Protective effects of dihydromyricetin on primary hippocampal astrocytes from cytotoxicity induced by comorbid diabetic neuropathic pain and depression

Spinal neuron-glial crosstalk and ion channel dysregulation in diabetic neuropathic pain

Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is one of the most prevalent complications of diabetes, characterized by a high global prevalence and a substantial affected population with limited effective therapeutic options. Although DNP is closely associated with hyperglycemia, an increasing body of research suggests that elevated blood glucose levels are not the sole inducers of DNP. The pathogenesis of DNP is intricate, involving the release of inflammatory mediators, alterations in synaptic plasticity, demyelination of nerve fibers, and ectopic impulse generation, yet the precise mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The spinal dorsal horn coordinates dynamic interactions between peripheral and central pain pathways, wherein dorsal horn neurons, microglia, and astrocytes synergize with Schwann cell-derived signals to process nociceptive information flow. Abnormally activated neurons can alter signal transduction by modifying the local microenvironment, compromising myelin integrity, and diminishing trophic support, leading to neuronal sensitization and an amplifying effect on peripheral pain signals, which in turn triggers neuropathic pain. Ion channels play a pivotal role in signal conduction, with the modulation of sodium, potassium, and calcium channels being particularly crucial for the regulation of pain signals. In light of the rising incidence of diabetes and the current scarcity of effective DNP treatments, a thorough investigation into the interactions between neurons and glial cells, especially the mechanisms of ion channel function in DNP, is imperative for identifying potential drug targets, developing novel therapeutic strategies, and thereby enhancing the prospects for DNP management.

Dihydromyricetin restores lysosomal function in Schwann cells to alleviate bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy via ERK/TFEB signaling

Bortezomib (BTZ) serves as a first-line drug for multiple myeloma (MM) treatment by reversibly inhibiting of the proteasomes. However, BTZ-induced peripheral neuropathy (BIPN) remains a significant toxicity concern, with its molecular mechanisms not fully elucidated, resulting in limited therapeutic options. Dihydromyricetin (DHM) has been shown to alleviate neuropathic pain, but its potential effect on BIPN has not been investigated. We found that oral administration of DHM (40 mg/kg/day, 200 mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks significantly improved mechanical allodynia, sciatic nerve conduction, and demyelination in a BIPN mouse model (BTZ 1.0 mg/kg, i.v.). BTZ (50 nmol/L) impaired lysosomal function and blocked autophagy flux in both primary cultured rat Schwann cells and RSC96 Schwann cells; these effects were reversed by DHM treatment (3 μmol/L, 10 μmol/L). Mechanistically, DHM facilitated the nuclear translocation of TFEB, a master regulator of lysosomal-related genes, and the protective effects of DHM on Schwann cells were abolished by Tfeb shRNA. Furthermore, BTZ treatment activated ERK signaling, leading to TFEB phosphorylation and impaired nuclear translocation. DHM treatment prevented the BTZ-induced ERK activation, and the protective effects of DHM were compromised by the ERK activator TBHQ. Importantly, DHM did not diminish the efficacy of BTZ against RPMI 8226 myeloma cells. This study demonstrates that DHM mitigates BTZ-induced toxicity on Schwann cells by restoring lysosome-autophagy activity through the ERK-TFEB pathway, highlighting DHM as a promising candidate for improving the adverse reaction of BTZ in the peripheral nervous system.

A comprehensive review of natural product-derived compounds acting on P2X7R: The promising therapeutic drugs in disorders

BACKGROUND

The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is known to play a significant role in regulating various pathological processes associated with immune regulation, neuroprotection, and inflammatory responses. It has emerged as a potential target for the treatment of diseases. In addition to chemically synthesized small molecule compounds, natural products have gained attention as an important source for discovering compounds that act on the P2X7R.

PURPOSE

To explore the research progress made in the field of natural product-derived compounds that act on the P2X7R.

METHODS

The methods employed in this review involved conducting a thorough search of databases, include PubMed, Web of Science and WIKTROP, to identify studies on natural product-derived compounds that interact with P2X7R. The selected studies were then analyzed to categorize the compounds based on their action on the receptor and to evaluate their therapeutic applications, chemical properties, and pharmacological actions.

RESULTS

The natural product-derived compounds acting on P2X7R can be classified into three categories: P2X7R antagonists, compounds inhibiting P2X7R expression, and compounds regulating the signaling pathway associated with P2X7R. Moreover, highlight the therapeutic applications, chemical properties and pharmacological actions of these compounds, and indicate areas that require further in-depth study. Finally, discuss the challenges of the natural products-derived compounds exploration, although utilizing compounds from natural products for new drug research offers unique advantages, problems related to solubility, content, and extraction processes still exist.

CONCLUSION

The detailed information in this review will facilitate further development of P2X7R antagonists and potential therapeutic strategies for P2X7R-associated disorders.

A comprehensive review of vine tea: Origin, research on Materia Medica, phytochemistry and pharmacology

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Vine tea is a popular folk tea that has been consumed in China for more than 1200 years. It is often used in ethnic medicine by ethnic groups in southwest China with at least 35 aliases in 10 provinces. In coastal areas, vine tea is mostly used to treat heatstroke, aphtha, aphonia, toothache, etc. In contrast, in the southwest inland regions, vine tea is mostly used to clear away heat and toxic materials, antiphlogosis and relieving sore-throat, lowering blood pressure and lipid levels, and alleviating fatigue. Three main species have been used as the source of vine tea, Nekemias grossedentata, Nekemias cantonensis and Nekemias megalophylla. Among them, the leaves of Nekemias grossedentata were considered as new food resource in complicance with regulations, according to the Food Safety Standards published by the Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the National Health and Family Planning Commission in China.

AIM OF THE STUDY

At present, the comprehensively summary of Materia Medica on the history and source of vine tea is currently unavailable. The current article summed up the Materia Medica, species origin and pharmacological effects of all 3 major species used in vine tea to fill the knowledge gaps. We also aim to provide a reference for future research on historical textual, resource development and medicinal utilization of vine tea.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Adhering to the literature screening methodology outlined by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), this review encompasses 148 scholarly research papers from three database, paper ancient books, local chronicles and folklore through field investigations. We then comprehensively summarized and discussed research progresses in scientific and application studies of vine tea.

RESULTS

The historical records indicated that vine tea could have been used as early as Southern and Northern Dynasties (AC 420-589). Nekemias grossedentata, Nekemias cantonensis and Nekemias megalophylla, were used to considered as vine tea in the ethnic medicine. The main phytochemicals found in three plants are flavonoids, polyphenols and terpenoids, among which dihydromyricetin (DHM) is the most important and most studied active substance. The key words "Ampelopsis grossedentata" (Synonym of Nekemias grossedentata) and "dihydromyricetin/DHM" showed the highest frequency over the last 27 year based on the research trend analysis. And the ethnopharmacology studies drawn the main activities of vine tea are antioxidant, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and anti-atherosclerosis activities.

CONCLUSIONS

This review systematically summarized and discussed vine tea from the following five aspects, history, genetic relationship, phytochemistry, research trend and ethnopharmacology. Vine tea has a long historical usage in Chinese ethnic medicine. Its outstanding therapeutic efficacies have attracted extensive attention in other places in the world at present. Nekemias cantonensis and Nekemias megalophylla are quite similar to Nekemias grossedentata in terms of many aspects. However, the current research has a narrow focus on mainly Nekemias grossedentata and DHM. We propose that future studies could be carried out to determine the synergistic effect of multi-components and multi-targets of vine tea including all 3 species to provide valuable knowledge.

Research progress of dihydromyricetin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus

Diabetic Mellitus (DM), a chronic metabolic disorder disease characterized by hyperglycemia, is mainly caused by the absolute or relative deficiency of insulin secretion or decreased insulin sensitivity in target tissue cells. Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is a flavonoid compound of dihydroflavonol that widely exists in Ampelopsis grossedentata. This review aims to summarize the research progress of DMY in the treatment of DM. A detailed summary of related signaling induced by DMY are discussed. Increasing evidence implicates that DMY display hypoglycemic effects in DM via improving glucose and lipid metabolism, attenuating inflammatory responses, and reducing oxidative stress, with the signal transduction pathways underlying the regulation of AMPK or mTOR/autophagy, and relevant downstream cascades, including PGC-1α/SIRT3, MEK/ERK, and PI3K/Akt signal pathways. Hence, the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic implications of DMY in DM are still obscure. In this review, following with a brief introduction of the absorption, metabolism, distribution, and excretion characteristics of DMY, we summarized the current pharmacological developments of DMY as well as possible molecular mechanisms in the treatment of DM, aiming to push the understanding about the protective role of DMY as well as its preclinical assessment of novel application.

Gallic Acid Improves Comorbid Chronic Pain and Depression Behaviors by Inhibiting P2X7 Receptor-Mediated Ferroptosis in the Spinal Cord of Rats

Ferroptosis is an inflammatory programmed cell death process that is dependent on iron deposition and lipid peroxidation. The P2X7 receptor not only is involved in the pain process but also is closely related to the onset of depression. Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid), which is naturally found in a variety of plants, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and analgesic effects. This study established a rat model with the comorbidity of chronic constrictive injury (CCI) plus chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) to explore the role and mechanism of gallic acid in the treatment of pain and depression comorbidity. Our experimental results showed that pain and depression-like behaviors were more obvious in the chronic constriction injury (CCI) plus chronic unpredictable mild stimulation (CUMS) group than they were in the sham operation group, and the P2X7-reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling pathway was activated. The tissue iron concentration was increased, and mitochondrial damage was observed in the CCI plus CUMS group. These results were alleviated with gallic acid treatment. Therefore, we speculate that gallic acid inhibits the ferroptosis of the spinal microglia by regulating the P2X7-ROS signaling pathway and relieves the behavioral changes in rats with comorbid pain and depression.

proBDNF expression induces apoptosis and inhibits synaptic regeneration by regulating the RhoA-JNK pathway in an in vitro post-stroke depression model

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of post-stroke depression (PSD). However, the precise function and potential mechanism of proBDNF, the precursor form of BDNF, are unknown. In our study, a PSD-like model was established by treating neuronal cells with oxygen-glucose deprivation and corticosterone. We found that the protein proBDNF levels were significantly higher in the cortex and hippocampus in the PSD group than in the control group, suggesting that proBDNF plays a role in the pathophysiology of PSD. Furthermore, we re-established the PSD-like cell model using recombinant p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) or silencing c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and found that the PSD-induced upregulation of proBDNF was inhibited by recombinant p75NTR and JNK silencing (siJNK), and increased cellular apoptosis. Moreover, the application of recombinant p75NTR and siJNK in the PSD-like cell model significantly reversed the expression of apoptosis-related and depression-related proteins and decreased cellular apoptosis. Our findings suggest that proBDNF is involved in neural plasticity in PSD in vitro. The RhoA-JNK signaling pathway is activated after proBDNF binds to the p75NTR receptor, followed by the expression of apoptosis-related proteins (PSD95, synaptophysin, and P-cofilin), which contribute to PSD progression. The mechanism might involve the promotion of cellular apoptosis and the inhibition of nerve synapses regeneration by proBDNF.