MAIN METHODS: Colon cancer HCT-116 cells were treated with 8-PN and subjected to MTT and acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) staining to investigate the cytotoxicity of 8-PN. Arrest of the cells at different phases of cell cycle was monitored in the presence of 8-PN. Moreover, the apoptotic effects of 8-PN was assessed via annexin V and caspase activity assays and compared to the untreated cells.
KEY FINDINGS: The findings showed that 8-PN revealed strong inhibitory effect against HCT-116 cells with an IC50 value of 23.83 ± 2.9 μg/ml after 48 h. However, at similar concentrations and experimental time-points, the compound did not show cytotoxic effect to non-cancerous colon cells (CCD-41). Annexin-V assay indicates that 38.5% and 14.4% of HCT-116 cells had entered early and late stages of apoptosis, respectively after exposure of the cells to 8-PN for 48 h. Caspase activity assay illustrates that apoptosis is activated through both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Moreover, flow cytometry cell cycle results indicate that treatment with 8-PN significantly arrested the HCT-116 cells at G0/G1 phase.
SIGNIFICANCE: These findings reveal that 8-PN has anti-proliferative activity against HCT-116 colon cancer cells via induction of intrinsic and extrinsic pathway-mediated apoptosis. Further investigations should be carried out to unravel the mechanistic pathways underlying these activities.
METHOD: Male SD rats were divided into five groups (n = 8), injected with LPS and thereafter treated with LA (50 and 100 mg/kg) or vehicle orally for 14 days. After fourteen days of LA treatment, all the groups were humanely killed to investigate biochemical parameters followed by pro-inflammatory cytokine markers; tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β. Moreover, liver tissues were harvested for histopathological studies and evaluation of targeted protein expression with western blot and localisation through immunohistochemistry (IHC).
RESULTS: The study results showed that treatment of LA 50 and 100 mg/kg for 14 days were able to reduce the elevated level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, liver inflammation, and downregulated the expression of TLR4/NF-κB mediating proteins in liver tissues.
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that treatment of LA has a protective role against LPS-induced liver inflammation in rats, thus, warrants further in-depth investigation through mechanistic approaches in different study models.
PURPOSE: The present work aimed to assess the antidiabetic potential of arjunolic acid (AA) isolated from Terminalia arjuna in type 2 diabetic rats.
STUDY DESIGN: After extraction, isolation and purification, AA was orally administered to type 2 diabetic Sprague Dawley rats to investigate antidiabetic effect of AA.
METHOD: T2DM was induced via single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin-nicotinamide (STZ-NIC) in adult male rats. After 10 days, fasting and random blood glucose (FBG and RBG), body weight (BW), food and water intake, serum C-peptide, insulin and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured to confirm T2DM development. Dose dependent effects of orally administered AA (25 and 50 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks was investigated by measuring BW variation, fasting and postprandial hyperglycemia, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and levels of serum HbA1c, serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), serum and pancreatic C-peptide, insulin, growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), serum and pancreatic inflammatory cytokines.
RESULTS: The oral administration of AA in preclinical model of T2DM significantly normalized FBG and RBG, restored BW, controlled polyphagia, polydipsia and glucose tolerance. In addition, AA notably reduced serum HbA1c, TC, TG, LDL with non-significant increase in HDL. On the other hand, significant increase in serum and pancreatic C-peptide and insulin was observed with AA treatment, while serum and pancreatic GDF-15 were non-significantly altered in AA treated diabetic rats. Moreover, AA showed dose dependent reduction in serum and pancreatic proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6.
CONCLUSION: For the first time our findings highlighted AA as a potential candidate in type 2 diabetic conditions.
METHOD: Multiple methods were used to determine molecular cognizance of AA in T2DM rats, when treated with different dosage levels. Histopathological and histomorphometry analysis was conducted using masson trichrome and H&E stains. While, protein and mRNA expressions of TLR-4/Wnt and insulin signaling were assessed using automated Western blotting (jess), immunohistochemistry, and RT-PCR.
RESULTS: Histopathological findings revealed that AA had reversed back the T2DM-induced apoptosis and necrosis caused to rats pancreas. Molecular findings exhibited prominent effects of AA in downregulating the elevated level of TLR-4, MyD88, NF-κB, p-JNK, and Wnt/β-catenin by blocking TLR-4/MyD88 and canonical Wnt signaling in diabetic pancreas, while IRS-1, PI3K, and pAkt were all upregulated by altering the NF-κB and β-catenin crosstalk during T2DM.
CONCLUSION: Overall results, indicate that AA has potential to develop as an effective therapeutic in the treatment of T2DM associated meta-inflammation. However, future preclinical research at multiple dose level in a long-term chronic T2DM disease model is warranted to understand its clinical relevance in cardiometabolic disease.
MAIN METHODS: In silico approaches were utilized to characterize a set of 88 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from intestinal cells of rat CMA model. Interaction networks were constructed for DEGs by GeneMANIA and hub genes as well as enriched clusters in the network were screened using GLay. Gene Ontology (GO) was used for enriching functions in each cluster.
KEY FINDINGS: Four gene hubs, i.e., trefoil factor 1, 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) receptor 5a, solute carrier family 6 (neurotransmitter transporter), member 11, and glutamate receptor, ionotropic, n-methyl d-aspartate 2b, exhibiting the highest node degree were predicted. Six biologically related gene clusters were also predicted. Functional enrichment of GO terms predicted neurological processes such as neurological system process regulation and nerve impulse transmission which are related to negative and positive regulation of digestive system processes., intestinal motility and absorption and maintenance of gastrointestinal epithelium.
SIGNIFICANCE: The study predicted several important genomic pathways that potentially play significant roles in metabolic disruptions or compensatory adaptations of intestinal epithelium induced by CMA. The results provide a further insight into underlying molecular mechanisms associated with CMA.
MAIN METHODS: Mice deficient in both dystrophin and ASC (encoded by Pycard [PYD And CARD Domain Containing]) were generated. The impact of ASC deficiency on muscular dystrophy of mdx mice were assessed by measurements of serum cytokines, Western blot, real-time PCR and histopathological staining.
KEY FINDINGS: The pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, KC/GRO and IL-10 were markedly increased in the sera of 8-week-old mdx mice compared to WT. Western blotting showed that P2X7, caspase-1, ASC and IL-18 were upregulated. Disruption of ASC and dystrophin expression in the mdx/ASC-/- mice was verified by Western blot analysis. Histopathological analysis did not find significant alterations in the muscular dystrophy phenotype in mdx/ASC-/- mice as compared to mdx mice.
SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together, our results show that disruption of the central adaptor ASC of the inflammasome is insufficient to alleviate muscular dystrophy phenotype in mdx mice.