Exploring the mechanism of icariin in regulat⁃ing cardiac microvascular endothelial cells based on network pharmacology,molecular docking and in vitro experiments

OBJECTIVE To investigate the regulatory effects of icariin(ICA)on cardiac micro⁃vascular endothelial cells(CMEC)after oxygenglucose deprivation reperfusion(OGD/R)injury.METHODS CMEC were subjected to OGD/R treatment to construct a myocardial ischemiareperfusion model,and were divided into normal,model,low(10μmol·L^(-1)),medium(20μmol·L^(-1))and high(40μmol·L^(-1))ICA group,and high ICA+inhibitor group(40μmol·L^(-1)+20 nmol·L^(-1)).CCK-8 assay was used to assess the protective ability of ICA against CMEC,and cell migration assay and tube-formation assay were used to detect the migration and generation ability of CMEC.The TCMSP database,Swiss-Target database and literature mining methods were used to col⁃lect ICA-related targets,the GeneCards data⁃base was used to collect target genes related to myocardial ischemia/reperfusion,and Cytoscape 3.8.0 software was used to construct a"drug-tar⁃get-disease"network.The potential targets were imported into STRING 11.5 database to obtain the PPI network.GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed on the potential targets using the DAVID database.Molecular docking was performed using AutoDock-vina 1.1.2 soft⁃ware.Western blot detected the expression of related proteins.RESULTS After CMEC was subjected to OGD/R treatment,ICA had a protec⁃tive effect at 10^(-1)60μmol·L^(-1);the results of the cell migration assay showed that each group of ICA could promote the migratory effect of CMEC(P<0.01,P<0.01);and the results of tube-for⁃mation assay showed that each group of ICA could significantly promote the generation of branches(P<0.01)and the capillary length exten⁃sion(P<0.05).Network pharmacology collected a total of 23 ICA action targets,1500 disease tar⁃gets and 12 key targets.GO function enrichment analysis found 85 results.KEGG pathway enrich⁃ment analysis found 53 results,involving AGERAGE signaling pathway,sphingolipid signaling pathway and VEGF signaling pathway.Molecu⁃lar docking results showed that ICA had better binding with core targets PRKCB,PRKCA and PTGS2.Western blot results showed that ICA could regulate the expression of PRKCB,PRKCA and PTGS2 proteins.The results of cell migra⁃tion assay,tube-formation assay and protein expression were reversed after addition of PKC inhibitor.CONCLUSION The potential mecha⁃nism of action of ICA against myocardial isch⁃emia-reperfusion injury may be related to the reg⁃ulation of processes such as CMEC migration and angiogenesis,and it functions through the key target gene PKC.

Clinical characteristics of Danshen Ligustrazine injection in the treatment of coronary heart disease with hypertension-A real world study

Objective:To explore the characteristics and rules of Danshen Ligustrazine Injection in the treatment of coronary heart disease with hypertension.Methods:From the information systems of 12 tertiary tier-one hospitals across the country,we extracted the medical data of the application of Danshen Ligustrazine Injection in the treatment of patients with coronary heart disease and hypertension.After normalization,the model was established by Apriori algorithm,and the association rules were analyzed by Clementine 12.0 software.Results:Most of the 1928 patients were between 75 and 90 years old(54.26%).There were more males than females,most with type 2 diabetes,cerebral infarction,etc.Each dose was more than 10 mL(52.78%).Aspirin enteric-coated tablets(67.63%),L-carnitine injection(58.77%),and atorvastatin calcium capsules(50.93%)were often used in combination with safflower yellow pigment(22.20%),Shexiang Baoxin Pill(16.55%),Suxiao Jiuxin Pill(15.09%);the most commonly used combination of western medicine was anticoagulant thrombolytic and antiplatelet drugs(85.84%),and the type of Chinese medicine was Huoxuehuayu(72.98%);The most common combination of two western medicines was L-carnitine injection+aspirin enteric-coated tablets,with a support of 41.9%;The most common combination of two Chinese and western medicines is western medicine·anti-anginal medicine+western medicine·anticoagulant thrombolytic and antiplatelet drugs with a support of 67.6%.Conclusion:Danshen Ligustrazine injection is mainly used in elderly patients with coronary heart disease and hypertension,with many comorbidities.The dosage standard needs to be optimized.The combination of drugs and guidelines should coordinate with each other,which provide clues for clinical diagnosis and treatment and optimization of medication.

Mechanism of'Invigorating Qi and Promoting Blood Circulation'Drug Pair Ginseng-Danshen on Treatment of Ischemic Heart Disease Based on Network Pharmacology

Objective:Using network pharmacology to explore the mechanism of the'invigorating qi and promoting blood circulation'drug pair Ginseng-Danshen(Salvia miltiorrhiza)on treatment of ischemic heart disease(IHD).Methods:The chemical constituents of ginseng and Danshen drug pair were identified by searching the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP),and the potential targets of the pair were identified.The pharmacodynamics of the pair was analyzed using network pharmacology.The targets of IHD were identified by database screening.Using protein-protein interaction network,the interaction targets of Ginseng-Danshen on IHD were constructed.A"constituent-target-disease"interaction network was constructed using Cytoscape software,Gene Ontology(GO)term enrichment analysis and biological pathway enrichment analysis were carried out,and the mechanism of improving myocardial ischemia by the Ginseng-Danshen drug pair was investigated.Results:Seventeen active constituents and 53 targets were identified from ginseng,53 active constituents and 61 targets were identified from Danshen,and 32 protein targets were shared by ginseng and Danshen.Twenty GO terms were analyzed,including cytokine receptor binding,cytokine activity,heme binding,and antioxidant activity.Sixty Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathways were analyzed,including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-serine-threonine kinase(PI3 K-AKT)signaling pathway,p53 signaling pathway,interleukin 17 signaling pathway,tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway,and the advanced glycation end product(AGE)-the receptor for AGE(RAGE)signaling pathway in diabetic complications.Conclusion:The specific mechanism of Ginseng-Danshen drug pair in treating IHD may be associated with improving the changes of metabolites inbody,inhibiting the production of peroxides,removing the endogenous oxygen free radicals,regulating the expression of inflammatory factors,reducing myocardial cell apoptosis and promoting vascular regeneration.

Research Progress on the Pharmacological Mechanisms of Chinese Medicines that Tonify Qi and Activate Blood Against Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury(CIRI) refers to a pathological phenomenon that aggravates the injury after the restoration of blood perfusion and oxygen supply to the cerebral ischemia-induced tissues and organs, with a relatively high incidence. The traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) believes that Qi deficiency and blood stasis are the cause of CIRI. Therefore, Chinese medicine for tonifying Qi and activating blood is regarded as an important choice for the treatment of CIRI. In recent years, it has been found that many Chinese herbal medical ingredients and compound Chinese medicine(CCM) have significant anti-CIRI effects, and their mechanisms of action mainly include improving brain blood supply, neuroprotection, regulating signal pathways such as TLR4/HO-1/Bcl-2, protecting mitochondrial function, regulating related protein levels, and regulating oxidative molecule levels. This article summarizes and introduces the pharmacological mechanisms of Tonifying-Qi and activating-blood Chinese medicine and CCM which have the function of anti-CIRI. Our goal is to provide effective reference for further researches on the cerebral protection of related TCMs or compounds and their clinical application.

Baicalin inhibits cell growth and induces autophagy via AMPK/ULK1 activation in MDA-MB-231 cells

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of Baicalin,a natural flavonoid compound derived from Scutellariabaicalensis Georgi,in the triple-negative human breast cancer cell line MDAMB-231.METHODS Cel s(1.0×105mL-1)were seeded in96-well plates,6-well plates or 25 cm2flasks.After overnight incubation,various concentrations of Baicalin were added to cells for another 48 h.Cell viability was measured using XTT Assay.Cell growth and migration was measured using colony formation assay and wound healing assay,autophagy-related proteins were observed using Western blotting analysis.RESULTS A dose-dependent decrease in cell viability was induced by Baicalin(IC50=48.6μg·m L-1).The colony-forming activity of MDA-MB-231 cells was significantly reduced by various concentrations of baicalin(25,50,100μg·m L-1)(85.2±12.7%,41.3±12.3%,19.6±6.6%).Wound healing assay showed that the recovery rateof baicalin-treated groups(25,50,100μg·m L-1)were significantly lower than those of the untreated group(88.3±15.1%,52.1±15.5%,28.3±9.6%).Western blot showed that the AMP-activated protein kinase and ULK1 was clearly up-regulated and activated by Baicalin(25,50,100μg·m L-1)in a dose-dependent manner,and the expression level of autophagic marker Beclin-1 and LC3A/B was also unregulated by the same treatment.CONCLUSION The study revealed that baicalin interferes with breast cancer growth by inducing autophagy,which at least in part through AMPK/ULK1 activation.

Pathophysiological Characteristics of Phlegm-stasis Cementation Syndrome in Coronary Heart Disease:a Review and Update

The pathophysiological characteristics of Phlegm-stasis Cementation Syndrome in Coronary Heart Disease(CHD) has been summarized in this article. According to epidemiological investigations, phlegm-stasis cementation syndrome has become a dominant syndrome in CHD along with the improvement in living and dietary condition. The interaction between blood stasis and phlegm turbidity that is called Phlegmstasis Cementation Syndrome exists in CHD and other diseases. The bridge linked blood stasis and phlegm turbidity lies in the adversely effects of lipid metabolism disorder on platelet activation, vascular function and hemorheology indexes. Lipid metabolism disorder also can induce persistent inflammation including monocyte/macrophage activation and oxidative stress. Inflammation also is an important stimulating factor for atherosclerosis and the biology that underlies the complications of CHD,which belonged to the concept of "toxin" in Traditional Chinese medicines(TCM). On the other hand, the important function of inflammatory process on abnormal hemorheology,platelet activation and vascular dysfunction can be used to elucidate the basic pathogenetic condition of the toxin inducing blood stasis in TCM. Therefore, it is this pathological process that can be used to address the basic pathogenetic theory of phlegm turbidity inducing the symptom of toxin and blood stasis, and subsequently phlegm-stasis cementation in TCM. We deduced that lipid metabolic disturbance,inflammation activation, vascular dyfunction and hemorheological disorders could be as pathophysiological characteristics of Phlegm-stasis cementation syndrome.

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.

Three previously undescribed steroidal glycoalkaloids from Solanum lyratum and their anti-tumor activities

In the present study,three previously undescribed steroidal glycoalkaloids(compounds 1–3)were isolated from Solanum lyratum.Their structures were elucidated based on comprehensive spectroscopic data.Their anti-angiogenesis and anti-metastatic activities were evaluated by MTT and wound-healing assays,respectively.Tumor-derived vascular endothelial cells(TdECs),obtained by co-culture of A549 and human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs),were treated with compounds 1–3.Results showed that compounds 1–3 significantly inhibited the migration of TdECs at 25μM despite the weak cytotoxic activities,which indicated that the compounds exerted anti-tumor activities by inhibiting metastasis,rather than directly inhibiting the proliferation of TdECs.