Huperzine A attenuates hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury via anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic pathways

Mechanism of Reactive Oxygen/Nitrogen Species in Liver Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury and Preventive Effect of Chinese Medicine

Liver ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI) is a pathological process involving multiple injury factors and cell types, with different stages. Currently, protective drugs targeting a single condition are limited in efficacy, and interventions on immune cells will also be accompanied by a series of side effects. In the current bottleneck research stage, the multi-target and obvious clinical efficacy of Chinese medicine (CM) is expected to become a breakthrough point in the research and development of new drugs. In this review, we summarize the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in various stages of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion and on various types of cells. Combined with the current research progress in reducing ROS/RNS with CM, new therapies and mechanisms for the treatment of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion are discussed.

Pharmacology, phytochemistry, and traditional uses of Huperzia serrata (Thunb. ex Murray) Trev

Huperzia serrata (HS) has been a staple of traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, revered for its efficacy in treating various ailments such as pain relief, hemostasis, detoxification, dehumidification, and heat clearing. This review offers an in-depth summary of the botany, traditional utilization, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, phytochemistry, and safety profile of HS and intends to shed light on potential future research directions and applications of this plant. Information on HS was gathered from ScienceDirect, PubMed, Springer, Sci Finder, Baidu Scholar, and Google Scholar. Over 94 compounds have been separated and identified from HS, including alkaloids, terpenoids, volatile oils, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. Both crude extracts and purified compounds from HS have shown promise in treating a spectrum of conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, pain, cancer, and inflammation. These extracts and compounds exhibit diverse pharmacological properties, including neuroprotective, anti-Alzheimer's, anti-epileptic, analgesic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Pharmacological investigations support the traditional use of HS and may validate the folk medicinal use of HS to treat many chronic diseases. Current literature suggests that the bioactivity of HS is largely attributed to its alkaloids and polysaccharides. However, further exploration is warranted to comprehensively understand the structure-function relationship of these constituents, molecular mechanisms, and their potential synergistic and antagonistic interactions. Moreover, additional modern pharmacological explorations are necessary to validate the traditional use of HS such as promoting hemostasis, treating tuberculosis, hemorrhoids, and diarrhea. Therefore, there is a pressing need for comprehensive investigations to fully assess HS' medicinal properties and therapeutic potential.

Huperzine A targets Apolipoprotein E: A potential therapeutic drug for diabetic nephropathy based on omics analysis

AIMS

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) without curative interventions currently. Huperzine A (Hup A), a natural alkaloid, has demonstrated significant hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory effects. We aim to investigate the protective effects of Hup A on DN and explore the underlying mechanisms METHODS: We applied STZ induced diabetic rats as DN model and leveraged combination analysis of the transcriptome, metabolome, microbiome, and network pharmacology (NP). The total effect of Hup A on DN was detected (i.e. urine protein, renal tissue structure) and the differential genes were further verified at the level of diabetic patients, db/db mice and cells. Clinical data and small interfering RNA (siRNA)-Apoe were adopted.

RESULTS

Hup A alleviated kidney injury in DN rats. Transcriptomics data and Western blot indicated that the improvement in DN was primarily associated with Apoe and Apoc2. Additionally, metabolomics data demonstrated that DN-induced lipid metabolism disruption was regulated by Hup A, potentially involving sphingosine. Hup A also enriched microbial diversity and ameliorated DN-induced microbiota imbalance. Spearman's correlation analysis demonstrated significant associations among the transcriptome, metabolome, and microbiome. Apoe level was positively correlated with clinical biomarkers in DN patients. Si-Apoe also played protective role in podocytes. NP analysis also suggested that Hup A may treat DN by modulating lipid metabolism, microbial homeostasis, and apoptosis, further validating our findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, we provide the first evidence of the therapeutic effect of Hup A on DN, indicating that Hup A is a potential drug for the prevention and treatment of DN.

Huperzine A ameliorates neurological deficits after spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage through endothelial cell pyroptosis inhibition

Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a kind of hemorrhagic stroke which causes neurological deficits in survivors. Huperzine A has a neuroprotective effect, but its role in SAH is unclear. Therefore, we explore the effect of Huperzine A on neurological deficits induced by SAH and the related mechanism. In this study, Evans blue assay, TUNEL staining, immunofluorescence, western blot analysis, and ELISA are conducted. We find that Huperzine A can improve neurological deficits and inhibit the apoptosis of nerve cells in SAH rats. Huperzine A treatment can improve the upregulation of brain water content, damage of blood-brain barrier, fibrinogen and matrix metalloprotein 9 expressions and the downregulation of ZO-1 and occludin expressions induced by SAH. Huperzine A inhibit the expressions of proteins involved in pyroptosis in endothelial cells in SAH rats. The increase in MDA content and decrease in SOD activity in SAH rats can be partly reversed by Huperzine A. The ROS inducer H 2O 2 can induce pyroptosis and inhibit the expressions of ZO-1 and occludin in endothelial cells, which can be blocked by Huperzine A. In addition, the increase in the entry of p65 into the nucleus in endothelial cells can be partly reversed by Huperzine A. Huperzine A may delay the damage of blood-brain barrier in SAH rats by inhibiting oxidative stress-mediated pyroptosis and tight junction protein expression downregulation through the NF-κB pathway. Overall, Huperzine A may have clinical value for treating SAH.

A Synopsis of Multitarget Potential Therapeutic Effects of Huperzine A in Diverse Pathologies-Emphasis on Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis

Numerous challenges are confronted when it comes to the recognition of therapeutic agents for treating complex neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD). The perplexing pathogenicity of AD embodies cholinergic dysfunction, amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation, neurofibrillary tangle formation, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial disruption along with vicious production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating oxidative stress. In this frame of reference, drugs with multi target components could prove more advantageous to counter complex pathological mechanisms that are responsible for AD progression. For as much as, medicinal plant based pharmaco-therapies are emerging as potential candidates for AD treatment keeping the efficacy and safety parameters in terms of toxicity and side effects into consideration. Huperzine A (Hup A) is a purified alkaloid compound extracted from a club moss called Huperzia serrata. Several studies have reported both cholinergic and non-cholinergic effects of this compound on AD with significant neuroprotective properties. The present review convenes cumulative demonstrations of neuroprotection provided by Hup A in in vitro, in vivo, and human studies in various pathologies. The underlying molecular mechanisms of its actions have also been discussed. However, more profound evidence would certainly promote the therapeutic implementation of this drug thus furnishing decisive insights into AD therapeutics and various other pathologies along with preventive and curative management.

The Protective Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Liver Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Liver ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury occurs during transplantation and major hepatic surgery, which may lead to postoperative liver dysfunction. More and more traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been used to treat liver ischemia-reperfusion injury. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the different protective effects of TCMs in the treatment of liver ischemia-reperfusion injury and to summarize its possible mechanisms. The results indicate that TCMs attenuate liver I/R injury via multiple mechanisms, including antioxidation stress, anti-inflammatory response, antiapoptosis, and inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress. However, the in-depth mechanism of the protective effects of these traditional Chinese medicines still remains unknown.

Combining antioxidant astaxantin and cholinesterase inhibitor huperzine A boosts neuroprotection

Oxidative stress is a pathophysiological condition resulting in neurotoxicity, which is possibly associated with neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, the antioxidative effects of the antioxidant astaxanthin (AXT) in combination with huperzine A (HupA), which is used as a cholinesterase inhibitor for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, were investigated. PC12 cells were treated with either tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), or with the toxic version of β-amyloid, Aβ_25–35, to induce oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. Cell viability, morphology, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were determined, while neuroprotection was also monitored using an MTT assay. It was found that combining AXT with HupA significantly increased the viability of PC12 cells, prevented membrane damage (as measured by LDH release), attenuated intracellular ROS formation, increased SOD activity and decreased the level of MDA after TBHP exposure when compared to these drugs administered alone. Pretreatment with HupA and AXT decreased toxic damage produced by Aβ_25–35. These data indicated that combining an antioxidant with a cholinesterase inhibitor increases the degree of neuroprotection; with future investigation this could be a potential therapy used to decrease neurotoxicity in the brain.

Preconditioning methods in the management of hepatic ischemia reperfusion- induced injury: Update on molecular and future perspectives

Hepatic IR (ischemia reperfusion) injury is a commonly encountered obstacle in the post-operative management of hepatic surgery. Hepatic IR occurs during 'Pringle maneuver' for reduction of blood loss or during a brief period of cold storage followed by reperfusion of liver grafts. The stress induced during hepatic IR, triggers a spectrum of cellular responses leading to the varying degrees of hepatic complications which in turn affect the post operative care. Different preconditioning methods either activate or subdue different sets of molecular signals, resulting in varied levels of protection against hepatic IR injury. Yet, there is a serious lacuna in the knowledge regarding the choice of preconditioning methods and the resulting molecular changes in order to assess the efficiency and choice of these methods correctly. This review provides an update on the various preconditioning approaches such as surgical/ischemic, antioxidant, pharmaceutical and genetic preconditioning strategies published during last six years (2009-2015). Further, we discuss the attenuation or inhibition of specific inflammatory, apoptotic and necrotic markers in the various experimental models of liver IR subjected to different preconditioning strategies. While enlisting the controversies in the ischemic preconditioning strategy, we bring out the uncertainties in the existing molecular targets and their reliability in the attenuation of hepatic IR injury. Future research studies would include the novel preconditioning strategies employ i) the targeted gene silencing of key molecular targets inducing IR, ii) hyper expression of beneficial molecular signals against IR via gene transfer techniques. The above studies would see the combination of these latest techniques with the established preconditioning strategies for better post-operative hepatic management.

Erythropoietin pretreatment exerts anti-inflammatory effects in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion-injured rats via suppression of the TLR2/NF-κB pathway

INTRODUCTION

The inflammatory response plays an important role in liver dysfunction after hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), which is tightly regulated by the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)/nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway; suppression of TLR2/NF-κB signaling has therefore become a promising target for anti-inflammatory treatment in hepatic I/R injury. Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein cytokine produced primarily by the kidney that has anti-inflammatory activities. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of EPO preconditioning, if any, against hepatic I/R injury in rats and its underlying mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to partial (70%) hepatic ischemia for 45 minutes after pretreatment with either saline or EPO followed by 24-hour reperfusion. Hepatic injury was evaluated according to biochemical and histopathologic examinations. The expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The expression of nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of NF-κB p65, EPOR receptor (EPOR), p-EPOR, p-IκB-α, IκB-α, and TLR2 were determined by using Western blot analysis.

RESULTS

EPO treatment significantly improved hepatic function and histology, as indicated by reduced transaminase levels and pathologic changes. The expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, p-IκB-α, and TLR2 was significantly decreased with up-regulation of p-EPOR by EPO. Moreover, EPO pretreatment also reduced I/R-induced the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 subunits in liver tissue, but EPO had no influence on the expression of p65 and IκB-α.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that EPO pretreatment ameliorates hepatic I/R injury, which is involved in suppressing TLR2/NF-κB-mediated inflammation.