Preventive effects of the Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch and Cornus officinalis Sieb herb couple on chronic kidney disease rats via modulating the intestinal microbiota and enhancing the intestinal barrier

Oral gavage delivery of Cornus officinalis extract delays type 1 diabetes onset and hyperglycemia in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease initiated by genetic predisposition and environmental influences, which result in the specific destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells. Currently, there are over 1.6 million cases of T1D in the United States with a worldwide incidence rate that has been increasing since 1990. Here, we examined the effect of Cornus officinalis (CO), a well-known ethnopharmacological agent, on a T1D model of the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse. A measured dose of CO extract was delivered into 10-week-old NOD mice by oral gavage for 15 weeks. T1D incidence and hyperglycemia were significantly lower in the CO-treated group as compared to the water gavage (WT) and a no handling or treatment control group (NHT) following treatment. T1D onset per group was 30%, 60% and 86% for the CO, WT and NHT groups, respectively. Circulating C-peptide was higher, and pancreatic insulitis was decreased in non-T1D CO-treated mice. Our findings suggest that CO may have therapeutic potential as both a safe and effective interventional agent to slow early stage T1D progression.

Exploring the characteristics of gut microbiome in patients of Southern Fujian with hypocitraturia urolithiasis and constructing clinical diagnostic models

PURPOSE

Hypocitraturia is an important cause of urolithiasis. Exploring the characteristics of the gut microbiome (GMB) of hypocitriuria urolithiasis (HCU) patients can provide new ideas for the treatment and prevention of urolithiasis.

METHODS

The 24 h urinary citric acid excretion of 19 urolithiasis patients was measured, and patients were divided into the HCU group and the normal citrate urolithiasis (NCU) group. The 16 s ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was used to detect GMB composition differences and construct operational taxonomic units (OTUs) coexistence networks. The key bacterial community was determined by Lefse analysis, Metastats analysis and RandomForest analysis. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and Pearson correlation analysis visualized the correlation between key OTUs and clinical features and then established the disease diagnosis model of microbial-clinical indicators. Finally, PICRUSt2 was used to explore the metabolic pathway of related GMB in HCU patients.

RESULTS

The alpha diversity of GMB in HCU group was increased and Beta diversity analysis suggested significant differences between HCU and NCU groups, which was related to renal function damage and urinary tract infection. Ruminococcaceae_ge and Turicibacter are the characteristic bacterial groups of HCU. Correlation analysis showed that the characteristic bacterial groups were significantly associated with various clinical features. Based on this, the diagnostic models of microbiome-clinical indicators in HCU patients were constructed with the areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.923 and 0.897, respectively. Genetic and metabolic processes of HCU are affected by changes in GMB abundance.

CONCLUSION

GMB disorder may be involved in the occurrence and clinical characteristics of HCU by influencing genetic and metabolic pathways. The new microbiome-clinical indicator diagnostic model is effective.

The Qi-Bang-Yi-Shen formula ameliorates renal dysfunction and fibrosis in rats with diabetic kidney disease <em>via</em> regulating PI3K/AKT, ERK and PPARγ signaling pathways

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and a growing public health problem worldwide. Losartan potassium (Los), an angiotensin II receptor blocker, has been used to treat DKD clinically. Recently, multi-herbal formula has been shown to exhibit therapeutic activities in DKD in China. Thus, we aimed to explore the protective effects of combination of Los and Qi-Bang-Yi-Shen formula (QBF) on DKD rats. Streptozotocin (STZ) injection was used to establish a rat model of DKD. Next, the bloodurea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CRE) and uric acid (UA) levels were detected in serum samples from DKD rats. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) and Masson staining were performed to observe glomerular injury and glomerular fibrosis in DKD rats. In this study, we found that QBF or Los treatment could decrease serum BUN, CRE, UA levels and reduce urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) in DKD rats. Additionally, QBF or Los treatment obviously inhibited glomerular mesangial expansion and glomerular fibrosis, attenuated glomerular injury in kidney tissues of DKD rats. Moreover, QBF or Los treatment significantly reduced PI3K, AKT and ERK1/2 protein expressions, but increased PPARγ level in kidney tissues of DKD rats. As expected, combined treatment of QBF and Los could exert enhanced reno-protective effects compared with the single treatment. Collectively, combination of QBF and Los could ameliorate renal injury and fibrosis in DKD rats via regulating PI3K/AKT, ERK and PPARγ signaling pathways. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of QBF to prevent DKD progression.