Liquorice ingestion attenuates vasodilatation via exogenous nitric oxide donor but not via β2-adrenoceptor stimulation

Effects of Licorice Functional Components Intakes on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and NETWORK Toxicology

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of licorice functional ingredient intake on blood pressure, explore its potential mechanisms of action, and provide safety information for personalized nutritional interventions in special populations and for the application of licorice-derived functional foods.

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to 31 August 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the intake of licorice or its functional components were included. The range of continuous variables was assessed using the weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals. Genes associated with hypertension were screened using an online database. Machine learning, receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve analysis, molecular docking, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were employed to explore the potential mechanisms underlying licorice-induced blood pressure fluctuations.

RESULTS

Eight RCTs (541 participants) were included in the meta-analysis, which indicated interventions containing glycyrrhizic acid (GA) as the main component increased systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (SBP: WMD [95% CI] = 3.48 [2.74, 4.21], p < 0.001; DBP: WMD [95% CI] = 1.27 [0.76, 1.78], p < 0.001). However, interventions dominated by licorice flavonoids(LF) had no significant effect on SBP or DBP (SBP: WMD [95% CI] = 0.58 [-1.15, 2.31], p = 0.511; DBP: WMD [95% CI] = 0.17 [-1.53, 1.88], p = 0.843). Three machine learning algorithms identified five biomarkers associated with hypertension: calmodulin 3 (CALM3), cluster of differentiation 9 (CD9), growth factor independence 1B transcriptional repressor (GFI1B), myosin light chain kinase (MYLK), and Ras suppressor-1 (RSU1). After removing biomarkers with lower validity and reliability, GFI1B, MYLK, and RSU1 were selected for subsequent analysis. The network toxicology results suggested that GA and its metabolite glycyrrhetinic acid may act on GFI1B, MYLK, and RSU1, influencing blood pressure fluctuations by modulating nitrogen metabolism signaling pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

There were distinct differences in the effects of licorice functional components on blood pressure. Functional constituents dominated by GA were shown to increase both SBP and DBP, whereas those dominated by LF did not exhibit significant effects on blood pressure. The hypertensive mechanism of GA may involve the modulation of GFI1B, MYLK, and RSU1 to regulate nitrogen metabolic pathways.

TRPM7 mediates endoplasmic reticulum stress and ferroptosis in sepsis-induced myocardial injury

Transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7), a non-selective cation channel, was significantly upregulated in the blood of patients with sepsis. This study focuses on the preliminary exploration of the probable regulatory mechanism of TRPM7 in sepsis-induced myocardial injury (SIMI). HL-1 cardiac muscle cell line was treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic SIMI in vitro, and TRPM7 level was assessed. The impacts of TRPM7 knockdown on cellular inflammation response, oxidative stress, apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and ferroptosis were identified. In order to explore the mechanism, ER stress agonist tunicamycin (TM) or ferroptosis inducer erastin was applied to treat HL-1 cells. The influences of TM and erastin on the aforementioned aspects were evaluated. TRPM7 was elevated in response to LPS stimulation, and its knockdown reduced the secretion of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress degree. Moreover, TRPM7 knockdown significantly suppressed cell apoptosis, ER stress, and ferroptosis. TM and erastin reversed the functions of TRPM7 knockdown, indicating ER stress and ferroptosis mediated in the regulation of TRPM7. This research proposes the possibility of TRPM7 as a marker or target for SIMI, and provides theoretical support for follow-up research.

Liquiritigenin alleviates doxorubicin-induced chronic heart failure via promoting ARHGAP18 and suppressing RhoA/ROCK1 pathway

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common chronic diseases with increasing incidence and mortality. Liquiritigenin (LQG) is shown to protect mice from cardiotoxicity. However, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Our study aimed to reveal the role of ARHGAP18 in LQG-mediated cardioprotective effects in CHF. In the current study, CHF cell model and rat model were established by the application of doxorubicin (DOX). The reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and cell apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry. The cardiac function of rats was evaluated by measuring left ventricular systolic pressure, left ventricular end diastolic pressure, and serum level of lactate dehydrogenase and brain natriuretic peptide. The expression of active RhoA was elevated and that of ARHGAP18 was decreased in DOX-induced CHF cell model. ARHGAP18 could reduce DOX-induced RhoA activation, ROS elevation, and cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, the knockdown of ARHGAP18 could promote the activation of RhoA, the level of ROS, and the rate of cell apoptosis, which could be reversed by the application of RhoA inhibitor. LQG promoted the expression of ARHGAP18 and exerted similar effects of ARHGAP18 in CHF cell model. The application of LQG could also reverse the effects mediated by ARHGAP18 knockdown. Moreover, LQG significantly improved cardiac function and ameliorated DOX-induced cardiotoxicity of CHF rats. In conclusion, LQG could alleviate DOX-induced CHF via promoting ARHGAP18 and suppressing RhoA/ROCK1 pathway. LQG was a potential agent for CHF treatment.