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Ma Y, Li W, Yao Q, Liu Y, Yu J, Zang L, Wang S, Zhou L, Wen S, Luo Y, Li W, Niu X. Harmine ameliorates CCl 4-induced acute liver injury through suppression of autophagy and inflammation. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 129:111538. [PMID: 38306830 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111538] [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] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
CCl4-induced acute liver injury (ALI) is characterized by heightened autophagy, inflammation, and oxidative damage. Accumulating evidence suggests that harmine exerts beneficial effects in countering CCl4-induced ALI by mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress. However, the impact of autophagy on CCl4-induced ALI and the protective role of harmine remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of harmine against CCl4-induced ALI in mice by suppressing autophagy and inflammation. Male Kunming mice were orally administered harmine or bifendate for seven days. Subsequently, one hour after the final administration, the model group and treatment groups were intraperitoneally injected with CCl4 to induce ALI. The findings revealed that harmine significantly reduced the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in serum, and ameliorated the liver histopathological changes induced by CCl4. Furthermore, harmine diminished the levels of TNF-α and IL-6, restored the levels of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and suppressed the production of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver. Mechanistically, harmine down-regulated LC3B II/I, p38 MAPK, TLR4, and NF-κB levels, while upregulating p62, Bcl-2, Beclin1, ULK1, and p-mTOR expression. In conclusion, harmine mitigated CCl4-induced ALI by inhibiting autophagy and inflammation through the p38 MAPK/mTOR autophagy pathway, the Bcl-2/Beclin1 pathway, and the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajing Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Wenqi Li
- School of Chinese Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qing Yao
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Yang Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Jinjin Yu
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Lulu Zang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Siqi Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Lili Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Sha Wen
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Yuzhi Luo
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Weifeng Li
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China.
| | - Xiaofeng Niu
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China.
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Zhou L, Wang J, Hou H, Li J, Li J, Liang J, Li J, Niu X, Hou R, Zhang K. Autophagy Inhibits Inflammation via Down-Regulation of p38 MAPK/mTOR Signaling Cascade in Endothelial Cells. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2023; 16:659-669. [PMID: 36942318 PMCID: PMC10024493 DOI: 10.2147/ccid.s405068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Objective Autophagy, an intracellular process of self-digestion, has been shown to modulate inflammatory responses. In the present study, we determined the effects of autophagy on inflammatory response induced by M5 cytokines. Methods Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with M5 cytokines to induce inflammation. Expression levels of mRNA for inflammatory cytokines and BIRC2 were compared in HUVECs with vs without induction of autophagy with rapamycin (RAPA) by PCR, while cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry and caspase-3 activity assay kit. Expression levels of LC3, p62, p-p38 MAPK (Thr180/Tyr182), p-mTOR (Ser2445) and p-ULK1 (Ser555) proteins were measured by Western blotting. The nitric oxide (NO) content, NO synthase (NOS) activity and cell angiogenesis were also evaluated. Results Induction of autophagy with RAPA decreased expression levels of IL6, IL8 and CCL20, in addition to reduction in inflammation-induced apoptosis in HUVECs. Moreover, RAPA increased LC3II, while decreasing p62 expression. Likewise, expression levels of p-p38 MAPK and p-mTOR proteins were markedly decreased by the treatment with RAPA. Finally, RAPA treatment increased the NO content and the NOS activity, and inhibited angiogenesis. Conclusion Induced autophagy can improve the function of endothelial cells in psoriasis, suggesting approaches to induce autophagy can be used to ameliorate psoriasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Zhou
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Juanjuan Wang
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hui Hou
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiao Li
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Juan Li
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiannan Liang
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Junqin Li
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xuping Niu
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ruixia Hou
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Kaiming Zhang
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Stem Cells for Immunological Dermatosis, Institute of Dermatology, Taiyuan Central Hospital, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Kaiming Zhang, Taiyuan Central Hospital, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86-351-5656080, Email ;
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