Icariin Is A PPAR alpha Activator Inducing Lipid Metabolic Gene Expression in Mice
MOLECULES
Authors: Lu, Yuan-Fu; Xu, Yun-Yan; Jin, Feng; Wu, Qin; Shi, Jing-Shan; Liu, Jie
Abstract
Icariin is effective in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. To understand the effect of icariin on lipid metabolism, effects of icariin on PPAR alpha and its target genes were investigated. Mice were treated orally with icariin at doses of 0, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, or clofibrate (500 mg/kg) for five days. Liver total RNA was isolated and the expressions of PPARa and lipid metabolism genes were examined. PPARa and its marker genes Cyp4a10 and Cyp4a14 were induced 2-4 fold by icariin, and 4-8 fold by clofibrate. The fatty acid (FA) binding and co-activator proteins Fabp1, Fabp4 and Acsl1 were increased 2-fold. The mRNAs of mitochondrial FA beta-oxidation enzymes (Cpt1a, Acat1, Acad1 and Hmgcs2) were increased 2-3 fold. The mRNAs of proximal beta-oxidation enzymes (Acox1, Ech1, and Ehhadh) were also increased by icariin and clofibrate. The expression of mRNAs for sterol regulatory element-binding factor-1 (Srebf1) and FA synthetase (Fasn) were unaltered by icariin. The lipid lysis genes Lipe and Pnpla2 were increased by icariin and clofibrate. These results indicate that icariin is a novel PPARa agonist, activates lipid metabolism gene expressions in liver, which could be a basis for its lipid-lowering effects and its beneficial effects against diabetes.
Ech1 is a potent suppressor of lymphatic metastasis in hepatocarcinoma
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
Authors: Zhang, Jun; Sun, Mingzhong; Li, Rongkuan; Liu, Shuqing; Mao, Jun; Huang, Yuhong; Wang, Bo; Hou, Li; Ibrahim, Mohammed Mohammed; Tang, Jianwu
Abstract
We have previously demonstrated that Ech1 is involved in the lymphatic metastasis of tumors in vitro. Here, we gain an insight into the role that Ech1 is playing in Hca-F cell. The expression of Annexin A7, Gelsolin and Clic1 genes, which were also relevant to tumor lymphatic metastasis, had been inhibited due to downregulation Ech1 gene by Western blot analysis. And downregulated of Ech1 inhibits the metastasic capability of Hca-F cells to peripheral lymph nodes in vivo. Our work indicates although the involvement of Ech1 in tumor metastasis development and progression, but the subcellular location of Ech1 has not much contribution to that. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.