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Kong F, Sun J, Hu Y, Huo W, Li D, Zhang W. Liver-Targeting Composite Nanocarrier Delivery System Based on Chitosan Nanoparticles and Phospholipid Complexes. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2023; 21:357-368. [PMID: 38096118 DOI: 10.1089/adt.2023.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver fibrosis is mainly caused by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix and structural changes in the liver, ultimately leading to cirrhosis if left untreated. Reducing hyaluronan synthesis by inhibiting hyaluronic acid deposition or regulating the expression of hyaluronic synthase can ameliorate liver fibrosis symptoms. In this study, we aimed to improve the bioavailability and liver-targeting capacity of hydroxymethyl coumarin (4-MU) using a newly developed phospholipid complex chitosan nanoparticle (4-MU PC/CNP) optimized using the Box-Behnken design. The composite nanocarrier delivery system was formulated using solvent evaporation technology, and formulation and process parameters were evaluated. Furthermore, 4-MU PC/CNPs and their pharmacokinetics were characterized. The established 4-MU PC/CNPs had an average particle size of 153.07 ± 0.29 nm, a polydispersity index value of 0.383, and a positive zeta potential of ∼35.4 mV. Compared with 4-MUs, 4-MU PC/CNPs exhibited significantly improved water solubility, faster plasma clearance and tissue distribution, and better liver targeting. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed that the oral bioavailability of 4-MU in 4-MU PC/CNPs was significantly higher than that of simple 4-MU. In conclusion, 4-MU PC improved drug lipid (oil-water distribution coefficient of 1.31 ± 0.03) and water solubilities (2.05 times the drug substance). 4-MU PC/CNPs significantly improved 4-MU oral bioavailability, representing a promising approach for enhancing drug solubility. This study demonstrates that the targeting parameters of 4-MU PC/CNPs in the liver were all greater than 1, indicating that they specifically targeted the liver, thereby potentially alleviating liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanming Kong
- College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
| | - Jingmeng Sun
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yue Hu
- College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
| | - Wenkai Huo
- College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
| | - Dongdong Li
- College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
| | - Weiyu Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
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Lin Y, Wei J, Zhang Y, Huang J, Wang S, Luo Q, Yu H, Ji L, Zhou X, Li C. Shen Qi Wan attenuates renal interstitial fibrosis through upregulating AQP1. Chin J Nat Med 2023; 21:359-370. [PMID: 37245874 DOI: 10.1016/s1875-5364(23)60453-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is the crucial pathway in chronic kidney disease (CKD) leading to the end-stage renal failure. However, the underlying mechanism of Shen Qi Wan (SQW) on RIF is not fully understood. In the current study, we investigated the role of Aquaporin 1 (AQP1) in SQW on tubular epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). A RIF mouse model induced by adenine and a TGF-β1-stimulated HK-2 cell model were etablished to explore the involvement of AQP 1 in the protective effect of SQW on EMT in vitro and in vivo. Subsequently, the molecular mechanism of SQW on EMT was explored in HK-2 cells with AQP1 knockdown. The results indicated that SQW alleviated kidney injury and renal collagen deposition in the kidneys of mice induced by adenine, increased the protein expression of E-cadherin and AQP1 expression, and decreased the expression of vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Similarly, treatmement with SQW-containing serum significantly halted EMT process in TGF-β1 stimulated HK-2 cells. The expression of snail and slug was significantly upregulated in HK-2 cells after knockdown of AQP1. AQP1 knockdown also increased the mRNA expression of vimentin and α-SMA, and decreased the expression of E-cadherin. The protein expression of vimentin increased, while the expression of E-cadherin and CK-18 significantly decreased after AQP1 knockdown in HK-2 cells. These results revealed that AQP1 knockdown promoted EMT. Furthermore, AQP1 knockdown abolished the protective effect of SQW-containing serum on EMT in HK-2 cells. In sum, SQW attentuates EMT process in RIF through upregulation of the expression of AQP1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyou Lin
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Jiale Wei
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Yehui Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Junhao Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Sichen Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Qihan Luo
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Hongxia Yu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Liting Ji
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
| | - Xiaojie Zhou
- Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
| | - Changyu Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China; Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
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Li N, Wang T, Wang N, Fan M, Cui X. A Substituted-Rhodamine-Based Reversible Fluorescent Probe for In Vivo Quantification of Glutathione. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202217326. [PMID: 36564368 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202217326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Quantifying glutathione (GSH) in cells and organisms is of great significance for understanding the mechanism of oxidative stress in various physiological and pathological processes. However, the quantification by fluorescence bioimaging in living tissues has much stricter requirements than the "Petri dish"-cultured cells in flat plates. Based on the evaluation of the electronic structure and steric hindrance-tuned reactivity of phospha-substituted rhodamine with GSH, a reversible Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) probe ZpSiP with a distinct performance (Kd =4.9 mM, t1/2 =0.57 s, k=81 M-1 s-1 ) is developed for real time quantifying GSH in living cells. Furthermore, the near-infrared (NIR) probe succeeded in sensitively tracking the dynamics of GSH in the real organisms bearing tumors, chronic renal failure, and liver fibrosis for unveiling the related pathological processes. We believe that the advance in chemistry with quantitative analysis methods will initiate more promising progress and broad applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ni Li
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, P. R. China
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Organic Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, 800 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai, 200433, P. R. China
| | - Ning Wang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, P. R. China
| | - Mengting Fan
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Cui
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, P. R. China
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Li Y, Tian Y, Wang Q, Gu X, Chen L, Jia Y, Cao S, Zhang T, Zhou M, Gou X. Serum metabolomics strategy for investigating the hepatotoxicity induced by different exposure times and doses of Gynura segetum (Lour.) Merr. in rats based on GC-MS. RSC Adv 2023; 13:2635-2648. [PMID: 36741154 PMCID: PMC9844675 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra07269f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Gynura segetum (Lour.) Merr. (GS), has been widely used in Chinese folk medicine and can promote circulation, relieve pain and remove stasis. In recent years, the hepatotoxicity caused by GS has been reported, however its mechanism is not fully elucidated. Metabolomic techniques are powerful means to explore the toxicological mechanism and therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine. The purpose of this study was to establish a serum metabolomics method based on Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to explore the hepatotoxicity mechanism of different exposure times and doses of GS in rats. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were administered daily with distilled water, 7.5 g kg-1 GS, or 15 g kg-1 GS by intragastrical gavage for either 10 or 21 days. The methods adopted included enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining and GC-MS-based serum metabolomics. Serum biochemistry analysis showed that the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglycerides (TG), total bilirubin (TBIL) and total bile acid (TBA) significantly (P < 0.05) increased while the levels of albumin (ALB) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in GS-treated groups, compared with the control group. Interestingly, the ALT, AST, TG and ALB levels changed in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The results of H&E staining showed the degree of liver damage after administration of GS gradually deepened with the extension of administration time and the increase of the dose. According to the results of metabolomics analysis, 26 differential metabolites were identified, which were involved in 8 metabolic pathways including phenylalanine metabolism, glyoxylic acid and dicarboxylic acid metabolism and so on. Meanwhile, the number of differential metabolites in different GS-treated groups was associated with GS exposure time and dose. Therefore, we concluded that GS might induce hepatotoxicity depending on the exposure time and dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghai201203China
| | - Yingxin Tian
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghai201203China,School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghai201203China
| | - Qixue Wang
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghai201203China
| | - Xinyi Gu
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghai201203China
| | - Long Chen
- Experiment Center of Science and Technology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghai201203China
| | - Yiqun Jia
- Experiment Center of Science and Technology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghai201203China
| | - Shan Cao
- Central Laboratory, Baoshan District Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of ShanghaiShanghai201999China+86 21 56601100+86 21 36072150
| | - Ting Zhang
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghai201203China
| | - Mingmei Zhou
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghai201203China
| | - Xiaojun Gou
- Central Laboratory, Baoshan District Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of ShanghaiShanghai201999China+86 21 56601100+86 21 36072150
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Huang Z, Khalifa MO, Li P, Huang Y, Gu W, Li TS. Angiotensin receptor blocker alleviates liver fibrosis by altering the mechanotransduction properties of hepatic stellate cells. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2022; 322:G446-G456. [PMID: 35138187 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00238.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Angiotensin receptor blockers have been reported to be beneficial to liver fibrosis, but the relevant molecular and cellular mechanisms remain unclear. We herein investigated whether low-dose angiotensin receptor blocker alleviated liver fibrosis through mechanotransduction regulation. Hydrostatic pressure-induced liver fibrosis model was established in mice by ligating partially the inferior vena cava, and then randomly received a very low dose of losartan (0.5 mg/kg) or placebo treatment for 8 weeks. We found that losartan administration interfered the expression of several mechanotransductive molecules, and effectively alleviated liver fibrosis. Using a commercial device, we further confirmed that ex vivo loading of hepatic stellate cells to 50 mmHg hydrostatic pressure for 24 h significantly upregulated RhoA, ROCK, AT1R, and p-MLC2, which was effectively attenuated by adding 10 nM losartan in medium. Our in vivo and ex vivo experimental data suggest that low-dose angiotensin receptor blockers may alleviate hydrostatic pressure-induced liver fibrosis by altering the mechanotransduction properties of hepatic stellate cells.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our ex vivo and in vivo experiments clearly indicated that low-dose losartan alleviated liver fibrosis, likely by modulating the mechanotransduction properties of HSCs. Uncovering the biomechanical signaling pathway of ARB treatment on liver fibrosis will be helpful to develop novel molecular targeting therapy for liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zisheng Huang
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.,Department of Stem Cell Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Mahmoud Osman Khalifa
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.,Department of Stem Cell Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Peilin Li
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yu Huang
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Weili Gu
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Tao-Sheng Li
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.,Department of Stem Cell Biology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
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