The American journal of Chinese medicine
-
Baicalin is a flavonoid extracted from Scutellariae Radix and shows a variety of biological activities as reducing lipids, diminishing inflammation, and inhibiting bacterial infection. However, there is no report of baicalin against CVB3 infection. In this study, we found that baicalin can reduce viral titer in a dose-dependent manner in vitro at a dose with no direct virucidal effect. ⋯ Finally, in order to confirm that baicalin inhibits viral replication and reduces autophagosome formation by reducing cellular lipids, we added exogenous palmitate to cell culture supernatants to promote intracellular lipid synthesis and found that palmitate did not alter LC3-II and CVB3/VP1 expression in HeLa cells with or without CVB3 infection. Interestingly, palmitate can reverse the inhibitory effect of baicalin on autophagosome formation and viral replication. In conclusion, our results indicated that lipids play an important role in CVB3 replication, and the effect of baicalin against CVB3 was associated with its ability to reduce cellular lipid synthesis to limit autophagosome formation.
-
Panax notoginseng is the most widely used Chinese medicinal herb for the prevention and treatment of ischemic diseases. Its main active ingredients are saponins, including ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rg1, and notoginsenoside R1, among others. ⋯ Regarding cell regeneration, P. notoginseng not only promotes the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells, but also protects neurons, endothelial cells and astrocytes in cerebral ischemia. In conclusion, P. notoginseng may treat cerebrovascular diseases through multiple pharmacological effects, and the most critical ones need further investigation.
-
Mitochondrial metabolism plays a crucial role in insulin resistance and insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Some studies have focused on how Cassia tora extracts affect insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. However, the effects of Cassia tora extracts on mitochondrial dysfunction associated with insulin secretion have not been well explained. ⋯ Furthermore, we examined how CSEE regulates the basal mechanism of insulin secretion through mitochondrial functions. Our experimental data suggest that pancreatic mitochondrial metabolism in HFD mice is enhanced to compensate for constrained glucose consumption. HFD-fed mice treated with CSEE showed improved pancreatic mitochondrial functions resulting in alleviation of insulin resistance at target tissue as well as basal hyperinsulinemia.
-
Age-related myocardial dysfunction is a very large healthcare burden. Here, we aimed to investigate whether ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1) improves age-related myocardial dysfunction and to identify the relevant molecular mechanism. Young mice and aged mice were injected with Rb1 or vehicle for 3 months. ⋯ Rb1 also decreased the aging-induced myocardial inflammatory response, as measured by serum or myocardial interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text] levels. Furthermore, Rb1 treatment in aged mice increased cytoplasmic NF-[Formula: see text]B but decreased nuclear NF-[Formula: see text]B, which indicated the suppression of the NF-[Formula: see text]B signaling pathway by regulating the translocation of NF-[Formula: see text]B. Rb1 could alleviate aging-related myocardial dysfunction by suppressing fibrosis and inflammation, which is potentially associated with regulation of the NF-[Formula: see text]B signaling pathway.
-
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory bowel disease mediated by immune response. Geniposide is the main active ingredient extracted from Gardenia jasminoides, which has been suggested to exert excellent efficacy on inflammatory disease. Herein, in this study, we aimed to uncover the systematic understanding of the mechanism and effects of geniposide in ameliorating inflammatory responses in colitis. ⋯ In mechanism studies, the inhibition of AMPK/Sirt1 attenuated the anti-inflammatory effects of geniposide in colitis. The activation of NLRP3 attenuated the anti-inflammatory effects of geniposide in colitis. Taken together, our results demonstrated that geniposide ameliorated inflammatory responses in colitis vai the suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages by AMPK/Sirt1-dependent signaling.