Effects of Ginkgo biloba leaf extract, shenmai and matrine on a human embryonic lung fibroblast fibrosis model

Modulation of Bleomycin-induced Oxidative Stress and Pulmonary Fibrosis by Ginkgetin in Mice via AMPK

BACKGROUND

Ginkgetin, a flavonoid extracted from Ginkgo biloba, has been shown to exhibit broad anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidative bioactivity. Moreover, the extract of Ginkgo folium has been reported on attenuating bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, but the anti-fibrotic effects of ginkgetin are still unclear. This study was intended to investigate the protective effects of ginkgetin against experimental pulmonary fibrosis and its underlying mechanism.

METHODS

In vivo, bleomycin (5 mg/kg) in 50 μL saline was administrated intratracheally in mice. One week after bleomycin administration, ginkgetin (25 or 50 mg/kg) or nintedanib (40 mg/kg) was administrated intragastrically daily for 14 consecutive days. In vitro, the AMPK-siRNA transfection in primary lung fibroblasts further verified the regulatory effect of ginkgetin on AMPK.

RESULTS

Administration of bleomycin caused characteristic histopathology structural changes with elevated lipid peroxidation, pulmonary fibrosis indexes, and inflammatory mediators. The bleomycin- induced alteration was normalized by ginkgetin intervention. Moreover, this protective effect of ginkgetin (20 mg/kg) was equivalent to that of nintedanib (40 mg/kg). AMPK-siRNA transfection in primary lung fibroblasts markedly blocked TGF-β1-induced myofibroblasts transdifferentiation and abolished oxidative stress.

CONCLUSION

All these results suggested that ginkgetin exerted ameliorative effects on bleomycininduced oxidative stress and lung fibrosis mainly through an AMPK-dependent manner.

Matrine Exerts Pharmacological Effects Through Multiple Signaling Pathways: A Comprehensive Review

As The main effective monomer of the traditional Chinese medicine Sophora flavescens Ait, matrine has a broad scope of pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-fibrotic, anti-viral, anti-arrhythmia, and improving immune function. These actions explain its therapeutic effects in various types of tumors, cardiopathy, encephalomyelitis, allergic asthma, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoporosis, and central nervous system (CNS) inflammation. Evidence has shown that the mechanism responsible for the pharmacological actions of matrine may be via the activation or inhibition of certain key molecules in several cellular signaling pathways including the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR), transforming growth factor-β/mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (TGF-β/Smad), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), Wnt (wingless/ integration 1)/β-catenin, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathways. This review comprehensively summarizes recent studies on the pharmacological mechanisms of matrine to provide a theoretical basis for molecular targeted therapies and further development and utilization of matrine.