Esculetin protects against early sepsis via attenuating inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB and STAT1/STAT3 signaling

Exploring the Anti-PANoptosis Mechanism of Dachaihu Decoction Against Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury: Network Pharmacology, Bioinformatics, and Experimental Validation

Background

Dachaihu decoction (DCHD) is a common Chinese medicine formula against sepsis-induced acute lung injury (SALI). PANoptosis is a novel type of programmed cell death. Nevertheless, The mechanisms of DCHD against SALI via anti-PANoptosis remains unknown.

Methods

First, we identified the intersecting targets among DCHD, SALI, and PANoptosis using relevant databases and published literature. Then, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, molecular docking, and functional enrichment analysis were conducted. In vivo, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was used to construct a sepsis mouse model, and the therapeutic effects of DCHD on SALI were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and ELISA. Finally, qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining, and Western blotting were used to verify the effect of DCHD-containing serum (DCHD-DS) on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages in vitro.

Results

82 intersecting targets were identified by mapping the targets of DCHD, SALI, and PANoptosis. Enrichment analysis showed that DCHD against SALI via anti-PANoptosis by modulating tumor necrosis factor (TNF), AGE-RAGE, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways by targeting Casp3, cellular tumor antigen p53 (TP53), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4), STAT3, STAT1, RELA, NF-κB1, myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL1), JUN, IL-1β, HSP90AA1, Casp9, Casp8, and Bcl2l1. Molecular docking analysis revealed that the key components of DCHD have a high binding affinity to the core targets. In vivo, DCHD improved lung histopathological injury, reduced inflammatory factor expression, and alleviated oxidative stress injury in lung tissues. In vitro, DCHD-DS alleviated cell morphology changes, the release of pro-inflammatory factors, and p65 nucleus aggregation. Furthermore, we verified that DCHD-DS inhibited PANoptosis by downregulating the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signalling pathway.

Conclusion

DCHD attenuates SALI by inhibiting PANoptosis via control of the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway. Our study provides a solid foundation for investigating the mechanisms of DCHD and its clinical application in the treatment of SALI.

Antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory effects of esculin and esculetin (Review)

Fraxinus chinensis Roxb is a deciduous tree, which is distributed worldwide and has important medicinal value. In Asia, the bark of Fraxinus chinensis Roxb is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine called Qinpi. Esculetin is a coumarin compound derived from the bark of Fraxinus chinensis Roxb and its glycoside form is called esculin. The aim of the present study was to systematically review relevant literature on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of esculetin and esculin. Esculetin and esculin can promote the expression of various endogenous antioxidant proteins, such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase. This is associated with the activation of the nuclear factor erythroid-derived factor 2-related factor 2 signaling pathway. The anti-inflammatory effects of esculetin and esculin are associated with the inhibition of the nuclear factor κ-B and mitogen-activated protein kinase inflammatory signaling pathways. In various inflammatory models, esculetin and esculin can reduce the expression levels of various proinflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, thereby inhibiting the development of inflammation. In summary, esculetin and esculin may be promising candidates for the treatment of numerous diseases associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, such as ulcerative colitis, acute lung and kidney injury, lung cancer, acute kidney injury.

Esculetin Alleviates IL-1β-Evoked Nucleus Pulposus Cell Death, Extracellular Matrix Remodeling, and Inflammation by Activating Nrf2/HO-1/NF-kb

Inflammation, extracellular matrix metabolic dysfunction, and oxidative stress are key pathogenic characteristics of intervertebral disk degeneration (IVDD), a major pathogenic cause of low back pain. Esculetin possesses anti-injury, anti-inflammation, and antinociceptive properties. This study aimed to explore its role in IVDD. In this research, esculetin exhibited little cytotoxicity to human nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs). Moreover, esculetin increased cell viability under IL-1β stimulation but attenuated IL-1β-induced cell apoptosis and caspase-3 activity. Furthermore, IL-1β-evoked increases in intracellular reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and decreases in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were reversed after esculetin treatment, indicating the antioxidative stress efficacy of esculetin. Esculetin alleviated the inhibitory effects of IL-1β on the transcription and protein expression of anabolic biomarkers (collagen II and aggrecan), accompanied by decreases in expression and release of catabolic biomarkers MMP-3 and MMP-13 from NPCs. Moreover, IL-1β exposure enhanced the expression levels of the inflammatory mediator nitric oxide and inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and TNF-α, which were overturned after esculetin treatment. Additionally, esculetin activated the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) to inhibit the activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling in NPCs. Importantly, suppression of Nrf2 signaling reversed the protective efficacy of esculetin against IL-1β-mediated oxidative injury, matrix metabolism disruption, and inflammatory response in NPCs. Together, esculetin may alleviate IL-1β-induced dysfunction in NPCs by regulating the Nrf2/HO-1/NF-kb signaling, indicating its potential as a promising therapeutic agent against IVDD.

TFRC in cardiomyocytes promotes macrophage infiltration and activation during the process of heart failure through regulating Ccl2 expression mediated by hypoxia inducible factor-1α

BACKGROUND

Cardiac hypertrophy is an initiating link to Heart failure (HF) which still seriously endangers human health. Transferrin receptor (TFRC), which promotes iron uptake through the transferrin cycle, is essential for cardiac function. However, whether TFRC is involved in the process of pathological cardiac hypertrophy is not clear.

METHODS

Transverse aortic constriction (TAC) mouse model and mice primary cardiomyocytes treated with isoproterenol (ISO) or phenylephrine (PHE) were used to mimic cardiac hypertrophy in vivo and in vitro. Single cell RNA sequence data from heart tissues of TAC-model mice was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and was analyzed with R package Seurat. TFRC expression and macrophage infiltration in the heart tissue were tested by immunofluorescent staining. Macrophage polarization was detected by Flow Cytometry. TFRC expressions were detected by qRT-PCR, Western blot, and ELISA.

RESULTS

TFRC expression is increased in the pathological cardiac hypertrophy of mice model and positively associated with macrophage infiltration. Furthermore, TFRC in cardiomyocytes recruits and activates macrophages by secreting C-C motif ligand 2 (Ccl2) in the mice heart tissue with TAC surgery or in the primary cardiomyocytes stimulated with ISO or PHE to induce myocardial hypertrophy in vitro. Moreover, we find that TFRC promotes Ccl2 expression in cardiomyocytes via regulating signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). In addition, we find that increased TFRC expression in the HF tissue is regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α).

CONCLUSION

This in-depth study shows that TFRC in cardiomyocytes promotes HF development through inducing macrophage infiltration and activation via the STAT3-Ccl2 signaling, and TFRC expression in cardiomyocytes is regulated by HIF-1α during HF. This study first uncovers the role of TFRC in cardiomyocytes on macrophage infiltration and activation during HF.

Activation of Nrf2 by Esculetin Mitigates Inflammatory Responses through Suppression of NF-κB Signaling Cascade in RAW 264.7 Cells

Inflammation is a major root of several diseases such as allergy, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and several others, and the present state of existing drugs provoked researchers to search for new treatment strategies. Plants are regarded to be unique sources of active compounds holding pharmacological properties, and they offer novel designs in the development of therapeutic agents. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory mechanism of esculetin in lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-induced macrophage cells (RAW 264.7). The relative expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitric oxide (NO) production and COX-2 expression were intensified in LTA-induced RAW cells. The phosphorylation status of mitogen-activated protein kinases (extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2, p38 MAPK, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 were detected by using Western blot assay. The nuclear translocation of p65 was assessed by confocal microscopic image analysis. Esculetin significantly and concentration-dependently inhibited LTA-induced NO production and iNOS expression, but not COX-2 expression, in RAW cells. Esculetin was not effective in LTA-induced MAPK molecules (ERK, p38 and JNK). However, esculetin recovered LTA-induced IκBα degradation and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation. Moreover, esculetin at a higher concentration of 20 µM evidently inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. At the same high concentration, esculetin augmented Nrf2 expression and decreased DPPH radical generation in RAW 264.7 cells. This study exhibits the value of esculetin for the treatment of LTA-induced inflammation by targeting NF-κB signaling pathways via its antioxidant properties.

Artemisia scoparia and Metabolic Health: Untapped Potential of an Ancient Remedy for Modern Use

Botanicals have a long history of medicinal use for a multitude of ailments, and many modern pharmaceuticals were originally isolated from plants or derived from phytochemicals. Among these, artemisinin, first isolated from Artemisia annua, is the foundation for standard anti-malarial therapies. Plants of the genus Artemisia are among the most common herbal remedies across Asia and Central Europe. The species Artemisia scoparia (SCOPA) is widely used in traditional folk medicine for various liver diseases and inflammatory conditions, as well as for infections, fever, pain, cancer, and diabetes. Modern in vivo and in vitro studies have now investigated SCOPA's effects on these pathologies and its ability to mitigate hepatotoxicity, oxidative stress, obesity, diabetes, and other disease states. This review focuses on the effects of SCOPA that are particularly relevant to metabolic health. Indeed, in recent years, an ethanolic extract of SCOPA has been shown to enhance differentiation of cultured adipocytes and to share some properties of thiazolidinediones (TZDs), a class of insulin-sensitizing agonists of the adipogenic transcription factor PPARγ. In a mouse model of diet-induced obesity, SCOPA diet supplementation lowered fasting insulin and glucose levels, while inducing metabolically favorable changes in adipose tissue and liver. These observations are consistent with many lines of evidence from various tissues and cell types known to contribute to metabolic homeostasis, including immune cells, hepatocytes, and pancreatic beta-cells. Compounds belonging to several classes of phytochemicals have been implicated in these effects, and we provide an overview of these bioactives. The ongoing global epidemics of obesity and metabolic disease clearly require novel therapeutic approaches. While the mechanisms involved in SCOPA's effects on metabolic, anti-inflammatory, and oxidative stress pathways are not fully characterized, current data support further investigation of this plant and its bioactives as potential therapeutic agents in obesity-related metabolic dysfunction and many other conditions.