BIOLOGICAL TRACE ELEMENT RESEARCH
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2026
·
IF 4.3
Ngwe Phar Ku,Zhu Jing,Ling Hao,Gao Mengmeng,Guo Chengxiang,Hu Yinan,Wang Jicang
Lead (Pb), a persistent and highly toxic environmental contaminant, induces severe multi-organ toxicity, with the liver as a primary target. Naringenin (Nar), a natural flavonoid with established antioxidant properties, shows potential in mitigating chemical-induced liver injury; however, its protective mechanism against Pb hepatotoxicity remains unclear. This study investigated the hepatoprotective effects and underlying mechanisms of Nar in Pb-exposed rats. Thirty-six five-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups ( n = 6): control, three Pb-treated groups (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg), co-treatment group (60 mg/kg Pb + 50 mg/kg Nar), and Nar-alone group (50 mg/kg). After 8 weeks, Pb exposure induced significant liver injury, evidenced by histopathological lesions (e.g., central venous congestion and inflammation), elevated serum levels of ALT, AST, and LDH, and oxidative stress (increased MDA; decreased CAT, T-SOD, and GSH). At the molecular level, Pb exposure suppressed the Nrf2/NQO1 pathway, upregulated Keap1, and impaired autophagic flux, as indicated by a decreased LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, accumulated p62, and a disrupted PINK1/Parkin pathway. Corroborating the impaired flux, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed an accumulation of autophagic vacuoles, indicative of blocked autophagic degradation. Crucially, Nar co-treatment effectively mitigated these Pb-induced disturbances by activating the Nrf2/NQO1 pathway to counteract oxidative stress and restored autophagic flux, which was supported by the reversal of p62 accumulation and normalization of the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio. In conclusion, Nar protects against Pb-induced hepatotoxicity by concurrently alleviating oxidative stress and restoring autophagic function, supporting its potential as a therapeutic agent. Graphical
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高影响因子
INFLAMMATION
·
2021
·Vol. 44
·期 5
·1993-2005
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IF 4.092
Wu Yuqin,Fan Lin,Wang Yun,Ding Jing,Wang Rongfu
This study is aimed at exploring the potential of isorhamnetin in protection against diabetes-exacerbated ischemia/reperfusion-induced brain injury and elucidating its action mechanism. After establishment of the model of high glucose (HG)-aggravated oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R), HT22 cell viability was detected by CCK-8. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, casapase-3 activity, and oxidative stress-related markers in HT22 cells were detected by corresponding commercial kits. The apoptosis of HG-treated HT22 cells following OGD/R was observed with TUNEL staining. The level of pro-inflammatory cytokines was examined by ELISA. The expression of Akt/SIRT1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling-related proteins was assayed by Western blot. The results showed that HG noticeably worsened the OGD/R-induced apoptosis of HT22 cells. Isorhamnetin relieved the HG-aggravated OGD/R-induced apoptosis, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress of HT22 cells. Isorhamnetin alleviated the HG-aggravated OGD/R injury in HT22 cells through Akt/SIRT1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. Meanwhile, treatment with Akt inhibitor LY294002 reversed the protective effects of isorhamnetin against HG-aggravated OGD/R injury in HT22 cells. In a conclusion, Isorhamnetin alleviates HG-aggravated OGD/R in HT22 hippocampal neurons through Akt/SIRT1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.
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Journal of Ovarian Research
·
2024
·Vol. 17
·期 1
·1-17
·
IF 3.8
Sui Xue,Gao Bingqing,Zhang Liu,Wang Yanmin,Ma Junnan,Wu Xingchen,Zhou Chenyu,Liu Min,Zhang Lin
Background Cisplatin (DDP) is one of the most effective anticancer drugs, commonly used to treat advanced ovarian cancer (OC). However, DDP has significant limitations of platinum-based drugs, including chemical resistance and high-dose toxic side effects. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) often presented in the form of formula, in which the herb pair was the basic unit. Scutellaria barbata D.Don and Hedyotis diffusa Willd (SB-HD) are famous TCMs herb pair that have been shown to help treat multiple types of cancers. However, the synergistic effects and mechanism of combination of SB-HD and DDP to enhance DDP chemosensitivity in OC are still unknown.Results In vitro, we found that the optimal proportion of SB-HD to inhibit the proliferation of OC cells was 2:1, SB-HD and DDP were shown to synergistically reduce the viability of OC cells, inhibit the colony formation, promote cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as well as inhibit cell migration and invasion. In vivo, combination treatment significantly inhibited the growth of subcutaneous tumors in BALB/c nude mice and reduced the toxic side effects of DDP. Mechanistically, SB-HD and DDP combination treatment significantly promoted oxidative stress response, decreased MMP, inhibited ATP production, decreased ROS levels and increased SOD activity, increased the expression of NRF2, HO-1, ATG5 and LC3, decreased the expression of p62 and FTH1 both in OC cells and tumor tissue of mice. Inhibitor 3-MA (Methyladenine, autophagy inhibitor) and Fer-1 (Ferrostatin-1, iron ion inhibitor) can effectively reverse the expression changes of the key target proteins, but not ZnPP (Zinc protoporphyrin, HO-1 inhibitor). Through bioinformatics analysis, it was found that the abnormal expression level of NRF2 and FTH1 mRNA has a high prognostic value, at the same time, the other four key proteins respectively or interacting with NRF2 and FTH1, also play important roles in the occurrence and development of OC.Conclusion Our findings uncover a synergistic effect of SB-HD and DDP against OC through modulating oxidative stress via NRF2-FTH1 autophagic degradation pathway, which may provide an important theoretical foundation for the use of SB-HD and a new strategy for enhancing DDP chemosensitivity as well as reducing toxic side effects.
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Foods
·
2025
·Vol. 14
·期 10
·1707
·
IF 5.1
Li Li,Ying Hu,Yu-Mei Wang,Xiao-Xue Wu,Si-Tong Lin,Hang Li,Ji Zhang,Guo-Rong Fan,Zong-De Wang,Bin Wang,Shang-Xing Chen
In this study, we systematically investigated the mechanisms of the antioxidation and anti-lipid accumulation effects of antioxidant peptides fromLitsea cubebaon a free fatty acid (FFA)-induced NAFLD model of HepG2 cells. The NAFLD cell model was constructed by inducing the HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line with 0.5 mmol/L FFAs, and AQRDAGLL, QEGPFVR, and DVPPPRGPL were given to the culture to study their lipid-lowering and antioxidant activities on NAFLD cells. The lipid-lowering activities of the three antioxidant peptides were evaluated by Oil Red O staining and TG and TC content assays, and the results showed that all three peptides had strong ameliorating effects on FFA-induced lipid accumulation in NAFLD cells. The intracellular antioxidant protease (CAT, GSH, and SOD) activity levels and lipid peroxidation (MDA) content were measured and intracellular ROS levels were detected. The results showed that after intervention with the antioxidant peptides, the intracellular ROS levels in the NAFLD model cells were significantly reduced, the SOD and CAT activities were increased, the GSH content was elevated, and the MDA content was reduced, which indicated that AQRDAGLL, QEGPFVR, and DVPPPRGPL were able to inhibit the oxidative stress of the cells effectively and to achieve the effect of intervening in NAFLD. JC-1 fluorescence staining experiments showed that the mitochondrial membrane potential function of NAFLD cells was restored under the effect of the antioxidant peptides. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the main driving force between QEGPFVR and Keap1 protein was van der Waals forces, ΔG = −62.11 kcal/mol, which indicated that QEGPFVR was capable of spontaneously binding to Keap1 protein.
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INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
·
2025
·
IF 4.7
Man Zheng,Fenglei Zhang,Xiang Gong,Haitao Yuan
The oxidative damage to vascular endothelial cells induced by smoking represents a significant pathogenic factor in the development of atherosclerosis. In the present study, we isolated ginseng oligopeptide extract (GOE), which emerges as a promising candidate for protecting human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) from nicotine-induced oxidative stress. The underlying mechanisms were also explored. The GOE effectively reversed the decline in cell viability and protected HAECs from nicotine-induced oxidative damage by inhibiting the overproduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) while preserving superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. We identified five ginseng oligopeptides (GOPs) as the primary components of GOE. Furthermore, we demonstrated that GOE significantly alleviated nicotine-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in HAECs while promoting the nitric oxide (NO) release and the expression of GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GTPCH1). Although the precise mechanism through which GOE mitigates nicotine-induced oxidative stress in HAECs remains to be fully elucidated, our findings indicate that GOP-1–5 serve as bioactive constituents of GOE and play a significant synergistic role in reducing nicotine-induced apoptosis and oxidative damages in HAECs. This is achieved through modulation of cellular antioxidant systems via maintaining balance within the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. These findings suggest that GOE may function as a potential therapeutic agent against cigarette smoking-induced atherosclerosis.
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高影响因子
TOXICOLOGY
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2016
·
IF 3.817
Xu Wang,Yijie Bai,Guyue Cheng,Awais Ihsan,Feng Zhu,Yulian Wang,Yanfei Tao,Dongmei Chen,Menghong Dai,Zhengli Liu,Zonghui Yuan
Quinoxaline 1,4-dioxides (QdNOs) are widely used as a kind of antibacterial growth promoter in animal husbandry. The adrenal cortex was found to be one of the main toxic targets of QdNOs, accompanied by a decreased aldosterone level. However, the way in which QdNOs decrease production of the hormone aldosterone is far from clear. To illustrate the mechanism by which QdNOs damage the adrenal cortex and decrease aldosterone hormone levels, the QdNOs were screened to choose the drug with most toxic effects on aldosterone production, and then to reveal the mechanism between the gene and protein profiles in human adrenocortical cells (NCI-H295R cells). The results found that quinocetone (QCT) showed the highest adrenal toxic effect among QdNOs. After exposing H295R cells to 10 and 20 μM QCT for 24 h, compared with blank cells, the gene and protein expression profiles obtained were analyzed by microarray and MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry, respectively. The results of microarray analysis suggested that ABCG1 and SREBF1, which were involved in the cholesterol biosynthetic and metabolic processes, and CYP17A1, NR4A2 and G6PD, which were related to aldosterone biosynthesis, were important molecular targets. It has been speculated that PKC and ERK pathways might be involved in the reduction of aldosterone production caused by QCT, through enhanced mRNA expression of CYP17A1. Additionally, JNK and p38MAPK signal transduction pathways might participate in apoptosis induced by QCT. Twenty-nine and 32 protein spots were successfully identified when cells were treated with 10 and 20 μM QCT, respectively. These identified proteins mainly included material synthesis and energy metabolism-related proteins, transcription/translation processing-related proteins, signal transduction proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, molecular chaperones, proteins related to response to stress, and transport proteins. Further investigations suggested that oxidative stress caused by QCT was exacerbated through disruption of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE anti-oxidative stress pathway. Taken together, the data demonstrated for the first time that the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway plays a crucial role in adrenal toxicity, and that CYP17A1 was the key switch to reduce the aldosterone production induced by QCT. Furthermore, large numbers of genes and proteins and entry points for research in the inhibition of aldosterone synthesis induced by QCT were offered, which will provide new insight into the adrenal toxicity of QdNOs and help to provide a theoretical foundation for the formulation of safety controls for products obtained from animals and to design new QdNOs with less harmful effects.
研究领域:
毒理学
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药理学
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内分泌学
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分子生物学
·
细胞生物学
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Advanced Healthcare Materials
·
2023
·
IF 10
Bijun Zhu,Jiangjiexing Wu,Tong Li,Songtao Liu,Junheng Guo,Yijun Yu,Xinyi Qiu,Yue Zhao,Haoran Peng,Jinli Zhang,Leiying Miao,Hui Wei
The use of oxidoreductase nanozymes to regulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) has gradually emerged in periodontology treatments. However, current nanozymes for treating periodontitis eliminate ROS extensively and non-specifically, ignoring the physiological functions of ROS under normal conditions, which may result in uncontrolled side effects. Herein, using the MIL-47(V)-F (MVF) nanozyme, which mimics the function of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), we propose that ROS can be properly regulated by specifically eliminating H 2 O 2 , the most prominent ROS. Through H 2 O 2 elimination, MVF contributes to limiting inflammation, regulating immune microenvironment, and promoting periodontal regeneration. Moreover, MVF stimulates osteogenic differentiation of periodontal stem cells directly, further promoting regeneration due to the vanadium in MVF. Mechanistically, MVF regulates ROS by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and promotes osteogenic differentiation directly through the PI3K/Akt pathway. We present a promising periodontitis therapy strategy using GPx-mimicking nanozymes through their triple effects of antioxidation, immunomodulation, and bone remodeling regulation, making nanozymes an excellent tool for developing precision medicine. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
研究领域:
牙科学
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纳米技术
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再生医学
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免疫学
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生物化学
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Food Bioscience
·
2021
·
IF 4.24
Qiang Chu,Ruoyi Jia,Chaowei Chen,Yaxuan Wang,Xin Yu,Yiru Zhang,Tao Wu,Xiaodong Zheng
Apios americana Medik leaves are rich in polyphenols and prevent glucose-induced damage in organisms. Polyphenols are a group of natural antioxidants. Therefore, a H 2 O 2 induced oxidative stress model of HepG2 cells was used to explore the protective effects of the Apios americana Medik leaves water extract (ALWE) against oxidative stress. Nine compounds were identified in ALWE using HPLC-TOF-MS including C 18 H 24 O 13 , which had not previously been reported. Fluorescence staining assays showed that the ALWE significantly decreased apoptosis, intracellular ROS generation, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) dissipation and mitochondrial membrane lipid peroxidation after ALWE pretreatment. Data from western blots showed that Keap1-Nrf2 and Sirt1-FoxO1 signaling pathways were involved in preventing H 2 O 2 induced oxidative stress. Transmission electron microscope and Western blot analyses indicated that autophagy contributed to the regulation of the oxidative balance. These results together indicated that ALWE is a potential antioxidant and autophagy activator, and it protects HepG2 cells against H 2 O 2 damage through activation of autophagy.
研究领域:
药理学
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细胞生物学
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分子生物学
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JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
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2023
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IF 6.1
Wan Wang,Hang Shang,Jinzhe Li,Yue Ma,Cong Xu,Jiage Ma,Juncai Hou,Zhanmei Jiang
Polyphenols have received attention as dietary supplements for the relief of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) due to various bioactivities. Ethanol-induced rat small intestinal epithelial cell 6 (IEC-6) and alpha mouse liver 12 (AML-12) cell models were pretreated with four dietary polyphenols with different structures to explore their effects on cytotoxicity and potential protective mechanisms. The results showed that polyphenols had potential functions to inhibit ethanol-induced AML-12 and IEC-6 cell damage and oxidative stress, and restore ethanol-induced IEC-6 permeability and tight junction gene expression. Especially, dihydromyricetin (DMY) had the best protective effect on ethanol-induced cytotoxicity, followed by apigenin (API). Western blot results showed that DMY and API had the best ability to inhibit CYP2E1 and Keap1, and promote nuclear translocation of Nrf2, which might be the potential mechanism by which DMY and API attenuate ethanol-induced cytotoxicity. Moreover, the molecular docking results predicted that DMY and API could bind more tightly to the amino acid residues of CYP2E1 and Keap1, which might be one of the inhibitory modes of dietary polyphenols on CYP2E1 and Keap1. This study provided a rationale for the subsequent protective effect of dietary polyphenols on alcohol-induced liver injury in animal models and provided new clues on bioactive components for ALD-protection based on the gut-liver axis.
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Bioengineered
·
2021
·
IF 3.269
Shujun Xu,Bingxin Wu,Biying Zhong,Luoqi Lin,Yining Ding,Xiao Jin,Zhiwei Huang,Miaoyang Lin,Huanlin Wu,Danping Xu
Ferroptosis is an important form of myocardial cell death in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). Naringenin (NAR), as a flavonoid, has a significant advantage in improving MIRI. But the regulatory effect and mechanism of NAR on ferroptosis in MIRI have not been reported. After the rats were given NAR and induced to form myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury, Tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to detect the myocardial infarction area of rats, and Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining was used to detect myocardial injury. The markers of tissue inflammation were detected by ELISA. Serum creatine kinase Serum creatin kinase (CPK), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and lipid peroxide (LPO) and oxidative stress related levels were measured. In addition, iron detection kits were used to detect total iron and Fe2+ levels in cardiac tissues, and western blot was used to detect the expression of ferroptosis-related proteins and the expression of nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). At the cellular level, H9C2 cardiomyocytes were induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R), and ferroptosis inducer Erastin was administered to detect cell viability, ferroptosis-related indicators, oxidative stress related indicators, and expressions of Nrf2 and GPX4, to explore the mechanisms involved. NAR alleviated MI/R-induced pathological damage, inflammation and lipid peroxidation in myocardial tissue of rats. NAR adjusted the NRF2 /System xc – /GPX4 axis and improved ferroptosis. At the cellular level, ferroptosis inducer Erastin reversed the protective effect of NAR on H/R-induced H9C2 cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, NAR can alleviate MIRI by regulating the Nrf2/System xc-/GPX4 axis to inhibit ferroptosis.
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高影响因子
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
·
2025
·
IF 8.5
Qian Ren,Tingting Tian,Bin Wang,Jun Pan,Yong Huang,Li Zhong,Yehong Wang,Xia Wang,Xiao Huang
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) remains underutilized as a primary cancer treatment due to the limited lethality of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and poor targeting efficiency of traditional photosensitizers. This the aim of the study is to develop a Fe₃O₄@ZnO nanoparticle photosensitizer co-loaded with anti-EGFR antibody, brusatol, and Nrf2-siRNA to improve the therapeutic effect of PDT. This system can be guided to tumors by a magnetic field and further targets cancer cells through EGFR-specific binding. Under UVA light, brusatol and Nrf2-siRNA are released, enabling combined chemo-, gene, and photodynamic therapy. With the photosensitizer treatment, ROS levels in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells were elevated by 191.09 ± 10.02 % through suppression of Nrf2 and its associated antioxidant defenses, significantly enhancing cell lethality and reducing cell viability by 80.43 ± 9.37 %. In vivo studies further demonstrated a tumor suppression rate of 76.30 ± 5.12 % in nude mice, highlighting the robust anti-tumor efficacy of the photosensitizer and its potential for clinical application in targeted cancer therapy. The biocompatibility and high therapeutic efficacy of this photosensitizer highlight its promise as a safer and more effective option for treating cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
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ACS Nano
·
2025
·
IF 16
Zhang Liu,Zile Shen,Hengli Lu,Bingqiang Lu,Peng Zhang,Wenhao Chen,Guowei Huang,Xinyu Qu,Zhen Yu,Feng Chen,Wangfu Zang
Sarcopenia, a progressive skeletal muscle disorder marked by loss of mass and function, presents growing societal challenges due to limited therapeutic options. Here, we identify mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress as central drivers of sarcopenia through integrated bioinformatics and clinical validation. To address this pathophysiology, we engineer a muscle-targeted nanocomposite (BP-PEG-MOTS-c, BM) combining mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c with antioxidant black phosphorus nanosheets (BP). BM exhibits dual functionality: MOTS-c restores mitochondrial function, while BP synergistically amplifies ROS scavenging capacity. In cellular and murine models with age-related sarcopenia, BM treatment alleviates muscle dysfunction and muscle loss, concurrently normalizing mitochondrial function and reducing lipid peroxidation. Mechanistic profiling via RNA-seq reveals BM’s activation of PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 and suppression of ROS/p38 MAPK signaling pathway, mediating antioxidant responses and maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis. The nanocomposite demonstrats superior biocompatibility in toxicity assays, outperforming conventional delivery systems. Our findings establish that BM has been established as a promising mitochondrial redox modulator with translational potential for sarcopenia and related age-associated pathologies.
研究领域:
老年学
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纳米医学
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肌肉生物学
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氧化还原生物学
·
代谢紊乱
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危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）