Qingyi decoction attenuates intestinal epithelial cell injury via the calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T-cells pathway

BACKGROUND Recent studies have demonstrated that dysfunction of the intestinal barrier is a significant contributing factor to the development of severe acute pancreatitis(SAP).A stable intestinal mucosa barrier functions as a major anatomic and functional barrier,owing to the balance between intestinal epithelial cell(IEC)proliferation and apoptosis.There is some evidence that calcium overload may trigger IEC apoptosis and that calcineurin(CaN)/nuclear factor of activated Tcells(NFAT)signaling might play an important role in calcium-mediated apoptosis.AIM To investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of Qingyi decoction(QYD)in SAP.METHODS A rat model of SAP was created via retrograde infusion of sodium deoxycholate.Serum levels of amylase,tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α),interleukin(IL)-6,D-lactic acid,and diamine oxidase(DAO);histological changes;and apoptosis of IECs were examined in rats with or without QYD treatment.The expression of the two subunits of CaN and NFAT in intestinal tissue was measured via quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction and western blotting.For in vitro studies,Caco-2 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS)and QYD serum,and then cell viability and intracellular calcium levels were detected.RESULTS Retrograde infusion of sodium deoxycholate increased the severity of pancreatic and intestinal pathology and the levels of serum amylase,TNF-α,and IL-6.Both the indicators of intestinal mucosa damage(D-lactic acid and DAO)and the levels of IEC apoptosis were elevated in the SAP group.QYD treatment reduced the serum levels of amylase,TNF-α,IL-6,D-lactic acid,and DAO and attenuated the histological findings.IEC apoptosis associated with SAP was ameliorated under QYD treatment.In addition,the protein expression levels of the two subunits of CaN were remarkably elevated in the SAP group,and the NFATc3 gene was significantly upregulated at both the transcript and protein levels in the SAP group compared with the control group.QYD significantly restrained CaN and NFATc3 gene expression in the intestine,which was upregulated in the SAP group.Furthermore,QYD serum significantly decreased the LPS-induced elevation in intracellular free Ca^(2+)levels and inhibited cell death.CONCLUSION QYD can exert protective effects against intestinal mucosa damage caused by SAP and the protective effects are mediated,at least partially,by restraining IEC apoptosis via the CaN/NFATc3 pathway.

Calcineurin/Nuclear Factor of Activated T-Cell Pathway in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC),a keratinocyte-derived skin neoplasm with malignant potential,1 represents 20%-50% of skin cancers and currently has an increasing incidence in the United States.2 Ultraviolet (UV)solar radiation is the primary risk factor for the development of CSCC,and the cumulative exposure received over a lifetime plays a major role in this development.3 Mutations in the p53 gene are the most common genetic abnormalities,causing nonfunctional p53 protein production and cells with damaged DNA replicate in CSCC.

Puerarin partly counteracts the inflammatory response after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion via activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway

Puerarin, a major isoflavonoid derived from the Chinese medical herb radix puerariae （Gegen）, has been reported to inhibit neuronal apoptosis and play an anti-inflammatory role in focal cerebral ischemia model rats. Recent findings regarding stroke pathophysiology have recognized that anti-inflammation is an important target for the treatment of ischemic stroke. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is a highly robust neural-immune mechanism for inflammation control. This study was to investigate whether activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway can be involved in the mechanism of inhibiting the inflammatory response during puerarin-induced cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats. Results showed that puerarin pretreatment （intravenous injection） re- duced the ischemic infarct volume, improved neurological deficit after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and decreased the levels of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-a in brain tissue. Pretreatment with puerarin （intravenous injection） attenuated the inflammatory response in rats, which was accompanied by janus-activated kinase 2 （JAK2） and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 （STAT3） activation and nuclear factor kappa B （NF-KB） inhibition. These observa- tions were inhibited by the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor （a7nAchR） antagonist a-bungarotoxin （a-BGT）. In addition, puerarin pretreatment increased the expression of a7nAchR mRNA in ischemic cerebral tissue. These data demonstrate that puerarin pretreatment strongly protects the brain against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury and inhibits the inflammatory re- sponse. Our results also indicated that the anti-inflammatory effect of puerarin may partly be medi- ated through the activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.

Plasma membrane calcium ATPase proteins as novel regulators of signal transduction pathways

Emerging evidence suggests that plasma membrane calcium ATPases (PMCAs) play a key role as regulators of calcium-triggered signal transduction pathways via interaction with partner proteins. PMCAs regulate these pathways by targeting specific proteins to cellular sub-domains where the levels of intracellular freecalcium are kept low by the calcium ejection properties of PMCAs. According to this model, PMCAs have been shown to interact functionally with the calcium-sensitive proteins neuronal nitric oxide synthase, calmodulindependent serine protein kinase, calcineurin and endothelial nitric oxidase synthase. Transgenic animals with altered expression of PMCAs are being used to evaluate the physiological significance of these interactions. To date, PMCA interactions with calcium-dependent partner proteins have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system via regulation of the nitric oxide and calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T cells pathways. This new evidence suggests that PMCAs play a more sophisticated role than the mere ejection of calcium from the cells, by acting as modulators of signaling transduction pathways.

Electroacupuncture targeting the immune system to alleviate sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening inflammatory syndrome with high morbidity and mortality rates.However,options for sepsis are still limited to general treatment in intensive care units(ICUs),and effective therapies that improve sepsis survival are required.Immune disturbances play a vital role in the pathology of sepsis and are associated with protracted inflammation,susceptibility to infections,and death.Therefore,many investigators have focused on the potential benefits of immunomodulation therapy for sepsis.Electroacupuncture(EA)has been practiced in clinics for many years and has shown advantages in treating infectious diseases.Over the last few decades,our understanding of the efficacy and mechanisms of EA in sepsis has undergone considerable developments.We searched the literature regarding“CNKI,Wan Fang Data,VIP Database,PubMed,and Ingenta Connect”from 2010 to 2023,using the keywords“sepsis”“septic”and“electroacupuncture”and 336 sources were searched.Finally,we included 82 studies that targeted the immune system to determine EA’s anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects on sepsis.In this review,we found that EA has clinical benefits in relieving septic inflammation,improving immune function,and attenuating related multi-organ injury through several mechanisms,such as activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway(CAP),vagaladrenal axis,inhibition of the nuclear factor Kappa-B(NF-κB)signaling pathway,signal transducers and activators of transcription(STAT)signaling pathway,and improvement of immune cell function.Therefore,EA may be a promising complementary therapy for sepsis treatment.We also expect these data will contribute to further studies on EA in sepsis.

Inhibiting 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 3 alleviates pathological changes of a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Extracellular amyloid beta(Aβ) plaques are main pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease.However,the specific type of neuro ns that produce Aβ peptides in the initial stage of Alzheimer’s disease are unknown.In this study,we found that 5-hydroxytryptamin receptor 3A subunit(HTR3A) was highly expressed in the brain tissue of transgenic amyloid precursor protein and presenilin-1 mice(an Alzheimer’s disease model) and patients with Alzheimer’s disease.To investigate whether HTR3A-positive interneurons are associated with the production of Aβ plaques,we performed double immunostaining and found that HTR3A-positive interneurons were clustered around Aβ plaques in the mouse model.Some amyloid precursor protein-positive or β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme-1-positive neurites near Aβ plaques were co-localized with HTR3A interneurons.These results suggest that HTR3A-positive interneurons may partially contribute to the generation of Aβ peptides.We treated 5.0-5.5-month-old model mice with tro pisetron,a HTR3 antagonist,for 8 consecutive weeks.We found that the cognitive deficit of mice was partially reversed,Aβ plaques and neuroinflammation we re remarkably reduced,the expression of HTR3 was remarkably decreased and the calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T-cell 4 signaling pathway was inhibited in treated model mice.These findings suggest that HTR3A interneurons partly contribute to generation of Aβ peptide at the initial stage of Alzheimer’s disease and inhibiting HTR3 partly reve rses the pathological changes of Alzheimer’s disease.

针对NFAT信号途径的新型免疫抑制剂

免疫抑制剂cyclosporin A和FK-506通过抑制依赖钙调蛋白的磷酸酶calcineurin(CaN)的活性,阻断了活化T细胞核因子(NFAT)的活化,最终抑制了机体的免疫应答.然而,这种直接对CaN酶活性的破坏,使得这类药物具有严重的临床毒副作用.随着对NFAT调节机制的研究深入,近年来,人们运用各种试验方法、手段筛选了一些天然的以及合成的抑制剂,它们针对NFAT信号通路的下游靶点发挥作用,从而选择性更强,毒性更小,为临床抗移植排斥反应、自身免疫性疾病的治疗奠定了基础.本文综述了这方面的进展,并就这些抑制剂的特点进行了简单的分析,另提出了一些新的有治疗潜力的靶点.

消渴方基于CN/NFAT信号通路对2型糖尿病大鼠的干预效果研究

目的探讨消渴方对2型糖尿病模型大鼠钙调磷酸酶(CN)/活化T细胞因子(NFAT)信号通路的影响。方法选取45只清洁级Wistar大鼠,随机分为正常组、模型组、消渴方组各15只,模型组、消渴方组建立2型糖尿病模型。建模成功后,消渴方组大鼠给予消渴方灌胃,正常组和模型组大鼠给予等体积生理盐水灌胃,均连续15 d。灌胃结束后,取血检测血清糖脂代谢指标[空腹血糖(FPG)、总胆固醇(TC)、三酰甘油(TG)、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)]、胰岛功能指标[空腹胰岛素(FINS)、胰岛β细胞功能指数(HBCI)、胰岛β细胞分泌功能指数(FBCI)];取胰腺组织,采用HE染色法进行病理组织观察,采用免疫组化SP法进行胰岛β细胞胰岛素分泌情况观察,采用酶联免疫法检测胰腺组织中氧化应激损伤指标[丙二醛(MDA)、总超氧化物歧化酶(T-SOD)、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)],体外检测胰岛β细胞生长活力、存活率、凋亡率,采用Western blot法检测胰腺组织中CN/NFAT信号通路蛋白表达量。结果与正常组比较,模型组大鼠血清FPG、TC、TG、LDL-C水平及胰腺组织中MDA、TNF-α均明显升高(P均<0.05),血清HDL-C、FINS、HBCI、FBCI及胰腺组织中T-SOD均明显降低(P均<0.05);与模型组比较,消渴方组大鼠血清FPG、TC、TG、LDL-C水平及胰腺组织中MDA、TNF-α均明显降低(P均<0.05),血清HDL-C、FINS、HBCI、FBCI及胰腺组织中T-SOD均明显升高(P均<0.05)。模型组大鼠胰岛组织出现萎缩,胰岛素分泌量显著减少;消渴方组大鼠胰岛组织形态与正常组相似,胰岛素分泌量增加。与正常组比较,模型组大鼠胰岛β细胞生长活力、存活率及胰腺组织中PDX-1、Bcl-2蛋白表达量均明显降低(P均<0.05),胰岛β细胞凋亡率及胰腺组织中CN、NFATc1、Bax蛋白表达量均明显升高(P均<0.05);与模型组比较,消渴方组大鼠胰岛β细胞生长活力、存活率及胰腺组织中PDX-1、Bcl-2蛋白表达量均明显升高(P均<0.05),胰岛β细胞凋亡率及胰腺组织中CN、NFATc1、Bax蛋白表达量均明显降低(P均<0.05)。结论消渴方可改善2型糖尿病大鼠胰岛功能,减轻胰腺氧化应激反应,促进胰岛β细胞再生分化成熟,抑制胰岛β细胞凋亡,其机制可能与阻断CN/NFAT信号通路相关。