The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Eugenol (EU) has been shown to ameliorate experimental colitis due to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory bioactivities. In this study, DSS-induced acute colitis was established and applied to clarify the regulation efficacy of EU on intestinal barrier impairment and macrophage polarization imbalance along with the inflammatory response. Besides, the adjusting effect of EU on macrophages was further investigated in vitro. ⋯ Simultaneously, WB and FCM analyses of the CD86 and CD206 showed that EU could regulate the DSS-induced macrophage polarization imbalance. Overall, our data further elucidated the mechanism of EU's defensive effect on experimental colitis, which is relevant to the protective efficacy of intestinal barriers, inhibition of oxidative stress and excessive inflammatory response, and reprogramming of macrophage polarization. Hence, this study may facilitate a better understanding of the protective action of the EU against UC.
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Aging can cause degenerative changes in multiple tissues and organs. Gastrointestinal diseases and dysfunctions are common in the elderly population. In this study, we investigated the effects of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide (APS) and Astragalus membranaceus ethanol extract (AEE) on age-related intestinal dysfunction and gut microbiota dysbiosis in naturally aging mice. ⋯ APS promotes ISC regeneration by activating the IL-22 signaling pathway. Cohousing (CH) experiments further confirmed that APS induced the IL-22 signaling pathway by increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus, thereby promoting the regeneration of ISCs. Our results show that APS may serve as a promising agent for improving age-related intestinal dysfunction.
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Isoliquiritigen (ISL), a constituent of licorice, has been shown to possess antitumorigenic effects in diverse cancer types. In this study, we observed that ISL suppressed breast tumor development significantly more effectively in immunocompetent mice than in immunocompromised ones. In exploring the cause of such a discrepancy, we detected robust tumor infiltration of CD8[Formula: see text] T lymphocytes in mice treated with ISL, not seen in tumors derived from vehicle-treated mice. ⋯ We found evidence that ISL reduced the level of PD-L1 by simultaneously intercepting the ERK and Src signaling pathways. In agreement with clinical finding that PD-L1 antibodies enhance efficacy of taxane-based therapy, we showed that ISL improved the tumoricidal effects of paclitaxel in an orthopedic murine breast tumor model. This study demonstrates that ISL-led tumor suppression acts through the augmentation of host antitumor immunity.
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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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Hyperglycemia induces chronic stresses, such as oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which can result in [Formula: see text]-cell dysfunction and development of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Ginsenoside Rk1 is a minor ginsenoside isolated from Ginseng. It has been shown to exert anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective effects; however, its effects on pancreatic cells in T2DM have never been studied. ⋯ Meanwhile, the use of the IGF-1R inhibitor PQ401 abolished this anti-apoptotic effect, confirming the role of IGF-1R in mediating anti-apoptosis effects exerted by Ginsenoside Rk1. Besides, Ginsenoside Rk1 reduced pancreas weights and increased pancreatic insulin contents, suggesting that it could protect the pancreas from HFD-induced diabetes. Taken together, our study provided novel protective effects of Ginsenoside Rk1 on ER stress-induced [Formula: see text]-cell apoptosis and HFD-induced diabetic pancreases, as well as its direct target with IGF-1R, indicating that Ginsenoside Rk1 could be a potential drug for the treatment of T2DM.