Beneficial effects of Oridonin on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury: Insight gained by metabolomic approaches

Oridonin ameliorates renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most serious and frequent complications among diabetes patients and presently constitutes vast the cases of end-stage renal disease worldwide. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is a crucial factor related to the occurrence and progression of DN. Oridonin (Ori) is a diterpenoid derived from rubescens that has diverse pharmacological properties. Our previous study showed that Ori can protect against DN by decreasing the inflammatory response. However, whether Ori can alleviate renal fibrosis in DN remains unknown. Here, we investigated the mechanism through which Ori affects the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in diabetic rats and human proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) exposed to high glucose (HG) levels. Our results revealed that Ori treatment markedly decreased urinary protein excretion levels, improved renal function and alleviated renal fibrosis in diabetic rats. In vitro, HG treatment increased the migration of HK-2 cells while reducing their viability and proliferation rate, and treatment with Ori reversed these changes. Additionally, the knockdown of β-catenin arrested cell migration and reduced the expression levels of Wnt/β-catenin signaling-related molecules (Wnt4, p-GSK3β and β-catenin) and fibrosis-related molecules (α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I and fibronectin), and Ori treatment exerted an effect similar to that observed after the knockdown of β-catenin. Furthermore, the combination of Ori treatment and β-catenin downregulation exerted more pronounced biological effects than treatment alone. These findings may provide the first line of evidence showing that Ori alleviates fibrosis in DN by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and thereby reveal a novel therapeutic avenue for treating tubulointerstitial fibrosis.

Plant-Derived Terpenoids: A Plethora of Bioactive Compounds with Several Health Functions and Industrial Applications-A Comprehensive Overview

Terpenoids are a large class of natural secondary plant metabolites which are highly diverse in structure, formed from isoprene units (C-5), associated with a wide range of biological properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, anticancer, antimetastatic, antiangiogenesis, and apoptosis induction, and are considered for potential application in the food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and medical industries. In plants, terpenoids exert a variety of basic functions in growth and development. This review gives an overview, highlighting the current knowledge of terpenoids and recent advances in our understanding of the organization, regulation, and diversification of core and specialized terpenoid metabolic pathways and addressing the most important functions of volatile and non-volatile specialized terpenoid metabolites in plants. A comprehensive description of different aspects of plant-derived terpenoids as a sustainable source of bioactive compounds, their biosynthetic pathway, the several biological properties attributed to these secondary metabolites associated with health-promoting effects, and their potential industrial applications in several fields will be provided, and emerging and green extraction methods will also be discussed. In addition, future research perspectives within this framework will be highlighted. Literature selection was carried out using the National Library of Medicine, PubMed, and international reference data for the period from 2010 to 2024 using the keyword "terpenoids". A total of 177,633 published papers were found, of which 196 original and review papers were included in this review according to the criteria of their scientific reliability, their completeness, and their relevance to the theme considered.

Effect of traditional Chinese medicine on metabolism disturbance in ischemic heart diseases

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ischemic heart diseases (IHD), characterized by metabolic dysregulation, contributes majorly to the global morbidity and mortality. Glucose, lipid and amino acid metabolism are critical energy production for cardiomyocytes, and disturbances of these metabolism lead to the cardiac injury. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), widely used for treating IHD, have been demonstrated to effectively and safely regulate the cardiac metabolism reprogramming.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This study discussed and analyzed the disturbed cardiac metabolism induced by IHD and development of formulas, extracts, single herb, bioactive compounds of TCM ameliorating IHD injury via metabolism regulation, with the aim of providing a basis for the development of clinical application of therapeutic strategies for TCM in IHD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

With "ischemic heart disease", "myocardial infarction", "myocardial ischemia", "metabolomics", "Chinese medicine", "herb", "extracts" "medicinal plants", "glucose", "lipid metabolism", "amino acid" as the main keywords, PubMed, Web of Science, and other online search engines were used for literature retrieval.

RESULTS

IHD exhibits a close association with metabolism disorders, including but not limited to glycolysis, the TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, branched-chain amino acids, fatty acid β-oxidation, ketone body metabolism, sphingolipid and glycerol-phospholipid metabolism. The therapeutic potential of TCM lies in its ability to regulate these disturbed cardiac metabolisms. Additionally, the active ingredients of TCM have depicted wonderful effects in cardiac metabolism reprogramming in IHD.

CONCLUSION

Drawing from the principles of TCM, we have pinpointed specific herbal remedies for the treatment of IHD, and leveraged advanced metabolomics technologies to uncover the effect of these TCMs on metabolomics alteration. In the future, further clinical experimental studies should be included to explore whether more TCM medicines can play a therapeutic role in IHD by reversing cardiac metabolism disorders; multi-omics would be conducted to explore more pathways and genes targeting such metabolism reprogramming by TCMs, and to seek more TCM therapies for IHD.

Crosstalk among Reactive Oxygen Species, Autophagy and Metabolism in Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion Stages

Myocardial ischemia is the most common cardiovascular disease. Reperfusion, an important myocardial ischemia tool, causes unexpected and irreversible damage to cardiomyocytes, resulting in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. Upon stress, especially oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), autophagy, which degrades the intracellular energy storage to produce metabolites that are recycled into metabolic pathways to buffer metabolic stress, is initiated during myocardial ischemia and MI/R injury. Excellent cardioprotective effects of autophagy regulators against MI and MI/R have been reported. Reversing disordered cardiac metabolism induced by ROS also exhibits cardioprotective action in patients with myocardial ischemia. Herein, we review current knowledge on the crosstalk between ROS, cardiac autophagy, and metabolism in myocardial ischemia and MI/R. Finally, we discuss the possible regulators of autophagy and metabolism that can be exploited to harness the therapeutic potential of cardiac metabolism and autophagy in the diagnosis and treatment of myocardial ischemia and MI/R.

Oridonin attenuates atherosclerosis by inhibiting foam macrophage formation and inflammation through FABP4/PPARγ signalling

Both lipid accumulation and inflammatory response in lesion macrophages fuel the progression of atherosclerosis, leading to high mortality of cardiovascular disease. A therapeutic strategy concurrently targeting these two risk factors is promising, but still scarce. Oridonin, the bioactive medicinal compound, is known to protect against inflammatory response and lipid dysfunction. However, its effect on atherosclerosis and the underlying molecular mechanism remain elusive. Here, we showed that oridonin attenuated atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic ApoE knockout mice. Meanwhile, we confirmed the protective effect of oridonin on the oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced foam macrophage formation, resulting from increased cholesterol efflux, as well as reduced inflammatory response. Mechanistically, the network pharmacology prediction and further experiments revealed that oridonin dramatically facilitated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), thereby regulating liver X receptor-alpha (LXRα)-induced ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) expression and nuclear factor NF-kappa-B (NF-κB) translocation. Antagonist of PPARγ reversed the cholesterol accumulation and inflammatory response mediated by oridonin. Besides, RNA sequencing analysis revealed that fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) was altered responding to lipid modulation effect of oridonin. Overexpression of FABP4 inhibited PPARγ activation and blunted the benefit effect of oridonin on foam macrophages. Taken together, oridonin might have potential to protect against atherosclerosis by modulating the formation and inflammatory response in foam macrophages through FABP4/PPARγ signalling.

Oridonin ameliorates doxorubicin induced-cardiotoxicity via the E2F1/Sirt6/PGC1α pathway in mice

Doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) arises from mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Oridonin (Ori), a natural tetracycline diterpenoid, has shown cardiac protective effect; however, its role in DIC remains unclear. This study investigates the protective effect of Ori against DIC and elucidates its underlying molecular mechanisms. The results demonstrate that Ori significantly alleviated DIC by improving myocardial structure, reducing the proportion of apoptotic cells, and alleviating the myocardial oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction both in vivo and in vitro. Doxorubicin significantly decreased Sirt6 and PGC1α levels in cardiac tissues, which was reversed by Ori. Furthermore, Sirt6 overexpression significantly improved myocardial structure and reduced the proportion of apoptotic cells by reducing oxidative stress and improving mitochondrial function. The protective effect of Ori is neutralized by the Sirt6 inhibitor OSS_128167, evidenced by downregulated mRNA and protein expression of PGC1α. The transcription factor E2F1 was upregulated by doxorubicin, leading to decreased Sirt6 expression-an effect mitigated by Ori. Molecular docking simulations indicate direct binding between Ori and specific amino acid residues on E2F1 through hydroxyl bonds. These findings uncover a novel mechanism whereby Ori attenuates DIC by modulating the E2F1/Sirt6/PGC1α pathway.

Therapeutic effect of Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim. leaves on ischemic stroke via the microbiota-gut-brain axis

Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim. leaves (ESL) are widely used to treat ischemic stroke (IS); however, the specific mechanism remains unclear. The microbiota-gut-brain axis plays a critical role in IS and has become a potential therapeutic target. This study aimed to reveal and verify the therapeutic effect of ESL on IS through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry-based untargeted/targeted metabolomics combined with 16S rRNA microbiota sequencing strategy were used to investigate the regulatory effect of ESL on the metabolism and intestinal microenvironment after IS. Lactobacillus reuteri and Clostridium butyricum were used to treat rats with IS to verify that elevated levels of probiotics are key factors in the therapeutic effect of ESL. The results showed that IS significantly altered the accumulation of 41 biomarkers, while ESL restored their concentrations back to normal. Moreover, ESL alleviated the dysbiosis of gut microbiota brought on by IS, by reducing the abundance of pathogens and increasing the abundance of probiotics (e.g., Lactobacillus reuteri and Clostridium butyricum); this could reduce post-stroke injury, thereby having a certain protective effect on IS. This study reveals that ESL plays an important role in treating IS through the microbiota-gut-brain axis, maintaining metabolic homeostasis in vivo.

Amino acid metabolism in health and disease

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein synthesis. They are structural elements and energy sources of cells necessary for normal cell growth, differentiation and function. Amino acid metabolism disorders have been linked with a number of pathological conditions, including metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, immune diseases, and cancer. In the case of tumors, alterations in amino acid metabolism can be used not only as clinical indicators of cancer progression but also as therapeutic strategies. Since the growth and development of tumors depend on the intake of foreign amino acids, more and more studies have targeted the metabolism of tumor-related amino acids to selectively kill tumor cells. Furthermore, immune-related studies have confirmed that amino acid metabolism regulates the function of effector T cells and regulatory T cells, affecting the function of immune cells. Therefore, studying amino acid metabolism associated with disease and identifying targets in amino acid metabolic pathways may be helpful for disease treatment. This article mainly focuses on the research of amino acid metabolism in tumor-oriented diseases, and reviews the research and clinical research progress of metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and immune-related diseases related to amino acid metabolism, in order to provide theoretical basis for targeted therapy of amino acid metabolism.

Oridonin Protects against Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Inhibiting GSDMD-Mediated Pyroptosis

Pyroptosis serves a crucial function in various types of ischemia and reperfusion injuries. Oridonin, a tetracycline diterpene derived from Rabdosia rubescens, can significantly inhibit the aggregation of NLRP3-mediated inflammasome. This experiment is aimed at investigating the effect of oridonin on pyroptosis in mice cardiomyocytes. Based on the models of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R), Evans Blue/TTC double staining, TUNEL staining, and Western blotting were applied to determine the effects of oridonin on myocardial damage, cellular activity and signaling pathways involved in pyroptosis. During I/R and H/R treatments, the extent of gasdermin D-N domains was upregulated in cardiomyocytes. Apart from that, oridonin improved cell survival in vitro and decreased the myocardial infarct size in vivo by also downregulating the activation of pyroptosis. Finally, the expression levels of ASC, NLRP3 and p-p65 were markedly upregulated in cardiomyocytes after H/R treatment, whereas oridonin suppressed the expression of these proteins. The present experiment revealed that myocardial I/R injury and pyroptosis can be alleviated and inhibited by oridonin pretreatment via NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway, both in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, oridonin may serve as a potentially novel agent for the clinical treatment of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injuries.

Oridonin attenuates hind limb ischemia-reperfusion injury by modulating Nrf2-mediated oxidative stress and NLRP3-mediated inflammation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Oridonin (Ori), extracted from Isodon rubescens (Hemsl.) H.Hara, is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicinal product that possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Oxidative stress and inflammation are the main pathophysiological mechanisms in hindlimb IR injury. However, whether Ori has a protective effect on hind limb IR injury is unknown.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study was designed to determine the effect of Ori on hindlimb IR injury and its relationship with oxidative stress and inflammation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The hind limb IR injury model in mice was used to evaluate the protective effect and related mechanisms of Ori. Forty-eight C57BL/6 mice (n = 12 per group) were randomly divided into four groups: Sham group; IR group; IR + Ori (10 mg/kg) group and IR + Ori (20 mg/kg) group. Mice in the IR and IR + Ori groups were subjected to hindlimb IR injury, while mice in the Sham group were subjected to no hindlimb IR injury. HE staining, Masson's staining, TTC staining, DHE staining, TUNEL staining, western blotting analysis and quantitative real-time PCR were employed to explore the mechanisms by which Ori exerts a protective effect on a classical hindlimb IR model in mice.

RESULTS

We found that Ori pretreatment prevented muscle damage and decreased cell apoptosis levels compared with the vehicle control. Moreover, the SOD2, CAT, MDA and ROS levels in muscle showed that Ori could significantly reduce oxidative stress in hindlimb IR mice, while the IL-1β and TNF-α levels in muscle showed that Ori could significantly attenuate IR-induced inflammation. We also found that Ori could increase the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream protein HO-1 and inhibit the expression levels of NLRP3-related proteins (NLRP3, ASC and Caspase-1) in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that Ori has a protective effect on hindlimb IR injury, which may be related to Nrf2-mediated oxidative stress and NLRP3-mediated inflammasome activation.

Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis and Verification of Gene Targets for Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Background

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) has become a thorny and unsolved clinical problem. The pathological mechanisms of MIRI are intricate and unclear, so it is of great significance to explore potential hub genes and search for some natural products that exhibit potential therapeutic efficacy on MIRI via targeting the hub genes.

Methods

First, the differential expression genes (DEGs) from GSE58486, GSE108940, and GSE115568 were screened and integrated via a robust rank aggregation algorithm. Then, the hub genes were identified and verified by the functional experiment of the MIRI mice. Finally, natural products with protective effects against MIRI were retrieved, and molecular docking simulations between hub genes and natural products were performed.

Results

230 integrated DEGs and 9 hub genes were identified. After verification, Emr1, Tyrobp, Itgb2, Fcgr2b, Cybb, and Fcer1g might be the most significant genes during MIRI. A total of 75 natural products were discovered. Most of them (especially araloside C, glycyrrhizic acid, ophiopogonin D, polyphyllin I, and punicalagin) showed good ability to bind the hub genes.

Conclusions

Emr1, Tyrobp, Itgb2, Fcgr2b, Cybb, and Fcer1g might be critical in the pathological process of MIRI, and the natural products (araloside C, glycyrrhizic acid, ophiopogonin D, polyphyllin I, and punicalagin) targeting these hub genes exhibited potential therapeutic efficacy on MIRI. Our findings provided new insights to explore the mechanism and treatments for MIRI and revealed new therapeutic targets for natural products with protective properties against MIRI.

Isodon rubescens (Hemls.) Hara.: A Comprehensive Review on Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Activities

Isodon rubescens is a medicinal and food plant, often eaten as a wild vegetable in ancient China, and has been widely used for decades to treat sore throats, tonsillitis, colds and headaches, bronchitis, chronic hepatitis, joint rheumatism, snake and insect bites, and various cancers. This comprehensive and systematic review of the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical composition, pharmacological activity, quality control and toxicology of I. rubescens provides updated information for the further development and application in the fields of functional foods and new drugs research. To date, a total of 324 substances have been isolated and identified from the plant, including terpenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids, amino acids, and volatile oils. Among these substances, diterpenoids are the most important and abundant bioactive components. In the past decades pharmacological studies have shown that I. rubescens has significant biological activities, especially in the modulation of antitumor and multidrug resistance. However, most of these studies have been conducted in vitro. In-depth in vivo studies on the quality control of its crude extracts and active ingredients, as well as on metabolite identification are still very limited. Therefore, more well-designed preclinical and clinical studies are needed to confirm the reported therapeutic potential of I. rubescens.

Phenols and terpenoids: natural products as inhibitors of NLRP3 inflammasome in cardiovascular diseases

Inflammatory infiltration has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in the development of several types of CVDs, including myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion damage, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension. Inhibiting the activity of NLRP3 inflammasome can inhibit the progress of CVDs. However, there is no NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor in clinic, and it is very important to find a safe and effective NLRP3 inhibitor. Phenols and terpenoids are naturally natural products that have many anti-inflammatory effects in CVDs by modulating the NLRP3 inflammatory pathway. Thus, 20 natural products from phenols and terpenoids for the treatment of cardiovascular disease based on the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome were summarized and screened. Docking results showed salvianolic acid B and ellagic acid in phenols, and oridonin and triptolide in terpenoids had a better binding activity with NLRP3, which can provide theoretical support for finding novel NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors or lead compounds in the future.

Glutamine metabolism: from proliferating cells to cardiomyocytes

Glutamine is a major energy source for rapidly dividing cells, such as hematopoietic stem cells and cancer cells. Reliance on glutamine is therefore regarded as a metabolic hallmark of proliferating cells. Moreover, reprogramming glutamine metabolism by various factors, including tissue type, microenvironment, pro-oncogenes, and tumor suppressor genes, can facilitate stem cell fate decisions, tumor recurrence, and drug resistance. However, the significance of glutamine metabolism in cardiomyocytes, an end-differentiated cell type, is not fully understood. Existing evidence suggests important roles of glutamine metabolism in the development of cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we have focused on glutaminolysis and its regulatory network in proliferating cells. We have summarized current findings about the role of glutamine utilization in cardiomyocytes and have discussed possibilities of targeting glutamine metabolism for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Oridonin: A Review of Its Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity

Oridonin, as a natural terpenoids found in traditional Chinese herbal medicine Isodon rubescens (Hemsl.) H.Hara, is widely present in numerous Chinese medicine preparations. The purpose of this review focuses on providing the latest and comprehensive information on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of oridonin, to excavate the therapeutic potential and explore promising ways to balance toxicity and efficacy of this natural compound. Information concerning oridonin was systematically collected from the authoritative internet database of PubMed, Elsevier, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library and Europe PMC applying a combination of keywords involving "pharmacology," "pharmacokinetics," and "toxicology". New evidence shows that oridonin possesses a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatorenal activities as well as cardioprotective protective activities and so on. Although significant advancement has been witnessed in this field, some basic and intricate issues still exist such as the specific mechanism of oridonin against related diseases not being clear. Moreover, several lines of evidence indicated that oridonin may exhibit adverse effects, even toxicity under specific circumstances, which sparked intense debate and concern about security of oridonin. Based on the current progress, future research directions should emphasize on 1) investigating the interrelationship between concentration and pharmacological effects as well as toxicity, 2) reducing pharmacological toxicity, and 3) modifying the structure of oridonin-one of the pivotal approaches to strengthen pharmacological activity and bioavailability. We hope that this review can provide some inspiration for the research of oridonin in the future.

Hepatoprotective effects of oridonin against bisphenol A induced liver injury in rats via inhibiting the activity of xanthione oxidase

Bisphenol A (BPA) is widely used to manufacture packaging materials for various daily necessities and causes harmful effects in organs, especially liver injury, by generating oxidative stress. Oridonin, an active diterpenoid isolated from Rabdosia rubescens (Hemsl.) Hara, has been reported to possess a wide range of pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and antiapoptotic effects. However, the role of oridonin in BPA--induced liver injury and its potential protective mechanism have not been well characterized. In this research, we explored the metabolic alterations in the liver tissue of rats after exposure to BPA with or without pretreatment with oridonin for 14 days by metabolomics analysis based on UPLC-MS/MS. Rats were randomly divided into groups as follows: Control, Vehicle, Oridonin (10 mg/kg), Bisphenol A (500 mg/kg), bisphenol A + Oridonin (500 + 10 mg/kg), Bisphenol A + Diammonium glycyrrhizinate (500 + 40 mg/kg). The biochemical results showed that oridonin significantly reduced the levels of AST and ALT (P < 0.05), ameliorated the abnormal histopathological changes and reduced hepatic apoptosis compared with the BPA group. Furthermore, metabolomics results revealed that purine metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis and phenylalanine metabolism were reprogrammed, based on 28 identified significant differential metabolites among the Vehicle, BPA and BPA + oridonin groups. In-depth studies demonstrated that pretreatment with oridonin may play a protective role by restoring BPA-induced changes in oxidative stress and the activity of oxidase (XOD) (P < 0.05). Additionally, oridonin could inhibit the activity of XOD by binding to it, therefore decreasing the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, upregulating the content of hypoxanthine and xanthine, and reducing the level of uric acid in the liver (P < 0.05). This research presents the potential protective mechanisms of oridonin on BPA-induced liver injury at the metabolic level, which might be used to identify new protective agents that prevent BPA-induced liver injury.

Curcumin reverses doxorubicin resistance in colon cancer cells at the metabolic level

Doxorubicin (Dox) is commonly used for the treatment of malignant tumors, including colon cancer. However, the development of P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) in tumor chemotherapy has seriously reduced the therapeutic efficacy of Dox. Natural product curcumin (Cur) was demonstrated to have a variety of pharmacological effects, such as anti-tumor, anti-oxidation and anti-aging activities. Here, we examined the MDR reversal capability of Cur in drug sensitive-(SW620) and resistant-(SW620/Ad300) colon cancer cells, and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms at the metabolic level. It was found that Cur reversed P-gp-mediated resistance in SW620/Ad300 cells by enhancing the Dox-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Further mechanistic studies indicated that Cur inhibited the ATP-dependent transport activity of P-gp, thereby increasing the intra-celluar accumulation of Dox in drug-resistant cells. Metabolomics analysis based on UPLC-MS/MS showed that the MDR phenomenon in SW620/Ad300 cells was closely correlated with the upregulation of spermine and spermidine synthesis and D-glutamine metabolism. Cur significantly inhibited the biosynthesis of spermine and spermidine by decreasing the expression of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and suppressed D-glutamine metabolism, which in turn decreased the anti-oxidative stress ability and P-gp transport activity of SW620/Ad300 cells, eventually reversed MDR. These findings indicated the MDR reversal activity and the related mechanism of action of Cur, suggesting that Cur could be a promising MDR reversal agent for cancer treatment.

Exosomes derived from MSC pre-treated with oridonin alleviates myocardial IR injury by suppressing apoptosis via regulating autophagy activation

This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs)‐derived exosomes in ischaemia/reperfusion (IR)‐induced damage, and the role of oridonin in the treatment of IR. Exosomes were isolated from BMMSCs. Western blot analysis was done to examine the expression of proteins including CD63, CD8, apoptotic‐linked gene product 2 interacting protein X (AliX), Beclin‐1, ATG13, B‐cell lymphoma‐2 (Bcl‐2), apoptotic peptidase activating factor 1 (Apaf1) and Bcl2‐associated X (Bax) in different treatment groups. Accordingly, the expression of CD63, CD81 and AliX was higher in BMMSCs‐EXOs and IR + BMMSCs‐EXOs + ORI groups compared with that in the BMMSCs group. And BMMSCs‐derived exosomes inhibited the progression of IR‐induced myocardial damage, while this protective effect was boosted by the pre‐treatment with oridonin. Moreover, Beclin‐1, ATG13 and Bcl‐2 were significantly down‐regulated while Apaf1 and Bax were significantly up‐regulated in IR rats. And the presence of BMMSCs‐derived exosomes partly alleviated IR‐induced dysregulation of these proteins, while the oridonin pre‐treatment boosted the effect of these BMMSCs‐derived exosomes. The inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of H9c2 cells induced by hypoxia/reperfusion (HR) were mitigated by the administration of BMMSCs‐derived exosomes. Meanwhile, HR also induced down‐regulation of Beclin‐1, ATG13 and Bcl‐2 expression and up‐regulation of Apaf1 and Bax, which were mitigated by the administration of BMMSCs‐derived exosomes. And oridonin pre‐treatment boosted the effect of BMMSCs‐derived exosomes. In conclusion, our results validated that BMMSCs‐derived exosomes suppressed the IR‐induced damages by participating in the autophagy process, while the pre‐treatment with oridonin could boost the protective effect of BMMSCs‐derived exosomes.

Salvia miltiorrhiza and the Volatile of Dalbergia odorifera Attenuate Chronic Myocardial Ischemia Injury in a Pig Model: A Metabonomic Approach for the Mechanism Study

Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM) coupled with Dalbergia odorifera (DO) has been used to relieve cardiovascular diseases in China for many years. Our previous studies have integrated that SM—the volatile oil of DO (SM-DOO)—has a cardioprotective effect on chronic myocardial ischemia based on a pharmacological method, but the cardioprotective mechanism has not been elucidated completely in the metabonomic method. In the present study, a metabonomic method based on high-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was performed to evaluate the effects of SM-DOO on chronic myocardial ischemia induced by an ameroid constrictor, which was placed on the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) of pigs. Pigs were divided into three groups: sham, model, and SM-DOO group. With multivariate analysis, a clear cluster among the different groups was obtained and the potential biomarkers were recognized. These biomarkers were mainly related to energy metabolism, glucose metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, the protein expressions of phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) and glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) were significantly upregulated by SM-DOO. The result indicated that SM-DOO could regulate the above biomarkers and metabolic pathways, especially energy metabolism and glucose metabolism. By analyzing and verifying the biomarkers and metabolic pathways, further understanding of the cardioprotective effect of SM-DOO with its mechanism was evaluated. Metabonomic is a reliable system biology approach for understanding the cardioprotective effects of SM-DOO on chronic myocardial ischemia and elucidating the mechanism underlying this protective effect.

Efficacy of Alkaloids in Alleviating Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats: A Meta-Analysis of Animal Studies

Background

Animal models are well established for studying the effects of alkaloids in preventing myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, few studies have investigated the therapeutic effects of alkaloids in humans. This meta-analysis and systematic review assessed the efficacy of alkaloids in attenuating infarct size in rats with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Methods

An integrated literature search including the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases was performed to identify studies that evaluated the therapeutic effects of alkaloids on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. The main outcome was infarct size, and SYRCLE's risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of the studies.

Results

22 studies were brought into the meta-analysis. Compared with the effects of vehicle, alkaloids significantly reduced infarct size (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.64 to - 0.26). In subgroup analyses, isoquinoline alkaloids (SMD = -0.43; 95%CI = -0.70 to - 0.16) significantly reduced infarct size versus the control.

Conclusion

Isoquinoline alkaloids can potentially alleviate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. This meta-analysis and systematic review supply a reference for research programs aiming to develop alkaloid-based clinical drugs. This trial is registered with CRD42019135489.

Protective effects of oridonin against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome activation

NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is tightly related to the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, and oridonin (Ori) has shown the potential to alleviate ischemia/reperfusion injury with underlying mechanisms. Our study aims to figure out whether Ori protects against the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling. In this study, a temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion surgery was conducted on male C57BL/6 mice to mimic cerebral I/R injury in vivo. Cellular model of cerebral I/R in vitro was achieved by oxygen-glucose deprivation and reintroduction (OGD/R) in BV2 microglia cells. We found that Ori treatment significantly relieved the neurological deficits, neuronal injury and microglia activation in I/R mice according to morphological and histological analyses. Meanwhile, the inactivation of NLRP3 inflammasome was determined in Ori-treated mice with significantly down-regulated expressions of inflammasome-related genes. Western-blot analysis further demonstrated the negative effect of Ori on NF-κB signaling with diminished phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα as well as suppressed translocation of p65. Furthermore, we indicated that Ori suppressed the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in OGD/R induced BV2 microglia cells by inhibiting NF-κB signaling. In summary, our findings make Ori a potential candidate for therapy of cerebral I/R injury in the future.

The covalent NLRP3-inflammasome inhibitor Oridonin relieves myocardial infarction induced myocardial fibrosis and cardiac remodeling in mice

BACKGROUND

Myocardial infarction (MI) triggers a strong inflammatory response that is associated with myocardial fibrosis and cardiac remodeling. Interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 are key players in this response and are controlled by NLRP3-inflammatory bodies. Oridonin is a newly reported NLRP3 inhibitor with strong anti-inflammatory activity. We hypothesized that the covalent NLRP3 inhibitor Oridonin could reduce IL-1β and IL-18 expression and ameliorate myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction in mice, improve poor heart remodeling, and preserve heart function.

METHODS

Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to left coronary artery ligation to induce MI and then treated with Oridonin (1, 3, or 6 mg/kg), MCC950 (10 mg/kg), CY-09 (5 mg/kg) or saline three times a week for two weeks. Four weeks after MI, cardiac function and myocardial fibrosis were assessed. In addition, myocardial expressions of inflammatory factors and fibrotic markers were analyzed by western blot, immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

Oridonin treatment preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and fractional shortening, and markedly limited the myocardial infarct size in treated mice. The myocardial fibrosis was lower in the 1 mg/kg group (15.98 ± 1.64)%, 3 mg/kg group (17.39 ± 2.45)%, and 6 mg/kg group (16.76 ± 3.06)% compared to the control group (23.38 ± 1.65)%. Moreover, similar with the results of Oridonin, MCC950 and CY-09 also preserved cardiac function and reduced myocardial fibrosis. The expression levels of NLRP3, IL-1β and IL-18 were decreased in the Oridonin treatment group compared to non-treated group. In addition, myocardial macrophage and neutrophil influxes were attenuated in the Oridonin treated group.

CONCLUSIONS

The covalent NLRP3-inflammasome inhibitor Oridonin reduces myocardial fibrosis and preserves cardiac function in a mouse MI model, which indicates potential therapeutic effect of Oridonin on acute MI patients.

Oridonin induces ferroptosis by inhibiting gamma-glutamyl cycle in TE1 cells

Oridonin (Ori) is a natural tetracyclic diterpenoid active compound with excellent antitumor activity, but the mechanism of Ori on esophageal cancer cell, TE1, remains unclear. In this study, we examined the levels of intracellular iron, malondialdehyde, and reactive oxygen species after Ori treatment, while interfering with the effects of Ori with ferroptosis inhibitor, demonstrating that Ori's inhibition of TE1 cell proliferation is associated with ferroptosis. To understand the molecular mechanism of Ori, we performed UPLC-MS/MS metabolomics profiling on TE1 cells, which show that gamma-glutamyl amino acids (gamma-glutamylleucine, gamma-glutamylvaline), 5-oxoproline, glutamate, GSH, and GSSG are changed significantly after Ori treatment. Meanwhile, the activity of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase 1 (GGT1) decreased. This revealed that Ori inhibited the gamma-glutamyl cycle in TE1 cells. Furthermore, we found that Ori can covalently bind to cysteine to form the conjugate oridonin-cysteine (Ori-Cys), resulting in the inhibition of glutathione synthesis, which is consistent with the decrease in the enzymatic activity of glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC). Eventually, the value of intracellular GSH/GSSG was reduced, and the enzymatic activity of the glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) was significantly decreased. In conclusion, our experiments indicated that Ori can inhibit the gamma-glutamyl cycle, thereby inducing ferroptosis to exert anti-cancer activity.

The synergistic mechanism of total saponins and flavonoids in Notoginseng-Safflower pair against myocardial ischemia uncovered by an integrated metabolomics strategy

The Notoginseng-Safflower pair composed of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen and Carthamus tinctorius L. has remarkable clinical efficacy for preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases in China. Notoginseng total saponins (NS) and Safflower total flavonoids (SF) are the major effective ingredients in Notoginseng and Safflower, respectively. Though our previous study showed that the combination of NS and SF (NS-SF) exhibits significant cardioprotective effects for myocardial ischemia (MI), there might be difference in their action mechanisms. However, the anti-MI characteristics of individual NS and SF remains unclear. Herein, an integrated metabolomics strategy coupled with multiple biological methods were employed to investigate the cardioprotective effects of NS and SF alone or in combination against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced MI and to further explore the synergistic relationship between NS and SF. Our results demonstrated that pretreatments with NS, SF, and NS-SF all showed cardioprotective effects against MI injury and NS-SF exhibited to be the best. Interestingly, the results demonstrated that NS and SF exhibited differentiated metabolic targets and mediators in the glycerophospholipid metabolism. Furthermore, administration of NS alone exhibited greater effects on reversing the elevated the proinflammatory metabolites and mediators in MI rats compared to SF alone. However, individual SF showed greater amelioration of MI-disturbed antioxidant and prooxidative metabolites and better inhibition of the oxidative stress than NS alone. Collectively, our study demonstrated that the capability of NS-SF to regulate both metabolic targets of NS and SF might be the basis of NS-SF to produce a cooperative effect greater than their individual effects that enhance the anti-MI efficacy and provided valuable information for the clinical application of Notoginseng-Safflower pair.

Oridonin Attenuates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via Downregulating Oxidative Stress and NLRP3 Inflammasome Pathway in Mice

Oridonin (ORI), the major pharmacological component extracted from a traditional Chinese medicine, possesses a beneficial effect on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by which ORI effects take place is not completely known. Thus, whether ORI works via downregulating oxidative stress and nod-like receptor protein-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway was investigated in this study. Mice underwent surgery to induce myocardial I/R injury, and some were administered ORI (10 mg/kg/day) pretreatment, while others were not. The myocardial enzymes' levels, infarct area, and inflammatory injury were measured. The activation situation of oxidative stress and NLRP3 inflammasome was also detected. We found that ORI pretreatment significantly alleviated CK-MB and cTnI levels and infarct size induced by I/R. ORI mitigated the inflammatory injury by decreasing the pathological damage and lowering TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-18 levels. Moreover, the SOD1 and eNOS levels were significantly increased by ORI, while MDA and iNOS levels were relatively decreased. The oxidative stress was reversed using ORI pretreatment. Importantly, NLRP3 inflammasome pathway was also inhibited by ORI, as reflected by the lower protein levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β. In conclusion, ORI alleviates myocardial injury induced by I/R via inhibiting the oxidative stress and NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.

Quercetin overcomes colon cancer cells resistance to chemotherapy by inhibiting solute carrier family 1, member 5 transporter

P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) remains a significant impediment to the success of cancer chemotherapy. The natural flavonoid Quercetin (Que) has been reported to be able to inhibit P-gp-mediated MDR in various cancer cells. However, the MDR reversal effect of Que on human colon cancer cells and its mechanism at the metabolic level requires further clarification. This study was designed to provide a better understanding of the MDR reversal effect of Que. Our present results showed that 33 μM of Que significantly improved the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin (Dox) to P-gp-overexpressed SW620/Ad300 cells by proliferation and apoptpsis assay. Further mechanism studies demonstrated that Que inhibited the ATP-driven transport activity of P-gp, which in turn increased the intracellular accumulation of Dox. The metabolomics studies based on UPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed that Que could reverse the MDR by significantly blocking D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, and the underlying mechanism is that Que down-regulated the expression of the glutamine transporter solute sarrier family 1, member 5 (SLC1A5) in SW620/Ad300 cells. This is the first time to report that Que was a SLC1A5 inhibitor, which could be served as a template compound to potentially develop novel P-gp-mediated MDR reversal modulators in cancer chemotherapy.

Regulation of serum lipidomics and amino acid profiles of rats with acute myocardial ischemia by Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax notoginseng herb pair

BACKGROUND

Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax notoginseng herb pair (DQ) has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for a long history to prevent and treat the coronary heart disease. However, its protective mechanisms against myocardial ischemia during coronary heart disease remain not well-understood.

PURPOSE

In this study, we aimed to explore the protective mechanisms of DQ on myocardial ischemia from the perspective of serum lipidomics and amino acids (AAs).

METHODS

Rats were orally administrated with low-dose DQ (L-DQ, 0.24 g/kg) and high-dose DQ (H-DQ, 0.96 g/kg) for two weeks and subcutaneously injected with isoproterenol (ISO, 65 mg/kg) for two consecutive days (13th and 14th days) to induce acute myocardial ischemia (AMI). Heart histopathology and serum biochemical indices were examined. The specifically altered serum lipid metabolites were profiled via lipidomics approach, while serum AA profiles were analyzed using UHPLC-TQ-MS/MS.

RESULTS

Cardiac marker enzymes (CK, CK-MB, LDH and cTn-I) were significantly upregulated in AMI rats with some of which significantly dropped to normal level in L- and H-DQ groups. Serum TC, TG, HDL, LDL, VLDL and FFA were improved in AMI rats treatment with L- and H-DQ. Further, the PCA based on lipidomics showed serum lipid metabolites in L- and H-DQ groups were closer to control group than that in model group. Compared with model group, H-DQ pretreatment significantly reduced SM (d34:1) and CE (20:4), and increased FA (20:5), PC (26:1), TG (56:9), TG (54:7), MG (17:0), Cer (d32:0) and Cer (d34:0), whereas L-DQ significantly alleviated the perturbed levels of CE (20:4), FA (20:5), MG (17:0), and SM (d34:1). Moreover, there was a significant increment for leucine, isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine, lysine and glutamate but a significant reduction for tryptophan in the serum of rats in model group as compared to control group. Intriguingly, H-DQ could significantly decrease the levels of glutamate, lysine, isoleucine, and BCAAs (the sum of leucine, isoleucine and valine) after AMI, while L-DQ had no significant effects on the above altered AAs. The Western blotting results implied that H-DQ could promote the myocardial BCAA catabolism in AMI rats by activation of BCKDHA, whereas by inhibition of BCKDHK.

CONCLUSION

This study presents evidence for the therapeutic effects of DQ on AMI injury, in part, via co-regulating lipid and AA metabolisms.