Triptolide inhibits the progression of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-/- mice

Triptolide Administration Alters Immune Responses to Mitigate Insulin Resistance in Obese States

Individuals who are overweight or obese are at increased risk of developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, yet the direct molecular mechanisms that connect diabetes to obesity are not clear. Chronic, sustained inflammation is considered a strong risk factor in these interactions, directed in part by the short-lived gene expression programs encoding for cytokines and pro-inflammatory mediators. In this study, we show that triptolide administration in the C57BL/6 diet-induced obese mice at up to 10 μg/kg/day for 10 weeks attenuated the development of insulin resistance and diabetes, but not obesity, in these animals. Significant reductions in adipose tissue inflammation and improved insulin sensitivity were observed in the absence of changes in food intake, body weight, body composition, or energy expenditure. Analysis of the core cluster of biomarkers that drives pro-inflammatory responses in the metabolic tissues suggested TNF-α as a critical point that affected the co-development of inflammation and insulin resistance, but also pointed to the putatively protective roles of increased COX-2 and IL-17A signaling in the mediation of these pathophysiological states. Our results show that reduction of diet-induced inflammation confers partial protection against insulin resistance, but not obesity, and suggest the possibility of achieving overweight phenotypes that are accompanied by minimal insulin resistance if inflammation is controlled.

Therapeutic potential of natural products in inflammation: underlying molecular mechanisms, clinical outcomes, technological advances, and future perspectives

Chronic inflammation is a common underlying factor in many major diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune disorders, and is responsible for up to 60% of all deaths worldwide. Metformin, statins, and corticosteroids, and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are often given as anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals, however, often have even more debilitating side effects than the illness itself. The natural product-based therapy of inflammation-related diseases has no adverse effects and good beneficial results compared to substitute conventional anti-inflammatory medications. In this review article, we provide a concise overview of present pharmacological treatments, the pathophysiology of inflammation, and the signaling pathways that underlie it. In addition, we focus on the most promising natural products identified as potential anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents. Moreover, preclinical studies and clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of natural products as anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents and their pragmatic applications with promising outcomes are reviewed. In addition, the safety, side effects and technical barriers of natural products are discussed. Furthermore, we also summarized the latest technological advances in the discovery and scientific development of natural products-based medicine.

NLRP3-Mediated Inflammation in Atherosclerosis and Associated Therapeutics

The NLRP3 inflammasome is a crucial constituent of the body’s innate immune system, and a multiprotein platform which is initiated by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Its activation leads to caspase-1 maturation and release of inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18, and subsequently causes pyroptosis. Recently, the excess activation of NLRP3 inflammasome has been confirmed to mediate inflammatory responses and to participate in genesis and development of atherosclerosis. Therefore, the progress on the discovery of specific inhibitors against the NLRP3 inflammasome and the upstream and downstream inflammatory factors has become potential targets for clinical treatment. Here we review the recently described mechanisms about the NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and discuss emphatically the pharmacological interventions using statins and natural medication for atherosclerosis associated with NLRP3 inflammasome.

The Role of the VEGF Family in Atherosclerosis Development and Its Potential as Treatment Targets

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family, the crucial regulator of angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, lipid metabolism and inflammation, is involved in the development of atherosclerosis and further CVDs (cardiovascular diseases). This review discusses the general regulation and functions of VEGFs, their role in lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis development and progression. These functions present the great potential of applying the VEGF family as a target in the treatment of atherosclerosis and related CVDs. In addition, we discuss several modern anti-atherosclerosis VEGFs-targeted experimental procedures, drugs and natural compounds, which could significantly improve the efficiency of atherosclerosis and related CVDs' treatment.

The Role of Chronic Inflammation in Various Diseases and Anti-inflammatory Therapies Containing Natural Products

Chronic inflammation represents a long-term reaction of the body's immune system to noxious stimuli. Such a sustained inflammatory response sometimes results in lasting damage to healthy tissues and organs. In fact, chronic inflammation is implicated in the development and progression of various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and even cancers. Targeting nonresolving inflammation thus provides new opportunities for treating relevant diseases. In this review, we will go over several chronic inflammation-associated diseases first with emphasis on the role of inflammation in their pathogenesis. Then, we will summarize a number of natural products that exhibit therapeutic effects against those diseases by acting on different markers in the inflammatory response. We envision that natural products will remain a rich resource for the discovery of new drugs treating diseases associated with chronic inflammation.

Effect of Gender and Various Diets on Bile Acid Profile and Related Genes in Mice

Diet is an important factor for many diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that several diets had remarkable effects on bile acid (BA) homeostasis, but no comprehensive information for both genders has been reported. Therefore, the current study characterized the nine most used laboratory animal diets fed to both genders of mice for a comparable evaluation of the topic. The results revealed that marked gender difference of BA homeostasis is ubiquitous in mice fed the various diets, and of the nine diets fed to mice, the atherogenic and calorie-restricted diets had the most marked effects on BA homeostasis, followed by the laboratory chow and essential fatty acid-deficient diets. More specifically, females had higher concentrations of total BAs in serum when fed six of the nine diets compared with male mice, and 26 of the 35 BA-related genes had marked gender difference in mice fed at least one diet. Although mice fed the calorie-restricted and atherogenic diets had increased BA, which was more pronounced in serum than liver, the intestinal farnesoid X nuclear receptor-fibroblast growth factor 15 axis changed in the opposite direction and resulted in different hepatic expression patterns of Cyp7a1 Compared with AIN-93M purified diet, higher hepatic expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein 3 was the only alteration in mice fed the laboratory chow diet. The other diets had little or no effect on BA concentrations in the liver and plasma or in the expression of BA-related genes. This study indicates that gender, the atherogenic diet, and the calorie-restricted diet have the most marked effects on BA homeostasis. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Previous evidence suggested that various diets have effect on bile acid (BA) homeostasis; however, it is not possible to directly compare these findings, as they are all from different studies. The current study was the first to systematically investigate the influence of the nine most used experimental mouse diets on BA homeostasis and potential mechanism in both genders of mice and indicates that gender, the atherogenic diet, and the calorie-restricted diet have the most marked effects on BA homeostasis, which will aid future investigations.

The role of hypertriglyceridemia and treatment patterns in the progression of IgA nephropathy with a high proportion of global glomerulosclerosis

PURPOSE

Many studies have focused on finding predictors for mild IgAN progression. However, the cases of severe IgAN with a high proportion of global glomerulosclerosis have received inadequate attention.

METHODS

A group of 172 primary IgAN patients with 50-75% global glomerulosclerosis was studied retrospectively between April 2007 and October 2017. Patients were divided into three groups according to the serum triglyceride tertiles:  < 1.42 µmol/L (Group 1), 1.42-2.29 µmol/L (Group 2), and > 2.29 µmol/L (Group 3). Groups 1 and 2 comprised non-hypertriglyceridemia subjects, while Group 3 was defined as the hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) group. The patients were followed for 4-96 months (median 39.43 months). The study end point was defined as a 50% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or ESRD.

RESULTS

A high proportion of global glomerulosclerosis is not absolutely correlated with severe clinical features and poor renal outcome. In our retrospective observation, eGFR decreased by less than 10% of the baseline during follow-up in 43.6% of the patients. However, in our patients with HTG, the cumulative renal survival rate was significantly lower compared to those without HTG. Multivariate Cox regression analysis also showed that triglyceride is an independent predictor of poor renal outcomes. Furthermore, in the HTG group, the cumulative renal survival rates were higher in patients treated with Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) compared to those without TwHF.

CONCLUSIONS

A high proportion of global glomerulosclerosis combined with HTG at biopsy have better predictive validity for the disease progression of IgAN than global glomerulosclerosis alone. TwHF may partially affect the renal outcome of severe IgAN with HTG, and this may relate to its regulation of lipid metabolism and immunoinflammatory response.

Triptolide inhibits angiogenesis in microvascular endothelial cells through regulation of miR-92a

Atherosclerosis is one common chronic inflammatory disease in which angiogenesis is involved. Here we established an in vitro cell model of angiogenesis made by human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) and work to investigate the role of triptolide (TPL) in this model. To induce angiogenesis, HMEC-1 cells were cultured in Matrigel-conditioned medium. The ratio of tubes to nucleus was detected. To evaluate angiogenesis, Western blot assay was carried out to detect endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) and VEGF. Cell counting kit-8 was utilized to estimate the viability of HMEC-1 cells. microRNA (miR)-92a was analyzed by qRT-PCR. The targeting relationship between integrin subunit alpha 5 (ITGA5) and miR-92a was verified through luciferase activity assay. The effects of ITGA5 on signaling transducers (ERK, PI3K, and AKT) in a phosphorylated form were valued using Western blot method. After stimulated by TPL, LY294002 and PD98059, the alteration in phosphorylation of the signaling transducers was evaluated by Western blot assay. The ratio of tubes to nucleus and angiogenesis related factors were increased with the delaying of culture time. TPL decreased the expression of angiogenesis factors. Furthermore, miR-92a was upregulated by TPL and miR-92a silence upregulated angiogenesis factors. In addition, TPL decreased ITGA5 which was proved as a target of miR-92a. ITGA5 overexpression resulted in the abundance of angiogenesis factors while ITGA5 silence led to the opposite results. Meanwhile, ITGA5 overexpression increased phosphorylation of ERK, PI3K and AKT while ITGA5 silence reversed the trend. TPL (as an anti-angiogenesis agent) suppressed angiogenesis by upregulating miR-92a, and miR-92a-mediated down-regulation of ITGA5 blocked the signaling transduction of ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways.