Salvianolic Acid A Protects against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity via Regulation of the miR-485-3p/SIRT1 Pathway

Alendronate Functionalized Bone-Targeting Pomolic Acid Liposomes Restore Bone Homeostasis for Osteoporosis Treatment

Introduction

Osteoporosis, characterized by dysregulation of osteoclastic bone resorption and osteoblastic bone formation, severely threatens human health during aging. However, there is still no good therapy for osteoporosis, so this direction requires our continuous attention, and there is an urgent need for new drugs to solve this problem.

Methods

Traditional Chinese Medicine Salvia divinorum monomer pomolic acid (PA) could effectively inhibit osteoclastogenesis and ovariectomized osteoporosis. However, its poor solubility and lack of targeting severely limits its further application. A novel bone-targeting nanomedicine (PA@TLipo) has been developed to reconstruct the osteoporotic microenvironment by encapsulating pomolic acid in alendronate-functionalized liposomes. Through a series of operations such as synthesis, purification, encapsulation, and labeling, the PA@TLipo have been prepared. Moreover, the cytotoxicity, bone targeting and anti-osteoporosis effect was verified by cell and animal experiments.

Results

In the aspect of targeting, the PA@TLipo can effectively aggregate on the bone tissue to reduce bone loss, and in terms of toxicity, PA@TLipo could increase the bone target ability in comparison to nontargeted liposome, thereby mitigating systemic cytotoxicity. Moreover, PA@TLipo inhibited osteoclast formation and bone resorption in vitro and reduced bone loss in ovariectomy-induced osteoporotic mice.

Conclusion

In this study, a novel therapeutic agent was designed and constructed to treat osteoporosis, consisting of a liposome material as the drug pocket, PA as the anti-osteoporosis drug, and ALN as the bone-targeting molecule. And our study is the first to employ a bone-targeted delivery system to deliver PA for OVX-induced bone loss, providing an innovative solution for treating osteoporosis.

Sophorae tonkinensis radix polysaccharide attenuates acetaminophen-induced liver injury by regulating the miR-140-5p-related antioxidant mechanism

STRP1, a polysaccharide active ingredient isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Sophorae tonkinensis radix, has demonstrated a protective effect against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury (AILI). The underlying molecular mechanism was investigated in this study. Here, an acute liver damage mouse model was generated by APAP (400 mg/kg) and used to identify the protective effect of STRP1 (200 mg/kg) on mouse livers. In vitro cell experiments were used to further verify the related signaling pathways. Initially, in our study, STRP1 treatment reduced APAP-induced liver injury by decreasing aminotransferase activity and cell apoptosis and increasing cell proliferation. Furthermore, STRP1 treatment significantly increased Nrf2 expression and alleviated oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species in AILI. Based on bioinformatics and experimental studies, miR-140-5p was identified and found to be reduced by STRP1, increasing Nrf2 expression. Additionally, Nrf2 played an important role in the protective impact of STRP1-suppressed miR-140-5p expression. Generally, these results showed that STRP1-mediated suppression of miR-140-5p expression mitigates AILI by activating the Nrf2-mediated Nrf2-Keap1 pathway. This study revealed that STRP1 might be a potential treatment agent for AILI.

SALVIANOLIC ACID A ATTENUATES ANGIOTENSIN II-INDUCED CARDIAC FIBROSIS THROUGH REGULATING THE TXNIP SIGNALING PATHWAY

ABSTRACT

Cardiac fibrosis, characterized by excessive collagen accumulation in heart tissues, poses a significant clinical challenge in various heart diseases and complications. Although salvianolic acid A (Sal A) from Danshen ( Salvia miltiorrhiza ) has shown promise in the treatment of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and atherosclerosis, its effects on cardiac fibrosis remain unexplored. Our study investigated the efficacy of Sal A in reducing cardiac fibrosis and elucidated its underlying molecular mechanisms. We observed that Sal A demonstrated significant cardioprotective effects against Angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac remodeling and fibrosis, showing a dose-dependent reduction in fibrosis in mice and suppression of cardiac fibroblast proliferation and fibrotic protein expression in vitro . RNA sequencing revealed that Sal A counteracted Ang II-induced upregulation of Txnip, and subsequent experiments indicated that it acts through the inflammasome and ROS pathways. These findings establish the antifibrotic effects of Sal A, notably attenuated by Txnip overexpression, and highlight its significant role in modulating inflammation and oxidative stress pathways. This underscores the importance of further research on Sal A and similar compounds, especially regarding their effects on inflammation and oxidative stress, which are key factors in various cardiovascular diseases.

The role of sirtuin1 in liver injury: molecular mechanisms and novel therapeutic target

Liver disease is a common and serious threat to human health. The progression of liver diseases is influenced by many physiologic processes, including oxidative stress, inflammation, bile acid metabolism, and autophagy. Various factors lead to the dysfunction of these processes and basing on the different pathogeny, pathology, clinical manifestation, and pathogenesis, liver diseases are grouped into different categories. Specifically, Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), a member of the sirtuin protein family, has been extensively studied in the context of liver injury in recent years and are confirmed the significant role in liver disease. SIRT1 has been found to play a critical role in regulating key processes in liver injury. Further, SIRT1 seems to cause divers outcomes in different types of liver diseases. Recent studies have showed some therapeutic strategies involving modulating SIRT1, which may bring a novel therapeutic target. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the role of sirtuin1 in liver injury and its potentiality as a therapeutic target, this review outlines the key signaling pathways associated with sirtuin1 and liver injury, and discusses recent advances in therapeutic strategies targeting sirtuin1 in liver diseases.

Phytochemical Profiling and Biological Assessment of the Aerial Parts from Three Mediterranean Alkanna Species (A. orientalis, A. tinctoria, A. kotschyana) in the Boraginaceae Family

This study focuses on the phytochemical analysis of the aerial parts of three Alkanna species: A. orientalis (L.) Boiss., A. tinctoria Tausch. and A. kotschyana A. DC. (Boraginaceae) growing wild in the Mediterranean basin, as mostly the roots of the genus have been widely researched. Their methanol extracts were subjected to qualitative LC-MS analyses, resulting in the annotation of 28 different secondary metabolites, with 27 originating from A. orientalis, 25 from A. tinctoria and 23 from A. kotschyana. The detected metabolites are categorized into three chemical types: organic acids (2), flavonoids and their glycosides (17), and caffeic acid derivatives (9). Furthermore, the chemical profiles of the three species are discussed chemotaxonomically. Caffeic acid and its derivatives, along with glucosides of quercetin and kaempferol, were identified in all three studied species. Additionally, their total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated through various chemical assays, as well as their in vitro enzyme inhibitory properties towards cholinesterases (AChE and BChE), α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The results showed that A. tinctoria exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity (211 mgTE/g extract in DPPH and 366 mgTE/g extract in ABTS), probably due to its high total phenolic (53.3 mgGAE/g extract) and flavonoid (20.8 mgRE/g extract) content, followed by A. kotschyana. These chemical and biological findings provide valuable insights for potential promising applications of the aerial parts of the species outside of the well-known uses of their roots.

Natural Products for Acetaminophen-Induced Acute Liver Injury: A Review

The liver plays a vital role in metabolism, synthesis, and detoxification, but it is susceptible to damage from various factors such as viral infections, drug reactions, excessive alcohol consumption, and autoimmune diseases. This susceptibility is particularly problematic for patients requiring medication, as drug-induced liver injury often leads to underestimation, misdiagnosis, and difficulties in treatment. Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used and safe drug in therapeutic doses but can cause liver toxicity when taken in excessive amounts. This study aimed to investigate the hepatotoxicity of APAP and explore potential treatment strategies using a mouse model of APAP-induced liver injury. The study involved the evaluation of various natural products for their therapeutic potential. The findings revealed that natural products demonstrated promising hepatoprotective effects, potentially alleviating liver damage and improving liver function through various mechanisms such as oxidative stress and inflammation, which cause changes in signaling pathways. These results underscore the importance of exploring novel treatment options for drug-induced liver injury, suggesting that further research in this area could lead to the development of effective preventive and therapeutic interventions, ultimately benefiting patients with liver injury caused by medicine.