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ObjectiveTo observe the regulatory effects of Yiqi Wenyang Huwei decoction （YWHD） on autophagy and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway in asthmatic rats and bronchial epithelial cells （16HBE） and further reveal the mechanism of YWHD in treating bronchial asthma （BA）. MethodForty-eight rats were randomly assigned into normal group， model group， dexamethasone group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose YWHD groups， with 8 rats in each group. The rat model of BA was established by intraperitoneal injection with ovalbumin （OVA） + aluminum hydroxide suspension and atomizing inhalation with OVA for 2 weeks. The normal group was administrated with an equal dose of normal saline. The bronchial maximum airway resistance （Max Rrs） induced by methacholine chloride （Mch） was determined by an animal lung function evaluation system. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the levels of interleukin （IL）-4， IL-13， IL-6， IL-33， IL-25， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and immunoglobulin E （IgE） in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson staining were used for observation of the pathological changes of bronchi in the lung tissue. The immunofluorescence assay was employed to measure the levels of the autophagy-associated proteins LC3B and Beclin1. The IL-13-induced autophagy of 16HBE cells exposed to the YWHD-containing serum was observed， and the autophagy level was traced by mRFP-GFP-LC3 adenovirus infection. The protein levels of LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ， p-PI3K， p-Akt and p-mTOR were determined by Western blot. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased Max Rrs （P<0.01） and elevated levels of IL-4， IL-13， IL-6， IL-33， IL-25， TNF-α， and IgE in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The modeling caused focal infiltration of inflammatory cells and lymphocytes around bronchus and blood vessels， epithelial goblet cell metaplasia， and increased subepithelial collagen deposition. Furthermore， it up-regulated the protein levels of LC3B and Beclin1 （P<0.01）， promoted the autophagy flux of GFP to mRFP in 16HBE cells induced by IL-13， down-regulated the protein levels of p-PI3K， p-Akt， and p-mTOR， and increased the LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， medium- and high-dose YWHD decreased Max Rrs （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of IL-4， IL-13， IL-6， IL-33， IL-25， TNF-α， and IgE in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and reduced lymphocyte and granulocyte infiltration in bronchi of the lung tissue， epithelial goblet cell metaplasia， and subepithelial collagen deposition. Moreover， they down-regulated the protein levels of LC3B and Beclin1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased the autophagy flux of GFP to mRFP， up-regulated the protein levels of p-PI3K， p-Ak， and p-mTOR， and decreased the LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionYWHD ameliorates airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation and inhibits the autophagy of airway epithelial cells in the lung tissue of BA rats by activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
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Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (RIRI) is the main cause of acute kidney injury (AKI), which commonly occurs in surgery, severe trauma, shock and drug-induced kidney injury. At present, effective treatment for RIRI is still lacking. Oxidative stress is the major pathological injury mechanism of RIRI. Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is the key transcription factor of anti-oxidative stress response, which may activate various cytoprotective genes related to redox and detoxification. Recent studies have shown that Nrf2 may play a protective role in the protection and treatment of RIRI by regulating oxidative stress, inflammation, cell apoptosis and autophagy, etc. Consequently, the structure and biological function of Nrf2, related signaling pathways, its role in the incidence and development of RIRI and potential mechanism were reviewed in this article, aiming to provide novel ideas for the prevention and treatment of RIRI.
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Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of high-dose sirolimus (rapamycin) upon protecting the hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) in aged mice. Methods Twenty C57BL/6 aged mice were randomly and evenly divided into the ischemia-reperfusion injury group (IRI group), low-dose rapamycin pretreatment group (rpm group), high-dose rapamycin pretreatment group (RPM group) and control group (Sham group) using the random number table method (5 mice in each group). In the Sham group, abdominal cavity was incised and sutured alone. In the other three groups, aged mouse 70% HIRI models were established. The ischemia time was 60 min. At preoperative 1 h, rapamycin at a dose of 1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg was administered via intraperitoneal injection in the rpm and RPM groups. At 12 h post-reperfusion, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe the histological changes in the mouse liver. Suzuki grading method was adopted to evaluate the pathological score. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-10 and the LC3B-Ⅱ protein level in the liver tissues were quantitatively measured and statistically compared among different groups. Results HE staining of the liver tissues revealed normal liver tissues in the Sham group, severe liver cellular injury accompanied with a large quantity of inflammatory cellular infiltration in the IRI and rpm groups. Mild sinusoidal congestion and slight inflammatory cellular infiltration were observed in the RPM group. The pathological score was 5 (4-6) in the RPM group, significantly lower than 7 (5-8) and 8 (7-10) in the rpm and IRI groups (Z=-2.554 and -2.731, both P<0.05). In terms of postoperative liver function parameters, the AST level was (691±207) U/L in the RPM group, significantly lower compared with (2032±575) U/L and (1817±777) U/L in the IRI and rpm groups (t=4.90 and 3.13, both P<0.05). In the RPM group, the ALT level was measured as (996±584) U/L, considerably lower than (2992±992) U/L and (2373±687) U/L in the IRI and rpm groups (t=3.86 and 3.41, both P<0.05). The AST and ALT levels did not significantly differ between the IRI and rpm groups (both P>0.05). No statistical significance was identified in the TNF-α and IL-10 levels among different groups (all P>0.05). Western blot analysis revealed that the relative expression level of LC3B-Ⅱ protein in the liver tissue of the RPM group was significantly higher than those in the Sham, IRI and rpm groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions Administration of high-dose rapamycin exerts a protective effect upon HIRI probably through promoting cellular autophagy in aged mice.