RESUMO
ObjectiveTo study the mechanism of matrine in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease （IBD） based on the zebrafish model and network pharmacology. MethodThe IBD model of zebrafish was established using 2，4，6-trinitro-benzenesulfonicacid （TNBS）， and the intestinal phagocytic function， goblet cell secretion， and neutrophil aggregation were evaluated using neutral red staining， alcian blue staining， and neutrophil number changes. Changes in tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α and cholecystokinin （CCK） content in zebrafish were determined by using relevant reagent kits. Network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques were used to predict the potential mechanism of matrine in the treatment of IBD. Gene expression of relevant targets was verified through Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultCompared with the model group， the matrine administration group can increase the neutral red staining area in a dose-dependent manner and improve intestinal phagocytic function（P<0.05，P<0.01）. It can reduce the staining area of alcian blue and affect the secretion of intestinal goblet cells（P<0.01）. It can reduce the number of neutrophil granulocytes， relieve its aggregation， significantly reduce TNF-α content（P<0.01）， and increase the CCK content. Network pharmacology analysis identifies 28 potential targets for matrine in the treatment of IBD. The top five targets by protein-protein interaction （PPI） network analysis are CHRNA7， DRD1， CHRNA4， SLC6A3， and GRM5. The Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） results show that the treatment of IBD with matrine may be related to neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction， cholinergic synapse， and neutrophil extracellular trap formation. Real-time PCR results show that matrine can affect the expression level of related target genes. Conclusionmatrine has a certain therapeutic effect on IBD and can affect the inflammatory response of IBD. Its therapeutic effect may be related to neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and other pathways.
RESUMO
Polyphyllin Ⅰ(PPⅠ)and polyphyllin Ⅱ(PⅡ)are the main active substances in the Paris polyphylla.However,liver toxicity of these compounds has impeded their clinical application and the potential hepatotoxicity mechanisms remain to be elucidated.In this work,we found that PPⅠ and PⅡ exposure could induce significant hepatotoxicity in human liver cell line L-02 and zebrafish in a dose-dependent manner.The results of the proteomic analysis in L-02 cells and transcriptome in zebrafish indicated that the hepa-totoxicity of PPⅡ and PⅡwas associated with the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway disorders,which were alleviated by the cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitor lovastatin.Additionally,3-hydroxy-3-methy-lglutaryl CoA reductase(HMGCR)and squalene epoxidase(SQLE),the two rate-limiting enzymes in the choles-terol synthesis,selected as the potential targets,were confirmed by the molecular docking,the over-expression,and knockdown of HMGCR or SQLE with siRNA.Finally,the pull-down and surface plasmon resonance technology revealed that PPⅠ could directly bind with SQLE but not with HMGCR.Collectively,these data demonstrated that PPⅠ-induced hepatotoxicity resulted from the direct binding with SQLE protein and impaired the sterol-regulatory element binding protein 2/HMGCR/SQLE/lanosterol synthase pathways,thus disturbing the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway.The findings of this research can contribute to a better understanding of the key role of SQLE as a potential target in drug-induced hepatotoxicity and provide a therapeutic strategy for the prevention of drug toxic effects with similar structures in the future.
RESUMO
After more than 100 years of development， spray drying technology has become more mature and widely used， and it is of great importance in the field of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. TCM powders prepared by spray drying is the raw material of dispensing granules， and the powder properties have an important influence on subsequent molding process and product quality. As a new form of TCM， dispensing granules have been included in the management category of TCM decoction pieces， indicating a broader application market， and a consensus has also been reached on the importance of TCM powder research. Based on this， the author summarized the application progress of spray drying in the study of TCM powders， including the factors affecting spray drying process， such as liquid properties， process parameters and equipment factors， as well as the application of computational fluid dynamics （CFD） and thermodynamic model in spray drying process simulation. Moreover， some commonly used pharmaceutical excipients for the modification of TCM powders were also introduced such as maltodextrin， microcrystalline cellulose and povidone. In addition， spray drying technology can also be used as a preparation technology for new drug delivery systems such as microcapsules and solid dispersions. Through the summary of this paper， the author suggests that the future research direction of spray drying of TCM can be carried out from the aspects of application rule of the coprocessing auxiliary materials based on the "unification of medicines and excipients"， the "structure-property" relationship of spray-dried powders and the application of computer simulation and design， so as to further enrich the application of spray drying in the field of TCM powders.