Chaihu Longgu Muli Decoction relieving temporal lobe epilepsy in rats by inhibiting TLR4 signaling pathway through miR-146a-3p and miR-146a-5p

Objective To explore the effect and mechanism of Chaihu Longgu Muli Decoction(柴胡龙骨牡蛎汤,CHLGMLD)in rats with temporal lobe epilepsy(TLE).Methods A total of 80 Sprague-Dawley(SD)male rats were randomized into control(CON),model(MOD),carbamazepine(CBZ,0.1 g/kg),CHLGMLD low dose(CHLGMLD-L,12.5 g/kg),and high dose(CHLGMLD-H,25 g/kg)groups,with 16 rats in each group.TLE rat models were established in the four groups with the use of lithium-pilocarpine except for the CON group.After the successful establishment of TLE models,all drugs were administered through gavage,and distilled water was given to rats in the CON and MOD groups for four weeks.The frequency and duration of seizures before and after treatment were recorded for the evaluation of the alleviation degree.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the expression levels of miR-146a-3p and miR-146a-5p.The expression levels of toll-like receptor 4(TLR4),interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1(IRAK1),tumor necrosis factor(TNF)receptor-associated factor 6(TRAF6),TAK1-binding protein(TAB),nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB),and interleukin-1 beta(IL-1β)in hippocampus were tested by immunofluorescence assay.Correlation analysis between the above factors and expressions of miR-146a-3p and miR-146a-5p were performed separately.Results CHLGMLD decreased the frequency(P<0.05)and duration(P<0.01)of seizures in rats.CHLGMLD down-regulated the expression levels of miR-146a-5p and miR-146a-3p(P<0.05),and inhibited the expression levels of TLR4,IRAK1,TRAF6,TAB,NF-κB,and IL-1β(P<0.01).The correlation analysis revealed that the expression levels of TLR4,IRAK1,TRAF6,TAB,NF-κB,and IL-1β were positively correlated with the expression levels of miR-146a-3p and miR-146a-5p detected by qRT-PCR,respectively(P<0.01).Conclusion CHLGMLD can inhibite the TLR4 signaling pathway by lowering the expression levels of miR-146a-3p and miR-146a-5p to alleviate hippocampal dentate gyrus inflammation in TLE rats,thus relieving seizures.

Effects of Liancao-Xieli capsule on intestinal mucosal inflammatory factors and TLR4/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in mice with ulcerative colitis

Objective:To observe the effect of Liancao-Xieli capsule on intestinal mucosal inflammatory factors and TLR4/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in mice with ulcerative colitis(UC);Methods:40 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control group,model group,Liancao-Xieli group and mesalazine group,with 10 mice in each group.In addition to the control group,the remaining three groups of mice were induced by 3%dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)to induce acute UC model.During the modeling period,mice in each group were given corresponding drugs and normal saline by gavage.At the end of the experiment,HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of colonic tissue in each group,and ELISA was used to detect the inflammatory factors(TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β,IL-8,IL-17,and INF-γ)in serum and colonic tissue.The expression levels of TLR4/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway related proteins were also detected by Western blot;Results:Compared with the model group,Liancao-Xieli capsule could significantly increase the colon length and decrease the score of colon histopathology in UC mice(P<0.01).In addition,the levels of TNF-α,IL-6,IL1β,IL-8,IL-17,and INF-γwere significantly reduced in serum and colon tissue,and the expressions of TLR4,PI3K,p-Akt and p-mTOR were significantly down-regulated in LiancaoXieyi group when compared with the model group(P<0.01).While the expressions of Akt and mTOR were not significantly affected in Liancao-Xieyi group(P>0.05);Conclusion:LiancaoXieli capsule can reduce the secretion of inflammatory factors,improve the intestinal mucosal damage and inflammatory response in UC by inhibiting the activation of TLR4/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway。

To investigate the effect of Shenqi Tiaoshen Formula on CSE induced inflammatory response of MH-S cells based on TLR4/NF-kB/NLRP3 pathway

Objective:To study the effects of Shenqi Tiaoshen Formula(SQTS)on the inflammatory response of MH-S cells induced by cigarette smoking extract(CSE)and its mechanism based on TLR4/NF-kB/NLRP3 pathway.Methods:MH-S cells were used as subjects to evaluate cell viability by CCK-8 method.The levels of TNF-α,IL-1βand IL-6 in the supernatant were detected by ELISA.ROS were detected by DCFH-DA fluorescence probe.Western blotting was used to detect the expression of TLR4/NF-kB/NLRP3 pathway protein,and TAK-242,a TLR4 inhibitor,was used to verify the role of SQTS in the TLR4/NF-kB/NLRP3 pathway.Results:Compared with blank group,the cell survival rate of CSE group was decreased,and the contents of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α,IL-1βand IL-6 were increased(P<0.05),ROS fluorescence expression level was significantly increased(P<0.01),TLR4/NF-kB/NLRP3 pathway protein expression was significantly increased(P<0.05);Compared with CSE group,the survival rate of cells in SQTS groups was increased,and the expression levels of the above indexes were decreased(P<0.05),and TLR4/NF-kB/NLRP3 pathway protein decreased in TAK-242 groups(P<0.05).Conclusion:SQTS can reduce the inflammatory response of MH-S cells induced by CSE by inhibiting TLR4/NF-kB/NLRP3 pathway.

Huoxin Pill Reduces Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in Rats via TLR4/NFκB/NLRP3 Signaling Pathway

Objective:To explore the protective effect of Huoxin Pill(HXP)on acute myocardial ischemia-reperfusion(MIRI)injury in rats.Methods:Seventy-five adult SD rats were divided into the sham-operated group,model group,positive drug group(diltiazem hydrochloride,DH),high dose group(24 mg/kg,HXP-H)and low dose group(12 mg/kg,HXP-L)of Huoxin Pill(n=15 for every group)according to the complete randomization method.After 1 week of intragastric administration,the left anterior descending coronary artery of the rat's heart was ligated for 45 min and reperfused for 3 h.Serum was separated and the levels of creatine kinase(CK),creatine kinase isoenzyme(CK-MB)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA),hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP)and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)were measured.Myocardial ischemia rate,myocardial infarction rate and myocardial no-reflow rate were determined by staining with Evans blue and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride(TTC).Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP)and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechANism of Traditional Chinese Medicine(BATMAN)databases were used to screen for possible active compounds of HXP and their potential therapeutic targets;the results of anti-inflammatory genes associated with MIRI were obtained from GeneC ards,Drugbank,Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM),and Therapeutic Target Datebase(TTD)databases was performed;Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment were used to analyze the intersected targets;molecular docking was performed using AutoD ock Tools.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor kappa-B(NFκB)/NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3).Results:Compared with the model group,all doses of HXP significantly reduced the levels of LDH,CK and CK-MB(P<0.05,P<0.01);HXP significantly increased serum activity of SOD(P<0.05,P<0.01);all doses of HXP significantly reduced the levels of hs-CRP and IL-1β(P<0.05,P<0.01)and the myocardial infarction rate and myocardial no-reflow rate(P<0.01).GO enrichment analysis mainly involved positive regulation of gene expression,extracellular space and identical protein binding,KEGG pathway enrichment mainly involved PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and lipid and atherosclerosis.Molecular docking results showed that kaempferol and luteolin had a better affinity with TLR4,NFκB and NLRP3 molecules.The protein expressions of TLR4,NFκB and NLRP3 were reduced in the HXP group(P<0.01).Conclusions:HXP has a significant protective effect on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats,and its effect may be related to the inhibition of redox response and reduction of the inflammatory response by inhibiting the TLR4/NFκB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Hepatic protective effects of Shenling Baizhu powder, a herbal compound, against inflammatory damage via TLR4/NLRP3 signalling pathway in rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Objective: High-fat diet(HFD) and inflammation are two key contributors to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD). Shenling Baizhu powder(SLBZP), a classical herbal compound, has been successfully used to alleviate NAFLD. However, its specific mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we assessed the anti-NAFLD effect of SLBZP in vivo.Methods: Rats were fed an HFD with or without SLBZP or with probiotics. At the end of week 16, an echo magnetic resonance imaging(EchoMRI) body composition analyser was used to quantitatively analyse body composition;a micro-computed tomography(micro-CT) imaging system was used to evaluate whole body and liver fat;and the Moor full-field laser perfusion imager 2 was used to assess liver microcirculation, after which, all rats were sacrificed. Then, biochemical indicators in the blood and the ultrastructure of rat livers were evaluated. Protein expression related to the liver Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3) signalling pathway was assessed using Western blot analysis. Further, high-throughput screening of 29 related inflammatory factors in liver tissue was performed using a cytokine array.Results: SLBZP supplementation reduced body weight, serum free fatty acid, and insulin resistance index(P<0.05). It also ameliorated liver microcirculation and ultrastructural abnormalities. EchoMRI and micro-CT quantitative analyses showed that treatment with SLBZP reduced fat mass and visceral fat(P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). In addition, SLBZP decreased the expression of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-activated TLR4/NLRP3 signalling pathway-related proteins and altered the expression levels of some inflammatory cytokines in liver tissues.Conclusion: SLBZP can inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation and interleukin-1 b release by suppressing LPS-induced TLR4 expression in rats with HFD-induced NAFLD. Thus, SLBZP may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory damage and associated diseases.