The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Aging is an irresistible natural law of the progressive decline of body molecules, organs, and overall function with the passage of time, resulting in eventual death. World Health Organization data show that aging is correlated with a wide range of common chronic diseases in the elderly, and is an essential driver of many diseases. Panax Ginseng C. ⋯ Hence, exploring the hepatoprotective properties of Rg2 and its possible molecular mechanism by Senescence Accelerate Mouse Prone 8 (SAMP8) and gut microbiota. Our study demonstrated that Rg2 can inhibit pyroptosis and apoptosis through caspase 8, and regulate the gut-liver axis to alleviate liver inflammation by changing the composition of gut microbiota, thus improving aging-induced liver injury. These findings provide theoretical support for the pharmacological effects of ginsenosides in delaying aging-induced liver injury.
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Heat shock proteins (HSPs), which function as chaperones, are activated in response to various environmental stressors. In addition to their role in diverse aspects of protein production, HSPs protect against harmful protein-related stressors. Calycosin exhibits numerous beneficial properties. ⋯ Moreover, calycosin reversed the inhibitory effects of quercetin on HSF1 and Hsp70 expression, illustrating its role in enhancing Hsp70 expression through HSF1 activation during heat shock. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated HSF1 translocation to the nucleus following calycosin treatment, emphasizing its cytoprotective effects. In conclusion, calycosin exhibits pronounced protective effects against heat shock-induced damages by modulating HSP expression and regulating key signaling pathways to promote cell survival in H9c2 cells.
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Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), a natural triterpenoid isolated from Astragalus membranaceus, has been used traditionally in Chinese medicine. Previous studies have highlighted its benefits against carcinoma, but its interaction with the gut microbiota and effects on adenomatous polyps are not well understood. This present study investigates the effects of AS-IV on colonic adenomatous polyp (CAP) development in high-fat-diet (HFD) fed [Formula: see text] mice. [Formula: see text] mice were fed an HFD with or without AS-IV or Naringin for 8 weeks. ⋯ Finally, the anti-adenoma efficacy of AS-IV alone was significantly suppressed post pseudoaseptic intervention in HFD-fed [Formula: see text] mice but could be reinstated following a combined with Bifidobacterium pseudolongum transplant. AS-IV attenuates CAP development in HFD-fed [Formula: see text] mice by regulating gut microbiota and metabolomics, impacting the Wnt3a/β-catenin signaling pathway. This suggests a potential new strategy for the prevention of colorectal cancer, emphasizing the role of gut microbiota in AS-IV's antitumor effects.
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major public health problem worldwide that still lacks effective treatments. Recent studies have suggested that ferroptosis is a key mediator of AKI due to its activation of lipid peroxidation. Therefore, we hypothesized that antiferroptosis agents might be a novel potential therapeutic strategy for AKI. ⋯ Moreover, knockdown of VKORC1 diminished the renal protective and antiferroptosis roles of LG. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that LG protected against AKI by inhibiting VKORC1-mediated ferroptosis. This suggests that inhibiting ferroptosis might be a novel therapeutic approach in the future.
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Recent research has indicated that formononetin demonstrates a potent anti-inflammatory effect in various diseases. However, its impact on sterile inflammation kidney injury, specifically acute kidney injury (AKI), remains unclear. In this study, we utilized an ischemia/reperfusion-induced AKI (IRI-AKI) mouse model and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) to investigate the effects of formononetin on sterile inflammation of AKI and to explore the underlying mechanism. ⋯ The mechanism involved the KLF6 and p-STAT3 pathway, as overexpression of KLF6 restored pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and pro-inflammatory polarization. Our findings demonstrate that formononetin can significantly improve renal function and reduce inflammation in IRI-AKI, which may be attributed to the inhibition of KLF6/STAT3-mediated macrophage pro-inflammatory polarization. This discovery presents a new promising therapeutic option for the treatment of IRI-AKI.