Effect of Neurorepair for Motor Functional Recovery Enhanced by Total Saponins From Trillium tschonoskii Maxim. Treatment in a Rat Model of Focal Ischemia

Trillium tschonoskii Maxim. (TTM), is a perennial herb from Liliaceae, that has been widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine treating cephalgia and traumatic hemorrhage. The present work was designed to investigate whether the total saponins from Trillium tschonoskii Maxim. (TSTT) would promote brain remodeling and improve gait impairment in the chronic phase of ischemic stroke. A focal ischemic model of male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was established by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Six hours later, rats were intragastrically treated with TSTT (120, 60, and 30 mg/kg) and once daily up to day 30. The gait changes were assessed by the CatWalk-automated gait analysis system. The brain tissues injuries, cerebral perfusion and changes of axonal microstructures were detected by multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), followed by histological examinations. The axonal regeneration related signaling pathways including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3)/collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP-2) were measured by western blotting. TSTT treatment significantly improved gait impairment of rats. MRI analysis revealed that TSTT alleviated tissues injuries, significantly improved cerebral blood flow (CBF), enhanced microstructural integrity of axon and myelin sheath in the ipsilesional sensorimotor cortex and internal capsule. In parallel to MRI findings, TSTT preserved myelinated axons and promoted oligodendrogenesis. Specifically, TSTT interventions markedly up-regulated expression of phosphorylated GSK-3, accompanied by increased expression of phosphorylated PI3K, AKT, but reduced phosphorylated CRMP-2 expression. Taken together, our results suggested that TSTT facilitated brain remodeling. This correlated with improving CBF, encouraging reorganization of axonal microstructure, promoting oligodendrogenesis and activating PI3K/AKT/GSK-3/CRMP-2 signaling, thereby improving poststroke gait impairments.

An Active Fraction of Trillium tschonoskii Promotes the Regeneration of Intestinal Epithelial Cells After Irradiation

Despite significant scientific advances toward the development of safe and effective radiation countermeasures, no drug has been approved for use in the clinic for prevention or treatment of radiation-induced acute gastrointestinal syndrome (AGS). Thus, there is an urgent need to develop potential drugs to accelerate the repair of injured intestinal tissue. In this study, we investigated that whether some fractions of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have the ability to regulate intestinal crypt cell proliferation and promotes crypt regeneration after radiation. By screening the different supplements from a TCM library, we found that an active fraction of the rhizomes of Trillium tschonoskii Maxim (TT), TT-2, strongly increased the colony-forming ability of irradiated rat intestinal epithelial cell line 6 (IEC-6) cells. TT-2 significantly promoted the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of irradiated IEC-6 cells. Furthermore, in a small intestinal organoid radiation model, TT-2 promoted irradiated intestinal organoid growth and increased Lgr5+ intestinal stem cell (ICS) numbers. More importantly, the oral administration of TT-2 remarkably enhanced intestinal crypt cell proliferation and promoted the repair of the intestinal epithelium of mice after abdominal irradiation (ABI). Mechanistically, TT-2 remarkably activated the expression of ICS-associated and proliferation-promoting genes and inhibited apoptosis-related gene expression. Our data indicate that active fraction of TT can be developed into a potential oral drug for improving the regeneration and repair of intestinal epithelia that have intestinal radiation damage.

Total saponins from Trillium Tschonoskii Maxim alleviate myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rat

BackgroundTo investigate the effect and possible mechanisms of total saponins from Trillium Tschonoskii Maxim. (TST) on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rat.Methods and ResultsRats were pre-treated with TST in 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively. After 14 days intragastric administration, the model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min and then releasing the ligated artery for 120 min. The hemodynamic indexes, anti-oxidation index, and the anti-inflammation factors were detected. Pathological changes in myocardia tissue were observed by H&E staining. Apoptosis protein expression of caspase 3, 9, 12, AMPK, phosphorylation AMPK (p-AMPK) and Sirt1 was detected by Western blot. Pretreating the rats with TST dramatically decreased the levels of MDA, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, increased the levels of SOD and GSH-Px, and the apoptosis protein expression were all significantly decreased. In addition, the protein expression of p-AMPK and Sirt1 were markedly increased in TST pre-treated group. Furthermore, TST pre-treatment also improved the histopathological changes.ConclusionTST protect the myocardium by reducing the levels of inflammation factors, peroxides and cell apoptosis, increasing the anti-oxidase, and improving the pathological changes. The possible mechanism maybe through the activating of the AMPK/Sirt1 signaling pathway.