Multi-omics analysis reveals the pathogenesis of db/db mice diabetic kidney disease and the treatment mechanisms of multi-bioactive compounds combination from Salvia miltiorrhiza

The role of Chinese herbal medicine in the regulation of oxidative stress in treating hypertension: from therapeutics to mechanisms

BACKGROUND

Although the pathogenesis of essential hypertension is not clear, a large number of studies have shown that oxidative stress plays an important role in the occurrence and development of hypertension and target organ damage.

PURPOSE

This paper systematically summarizes the relationship between oxidative stress and hypertension, and explores the potential mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in the regulation of oxidative stress in hypertension, aiming to establish a scientific basis for the treatment of hypertension with CHM.

METHODS

To review the efficacy and mechanism by which CHM treat hypertension through targeting oxidative stress, data were searched from PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the VIP Information Database, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and the Wanfang Database from their inception up to January 2024. NPs were classified and summarized by their mechanisms of action.

RESULTS

In hypertension, the oxidative stress pathway of the body is abnormally activated, and the antioxidant system is inhibited, leading to the imbalance between the oxidative and antioxidative capacity. Meanwhile, excessive production of reactive oxygen species can lead to endothelial damage and vascular dysfunction, resulting in inflammation and immune response, thereby promoting the development of hypertension and damaging the heart, brain, kidneys, blood vessels, and other target organs. Numerous studies suggested that inhibiting oxidative stress may be the potential therapeutic target for hypertension. In recent years, the clinical advantages of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of hypertension have gradually attracted attention. TCM, including active ingredients of CHM, single Chinese herb, TCM classic formula and traditional Chinese patent medicine, can not only reduce blood pressure, improve clinical symptoms, but also improve oxidative stress, thus extensively affect vascular endothelium, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, sympathetic nervous system, target organ damage, as well as insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, hyperhomocysteinemia and other pathological mechanisms and hypertension related risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

CHM display a beneficial multi-target, multi-component, overall and comprehensive regulation characteristics, and have potential value for clinical application in the treatment of hypertension by regulating the level of oxidative stress.

Multi-omics analysis reveals the potential pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of diabetic kidney disease

Clinicians have long been interested in understanding the molecular basis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD)and its potential treatment targets. Its pathophysiology involves protein phosphorylation, one of the most recognizable post-transcriptional modifications, that can take part in many cellular functions and control different metabolic processes. In order to recognize the molecular and protein changes of DKD kidney, this study applied Tandem liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and Next-Generation Sequencing, along with Tandem Mass Tags (TMT) labeling techniques to evaluate the mRNA, protein and modified phosphorylation sites between DKD mice and model ones. Based on Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analyses of transcriptome and proteome, The molecular changes of DKD include accumulation of extracellular matrix, abnormally activated inflammatory microenvironment, oxidative stress and lipid metabolism disorders, leading to glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Oxidative stress has been emphasized as an important factor in DKD and progression to ESKD, which is directly related to podocyte injury, albuminuria and renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis. A histological study of phosphorylation further revealed that kinases were crucial. Three groups of studies have found that RAS signaling pathway, RAP1 signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway and HIF-1 signaling pathway were crucial for the pathogenesis of DKD. Through this approach, it was discovered that targeting specific molecules, proteins, kinases and critical pathways could be a promising approach for treating DKD.