International Journal of Medical Sciences
·
2020
·
IF 2.523
Zhao Qu,Yushan Lin,Daniel Kam-Wah Mok,Qingya Bian,William Chi-Shing Tai,Sibao Chen
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is a most dangerous breast cancer subtype. The naturally occurring sesquiterpene lactone, arnicolide D (AD), has proven effective against a variety of tumors, however, the inhibitory effects of AD against TNBC and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, two TNBC cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468) and an MDA-MB-231 xenograft mouse model were employed to investigate the anti-TNBC effects of AD in vitro and in vivo . Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. Protein levels were determined by immunoblotting. In vitro studies demonstrated that AD significantly decreased cell viability, and induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In vivo assays showed that oral administration of 25 or 50 mg/kg AD for 22 days led to a reduction of tumor weights by 24.7% or 41.0%, without appreciable side effects. Mechanistically, AD inhibited the activation of Akt/mTOR and STAT3 signaling pathways. Based on our findings, AD is a promising candidate for development as an adjunctive therapeutic drug for TNBC.
研究领域:
肿瘤学
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药理学
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分子生物学
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癌症研究
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF NEUROPATHOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
·
2018
·Vol. 78
·期 2
·157-171
·
IF 3.49
Yan Bing Chun,Wang Jie,Rui Yanggang,Cao Jianwen,Xu Pei,Jiang Dan,Zhu Xiaolu,Won Moo-Ho,Bo Ping,Su Peiqing
Gabapentin (GBP), an analgesic, adjunct antiepileptic, and migraine prophylactic drug, reduces neuronal injury induced by cerebral ischemia reperfusion (IR). However, the underlying biological molecular mechanism of GBP neuroprotection is not clear. In this study, we confirmed that dose-dependent (75 and 150 mg/kg) GBP treatment could significantly reduce IR-induced neuronal death. IR-induced neuronal death was inhibited by pretreatment with 150 mg/kg GBP in a middle cerebral artery occlusion rat model. In addition, 150 mg/kg GBP treatment remarkably promoted the levels of antioxidants and reduced the autophagy of neurons in the infarct penumbra. Moreover, the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway was activated by pretreatment with 150 mg/kg GBP, as detected by Western blot analyses. In vitro, pretreatment of PC12 cells with 450 µM GBP significantly reduced cell death induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation, increased antioxidant function, and reduced the levels of autophagy and reactive oxygen species via activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. This neuroprotection by GBP was inhibited significantly by 10 µM LY294002. In summary, dose-dependent pretreatment with GBP protected against cerebral IR injury via activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which provided a neuroprotective function to inhibit oxidative stress-related neuronal autophagy.
研究领域:
神经科学
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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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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
·
2023
·
IF 5.1
Ren-Fen Ma,Hu Liu,Xue-Chun Zhao,Peipei Shan,Ping Sun,Jun-Juan Xue,Guodong Wei,Hua Zhang
Phytochemical investigation into the leaves and branches of Daphne genkwa afforded 25 meroterpenoids ( 1 – 16 ) including nine pairs of enantiomers ( 1a / 1b − 8a / 8b and 12a / 12b ), among which 20 compounds have been reported in the present work for the first time. The structures with absolute configurations of the new molecules (excluding 10 – 13 ) were established via comprehensive spectroscopic analyses especially electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and Mosher’s methods. A preliminary in vitro cell viability assay revealed remarkable cytotoxicities of selective compounds against A549 (lung), Hela (cervical), MDA-MB231 (breast) and MCF-7 (breast) cancer cells, and compound 8a showed the best inhibitory activity with IC 50 values in the range of 3.12–4.67 μM toward the four cell lines. Subsequent in vitro antitumor evaluation of 8a disclosed that it could inhibit the proliferation and metastasis, as well as induce significant apoptosis and cycle arrest, of A549 cells. Further mechanistic investigations revealed that 8a could exert its antitumor activity via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
研究领域:
药理学
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肿瘤学
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植物化学
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细胞生物学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
·
2020
·
IF 3.263
Ying Liu,ShiJi Deng,Zhi Zhang,Yue Gu,ShengNan Xia,XinYu Bao,Xiang Cao,Yun Xu
Neuroinflammation is critical for the pathogenesis of ischemia brain damage . Over-activated microglia-mediated inflammation plays a very important role in ischemia cerebral injuries. 6-Gingerol, obtained from edible ginger (Zingiber Officinale) exhibits protective effects against inflammation. In this study, we found that 6-Gingerol could reduce the size of infarction (P = 0.0184) and improve neurological functions (P = 0.04) at the third day after ischemic brain injury in vivo. Since 6-Gingerol has the anti-inflammatory effects, we further investigated its impacts on neuroinflammation mediated by microglia both in vivo and in vitro. We found that the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β, P = 0.0213), Interleukin-6 (IL-6, P = 0.0316), and inducible NO synthase (iNOS, P = 0.0229) in the infarct penumbra were lower in 6-Gingerol treated groups. Furthermore, microglia induced pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-1β, incremental intercellular nitric oxide (NO), as well as iNOS were blocked by the treatment of 6-Gingerol in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated microglia. In terms of mechanism, 6-Gingerol potently suppressed phosphorylation of serine-threonine protein kinase (Akt) - mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) - signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in LPS-treated microglia. Taken together, the present study suggested that 6-Gingerol improved cerebral ischemia injury by suppressing microglia-mediated neuroinflammation by down-regulating Akt-mTOR-STAT3 pathway.
研究领域:
神经科学
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药理学
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分子生物学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
MOLECULAR MEDICINE
·
2021
·Vol. 27
·期 1
·1-16
·
IF 6.354
Cui Jing,Guo Yao,Wu Heshui,Xiong Jiongxin,Peng Tao
Background Gemcitabine (GEM) resistance remains a significant clinical challenge in pancreatic cancer treatment. Here, we investigated the therapeutic utility of everolimus (Evr), an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), in targeting the Warburg effect to overcome GEM resistance in pancreatic cancer. Methods The effect of Evr and/or mTOR overexpression or GEM on cell viability, migration, apoptosis, and glucose metabolism (Warburg effect) was evaluated in GEM-sensitive (GEM sen ) and GEM-resistant (GEM res ) pancreatic cancer cells. Results We demonstrated that the upregulation of mTOR enhanced cell viability and favored the Warburg effect in pancreatic cancer cells via the regulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling. However, this effect was counteracted by Evr, which inhibited aerobic glycolysis by reducing the levels of glucose, lactic acid, and adenosine triphosphate and suppressing the expression of glucose transporter 1, lactate dehydrogenase-B, hexokinase 2, and pyruvate kinase M2 in GEM sen and GEM res cells. Evr also promoted apoptosis by upregulating the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cytochrome-c and downregulating the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. GEM was minimally effective in suppressing GEM res cell activity, but the therapeutic effectiveness of Evr against pancreatic cancer growth was greater in GEM res cells than that in GEM sen cells. In vivo studies confirmed that while GEM failed to inhibit the progression of GEM res tumors, Evr significantly decreased the volume of GEM res tumors while suppressing tumor cell proliferation and enhancing tumor apoptosis in the presence of GEM. Conclusions Evr treatment may be a promising strategy to target the growth and activity of GEM-resistant pancreatic cancer cells by regulating glucose metabolism via inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling.
研究领域:
肿瘤学
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药理学
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分子生物学
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细胞生物学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Materials Today Bio
·
2022
·
IF 10.761
Lili Liu,Xianjing Li,Wenhuan Bu,Nianqiang Jin,Yuan Meng,Yi Wang,Duan Wang,Xiaowei Xu,Ding Zhou,Hongchen Sun
Pulp injury is one of the most common clinical diseases, and severe cases are usually associated with the functional loss of the tooth, while the current clinical treatment modality is only a cavity filling procedure without the regeneration of the dentin-pulp complex, thus leading to a devitalized and brittle tooth. In this study, carbon dots (CDots) with excellent biocompatibility are prepared from ascorbic acid and polyethyleneimine via a hydrothermal method. The as-prepared CDots can enhance extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), giving rise to increased cell adhesion on ECM and a stronger osteogenic/odontogenic differentiation capacity of DPSCs. Further, the mechanism underlying CDots-enhanced ECM secretion is revealed by the transcriptome analysis, Western blot assay and molecular dynamics simulation, identifying that the pharmacological activities of CDots are originated from a reasonable activation of the autophagy, which is mediated by regulating phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway. Based on the abundant CDots-induced ECM and thereby the reinforcement of the cell-ECM adhesion, an intact dental pulp stem cell sheet can be achieved, which in return promote in vivo the efficient regeneration of dentin-pulp complex as well as blood vessels.
研究领域:
材料科学
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生物材料
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组织工程
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干细胞生物学
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牙科研究
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ONCOLOGY REPORTS
·
2018
·Vol. 40
·期 2
·867-876
·
IF 2.976
Zhibo Dai,Ligang Wang,Xiaoxiong Wang,Boxian Zhao,Wenyang Zhao,Shashank Singh Bhardwaj,Junyi Ye,Zhiqin Yin,Jun Zhang,Shiguang Zhao
Oxymatrine (OM), a natural quinolizidine alkaloid extracted from the traditional Chinese herb Sophora flavescens, has been revealed to produce antitumor activities in various cancer cell lines, including glioblastoma lines, in vitro. However, the mechanisms by which OM exerts its antitumor effect against glioma are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of OM in the proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of glioma cells and to reveal the underlying mechanisms. The effects of OM on U251MG cells in vitro were determined using a Cell Counting Kit‑8 (CCK‑8) assay, flow cytometric analysis, Annexin V‑FITC/PI staining, DAPI staining, a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‑mediated dUTP nick end‑labeling (TUNEL) assay, a Transwell assay and western blotting. Our data indicated that OM inhibited proliferation, arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase, decreased the expression levels of G1 cell cycle regulatory proteins (cyclin D1, CDK4 and CDK6), inhibited invasion and induced apoptosis in glioma cells. Additional investigations revealed that the expression levels of p‑STAT3 and key proteins in the EGFR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, such as p‑EGFR, p‑Akt and p‑mTOR, were markedly decreased after OM treatment, while the total STAT3, EGFR, Akt and mTOR levels were not affected. These findings indicated that the EGFR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and STAT3 suppression may be a potential mechanism of the OM‑mediated antitumor effect in glioblastoma cells and that EGFR may be a target of OM. Hence, OM may be a promising drug and may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for malignant gliomas in the future.
研究领域:
肿瘤学
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分子生物学
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药理学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
·
2025
·
IF 8.5
Nuan Dong,Xue Lu,Dongmei Qin
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease with a high incidence, which seriously affects the physical and mental health of patients. The current treatment methods can only alleviate the disease and are accompanied by unavoidable toxic side effects. Cichorium pumilum Jacq (CG) is a kind of plant medicine with Xinjiang characteristics, which is often used to reduce blood sugar and protect the liver. CG polysaccharide (CGP) is the main active component of CG, but the hypoglycemic effect and mechanism of CGP on T2DM are still unclear. In vitro hypoglycemic and antioxidant experiments showed that CGP had effective hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities, and a series of characterizations of CGP was carried out. In vivo tests on T2DM mice showed that CGP improved liver glycogen metabolism, reduced oxidative stress and colonic damage. AKT and PI3K phosphorylation decreased, mTOR phosphorylation increased in T2DM mice liver; CGP reversed these changes, protected colonic mucosa, and increased Occludin and ZO-1 protein expression. CGP is a good antioxidant and hypoglycemic agent. It improves liver glycogen metabolism and repairs intestinal mucosal damage in T2DM mice via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, providing a research basis for its treatment.
研究领域:
药理学
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生物化学
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分子生物学
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内分泌学
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天然产物研究
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ACTA BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA SINICA
·
2018
·Vol. 50
·期 6
·567-578
·
IF 2.224
Zhang Yingying,Cong Linhai,He Jiayan,Wang Yu,Zou Yingying,Yang Zhihong,Hu Yuexin,Zhang Shiwen,He Xiaoguang
Hypopharyngeal carcinoma (HC) is one of the most malignant tumors in the upper aerodigestive tract. Currently, there are no effective treatments for HC. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are a promising tool that can be used for plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT), which refers to the use of electromagnetic radiation, most often in near infrared (NIR) region, for the treatment of various medical conditions including cancer. AuNPs have been proved to be a promising tool for NIR spectroscopy-mediated photothermal therapies. In this study, we chemically conjugated AuNPs with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a cell-surface receptor that is overexpressed in many cancers. We then assessed the effect of NIR photothermal treatment with the EGFRmAb–AuNPs in FaDu HC cells. Our data showed that nanoparticle conjugation with the EGFRmAb improved the specific targeting towards FaDu cells and reduced cytotoxicity towards normal (293 T) cells which do not overexpress the EGFR. A significant amount of our EGFRmAb-conjugated AuNPs could enter the nucleus. Moreover, the expression levels of double strand DNA break repair proteins, including p-ATR, p-CHK1, and p-CHK2 were increased following AuNPs treatment, indicating the presence of DNA damage. These findings suggest that the AuNPs can potentially disrupt genome integrity and induce apoptosis. In addition, EGFRmAb–AuNPs+NIR could induce FaDu cell apoptosis, accompanied by the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and stimulation of DNA damage response. Based on these data, PPTT using the EGFRmAb–AuNPs could be a new promising treatment for HC.
研究领域:
肿瘤学
·
纳米技术
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分子生物学
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癌症治疗
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
·
2017
·
IF 2.981
Zhongcheng Ke,Gang Wang,Lei Yang,Huihui Qiu,Hao Wu,Mei Du,Juan Chen,Jie Song,Xiaobin Jia,Liang Feng
Ethnopharmacological relevance Radix paeoniae rubra , also known as chishao (CS), is a frequently used traditional Chinese medicine that can promote blood circulation to remove blood stasis . It has been widely used for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in China. Although terpene glycoside (TG), the major component in CS, has been shown to possess cardioprotective properties, the mechanism underlying CS-TG's preventive effect against myocardial ischemia injury is unknown. This study was conducted to explore the protective and curative effects of CS-TG against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial ischemic injury in rats and investigate the underlying myocardial protective mechanisms. Materials and methods A rat model of ISO-induced myocardial ischemia was established to evaluate the protective effect of CS-TG in ameliorating heart injury. Myocardial ischemia was induced by administering ISO (40 mg/kg/d) subcutaneously for 2 days. Serum was collected and analyzed for the levels of different cardiac biomarkers, and heart tissues were isolated and prepared for ATP analysis, glycogen content determination, histopathology assay, and ultrastructure observation. The regulatory effects of CS-TG on myocardial apoptosis in rats were studied by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and the levels of cleaved caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl-2 were detected by western blotting . Furthermore, in vitro experiments were conducted to examine whether the CS-TG's cardioprotective effects were linked to the inhibition of apoptosis via activation of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase/serine-threonine kinase AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway. Results CS-TG (300 mg/kg/d) significantly decreased serum levels of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase in ISO-induced myocardial ischemic rats. Analysis of ATP and glycogen contents, myocardial ultrastructure, and pathological examination showed that CS-TG (300 mg/kg/d) significantly improved energy metabolism and alleviated myocardial injury in vivo. In addition, the expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR in rats subjected to CS-TG significantly elevated, while the levels of caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2 dramatically reduced. Moreover, treatment with LY294002 , a PI3K inhibitor, abrogated CS-TG (200 μg/mL) induced down-regulation of cleaved caspase-3, Bax/Bcl-2 in the serum. Conclusions CS-TG protects the heart from ISO-induced myocardial ischemia, potentially by improving cardiac energy metabolism and inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis via activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Thus, CS -TG might be a potential therapeutic candidate for the prevention and treatment of myocardial ischemia.
研究领域:
药理学
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心脏病学
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中医
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分子生物学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
PLoS One
·
2019
·Vol. 14
·期 10
·e0223760
·
IF 2.776
Pan Zhang,Dan He,Erqun Song,Mingdong Jiang,Yang Song
The current study aimed to identify the radiosensitizing effect of celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, in combination with radiotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. The combination of celecoxib potentiated radiation-induced apoptosis; however, no changes in cell cycle distribution and number of phosphorylated histone H2AX foci were detected, indicating a DNA damage-independent mechanism. In an in vivo mouse model, the tumor size was significantly decreased in the group combining celecoxib with radiation compared with the radiation only group. Phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), as well as expression of COX-2 were significantly downregulated in cells treated with the combination of celecoxib and radiation compared with the radiation only group. The result indicated that celecoxib exhibits radiosensitizing effects through COX-2 and Akt/mTOR-dependent mechanisms. Induction the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway promotes radioresistance in various cancers, including NSCLC. Therefore, the current study suggested the therapeutic potential of combination therapy of celecoxib and radiation in the prevention of radioresistance.
研究领域:
肿瘤学
·
分子生物学
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癌症治疗
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
FEBS Open Bio
·
2025
·
IF 2.3
Wenheng Gao,Yunlong Li,Lihua Chen,Wenshuo Yang,Yong He,Ye Yang,Dengke Yin,Song Tan
Hyperlipidemia is a common chronic disease characterized by elevated levels of lipids in the blood. There is some evidence that suggests that berberine (BBR) might be beneficial for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. However, its low intestinal bioavailability limits its potential therapeutic action. In the present study, we explored the effect and the underlying mechanism of berberine–cinnamic acid co-crystal (BBR-CA), which is self-assembled from CA and BBR and displays a high intestinal bioavailability. In mice, BBR-CA showed the ability to decrease body weight gain and hepatic lipid accumulation in animals fed a high-fat diet. To further characterize the molecular basis of this effect, we established a hyperlipidemia cell model by treating human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) with free fatty acids. Similarly to our in vivo experiments, lipid accumulation in free fatty acids-induced HepG2 cells was also reduced by BBR-CA. We hypothesized that BBR-CA might act through the regulation of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins-1 (SREBP-1), a key factor regulating lipid synthesis, and, indeed, SREBP-1 protein expression was inhibited by BBR-CA treatment, resulting in the decreased expression of its downstream proteins stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), AKT and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) was inhibited by BBR-CA, contributing to decreased active SREBP-1 in the nucleus, and was reversed and enhanced by the PI3K agonist recilisib and inhibitor LY294002, respectively. Taken together, our results suggest that BBR-CA could function by modulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, resulting in decreased nuclear expression of SREBP-1, as well as reduced expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 and acetyl-CoA carboxylase, thus alleviating hyperlipidemia. Further experimental validation is required to confirm these results.
研究领域:
药理学
·
分子生物学
·
代谢性疾病
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药物开发
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）