Molecular pathological mechanism of liver metabolic disorder in mice with severe spinal muscular atrophy / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the molecular pathological mechanism of liver metabolic disorder in severe spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).@*METHODS@#The transgenic mice with type Ⅰ SMA (Smn-/- SMN20tg/2tg) and littermate control mice (Smn+/- SMN20tg/2tg) were observed for milk suckling behavior and body weight changes after birth. The mice with type Ⅰ SMA mice were given an intraperitoneal injection of 20% glucose solution or saline (15 μL/12 h), and their survival time was recorded. GO enrichment analysis was performed using the RNA-Seq data of the liver of type Ⅰ SMA and littermate control mice, and the results were verified using quantitative real-time PCR. Bisulfite sequencing was performed to examine CpG island methylation level in Fasn gene promoter region in the liver of the neonatal mice.@*RESULTS@#The neonatal mice with type Ⅰ SMA showed normal milk suckling behavior but had lower body weight than the littermate control mice on the second day after birth. Intraperitoneal injection of glucose solution every 12 h significantly improved the median survival time of type Ⅰ SMA mice from 9±1.3 to 11± 1.5 days (P < 0.05). Analysis of the RNA-Seq data of the liver showed that the expression of the target genes of PPARα related to lipid metabolism and mitochondrial β oxidation were down-regulated in the liver of type Ⅰ SMA mice. Type Ⅰ SMA mice had higher methylation level of the Fasn promoter region in the liver than the littermate control mice (76.44% vs 58.67%). In primary cultures of hepatocytes from type Ⅰ SMA mice, treatment with 5-AzaC significantly up-regulated the expressions of the genes related to lipid metabolism by over 1 fold (P < 0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#Type Ⅰ SMA mice have liver metabolic disorder, and the down-regulation of the target genes of PPARα related to lipid and glucose metabolism due to persistent DNA methylation contributes to the progression of SMA.

Content assay and metabolic study of flavonoids from Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' / 药学学报

In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography method was established to simultaneously determine three flavonoids including hesperidin (HES), nobiletin (NOB) and tangeretin (TAN) in 10 batches of Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' planted and collected in Xinhui District, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province. Moreover, we studied the metabolism and transformation of three flavonoids in liver and intestinal flora in vitro, and sequenced 16S rRNA of bacteria flora samples after incubation. The RP-HPLC system consisted of Alltima C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) and a mobile phase of water (A) - methanol (B). The column temperature was 25 ℃ and the detection wavelength was both 283 nm and 330 nm while the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1. The results showed that the retention time of HES, NOB and TAN ranged from 12.313 min to 34.271 min. The content of HES, NOB and TAN in 10 batches of Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' was 26.81-39.80 mg·g-1, 4.06-7.90 mg·g-1 and 1.81-3.93 mg·g-1, respectively. There were differences in the content of flavonoids in different batches and growing areas. The three flavonoids were metabolized in various degrees after incubation of rat and human liver S9, cytosol, microsomes or intestinal flora in vitro, especially HES. The results of 16S rRNA showed that the main flavonoids of Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' could regulate lipid metabolism by regulating intestinal flora related to energy metabolism. This study established a rapid, simple, reproducible and stable quantitative analysis method for detecting the main flavonoids in Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' which evaluated the content of flavonoids from Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' in different growing areas and different storage periods. The intestinal bacteria can metabolize and transform the flavonoids of Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' to varying degrees, which provides a valuable scientific basis for the subsequent study on the material basis of the efficacy of Citrus reticulata 'Chachi' from the perspective of metabolism. Animal experiments were approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Guangdong Jiangmen Chinese Medicine College (No. 20190419).

Comparison of automated and manual protocols for magnetic resonance imaging assessment of liver iron concentration / Comparação de protocolos automatizados e manuais de ressonância magnética para avaliação da concentração hepática de ferro

Abstract Objective: To compare automated and manual magnetic resonance imaging protocols for estimating liver iron concentrations at 1.5 T. Materials and Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging examination of the liver was performed in 53 patients with clinically suspected hepatic iron overload and in 21 control subjects. Liver iron concentrations were then estimated by two examiners who were blinded to the groups. The examiners employed automated T2* and T1 mapping, as well as manual T2* and signal-intensity-ratio method. We analyzed accuracy by using ROC curves. Interobserver and intraobserver agreement were analyzed by calculating two-way intraclass correlation coefficients. Results: The area under the ROC curve (to discriminate between patients and controls) was 0.912 for automated T2* mapping, 0.934 for the signal-intensity-ratio method, 0.908 for manual T2*, and 0.80 for T1 mapping, the last method differing significantly from the other three. The level of interobserver and intraobserver agreement was good (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.938-0.998; p < 0.05). Correlations involving T1 mapping, although still significant, were lower. Conclusion: At 1.5 T, T2* mapping is a rapid tool that shows promise for the diagnosis of liver iron overload, whereas T1 mapping shows less accuracy. The performance of T1 mapping is poorer than is that of T2* methods.

Resumo Objetivo: Comparar protocolos automatizados e manuais de ressonância magnética para estimar a concentração hepática de ferro em 1,5 T. Materiais e Métodos: Foi realizada ressonância magnética hepática em 53 pacientes com suspeita de sobrecarga de ferro hepática e 21 controles, seguida da estimativa cega da concentração hepática de ferro por dois examinadores usando mapas automáticos T2* e T1, assim como o manual T2* e o método signal-intensity-ratio. O desempenho foi medido usando curvas ROC e a correlação interobservador e intraobservador usando o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse bidirecional. Resultados: O desempenho da curva ROC separando pacientes e controles mostrou áreas sob a curva de 0,912 para o mapa automático T2*, 0,934 para o método signal-intensity-ratio, 0,908 para manual T2* e 0,80 para mapa T1 (este difere significativamente dos outros três métodos). Houve boa correlação interobservador e intraobservador (coeficiente de correlação intraclasse entre 0,938 e 0,998; p < 0,05). Correlações envolvendo o mapa T1, embora ainda significativas, foram menores. Conclusão: Em 1,5 T, o mapa T2* representa uma nova ferramenta rápida e promissora para avaliar o diagnóstico de sobrecarga de ferro hepática, enquanto o mapa T1 mostrou menor precisão. O desempenho do mapa T1 foi menor que o dos métodos T2*.

Construction of A Microfluidic Intestine-liver-breast Cancer Chip and Analysis of Its Application in PK-PD in Vitro of Drugs / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::A multi-organ chip of intestine-liver-breast cancer was constructed based on microfluidic technology and used for pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) study of drugs in vitro. Method::A multi-organ chip comprising a 4-layer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate and a 2-layer poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cover was constructed by microfluidic technology. The connection between cells was investigated by staining the 21-day-grown human colon cancer cell line Caco-2 cell layer and the 3-day-grown human umbilical vein endothelial cell line HUVEC cell layer with CellTracker Red/Green and Hoechst, respectively. The transmission rates of 2 g·L-1 fluorescein sodium and 33.28 mg·L-1 propranolol acrossing the cell layer were employed to verify the function of the constructed intestinal module. The metabolic level of the liver module was investigated by comparing the inhibition rate of 125 μmol·L-1 cyclophosphamide against human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 cells treated with human hepatoma cell line HepG2 cells in a conventional well plate and chip liver module for 48 h. The secretion of albumin by HepG2 cells in the chip was detected to verify the synthesis function of hepatic module. Caco-2 cell layer, HUVEC cell layer, HepG2 cell layer, MCF-7 cell layer and dialysis membrane were assembled on the chip, the culture medium containing 55 mg·L-1 propranolol was injected into the upper channel of the chip for 4 h, and then changed into the normal culture solution. The mass concentration of propranolol in the lower circulating culture medium at each time point within 72 h was determined, and the drug-time curve was drawn. The culture medium containing 125 μmol·L-1 cyclophosphamide, 5 μmol·L-1 paclitaxel, 50 μmol·L-1 capecitabine was injected into the circulating fluid in the upper layer of the chip, in order to study the inhibition rates of the three anti-tumor drugs on the MCF-7 cell layer on the chip within 72 h, and the results were compared with those of the 96-well plate. Result::The constructed chip performed well. The Caco-2 and HUVEC cell layers were tightly connected. The transmission of fluorescein sodium and propranolol between the cell layers demonstrated that the constructed intestinal module had good absorption and transport function. The inhibition rate of MCF-7 by 125 μmol·L-1 cyclophosphamide after metabolism of HepG2 cells on the well plate was 22.12%, and the inhibition rate of MCF-7 by the unmetabolized cyclophosphamide was 1.84%. The inhibition rate of MCF-7 increased to 32.13%after injected 125 μmol·L-1 cyclophosphamide from the upper layer of the chip liver module, and the inhibition rate of MCF-7 after injection from the lower layer of the chip liver module was 7.23%. The mass concentration of propranolol on the chip changed with time, which was basically consistent with that in vivo. The inhibition rate of MCF-7 on the plate with 125 μmol·L-1 cyclophosphamide was lower than that on the chip, and the inhibition rates of MCF-7 on the plate with 5 μmol·L-1 paclitaxel and 50 μmol·L-1 capecitabine were higher than those on the chip. Conclusion::The constructed multi-organ chip of intestine-liver-breast cancer has the absorption and transport function of the intestine and the metabolic function of the liver. The chip can reflect the pharmacokinetic properties of propranolol in vivo, and can be used for pharmacodynamic studies of paclitaxel and capecitabine.

Study on intervention effect of systematic nutrition combined with rhythmic exercise in patients with abnormal liver metabolism / 公共卫生与预防医学

Objective To study the intervention effect of systematic nutrition combined with rhythmic exercise on patients with abnormal liver metabolism. Methods According to the theory of system nutrition and health rhythm kinematics, selected 56 subjects with abnormal liver metabolism were selected, and the combined intervention of system nutrition and rhythm movement was conducted regularly every day for 3 consecutive months using the techniques such as liver transient elastography (FibroScan) and bioelectric whole body health scanning system (DDFAO). Results Compared with the pre-intervention period, the liver fat attenuation, liver hardness and liver functional activity of the subjects were significantly improved after intervention. Conclusion The systematic nutrition combined with rhythmic exercise significantly reduced the risk of abnormal liver metabolism in subjects, which may play an important role in preventing liver diseases and promoting the recovery of liver function.

Pharmacokinetics studies on caffeine,dextromethorphan,omeprazole, midazolam and their metabolites in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS / 中国药理学通报

Aim To develop a sensitive,rapid and ac-curate LC-MS /MS method for the simultaneous deter-mination of cytochrome P450 probe substrates,inclu-ding caffeine and its metabolite paraxanthine for CYP1 A2,omeprazole and its metabolite 5-hydroxyome-prazole for CYP2C1 9,dextromethorphan and its metab-olite dextrorphan for CYP2D6,midazolam and its me-tabolite 1 ′-hydroxymidazolam for CYP3A4.Methods Probe drugs with the IS diazepam were extracted using ethyl acetate.Gradient elution was performed on an Agilent Eclipse Plus-C1 8 column (50 mm ×2.1 mm, 3.5 μm).The mobile phase consisted of 0.01 % for-mic acid(1 mmol·L -1 ammonium formate)and aceto-nitrile.The flow rate was 0.3 mL·min -1 ,and the in-jection volume was 1 0 μL.The analyte was detected u-sing electrospray ionization(ESI)in positive multiple reaction monitoring(MRM+)mode.The reaction se-lected ions were 1 95.0 /1 38.1 m /z for caffeine, 1 81 .1 /1 24.1 m /z for paraxanthine,346.1 /1 98.1 m /z for omeprazole,362.1 /21 4.1 m /z for 5-hydroxyome-prazole, 272.2 /1 47.1 m /z for dextromethorphan, 258.1 /1 57.1 m /z for dextrorphan,326.1 /291 .1 m /z for midazolam,342.1 /324.1 m /z for 1 ′-hydroxymid-azolam and 285.1 /1 54.0 m /z for diazepam as internal standard.Results The linear ranges of caffeine,pa-raxanthine,omeprazole,5-hydroxyomeprazole,dextro-methorphan, dextrophan, midazolam and 1 ′-hydroxymidazolam were 1 .95 ~2 000,0.98 ~250, 0.48 ~2 000,0.98 ~250,0.98 ~2 000,0.48 ~1 25,1 .95 ~2 000 and 1 .95 ~250 μg·L -1 respec-tively.The RSD of all probe drugs was less than 1 5%and matrix effects in plasma on the ionization of probe drugs were negligible.Conclusion This sensitive and rapid LC-MS /MS method is suitable for determination of the drug/metabolite concentrations in plasma,so as to study the metabolism of CYP1 A2, CYP2C1 9, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 in depth.

Effects of methionine enkephalin on immune enhancement by reducing myeloid derived suppressor cells and reprogramming liver metabolism in colon cancer mice / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To investigate enhanced immune function of methionine encephalin (MENK) and its anti-tumor mechanism in CT26 colon cancer mouse model. METHODS 3×106 CT26 cells were implanted subcutaneously in BALB/c mice. Four days after, MENK was peritoneally administrated at the concentration of 20 mg·kg-1 for 14 d. The percentage of MDSCs in bone marrow, spleen, blood, tumor and liver were detected by flow cytometry. Non- esterified fatty acid (NEFA), triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (T-CHO) in liver homogenate were tested by a NEFA test kit, a TG test kit and a T- CHO test kit respectively. qRT- PCR and Western blot were used to measure mRNA and protein levels of inflammation-, glycometabolsim- and lipometabolsim-associated indexes in liver. RESULTS MENK decreased percentages of MDSCs in bone marrow, spleen, blood and tumor in colon cancer mice. MENK-treated mice displayed elevated ratio of CD4+T and CD8+T cells in spleen as well as increased T and B lymphocytes proliferation. Meanwhile, MENK also ameliorated liver damage reflected by lower levels of GPT and GOT in serum and reduced risks of cancer- associated index including inflammation, high lipid and high glucose. Furthermore, MENK lowered down the levels of NEFA, TG and T- CHO in liver homogenate. MENK treatment decreased expression of p- STAT3, increased expression of p-AKT, IRS1 and Glut4 at protein level as well as reduced lipogenesis-associated genes and elevated glycolysis-associated genes in liver of tumor bearing mice. Also, abated expression of genes associated with MDSCs generation (M-CSF, GM-CSF, IL-6, IL-1β) and migration (S100A9, KC) was observed within shrunken subcutaneous tumor by MENK intervention. CONCLUSION MENK has the ability to strength immune function against colon cancer by reducing MDSCs and improving liver metabolism.

"Correlation in quality and metabolism" of multicomponents in Angelicae Sinensis Radix / 中草药

Objective: To study the dynamic processes of in vivo metabolism of multicomponent in the decoction of Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR), select the quality control components, look for a new quality evaluation method for Chinese materia medica (CMM). Methods: The blood was taken from mesenteric vein and abdominal aorta. By analyzing HPLC fingerprints of intestinal metabolism and liver metabolism, we could infer multicomponent changes in the metabolic process of water extract from ASR. Results: Totally 15 components were basically stable in the digestive juice, four of them may be metabolized by intestine, while seven of them were metabolized by liver. And we found one new component was the metabolite of liver, seven new components were the metabolites of intestine, but five of them were metabolized by liver and could not be absorbed into blood. Finally, we identified that four prototype components of water extract from ASR and three metabolites could be absorbed into blood. Conclusion: Based on the multicomponent metabolic profiling of ASR, we initially select the four prototype components including senkyunolide I as the quality control component, and we finally establish a quality evaluation method for "correlation in quality and metabolism".

Progress of TGR5 receptors in liver metabolism and immune / 中华肝胆外科杂志

TGR5,expressing in many tissue cells,is a kind of bile acid membrane receptor and participates in a variety of metabolic and immune diseases.Activated TGR5 can keep the metabolism system in a steady state by mediating the metabolism of bile acid,lipid,and blood sugar,reducing insulin resistance and increasing the body's energy consumption; TGR5 could regulate the immune responses of mononuclear cell and Kupffer cell in the liver.For example,it can regulate the adaptive immune response by inhibiting the expression and release of inflammatory cytokines in Kupffer cells,and regulating the differentiation and maturation of dendritic cells.This review mainly focused on the function of TGR5 in liver metabolism and immune and further explored the related mechanism,as well as its clinical significance in related liver diseases.

Relations between resistin and hepatic fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease subjects / 中国医师杂志

Objective To evaluate the relationship between resistin and hepatic fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) subjects.Methods Serum resitin and Interleukin (IL)-18's concentrations were measured in 144 subjects (70 NAFLD pa-tients and 74 healthy controls) with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and their serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, triglyceride (TG), total-cholesterol (TC), low density lip-oprotein ( LDL) , high density lipoprotein ( HDL) , homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance ( HOMA-IR) , hyaluronic acid , IVcollagen, height, body weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference were also measured .Their waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and body mass indes (BMI) were calculated.Results There were higher levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP), WHR, BMI, TG, ALT, AST, HOMA-IR, hyaluronic acid, IV collagen, resistin, and IL-18 in the NAFLD patients than those of the healthy controls ( P <0.05 ) .The serum resistin level was significantly and positively correlated with WHR , BMI, ALT, HOMA-IR, TG, IV collagen , and IL-18 ( r =0.231 , 0.341 , 0.223 , 0.264 , 0.213 , 0.315 , and 0.669 , P <0.05 ) .After adjustment for body fat and IL-18 , the serum resistin level was still significantly and positively correlated with ALT and IV collagen ( r =0.222 , 0.0.326 , P <0.05 ) . Conclusions Resistin might take part in the development of NAFLD insulin resistance and its pro -inflammation.

Effects of high-fat diet and rosiglitazone on AGF mRNA expression in liver of C57BL/6 mice / 中国医师杂志

Objective To study the correlation between diabetes and the new discovered angiopietin-related growth factor (AGF)that participates in energy metabolism.MethodsA total of 24 male C.57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups:controlled group; fed with high-fat diet( HFD); fed with high-fat diet for 10 weeks and then treated with rosiglitazone ( HFD + RSG) ; The relative level of AGF mRNA expression in livers was measured by determining a ratio of PCR products of AGF to that of β-actin gene.Oral glucose tolerance test,and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) were used to measure blood glucose level and insulin sensitivity.Results Compared with the controls,the expression of AGF mRNA in liver decreased significantly in HFD group( P ＜0.05),and increased significantly in HFD + RSG group( P＜0.01 ).A negative correlation was found between AGF mRNA expression in mice livers and HOMA score ( r =-0.516,P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusions AGF as a new hepatocyte derived circulating factor counteracts obesity and is related to insulin resistance.