ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE To investigate the improvement effects of limonin on intestinal injury and intestinal flora disturbance in rats with ulcerative colitis （UC） and its mechanism. METHODS UC rat models were established， and 70 rats with successful modeling were randomly divided into model group， limonin low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （12.5， 25， 50 mg/kg）， and sulfasalazine group （positive control group，500 mg/kg）， with 14 rats in each group. Another 14 rats were selected as the control group. After modeling， each group was given the corresponding drug or equal amount of normal saline， once a day， for 2 weeks. Twenty-four hours after the last administration， the general condition of rats was observed and the body weight was measured， and colon tissue was collected for colonic mucosal damage index （CMDI） scoring； the levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in colon tissue were detected； the pathological changes of colon tissue were observed； the protein expressions of Claudin-1， Occludin， ZO-1， high mobility group protein B1 （HMGB1） and receptor for advanced glycation end products （RAGE） in colon tissue were detected； fecal 16S rRNA sequencing was used to detect the relative abundance of zhangxiaxia5287@163.com intestinal microbiota in rats. RESULTS Compared with the control group， the rats in the model group were in poor mental state， with darker fur， irritable mood， disordered arrangement of colon glands， inflammatory cell infiltration， cell necrosis and edema； CMDI score， the levels of IL-1β， IL-6 and TNF-α， protein expressions of HMGB1 and RAGE in colon tissue， the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were significantly increased （P＜0.05）； body weight， the protein expressions of Claudin-1， Occludin and ZO-1 in colon tissue， the relative abundance of Firmicutes in the intestine were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， general situation and pathological damage of colonic tissue in limonin groups were improved， the levels of the above indicators were significantly reversed （P＜0.05）， and in a dose-dependent manner （P＜0.05）； there was no significant difference in various indexes between sulfasalazine group and limonin high-dose group （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Limonin can improve intestinal injury and intestinal flora disturbance in UC model rats， the mechanism of which may be associated with the down-regulation of HMGB1/RAGE signaling pathway.
ABSTRACT
Obesity type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） strengthens insulin resistance （IR） and metabolic abnormalities and significantly increases the risk of heart disease， cancer， and other diseases， and it is characterized by IR and malnutrition. As a metabolic regulation center， adenosine phosphate activated protein kinase （AMPK） mainly responds to the changes in intracellular serine/threonine kinase adenosine monophosphate （AMP） levels. After its activation， AMPK converts the cell metabolism mode from synthesis to decomposition to improve energy metabolism and acts on pathological conditions such as inflammation， ischemia， obesity， and aging. In recent years， a large number of studies have found that AMPK is an important target for the treatment of obesity T2DM. Traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） monomers/extracts and TCM formulas mainly affect the mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）， recombinant sirtuin 1 （SIRT1）， nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB）， and other key signaling factors by regulating the AMPK signaling pathway， so as to achieve a variety of effects such as regulating metabolism and autophagy， reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory response， and treating obesity T2DM. It also has advantages such as multiple targets， comprehensiveness， and low toxicity. The regulation of the AMPK pathway by TCM in the prevention and treatment of obesity T2DM has become an important research direction at the present and in the future， but there is no systematic summary and induction in this field. Therefore， this article attempts to summarize the composition and regulatory mechanisms of the AMPK signaling pathway in affecting obesity. It provides a review of the current research status of TCM in regulating the AMPK signaling pathway for the prevention and treatment of obesity T2DM， so as to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of obesity T2DM in TCM and the development of new drugs.
ABSTRACT
Diabetic nephropathy （DN） has become one of the main causes of end-stage renal disease，and its pathogenesis is still unclear. Currently，it is believed to be closely related to kidney injury mediated by various factors such as autophagy disorder under the condition of high glucose，oxidative stress and inflammation. Mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway is crucial for protein synthesis and autophagy regulation，which plays an important role in the occurrence and development of DN. In recent years，the research on the prevention and treatment of DN with traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has made important progress. Plenty of evidence has shown that the active ingredients of TCM can enhance autophagy，improve oxidative stress and inflammation，inhibit cell apoptosis and abnormal proliferation by regulating mTOR signaling pathway，so as to relieve pathological changes in the kidney such as podocyte injury，glomerular basement membrane thickening，mesangial tissue abnormalities and renal tubule dysfunction，thereby reducing proteinuria and improving renal function. All of the above are of great significance for delaying the progression of DN. This article systematically summarizes the research progress of saponins，flavonoids，polyphenols，alkaloids， terpenoids and other active ingredients of TCM intervening in DN through mTOR signaling pathway，in order to provide some reference for further basic research and the development of new drugs.
ABSTRACT
Diabetes retinopathy （DR） is an important cause that threatens the visual health of adults. There are some treatment methods of western medicine with definite efficacy， such as anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and laser photocoagulation， but they have many adverse reactions such as intraocular infection and visual field damage. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） therapies are safe and effective， which can complement western medicine. Phosphatidylinositol3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway regulates a range of processes including glucose metabolism， cell proliferation， and cell transcription and apoptosis， which is closely related to the occurrence and development of DR. Numerous studies have shown that TCM monomers can participate in maintaining the integrity of blood-retinal barrier and inhibiting retinal neovascularization and neurodegeneration in many aspects such as inhibiting oxidative stress and alleviating inflammatory reaction by regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway， so as to delay the progress of DR. Therefore， this study reviewed PI3K/Akt pathway and its relationship with DR， as well as the TCM monomers in interfering with DR based on PI3K/Akt pathway to provide some ideas for the prevention and treatment of DR in integrated TCM and western medicine.
ABSTRACT
Transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)has become an important biological marker and therapeutic target of clinical progression of chronic kidney diseases. Sma- and Mad-related protein (Smad)is a downstream signal transduction protein of the TGF-β family. TGF-β1 activates Smad2 and Smad3 before increasing the transcription of connective tissue growth factors in the nucleus. Smad3 promotes mesangial cell proliferation,extracellular matrix accumulation,epithelial-mesenchymal transition, leading to renal fibrosis. However,Smad2 and Smad7 play a negative regulatory role by inhibiting renal fibrosis. TGF-β1 specific inhibitor (SB431542,etc.) has antifibrosis effect,most of which is in the preclinical stage. The drugs on the market that are effective for DN,such as benzodiazepines,atorvastatin, losartan,and pirfenidone,can inhibit the expression of TGF-β1,while tripterygium wilfordii,cordyceps sinensis,and berberine can delay the process of diabetic nephropathy by reducing TGF-β1 levels.