Xuezhikang contributes to greater triglyceride reduction than simvastatin in hypertriglyceridemia rats by up-regulating apolipoprotein A5 via the PPAR alpha signaling pathway
PLOS ONE
Authors: Zhao, Shui-ping; Li, Rong; Dai, Wen; Yu, Bi-lian; Chen, Lu-zhu; Huang, Xian-sheng
Abstract
Xuezhikang (XZK), an extract of Chinese red yeast rice, is recommended as an optimal choice for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) with markedly elevated triglyceride (TG) levels. This study was designed to compare the hypotriglyceridemic effects between XZK and simvastatin. The role of apolipoprotein A5 (apoA5), a key regulator of TG metabolism and a target gene of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor a (PPAR alpha), was to be identified in XZK-related hypotriglyceridemic actions. For these goals, hypertriglyceridemia of rats was induced by a high-fructose diet. In order to investigate the hypotriglyceridemic effects of XZK and simvastatin on these animals based on an equivalent low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering power, we titrated their doses (XZK 80 mg/kg/d versus simvastatin 1 mg/kg/d) according to plasma LDL-C reduction of rats. Similarly, we titrated the target doses of the two agents (XZK 500 mu g/ml versus simvastatin 10 mu M) according to hepatocyte LDL receptor expressions, and then compared the effects of the two agents on TG and apoA5 of hepatocytes in vitro. Our results showed that XZK (80 mg/kg/d) had higher hypotriglyceridemic performance than simvastatin (1 mg/kg/d) on these animals albeit their equivalent LDL-C lowering power. Higher plasma apoA5 levels and hepatic apoA5 expressions were observed in rats treated with XZK (80 mg/kg/d) than simvastatin (1 mg/kg/d). Further, XZK (80 mg/kg/d) contributed to higher hepatic PPARa expressions of rats than simvastatin (1 mg/kg/d). Although the two agents led to an equivalent up-regulation of LDL receptors of hepatocytes, more TG reduction and apoA5 elevation were detected in hepatocytes treated with XZK (500 mu g/ml) than simvastatin (10 mu M). However, PPARa knockdown eliminated the above effects of XZK on hepatocytes. Therefore, our study indicates that XZK has greater hypotriglyceridemic performance than simvastatin in the setting of an equivalent LDL-C lowering power, which is attributed to more apoA5 up-regulation by this agent via the PPARa signaling pathway.
The Role of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARs) in Pan-Cancer
PPAR RESEARCH
Authors: Huang, Runzhi; Zhang, Jiaqi; Li, Mingxiao; Yan, Penghui; Yin, Huabin; Zhai, Suna; Zhu, Xiaolong; Hu, Peng; Zhang, Jiaxin; Huang, Ling; Li, Man; Sun, Zehui; Meng, Tong; Yang, Daoke; Huang, Zongqiang
Abstract
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are members of nuclear transcription factors. The functions of the PPAR family (PPARA, PPARD, and PPARG) and their coactivators (PPARGC1A and PPARGC1B) in maintenance of lipid and glucose homeostasis have been unveiled. However, the roles of PPARs in cancer development remain elusive. In this work, we made use of 11,057 samples across 33 TCGA tumor types to analyze the relationship between PPAR transcriptional expression and tumorigenesis as well as drug sensitivity. We performed multidimensional analyses on PPARA, PPARG, PPARD, PPARGC1A, and PPARGC1B, including differential expression analysis in pan-cancer, immune subtype analysis, clinical analysis, tumor purity analysis, stemness correlation analysis, and drug responses. PPARs and their coactivators expressed differently in different types of cancers, in different immune subtypes. This analysis reveals various expression patterns of the PPAR family at a level of pan-cancer and provides new clues for the therapeutic strategies of cancer.