scholarly journals The Underlying Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Traditional Chinese Medicine Smilax china L. for the Treatment of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Yunsen Zhang ◽  
Zikuang Zhao ◽  
Huimin Chen ◽  
Yutong Fu ◽  
Wenxiang Wang ◽  
...  

Smilax china L. (SCL) is extensively used in the treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This study aimed to clarify the potential active ingredients of SCL and mechanisms on PID. SCL was widely distributed in Japan, South Korea, and China, which was traditionally considered heat-clearing, detoxicating, and dampness-eliminating medicine. Systems pharmacology revealed that 32 compounds in SCL may interact with 19 targets for immunoenhancement, antiapoptosis, anti-inflammation, and antioxidant activity of the PID model. Molecular docking revealed that isorhamnetin, moracin M, rutin, and oxyresveratrol may have higher binding potential with prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), siderocalin (LCN2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and matrix metalloprotein-9 (MMP9), respectively. Molecular dynamics simulation showed that the binding modes of moracin M-MAPK1, rutin-TNF, and oxyresveratrol-MMP9 complexes were more stable, evidenced by relatively smaller fluctuations in root mean square deviation values. Conclusively, SCL may treat PID by inhibiting inflammatory factors, antitissue fibrosis, and microbial growth.

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gengbing Lin ◽  
Shuai Chen ◽  
Lang Lei ◽  
Xiaoqing You ◽  
Min Huang ◽  
...  

The effects of intravenous injection ofPorphyromonas gingivalis(Pg) on rabbit inflammatory immune response and atherosclerosis were evaluated by establishing a microamount Pg bacteremia model combined with high-fat diet. Twenty-four New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into Groups A-Dn=6. After 14 weeks, levels of inflammatory factors (C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)) in peripheral blood were detected by ELISA. The aorta was subjected to HE staining. Local aortic expressions of toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2), TLR-4, TNF-α, CRP, IL-6, matrix metallopeptidase-9, and MCP-1 were detected by real-time PCR, and those of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65, phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) proteins were detected by Western blot. Intravenous injection of Pg to the bloodstream alone induced atherosclerotic changes and significantly increased systemic and local aortic expressions of inflammatory factors, NF-κB p65, phospho-p38-MAPK, and JNK, especially in Group D. Injection of microamount Pg induced inflammatory immune response and accelerated atherosclerosis, in which the NF-κB p65, p38-MAPK, and JNK signaling pathways played important roles. Intravenous injection of Pg is not the same as Pg from human periodontitis entering the blood stream. Therefore, our results cannot be extrapolated to human periodontitis.


Open Biology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 130067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal P. Sapkota

The signalling pathways downstream of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) family of cytokines play critical roles in all aspects of cellular homeostasis. The phosphorylation and activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) has been implicated in TGFβ-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and apoptosis. The precise molecular mechanisms by which TGFβ cytokines induce the phosphorylation and activation of p38 MAPK are unclear. In this study, I demonstrate that TGFβ-activated kinase 1 (TAK1/MAP3K7) does not play a role in the TGFβ-induced phosphorylation and activation of p38 MAPK in MEFs and HaCaT keratinocytes. Instead, RNAi -mediated depletion of MAP3K4 and MAP3K10 results in the inhibition of the TGFβ-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Furthermore, the depletion of MAP3K10 from cells homozygously knocked-in with a catalytically inactive mutant of MAP3K4 completely abolishes the TGFβ-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, implying that among MAP3Ks, MAP3K4 and MAP3K10 are sufficient for mediating the TGFβ-induced activation of p38 MAPK.


Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaishali Aggarwal ◽  
Hardeep Tuli ◽  
Ayşegül Varol ◽  
Falak Thakral ◽  
Mukerrem Yerer ◽  
...  

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a pivotal role in biological processes and continuous ROS production in normal cells is controlled by the appropriate regulation between the silver lining of low and high ROS concentration mediated effects. Interestingly, ROS also dynamically influences the tumor microenvironment and is known to initiate cancer angiogenesis, metastasis, and survival at different concentrations. At moderate concentration, ROS activates the cancer cell survival signaling cascade involving mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1/2 (MAPK/ERK1/2), p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and phosphoinositide-3-kinase/ protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), which in turn activate the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). At high concentrations, ROS can cause cancer cell apoptosis. Hence, it critically depends upon the ROS levels, to either augment tumorigenesis or lead to apoptosis. The major issue is targeting the dual actions of ROS effectively with respect to the concentration bias, which needs to be monitored carefully to impede tumor angiogenesis and metastasis for ROS to serve as potential therapeutic targets exogenously/endogenously. Overall, additional research is required to comprehend the potential of ROS as an effective anti-tumor modality and therapeutic target for treating malignancies.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2440
Author(s):  
Lavinia Liliana Ruta ◽  
Ileana Cornelia Farcasanu

Caffeine–a methylxanthine analogue of the purine bases adenine and guanine–is by far the most consumed neuro-stimulant, being the active principle of widely consumed beverages such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and cola. While the best-known action of caffeine is to prevent sleepiness by blocking the adenosine receptors, caffeine exerts a pleiotropic effect on cells, which lead to the activation or inhibition of various cell integrity pathways. The aim of this review is to present the main studies set to investigate the effects of caffeine on cells using the model eukaryotic microorganism Saccharomyces cerevisiae, highlighting the caffeine synergy with external cell stressors, such as irradiation or exposure to various chemical hazards, including cigarette smoke or chemical carcinogens. The review also focuses on the importance of caffeine-related yeast phenotypes used to resolve molecular mechanisms involved in cell signaling through conserved pathways, such as target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling, Pkc1-Mpk1 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, or Ras/cAMP protein kinase A (PKA) pathway.


1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (5) ◽  
pp. G953-G959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Morisset ◽  
JoséCristobal Aliaga ◽  
Ezéquiel L. Calvo ◽  
Judith Bourassa ◽  
Nathalie Rivard

Pancreatic growth occurs after CCK, CCK-induced pancreatitis, and pancreatectomy; the mechanisms involved remain unknown. This study evaluates mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation and expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins after pancreatectomy to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in pancreas regeneration. Rats were killed 1–12 days after pancreatectomy, and p42/p44 MAPK activation, expression of the cyclins D and E, cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)-2 activity, retinoblastoma protein (pRb) hyperphosphorylation, and expression of the cyclin kinase inhibitors p15, p21, and p27 were examined. Pancreatic remnants exhibited sustained p42/p44 MAPK activation within 8 h. Cyclins D1 and E showed maximal expression after 2 and 6 days, coinciding with maximal hyperphosphorylation of pRb and Cdk2 activity. The expression of p15 vanished after 12 h, p27 disappeared gradually, and p21 increased early. The p27 complexed with Cdk2 dissociated after 2 days, whereas p21 associated in a reverse fashion. In conclusion, sustained activation of p42/p44 MAPKs and Cdk2 along with overexpression of cyclins D1 and E and reduction of p15 and p27 cyclin inhibitors occurred early after pancreatectomy and are active factors involved in signaling that leads to pancreas regeneration.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 1095-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leticia Labriola ◽  
Mariana Salatino ◽  
Cecilia J. Proietti ◽  
Adalí Pecci ◽  
Omar A. Coso ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The present study addresses the capacity of heregulin (HRG), a ligand of type I receptor tyrosine kinases, to transactivate the progesterone receptor (PR). For this purpose, we studied, on the one hand, an experimental model of hormonal carcinogenesis in which the synthetic progestin medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) induced mammary adenocarcinomas in female BALB/c mice and, on the other hand, the human breast cancer cell line T47D. HRG was able to exquisitely regulate biochemical attributes of PR in a way that mimicked PR activation by progestins. Thus, HRG treatment of primary cultures of epithelial cells of the progestin-dependent C4HD murine mammary tumor line and of T47D cells induced a decrease of protein levels of PRA and -B isoforms and the downregulation of progesterone-binding sites. HRG also promoted a significant increase in the percentage of PR localized in the nucleus in both cell types. DNA mobility shift assay revealed that HRG was able to induce PR binding to a progesterone response element (PRE) in C4HD and T47D cells. Transient transfections of C4HD and T47D cells with a plasmid containing a PRE upstream of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene demonstrated that HRG promoted a significant increase in CAT activity. In order to assess the molecular mechanisms underlying PR transactivation by HRG, we blocked ErbB-2 expression in C4HD and T47D cells by using antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to ErbB-2 mRNA, which resulted in the abolishment of HRG's capacity to induce PR binding to a PRE, as well as CAT activity in the transient-transfection assays. Although the inhibition of HRG binding to ErbB-3 by an anti-ErbB-3 monoclonal antibody suppressed HRG-induced PR activation, the abolishment of HRG binding to ErbB-4 had no effect on HRG activation of PR. To investigate the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), we used the selective MEK1/MAPK inhibitor PD98059. Blockage of MAPK activation resulted in complete abrogation of HRG's capacity to induce PR binding to a PRE, as well as CAT activity. Finally, we demonstrate here for the first time that HRG-activated MAPK can phosphorylate both human and mouse PR in vitro.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayato Nakagawa ◽  
Shin Maeda

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer mortality. Short-term prognosis of patients with HCC has improved recently due to advances in early diagnosis and treatment, but long-term prognosis is still unsatisfactory. Therefore, obtaining a further understanding of the molecular carcinogenic mechanisms and the unique pathogenic biology of HCC is important. The most characteristic process in hepatocarcinogenesis is underlying chronic liver injury, which leads to repeated cycles of hepatocyte death, inflammation, and compensatory proliferation and subsequently provides a mitogenic and mutagenic environment leading to the development of HCC. Recent in vivo studies have shown that the stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade converging on c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 plays a central role in these processes, and it has attracted considerable attention as a therapeutic target. However, JNK and p38 have complex functions and a wide range of cellular effects. In addition, crosstalk with each other and the nuclear factor-kappaB pathway further complicate these functions. A full understanding is essential to bring these observations into clinical settings. In this paper, we discuss the latest findings regarding the mechanisms of liver injury and hepatocarcinogenesis focusing on the role of the stress-activated MAPK pathway.


Reproduction ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 138 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
María E Matzkin ◽  
Silvia I Gonzalez-Calvar ◽  
Artur Mayerhofer ◽  
Ricardo S Calandra ◽  
Mónica B Frungieri

We have previously observed expression of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of prostaglandins (PGs), in reproductively active Syrian hamster Leydig cells, and reported an inhibitory role of PGF2α on hamster testicular steroidogenesis. In this study, we further investigated PTGS2 expression in hamster Leydig cells during sexual development and photoperiodic gonadal regression. Since PTGS2 is mostly expressed in pubertal and reproductively active adult hamsters with high circulating levels of LH and androgens, we studied the role of these hormones in the regulation/maintenance of testicular PTGS2/PGF2α. In active hamster Leydig cells, LH/hCG and testosterone induced PTGS2 and PGF2α production, and their actions were abolished by the antiandrogen bicalutamide (Bi). These results indicate that LH does not exert a direct effect on PG synthesis. Testosterone also stimulated phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase isoforms 3/1 (MAPK3/1) within minutes and hours, but the testosterone metabolite dihydrotestosterone had no effect on PTGS2 and MAPK3/1. Because Bi and U0126, an inhibitor of the MAP kinase kinases 1 and 2 (MAP2K1/2), abolished testosterone actions on MAPK3/1 and PTGS2, our studies suggest that testosterone directly induces PTGS2/PGF2α in hamster Leydig cells via androgen receptors and a non-classical mechanism that involves MAPK3/1 activation. Since PGF2α inhibits testosterone production, it might imply the existence of a regulatory loop that is setting a brake on steroidogenesis. Thus, the androgen environment might be crucial for the regulation of testicular PG production at least during sexual development and photoperiodic variations in hamsters.


2008 ◽  
Vol 115 (7) ◽  
pp. 203-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Muslin

Intracellular MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signalling cascades probably play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiac and vascular disease. A substantial amount of basic science research has defined many of the details of MAPK pathway organization and activation, but the role of individual signalling proteins in the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular diseases is still being elucidated. In the present review, the role of the MAPKs ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) and p38 MAPK in cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac remodelling after myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis and vascular restenosis will be examined, with attention paid to genetically modified murine model systems and to the use of pharmacological inhibitors of protein kinases. Despite the complexities of this field of research, attractive targets for pharmacological therapy are emerging.


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