Xu Zhou, Kong Xiang-Qing
Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Cardiology, Huai'an First People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 6 Beijing Road West, Huai'an 223300, China.
Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 May;89:991-1004. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.02.052. Epub 2017 Mar 10.
Diabetic cardiomyopathy is known as an essential complication of diabetes, a main reason leading to mortality for diabetic patients, and novel therapeutic strategies for treatment are urgently required. Bixin (BX), isolated from the seeds of Bixa orellana, is a carotenoid, possessing anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-oxidant activities. In our study, we attempted to calculate the role of bixin in cardiac injury progression, and reveal the possible molecular mechanism. Bixin treatment ameliorated cardiac dysfunction through inhibiting fibrosis, inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. It reduced fibrosis levels via collagen deposition down-regulation. Inflammatory response was attenuated by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion via Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa B (TLR4/NF-κB) signaling pathway inactivation in mice induced by high fat diet. Also, in in vitro studies, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated cardiac muscle cells exhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines over-expression, which was reduced by bixin through blocking TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Additionally, oxidative stress triggered by high fat in vivo and LPS in vitro was down-regulated for bixin administration via nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway activation. Our study suggested that bixin might be a novel and protective agent with therapeutic activity against cardiac injury by suppressing fibrosis, inflammation and oxidative stress.
糖尿病性心肌病是糖尿病的一种重要并发症，是导致糖尿病患者死亡的主要原因，因此迫切需要新的治疗策略。从红木种子中分离出的胭脂树素（BX）是一种类胡萝卜素，具有抗炎、抗肿瘤和抗氧化活性。在我们的研究中，我们试图评估胭脂树素在心脏损伤进展中的作用，并揭示其可能的分子机制。胭脂树素治疗通过抑制纤维化、炎症和活性氧（ROS）生成改善心脏功能障碍。它通过下调胶原蛋白沉积降低纤维化水平。在高脂饮食诱导的小鼠中，通过Toll样受体4/核因子κB（TLR4/NF-κB）信号通路失活减少促炎细胞因子分泌，从而减轻炎症反应。此外，在体外研究中，脂多糖（LPS）处理的心肌细胞表现出促炎细胞因子过表达，胭脂树素通过阻断TLR4/NF-κB通路使其减少。此外，通过激活核因子E2相关因子2（Nrf2）信号通路，胭脂树素给药可下调体内高脂和体外LPS引发的氧化应激。我们的研究表明，胭脂树素可能是一种新型的保护剂，通过抑制纤维化、炎症和氧化应激对心脏损伤具有治疗活性。
