AIM To explore the effect of Obtusifolin on retinal pigment epithelial cell growth under hypoxia. METHODS In vitro chemical hypoxia model of ARPE-19 cells was established using cobalt chloride (CoCl 2 ). Cell viability was tested by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were applied to detect proteins and mRNAs respectively. Flow cytometry was used to examine the cell cycle. Secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was tested by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS Under the chemical hypoxia model established by CoCl 2 , hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) mRNA and protein levels was up-regulated. Cell viability was increased and the proportion of S phase was higher. Obtusifolin could reduce cell viability under hypoxic conditions and arrest cells in G1 phase. Obtusifolin reduced the expression of Cyclin D1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the hypoxic environment and increased the expression of p53 and p21. The levels of VEGF, VEGFR2 and eNOS proteins and mRNA were significantly increased under hypoxia while Obtusifolin inhibited the increasing. CONCLUSION Obtusifolin can inhibit cell growth under hypoxic conditions and down-regulate HIF-1/VEGF/eNOS secretions in ARPE-19 cells.
Zhi-Wei He,Wei Wei,Su-Ping Li,Qian Ling,Kai-Jun Liao,Xuan Wang
Inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain are major health issues that represent considerable social and economic burden worldwide. In this study we investigated the potential of obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin, two anthraquinones found in the seeds of the widely used traditional Chinese medical botanical Cassia obtusifolia, to reduce neuropathic and inflammatory pain. The potential analgesic effects of obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin were evaluated by mice formalin test and complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced nociceptive behaviors in rats. Chronic constriction injury (CCI), L5 spinal nerve ligation (L5 SNL), diabetes, and chemotherapeutics inducing allodynia were used to test whether repeated treatment with obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin ameliorated neuropathic pain. Finally, we explored whether obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin altered the degree of neuroinflammation in rat spinal cord after CFA administration and CCI induction. Obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg) reduced licking/biting time in dose-dependent manner in phase 2 of formalin-induced behavior in mice. Furthermore, repeated administration of obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg) reversed mechanical allodynia induced by CFA, CCI, L5 SNL, diabetes, and oxaliplatin in a dose-dependent manner in rats. Levels of activated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)) in lumbar spinal cord were elevated in rats following CFA treatment and CCI induction, and obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin significantly inhibited these effects. Our results demonstrate that obtusifolin and gluco-obtusifolin produce significant antinociceptive action in rodent behavioral models of inflammatory/neuropathic pain, and that this activity is associated with modulation of neuroinflammation in spinal cord.