Targeted metabolomics combined with network pharmacology to reveal the protective role of luteolin in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Arachidonic acid is involved in high-salt diet-induced coronary remodeling through stimulation of the IRE1α/XBP1s/RUNX2/OPN signaling cascade

BACKGROUND

The impact of a high-salt (HS) diet on metabolic disturbances in individuals with coronary heart disease remains unclear. The arachidonic acid (AA) metabolic pathway is closely linked to the development of cardiometabolic diseases and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) has emerged as a major contributor to cardiometabolic diseases. AA-related inflammation and ERS are hypothesized to play a role in HS diet-induced coronary remodeling.

METHODS

Rats were subjected to an HS diet for 4 weeks, and the serum concentration of AA was measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Immunofluorescence staining and vascular tension measurements were conducted on coronary arteries. In addition, AA-stimulated coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs) were treated with ERS inhibitors to explore the underlying pathway involved.

RESULTS

Increased susceptibility to myocardial infarction in the HS diet-fed rats was accompanied by increased serum AA concentrations and increased expression of the key AA metabolic enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). AA incubation weakened the contraction of denuded coronary arteries, reduced the expression of contraction markers, and increased the fluorescence intensity of synthetic and ERS response markers in coronary arteries. Further investigation of CASMCs revealed that AA-induced phenotypic transformation was mediated via the ERS pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

ERS and AA were found to be stimulated in CASMCs following an HS diet. AA triggers an ERS response through COX-2 catalysis, and the downstream inositol requiring enzyme 1 - X-box binding protein-1 - osteopontin pathway may contribute to the AA-induced phenotypic transformation of CASMCs, resulting in dysfunctional coronary tension. This study may provide potential therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases associated with excessive AA-derived ERS.

Sini decoction alleviates inflammation injury after myocardial infarction through regulating arachidonic acid metabolism

Objective

Myocardial inflammation during myocardial infarction (MI) could be inhibited by regulating arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. Recent studies demonstrated that Sini Decoction (SND) was identified to be an effective prescription for treating heart failure (HF) caused by MI. But the anti-inflammatory mechanism of SND remained unclear. The work was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of SND through the AA metabolism pathway in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Methods

An inflammatory injury model of H9c2 cells was established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophage-conditioned medium (CM). The MI model was built by the ligation of left anterior descending (LAD) branch of coronary artery in rat. Meanwhile, the rats were divided into five groups: sham group, MI group, MI + Celecoxib group, MI + low-dose SND group (SND-L) and MI + high-dose SND group (SND-H). Cardiac function, histopathological changes and serum cytokines were examined four weeks later. Western blot analysis was conducted to verify the key enzymes levels in the AA metabolic pathway, including phospholipase A2 (PLA2), cyclooxygenases (COXs) and lipoxygenases (LOXs).

Results

These in vivo results demonstrated that SND could improve the cardiac function and pathological changes of rats with MI, and regulate the key inflammatory molecules in the AA metabolism pathway, including sPLA2, COX-1, COX-2, 5-LOX and 15-LOX. In vitro, SND could decrease the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α and IL-6 and inhibit cell apoptosis in CM-induced H9c2 cells. Moreover, SND could protect H9c2 cells from the damage of CM by regulating nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signal pathway and the expression of COX-2.

Conclusion

SND may be a drug candidate for anti-inflammatory treatment during MI by regulating the multiple targets in the AA metabolism pathway.

Network pharmacology provides new insights into the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine and natural products used to treat pulmonary hypertension

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare cardiovascular disease with high morbidity and mortality rates. It is characterized by increased pulmonary arterial pressure. Current research into relevant therapeutic drugs and targets for PH, however, is insufficient still. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and natural products have a long history as therapeutics for PH. Network pharmacology is an approach that integrates drug-target interactions and signaling pathways based on biomarkers information obtained from drug and disease databases. The concept of network pharmacology shows many similarities with the TCM philosophy. Network pharmacology help elucidate the mechanisms of TCM in PH. This review presents representative applications of network pharmacology in the study of the mechanisms of TCM and natural products for the treatment of PH.

METHODS

In this review, we used ("pulmonary hypertension" OR "pulmonary arterial hypertension" OR "chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension") AND ("network pharmacology" OR "systematic pharmacology") as keywords to search for reports from PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases from ten years ago. The studies were screened and those chosen are summarized here. The TCM and natural products inPH and their corresponding targets and signaling pathways are described. Additionally, we discuss the application of network pharmacology in the study of TCM in PH to provide insights for future application strategies.

RESULTS

Network pharmacology have shown that AKT-related pathways, HIF-1 signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, TGF-β-Smad pathway, cell cycle-related pathways and inflammation-related pathways are the main signaling pathways enriched in the PH targets of TCM. Reservatrol, curcumol, genistin, formononetin, wogonin, luteolin, baicalein, berberine, triptolide and tanshinone llA are active ingredients specific for PH treatment. A number of databases and tools specific for the treatment of PH are used in network pharmacology and natural product research.

CONCLUSION

Through the reasonable combination of molecular docking, omics technology and bioinformatics technology, the mechanism of multi-targets can be explained more comprehensively. Analyzing the complex mechanism of TCM from the clinical perspective may be a potential development trend of network pharmacology. Combination of predicted targets and traditional pharmacology improves efficiency of drug development.

Luteolin ameliorates hypoxic pulmonary vascular remodeling in rat via upregulating KV1.5 of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells

BACKGROUND

Hypoxic pulmonary vascular remodeling (HPVR) is a key pathological feature of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH). Oxygen-sensitive potassium (K+) channels in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) play a crucial role in HPVR. Luteolin (Lut) is a plant-derived flavonoid compound with variety of pharmacological actions. Our previous study found Lut alleviated HPVR in HPH rat.

PURPOSE

To elucidate the mechanism by which Lut mitigated HPVR, focusing on oxygen-sensitive voltage-dependent potassium channel 1.5 (Kv1.5).

METHODS

HPH rat model was established using hypobaric chamber to simulate 5000 m altitude. Isolated perfused/ventilated rat lung, isolated pulmonary arteriole ring was utilized to investigate the impact of Lut on K+ channels activity. Kv1.5 level in lung tissue and pulmonary arteriole of HPH rat was assessed. CyclinD1, CDK4, PCNA, Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3 levels in lung tissue of HPH rat were tested. The effect of Lut on Kv1.5, cytoplasmic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]cyt), CyclinD1, CDK4, PCNA, Bax/Bcl-2 was examined in PASMCs under hypoxia, with DPO-1 as a Kv1.5 specific inhibitor. The binding affinity between Lut and Kv1.5 in PASMCs was detected by drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS). The overexpression of KCNA5 gene (encoding Kv1.5) in HEK293T cells was utilized to confirm the interaction between Lut and Kv1.5. Furthermore, the impact of Lut on mitochondrial structure, SOD, GSH, GSH-Px, MDA and HIF-1α levels were evaluated in lung tissue of HPH rat and PASMCs under hypoxia.

RESULTS

Lut dilated pulmonary artery by directly activating Kv and Ca2+-activated K+ channels (KCa) in smooth muscle. Kv1.5 level in lung tissue and pulmonary arteriole of HPH rat was upregulated by Lut. Lut downregulated CyclinD1, CDK4, PCNA while upregulating Bax/Bcl-2/caspase-3 axis in lung tissue of HPH rat. Lut decreased [Ca2+]cyt, reduced CDK4, CyclinD1, PCNA, increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, in PASMCs under hypoxia, by upregulating Kv1.5. The binding affinity and the interaction between Lut and Kv1.5 was verified in PASMCs and in HEK293T cells. Lut also decreased [Ca2+]cyt and inhibited proliferation via targeting Kv1.5 of HEK293T cells under hypoxia. Furthermore, Lut protected mitochondrial structure, increased SOD, GSH, GSH-Px, decreased MDA, in lung tissue of HPH rat. Lut downregulated HIF-1α level in both lung tissue of HPH rat and PASMCs under hypoxia.

CONCLUSION

Lut alleviated HPVR by promoting vasodilation of pulmonary artery, reducing cellular proliferation, and inducing apoptosis through upregulating of Kv1.5 in PASMCs.

Exploration of the molecular mechanism of tea polyphenols against pulmonary hypertension by integrative approach of network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental verification

Pulmonary hypertension, a common complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a major global health concern. Green tea is a popular beverage that is consumed all over the world. Green tea's active ingredients are epicatechin derivatives, also known as "polyphenols," which have anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. This study aimed to explore the possible mechanism of green tea polyphenols in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental verification. A total of 316 potential green tea polyphenols-related targets were obtained from the PharmMapper, SwissTargetPrediction, and TargetNet databases. A total of 410 pulmonary hypertension-related targets were predicted by the CTD, DisGeNET, pharmkb, and GeneCards databases. Green tea polyphenols-related targets were hit by the 49 targets associated with pulmonary hypertension. AKT1 and HIF1-α were identified through the FDA drugs-target network and PPI network combined with GO functional annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment. Molecular docking results showed that green tea polyphenols had strong binding abilities to AKT1 and HIF1-α. In vitro experiments showed that green tea polyphenols inhibited the proliferation and migration of hypoxia stimulated pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells by decreasing AKT1 phosphorylation and downregulating HIF1α expression. Collectively, green tea polyphenols are promising phytochemicals against pulmonary hypertension.

Therapeutic potential of natural flavonoids in pulmonary arterial hypertension: A review

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal disease caused by pulmonary vascular remodeling, with a high incidence and mortality. At present, many clinical drugs for treating PAH mainly exert effects by relaxing the pulmonary artery, with limited therapeutic effects, so the search for viable therapeutic agents continues uninterrupted. In recent years, natural flavonoids have shown promising potential in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. It is necessary to comprehensively elucidate the potential of natural flavonoids to combat PAH.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the potential of natural flavonoids to hinder or slow down the occurrence and development of PAH, and to identify promising drug discovery candidates.

METHODS

Literature was collected from PubMed, Science Direct, Web of science, CNKI databases and Google scholar. The search terms used included "pulmonary arterial hypertension", "pulmonary hypertension", "natural products", "natural flavonoids", "traditional chinese medicine", etc., and several combinations of these keywords.

RESULTS

The resources, structural characteristics, mechanisms, potential and prospect strategies of natural flavonoids for treating PAH were summarized. Natural flavonoids offer different solutions as possible treatments for PAH. These mechanisms may involve various pathways and molecular targets related to the pathogenesis of PAH, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular remodeling, genetic, ion channels, cell proliferation and autophagy. In addition, prospect strategies of natural flavonoids for anti-PAH including structural modification and nanomaterial delivery systems have been explored. This review suggests that the potential of natural flavonoids as alternative therapeutic agents in the prevention and treatment of PAH holds promise for future research and clinical applications.

CONCLUSION

Despite displaying the enormous potential of flavonoids in PAH, some limitations need to be further explored. Firstly, using advanced drug discovery tools, including computer-aided design and high-throughput screening, to further investigate the safety, biological activity, and precise mechanism of action of flavonoids. Secondly, exploring the structural modifications of these compounds is expected to optimize their efficacy. Lastly, it is necessary to conduct well controlled clinical trials and a comprehensive evaluation of potential side effects to determine their effectiveness and safety.

Analyzing the molecular mechanism of xuefuzhuyu decoction in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension with network pharmacology and bioinformatics and verifying molecular docking

BACKGROUND

XueFuZhuYu (XFZY), a typical Chinese herbal formula, has remarkable clinical effects for treating Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) with unclear mechanisms. Our research involved the utilization of network pharmacology to explore the traditional Chinese herbal monomers and their related targets within XFZY for PH treatment. Furthermore, molecular docking verification was performed.

METHODS

The XFZY's primary active compounds, along with their corresponding targets, were both obtained from the TCMSP, ChEMBL, and UniProt databases. The target proteins relevant to PH were sifted through OMIM, GeneCards and TTD databases. The common "XFZY-PH" targets were evaluated with Disease Ontology (DO), Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses with the assistance of R software. The Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network and compound-target-pathway network were constructed and a systematic analysis of network parameters was performed by the powerful software Cytoscape. Molecular docking was employed for assessing and verifying the interactions between the core targets and the top Chinese herbal monomer.

RESULTS

The screening included 297 targets of active compounds in XFZY and 8400 PH-related targets. DO analysis of the above common 268 targets indicated that the treatment of the diseases by XFZY is mediated by genes related to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Obstructive Lung Disease (OLD), ischemia, and myocardial infarction. The findings from molecular docking indicated that the binding energies of 57 ligand-receptor pairs in PH and 20 ligand-receptor pairs in COPD-PH were lower than -7kJ•mol-1.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicates that XFZY is a promising option within traditional Chinese medicine compound preparation for combating PH, particularly in cases associated with COPD. Our demonstration of the specific molecular mechanism of XFZY anti-PH and its effective active ingredients provides a theoretical basis for better clinical application of the compound.

Exploring the Mechanism of Zhishi-Xiebai-Guizhi Decoction for the Treatment of Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Analyses

BACKGROUND

Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension (HPH), a prevalent disease in highland areas, is a crucial factor in various complex highland diseases with high mortality rates. Zhishi-Xiebai-Guizhi decoction (ZXGD), traditional Chinese medicine with a long history of use in treating heart and lung diseases, lacks a clear understanding of its pharmacological mechanism.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of ZXGD on HPH.

METHODS

We conducted a network pharmacological prediction analysis and molecular docking to predict the effects, which were verified through in vivo experiments.

RESULTS

Network pharmacological analysis revealed 51 active compounds of ZXGD and 701 corresponding target genes. Additionally, there are 2,116 targets for HPH, 311 drug-disease co-targets, and 17 core-targets. GO functional annotation analysis revealed that the core targets primarily participate in biological processes such as apoptosis and cellular response to hypoxia. Furthermore, KEGG pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that the core targets are involved in several pathways, including the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway and Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1 (HIF1) signaling pathway. In vivo experiments, the continuous administration of ZXGD demonstrated a significant improvement in pulmonary artery pressure, right heart function, pulmonary vascular remodeling, and pulmonary vascular fibrosis in HPH rats. Furthermore, ZXGD was found to inhibit the expression of PI3K, Akt, and HIF1α proteins in rat lung tissue.

CONCLUSION

In summary, this study confirmed the beneficial effects and mechanism of ZXGD on HPH through a combination of network pharmacology and in vivo experiments. These findings provided a new insight for further research on HPH in the field of traditional Chinese medicine.

Administration of A. muciniphila ameliorates pulmonary arterial hypertension by targeting miR-208a-3p/NOVA1 axis

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) is a chronic disease induced by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and failure of the right heart function. A number of studies show that the development of PH is closely related to the gut microbiota, and lung-gut axis might be a potential therapeutic target in the PH treatment. A. muciniphila has been reported to play a critical role in treating cardiovascular disorders. In this study we evaluated the therapeutic effects of A. muciniphila against hypoxia-induced PH and the underlying mechanisms. Mice were pretreated with A. muciniphila suspension (2 × 108 CFU in 200 μL sterile anaerobic PBS, i.g.) every day for 3 weeks, and then exposed to hypoxia (9% O2) for another 4 weeks to induce PH. We showed that A. muciniphila pretreatment significantly facilitated the restoration of the hemodynamics and structure of the cardiopulmonary system, reversed the pathological progression of hypoxia-induced PH. Moreover, A. muciniphila pretreatment significantly modulated the gut microbiota in hypoxia-induced PH mice. miRNA sequencing analysis reveals that miR-208a-3p, a commensal gut bacteria-regulated miRNA, was markedly downregulated in lung tissues exposed to hypoxia, which was restored by A. muciniphila pretreatment. We showed that transfection with miR-208a-3p mimic reversed hypoxia-induced abnormal proliferation of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (hPASMCs) via regulating the cell cycle, whereas knockdown of miR-208a-3p abolished the beneficial effects of A. muciniphila pretreatment in hypoxia-induced PH mice. We demonstrated that miR-208a-3p bound to the 3'-untranslated region of NOVA1 mRNA; the expression of NOVA1 was upregulated in lung tissues exposed to hypoxia, which was reversed by A. muciniphila pretreatment. Furthermore, silencing of NOVA1 reversed hypoxia-induced abnormal proliferation of hPASMCs through cell cycle modulation. Our results demonstrate that A. muciniphila could modulate PH through the miR-208a-3p/NOVA1 axis, providing a new theoretical basis for PH treatment.

Metabolomics in Pulmonary Hypertension-A Useful Tool to Provide Insights into the Dark Side of a Tricky Pathology

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a multifaceted illness causing clinical manifestations like dyspnea, fatigue, and cyanosis. If left untreated, it often evolves into irreversible pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), leading to death. Metabolomics is a laboratory technique capable of providing insights into the metabolic pathways that are responsible for a number of physiologic or pathologic events through the analysis of a biological fluid (such as blood, urine, and sputum) using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy or mass spectrometry. A systematic review was finalized according to the PRISMA scheme, with the goal of providing an overview of the research papers released up to now on the application of metabolomics to PH/PAH. So, eighty-five papers were identified, of which twenty-four concerning PH, and sixty-one regarding PAH. We found that, from a metabolic standpoint, the hallmarks of the disease onset and progression are an increase in glycolysis and impaired mitochondrial respiration. Oxidation is exacerbated as well. Specific metabolic fingerprints allow the characterization of some of the specific PH and PAH subtypes. Overall, metabolomics provides insights into the biological processes happening in the body of a subject suffering from PH/PAH. The disarranged metabolic pathways underpinning the disease may be the target of new therapeutic agents. Metabolomics will allow investigators to make a step forward towards personalized medicine.