Catalpol ameliorates sodium taurocholate-induced acute pancreatitis in rats via inhibiting activation of nuclear factor kappa B. Int J Mol Sci. 2014;15:11957-11972. [PMID: 25000266 DOI: 10.3390/ijms150711957]

Anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of catalpol in various inflammatory diseases

Catalpol is a kind of iridoid glucoside, widely found in a variety of plants, mostly extracted from the rhizome of the traditional medicinal herb rehmanniae. It has various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor. The anti-inflammatory effects of catalpol have been demonstrated in a variety of diseases, such as neurological diseases, atherosclerosis, renal diseases, respiratory diseases, digestive diseases, bone and joint diseases, eye diseases, and periodontitis. The purpose of this review is to summarize the existing literature on the anti-inflammatory effects of catalpol in a variety of inflammatory diseases over the last decade and to focus on the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of catalpol.

Treatment with catalpol protects against cisplatin-induced renal injury through Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways

Cisplatin (CP) is one of the most widely used chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment, but it often leads to nephrotoxicity. It is well known that catalpol exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions, thus the present study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of catalpol on CP-induced kidney injury in rats, in addition to determining the underlying mechanisms. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with 25, 50 or 100 mg/kg catalpol for two days, injected with 20 mg/kg cisplatin and catalpol on day 3 and sacrificed on day 4. The histological analysis of isolated kidney tissues was performed using hematoxylin and eosin staining, cleaved caspase-3 expression levels were analyzed using western blotting and the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines in the tissues, including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were evaluated using ELISAs. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), NF-κB and inhibitory κB (IκB) were determined using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting, respectively. The results revealed that the treatment with catalpol prevented the histopathological injury and renal dysfunction caused by CP. In addition, catalpol significantly suppressed the CP-induced apoptosis of tubular cells, inhibited the CP-induced upregulation of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and iNOS and promoted the production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Additionally, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1 and IκB in the kidney tissues were increased, whereas the expression levels of Keap1 and NF-κB were significantly decreased following the treatment with catalpol. In conclusion, these results suggested that catalpol may inhibit CP-induced renal injury and suppress the associated inflammatory response through activating the Nrf2 and inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathways, respectively.

Multiple Biological Effects of an Iridoid Glucoside, Catalpol and Its Underlying Molecular Mechanisms

Catalpol, an iridoid glucoside, is widely distributed in many plant families and is primarily obtained from the root of Rehmanniaglutinosa Libosch. Rehmanniaglutinosa is a plant very commonly used in Chinese and Korean traditional medicine for various disorders, including diabetes mellitus, neuronal disorders, and inflammation. Catalpol has been studied extensively for its biological properties both in vitro and in vivo. This review aims to appraise the biological effects of catalpol and their underlying mechanisms. An extensive literature search was conducted using the keyword "Catalpol" in the public domains of Google scholar, PubMed, and Scifinder. Catalpol exhibits anti-diabetic, cardiovascular protective, neuroprotective, anticancer, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant effects in experimental studies. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties are mostly related for its biological effect. However, some specific mechanisms are also elucidated. Elevated serotonin and BDNF level by catalpol significantly protect against depression and neurodegeneration. Catalpol demonstrated an increased mitochondrial biogenesis and activation of PI3K/Akt pathway for insulin sensitizing effect. Further, its cardiovascular protective effect was linked to PI3K/Akt, apelin/APJ and Jak-Stat pathway. Catalpol produced a significant reduction in cell proliferation and an increase in apoptosis in different cancer conditions. Overall, catalpol demonstrated multiple biological effects due to its numerous mechanisms including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Protective role of pirfenidone against experimentally-induced pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

Pirfenidone (PFD) is an orally active antifibrotic agent that has anti-inflammatory activity in diverse animal models. Its effect against acute pancreatitis (AP) has not been elucidated. Hence, the present investigation was carried out to assess the potential protective role of PFD against l-arginine-induced AP in mice.

METHODS

AP was induced in adult male Swiss albino mice via intraperitoneal injections of l-arginine (4 g/kg, twice each 1 h apart). PFD (250 mg/kg, orally) was administered one day before and on the day of l-arginine challenge. Twenty-four hours after l-arginine injection, the severity of AP was evaluated using biochemical and histological analyses. Indices of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis were evaluated using ELISA and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

RESULTS

PFD suppressed the development of l-arginine-induced AP as revealed by the improvement of histopathological lesions of pancreatic specimen and the significant reduction of serum amylase and lipase levels. Notably, PFD reduced the lipid peroxidation and enhanced the antioxidants such as reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in pancreatic tissue. Importantly, PFD suppressed AP-associated elevation of inflammatory cytokines along with depression of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) immuno-expression in pancreatic tissue. Lastly, PFD efficiently ameliorated AP-induced elevation of the pro-apoptotic protein (Bax) and increased AP-induced reduction of the anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl2).

CONCLUSIONS

PFD protected against l-arginine-induced AP in mice through anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties.

Protective effects of maresin 1 against inflammation in experimentally induced acute pancreatitis and related lung injury

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is an inflammatory disorder that progresses with local and systemic difficulties accompanied by a relatively high mortality rate. In recent years, maresin 1 (MaR1) has been shown to be a macrophage mediator with effective proresolving and anti-inflammatory properties that prevents the occurrence of various inflammatory conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of MaR1 in SAP and related lung injury. Experimental SAP was induced in mice with a combination of cerulean and lipopolysaccharide. MaR1 was administered 30 min before the primary injection of cerulean. Biochemical markers and histological injury scores were used to evaluate the severity of acute pancreatitis. To determine the degree of inflammation, serum cytokines and myeloperoxidase activity in pancreas and lung tissues were measured. Western blot analysis detected the activation of NF-κB. After MaR1 pretreatment, the activities of amylase, lipase, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were decreased in serum, and the myeloperoxidase activity both in pancreas and in lung tissues significantly decreased, whereas the activity of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in serum was increased. MaR1-pretreated mice reduced the activation of pancreatic NF-κB and decreased the severity of pancreatic and lung-related injuries. These results confirm that MaR1 alleviated inflammation of the pancreas and lung by inhibiting the activity of NF-κB in experimentally induced acute pancreatitis and exerted anti-inflammatory effects. These findings suggest that MaR1 could be a new and useful drug in the treatment of SAP.NEW & NOTEWORTHY These results provided us evidence to confirm that maresin 1 (MaR1) can alleviate inflammation of the pancreas and lung by inhibiting the activity of NF-κB in experimental induced acute pancreatitis and exerts certain anti-inflammatory effects. These findings suggest that MaR1 could be a new and useful drug in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis.

Monoterpenes modulating cytokines - A review

Inflammatory response can be driven by cytokine production and is a pivotal target in the management of inflammatory diseases. Monoterpenes have shown that promising profile as agents which reduce the inflammatory process and also modulate the key chemical mediators of inflammation, such as pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The main interest focused on monoterpenes were to develop the analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs. In this review, we summarized current knowledge on monoterpenes that produce anti-inflammatory effects by modulating the release of cytokines, as well as suggesting that which monoterpenoid molecules may be most effective in the treatment of inflammatory disease. Several different inflammatory markers were evaluated as a target of monoterpenes. The proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were found TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-5, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12 IL-13, IL-17A, IFNγ, TGF-β1 and IFN-γ. Our review found evidence that NF-κB and MAPK signaling are important pathways for the anti-inflammatory action of monoterpenes. We found 24 monoterpenes that modulate the production of cytokines, which appears to be the major pharmacological mechanism these compounds possess in relation to the attenuation of inflammatory response. Despite the compelling evidence supporting the anti-inflammatory effect of monoterpenes, further studies are necessary to fully explore their potential as anti-inflammatory compounds.

Melatonin attenuated inflammatory reaction by inhibiting the activation of p38 and NF‑κB in taurocholate‑induced acute pancreatitis

The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective mechanism underlying of melatonin in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). A total of 64 male Sprague‑Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: The sham operation (SO) group, SAP group, melatonin treatment (MLT) group and p38 inhibitor (SB203580) treatment (SB) group. Acute pancreatitis was induced by 5% taurocholate through retrograde infusion into the biliopancreatic ducts. The melatonin and SB203580 treatment groups were administered with MLT and SB 30 min before operation the induction of SAP. Rats in each group were euthanized at 6 and 12 h following SAP induction. Blood and pancreatic tissues were removed for inflammatory examination. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated following sacrifice to measure the phosphorylation of p38 and nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB was measured as p65 and phosphorylation of p65). The pretreatment of melatonin significantly attenuated the severity of pancreatitis. In addition, melatonin also reduced serum amylase and proinflammatory cytokine levels, including tumor necrosis factor‑α, interleukin (IL)‑1 and IL‑6. The mean pathological scores for pancreatic tissues in the MLT group were higher than those for samples in the SO group, but were lower than those for samples in the SAP group at each time-point. Phosphorylation of p38 and p65 levels in the melatonin treatment group were lower than that in the SAP group, and higher in the SAP group than in the SO group, and the SB203580 treatment group. Furthermore, melatonin significantly inhibited the activation of p38 and NF‑κB in PBMCs. The authors revealed that melatonin may attenuate inflammatory reactions by inhibiting the activation of p38 MAPK and NF‑κB in both acute pancreatitis rats and PBMCs. SAP is a severe disease with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. It is important to attenuated inflammatory reaction in acute pancreatitis. Thus, the authors studied melatonin, which is synthesized by the pineal gland and released into the blood. Previous studies have shown that melatonin serves a protective role in the early course of human acute pancreatitis, and melatonin concentration variations are closely related to the severity of acute pancreatitis. It may be concluded that melatonin may attenuates inflammatory reactions by inhibiting the activation of p38 MAPK and NF‑κB in both acute pancreatitis rats and PBMCs.

Free Total Rhubarb Anthraquinones Protect Intestinal Injury via Regulation of the Intestinal Immune Response in a Rat Model of Severe Acute Pancreatitis

Intestinal mucosal immune barrier dysfunction plays a key role in the pathogenesis of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Rhubarb is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine as a laxative in China. It markedly protects pancreatic acinar cells from trypsin-induced injury in rats. Free total rhubarb anthraquinones (FTRAs) isolated and extracted from rhubarb display the beneficial effects of antibacteria, anti-inflammation, antivirus, and anticancer. The principal aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of FTRAs on the protection of intestinal injury and modification of the intestinal barrier function through regulation of intestinal immune function in rats with SAP. We established a rat model of SAP by injecting 3.5% sodium taurocholate (STC, 350 mg/kg) into the biliopancreatic duct via retrograde injection and treated the rats with FTRAs (36 or 72 mg/kg) or normal saline (control) immediately and 12 h after STC injection. Then, we evaluated the protective effect of FTRAs on intestinal injury by pathological analysis and determined the levels of endotoxin (ET), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), nitric oxide (NO), myeloperoxidase (MPO), capillary permeability, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD domain (ASC), casepase-1, secretary immunoglobulin A (SIgA), regulatory T cells (Tregs), and the ratio of Th1/Th2 in the blood and/or small intestinal tissues or mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cells. Moreover, the chemical profile of FTRAs was analyzed by HPLC-UV chromatogram. The results showed that FTRAs significantly protected intestinal damage and decreased the levels of ET, IL-1β, TNF-α, and NO in the blood and TNF-α, IL-1β, and protein extravasation in the intestinal tissues in SAP rats. Furthermore, FTRAs significantly decreased the expressions of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1, the number of Tregs and the ratio of Th1/Th2, while significantly increased the expression of SIgA in the intestinal tissues and/or MLN cells in SAP rats. Our results indicate that FTRAs could protect intestinal injury and improve intestinal mucosal barrier function through regulating immune function of SAP rats. Therefore, FTRAs may have the potential to be developed as the novel agent for the treatment of SAP clinically.

Role of Microvesicles From Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Acute Pancreatitis

OBJECTIVES

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown an obvious protective effect on acute pancreatitis (AP). The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effect of bone marrow MSC-derived microvesicles (bmMSC-MVs) on AP and explore the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

Bone marrow MSCs and bmMSC-MVs were isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats. Cerulein-induced mild AP (MAP) and sodium taurocholate-induced severe AP (SAP) were used as AP models in vivo and in vitro. Pancreatic injury was evaluated by measuring serum levels of amylase, lipase, chemokines, and interleukins, and by pancreatic histology, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The effects of bmMSC-MVs on the survival rates of pancreatic acinar cells in vitro were also assessed.

RESULTS

Bone marrow MSC-MVs attenuated acute pancreatic injury in MAP and SAP by regulating IL-1α, IL-6, and TNF-α, and dramatically attenuated the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in MAP and SAP. Bone marrow MSC-MVs improved the survival rates of pancreatic acinar cells in MAP and SAP models in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

Bone marrow MSC-MVs played a protective role in AP by reducing the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and regulating the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Bone marrow MSC-MVs could be developed as a strategy for the clinical treatment of SAP.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of pancreatic diseases: Research status and prospects

The incidence of pancreatic diseases is increasing year by year. Current treatments for pancreatic diseases are mainly symptomatic, and the research on the repair and restoration of function of the pancreatic cells progresses slowly. Stem cells have been widely used in the treatment of diseases in recent years because of their ability of multi-directional differentiation and repair of cell damage caused by disease and injury. Numerous studies confirm that pancreatic stem cells after transplantation can differentiate into pancreatic cells and play an important role in the recovery of external secretory function and repair of the damaged pancreatic cells. Particularly, both in vivo and in vitro studies show that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have achieved remarkable results in the treatment of pancreatic diseases, laying a theoretical and practical basis for clinical treatment of pancreatic diseases with stem cells. This article outlines the progress in treatment of acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, demonstrating that stem cells are expected to become one of new methods for the treatment of pancreatic diseases.

Artesunate ameliorates severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in rats by inhibiting expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and Toll-like receptor 4

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a severe clinical condition with significant morbidity and mortality. Multiple organs dysfunction (MOD) is the leading cause of SAP-related death. The over-release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α is the underlying mechanism of MOD; however, there is no effective agent against the inflammation. Herein, artesunate (AS) was found to increase the survival of SAP rats significantly when injected with 3.5% sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct in a retrograde direction, improving their pancreatic pathology and decreasing serum amylase and pancreatic lipase activities along with substantially reduced pancreatic IL-1β and IL-6 release. In vitro, AS-pretreatment strongly inhibited IL-1β and IL-6 release and their mRNA expressions in the pancreatic acinar cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) but exerted little effect on TNF-α release. Additionally, AS reduced the mRNA expressions of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 as well as their protein expressions in the pancreatic acinar cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that AS could significantly protect SAP rats, and this protection was related to the reduction of digestive enzyme activities and pro-inflammatory cytokine expressions via inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Therefore, AS may be considered as a potential therapeutic agent against SAP.

Simultaneous determination of loganin, morroniside, catalpol and acteoside in normal and chronic kidney disease rat plasma by UPLC-MS for investigating the pharmacokinetics of Rehmannia glutinosa and Cornus officinalis Sieb drug pair extract

A sensitive and rapid method for determination of loganin, morroniside, catalpol and acteoside in rat plasma after oral administration of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch and Cornus officinalis Sieb drug pair based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Chromatographic separation was achieved using an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (100mm×2.1mm, 1.7μm) at a flow rate of 0.4mL/min, using gradient mode containing 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile were used as the mobile phase A and B. Loganin, morroniside, catalpol, acteoside and the internal standard (chloramphenicol) were detected by selected reaction monitoring in the negative ion mode with the mass transition of m/z 451.0→179.0 (morroniside), m/z 435.0→227.0 (loganin), m/z 407.1→199.1 (catalpol), m/z 623.2→161.0 (acteoside) and m/z 320.8→151.9 (chloramphenicol), respectively. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r>0.991). The precision was evaluated by intra-day and inter-day assays and the RSD% were all within 9.58%. The recovery ranged from 67.62 to 80.14%. The method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of the analytes in normal and doxorubicin-induced chronic kidney disease rat plasma.

Hepatic steatosis depresses alpha-1-antitrypsin levels in human and rat acute pancreatitis

Hepatic steatosis (HS) can exacerbate acute pancreatitis (AP). This study aimed to investigate the relation between α1-antitrypsin (AAT) and acute pancreatitis when patients have HS. Using proteomic profiling, we identified 18 differently expressed proteins pots in the serum of rats with or without HS after surgical establishment of AP. AAT was found to be one of the significantly down-regulated proteins. AAT levels were significantly lower in hepatic steatosis acute pancreatitis (HSAP) than in non-HSAP (NHSAP) (P < 0.001). To explore the clinical significance of these observations, we measured the levels of AAT in the serum of 240 patients with HSAP, NHSAP, fatty liver disease (FLD), or no disease. Compared with healthy controls, serum AAT levels in patients with NHSAP were significantly higher (P < 0.01), while in patients with HSAP serum AAT levels were significantly lower (P < 0.01). Further studies showed that acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE-II) scores were negatively correlated with serum AAT levels (r = −0.85, P < 0.01). In conclusion, low serum levels of AAT in patients with HSAP are correlated with disease severity and AAT may represent a potential target for therapies aiming to improve pancreatitis.

Chemical Profiles and Protective Effect of Hedyotis diffusa Willd in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Renal Inflammation Mice

Protective effect of Hedyotis diffusa (H. diffusa) Willd against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced renal inflammation was evaluated by the productions of cytokines and chemokine, and the bioactive constituents of H. diffusa were detected by the ultra-fast liquid chromatography-diode array detector-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UFLC-DAD-Q-TOF-MS/MS) method. As the results showed, water extract of H. diffusa (equal to 5.0 g/kg body weight) obviously protected renal tissues, significantly suppressed the productions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, as well as significantly promoted the production of IL-10 in serum and renal tissues. According the chemical profiles of H. diffusa, flavonoids, iridoid glycosides and anthraquinones were greatly detected in serum from H. diffusa extract treatment mice. Two main chemotypes, including eight flavonoids and four iridoid glycosides were found in renal tissues from H. diffusa extract treatment mice. The results demonstrated that water extract of H. diffusa had protective effect on renal inflammation, which possibly resulted from the bioactive constituents consisting of flavonoids, iridoids and anthraquinones.

Effect of peritoneal lavage with ulinastatin on the expression of NF-κB and TNF-α in multiple organs of rats with severe acute pancreatitis

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of peritoneal lavage with ulinastatin on the expression levels of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in multiple organs of rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following groups: Sham-operated (C), SAP model (SAP), saline lavage (SL), intravenous ulinastatin (IU) and peritoneal lavage with ulinastatin (UL). The SAP model was induced by the retrograde infusion of 5% sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic ducts of the rats. Intraperitoneal lavage or injection was performed immediately following the establishment of the SAP model in groups SL, IU and UL. Intraperitoneal lavage with or without ulinastatin was performed for 3 h. The survival time of half of the rats in each group was recorded over a 12-h period. At 3 h after the induction of SAP, inflammatory mediators and the expression levels of NF-κB and TNF-α in multiple organs of the rats in each group were also detected. The survival rates of the rats in group UL at 6 h and 9 h were increased compared with those in group SAP, and were also higher than that in groups SL and IU. The levels of serum inflammatory mediators were effectively reduced in groups SL, IU and UL, the greatest effects were observed in group UL. The expression levels of NF-κB and TNF-α in multiple organs were significantly lower in group UL compared with other groups. Intraperitoneal lavage with ulinastatin significantly ameliorated the inflammatory reaction and inhibited NF-κB and TNF-α expression in multiple organs of SAP model rats.

Rosmarinic Acid Attenuates Sodium Taurocholate-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in Rats by Inhibiting Nuclear Factor-κB Activation

Rosmarinic Acid (RA), a caffeic acid ester, has been shown to exert anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant and antiallergic effects. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of RA in sodium taurocholate ( NaTC )-induced acute pancreatitis, both in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, RA (50 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 2 h before sodium taurocholate injection. Rats were sacrificed 12 h, 24 h or 48 h after sodium taurocholate injection. Pretreatment with RA significantly ameliorated pancreas histopathological changes, decreased amylase and lipase activities in serum, lowered myeloperoxidase activity in the pancreas, reduced systematic and pancreatic interleukin-1 β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels, and inhibited NF-κB translocation in pancreas. In vitro, pretreating the fresh rat pancreatic acinar cells with 80 μ mol/L RA 2 h before 3750 nmol/L sodium taurocholate or 10 ng/L TNF-α administration significantly attenuated the reduction of isolated pancreatic acinar cell viability and inhibited the nuclear activation and translocation of NF-κB. Based on our findings, RA appears to attenuate damage in sodium taurocholate-induced acute pancreatitis and reduce the release of inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB. These findings might provide a basis for investigating the therapeutic role of RA in managing acute pancreatits.

Role of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in L-arg-induced acute pancreatitis: effects and possible mechanisms

OBJECTIVES

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown an obvious protective effect on systemic inflammation. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect and possible mechanism of bone marrow MSCs (bmMSCs) on acute pancreatitis (AP).

METHODS

BmMSCs of SD rats were isolated and cultured in vitro. L-Arginine-induced acute pancreatitis was used as AP model in vivo. Pancreatic injury was assessed by serum amylase, lipase, cytokines and pancreatic histology. RT-PCR was applied to investigate mRNA expression of pancreas tissue. Western-blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were applied to test the role of NF-κB p65 signaling pathway. Tracking and Positioning of CM-Dil labeled bmMSCs in vivo was further studied.

RESULTS

Treatment with bmMSCs attenuated acute pancreatic injury and AP-associated lung injury obviously, with decreased serum IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, down-regulated expressions of IL-1α, IL-6, TNFα in pancreas tissue and reduced nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in AP. Localization of bmMSCs in vivo was due to being passively trapped in related organs, but not actively homing to inflammatory sites of pancreas during the early phase of AP.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, the results showed that bmMSCs played a protective role in AP in many aspects, which might protect against experimental pancreatitis partly by regulating release of inflammatory cytokines by an exocrine secretion.

Catalpol protects mice against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury via suppressing PI3K/Akt-eNOS signaling and inflammation

Renal ischemia/reperfusion-injury (IRI) is a common disease in clinic, which is also the most common cause of acute kidney failure. Previous investigations has illustrated that catalpol has neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hepatitis virus effects. This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of catalpol on renal IRI mice through suppressing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt)-endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and against inflammation, and the possible underlying mechanism. Firstly, we used renal IRI model to analyze blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels in renal IRI mice. Next, real-time PCR and western blotting were used to detect the expression of KIM-1 and the expression of PI3K, Akt and eNOS levels in renal IRI, respectively. In addition, activities of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in renal IRI mice were measured with respective TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 ELISA kits. Our results showed that catalpol clearly reduced blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine levels and the expression of KIM-1 in renal IRI mice. Meanwhile, we found that catalpol markedly reduced the expression of PI3K, Akt and eNOS levels in renal IRI group. Suppressing of the PI3K/Akt-eNOS and the TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 activities was involved in the protective effect of catalpol on renal IRI. Collectively, catalpol protected renal IRI via inhibiting PI3K/Akt-eNOS signaling and inflammatory responses.

Nephrokeli, a Chinese herbal formula, may improve IgA nephropathy through regulation of the sphingosine-1-phosphate pathway

Nephrokeli (NPKL) is a Chinese herbal formula that has been used to treat patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) for improvement of proteinuria and kidney injury. However, the mechanism remains unclear. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and its receptors S1PR2 and S1PR3 are known to play an important role in kidney disease. Here, we tested whether NPKL is able to regulate the S1P pathway in the kidney of IgAN rats. Four groups of rats were included in the study: Control, IgAN, IgAN treated with losartan, and IgAN treated with NPKL. The IgAN model was generated by injection of bovine serum albumin and staphylococcus enterotoxin B. We found that IgAN rats had increased staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the mesangial area and increased mRNA and protein levels of S1PR2 and S1PR3 in the kidney compared to control rats. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a downstream growth factor in the S1P pathway, was also elevated in the kidney of IgAN rats. Treatment with either NPKL or losartan was able to reduce PCNA staining and the expression of both S1PR2 and S1PR3 in the kidney of IgAN rats. However, NPKL (but not losartan treatment) reduced the expression of CTGF in the kidney of IgAN rats. In addition, we treated rat mesangial cells with sera collected from either NPKL-treated rats or control rats and found that NPKL-serum was able to reduce S1P-induced mesangial cell proliferation and the expression of S1PR2/S1PR3 and CTGF. NPKL also attenuates expression of fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress markers in the kidney of IgAN rats. Our studies provide the mechanism by which NPKL attenuates kidney injury in IgAN rats.

Astragaloside IV ameliorates acute pancreatitis in rats by inhibiting the activation of nuclear factor-κB

This study aimed to investigate the effects of astragaloside IV (AS-IV; 3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-6-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcycloastragenol), which has been reported to have comprehensive pharmacological functions, on sodium taurocholate (NaTc)/L-arginine (L-Arg)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) in rats in vivo and in rat pancreatic acinar cells in vitro. NaTc-induced experimental AP was induced in rats by injecting 4% NaTc (0.1 ml/100 g) in the retrograde direction of the biliopancreatic duct. L-Arg-induced experimental AP was induced in rats by 2 intraperitoneal injections of 20% L-arg (3 g/kg), with an interval of 1 h between the injections. The rats were pre-treated AS-IV (50 mg/kg) or the vehicle (DMSO) 2 h prior to the induction of AP. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, H&E staining, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the effects of AS-IV on AP. The results revealed that treatment with AS-IV significantly reduced serum amylase and lipase levels, pancreatic pathological alterations, the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, MPO activity, and the protein expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in vivo. Moreover, pre-treatment with AS-IV significantly increased the expression levels of manganese superoxide dismutase and cuprum/zinc superoxide dismutase. In the in vitro experiment, treatment of the cells with AS-IV aslo reduced rat pancreatic acinar cell necrosis and nuclear NF-κB activity, and enhanced the protein expression of superoxide dismutase. In conclusion, this study indicates that the protective effects of AS-IV on experimental AP in rats may be closely related to the inhibition of NF-κB. In addition, our results indicate that AS-IV may exert potential antioxidant effects on AP. Therefore, AS-IV may be an effective therapeutic agent for AP.