Multi-omics integration reveals the hepatoprotective mechanisms of ursolic acid intake against chronic alcohol consumption

Antitubercular drugs: possible role of natural products acting as antituberculosis medication in overcoming drug resistance and drug-induced hepatotoxicity

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a pathogenic bacterium which causes tuberculosis (TB). TB control programmes are facing threats from drug resistance. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Mtb strains need longer and more expensive treatment with many medications resulting in more adverse effects and decreased chances of treatment outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasised the development of not just new individual anti-TB drugs, but also novel medication regimens as an alternative treatment option for the drug-resistant Mtb strains. Many plants, as well as marine creatures (sponge; Haliclona sp.) and fungi, have been continuously used to treat TB in various traditional treatment systems around the world, providing an almost limitless supply of active components. Natural products, in addition to their anti-mycobacterial action, can be used as adjuvant therapy to increase the efficacy of conventional anti-mycobacterial medications, reduce their side effects, and reverse MDR Mtb strain due to Mycobacterium's genetic flexibility and environmental adaptation. Several natural compounds such as quercetin, ursolic acid, berberine, thymoquinone, curcumin, phloretin, and propolis have shown potential anti-mycobacterial efficacy and are still being explored in preclinical and clinical investigations for confirmation of their efficacy and safety as anti-TB medication. However, more high-level randomized clinical trials are desperately required. The current review provides an overview of drug-resistant TB along with the latest anti-TB medications, drug-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress. Further, the role and mechanisms of action of first and second-line anti-TB drugs and new drugs have been highlighted. Finally, the role of natural compounds as anti-TB medication and hepatoprotectants have been described and their mechanisms discussed.

Impact of NQO1 dysregulation in CNS disorders

NAD(P)H Quinone Dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of neuronal function and synaptic plasticity, cellular adaptation to oxidative stress, neuroinflammatory and degenerative processes, and tumorigenesis in the central nervous system (CNS). Impairment of the NQO1 activity in the CNS can result in abnormal neurotransmitter release and clearance, increased oxidative stress, and aggravated cellular injury/death. Furthermore, it can cause disturbances in neural circuit function and synaptic neurotransmission. The abnormalities of NQO1 enzyme activity have been linked to the pathophysiological mechanisms of multiple neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, cerebrovascular disease, traumatic brain injury, and brain malignancy. NQO1 contributes to various dimensions of tumorigenesis and treatment response in various brain tumors. The precise mechanisms through which abnormalities in NQO1 function contribute to these neurological disorders continue to be a subject of ongoing research. Building upon the existing knowledge, the present study reviews current investigations describing the role of NQO1 dysregulations in various neurological disorders. This study emphasizes the potential of NQO1 as a biomarker in diagnostic and prognostic approaches, as well as its suitability as a target for drug development strategies in neurological disorders.

Single-Cell RNA Transcriptome Profiling of Liver Cells of Short-Term Alcoholic Liver Injury in Mice

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is currently considered a global healthcare problem with limited pharmacological treatment options. There are abundant cell types in the liver, such as hepatocytes, endothelial cells, Kupffer cells and so on, but little is known about which kind of liver cells play the most important role in the process of ALD. To obtain a cellular resolution of alcoholic liver injury pathogenesis, 51,619 liver single-cell transcriptomes (scRNA-seq) with different alcohol consumption durations were investigated, 12 liver cell types were identified, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the alcoholic liver injury were revealed. We found that more aberrantly differential expressed genes (DEGs) were present in hepatocytes, endothelial cells, and Kupffer cells than in other cell types in alcoholic treatment mice. Alcohol promoted the pathological processes of liver injury; the specific mechanisms involved: lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, hypoxia, complementation and anticoagulation, and hepatocyte energy metabolism on hepatocytes; NO production, immune regulation, epithelial and cell migration on endothelial cells; antigen presentation and energy metabolism on Kupffer cells, based on the GO analysis. In addition, our results showed that some transcription factors (TFs) are activated in alcohol-treated mice. In conclusion, our study improves the understanding of liver cell heterogeneity in alcohol-fed mice at the single-cell level. It has potential value for understanding key molecular mechanisms and improving current prevention and treatment strategies for short-term alcoholic liver injury.

Transcriptome Analysis of Protection by Dendrobium Nobile Alkaloids (DNLA) against Chronic Alcoholic Liver Injury in Mice

Objective: To investigate the protective effects of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. alkaloids (DNLA) against chronic alcoholic liver injury. C57BL/6J mice were fed with the Lieber−DeCarli alcohol diet to induce chronic alcoholic liver injury. DNLA (20 mg/kg/day) was gavaged along with the alcohol diet for 28 days. Liver injury was evaluated by serum enzymes. Triglyceride levels, histopathology, and transcriptome changes were examined by RNA-Seq and qPCR. DNLA decreased serum triglyceride levels in mice receiving alcohol. Hepatocyte degeneration and steatosis were ameliorated by DNLA, as evidenced by H&E and Oil-red O staining. DNLA brought the alcohol-induced aberrant gene expression pattern towards normal. Alcohol induced 787 differentially expressed genes (padj < 0.01). DNLA induced 280 differentially expressed genes to a much less extent. Ingenuity pathway analysis showed that DNLA ameliorated alcohol-induced oxidative stress and xenobiotic metabolism disruption. qPCR verified that DNLA alleviated over-activation of Cyp2a4, Cyp2b10, and Abcc4; attenuated oxidative stress (Hmox1, Gstm3, Nupr1), reduced the expression of Nrf2 genes (Nqo1, Gclc, Vldlr); and rescued some metabolic genes (Insig1, Xbp1, Socs3, Slc10a2). In conclusion, DNLA was effective against alcohol-induced fatty liver disease, and the protection may be attributed to alleviated oxidative stress and restored metabolism homeostasis, probably through modulating nuclear receptor CAR-, PXR-, and Nrf2-mediated gene expression pathways.

RNA-Seq Analysis of Protection against Chronic Alcohol Liver Injury by Rosa roxburghii Fruit Juice (Cili) in Mice

Rosa roxburghii Tratt. fruit juice (Cili) is used as a medicinal and edible resource in China due to its antioxidant and hypolipidemic potentials. The efficacy of Cili in protecting alcohol-induced liver injury and its underlying mechanism was investigated. C57BL/6J mice received a Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing alcohol to produce liver injury. After the mice were adapted gradually to 5% alcohol, Cili (4 mL and 8 mL/kg/day for 4 weeks) were gavaged for treatment. The serum enzyme activities, triglyceride levels, histopathology and Oil-red O staining were examined. The RNA-Seq and qPCR analyses were performed to determine the protection mechanisms. Cili decreased serum and liver triglyceride levels in mice receiving alcohol. Hepatocyte degeneration and steatosis were improved by Cili. The RNA-Seq analyses showed Cili brought the alcohol-induced aberrant gene pattern towards normal. The qPCR analysis verified that over-activation of CAR and PXR (Cyp2a4, Cyp2b10 and Abcc4) was attenuated by Cili. Cili alleviated overexpression of oxidative stress responsive genes (Hmox1, Gsta1, Gstm3, Nqo1, Gclc, Vldlr, and Cdkn1a), and rescued alcohol-downregulated metabolism genes (Angptl8, Slc10a2, Ces3b, Serpina12, C6, and Selenbp2). Overall, Cili was effective against chronic alcohol liver injury, and the mechanisms were associated with decreased oxidative stress, improved lipid metabolism through modulating nuclear receptor CAR-, PXR-and Nrf2-mediated pathways.

Ursolic Acid Suppresses Oncostatin M Expression through Blockade of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB Signaling Processes in Neutrophil-like Differentiated HL-60 Cells

Cytokine oncostatin M (OSM) plays an important role in a variety of inflammatory reactions and is mainly produced in neutrophils in inflammatory diseases. While natural pentacyclic triterpenoid ursolic acid (UA) possesses a wide range of beneficial effects, such as anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory, the regulatory processes of OSM suppression by UA in neutrophils are still poorly understood. This study was aimed at examining how UA regulates OSM expression in neutrophil-like differentiated (d)HL-60 cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and immunoblotting were employed to analyze the effects of UA. Whereas stimulation with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) led to elevations of OSM production and mRNA expression, these elevations were lowered by treatment with UA in neutrophil-like dHL-60 cells. When the cells were exposed to GM-CSF, phosphorylated levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Akt, and nuclear factor-kB were upregulated. However, the upregulations were diminished by treatment with UA in neutrophil-like dHL-60 cells. The results of this study proposed that UA might relieve inflammatory diseases via inhibition of OSM.