A Network Pharmacology-Based Analysis of the Protective Mechanism of Miao Medicine Xuemaitong Capsule Against Secondary Brain Damage in the Ischemic Area Surrounding Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Study on the protective mechanism of Xuemaitong Capsule against acute myocardial ischemia rat based on network pharmacology and metabolomics

BACKGROUND

Xuemaitong Capsule (XMT) is a widely recognized traditional Miao medicine extensively utilized in Chinese clinical settings. Previous studies have demonstrated XMT protective effects against acute myocardial ischemia (AMI). However, the mechanism by which XMT provides protection to AMI rats is yet to be fully understood.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective mechanism of XMT on AMI rats through network pharmacology, traditional pharmacodynamics and metabolomics.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The components and potential targets of XMT were identified through the application of traditional Chinese medicine system pharmacology and traditional Chinese medicine molecular mechanism bioinformatics analysis tools. We constructed herb-composition-target networks and analyzed protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. The potential mechanism was explored by pathway enrichment analysis. Subsequently, the AMI model was constructed by ligation of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery, and XMT protective effects on AMI rats were evaluated by analyzing the myocardial enzyme profiles, electrocardiograms(ECG), Triphenyltetrazolium chloride(TTC) staining, and Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining in AMI rats. Metabolomics based on UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS was used to observe the protective effect of XMT on the serum metabolic profile of AMI, and multivariate statistical analysis further revealed the differential patterns of metabolites after XMT treatment. Finally, integrated pathway analysis was carried out to reveal the biological metabolic mechanism.

RESULTS

A total of 392 active components of XMT acted with 624 targets for treating AMI. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that XMT could treat AMI through TNF, MAPK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Further, XMT could effectively prevent ST-segment elevation in the ECG, reduce the size of myocardial infarction, decrease cardiac weight index and cardiac enzyme levels, and mitigate histological damage in the hearts of AMI rats. In addition, XMT callback 117 metabolites and four metabolic pathways, including taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism and retinol metabolism. Through integrating network pharmacology and metabolomics, we explored the biological mechanism by which XMT treats AMI. It was speculated that the mechanism of XMT is to regulate TNF signaling, PI3K-Akt pathway and MAPK signaling pathway, and participate in cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, immune and inflammatory reaction and other biological processes.

CONCLUSION

XMT plays a protective role in AMI rats by regulating multiple metabolic biomarkers, multiple targets and pathways. Therefore, XMT may provide a potential strategy for the treatment of AMI.

Ethanol extracts of Cinnamomum migao H.W. Li attenuates neuroinflammation in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury via regulating TLR4-PI3K-Akt-NF-κB pathways

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Cinnamomum migao H.W. Li, commonly known as migao (MG), is used in the Miao region of China for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, attributed to its detoxifying (Jiedu in Chinese), activating blood circulation (Huoxue in Chinese), and promoting Qi circulation (Tongqi in Chinese) properties. However, its therapeutic potential for ischemic stroke (IS) remains unexplored. Therefore, this study was to explore the protective effect of MG against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury caused by IS.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study was to investigate whether ethanol extract of MG (EEMG) attenuates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, and explored the underlying mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) was established, and the efficacy of EEMG was evaluated using triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC), immunofluorescence, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Qualitative analysis of EEMG was analyzed for chemical composition by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The molecular mechanism of EEMG was explored by metabolomics, network pharmacology, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence staining, gene knockdown, and agonist treatment.

RESULTS

The results showed that EEMG alleviates ischemic injury in MCAO/R-operated rats and reduces neuronal damage of OGD/R-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Specifically, EEMG inhibited the release of inflammatory factors and reversed serum metabolic profile disorders of MCAO/R rats. Network pharmacology analysis showed that the PI3K-Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways play a role in the neuroprotective effects of EEMG against ischemic injury and in mitigating the inflammatory response. Consistent with our expectations, EEMG activated PI3K-AKT and suppressed NF-kB signaling pathways both in MCAO/R-operated rats and OGD/R-treated BV2 cells. The results showed that knockdown of TLR4 abolished the EEMG-mediated inhibition on neuroinflammation in OGD/R-treated BV2 cells. After treating BV2 cells with the TLR4 agonist neoseptin 3, EEMG showed a trend toward inhibiting neuroinflammation, though the effect was not statistically significant. Additionally, EEMG was found to improve liver injury caused by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion, which is associated with NF-κB signaling pathway in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, this study demonstrated that EEMG attenuates neuroinflammation in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury via regulating TLR4-PI3K-Akt-NF-κB pathways.

RCOR1 improves neurobehaviors and neuron injury in rat cerebral palsy by Endothelin-1 targeting-induced Akt/GSK-3β pathway upregulation

BACKGROUND

RE1 Silencing Transcription factor (REST) corepressor 1 (RCOR1) has been reported to orchestrate neurogenesis, while its role in cerebral palsy (CP) remains elusive. Besides, RCOR1 can interact with Endothelin-1 (EDN1), and EDN1 expression is related to brain damage. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects of RCOR1/EDN1 on brain damage during the progression of CP.

METHODS

CP rats were established via hypoxia-ischemia insult, and injected with lentivirus-RCOR1, followed by examination of brain pathological conditions. The RCOR1 and EDN1 interaction was recognized using hTFtarget. Healthy rat cortical neuron cells received interference of RCOR1/EDN1 expression, and underwent oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) treatment, after which phenotypic and molecular assays were conducted through the biochemical method, qRT-PCR and/or western blot.

RESULTS

RCOR1 was low-expressed but EDN1 was high-expressed in CP model rats and OGD/R-treated neurons. RCOR1 overexpression ameliorated rat neurobehaviors, alleviated brain pathological conditions, reduced TUNEL-positive cells, decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) level and repressed EDN1 expression in the brains of CP model rats. In neurons, RCOR1 overexpression counteracted OGD/R-induced viability decrease, reduction of the levels of RCOR1, SOD, Bcl-2, caspase-3, p-Akt/Akt and p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β, and elevation of the levels of EDN1, ROS, Bax, and cleaved caspase-3, while EDN1 overexpression did contrarily on these events. Moreover, there was a negative interplay between RCOR1 overexpression and EDN1 overexpression in OGD/R-induced neurons.

CONCLUSION

RCOR1 ameliorates neurobehaviors and suppresses neuronal apoptosis and oxidative stress in CP through EDN1 targeting-mediated upregulation of Akt/GSK-3β.

Study on the Anti-Inflammatory Effect and Mechanism of Yuxuebi Tablet Based on Network Pharmacology

Yuxuebi tablet (YXB) is a Chinese patent medicine with the effect of activating blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis and has been used to treat "Bi" syndrome in China. The aim of this study was to reveal its anti-inflammatory efficacy and mechanism. A carrageenan-induced inflammation mouse model was established to demonstrate the anti-inflammatory efficacy of YXB by detecting the paw swelling degree and inflammatory cell infiltration in paws. The active chemical ingredients and anti-inflammatory targets of YXB were obtained through network pharmacology analysis. Finally, the core anti-inflammatory targets of YXB were determined by the ELISA method and western blot. YXB significantly reduced the paw swelling degree and inflammatory cell infiltration in paws. A total of 120 key active components included in YXB interacted with 56 core inflammatory targets (such as TNF, IL1B, IL6, PTGS2, RELA, MAPK1, MAPK8, and MAPK14), mainly involving in the TNF signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, NF-kappaB signaling pathway, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. Further studies in vivo found that YXB reduced the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum and inhibited the expression of COX-2 and the phosphorylation levels of NF-κB p65, JNK, and p38 protein in paws. Taken together, YXB had a good anti-inflammatory effect, which might be related to inhibiting the phosphorylation of NF-κB, JUN, and p38 and the decrease of COX-2 expression and the levels of inflammatory factors.

Huangjia Ruangan Granule Inhibits Inflammation in a Rat Model with Liver Fibrosis by Regulating TNF/MAPK and NF-κB Signaling Pathways

The Huangjia Ruangan granule (HJRG) is a clinically effective Kampo formula, which has a significant effect on liver fibrosis and early liver cirrhosis. However, the mechanism underlying HJRG in treating liver fibrosis remains unclear. In this study, carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) was used to induce liver fibrosis in rats to clarify the effect of HJRG on liver fibrosis and its mechanism. Using network pharmacology, the potential mechanism of HJRG was initially explored, and a variety of analyses were performed to verify this mechanism. In the liver fibrosis model, treatment with HJRG can maintain the liver morphology, lower the levels of AST and ALT in the serum, and ameliorate pathological damage. Histopathological examinations revealed that the liver structure was significantly improved and fibrotic changes were alleviated. It can effectively inhibit collagen deposition and the expression of α-SMA, reduce the levels of the rat serum (HA, LN, PC III, and Col IV), and inhibit the expression of desmin, vimentin, and HYP content in the liver. Analyzing the results of network pharmacology, the oxidative stress, inflammation, and the related pathways (primarily the TNF signaling pathway) were identified as the potential mechanism of HJRG against liver fibrosis. Experiments confirmed that HJRG can significantly increase the content of superoxide dismutase and glutathione and reduce the levels of malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase in the rat liver; in addition, HJRG significantly inhibited the content of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) and reduced the expression of inflammatory regulators (Cox2 and iNOS). Meanwhile, treatment with HJRG inhibited the phosphorylation of NF-κB P65, IκBα, ERK, JNK, and MAPK P38. Moreover, HJRG treatment reversed the increased expression of TNFR1. The Huangjia Ruangan granule can effectively inhibit liver fibrosis through antioxidation, suppressing liver inflammation by regulating the TNF/MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways, thereby preventing the effect of liver fibrosis.

Investigation of Anti-SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 Effect of Jinhua Qinggan Granules Based on a Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approach

Objective

Jinhua Qinggan Granules (JQGs) have achieved certain results in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in China during this coronavirus storm. In this study, we aimed to analyze the common mechanisms of JQG in the treatment of coronavirus-induced diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19 via network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Methods

The active compounds of JQG were collected through Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. The common targets associated with these 3 diseases were screened from GeneCards database. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of JQG’s core targets were analyzed using The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery and KOBAS 3.0 system. Further, the protein-protein interaction network was built using STRING database. The compound-target- signaling pathway network was constructed using Cytoscape 3.7.2. The core components of JQG were docked with core targets, COVID-19 coronavirus 3 Cl hydrolase, and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) via Discovery Studio 2016 software.

Results

A total of 139 active compounds, 50 core targets, and 122 signaling pathways were screened out. The results of molecular docking showed that arctiin and linarin had a higher docking score with 3 Cl, ACE2, and core targets of JQH for antiviral effect.

Conclusion

The potential mechanism of action of JHQ in the treatment of MERS, SARS, and COVID-19 may be associated with the regulation of genes co-expressed with ACE2 and immune- related signaling pathways.