The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Methamphetamine (METH) is an extremely addictive drug that has raised serious public health concerns recently. METH addiction not only results in neuronal cytotoxicity, but it also affects immune cell activity, including T lymphocytes. 6,4,7[Formula: see text]-trihydroxyflavanone (THF), isolated from Dalbergia odorifera, has been studied for its antibacterial activity, but evidence for whether THF has an anti-cytotoxic and protective effect on T cell activation exposed to METH is lacking. In this study, results showed that treatment with THF was not cytotoxic to Jurkat T cells but dose-dependently mitigated the cytotoxicity induced by exposure to METH. ⋯ Furthermore, we found that decreased expression of IL-2 and CD69 by METH exposure was partially restored, and viability was significantly prevented by pre-treatment with THF in activated T cells. These findings were involved in re-elevated expression of anti-apoptotic proteins as well as recovered pathways including MAPK/PI3K/Akt/mTOR in activated T cells pre-exposed to METH. Our results suggest beneficial effects of THF against the cytotoxic and immune-modulating effect of METH on T cells and therapeutic potential of THF for patients with immunodeficiency caused by METH addiction.
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To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Scutellarin (SCU) on neurite growth and neurological functional recovery in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) rats. Primary cortical neurons were cultured to detect the effect of SCU on cell viability of neurons under oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Double immunofluorescence staining of Tuj1 and TUNEL then observed the neurite growth and cell apoptosis in vitro,and double immunofluorescence staining of NEUN and TUNEL was performed to examine the neuronal apoptosis and cell apoptosis in brain tissues after HI in vivo. ⋯ Meanwhile, 20 mg/kg SCU treatment improved neurological functions and decreased the expression of astrocytes and microglia in the cortex and hippocampus of HI rats. Additionally, SCU treatment depressed the elevated levels of autophagy-related proteins and the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) in both cortex and hippocampus. This study demonstrated the potential therapeutic efficacy of SCU by enhancing neurogenesis and restoring long-term neurological dysfunctions, which might be associated with p75NTR depletion in HI rats.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of Berberine on Gut Microbiota in Patients with Mild Metabolic Disorders Induced by Olanzapine.
Secondary metabolic disturbances in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder may be attributed to olanzapine. It is important to prevent mild metabolic disorders progressing to metabolic syndrome. This study aims to investigate the effects of berberine on intestinal flora in patients with mild metabolic disorders induced by olanzapine. ⋯ The abundance of firmicutes and coliform were significantly lower and the abundance of bacteroides significantly higher in patients who received berberine compared to placebo after 12 weeks of treatment ([Formula: see text]< 0.05). In patients who received berberine, the abundance of firmicutes was significantly decreased, and the abundance of bacteroides was significantly increased, and in patients who received placebo, the abundance of firmicutes was significantly increased post-treatment, compared to baseline (both [Formula: see text]< 0.05). In conclusions, berberine may regulate intestinal flora and metabolism in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and mild metabolic disturbances induced by olanzapine.
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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the subtype of breast cancer with more aggressive growth and metastasis and without efficient therapies. Hence, it is worthwhile to search for potential effective drug candidates. According to our previous study, isoliquiritigenin (ISL) exerted a potent anticancer effect on breast cancer proliferation. ⋯ Further study displayed that ISL decreased c-Jun expression through the increase of miR-200c. Interestingly, we also detected that ISL might increase miR-200c expression through the demethylation of miR-200c promoter region. These findings indicated that ISL could be potentially developed as a novel drug candidate for TNBC in microRNA-based cancer therapies.
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Cancer is a disease with a high mortality and disability rate. Cancer consists not only of cancer cells, but also of the surrounding microenvironment and tumor microenvironment (TME) constantly interacting with tumor cells to support tumor development and progression. Over the last decade, accumulating evidence has implicated that microbiota profoundly influences cancer initiation and progression. ⋯ Recently, accumulating studies have attached the importance of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to cancer treatments, and the bioactive natural compounds have been considered as potential drug candidates to suppress cancer initiation and development. Interestingly, more recent studies demonstrate that TCM could potentially prevent and suppress early-stage cancer progression through the regulation of gut microbiota. This review is on the purpose of exhausting the significance of gut microbiota in the tumor microenvironment as potential targets of Chinese medicine.