Anemoside B4 regulates fatty acid metabolism reprogramming in mice with colitis-associated cancer / 中国中药杂志

The study aimed to investigate the effect of anemoside B4(B4) on fatty acid metabolism in mice with colitis-associated cancer(CAC). The CAC model was established by azoxymethane(AOM)/dextran sodium sulfate(DSS) in mice. Mice were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose anemoside B4 groups. After the experiment, the length of the mouse colon and the size of the tumor were measured, and the pathological alterations in the mouse colon were observed using hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. The slices of the colon tumor were obtained for spatial metabolome analysis to analyze the distribution of fatty acid metabolism-related substances in the tumor. The mRNA levels of SREBP-1, FAS, ACCα, SCD-1, PPARα, ACOX, UCP-2, and CPT-1 were determined by real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR). The results revealed that the model group showed decreased body weight(P<0.05) and colon length(P<0.001), increased number of tumors, and increased pathological score(P<0.01). Spatial metabolome analysis revealed that the content of fatty acids and their derivatives, carnitine, and phospholipid in the colon tumor was increased. RT-qPCR results indicated that fatty acid de novo synthesis and β-oxidation-related genes, such as SREBP-1, FASN, ACCα, SCD-1, ACOX, UCP-2, and CPT-1 mRNA expression levels increased considerably(P<0.05, P<0.001). After anemoside B4 administration, the colon length increased(P<0.01), and the number of tumors decreased in the high-dose anemoside B4 group(P<0.05). Additionally, spatial metabolome analysis showed that anemoside B4 could decrease the content of fatty acids and their derivatives, carnitine, and phospholipids in colon tumors. Meanwhile, anemoside B4 could also down-regulate the expression of FASN, ACCα, SCD-1, PPARα, ACOX, UCP-2, and CPT-1 in the colon(P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001). The findings of this study show that anemoside B4 may inhibit CAC via regulating fatty acid metabolism reprogramming.

Preparation and cellular uptake study of anemoside B4 and PD-L1 siRNA co-delivered cRGD-modified targeting liposomes / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To prepare anemoside B4 （AB4） and programmed cell death ligand 1 （PDL1） siRNA （siP） co- delivered cRGD-modified targeting liposomes （AB4/siP-c-L）， and to study the cellular uptake in vitro. METHODS The cRGD- modified AB4-loaded targeted liposomes （AB4-c-L） were prepared by ethanol injection. AB4-c-L was mixed with 20 nmol/L siP in the same volume and AB4/siP-c-L was obtained through electrostatic adsorption. The particle size， Zeta potential， morphology， encapsulation efficiency and drug content， in vitro release behavior and serum stability of AB4/siP-c-L were investigated by laser scattering particle size tester， transmission electron microscopy， ultrafiltration centrifugation， dialysis and agar-gel electrophoresis block test. Cellular uptake of AB4/siP-c-L by Lewis lung cancer cells LLC and its intracellular localization were evaluated by flow cytometry and confocal laser scan technique. RESULTS The average particle size of AB4/siP-c-L was （187.4±3.1） nm， and the Zeta potential was （33.5±1.4） mV. AB4/siP-c-L was spheroidal in shape. The encapsulation efficiency and content of AB4 were （95.2±0.4） % and （1.0±0.2） mg/mL， respectively. AB4/siP-c-L could better package siP， and exhibited good serum stability， obvious pH sensitivity and sustained release property. The uptake rate of AB4/siP-c-L by LLC cells was significantly higher than that of free drug， and was able to accumulate in cytoplasm. CONCLUSIONS AB4/siP-c-L can effectively realize the co-loading of AB4 and gene drug siP， which has certain in vitro targeting to LLC cells.

Effect of anemoside B4 on proliferation, migration and apoptosis of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells and its mechanism / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the effects of anemoside B4 on proliferation, apoptosis and migration of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells through a variety of biological methods, and further to explore its mechanism.Methods:Ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells were cultured in vitro. CCK-8 method was used to detect the proliferation of SKOV3 cells treated with different concentrations of anemoside B4, and IC50 value was calculated. Flow cytometry was employed to detect the apoptosis of cells treated with IC50 concentration of anemoside B4 for different time length; Transwell method was used to detect the migration and invasion of cells treated with IC50 concentration of anemoside B4 for different time length. Western blot was used to detect changes in the expression of related proteins.Results:Anemoside B4 can effectively inhibit the proliferation of SKOV3 cells, showing a concentration-dependent IC50 value of 6.08±0.56 μM, and the inhibitory effect is stronger than the positive control drug cisplatin, with statistically significant difference (P<0.05) . Flow cytometry showed that anemoside B4 could induce SKOV3 cells apoptosis, reduce Bcl-xl expression, and up-regulate the expression of Bax, cleaved-caspase-3 and PARP. Compared with the group of 0 h, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) . Crocetin could down-regulate the expression of N-cadherin and up-regulate the expression of E-cadherin, thereby inhibiting the migration of SKOV3 cells. Anemoside B4 could inhibit the expression of JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway proteins.Conclusion:Anemoside B4 can effectively inhibit the proliferation of cervical cancer cells, and induce SKOV3 cell apoptosis by regulating the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway to inhibit their migration. Crocetin has great potential in the research and development of ovarian cancer therapy.

The pulmonary pharmacokinetics and anti-inflammatory effect of anemoside B4 after intratracheal and intravenous administration / 药学学报

Anemoside B4 (B4), a main triterpenoid saponin from a traditional Chinese medicine plant, Pulsatilla chinensis, is a novel anti-inflammatory agent for protection from acute lung injury. We investigated the pulmonary availability and anti-inflammatory efficacy of B4 after intratracheal and intravenous dosing with a view to evaluating the suitability of inhalation delivery. All animal studies were performed under the guidelines approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Approval No: SLXD-20181113046). In vitro evaluation of the aerodynamic characteristics and droplet size distribution showed that the aerosols generated by a commercially available nebulizer were well deposited in the respiratory tract. Following intratracheal administration, B4 underwent pulmonary absorption into the bloodstream, rendering an absolute bioavailability of 103%. Compared to intravenous delivery, intratracheal administration dramatically increased the drug availability in lung tissue of rats by more than 1 000-fold, leading to improved and prolonged concentrations of B4 in lung tissue up to 48 h. In addition, the intratracheal administration of B4 resulted in dose-dependent and prolonged anti-inflammatory efficacy in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury model in mice. The present results demonstrate that inhalation delivery of B4 is a promising approach to treat pulmonary inflammation with once-daily dosing.

Main components in butyl alcohol extract of Baitouweng Decoction inhibited neutrophil chemotaxis / 中国中药杂志

The present study aims to investigate the effects of the main components(aesculin, berberine hydrochloride, and anemoside B4) in the butyl alcohol extract of Baitouweng Decoction(BAEB) on the chemotaxis of neutrophils induced by dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO). HL60 cells were cultivated in RPMI-1640 complete medium, and transferred into a 6-well plate(2 × 10~5 per mL) with 4 mL in each well, followed by incubation with DMSO at 1.3% for five days. The morphologic changes of cells were observed under an inverted microscope. The CD11 b expression after DMSO induction was analyzed by flow cytometry. The effects of aesculin, berberine hydrochloride, and anemoside B4 on the cell proliferation and migration were detected by CCK8 assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The effects of the main components on the production and polarization of F-actin protein were also examined by flow cytometry and laser confocal microscopy. PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway was checked by Western blot. As revealed by the results, neutrophil-like HL60 cells were observed after DMSO induction. The CD11 b expression in these cells increased significantly as indicated by the flow cytometry. Additionally, 100 μg·mL~(-1) aesculin, 8 μg·mL~(-1) berberine hydrochloride, and 80 μg·mL~(-1) anemoside B4 were potent in inhibiting the migration of neutrophils and reducing F-actin expression. Berberine hydrochloride was verified to be capable of diminishing phosphorylated PI3 K/Akt protein expression. The findings indicate that aesculin, anemoside B4, and especially berberine hydrochloride in the BAEB can inhibit the chemotaxis of neutrophils, which is possibly achieved by the inhibition of F-actin and PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway.

Study on effect of anemoside B4 in improving COPD rats by regulating IL-12/STAT4 and IL-4/STAT6 signaling pathways / 中国中药杂志

To study the effect of anemoside B4 on rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Seventy-two SD male rats were randomly divided into blank group and model group.The method of exposure to cigarette smoke and combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to replicate the rat model of COPD.After the model was maintained for 5 weeks,the rats were randomly divided into model group,dexamethasone group (0.81 mg·kg~(-1)) and anemoside B4 low,medium and high (2,4,8 mg·kg~(-1)) dose groups,a group of 12 animals were administered,and then the administration was started.The administration was maintained until the28th day,and the pulmonary function parameters of rats were measured by an animal pulmonary function instrument.After testing the rat lung function parameters,immediately draw rat alveolar lavage fluid (BALF),and use high-throughput protein chip technology to determined the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines in rat BALF.HE staining was used to observe the general pathological changes of rat lung and tracheal tissue.Masson staining was used to observe the collagen deposition in rat lung tissue.Real-time q PCR method was used to determine the mRNA expression level of related genes in rat lung tissue.Western blot method was used to determine the expression levels of related proteins in rat lung tissues.According to the findings,compared with the model group,the dexamethasone group and the anemoside B4 drug groups had different degrees of increase in the lung function parameters of rats (P<0.01,P<0.05),improved the expression level of inflammatory cytokines in the BALF of rats to varying degrees (P<0.01,P<0.05),and improved the pathological structure of rat lung tissue to varying degrees.Relative mRNA expressions of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2),matrix metalloproteinase 12 (MMP-12),matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor 1 (TIMP-1),interleukin-6 (IL-6),and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were significantly reduced (P<0.01);whereas relative mRNA expressions of matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP-9) and matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor 2 (TIMP-2) were increased significantly (P<0.01).The mRNA and protein expression levels of T-box transcription factor (T-bet),interleukin-12 (IL-12) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 4(STAT4) reduced to varying degrees (P<0.01,P<0.05).The mRNA of transcription factor GATA3 (binding protein-3),interleukin-4 (IL-4) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) in rat lung tissues and the protein expression levels of IL-4 and STAT6 were increased to varying degrees (P<0.01,P<0.05).In conclusion,anemoside B4 has a certain protective effect on COPD rats caused by cigarette smoke exposure and combined with LPS.The mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of IL-12/STAT4 and IL-4/STAT6 signaling pathways.

Protetive effects of anemoside B4 on kidney tissue of rats with chronic renal failure and its mechanism / 吉林大学学报(医学版)

Objective: To investigate the effects of anemoside B4 on the blood oxygen stress, inflanmation state and the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins in kidney tissue of the rats with chronic renal failure (CRF), and to illuminate the mechanism of anemoside B4 in protecting the kidney tissue of the CRF rats. Methods: A total of 75 SD male rats were divided into control group, model group, positive control group, low dose of anemoside B4 group and high dose of anemoside B4 group. The CRF rat models were established by continuous administration of adenine for 21 d. After successful modeling, the rats in low and high doses of anemoside B4 groups were given 1 and 2 mg · kg-1 anemoside B4 by gavage and the rats in positive control group were given 0.5 mg · kg-1 dexamethasone, lasted for 28 d; the rats in control group and model group were given the same amount of normal saline. Biochemical analyzer was used to detect serum urine creatinine (Scr) and urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. The kit method was used to detect the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in kidney tissue of the rats. ELISA was used to detect the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factro-α (TNF-α) in kidney tissue of the rats. Western blotting method was used to detect the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway and the expression levels of apopotosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 in kindey tissue. Results: Compared with control group, the serum Scr and BUN levels of the rats in model group were increased (P<0.01), the number of normal glomerulus and renal corpuscles were decreased, the activity of SOD in kidney tissue was decreased (P<0.01), the levels of MDA, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were increased (P< 0.01), the expression levels of Bax and Caspase-3 proteins were increased (P<0.01), and the expression levels of p-Akt and Bcl-2 proteins were decreased (P<0.01). Compared with model group, the serum Scr and BUN levels of the rats in positive control group, low and high doses of anemoside B4 groups were significantly decreased (P< 0.01), the number of normal glomerulus and renal corpuscles were increased significantly, the activities of SOD in kidney tissue were increased significantly (P<0.01), the levels of MDA, IL-lβ, IL-6, and TNF-α were significantly decreased (P<0.01), the protein expression levels of Bax and Caspase-3 were decreased significantly (P<0.01), and the expression levels of p-Akt and Bcl-2 proteins were increased significantly (P<0.01). Conclusion: Anemoside B4 can protect the renal tissue injury by reducing the levels of Scr and BUN in serum, reducing oxidative stress response, reducing the release of inflammatory factors, and activating the PI3K/Akt pathway of renal tissue.

Therapeutic Effect of Anemoside B4 on Chronic Endometritis in Rats and Its Related Factors / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:The effects of anemoside B4 on endometritis rats were studied through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Method:Animal experiments used 25% phenol glue to prepare endometritis models. 60 female SD rats were randomly divided into blank group， model group， Kushen gel group（0.005 g·kg-1），anemoside B4 gel low，medium and high dose groups（0.005，0.01，0.02 g·kg-1），10 rats in each group，except for the blank group，rats in each group were injected with 25% phenol glue into their vagina every 2 days，and the modeling continued for 30 days. Administration started on the day after modeling. Anemoside B4 gel low， medium and high dose groups were administered rectal daily，Kushen gel group was given daily vaginal administration. The blank group and model group were given the same amount of normal saline in the same way for 30 consecutive days. After the last administration，the uterus and its attachments of each group of rats were taken to analyze the uterine morphology and index. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes of rat uterus. Real-time PCR was used to detect tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α），interleukin-1β （IL-1β），and interleukin-6 （IL-6），signal transduction protein 130 （gp130），signal transduction and transcription activator 3 （STAT3）mRNA expression. Detection of IL-6 and STAT3 protein expression in rat uterus by Western blot. In cell experiments，lipopolysaccharide （LPS）was used to induce rat endometrial epithelial cells to prepare an in vitro inflammation model， and Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of IL-6，gp130 and STAT3 mRNA in each group of rat endometrial epithelial cells. Result:The results of animal experiments showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had inadequate uterine cavity adhesions， endometrial edema and hyperemia. Compared with model group， there was no adhesion in the uterine cavity of the rats in the high dose anemoside B4 gel group and the Kushen gel group. The uterine tissue was relatively complete， and the uterine pathological structure was significantly improved. Compared with the blank group， the uterine index of the model group was significantly increased（P<0.05）， the expression of IL-1β mRNA in the uterine tissue was significantly increased （P<0.05）， the expression of mRNA and protein of IL-6 and STAT3 in the uterine tissue significantly increased （P<0.05）. Compared with model group， the uterine index in anemoside B4 gel high dose group was significantly reduced （P<0.05）， and the mRNA and protein expression levels of IL-6 and STAT3 in the uterine tissue were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. There was no statistically significant difference between the TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA expression compared with the model group. Cell experiment results showed that compared with the blank group， the mRNA expression of IL-6 and gp130 in model group endometrial epithelial cells was significantly increased （P<0.01）， STAT3 mRNA expression was significantly increased （P<0.05）. Compared with model group， the mRNA expression levels of IL-6， gp130 and STAT3 in anemoside B4 high dose group decreased significantly （P<0.05）. Conclusion:Anemoside B4 can improve the inflammatory response of chronic endometritis in rats and reduce the release of inflammatory factor IL-6. The mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of IL-6/STAT3 pathway.

Inhibitory Effects and Mechanism of Anemoside B 4 on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Huh- 7 Cells and Tumor-bearing Nude Mice / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To study the anti-tumor effect of anemoside B4 （AB4） on hepatocellular carcinoma Huh-7 and tumor-bearing nude mice and its mechanism. METHODS： Huh-7 cells were divided into AB4 treatment group， negative control group （constant volume of culture medium） and positive control group （5-fluorouracil 50 μmol/L）. The inhibitory rate of Huh-7 cell proliferation was tested by MTT after treated with 0， 3， 6， 12， 25， 50， 100， 200， 400， 800， 1 600 μmol/L AB4 for 12， 24， 36， 48 h； IC50 were calculated. The number of clone cells was evaluated by clone formation tests after Huh-7 cells were treated with 50 μmol/L AB4 for 24 h. The apoptosis rate of Huh-7 cells was tested by Annexin Ⅴ-FITC/PI double staining after treated with 50 μmol/L AB4 for 24 h. The expression of apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2， Bax， Caspase-3， Cleaved Caspase-3 and Cleaved PARP were tested by Western blot after Huh-7 cells were treated with 50 μmol/L AB4 for 24 h. Tumor-bearing nude mice were randomly divided into negative control group （normal saline）， positive control group （5-fluorouracil 50 mg/kg）， AB4 lwo-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （25， 50， 100 mg/kg）， with 3 mice in each group. They were given relevant medicine intraperitoneally， once a day， for consecutive 19 d. The growth of tumor was observed， and anti-tumor rate was also calculated. HE staining was used to observe the morphology of tumor cells. RESULTS： The inhibition rate of AB4 on Huh-7 cell proliferation increased with the increase of concentration of AB4， but it did not increase significantly after reaching 50 μmol/L； it increased with the increase of time， but it did not increase significantly after 24 h. The IC50 of AB4 was （56.76±1.756） μmol/L. Compared with negative control group， the number of clone cells was decreased significantly after Huh-7 cells were treated with 50 μmol/L AB4 for 24 h， while the protein expression of Bcl-2 was decreased significantly （P＜0.05）； the apoptotic rate， the protein expression of Bax， Caspase-3， Cleaved Caspase-3 and Cleaved PARP were increased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， there was no statistical significance， compared with positive control group. Compared with negative control group， the volume of tumor was decreased significantly in AB4 low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups， positive control group （P＜0.05）； the outline of tumor cells become more and more blurred； there were nuclear pyknosis， unclear nucleoplasm and nuclear fragmentation； its anti-tumor rates were 25.93％， 39.15％， 46.26％， 42.83％， respectively. CONCLUSIONS： AB4 inhibits Huh-7 cells and tumor-bearing mice， the mechanism of which may be associated with up-regulating the proportion of Bax/Bcl-2， activating Caspase-3， cracking PARP and inducing apoptosis.

Resistance reverse effect of anemoside B4 and tetrandrine on oxaliplatin-resistant human colon cancer cells and the mechanism / 中国癌症杂志

Background and purpose:Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) is one of the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs in colorectal cancer and L-OHP-resistance is very common in colorectal cancer therapy. This research was to discuss the reversal effect in L-OHP-resistant human colon cancer cell line LoVo/L-OHP by anemoside B4 (AB4) and tetrandrine (Tet) and to clarify their molecular mechanism. Methods:LoVo/L-OHP cells were treated for 48 h by AB4 and Tet at different concentrations to get non-toxic dose. Drug sensitivity was measured by MTT. After the treatment, the cell cycle and apoptosis of the cells were detected. Expression of P-gp mRNA, zDHHC9 mRNA and SMAD4 mRNA were detected by RT-PCR. Expression of P-gp, zDHHC9 and SMAD4 protein were detected by Western blot. Results:The IC50 of LoVo/L-OHP for L-OHP was (112.5±23.6) μg/mL, and the IC50 decreased to (62.8±21.4) μg/mL (P0.05). The cell apoptosis experiment showed that the apoptotic rate increased after the treatment with AB4 and Tet with non-toxic dose but with no statistical signiifcance (P>0.05). The RT-PCR experiment showed that the expressions of P-gp mRNA and zDHHC9 mRNA were increased and SMAD4 mRNA was decreased in LoVo/L-OHP cells compared with in LoVo cells (P<0.05), while it was found that P-gp mRNA in LoVo/L-OHP cells was decreased after the treatment with AB4 at non-toxic dose (P<0.05). Western blot experiment showed the protein of P-gp in LoVo/L-OHP cells was decreased after treatment with AB4 (P<0.05), which was accordant to the PCR result. The expression of zDHHC9 protein in LoVo/L-OHP cells was decreased in LoVo/L-OHP cells after treatment with Tet (P<0.05). Conclusion:AB4 and Tet have some reversal effect on resistant to L-OHP in LoVo/L-OHP cells. The molec-ular mechanism of the resistance reverse effect was related to down-regulation of P-gp for AB4 and down-regulation of zDHHC9 for Tet.