scholarly journals Combination of Systems Pharmacology and Experimental Evaluation to Explore the Mechanism of Synergistic Action of Frankincense-Myrrh in the Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yucheng Liao ◽  
Jingwen Wang ◽  
Chao Guo ◽  
Min Bai ◽  
Bowei Ju ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Genes ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Infarct Volume ◽  
Blood Stasis ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽  
Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Systems Pharmacology

Frankincense-Myrrh is a classic drug pair that promotes blood circulation, and eliminates blood stasis. The combination of the two drugs has a definite clinical effect on the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases (CBVDs), but its mechanism of action and compatibility have not been elucidated. In this study, the bioactive components, core targets, and possible synergistic mechanisms of Frankincense-Myrrh in the treatment of CBVDs are explored through systems pharmacology combined with in vivo and in vitro experiments. Comparing target genes of components in Frankincense and Myrrh with CBVD-related genes, common genes were identified; 15 core target genes of Frankincense-Myrrh for the treatment of CBVDs were then identified using protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis. It was also predicted through Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis that the molecular mechanism of Frankincense-Myrrh action on CBVDs was mainly related to the regulation of neurotrophic factors and inflammatory responses. Frankincense-Myrrh significantly improved neurological function, decreased infarct volume, alleviated histopathological damage, inhibited microglial expression, and promoted the expression of neurons in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced rats. The results of this study not only provide important theoretical support and experimental basis for the synergistic effect of Frankincense-Myrrh, but also provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of cerebral ischemic injuries.

scholarly journals Exosomal miR-199a-5p Inhibits Tumorigenesis and Angiogenesis by Targeting VEGFA in Osteosarcoma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Zhang ◽  
Hongxin Cao ◽  
Guanghui Gu ◽  
Dehui Hou ◽  
Yunhao You ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Osteosarcoma Cell ◽  
Plasma Samples ◽  
Osteosarcoma Cells ◽  
Hub Genes

Abstract Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone malignancy in children and adolescents. microRNAs have been found to play a vital role in tumor angiogenesis. Here, we investigated the effects of miR-199a-5p on tumor growth and angiogenesis in osteosarcoma. Furthermore, the underlying molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways were explored.Methods: The datasets were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus and the differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were screened out by the GEO2R online platform. The potential target genes were predicted using the miRTarBase database. The predicted target genes were further analyzed by Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analysis and a regulatory network of DEmiRNAs and their target genes was constructed. In addition, the effects of osteosarcoma cell derived exosomal miR-199a-5p on the proliferation, migration and neovascularization of HUVECs were evaluated by conducting EdU assays, Transwell experiments and tube formation assays. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to detect whether VEGFA was the direct target of miR-199a-5p. Furthermore, in vivo xenograft models were established to further investigate the intrinsic role of miR-199a-5p in osteosarcoma tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. Results: A total of 149 DE-miRNAs were screened out, including 136 upregulated miRNAs and 13 downregulated miRNAs in human osteosarcoma plasma samples compared with normal plasma samples. A total of 1313 target genes of the top three upregulated and downregulated miRNAs were predicted. In the PPI network, the top 10 hub nodes with higher degrees were identified as hub genes, such as TP53 and VEGFA. By constructing the miRNA-hub gene network, we found that most of hub genes could be potentially modulated by miR-663a, miR-199a-5p and miR-223-3p. In addition, we found that the expression level of miR-199a-5p in exosomes derived from osteosarcoma cells was remarkably higher than the osteosarcoma cells, and the exosomes derived from osteosarcoma cells were transported to HUVECs. Overexpression of miR-199a-5p could significantly inhibited HUVEC proliferation, migration and neovascularization, whereas downregulation of miR-199a-5p expression exerted the opposite effect. Moreover, the in vivo results verified that overexpression of miR-199a-5p in osteosarcoma cells could suppress the growth and angiogenesis of tumors. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that miR-199a-5p could be transported from osteosarcoma cells to HUVECs through exosomes, subsequently targeting VEGFA and inhibiting the growth and angiogenesis of osteosarcoma. Therefore, miR-199a-5p may act as a biomarker in the diagnosis and treatment of osteosarcoma.

scholarly journals Decoding molecular markers and transcriptional circuitry of naive and primed states of human pluripotency

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arindam Ghosh ◽  
Anup Som
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
System Development ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽  
List Type ◽  
Metabolic Processes ◽  
Primed State

ABSTRACTPluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have been observed to occur in two distinct states — naive and primed. Both naive and primed state PSCs can give rise to tissues of all the three germ layers in vitro but differ in their potential to generate germline chimera in vivo. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern these two states of pluripotency in human can open up a plethora of opportunities for studying early embryonic development and in biomedical applications. In this work, we use weighted gene co-expression network (WGCN) approach to identify the key molecular makers and their interactions that define the two distinct pluripotency states. Signed-hybrid WGCN was reconstructed from transcriptomic data (RNA-seq) of naive and primed state pluripotent samples. Our analysis revealed two sets of genes that are involved in establishment and maintenance of naive (4791 genes) and primed (5066 genes) states. The naive state genes were found to be enriched for biological processes and pathways related to metabolic processes while primed state genes were associated with system development. Further, we identified the top 10% genes by intra-modular connectivity as hubs and the hub transcription factors for each group, thus providing a three-tier list of genes associated with naive and primed states of pluripotency in human.HIGHLIGHTSWeighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified 4791 and 5066 genes to be involved in naive and primed states of human pluripotency respectively.Functional and pathway enrichment analysis revealed the naive genes were mostly related to metabolic processes and primed genes to system development.The top 10% genes based on intra-modular connectivity from each group were defined as hubs.Identified 52 and 33 transcription factors among the naive and primed module hubs respectively.The transcription factors might play a switch on-off mechanism in induction of the two pluripotent states.

scholarly journals Identification on the potential mechanism of Radix pueraria on colon cancer based on network pharmacology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Li ◽  
Chunli Zhang ◽  
Xiaohan Ma ◽  
Liuqing Yang ◽  
Huijun Ren
Keyword(s):  
Colon Cancer ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Biological Mechanism ◽  
Active Components

Abstract Radix Puerariae (RP), a dry root of the Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi, is used to treat a variety of diseases, including cancer. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the efficacy of RP in the treatment of colon cancer (CC). However, the biological mechanism of RP in the treatment of colon cancer remains unclear. In this study, the active component of RP and its potential molecular mechanism against CC were studied by network pharmacology and enrichment analysis. The methods adopted included screening of active ingredients of Chinese medicine, prediction of target genes of Chinese medicine and disease, construction of protein interaction network, and GO and KEGG Enrichment Analysis. Finally, the results of network pharmacology were further validated by molecular docking experiments and cell experiments. 8 active constituents and 14 potential protein targets were screened from RP, including EGFR, JAK2 and SRC. The biological mechanism of RP against CC was analyzed by studying the relationship between active components, targets, and enrichment pathway. This provides a basis for understanding the clinical application of RP in CC.

scholarly journals Potential function and molecular mechanism of circRNAs involved in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangwei Li ◽  
Hong Wang ◽  
Hongyan Tao ◽  
Fanqi Wu ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Molecular Mechanism ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Circular Rnas

Abstract Background: Recent studies have found a regulatory role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, the function and underlying molecular mechanism of circRNAs involved in IPF are uncertain and incomplete. This study aimed to further provide some critical information for the circRNA function in IPF using bioinformatic analysis. Methods: We searched in the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to find the circRNA expression profiles of human IPF. The microarray data GSE102660 was obtained and differentially expressed circRNAs were identified through R software. Results: 6 significantly up-regulated and 13 significantly down-regulated circRNAs were identified involved in the pathogenesis of IPF. The binding sites of miRNAs for each differentially expressed circRNA were also predicted and circRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks were constructed for the most up-regulated hsa_circ_0004099 and down-regulated hsa_circ_0029633. In addition, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed the molecular function and enriched pathways of the target genes of circRNAs in IPF.Conclusion: These findings suggest that candidate circRNAs might serve an important role in the pathogenesis of IPF. Therefore, these circRNAs might be potential biomarkers for diagnosis and promising targets for treatment of IPF, which still need further verification in vivo and in vitro.

scholarly journals Circulating miRNA Expression Profiling and Target Prediction in Patients Receiving Dexmedetomidine

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 552-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuehui Yang ◽  
Hongmei Chen ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Yochai Birnbaum ◽  
Rongbi Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Target Genes ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Target Prediction ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Circulating Mirnas ◽  
Differentially Expressed Mirnas

Background/Aims: Circulating miRNAs could serve as biomarkers for diagnosis or prognosis of heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. Dexmedetomidine has protective effects in various organs. The effects of dexmedetomidine on circulating miRNAs remain unknown. Here, we investigated differentially expressed miRNA and to predict the target genes of the miRNA in patients receiving dexmedetomidine. Methods: The expression levels of circulating miRNAs of 3 patients were determined through high through-put miRNA sequencing technology. Target genes of the identified differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted using TargetScan 7.1 and miRDB v.5. Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were used to conduct functional annotation and pathway enrichment analysis of target genes respectively. Results: Twelve differentially expressed miRNAs were identified. Five miRNAs were upregulated (hsa-miR-4508, hsa-miR-novel-chr8_87373, hsa-miR-30a-3p, hsa-miR-novel-chr16_26099, hsa-miR-4306) and seven miRNAs (hsa-miR-744-5p, hsa-miR-320a, hsa-miR-novel-chr9_90035, hsa-miR-101-3p, hsa-miR-150-5p, hsa-miR-342-3p, and hsa-miR-140-3p) were downregulated after administration of dexmedetomidine in the subjects. The target genes and pathways related to the differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted and analyzed. Conclusion: The differentially expressed miRNAs may be involved in the mechanisms of action of dexmedetomidine. Specific miRNAs, such as hsa-miR-101-3p, hsa-miR-150-5p and hsa-miR-140-3p, are new potential targets for further functional studies of dexmedetomidine.

Differential impact of rhamnolipids and polysorbate80 on composition and functionality of the gut microbiota in the SHIME system.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Miclotte ◽  
Ellen De Paepe ◽  
Qiqiong Li ◽  
Andreja Rajkovic ◽  
John Van Camp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Human Colon ◽  
Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Longitudinal Impact ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
The Impact

Dietary emulsifiers have been shown to affect the composition and function of the gut microbial community, both in vivo and in vitro. Yet, several knowledge gaps remain to be addressed: the impact from a longer timeframe exposure on the gut microbiota, interindividual variability in microbiome response and the putative impact from novel clean label alternatives for current food emulsifiers. In the present study, the impact of one conventional dietary emulsifier, TWEEN80, and one potential novel alternative, rhamnolipids, on the human gut microbiota was investigated using the Mucosal Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (M-SHIME). The faecal microbiota from two human donors, with high and low responsiveness to the emulsifiers, were exposed to 0,05 m% and 0,5 m% of the emulsifiers for 7 days. The results confirmed previous observations that the effects on the composition and functionality are both emulsifier- and donor dependent. The effects reached an equilibrium after about 3 days of exposure. Overall, TWEEN80 and rhamnolipids displayed opposite effects: TWEEN80 increased cell counts, reduced propionate concentration, increased butyrate levels, increased a.o. Faecalibacterium, Blautia and Hungatella abundance, while rhamnolipids did the opposite. Rhamnolipids also sharply increased the abundance of unclassified Lachnospiraceae. On the other hand, both emulsifiers increased the relative abundance of unclassified Enterobacteriaceae. Both emulsifiers also altered the microbial metabolome in different ways and a pathway enrichment analysis tool revealed that the metabolome alterations could be reminiscent of gut issues and obesity. Overall, the impact from the rhamnolipids was larger than that of TWEEN80 at similar concentrations, indicating that the former may not necessarily be a safer alternative for the latter. The response of the microbiota also depended on its original composition and the sensitivity status for which the faecal donors were selected, was preserved. Whether the same donor-diversity and longitudinal impact can be expected in the human colon as well and what impact this has on the host will have to be further investigated.

scholarly journals Rothia mucilaginosa is an anti-inflammatory bacterium in the respiratory tract of patients with chronic lung disease

2021 ◽  
pp. 2101293
Author(s):  
Charlotte Rigauts ◽  
Juliana Aizawa ◽  
Steven Taylor ◽  
Geraint B. Rogers ◽  
Matthias Govaerts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Airway Inflammation ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Rothia Mucilaginosa ◽  
Lower Airways

Chronic airway inflammation is the main driver of pathogenesis in respiratory diseases, such as severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), and bronchiectasis. While the role of common pathogens in airway inflammation is widely recognized, the influence of other microbiota members is still poorly understood. Here, we show that Rothia mucilaginosa, a common resident of the oral cavity that is also often detectable in the lower airways in chronic disease, has an inhibitory effect on pathogen- and LPS-induced pro-inflammatory responses, both in vitro (3-D cell culture model) and in vivo (mouse model). Furthermore, in a cohort of adults with bronchiectasis, the abundance of Rothia spp. was negatively correlated with pro-inflammatory markers (IL-8, IL-1β) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-8 and MMP-9) in sputum. Mechanistic studies revealed that R. mucilaginosa inhibits NF-κB pathway activation by reducing the phosphorylation of IκB-α and consequently the expression of NF-κB target genes. These findings indicate that the presence of R. mucilaginosa in the lower airways potentially mitigates inflammation, which could in turn influence severity and progression of chronic respiratory disorders.

scholarly journals Lipoproteins Are Responsible for the Pro-Inflammatory Property of Staphylococcus aureus Extracellular Vesicles

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 7099
Author(s):  
Pradeep Kumar Kopparapu ◽  
Meghshree Deshmukh ◽  
Zhicheng Hu ◽  
Majd Mohammad ◽  
Marco Maugeri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Immune Stimulation ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
Major Surface ◽  
Staphylococcal Aureus

Staphylococcal aureus (S. aureus), a Gram-positive bacteria, is known to cause various infections. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous array of membranous structures secreted by cells from all three domains of life, i.e., eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea. Bacterial EVs are implied to be involved in both bacteria–bacteria and bacteria–host interactions during infections. It is still unclear how S. aureus EVs interact with host cells and induce inflammatory responses. In this study, EVs were isolated from S. aureus and mutant strains deficient in either prelipoprotein lipidation (Δlgt) or major surface proteins (ΔsrtAB). Their immunostimulatory capacities were assessed both in vitro and in vivo. We found that S. aureus EVs induced pro-inflammatory responses both in vitro and in vivo. However, this activity was dependent on lipidated lipoproteins (Lpp), since EVs isolated from the Δlgt showed no stimulation. On the other hand, EVs isolated from the ΔsrtAB mutant showed full immune stimulation, indicating the cell wall anchoring of surface proteins did not play a role in immune stimulation. The immune stimulation of S. aureus EVs was mediated mainly by monocytes/macrophages and was TLR2 dependent. In this study, we demonstrated that not only free Lpp but also EV-imbedded Lpp had high pro-inflammatory activity.

scholarly journals Involvement of HECTD1 in LPS-induced astrocyte activation via σ-1R-JNK/p38-FOXJ2 axis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Tang ◽  
Mengchun Zhou ◽  
Rongrong Huang ◽  
Ling Shen ◽  
Li Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Astrocyte Activation ◽  
Hect Domain ◽  
P38 Inhibitor ◽  
Ubiquitin Protein Ligase ◽  
Primary Mouse ◽  
Lps Treatment

Abstract Background Astrocytes participate in innate inflammatory responses within the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). HECT domain E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (HECTD1) functions during microglial activation, suggesting a connection with neuroinflammation. However, the potential role of HECTD1 in astrocytes remains largely unknown. Results Here, we demonstrated that HECTD1 was upregulated in primary mouse astrocytes after 100 ng/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. Genetic knockdown of HECTD1 in vitro or astrocyte-specific knockdown of HECTD1 in vivo suppressed LPS-induced astrocyte activation, whereas overexpression of HECTD1 in vitro facilitated LPS-induced astrocyte activation. Mechanistically, we established that LPS activated σ-1R-JNK/p38 pathway, and σ-1R antagonist BD1047, JNK inhibitor SP600125, or p38 inhibitor SB203580 reversed LPS-induced expression of HECTD1, thus restored LPS-induced astrocyte activation. In addition, FOXJ2 functioned as a transcription factor of HECTD1, and pretreatment of primary mouse astrocytes with BD1047, SB203580, and SP600125 significantly inhibited LPS-mediated translocation of FOXJ2 into the nucleus. Conclusions Overall, our present findings suggest that HECTD1 participates in LPS-induced astrocyte activation by activation of σ-1R-JNK/p38-FOXJ2 pathway and provide a potential therapeutic strategy for neuroinflammation induced by LPS or any other neuroinflammatory disorders.

scholarly journals TNF-α Triggers RIP1/FADD/Caspase-8-Mediated Apoptosis of Astrocytes and RIP3/MLKL-Mediated Necroptosis of Neurons Induced by Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongli Zhou ◽  
Minyu Zhou ◽  
Yue Hu ◽  
Yanin Limpanon ◽  
Yubin Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Angiostrongylus Cantonensis ◽  
Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Caspase 8 ◽  
Cns Injury ◽  
Vitro Assay ◽  
Tnf Α

AbstractAngiostrongylus cantonensis (AC) can cause severe eosinophilic meningitis or encephalitis in non-permissive hosts accompanied by apoptosis and necroptosis of brain cells. However, the explicit underlying molecular basis of apoptosis and necroptosis upon AC infection has not yet been elucidated. To determine the specific pathways of apoptosis and necroptosis upon AC infection, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis for gene expression microarray (accession number: GSE159486) of mouse brain infected by AC revealed that TNF-α likely played a central role in the apoptosis and necroptosis in the context of AC infection, which was further confirmed via an in vivo rescue assay after treating with TNF-α inhibitor. The signalling axes involved in apoptosis and necroptosis were investigated via immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. Immunofluorescence was used to identify the specific cells that underwent apoptosis or necroptosis. The results showed that TNF-α induced apoptosis of astrocytes through the RIP1/FADD/Caspase-8 axis and induced necroptosis of neurons by the RIP3/MLKL signalling pathway. In addition, in vitro assay revealed that TNF-α secretion by microglia increased upon LSA stimulation and caused necroptosis of neurons. The present study provided the first evidence that TNF-α was secreted by microglia stimulated by AC infection, which caused cell death via parallel pathways of astrocyte apoptosis (mediated by the RIP1/FADD/caspase-8 axis) and neuron necroptosis (driven by the RIP3/MLKL complex). Our research comprehensively elucidated the mechanism of cell death after AC infection and provided new insight into targeting TNF-α signalling as a therapeutic strategy for CNS injury.

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