discussed the complexity of IBD and the development of CHMP to present the sophistication of CHMP treatments. To describe the clinical effectiveness of CHMPs against IBD, we performed an umbrella review of CHMP-associated META analyses, in which 1174 records were filtered down to 12 references. Then, we discussed 14 kinds of CHMPs that had a long history of use and analyzed their mechanisms of action. Representative herbs were employed to provide a subordinate explanation for the whole prescription. As holism is the dominant characteristic of CHMPs, we explored applications of CHMPs for IBD with the help of omics, gut microbiome, and network pharmacology, which are potential approaches to a dynamic figure of bioactions of CHMPs.

CONCLUSION

This review is the first to discuss the potential of CHMPs to manage IBD in a holistic context and will provide inspiring explanations for CHMP applications for further product transformation and application to other diseases.