Liuwei Dihuang, a traditional Chinese medicinal formula, inhibits proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells via modulation of estrogen receptors

Wogonin attenuates vascular remodeling by inhibiting smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration in hypertensive rat

Wogonin, extracted from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been shown to suppress collagen deposition in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). This study was performed to investigate the role and mechanism of wogonin underlying vascular remodeling in SHRs. After injection of SHRs with 40 mg/kg of wogonin, blood pressure in rats was measured once a week. Masson's trichrome staining was conducted to observe the changes in aortas and mesenteric arteries. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) isolated from rat thoracic aortas were treated with Angiotensin II (Ang II; 100 nM) in the presence or absence of varying concentrations of wogonin. The viability and proliferation of VSMCs were examined using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assay, respectively. The migration of VSMCs was examined using wound healing assay and transwell assay. We found that wogonin administration alleviated hypertension, increased lumen diameter, and reduced the thickness of the arterial media in SHRs. Ang II treatment enhanced the viability of VSMCs, which was inhibited by wogonin in a concentration-dependent manner. Wogonin reversed Ang II-induced increases in the viability, proliferation, and migration of VSMCs. Moreover, wogonin inhibited Ang II-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in VSMCs. Overall, wogonin repressed the proliferative and migratory capacity of VSMCs by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway, thereby attenuating vascular remodeling in hypertensive rats, indicating that wogonin might be a therapeutic agent for the treatment of vascular diseases.

Neuroprotective Effects of Oligosaccharides in Rehmanniae Radix on Transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans Models for Alzheimer’s Disease

Rehmanniae Radix (RR, the dried tuberous roots of Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC.) is an important traditional Chinese medicine distributed in Henan, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, and Northeast in China. RR is frequently used to treat diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and aging-related diseases in a class of prescriptions. The oligosaccharides and catalpol in RR have been confirmed to have neuroprotective effects. However, there are few studies on the anti-Alzheimer’s disease (AD) effect of oligosaccharides in Rehmanniae Radix (ORR). The chemical components and pharmacological effects of dried Rehmannia Radix (DRR) and prepared Rehmannia Radix (PRR) are different because of the different processing methods. ORR has neuroprotective potential, such as improving learning and memory in rats. Therefore, this study aimed to prove the importance of oligosaccharides in DRR (ODRR) and PRR (OPRR) for AD based on the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model and the different roles of ODRR and OPRR in the treatment of AD. In this study, we used paralysis assays, lifespan and stress resistance assays, bacterial growth curve, developmental and behavioral parameters, and ability of learning and memory to explore the effects of ODRR and OPRR on anti-AD and anti-aging. Furthermore, the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS); deposition of Aβ; and expression of amy-1, sir-2.1, daf-16, sod-3, skn-1, and hsp-16.2 were analyzed to confirm the efficacy of ODRR and OPRR. OPRR was more effective than ODRR in delaying the paralysis, improving learning ability, and prolonging the lifespan of C. elegans. Further mechanism studies showed that the accumulation of ROS, aggregation, and toxicity of Aβ were reduced, suggesting that ORR alleviated Aβ-induced toxicity, in part, through antioxidant activity and Aβ aggregation inhibiting. The expression of amy-1 was downregulated, and sir-2.1, daf-16, sod-3, and hsp-16.2 were upregulated. Thus, ORR could have a possible therapeutic effect on AD by modulating the expression of amy-1, sir-2.1, daf-16, sod-3, and hsp-16.2. Furthermore, ORR promoted the nuclear localization of daf-16 and further increased the expression of sod-3 and hsp-16.2, which significantly contributed to inhibiting the Aβ toxicity and enhancing oxidative stress resistance. In summary, the study provided a new idea for the development of ORR.

Inhibition of miR-135a-5p attenuates vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and vascular remodeling in hypertensive rats

Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) greatly contributes to vascular remodeling in hypertension. This study is to determine the roles and mechanisms of miR-135a-5p intervention in attenuating VSMC proliferation and vascular remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). MiR-135a-5p level was raised, while fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 (FNDC5) mRNA and protein expressions were reduced in VSMCs of SHRs compared with those of Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs). Enhanced VSMC proliferation in SHRs was inhibited by miR-135a-5p knockdown or miR-135a-5p inhibitor, but exacerbated by miR-135a-5p mimic. VSMCs of SHRs showed reduced myofilaments, increased or even damaged mitochondria, increased and dilated endoplasmic reticulum, which were attenuated by miR-135a-5p inhibitor. Dual-luciferase reporter assay shows that FNDC5 was a target gene of miR-135a-5p. Knockdown or inhibition of miR-135a-5p prevented the FNDC5 downregulation in VSMCs of SHRs, while miR-135a-5p mimic inhibited FNDC5 expressions in VSMCs of both WKYs and SHRs. FNDC5 knockdown had no significant effects on VSMC proliferation of WKYs, but aggravated VSMC proliferation of SHRs. Exogenous FNDC5 or FNDC5 overexpression attenuated VSMC proliferation of SHRs, and prevented miR-135a-5p mimic-induced enhancement of VSMC proliferation of SHR. MiR-135a-5p knockdown in SHRs attenuated hypertension, normalized FNDC5 expressions and inhibited vascular smooth muscle proliferation, and alleviated vascular remodeling. These results indicate that miR-135a-5p promotes while FNDC5 inhibits VSMC proliferation in SHRs. Silencing of miR-135a-5p attenuates VSMC proliferation and vascular remodeling in SHRs via disinhibition of FNDC5 transcription. Either inhibition of miR-135a-5p or upregulation of FNDC5 may be a therapeutically strategy in attenuating vascular remodeling and hypertension.

Exploring the Pharmacological Mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Decoction for Diabetic Retinopathy: A Systematic Biological Strategy-Based Research

OBJECTIVE

To explore the pharmacological mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang decoction (LDD) for diabetic retinopathy (DR).

METHODS

The potential targets of LDD were predicted by PharmMapper. GeneCards and other databases were used to collect DR genes. Cytoscape was used to construct and analyze network DR and LDD's network, and DAVID was used for Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis. Finally, animal experiments were carried out to verify the results of systematic pharmacology.

RESULTS

Five networks were constructed and analyzed: (1) diabetic retinopathy genes' PPI network; (2) compound-compound target network of LDD; (3) LDD-DR PPI network; (4) compound-known target network of LDD; (5) LDD known target-DR PPI network. Several DR and treatment-related targets, clusters, signaling pathways, and biological processes were found. Animal experiments found that LDD can improve the histopathological changes of the retina. LDD can also increase erythrocyte filtration rate and decrease the platelet adhesion rate (P < 0.05) and decrease MDA and TXB2 (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, the retinal VEGF and HIF-1α expression in the LDD group decreased significantly (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The therapeutic effect of LDD on DR may be achieved by interfering with the biological processes (such as response to insulin, glucose homeostasis, and regulation of angiogenesis) and signaling pathways (such as insulin, VEGF, HIF-1, and ErbB signaling pathway) related to the development of DR that was found in this research.

TIM‑3 inhibits PDGF‑BB‑induced atherogenic responses in human artery vascular smooth muscle cells

Increasing evidence suggests that T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3) displays anti-atherosclerotic effects, but its role in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) has not been reported. The present study aimed to investigate the function of TIM-3 and its roles in human artery VSMCs (HASMCs). A protein array was used to investigate the TIM-3 protein expression profile, which indicated that TIM-3 expression was increased in the serum of patients with lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans disease (LEAOD) compared with healthy individuals. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting of arterial tissue further revealed that TIM-3 expression was increased in LEAOD artery tissue compared with normal artery tissue. Additionally, platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) displayed a positive correlation with TIM-3 expression in HASMCs. TIM-3 decreased the migration and proliferation of PDGF-BB-induced HASMCs, and anti-TIM-3 blocked the effects of TIM-3. The effect of TIM-3 on the proliferation and migration of HASMCs was further investigated using LV-TIM-3-transduced cells. The results revealed that TIM-3 also inhibited PDGF-BB-induced expression of the inflammatory factors interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α by suppressing NF-κB activation. In summary, the present study revealed that TIM-3 displayed a regulatory role during the PDGF-BB-induced inflammatory reaction in HASMCs, which indicated that TIM-3 may display anti-atherosclerotic effects.

Exploring a New Natural Treating Agent for Primary Hypertension: Recent Findings and Forthcoming Perspectives

Primary hypertension describes abnormally-high systolic/diastolic blood pressure in a resting condition caused by various genetic or environmental risk factors. Remarkably, severe complications, such as ischemic cardiovascular disease, stroke, and chronic renal disease have led to primary hypertension becoming a huge burden for almost one-third of the total population. Medication is the major regimen for treating primary hypertension; however, recent medications may have adverse effects that attenuate energy levels. Hence, the search for new hypotensive agents from folk or traditional medicine may be fruitful in the discovery and development of new drugs. This review assembles recent findings for natural antihypertensive agents, extracts, or decoctions published in PubMed, and provides insights into the search for new hypotensive compounds based on blood-pressure regulating mechanisms, including the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and the sympathetic/adrenergic receptor/calcium channel system.

Rapamycin‑induced miR‑30a downregulation inhibits senescence of VSMCs by targeting Beclin1

Vascular senescence is considered to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of rapamycin on miR‑30a and its relationship with autophagy and senescence in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Young and aging VSMCs were treated with rapamycin or transfected with miR‑30a mimics. Measurement of cellular senescence was conducted using senescence‑associated (SA)‑β‑Galactosidase (gal) staining. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm binding for miR‑30a and Beclin1. The expression levels of miR‑30a and Beclin1 were determined with reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Autophagy‑related protein levels were determined using immunofluorescence or western blot assays. The results demonstrated that rapamycin treatment significantly decreased miR‑30a expression and increased Beclin1 expression in both young and aging cells, as well as promoted autophagy in VSMCs. In addition, rapamycin inhibited senescence in VSMCs and could also alleviate the aging VSMC cycle arrest. Dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR‑30a could directly bind the 3'untranslated region of Beclin1 and inhibit its expression. Furthermore, miR‑30a inhibited autophagy and promoted senescence of VSMCs. In conclusion, the present results indicated that rapamycin could inhibit the senescence of VSMCs by downregulating miR‑30a, which resulted in upregulation of Beclin1 and activation of autophagy. The current study is the first to demonstrate an inhibitory role of rapamycin on VSMC senescence and might provide novel insights and potential new molecular targets in senescence treatment.