Yixin Sun,Danyang Guo,Saiding Yue,Mingyan Zhou,Dongxu Wang,Fengjiao Chen,Lingling Wang
Background Doxorubicin (DOX), a chemotherapeutic drug, could relieve the progressions of various diseases. However, its clinical application is limited due to its cardiotoxicity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of afzelin (a flavonol glycoside found in Houttuynia cordata ) on the cardiotoxicity induced by DOX. Methods In ex-vivo, H9C2 cells were incubated with 20, 40, or 80 μM afzelin for 12 h, followed by the treatment with 1 μM DOX for 12 h. In vivo, C57BL/6 J mice were intraperitoneally injected with 4 mg/kg/day DOX on days 1, 7, and 14. Meanwhile, starting from day 1, mice were intragastrically administrated with 5 mg/kg/day or 10 mg/kg/day afzelin for 20 days. The cardiac function of mice was evaluated by detecting hemodynamic parameters using the M-mode echocardiography. Results DOX decreased the cell survival rate, and elevated apoptotic rate, as well as induced the oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in H9C2 cells. All these changes were alleviated by afzelin treatment in a concentration-dependent manner. The results were further proven by the mitigation of cardiac injury in vivo, as evidenced by the elevation of fractional shortening, heart weight/tibia length, and the rate of the increase/decrease of left ventricular pressure in mice subjected to DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Furthermore, afzelin upregulated the expression of p-AMP-activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKα) and sirtuin1 (SIRT1). Dorsomorphin (an AMPKα inhibitor) abrogated the anti-cardiotoxicity effects of afzelin in H9C2 cells induced by DOX. Conclusion Afzelin protected against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by promoting the AMPKα/SIRT1 signaling pathway.
Fucosylated chondroitin sulfate from Pearsonothuria graeffei (FCS- Pg ), a natural macromolecular polysaccharide, has been proven to prevent obesity, but its underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. C57BL/6 J mice fed on high fat diet (HFD) were administered FCS- Pg lasting for ten weeks. The results demonstrated that FCS- Pg supplementation reduced body weight with dosage manner compared with HFD group. The expressions of intestinal lipid synthesis related proteins such as cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) in FCS- Pg group were lower than those in the HFD group. Compared with the normal group, HFD caused gut microbiota disorder in the colon. FCS- Pg supplementation at high dosage restored the gut microbiota composition with higher abundance of Alistipes and Bacteroidetes and lower abundance of Colidextribacter , Bilophila and Firmicutes compared with HFD group. Moreover, FCS- Pg decreased the expression of proteins involved in triglyceride synthesis such as glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (GPD1) and increased the expression of proteins involved in lipolysis and thermogenesis such as adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in the white adipose tissue (WAT) compared with HFD group. In conclusion, our study suggested that FCS- Pg significantly prevented obesity and improved WAT function in HFD-fed mice by regulating intestinal lipid metabolism and microflora composition.