ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE Right ventricular (RV) remodeling is one of the essential pathological features in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). RV hypertrophy or fibrosis are the leading causes of RV remodeling. Magnolol is a com?pound isolated from Magnolia officinalis. It possesses multiple pharmacological activities, such as anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation. This study aims to evaluate the effects and underlying mechanisms of magnolol on RV remodeling in hypoxia-induced PAH. METHODS ① Male SD rats (220 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10): the normoxia group, the hypoxia group, the hypoxia plus Magnolol (10 and 20 mg·kg-1·d-1) group, and the vehicle group. Rats in the normoxia group were kept in a normoxia environment for 4 weeks, while rats in the hypoxia group were kept in a hypoxic chamber (10％ O2). The rats in the hypoxia plus magnolol groups were administered with magnolol at 10 or 20 mg·kg-1 (ip) once a day for 4 weeks. At the end of 4 weeks, the heart function was assessed by Doppler echocardiography, and then the rats were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (30 mg·kg-1, ip). The RVSP was measured by the right heart catheterization method. The heart tissues were collected and dissected to calculate the index of RV remodeling (RV/LV+IVS, RV/tibial length, or RV/body weight). Part of the RV samples was fixed with 4％paraformaldehyde for morphological analysis, while other samples were frozen at-80℃for molecular studies (measurements of ANP, BNP,α-SMA, and col?lagen Ⅰ/Ⅲ mRNA expression as well as p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT3/STAT3 protein levels). ② To evaluate the effect of magnolol on hypoxia-induced myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, H9c2 or cardiac fibroblasts were divided into 7 groups: the control group, cells were cultured under normal conditions; the hypoxia group, cells were cultured under hypoxic condition (3％ O2);the hypoxia plus magnolol 10 mg·kg-1 group, magnolol10μmol·L-1 was added to the culture medium before the hypoxia treatment;the hypoxia plus magnolol 30 mg·kg-1 group, magnolol 20μmol·L-1 was added to the culture medium before the hypoxia treatment;the hypoxia plus TG-101348 group, TG-101348 (a specific inhibitor of JAK2) 1μmol·L-1 was added to the culture medium before the hypoxia treatment;the hypoxia plus JSI-124 group, JSI-124 (a specific inhibitor of JAK2) 1μmol·L-1 was added to the culture medium before the hypoxia treatment;and the hypoxia plus vehicle group, an equal volume of vehicle (DMSO) was added to the culture medium before the hypoxia treatment. At the end of the experiments, the cells were collected for morphological and molecular analysis. RESULTS In vivo, male Sprang-Daley rats were exposed to 10％ O2 for 4 weeks to establish an RV remodeling model, which showed hypertrophic and fibrotic features (increases of RV remodeling index, cellular size, hypertrophic and fibrotic marker expression), accompanied by an elevation in phosphorylation levels of JAK2 and STAT3;these changes were attenuated by treating rats with magnolol. In vitro, the cultured H9c2 cells or cardiac fibroblasts were exposed to 3％ O2 for 48 h to induce hypertrophy or fibrosis, which showed hypertrophic (increases in cellular size as well as the expression of ANP and BNP) or fibrotic features (increases in the expression of collagenⅠ, collagenⅢandα-SMA). Administration of mag?nolol and TG-101348 or JSI-124 (JAK2 selective inhibitors) could prevent the process of myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, accompanied by the decrease in the phosphorylation level of JAK2 and STAT3. CONCLUSION Magnolol can attenuate RV hypertrophy and fibrosis in hypoxia-induced PAH rats through a mechanism involving inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.
ABSTRACT
Based on GC-MS metabolomics and biochemical index analysis, the mechanism of bone mass loss in osteoporosis and the evaluation of anti-osteoporosis in Eucommiae Cortex were studied. The OVX rats model was established by bilateral ovariectomized. The routine indexes such as BMC, BMD, BGP and TRAP5 b were determined. The GC-MS technique was used to analyze the metabolism profile of serum samples between the control group, model group and medicine group, and multiple statistical analysis methods including principal component analysis(PCA), partial least squares-linear discriminant analysis(PLS-LDA) and subwindow rearrangement analysis(SPA) were used to screen and identify biomarkers. Five metabolites were selected as potential biomarkers, glycine, lysine, tryptophan, docosahexaenoic acid and glucose. Except for the significant increase of tryptophan in serum of OVX rats, the other four metabolites were significantly decreased. Moreover, the five biomarkers of the medicine group had a trend of returning to rats in control group. The significantly altered metabolite levels indicated that Eucommiae Cortex may relieve the symptoms of osteoporosis by regulating amino acid metabolism and oxidative stress.
Subject(s)
Animals , Rats , Biomarkers , Bone Density , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Metabolomics , Osteoporosis/drug therapyABSTRACT
[Objective]To investigate autistic traits(AT)of college students with different levels of pro-social behavior,and their characteristics of empathy and theory of mind(ToM).[Methods]372 college students(91males)were recruited. The Chinese Version of Autism-Spectrum Quotient(AQ-C)and Prosocial Tendencies Measure(PTM)questionnaires were used to assess autistic traits and prosocial behaviors. 49 participants were drawn from the total sample for the next procedure. The Chinese Version of Inter?personal Reactivity Index(IRI-C)and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test(RMET)were used to assess empathy and theory of mind.[Results]The AQ-C's total(14.8±5.3 vs 13.8±5.3,P=0.031)and Socialness subscale(29.8±6.1 vs 27.6±6.0,P=0.001)scores in the low PTM group were higher than those in high PTM group. The IRI-C's total(46.5±9.9 vs 52.8±8.6,P=0.025)and Perspective Taking subscale(10.3±3.6 vs 12.1±2.4,P=0.049)scores in the low level of prosocial behavior group were lower than those in high lev?el group. Scores of RMET showed no significant difference between the two groups.[Conclusions]Individuals with lower level of pro?social behaviors has higher AT,which may be related to deficits of cognitive empathy. No association between ToM and prosocial be?haviors has been found.