Decellularized extracellular matrix coupled with polycaprolactone/laponite to construct a biomimetic barrier membrane for bone defect repair.

Barrier membranes play a prominent role in guided bone regeneration (GBR), and polycaprolactone (PCL) is an attractive biomaterial for the fabrication of barrier membranes. However, these nanofiber membranes (NFMs) require modification to improve their biological activity. PCL-NFMs incorporating with laponite (LAP) achieve biofunctional modification. Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) could modulate cell behaviour. The present study combined dECM with PCL/LAP-NFMs to generate a promising strategy for bone tissue regeneration. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were cultured on NFMs and deposited with an abundant extracellular matrix (ECM), which was subsequently decellularized to obtain dECM-modified PCL/LAP-NFMs (PCL/LAP-dECM-NFMs). The biological functions of the membranes were evaluated by reseeding MC3T3-E1 cells in vitro and transplanting them into rat calvarial defects in vivo. These results indicate that PCL/LAP-dECM-NFMs were successfully constructed. The presence of dECM slightly improved the mechanical properties of the NFMs, which exhibited a Young's modulus of 0.269 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 2.04 MPa and elongation at break of 51.62 %. In vitro, the PCL/LAP-dECM-NFMs had favourable cytocompatibility, and the enhanced hydrophilicity was conducive to cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteoblast differentiation. PCL/LAP-dECM-NFMs exhibited an excellent bone repair capacity in vivo. Overall, dECM-modified PCL/LAP-NFMs should be promising biomimetic barrier membranes for GBR.

MLKL deficiency alleviates acute alcoholic liver injury via inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome.

Mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) is identified as the terminal executor of necroptosis. However, its role in acute alcoholic liver injury remains unclear. This study elucidates that MLKL can contribute to acute alcoholic liver injury independently of necroptosis. Although the expression of MLKL was upregulated, no significant increase in its phosphorylation or membrane translocation was observed in the liver tissues of mice treated with ethanol. This finding confirms that alcohol intake does not induce necroptosis in mouse liver tissue. Additionally, the deletion of Mlkl resulted in the downregulation of NLRP3 expression, which subsequently inhibited the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the ensuing inflammatory response, thereby effectively mitigating liver injury induced by acute alcohol consumption. The knockout of Nlrp3 did not affect the expression of MLKL, further confirming that MLKL acts upstream of NLRP3. Mechanistically, inhibiting the nuclear translocation of MLKL reduced the nuclear entry of p65, the principal transcriptional regulator of NLRP3, thereby limiting the transcription of Nlrp3 mRNA and subsequent NLRP3 expression. Overall, this study unveils a novel mechanism of MLKL regulates the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes in a necroptosis independent way in acute alcoholic liver injury.

Stephaochratidin A, a Rare Stephacidin-Asperochratide Hybrid with Ferroptosis Inhibitory Activity from the Deep-Sea-Derived Aspergillus ochraceus.

One rare stephacidin-asperochratide hybrid, stephaochratidin A (1), was isolated from the deep-sea-derived Aspergillus ochraceus MCCC 3A00521. The relative structure of 1 was determined by comprehensive analyses of its 1D and 2D NMR data as well as HRESIMS data. And the absolute configuration was unambiguously assigned by ECD calculations and the X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. Plausible biosynthetic pathway of 1 was proposed. Stephaochratidin A (1) exhibited significant ferroptosis inhibitory activity with the EC50 value of 15.4 µM by downregulating HMOX-1 expression and lipid peroxidation.

Guanine nucleotide exchange factor RABGEF1 facilitates TNF-induced necroptosis by targeting cIAP1.

Necroptosis is a form of regulated cell death that depends on the receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase 3 (RIPK3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL). The molecular mechanisms underlying distinct instances of necroptosis have only recently begun to emerge. In the present study, we characterized RABGEF1 as a positive regulator of RIPK1/RIPK3 activation in vitro. Based on the overexpression and knockdown experiments, we determined that RABGEF1 accelerated the phosphorylation of RIPK1 and promoted necrosome formation in L929 cells. The pro-necrotic effect of RABGEF1 is associated with its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity and guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity. We further confirmed that RABGEF1 interacts with cIAP1 protein by inhibiting its function and plays a regulatory role in necroptosis, which can be abolished by treatment with the antagonist Smac mimetic (SM)-164. In conclusion, our study highlights a potential and novel role of RABGEF1 in promoting TNF-induced cell necrosis.

Saracatinib inhibits necroptosis and ameliorates psoriatic inflammation by targeting MLKL.

Necroptosis is a kind of programmed cell death that causes the release of damage-associated molecular patterns and inflammatory disease including skin inflammation. Activation of receptor-interacting serine/threonine kinase 1 (RIPK1), RIPK3, and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) is the hallmark of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF)-induced necroptosis. Here, we screened a small-molecule compound library and found that saracatinib inhibited TNF-induced necroptosis. By targeting MLKL, Saracatinib interfered with the phosphorylation, translocation, and oligomerization of MLKL induced by TNF. Consistently, mutation of the saracatinib-binding site of MLKL reduced the inhibitory effect of saracatinib on TNF-induced necroptosis. In an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis mouse model, saracatinib effectively blocked MLKL phosphorylation and inflammatory responses in vivo. Taken together, these findings indicate that saracatinib inhibits necroptosis by targeting MLKL, providing a potential therapeutic approach for skin inflammation-related diseases such as psoriasis.

Anti-necroptosis and anti-ferroptosis compounds from the Deep-Sea-Derived fungus Aspergillus sp. MCCC 3A00392.

Eight undescribed (1-8) and 46 known compounds (9-54) were isolated from the deep-sea-derived Aspergillus sp. MCCC 3A00392. Compounds 1-3 were three novel oxoindolo diterpenoids, 4-6 were three bisabolane sesquiterpenoids, while 7 and 8 were two monocyclic cyclopropanes. Their structures were established by exhaustive analyses of the HRESIMS, NMR, and theoretical calculations of the NMR data and ECD spectra. Compounds 10, 33, 38, and 39 were able to inhibit tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced necroptosis in murine L929 cell lines. Functional experiments verified that compounds 10 and 39 inhibited necroptosis by downregulating the phosphorylation of RIPK3 and MLKL. Moreover, compound 39 also reduced the phosphorylation of RIPK1. Compounds 10, 33, and 34 displayed potent inhibitory activities against RSL-3 induced ferroptosis with the EC50 value of 3.0 µM, 0.4 µM, and 0.1 µM, respectively. Compound 10 inhibited ferroptosis by the downregulation of HMOX1, while compounds 33 and 34 inhibited ferroptosis through regulation of NRF2/SLC7A11/GCLM axis. However, these compounds only showed weak effect in either the necroptosis or ferroptosis relative mouse disease models. Further studies of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics might improve their in vivo bioactivities.

Chemical Constituents of the Deep-sea Gammarid Shrimp-Derived Fungus Penicillium citrinum XIA-16.

One new alkaloid, (S)-2-acetamido-4-(2-(methylamino)phenyl)-4-oxobutanoic acid (1), was isolated from the deep-sea-derived Penicillium citrinum XIA-16, together with 25 known compounds including ten polyketones (2-11), eight alkaloids (12-19), six steroids (20-25), and a fatty acid (26). Their planar and relative structures were determined by an analysis of 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as well as high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HR-ESI-MS) data. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by comparison of the experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Penicitrinol B (6) significantly inhibited RSL3-induced ferroptosis (EC50 =2.0 µM) by reducing lipid peroxidation and heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1) expression. Under the concentration of 10 µM, penicitrinol A (7) was able to inhibit cuproptosis with the cell viabilities of 68.2 % compared to the negative control (copper and elesclomol) with the cell viabilities of 14.8 %.

Repurposing of Ibrutinib and Quizartinib as potent inhibitors of necroptosis.

Necroptosis is a form of regulated cell death that has been implicated in multiple diseases. TNF-induced necroptosis is regulated by necrosomes, complexes consisting of RIPK1, RIPK3 and MLKL. In this study, by screening of a small-compound library, we identified dozens of compounds that inhibited TNF-induced necroptosis. According to the mechanisms by which they inhibited necroptosis, these compounds were classified into different groups. We then identified Ibrutinib as an inhibitor of RIPK3 and found that Quizartinib protected against the TNF-induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome in mice by inhibiting the activation of RIPK1. Altogether, our work revealed dozens of necroptosis inhibitors, suggesting new potential approaches for treating necroptosis-related diseases.

Receptor Tyrosine Kinase: Still an Interesting Target to Inhibit the Proliferation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation is a critical event that contributes to the pathogenesis of vascular remodeling such as hypertension, restenosis, and pulmonary hypertension. Increasing evidences have revealed that VSMCs proliferation is associated with the activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) by their ligands, including the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR), fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR). Moreover, some receptor tyrosinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been found and can prevent VSMCs proliferation to attenuate vascular remodeling. Therefore, this review will describe recent research progress on the role of RTKs and their inhibitors in controlling VSMCs proliferation, which helps to better understand the function of VSMCs proliferation in cardiovascular events and is beneficial for the prevention and treatment of vascular disease.

The role of calcium-sensing receptor in ginsenoside Rg1 promoting reendothelialization to inhibit intimal hyperplasia after balloon injury.

Calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a G protein-coupled receptor, widely distributed in various tissues, including vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, which plays an important role in the migration and homing of stem/progenitor cells and the proliferation of tissue cells. Restenosis after Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) seriously affects its prognosis and application. Our previous research has found that ginsenoside Rg1 (GS-Rg1) can inhibit the occurrence of restenosis after balloon injury of the common carotid artery in rats, but the mechanism is still unclear. In this study, it was found that GS-Rg1 (4, 8, 16 mg/kg) inhibited vascular restenosis caused by balloon injury, and mobilize endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to promote reendothelialization and inhibit intimal hyperplasia, which significantly reduced after administration of CaSR antagonist NPS 2143. Interestingly, CaSR and its downstream JNK, P38 were highly expressed in the proliferative intima and participated in the abnormal proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells mediated by smooth muscle progenitor cells (SMPCs). GS-Rg1 inhibited intimal hyperplasia, while it decreased the expression of CaSR, JNK, and P38. This might relate to the distribution of CaSR and the facilitation of GS-Rg1 on the vascular endothelial repair. It is concluded that CaSR plays a key role in GS-Rg1 promoting reendothelialization to inhibit intimal hyperplasia after balloon Injury.

Current status of immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer.

Nowadays, lung cancer is still the deadliest oncological disease in the world. Among them, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80%∼85% of all lung cancers, and its 5-year survival rate is less than 15%, making the situation critical. In the past decades, despite some clinical advances in conventional treatments, the overall survival rate of NSCLC is still not optimistic due to its unique physiological conditions and the frequent occurrence of tumor escape. In recent years, immunotherapy has become a new hot spot in lung cancer research, including antibody therapy and cell therapy, which have been developed and utilized one after another, especially immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI). These approaches have effectively improved the overall survival rate and objective response rate of NSCLC patients by enhancing the immune capacity of the body and targeting tumor cells more effectively, which is more specific and less toxic compared with conventional chemotherapy, and providing more strategies for NSCLC treatment. In this paper, we reviewed the relevant targets, clinical progress and adverse reaction in monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, ICI, bispecific antibodies, T-cell receptor engineered T cell therapy (TCR-T), Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy (CAR-T), and also report on their combination therapy from the immune-related background to provide better NSCLC treatment and prospective.

Icariin and its metabolites as potential protective phytochemicals against cardiovascular disease: From effects to molecular mechanisms.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among all types of diseases in the world, affecting many millions of individuals every year. CVD includes hypertension, atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease, etc., which are involved in complex etiology, pathogenesis and many risk factors. Modern pharmacological studies have revealed that Epimedium possesses a variety of beneficial effects in regulating cardiovascular inflammation and other biological activities, which provides a therapeutic value for the prevention and treatment of these cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we discuss the cardiovascular protective effects of icariin, an active component from Epimedium, and its metabolites. We summarize a range of studies showing that the modes of action of icariin on CVD relate to its inhibition of myocardial apoptosis and prevention of inflammation on endothelial cell injury, emphasizing the multiple effects of icariin and its metabolites in the repair of common heart failure and myocardial infarction, as well as the formation of neointima. In particular, an emphasis is placed on the discussion of the action mechanism of icariin in combination with new advances in the understanding of the pathology of CVD with potential application of icariin in the treatment of this human disorder.

Regulation of survivin protein stability by USP35 is evolutionarily conserved.

Survivin is the key component of the chromosomal passenger complex and plays important roles in the regulation of cell division. Survivin has also been implicated in the regulation of apoptosis and tumorigenesis. Although the survivin protein has been reported to be degraded by a ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent mechanism, whether there is a DUB that is involved in the regulation of its protein stability is largely unknown. Using an expression library containing 68 deubiquitinating enzymes, we found that ubiquitin-specific-processing protease 35 (USP35) regulates survivin protein stability in an enzymatic activity-dependent manner. USP35 interacted with and promoted the deubiquitination of the survivin protein. USP38, an ortholog of USP35 encoded by the human genome, is also able to regulate survivin protein stability. Moreover, we found that the deubiquitinating enzyme DUBAI, the Drosophila homolog of human USP35, is able to regulate the protein stability of Deterin, the Drosophila homolog of survivin. Interestingly, USP35 also regulated the protein stability of Aurora B and Borealin which are also the component of the chromosomal passenger complex. By regulating protein stabilities of chromosomal passenger complex components, USP35 regulated cancer cell proliferation. Taken together, our work uncovered an evolutionarily conserved relationship between USP35 and survivin that might play an important role in cell proliferation.

Validation and Prediction of the School Psychological Capital Among Chinese College Students.

This study validated the school psychological capital (PsyCap) scale in the Chinese context and examined the predictive effect of PsyCap resources on academic engagement and achievement emotions. Self-report data for PsyCap resources, student engagement, enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom toward English learning were collected from 1,000 sophomores. Item-level analyses and confirmatory factor analysis were used to verify the validity of the school PsyCap scale, and structural equation modeling was applied to reveal the predictive effect of school PsyCap resources on academic engagement and achievement emotions. Results showed that the school PsyCap scale retained superior psychometric properties. Besides, PsyCap resources were demonstrated to have a positive relationship to academic engagement and enjoyment, and a negative relationship to anxiety and boredom. The effectiveness of the school PsyCap scale was verified among Chinese college students, and besides the traditional predictors, school PsyCap is also critically important for students' academic engagement and achievement emotions. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Integrative analyses identified ion channel genes GJB2 and SCNN1B as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for lung adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Abnormal expressions of ion channel genes are associated with the occurrence and progression of tumors. At present, their roles in the carcinogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) are not clear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Differentially expressed (DE) genes in the tumorigenesis were identified from 328 ion channel genes in 102 LUAD and paired adjacent normal samples. Similar analyses were performed between 177 metastatic and 286 non-metastatic LUAD samples to identify DE ion channel genes in the progression of LUAD. Independent prognostic factors selected from DE ion channel genes were used to construct a prognostic model. Correlation analysis and drugs-drug targets interaction network were used to screen the potential drugs for LUAD patients stratified by GJB2 or SCNN1B. RESULTS: Six ion channel genes (GJB2, CACNA1D, KCNQ1, SCNN1B, SCNN1G and TRPV6) were continuous differentially expressed in the tumorigenesis and progression of LUAD. The survival analysis in four datasets with 522 LUAD samples showed that GJB2 and SCNN1B were independent prognostic biomarkers. Patients with overexpression of GJB2 or underexpression of SCNN1B had shorter overall survival. Moreover, multi-omics analysis showed that hypomethylation of GJB2 and hypermethylation of SCNN1B in the promoter region may contribute to their aberrant expressions. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the overexpressed genes in the group with high GJB2 or low SCNN1B were enriched in cancer-related pathways, while the underexpressed genes were enriched in metabolism-related pathways. The prognostic model with GJB2 and SCNN1B can stratify all LUAD patients into two groups with significantly different survival. Correlation analysis and drugs-drug targets interaction network suggested that GJB2 and SCNN1B expression might have indicative therapeutic values for LUAD patients. Finally, pan-cancer analysis in other eight cancer types showed that GJB2 and SCNN1B might be also potential prognostic factors for KIRC. CONCLUSIONS: GJB2 and SCNN1B were identified as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for LUAD.

Self-stabilizing regulation of deubiquitinating enzymes in an enzymatic activity-dependent manner.

Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) play important roles in many physiological and pathological processes by modulating the ubiquitination of their substrates. DUBs undergo post-translational modifications including ubiquitination. However, whether DUBs can reverse their own ubiquitination and regulate their own protein stability requires further investigation. To answer this question, we screened an expression library of DUBs and their enzymatic activity mutants and found that some DUBs regulated their own protein stability in an enzymatic activity- and homomeric interaction-dependent manner. Taking Ubiquitin-specific-processing protease 29 (USP29) as an example, we found that USP29 deubiquitinates itself and protects itself from proteasomal degradation. We also revealed that the N-terminal region of USP29 is critical for its protein stability. Taken together, our work demonstrates that at least some DUBs regulate their own ubiquitination and protein stability. Our findings provide novel molecular insight into the diverse regulation of DUBs.

Characteristics of inflammation process in monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension in rats.

OBJECTIVE: A growing evidence demonstrates that inflammation is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, blocking inflammation has only been shown to be of minor clinical benefit due to a lack of understanding of the precise inflammation present in PAH. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate characteristics of inflammatory process in PAH induced by monocrotaline (MCT) in rats. METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received a single dose of MCT (50 mg/kg, ip), and the occurrence of PAH and inflammation biomarkers were measured at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30 days after MCT injection. RESULTS: From the 6th day after the injection of MCT, the mean pulmonary artery pressure gradually increased and doubled on the 30th day, accompanied by right ventricular hypertrophy and pulmonary arterial remodeling in a time-dependent manner. In the first 6 days after MCT treatment, only pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß increased, which was defined as acute inflammatory phase, after that, both pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-12 and anti-inflammatory factors Arg1, IL-10, TGF-ß increased, which was defined as chronic inflammatory phase. The M1/M2 macrophage ratios in lung and alveolar lavage fluid were elevated on the 6th and 30th day, moreover, which were higher on the 6th than 30th day, and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway increased along with the progression of PAH and correlated with pro-inflammatory proteins, which revealed also to some extent the characteristics of inflammation of PAH induced by MCT. CONCLUSION: The course of PAH induced by MCT injection is progressive with persistent inflammation, which is defined as acute inflammatory phase within 6 days after MCT treatment, after that, is defined as chronic inflammatory phase.

Structural and biochemical characterization of inorganic pyrophosphatase from Homo sapiens.

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) plays an essential role in energy conservation and provides energy for many biosynthetic pathways. Here, we present two three-dimensional structures of PPase from Homo sapiens (Hu-PPase) at 2.38 Å and 3.40 Å in different crystallization conditions. One of the Hu-PPase structures complex of two magnesium metal ions was determined to be a monomer (Hu-PPase-mono) here, while the other one to be a dimer-dimer (Hu-PPase-dd). In each asymmetric unit of Hu-PPase-mono, there are four α-helices and ten ß-strands and folds as a barrel structure, and the active site contains two magnesium ions. Like PPases from many species, we found that Hu-PPase was able to undergo self-assembly. To our surprise, disruption of the self-assembly of Hu-PPase did not influence its enzymatic activity or the ability to promote cell growth. Our work uncovered that different structure forms of Hu-PPase and found that the pyrophosphatase activity of Hu-PPase is independent of its self-assembly.

Ginsenoside Rg1 prevents vascular intimal hyperplasia involved by SDF-1α/CXCR4, SCF/c-kit and FKN/CX3CR1 axes in a rat balloon injury.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. is a traditional tonic that has been used for thousands of years, and has positive effects on vascular diseases. Ginsenoside Rg1 (GS-Rg1) is one of the active ingredients of Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. and has been shown to have beneficial effects against ischemia/reperfusion injury. Our previously study has found that GS-Rg1 can mobilize bone marrow stem cells and inhibit vascular smooth muscle proliferation and phenotype transformation. However, pharmacological effects and mechanism of GS-Rg1 in inhibiting intimal hyperplasia is still unknown. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study was aimed to investigate whether GS-Rg1 prevented vascular intimal hyperplasia, and the involvement of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α)/CXCR4, stem cell factor (SCF)/c-kit and fractalkine (FKN)/CX3CR1 axes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were operated with carotid artery balloon injury. The treatment groups were injected with 4, 8 and 16 mg/kg of GS-Rg1 for 14 days. The degree of intimal hyperplasia was evaluated by histopathological examination. The expression of α-SMA (α-smooth muscle actin) and CD133 were detected by double-label immunofluorescence. Serum levels of SDF-1α, SCF and soluble FKN (sFKN) were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The protein expressions of SCF, SDF-1α and FKN, as well as the receptors c-kit, CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) and CX3C chemokine receptor type 1 (CX3CR1) were detected by immunochemistry. RESULTS: GS-Rg1 reduced intimal hyperplasia by evidence of the values of NIA, the ratio of NIA/MA, and the ratio of NIA/IELA and the ratio of NIA/LA, especially in 16 mg/kg group. Furthermore, GS-Rg1 8 mg/kg group and 16 mg/kg group decreased the protein expressions of the SDF-1α/CXCR4, SCF/c-kit and FKN/CX3CR1 axes in neointima, meanwhile GS-Rg1 8 mg/kg group and 16 mg/kg group also attenuated the expressions of SDF-1α, SCF and sFKN in serum. In addition, the expression of α-SMA and CD133 marked smooth muscle progenitor cells (SMPCs) was decreased after GS-Rg1 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: GS-Rg1 has a positive effect on inhibiting vascular intimal hyperplasia, and the underlying mechanism is related to inhibitory expression of SDF-1α/CXCR4, SCF/c-kit and FKN/CX3CR1 axes.

Dendrobium nobile Lindl. Alkaloids Ameliorate Cognitive Dysfunction in Senescence Accelerated SAMP8 Mice by Decreasing Amyloid-ß Aggregation and Enhancing Autophagy Activity.

BACKGROUND: Dendrobium nobile is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicine used for age-related diseases. Dendrobium nobile Lindl. alkaloid (DNLA) is the active ingredient to improve learning and memory deficits in laboratory animals. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to examine the anti-aging effects of long-term administration of DNLA and metformin during the aging process in senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. METHODS: SAMP8 mice were orally given DNLA (20 and 40 mg/kg) or metformin (80 mg/kg) starting at 6 months of age until 12 months of age. Age-matched SAMR1 mice were used as controls. DNLA and metformin treatments ameliorated behavioral deficits of 12-month-old SAMP8 mice, as determined by Rotarod, Y-maze, and Open-field tests. RESULTS: DNLA and metformin treatments prevented brain atrophy and improved morphological changes in the hippocampus and cortex, as evidenced by Nissl and H&E staining for neuron damage and loss, and by SA-ß-gal staining for aging cells. DNLA and metformin treatments decreased amyloid-ß1-42, AßPP, PS1, and BACE1, while increasing IDE and neprilysin for Aß clearance. Furthermore, DNLA and metformin enhanced autophagy activity by increasing LC3-II, Beclin1, and Klotho, and by decreasing p62 in the hippocampus and cortex. CONCLUSION: The beneficial effects of DNLA were comparable to metformin in protecting against aging-related cognitive deficits, neuron aging, damage, and loss in SAMP8 mice. The mechanisms could be attributed to increased Aß clearance, activation of autophagy activity, and upregulation of Klotho.