Glycyrrhizic acid attenuates CCl_4-induced hepatocyte apoptosis in rats via a p53-mediated pathway

AIM: To investigate the effect of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatocyte apo-ptosis in rats via a p53-dependent mitochondrial path-way. METHODS: Forty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equally divided into three groups, the control group, the CCl4 group, and the GA treatment group. To induce liver fibrosis in this model, rats were given a subcutaneous injection of a 40% solution of CCl4 in olive oil at a dose of 0.3 mL/100 g body weight biweekly for 8 wk, while controls received the same isovolumetric dose of olive oil by hypodermic injection, with an initial double-dose injection. In the GA group,rats were also treated with a 40% solution of CCl4 plus 0.2% GA solution in double distilled water by the intraperitoneal injection of 3 mL per rat three times a week from the first week following previously published methods, with modifications. Controls were given the same isovolumetric dose of double distilled water. Liver function parameters, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were de-termined. Pathologic changes in the liver were detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Collagen fibers were evaluated by Sirius red staining. Hepatocyte apoptosis was investigated using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and the cleaved caspase-3 immunohistochemistry assay. The expression levels of p53 and apoptosis-related proteins were evaluated by immunohistochemistry or Western blotting analysis. RESULTS: After 8 wk of treatment, GA significantly re-duced serum activity of ALT (from 526.7 ± 57.2 to 342 ± 44.8, P<0.05) and AST (from 640 ± 33.7 to 462.8 ± 30.6, P<0.05), attenuated the changes in liver his-topathology and reduced the staging score (from 3.53 ± 0.74 to 3.00 ± 0.76, P<0.05) in CCl4 -treated rats. GA markedly reduced the positive area of Sirius red and the ratio of the hepatic fibrotic region (from 7.87% ± 0.66% to 3.68% ± 0.32%, P<0.05) compared with the CCl4 group. GA also decreased the expression level of cleaved caspase-3 compared to the CCl4 group. TU-NEL assay indicated that GA significantly diminished the number of TUNEL-positive cells compared with the CCl4 group (P<0.05). GA treatment clearly decreased the level of p53 (P<0.05) detected by immunohis-tochemistry and Western blotting analysis. Compared with the CCl4 group, we also found that GA reduced the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio (P<0.05), the expression of cleaved caspase-3 (P<0.05), cleaved caspase-9 (P<0.05), and inhibited cytochrome C and second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac) release from mito-chondria to cytoplasm, i.e. , GA reduced the expressionlevel of Smac, which inhibited c-IAP1 activity (P<0.05), ultimately inhibiting the activity of caspase-3, according to Western blotting analysis. As a result, GA suppressed activation of the caspase cascades and prevented he-patocyte apoptosis.

Systematic review on the adverse reactions of oral administration of Indigo Naturalis and its preparations

Objective:This article systematically analyses the effects of adverse drug events/adverse drug reactions(ADEs/ADRs)of oral Indigo Naturalis(Qingdai)preparations in order to provide references for its rational clinical application.Methods:All clinical studies reporting ADE/ADR related to the oral administration of Qingdai preparations were searched through electronic databases,including PubMed,the Cochrane Library,Embase,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),China Biology Medicine disc(CBM),VIP Information Chinese Journal Service Platform(VIP),and Wanfang database,from inception to September 27,2020.Information were extracted from these literatures,including primary disease,type of adverse reactions,dose,treatment,outcomes and so on.Incidence of ADE/ADR was estimated,as well as distribution of primary diseases and victim organs and systems were analyzed.Results:A total of 682 articles were included,with 651 clinical population studies and 31 case reports.Among them,604 detailed ADR/AE involving 33459 patients using oral Qingdai preparations,and a total of 5061 cases were found to present adverse events,including 2827 cases of digestive system(abdominal pain,diarrhea,etc.),469 cases of blood system damage(thrombocytopenia,leukopenia,anemia,etc.),313 cases of liver damage(abnormal liver function,liver toxicity,elevated liver enzymes,etc.),327 cases of nervous system reactions(headache,dizziness,poor sleep,etc.)and 1186 cases of other systems and organs.Severe adverse events(SAEs)mainly were liver damage,and could be relived after symptomatic treatment.Conclusion:From the systematic information retrieval and analysis,it is found that oral Qingdai preparations application may clinically cause ADEs/ADRs in terms of gastrointestinal tract and liver damage.Therefore,when using oral Qingdai preparations,liver and stomach protection should be done.At the same time,pay close attention to various biochemical indicators and the patient's drug response during the treatment process,and,if necessary,deal with it in time so as not to deteriorate the condition.Moreover,active surveillance system should be conducted to monitor ADE/ADR,so as to establish a clearer causal relationship between the drug and the adverse event.

Granulation by spray coating aqueous solution of ammonium sulfate to produce large spherical granules in a fluidized bed

Spherical 2-4mm granules of ammonium sulfate （NH4）2SO4 are promising fertilizer for practical use, though only much smaller grains are being produced in industry. This work used coating granulation to produce large spherical granules of （NH4）2SO4 in a fluidized bed by spraying its aqueous solution onto 0.9-1.6 mm （NH4）2SO4 core particles. However, the overall coating efficiency was only 58% due to loss as dust by attrition of（NH4）2SO4 in the vent gas. By adding CaCO3 or SiO2 particles into the feed solution, the coating efficiency was increased to over 90%. This increase in coating efficiency was due to a change in the crystallization mechanism of（NH4）2SO4. The added CaC03 or Si02 particles provided a heterogeneous surface that induced （NH4）2S04 to crystallize uniformly to form a more compact structure less susceptible to attrition.

The poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of BRD4 mediated by PARP1 promoted pathological cardiac hypertrophy

The bromodomain and extraterminal(BET)family member BRD4 is pivotal in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy.BRD4 induces hypertrophic gene expression by binding to the acetylated chromatin,facilitating the phosphorylation of RNA polymerases II(Pol II)and leading to transcription elongation.The present study identified a novel post-translational modification of BRD4:poly(ADPribosyl)ation(PARylation),that was mediated by poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1(PARP1)in cardiac hypertrophy.BRD4 silencing or BET inhibitors JQ1 and MS417 prevented cardiac hypertrophic responses induced by isoproterenol(ISO),whereas overexpression of BRD4 promoted cardiac hypertrophy,confirming the critical role of BRD4 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy.PARP1 was activated in ISOinduced cardiac hypertrophy and facilitated the development of cardiac hypertrophy.BRD4 was involved in the prohypertrophic effect of PARP1,as implied by the observations that BRD4 inhibition or silencing reversed PARP1-induced hypertrophic responses,and that BRD4 overexpression suppressed the antihypertrophic effect of PARP1 inhibitors.Interactions of BRD4 and PARP1 were observed by coimmunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence.PARylation of BRD4 induced by PARP1 was investigated by PARylation assays.In response to hypertrophic stimuli like ISO,PARylation level of BRD4 was elevated,along with enhanced interactions between BRD4 and PARP1.By investigating the PARylation of truncation mutants of BRD4,the C-terminal domain(CTD)was identified as the PARylation modification sites of BRD4.PARylation of BRD4 facilitated its binding to the transcription start sites(TSS)of hypertrophic genes,resulting in enhanced phosphorylation of RNA Pol II and transcription activation of hypertrophic genes.The present findings suggest that strategies targeting inhibition of PARP1-BRD4 might have therapeutic potential for pathological cardiac hypertrophy.