Functional study of the upregulation of miRNA-27a and miRNA-27b in 3T3-L1 cells in response to berberine

Anti-obesity Properties of Phytochemicals: Highlighting their Molecular Mechanisms against Obesity

Obesity is a complex, chronic and inflammatory disease that affects more than one-third of the world's population, leading to a higher incidence of diabetes, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and some types of cancer. Several phytochemicals are used as flavoring and aromatic compounds, also exerting many benefits for public health. This study aims to summarize and scrutinize the beneficial effects of the most important phytochemicals against obesity. Systematic research of the current international literature was carried out in the most accurate scientific databases, e.g., Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar, using a set of critical and representative keywords, such as phytochemicals, obesity, metabolism, metabolic syndrome, etc. Several studies unraveled the potential positive effects of phytochemicals such as berberine, carvacrol, curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol, thymol, etc., against obesity and metabolic disorders. Mechanisms of action include inhibition of adipocyte differentiation, browning of the white adipose tissue, inhibition of enzymes such as lipase and amylase, suppression of inflammation, improvement of the gut microbiota, and downregulation of obesity-inducing genes. In conclusion, multiple bioactive compounds-phytochemicals exert many beneficial effects against obesity. Future molecular and clinical studies must be performed to unravel the multiple molecular mechanisms and anti-obesity activities of these naturally occurring bioactive compounds.

Berberine up‐regulates miR‐340‐5p to protect myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion from HMGB1‐mediated inflammatory injury

AIMS

Myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) is a major cause of heart failure after myocardial infarction. Berberine (BBR) presents anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties in many diseases. Our research looked into the therapeutic effects and mechanism of BBR in MIRI.

METHODS AND RESULTS

MIRI animal and cell models were established. The mRNA and protein expressions were assessed using reverse transcription and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot. The haemodynamic parameters (left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular ejection fraction) were detected by echocardiography. The myocardial infarct size and myocardium lesion were assessed by triphenyltetrazolium chloride and haematoxylin-eosin staining. The levels of injury factors were determined by ELISA. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling staining was performed to analyse cell apoptosis. Dual luciferase reporter gene and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were carried out to verify the interaction between miR-340-5p and HMGB1. BBR administration could improve the haemodynamic parameters and infarct size in MIRI rats (all P < 0.05). In MIRI rat model, BBR reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammation (all P < 0.05). BBR could promote miR-340-5p expression (0.64 ± 0.21, P < 0.05), which is lowly expressed in MIRI group (0.24 ± 0.10, P < 0.01) in compare with the sham group (0.99 ± 0.01). MiR-340-5p knockdown abolished the protective effects of BBR on H/R-treated cardiomyocytes (all P < 0.05). BBR suppressed the HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway activation in MIRI. HMGB1 functioned as the target of miR-340-5p, and its silencing reversed the effect of miR-340-5p inhibitor on BBR-treated MIRI.

CONCLUSIONS

In MIRI, BBR repressed HMGB1-mediated TLR4/NF-κB signalling pathway through miR-340-5p to suppress cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammation.

Jinlida Granules Reduce Obesity in db/db Mice by Activating Beige Adipocytes

Recent studies indicate existence of beige adipocytes in adults. Upon activation, beige adipocytes burn energy for thermogenesis and contribute to regulation of energy balance. In this study, we have analyzed whether Jinlida granules (JLD) could activate beige adipocytes. JLD suspended in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was gavage fed to db/db mice at a daily dose of 3.8 g/kg. After 10 weeks, body weight, biochemical, and histological analyses were performed. In situ hybridization, immunofluorescence, and western blotting were conducted to test beige adipocyte activation in mice. X9 cells were induced with induction medium and maintenance medium containing 400 μg/mL of JLD. After completion of induction, cells were analyzed by Nile red staining, time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting, and immunofluorescence to understand the effect of JLD on the activation of beige adipocytes. A molecular docking method was used to preliminarily identify compounds in JLD, which hold the potential activation effect on uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). JLD treatment significantly improved obesity in db/db mice. Biochemical results showed that JLD reduced blood glucose (GLU), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels as well as liver aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in mice. Hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) showed that JLD reduced hepatocyte ballooning changes in the liver. Immunofluorescence showed that JLD increased the expression of the thermogenic protein, UCP1, in the beige adipose tissue of mice. JLD also increased the expression of UCP1 and inhibited the expression of miR-27a in X9 cells. Molecular docking results showed that epmedin B, epmedin C, icariin, puerarin, and salvianolic acid B had potential activation effects on UCP1. The results suggest that JLD may activate beige adipocytes by inhibiting miR-27a expression, thereby promoting thermogenesis in beige adipocytes. This study provides a new pharmacological basis for the clinical use of JLD.

Berberine combined with stachyose improves glycometabolism and gut microbiota through regulating colonic microRNA and gene expression in diabetic rats

AIMS

Berberine is effective for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but has limited use in clinic. This study aims to evaluate the effect of berberine combined with stachyose on glycolipid metabolism and gut microbiota and to explore the underlying mechanisms in diabetic rats.

MAIN METHODS

Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats were orally administered berberine, stachyose and berberine combined with stachyose once daily for 69 days. The oral glucose tolerance and levels of blood glucose, insulin, triglyceride and total cholesterol were determined. The gut microbial profile, colonic miRNA and gene expression were assayed using Illumina sequencing. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to verify the expression of differentially expressed miRNAs and genes.

KEY FINDINGS

Repeated treatments with berberine alone and combined with stachyose significantly reduced the blood glucose, improved the impaired glucose tolerance, and increased the abundance of beneficial Akkermansiaceae, decreased that of pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae in ZDF rats. Furthermore, combined treatment remarkably decreased the abundances of Desulfovibrionaceae and Proteobacteria in comparison to berberine. Combined treatment evidently decreased the expression of intestinal early growth response protein 1 (Egr1) and heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (Hbegf), and significantly increased the expression of miR-10a-5p, but berberine alone not.

SIGNIFICANCE

Berberine combined with stachyose significantly improved glucose metabolism and reshaped gut microbiota in ZDF rats, especially decreased the abundance of pathogenic Desulfovibrionaceae and Proteobacteria compared to berberine alone, providing a novel strategy for treating T2DM. The underlying mechanisms may be associated with regulating the expression of intestinal Egr1, Hbegf and miR-10a-5p, but remains further elucidation.

Berberine pharmacology and the gut microbiota: A hidden therapeutic link

Berberine is a natural pentacyclic isoquinoline alkaloid that has been isolated as the principal component of many popular medicinal plants such as the genus Berberis, Coptis and Hydrastis. The multifunctional nature of berberine as a therapeutic agent is an attribute of its diverse effects on enzymes, receptors and cell signalling pathways. Through specific and general antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, its polypharmacology has been established. Intriguingly, this is despite the poor bioavailability of berberine in animal models and hence begging the question how it induces its reputed effects in vivo. A growing evidence now suggest the role of the gut microbiota, the so-called the hidden organ, as targets for the multifunctional role of berberine. Evidences are herein scrutinised to show that the structural and numerical changes in the gut microbiota under pathological conditions are reversed by berberine. Examples in the pharmacokinetics field, obesity, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, cancer, inflammatory disease conditions, etc. are used to show the link between the gut microbiota and the polypharmacology of berberine.

Berberine inhibits adipocyte differentiation, proliferation and adiposity through down-regulating galectin-3

This study is designed to investigate the effects of berberine (BBR) on galectin-3 (Gal-3) and the relationships to its suppressive activities on adipocyte differentiation, proliferation and adiposity. Our results showed that BBR greatly suppressed the differentiation and proliferation of mouse primary preadipocytes isolated from epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), during which the expression level of Gal-3 was down-regulated significantly. Overexpression of Gal-3 totally abolished the suppressive activities of BBR on Gal-3 expression, preadipocyte differentiation and proliferation. BBR reduced Gal-3 promoter activity, destabilized its mRNA and inhibited firefly luciferase activity of a recombinant plasmid containing the Gal-3 3′ untranslated region (UTR). Furthermore, BBR up-regulated microRNA (miRNA) let-7d expression and the suppressive activity on Gal-3 3′UTR was abolished by point mutation on the let-7d binding site. In mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), BBR up-regulated let-7d and down-regulated Gal-3 expression in eWAT; it also suppressed adipocyte differentiation and proliferation and reduced adiposity greatly. In summary, our study proves that BBR inhibits the differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes through down-regulating Gal-3, which is closely associated with its anti-obesity effect. Our results may support the future clinical application of BBR for the treatment of obesity or related diseases.

Bioactive Ingredients in Chinese Herbal Medicines That Target Non-coding RNAs: Promising New Choices for Disease Treatment

Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are widely used in China and have long been a powerful method to treat diseases in Chinese people. Bioactive ingredients are the main components extracted from herbs that have therapeutic properties. Since artemisinin was discovered to inhibit malaria by Nobel laureate Youyou Tu, extracts from natural plants, particularly bioactive ingredients, have aroused increasing attention among medical researchers. The bioactive ingredients of some CHMs have been found to target various non-coding RNA molecules (ncRNAs), especially miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, which have emerged as new treatment targets in numerous diseases. Here we review the evidence that, by regulating the expression of ncRNAs, these ingredients exert protective effects, including pro-apoptosis, anti-proliferation and anti-migration, anti-inflammation, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-infection, anti-senescence, and suppression of structural remodeling. Consequently, they have potential as treatment agents in diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, nervous system disease, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, infectious diseases, and senescence-related diseases. Although research has been relatively limited and inadequate to date, the promising choices and new alternatives offered by bioactive ingredients for the treatment of the above diseases warrant serious investigation.

Function of berberine on porcine in vitro fertilization embryo development and differential expression analysis of microRNAs

The effect of berberine (Ber) on in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryo development in pigs and the associated differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the embryo were investigated. NCSU-23 embryonic culture medium was used for a control group, while NCSU-23 embryonic culture medium added with Ber was used for a Ber group. The embryo development rates in these groups were determined, and the zygotes, 4- and 8-cell embryos, and blastocysts were collected for cDNA microarray analysis. The development rates of 2-, 4-, 8-cell embryos and blastocysts were significantly higher in the Ber group than those in the control group (p < 0.01). The differentially expressed miRNAs in the 8-cell versus the 4-cell stage in control group as well as in the 8-cell Ber group versus the 8-cell control group overlapped, and it was found that nine miRNAs were commonly upregulated and two of them were downregulated, while there was no overlap among the other groups. The target genes of Ber-regulated miRNAs at the 8-cell stage were mainly associated with the molecular pathway of nucleic acid and protein synthesis. These findings suggest that Ber may regulate the expression of miRNAs at the 8-cell stage, which is beneficial to provide material reserves for the maternal to zygote transition of porcine embryos, thereby increasing the porcine IVF embryo development rate.

Berberine modulates ASK1 signaling mediated through TLR4/TRAF2 via upregulation of miR-23a

The current study was designed to explore the underlying therapeutic effect of berberine (BBR), an alkaloid compound against LPS (1 μg/ml)/TNFα (10 ng/ml) mediated apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) signaling in RAW 264.7 macrophages and adjuvant-induced arthritic synovial macrophages (AA-SM) with relation to miR-23a levels. LPS and TNFα stimulation abrogated the expression of miR-23a resulting in TLR4/TRAF2 mediated ASK1 activation and downstream phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK). BBR (25-75 μM) treatment ameliorated the gene expression levels of TLR4, TRAF2, TNFα, IL-6, and IL-23 through the upregulation of miR-23a. Subsequently, BBR suppressed the levels of TLR4/TRAF2 mediated phosphorylation of ASK1/p38 and attenuated the expression of various pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-6 & IL-23) in RAW 264.7 macrophages and AA-SM cells. BBR was able to counteract these factors through activation of miR-23a levels in LPS/TNFα stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and AA-SM cells. NQDI1 (30 μM) treatment inhibited ASK1 activation resulting in basal levels of miR-23a, owing to the conclusion that ASK1 activation downregulates miR-23a levels inside the cells. Overall, our current findings predict that BBR is a potential candidate for therapeutic targeting of TLR4/TRAF2 mediated ASK1 activation in inflammatory and in RA pathogenesis possibly through post-transcriptional gene silencing via upregulation of miR-23a.

Integration of microRNA-mRNA profiles and pathway analysis of plant isoquinoline alkaloid berberine in SGC-7901 gastric cancers cells

Purpose

Berberine (BBR) is a traditional Chinese medicine normally used for gastroenteritis, and recent research found that it could fight against tumors. In this study, we focused on integrating miRNA sequencing and RNA sequencing of SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells treated by BBR to elucidate their underlying mechanisms.

Materials and methods

WST-1 assay and flow cytometry were used to check the effects of BBR on SGC-7901. miRNA sequencing and RNA sequencing were used to establish the miRNA and mRNA profiles of BBR-treated SGC-7901.

Results

The results showed that BBR could inhibit the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells and induce G1 arrest in cell cycle phase and apoptosis. A total of 1,960 upregulated genes and 4,837 downregulated genes were identified in the RNA sequencing and 347 upregulated and 93 downregulated miRNAs in the miRNA sequencing. A total of 78 novel miRNAs were also found. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that the genes were related to pathways in cancer and metabolism. We also analyzed the miRNA–mRNA network of genes grouped into cell cycle, apoptosis, inflammation, metabolism, cell junction, acetylization process, TGF-β pathway, and Wnt signaling pathway.

Conclusion

BBR could inhibit the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells and induce apoptosis. Integrated analysis of microRNA–mRNA profiles is a promising approach to validate gene expression patterns associated with malignant phenotype and study the mechanisms of anticancer.