The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) plays a main role in pancreatic [Formula: see text]-cell dysfunction and death because of intracellular Ca[Formula: see text] turbulence and inflammation activation. Although several drugs are targeting pancreatic [Formula: see text]-cell to improve [Formula: see text]-cell function, there still lacks agents to alleviate [Formula: see text]-cell ER stress conditions. Therefore we used thapsigargin (THAP) or high glucose (HG) to induce ER stress in [Formula: see text]-cell and aimed to screen natural molecules against ER stress-induced [Formula: see text]-cell dysfunction. ⋯ Conversely HNF4[Formula: see text] knockdown abolished the effect of luteolin on [Formula: see text]-cell using siRNA. These results suggested the protective effect of luteolin on [Formula: see text]-cell was through HNF4[Formula: see text]/Asnk4b pathway. In conclusion, our study discovered that luteolin improved [Formula: see text]-cell function and disclosed the underlying mechanism of luteolin on [Formula: see text]-cell, suggesting luteolin is a promising agent against pancreatic dysfunction.
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Oxidative stress (OS) is the common mechanism for age-related diseases. The co-occurrence of osteoporosis (OP) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in postmenopausal women makes it warranted to find a holistic approach for treatment of multiple diseases or conditions. The rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (CX), which has high anti-oxidant properties and is widely used for CVD treatment in China, might be the potential candidate. ⋯ CXE significantly improved bone properties as revealed by the increase in trabecular bone mineral density and decrease in trabecular separation at proximal metaphysis of the tibia (PT) in HFS-fed OVX rats but not in LFS-fed OVX rats. CXE ameliorated dyslipidemia, greatly reduced lipid deposition and malondialdehyde levels, improved activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in the livers of HFS-fed OVX rats. In conclusion, CXE could favor osteoblastogenesis against OS. The ability of CXE to reduce bone loss in HFS-fed OVX rats was associated with its abilities to correct dyslipidemia, and reduce lipid deposition and OS levels.
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The Chinese patent medicine She-Xiang-Xin-Tong-Ning (SXXTN) is a clinical medication for coronary heart disease (CHD) and angina pectoris. This study aimed to investigate pharmacological effects of SXXTN and elucidate the role in angiogenesis on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) rats. We prepared SXXTN to treat the cells to reveal their effects on oxidative stress-damaged cell viability, as well as cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation processes. ⋯ SXXTN promoted angiogenesis through stimulating cell migration, tube formation, and activating VEGF/VEGFR2 and ERK1/2 pathways. Furthermore, SXXTN reduced infarct size and inhibited PGI2/TXA2 imbalance, preventing atherosclerosis plaque rupture leading to worsening coronary heart disease. Taken together, we report the first in vivo and in vitro evidence that SXXTN reduced oxidative stress-mediated damage and enhanced angiogenesis, which might be useful in treatment of myocardial infarction.
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Bufalin is an anticancer drug extract from traditional Chinese medicine. Several articles about bufalin have been published. However, the literature on bufalin has not yet been systematically studied. ⋯ PPI network analysis showed that inducing apoptosis was the main effect of bufalin, and apoptosis-related gene Caspase 3 was the most reported by people. Bufalin could inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells through multiple signaling pathways, such as PI3K/AKT, Hedgehog, MAPK/JNK, Wnt/[Formula: see text]-catenin, TGF-[Formula: see text]/Smad, Integrin signaling pathway, and NF-KB signaling pathway via KEGG analysis. Through the quantitative analysis of bufalin literature, we revealed the research status and hot spots in this field and provided some guidance for further research.
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Codonopsis lanceolata roots have been widely used in Korean cuisine and traditional medicine. This study aimed to investigate the antimetastatic effects of lancemaside A, a major triterpenoid saponin, isolated from the roots of C. lanceolata, in human ovarian cancer cells. Lancemaside A significantly suppressed the migration and invasion and the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 and -9 in ovarian cancer A2780 and SKOV3 cells. ⋯ However, treatment with anti-oxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) significantly negated the anti-invasive activity of lancemaside A. Additionally, lancemaside A activated p38 MAP kinase, which is mediated by ROS generation. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to reveal that lancemaside A isolated from the roots of C. lanceolata exerts antimetastatic activity through inhibition of MMP expression and cancer cell invasion via activation of the ROS-mediated p38 pathway.