Protective effects of 7-difluoromethyl-5,4'-dimethoxygenistein against human aorta endothelial injury caused by lysophosphatidyl choline

DFMG reverses proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells induced by co-culture with injured vascular endothelial cells via suppression of the TLR4-mediated signaling pathway

7-Difluoromethoxy-5,4′-dimethoxy-genistein (DFMG) is a novel chemical compound synthesized using genistein. Previous studies have indicated that DFMG can reverse the apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) by regulating the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. The present study aimed to investigate the activity and molecular mechanism underlying DFMG-mediated protection of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMCs) using a non-contact co-culture model established by using Transwell insert. Secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured by ELISA. Proliferation and migration of VSMCs were assessed using a Cell Counting kit-8 and wound healing assays, respectively. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA and protein levels were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analyses, respectively. In the present study, lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) significantly increased the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α in VECs. VECs treated with LPC markedly increased proliferation and migration of VSMCs, which were inhibited by DFMG. Transfection of either TLR4 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) or TLR4 cDNA in VECs inhibited and increased proliferation and migration of VSMCs, respectively. Furthermore, transfection of VECs with TLR4 shRNA suppressed the proliferation and migration of VSMCs induced by co-culture with injured VECs, which was further enhanced by treatment with DFMG. By contrast, transfection of VECs with TLR4 cDNA enhanced proliferation and migration of VSMCs and this effect was inhibited by treatment with DFMG. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrated that DFMG can reverse proliferation and migration of VSMCs induced by co-culture with injured VECs via suppression of the TLR4-mediated signaling pathway.

DFMG attenuates the activation of macrophages induced by co‑culture with LPC‑injured HUVE‑12 cells via the TLR4/MyD88/NF‑κB signaling pathway

7‑difluoromethoxy‑5,4'‑dimethoxy‑genistein (DFMG) is a novel active chemical entity, which modulates the function and signal transduction of endothelial cells and macrophages (MPs), and is essential in the prevention of atherosclerosis. In the present study, the activity and molecular mechanism of DFMG on MPs was investigated using a Transwell assay to construct a non‑contact co‑culture model. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVE‑12), which were incubated with lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), were seeded in the upper chambers, whereas PMA‑induced MPs were grown in the lower chambers. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured using the corresponding assay kits. The proliferation and migration were assessed using 3‑(4,5‑dimethylthiazol‑2‑yl)‑2,5‑diphenyltetrazolium bromide and wound healing assays, respectively. Foam cell formation was examined using oil red O staining and a total cholesterol assay. The protein expression levels of Toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and nuclear factor (NF)‑κB p65 were detected by western immunoblotting. The secretion of interleukin (IL)‑1β was examined using an enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay. It was found that LPC significantly increased the generation of ROS and the release of LDH in HUVE‑12 cells. The LPC‑injured HUVE‑12 cells activated MPs under co‑culture conditions and this process was inhibited by DFMG treatment. LPC upregulated the expression levels of TLR4, MyD88 and NF‑κB p65, and the secretion of IL‑1β in the supernatant of the co‑cultured HUVE‑12 cells and MPs. These effects were reversed by the application of DFMG. Furthermore, CLI‑095 and IL‑1Ra suppressed the activation of MPs that was induced by co‑culture with injured HUVE‑12 cells. These effects were further enhanced by co‑treatment with DFMG, and DFMG exhibited synergistic effects with a TLR4‑specific inhibitor. Take together, these findings revealed that DFMG attenuated the activation of MP induced by co‑culture with LPC‑injured HUVE‑12 cells. This process was mediated via inhibition of the TLR4/MyD88/NF‑κB signaling pathway in HUVE‑12 cells.

Plasma metabolomic profiling to reveal antipyretic mechanism of Shuang-huang-lian injection on yeast-induced pyrexia rats

Shuang-huang-lian injection (SHLI) is a famous Chinese patent medicine, which has been wildly used in clinic for the treatment of acute respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, influenza, etc. The existing randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies suggested that SHLI could afford a certain anti-febrile action. However, seldom does research concern the pharmacological mechanisms of SHLI. In the current study, we explored plasma metabolomic profiling technique and selected potential metabolic markers to reveal the antipyretic mechanism of SHLI on yeast-induced pyrexia rat model using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS coupled with multivariate statistical analysis and pattern recognition techniques. We discovered a significant perturbance of metabolic profile in the plasma of fever rats and obvious reversion in SHLI-administered rats. Eight potential biomarkers, i.e. 1) 3-hydeoxybutyric acid, 2) leucine, 3) 16:0 LPC, 4) allocholic acid, 5) vitamin B2, 6) Cys-Lys-His, 7) 18:2 LPC, and 8) 3-hydroxychola-7, 22-dien-24-oic acid, were screened out by OPLS-DA approach. Five potential perturbed metabolic pathways, i.e. 1) valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, 2) glycerophospholipid metabolism, 3) ketone bodies synthesis and degradation, 4) bile acid biosynthesis, and 5) riboflavin metabolism, were revealed to relate to the antipyretic mechanisms of SHLI. Overall, we investigated antipyretic mechanisms of SHLI at metabolomic level for the first time, and the obtained results highlights the necessity of adopting metabolomics as a reliable tool for understanding the holism and synergism of Chinese patent drug.

Effect of 7-difluoromethyl-5, 4'-dimethoxygenistein on aorta atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemia ApoE(-/-) mice induced by a cholesterol-rich diet

Purpose

7-Difluoromethyl–5, 4′-dimethoxygenistein (DFMG), prepared by the difluoromethylation and alkylation of Genistein, is an active new chemical entity. Its anti-atherosclerosis effect was found in a series of studies in vitro. In this article, we explored and evaluated the anti-atherosclerosis effect via its protection of endothelial function in ApoE^−/− mice that were fed a high-fat diet.

Methods

Five C57BL/6J mice were selected as a control group and were fed a 1% high-fat diet (control group, n = 5). Five ApoE^−/− mice that were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks were selected as the atherosclerosis model group (model group, n = 5). In the phase I study, 25 ApoE^−/− mice were provided a prophylactic treatment with different drugs at the beginning of the 16 week high-fat diet: 5 mg/gk genistein (genistein 1 group, n = 5), 5 mg/kg lovastatin (lovastatin1 group, n = 5), 2.5 mg/kg DFMG (DFMG L1 group, n = 5), 5 mg/kg DFMG (DFMG M1 group, n = 5), and 10 mg/kg DFMG (DFMG H1 group, n = 5). In the phase II study, 25 atherosclerosis model, ApoE^−/− mice were treated with different drugs and fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks: 5 mg/gk genistein (genistein 2 group, n = 5), 5 mg/kg lovastatin (lovastatin 2 group, n = 5), 2.5 mg/kg DFMG (DFMG L2 group, n = 5), 5 mg/kg DFMG (DFMG M2 group, n = 5), and 10 mg/kg DFMG (DFMG H2 group, n = 5). The plasma levels of lipids, von Willebrand factor (vWF), and nitrite were compared between phases I and II. Endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR), aortic lesion development, and quantification in thoracic aortas were measured during these two phase studies.

Results

Compared to the model group, the lipid and vWF plasma levels were significantly lower, the plasma nitrite levels were significantly higher, the fatty streaks of aortic lesions were significantly lower, and the endothelium dependent relaxation was significantly higher after both phase studies (P < 0.05). The DFMG supplementation led to significant plasma nitrite increment in all groups after both phase studies (P < 0.05). There were significantly decreased fatty streaks of aortic lesions in DFMG-prevented and DFMG-treated mice (P < 0.05). There was a significant increase in EDR in all prophylactic treatment groups and treatment groups (P < 0.05). We further demonstrated that the preventative effect was more obvious than the therapeutic effect.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that DFMG could work in prophylactic and therapeutic treatments for atherosclerosis development.