Triptolide inhibits proliferation, differentiation and induces apoptosis of osteoblastic MC3T3‑E1 cells

Triptolide alleviates the development of inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis via the NONHSAT227927.1/JAK2/STAT3 pathway

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can destroy the affected joints. Triptolide (TPL), a key active ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicine Tripterygium wilfordii exhibits promising efficacy in rheumatic immune disease with its anti-inflammatory effects. The present study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of TPL in treatment of AS by regulating the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) NONHSAT227927.1. The role and underlying mechanisms of TPL in the development of inflammation in AS were assessed. In vivo, the expression of NONHSAT227927.1 in AS was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q)PCR. Correlation analysis and binary logistic regression were performed between immune and inflammatory indicators, perception scale scores of patients and NONHSAT227927.1. In vitro, Cell Counting Kit-8 was used to evaluate the activity of AS-fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) following TPL exposure. AS-FLS inflammation was assessed by qPCR and ELISA. The interaction between TPL and JAK2 and STAT3 was verified by molecular docking and the JAK2/STAT3 pathway components were detected by western blotting. NONHSAT227927.1 was knocked down by small interfering RNA to determine its role. NONHSAT227927.1 was highly expressed in vivo and positively correlated with disease duration, disease duration, Body mass index (BMI), C-reactive protein (CRP), Visual analog scale (VAS), Visual analog scale (VAS), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, among which ESR and VAS and BASDAI score were risk factors for NONHSAT227927.1. TPL downregulated pro-inflammatory factors in AS-FLSs and inhibited the JAK2/STAT3 pathway via NONHSAT227927.1. TPL inhibited inflammatory factors in AS-FLSs and alleviated inflammatory responses via the NONHSAT227927.1/JAK2/STAT3 axis.

Effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge extracts on improving the efficacy and reducing the toxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides (TWP), extracted from the traditional Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii, has been widely used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the toxicity of TWP to a variety of organs such as liver, kidney and testis greatly limits its clinical application. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge is often used in the treatment of RA due to its blood circulation promoting, stasis resolving, and anti-inflammatory effects. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge has also been reported to possess multiple organ protective effects.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To investigate the influences of two main components of Salviorrhiza miltiorrhiza Bunge, hydrophilic salvianolic acids (SA) and lipophilic tanshinones (Tan), on the efficacy and toxicity of TWP in treating RA and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

SA and Tan were extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and the extracts were quantitated by HPLC and identified by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. Then, a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model was established using bovine type II collagen (CII) and incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA). CIA rats were treated with TWP and/or SA/Tan. After 21 days of continuous treatment, arthritis symptoms and organs toxicity were evaluated. Meanwhile, serum metabolomics were investigated by the UPLC-Q/TOF-MS to understand the underlying mechanism.

RESULTS

SA and Tan extracts could significantly alleviate arthritis symptoms in CIA rats and decrease the serum levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 when combined with TWP. Meanwhile, both extracts alleviated injury of liver, kidney and testis caused by TWP, and the hydrophilic extract SA was superior. Moreover, a total of 38 endogenous differential metabolites were identified between the CIA model group and the TWP group, among which 33 metabolites were significantly recovered after the combination of SA or Tan. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that SA and Tan can affect metabolic pathways including linoleic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism and steroid biosynthesis metabolism pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicated for the first time that two Salviorrhiza miltiorrhiza Bunge extracts could improve the efficacy and reduce the toxicity of TWP in the treatment of RA by adjusting metabolic pathways, and the hydrophilic extract SA was superior.

Human cells with osteogenic potential in bone tissue research

Bone regeneration after injury or after surgical bone removal due to disease is a serious medical challenge. A variety of materials are being tested to replace a missing bone or tooth. Regeneration requires cells capable of proliferation and differentiation in bone tissue. Although there are many possible human cell types available for use as a model for each phase of this process, no cell type is ideal for each phase. Osteosarcoma cells are preferred for initial adhesion assays due to their easy cultivation and fast proliferation, but they are not suitable for subsequent differentiation testing due to their cancer origin and genetic differences from normal bone tissue. Mesenchymal stem cells are more suitable for biocompatibility testing, because they mimic natural conditions in healthy bone, but they proliferate more slowly, soon undergo senescence, and some subpopulations may exhibit weak osteodifferentiation. Primary human osteoblasts provide relevant results in evaluating the effect of biomaterials on cellular activity; however, their resources are limited for the same reasons, like for mesenchymal stem cells. This review article provides an overview of cell models for biocompatibility testing of materials used in bone tissue research.

Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Composite Nanoparticles for Augmented Differentiation of MC3T3-E1 Cells for Bone Tissue Engineering

Progressive aging harms bone tissue structure and function and, thus, requires effective therapies focusing on permanent tissue regeneration rather than partial cure, beginning with regenerative medicine. Due to advances in tissue engineering, stimulating osteogenesis with biomimetic nanoparticles to create a regenerative niche has gained attention for its efficacy and cost-effectiveness. In particular, hydroxyapatite (HAP, Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂) has gained significant interest in orthopedic applications as a major inorganic mineral of native bone. Recently, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have also been noted for their multifunctional potential for hyperthermia, MRI contrast agents, drug delivery, and mechanosensitive receptor manipulation to induce cell differentiation, etc. Thus, the present study synthesizes HAP-decorated MNPs (MHAP NPs) via the wet chemical co-precipitation method. Synthesized MHAP NPs were evaluated against the preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells towards concentration-dependent cytotoxicity, proliferation, morphology staining, ROS generation, and osteogenic differentiation. The result evidenced that MHAP NPs concentration up to 10 µg/mL was non-toxic even with the time-dependent proliferation studies. As nanoparticle concentration increased, FACS apoptosis assay and ROS data showed a significant rise in apoptosis and ROS generation. The MC3T3-E1 cells cocultured with 5 µg/mL MHAP NPs showed significant osteogenic differentiation potential. Thus, MHAP NPs synthesized with simple wet chemistry could be employed in bone regenerative therapy.

Development of local injectable, bone-targeting nanocarriers of triptolide for treatment of bone-only metastasis

Triptolide (TP) is known for its diverse pharmacological activities but also its delivery and toxicity issues. This study aimed at exploiting TP's anticancer effects at lower risk of systemic toxicity by developing local-injectable "bone-targeting TP nanoparticle" (TPN) for bone-only metastasis treatment. The lipid/oil-based TPNs decorated with alendronate (ALE) achieved size of 70.4-111.2 nm with good dispersion stability. The drug encapsulation efficiency reached 97 % and drug release profiles were in biphasic, controlled manner lasting for 5 days in medium with serum proteins and calcium. TPNs were more cytotoxic than free TP against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells (IC50: 16.40 ± 0.80 nM vs 25.45 ± 1.83 nM, P < 0.05) but less cytotoxic against MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts (P < 0.05). When combined with paclitaxel or docetaxel, low dose TPN (containing 10 nM) significantly increased the effectiveness of the two chemotherapy drugs against MDA-MB-231 (IC50 values decreased from 7.3 nM to 2.5 nM for docetaxel; from 4.6 nM to 1.1 nM), indicating potent chemosensitization effects. Retardation of in vitro cancer cell migration by TPN was also observed in the standard scratch assay. ALE decoration significantly enhanced the TPN affinity for both calcium hydroxyapatite and porcine bone chip models, which led to enhancement in TP retention in the bones up to 8.1-fold versus free drug. Overall, TPN demonstrated good potential as a local-injectable, bone-targeted nanotherapy tailored for eradication of bone-only metastasis at reduced risk of systemic toxicity.

Multi-target mechanism of Tripteryguim wilfordii Hook for treatment of ankylosing spondylitis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

BACKGROUND

Tripteryguim wilfordii Hook (TWH) has significant anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties and is widely used for treating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. However, the multi-target mechanism of TWH on ankylosing spondylitis (AS) remains to be elucidated.

METHODS

Active components and their target proteins were screened from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). Meanwhile, AS-related targets were obtained from the Genecards Database. After overlapping, the targets of TWH against AS were collected. Then protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and core targets analysis were conducted through STRING network platform and Cytoscape software. Moreover, molecular docking methods were utilized to confirm the high affinity between TWH and targets. Finally, DAVID online tool was used to perform gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopaedia of genes and genome (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of overlapping targets.

RESULTS

The TCMSP Database results showed that there were11 active components of TWH against AS. PPI network and core targets analysis suggested that ESR1, VEGF, ICAM-1, and RELA were key targets against AS. Moreover, molecular docking methods confirmed the high affinity between bioactive molecular of TWH and their targets in AS. At last, enrichment analysis indicated that TWH participates in various biological processes, such as cell-cell adhesion, regulation of cell-matrix adhesion, acute inflammatory response, via TNF-α, NF-κB and so forth signalling pathways.

CONCLUSION

Verified by network pharmacology approach based on data mining and molecular docking methods, multi-target drug TWH may serve as a promising therapeutic candidate for AS but still needs further in vivo/in vitro experiments.

Therapeutic potential of triptolide in autoimmune diseases and strategies to reduce its toxicity

With the increasing epidemiology of autoimmune disease worldwide, there is an urgent need for effective drugs with low cost in clinical treatment. Triptolide, the most potent bioactive compound from traditional Chinese herb Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook F, possesses immunosuppression and anti-inflammatory activity. It is a potential drug for the treatment of various autoimmune diseases, but its clinical application is still restricted due to severe toxicity. In this review, the pharmacodynamic effects and pharmacological mechanisms of triptolide in autoimmune diseases are summarized. Triptolide exerts therapeutic effect by regulating the function of immune cells and the expression of cytokines through inflammatory signaling pathways, as well as maintaining redox balance and gut microbiota homeostasis. Meanwhile, the research progress on toxicity of triptolide to liver, kidney, reproductive system, heart, spleen, lung and gastrointestinal tract has been systematically reviewed. In vivo experiments on different animals and clinical trials demonstrate the dose- and time- dependent toxicity of triptolide through different administration routes. Furthermore, we focus on the strategies to reduce toxicity of triptolide, including chemical structural modification, novel drug delivery systems, and combination pharmacotherapy. This review aims to reveal the potential therapeutic prospect and limitations of triptolide in treating autoimmune diseases, thus providing guiding suggestions for further study and promoting its clinical translation.

Effects Of Triptolide On Tooth Movement And Root Resorption In Rats

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of triptolide on the tooth movement and root resorption in rats during orthodontic treatment.

Material and methods

A total of 48 male Wistar rats were divided into three groups of 16 each. The right maxillary first molars of rats were drawn mesially by closed coil nickel-titanium spring with a force of 50 g. The two experimental groups received intraperitoneal injections of triptolide for 14 days at a dose of 15 µg/kg/day and 30 µg/kg/day, respectively. The control group received vehicle injections. After 14 days, the rats were humanely killed. The amount of tooth movement was measured. Eight rats from each group were randomly chosen for analysis of the percentage of root resorption area by scanning electron microscopy. For the remaining eight rats in each group, the H&E staining, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining and immunohistochemistry analysis were performed.

Results

The amount of tooth movement and the ratio of root resorption area were significantly decreased in the triptolide-treated rats. The number of TRAP-positive cells was significantly lower in triptolide-treated groups. Moreover, the expression of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) was reduced. In contrast, the expression of osteoprotegerin was significantly up-regulated. In the tension side, the expressions of runt-related transcription factor 2 and osteocalcin were significantly enhanced by triptolide injection.

Conclusion

Triptolide injection could arrest orthodontic tooth movement and reduce root resorption in rats via inhibition of osteoclastogenesis. In addition, triptolide may exert a positive effect on osteoblastogenesis.