Aristolochic acid (AA) has been reported to cause a series of health problems, including aristolochic acid nephropathy and liver cancer. However, AA-containing herbs are highly safe in combination with berberine (Ber)-containing herbs in traditional medicine, suggesting the possible neutralizing effect of Ber on the toxicity of AA. In the present study, in vivo systematic toxicological experiments performed in zebrafish and mice showed that the supramolecule self-assembly formed by Ber and AA significantly reduced the toxicity of AA and attenuated AA-induced acute kidney injury. Ber and AA can self-assemble into linear heterogenous supramolecules (A–B) via electrostatic attraction and π–π stacking, with the hydrophobic groups outside and the hydrophilic groups inside during the drug combination practice. This self-assembly strategy may block the toxic site of AA and hinder its metabolism. Meanwhile, A–B linear supramolecules did not disrupt the homeostasis of gut microflora as AA did. RNA-sequence analysis, immunostaining, and western blot of the mice kidney also showed that A–B supramolecules almost abolished the acute nephrotoxicity of AA in the activation of the immune system and tumorigenesis-related pathways.
Min Zou,Jing-Yan Li,Meng-Jia Zhang,Jun-Hui Li,Jun-Tao Huang,Pei-Dan You,Shu-Wen Liu,Chun-Qiong Zhou
At present, there are still no anti-Zika virus (ZIKV) drugs or vaccines approved by FDA with accurate targets and antiviral mechanisms. Considering the RNA G-quadruplex sequences in ZIKV genome, it is very meaningful to develop G-quadruplex binders as potential anti-ZIKV drugs with novel and accurate targets. In this paper, five classical G-quadruplex binders including Ber , Braco 19 , NiL , 360A and PDS have been chosen to discuss their interaction with ZIKV RNA G-quadruplexes. PDS shows higher binding affinity and thermal stability than the other G-quadruplex binders. This property is further evidenced in cells by immunofluorescence microscopy. And PDS shows higher anti-ZIKV activity (EC 50 = 4.2 ± 0.4 μM) than the other G-quadruplex binders as well as the positive control ribavirin, with a low cytotoxicity. By time-of-addition assay, PDS exerts antiviral activity at the post-entry process of ZIKV replication cycle, thus inhibiting ZIKV mRNA replication and protein expression. Furthermore, PDS combines with ZIKV NS2B-NS3 protease and reduces its catalytic activity. This study suggests that G-quadruplex binder PDS is an effective multi-target ZIKV inhibitor, which provides more guidance to design some novel anti-ZIKV drugs targeting ZIKV RNA G-quadruplexes.
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）