Yu Li , Jing Zhang , Yuxin Lei , Mengli Chang , Jing Xu , Shihuan Tang
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Ischemic stroke (IS) is a leading cause of long-term disability and mortality worldwide. The Chinese Pharmacopeia 2020 lists Naoxintong Capsule (NXT), a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, as having demonstrated substantial therapeutic efficacy for IS.
Aim of the study
Our study aimed to evaluate the mechanism by which NXT treats IS by integrating the microbiome, transcriptome, and metabolomics.
Materials and methods
In a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mouse model, the infarction rate, neurological scores, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels, inflammatory factor levels (IL-1β, IL-17A, and IL-6), and intestinal permeability proteins (ZO-1, MUC2, and MUC4) were measured to confirm the effect of NXT on the brain and colon. 16S rRNA sequencing, transcriptomics analysis, and targeted amino acid (AA) metabolism were employed to evaluate the mechanism by which NXT treats IS. Furthermore, the neuroprotective effects of specific AAs, identified through targeted AA metabolism, were assessed in PC12 cells following oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) injury. In addition, the TLR4/NF-κB pathway was evaluated by Western blot (WB).
Results
NXT administration substantially alleviated brain damage and colon injury by decreasing the infarction rate, neurological scores, LPS levels, and inflammatory factors, and increasing the expression of intestinal permeability protein. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that NXT regulated “inflammatory response,” “Toll-like receptor signaling pathway,”, and “NF-κB signaling pathway.” Furthermore, WB confirmed that NXT inhibited the brain TLR4/NF-κB pathway. 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that NXT adjusted the intestinal microbiota composition and decreased the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, including Parasutterella_massiliensis and Ihubacter_excrementihominis. Targeted AA metabolism analysis demonstrated that NXT regulated the serum levels of serine, lysine, and proline in MCAO mice. Furthermore, serine, lysine, and proline inhibited the TLR4/NF-κB pathway to protect against OGD injury in PC12 cells.
Conclusion
Our study indicates that NXT reduces the abundance of Parasutterella_massiliensis and Ihubacter_excrementihominis, while increasing the levels of serine, lysine, and proline. These changes are significantly associated with neuroinflammation. Furthermore, NXT alleviates IS-induced neuroinflammation by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Importantly, our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms underlying NXT's therapeutic effects on IS.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Ethnopharmacology is dedicated to the exchange of information and understandings about people''s use of plants, fungi, animals, microorganisms and minerals and their biological and pharmacological effects based on the principles established through international conventions. Early people confronted with illness and disease, discovered a wealth of useful therapeutic agents in the plant and animal kingdoms. The empirical knowledge of these medicinal substances and their toxic potential was passed on by oral tradition and sometimes recorded in herbals and other texts on materia medica. Many valuable drugs of today (e.g., atropine, ephedrine, tubocurarine, digoxin, reserpine) came into use through the study of indigenous remedies. Chemists continue to use plant-derived drugs (e.g., morphine, taxol, physostigmine, quinidine, emetine) as prototypes in their attempts to develop more effective and less toxic medicinals.