The lipid homeostasis regulation study of arenobufagin in zebrafish HepG2 xenograft model and HepG2 cells using integrated lipidomics-proteomics approach
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
Authors: Zhao, Li-Juan; Zhao, Hai-Yu; Wei, Xiao-Lu; Guo, Fei-Fei; Wei, Jun-Ying; Wang, Hong-Jie; Yang, Jian; Yang, Zhi-Gang; Si, Nan; Bian, Bao-Lin
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Arenobufagin (ArBu) is an important anti-tumor ingredient of Chan'su which has long been used as traditional Chinese medicine in clinic for tumor therapy in China. Aim of the study: The purpose of our study is to investigate the lipid homeostasis regulation effects of ArBu on zebrafish model of liver cancer and hepatoma cells, and to provide a reference for further clarifying its active mechanisms. Materials and methods: The zebrafish xenograft model was established by injecting HepG2 cells stained with CM-Dil red fluorescent dye. Both the xenograft model and HepG2 cells were used to evaluate the anti-hepatoma activity of ArBu. High performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was the main method to study lipidomics, proteomics and the semiquantification of endogenous metabolites. Bioinformatics was used as an assistant tool to further explore the antitumor mechanism of ArBu. Results: The lipidomics analysis revealed that ArBu caused differential lipids changes in a dose-dependent manner, including PCs, PEs, TGs, SMs, DGs, Cer and PA. PCs, PEs, SMs and TGs were markedly altered in both two models. The influence of glycerophospholipid metabolism was the major and commonly affected pathway. Notably, DGs and Cer were significantly changed only in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, the proteomics research in HepG2 cells fished the target proteins related to lipid homeostasis abnormalities and tumor suppression. ArBu reduced the expression of 65 differential proteins associated with the lipid metabolism, apoptosis and autophagy, such as LCLAT1, STAT3, TSPO and RPS27. Meanwhile, 7 amino acids of 29 determined metabolites were significantly changed, including tyrosine, glutamate, glutamine, leucine, threonine, arginine and isoleucine. Conclusion: ArBu has a significant anti-hepatoma effect in vitro and a therapeutic effect on zebrafish xenograft model. It regulated the lipid homeostasis. Activated SM synthase and arginine deiminase, inhibited sphingomyelinase, amino acid supply and JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway, and the affected glycerophospholipid metabolism might explain these results.
Uncovering the mechanism of Jueyin granules in the treatment of psoriasis using network pharmacology
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
Authors: Kuai, Le; Song, Jian-kun; Zhang, Ruo-xi; Xing, Meng; Luo, Ying; Ru, Yi; Ding, Xiao-jie; Liu, Liu; Lu, Yi; Sun, Xiao-ying; Nian, Hua; Li, Xin; Li, Bin
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Our clinical practice demonstrated that Jueyin granules (JYG) benefit patients with mild to moderate psoriasis vulgaris without apparent adverse effects. JYG have been shown to inhibit epidermal proliferation in an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like mouse model, as well as keratinocyte proliferation. Moreover, JYG causes no acute or chronic toxicity in animal models. However, its related molecular mechanism has still not been elucidated. Aim of the study: To assess the mechanism of JYG against psoriasis. Materials and methods: This study combined network pharmacology analysis with experiments to investigate the mechanism of JYG against psoriasis. First, the molecular docking technology was used to construct the network of medicinal materials-core active plant ingredients-core targets and identify possible drug targets. Next, highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for quality control of JYG. Finally, a mice model of psoriasis was used to further verify the effects of JYG. Results: (1) Molecular docking analysis of network pharmacology revealed that the therapeutic effects of JYG on psoriasis might be achieved through Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) effects. (2) The concentrations of chlorogenic acid and paeoniflorin were determined using HPLC to establish quality control of JYG. (3) JYG ameliorated pathological characteristics that included in vivo reductions in erythema, scale, and infiltration scores of back and ear lesions in IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mice. Moreover, a reduced number of PCNA-positive and Ki67-positive cells were observed in the epidermis of JYG-treated lesions. JYG also reduced inflammation (interleukin (IL)-17, IL-23) in the peripheral blood of IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mice. As expected, JYG was found to upregulate VDR expression and downregulate p-STAT3 expression in the IMQ group, which may contribute to its mechanism against psoriasis. Conclusion: Overall, this study clarifies the mechanism of JYG against psoriasis and provides evidence to support its clinical use.