Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) is the most abundant bioactive molecule from Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, and has recently been used for treating renal fibrosis in traditional Chinese medicine. Here we investigated the ability reversal of Sal B to reverse the transdifferentiation of human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells that was induced by transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1). The effects of Sal B on HK-2 cell morphology were observed by phase contrast microscopy, while alpha smooth muscle actin and E-cadherin were studied by immunocytochemistry and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Exposure of HK-2 cells to TGF-β1 for 72 h induced a complete conversion of the epithelial cells to myofibroblasts. When HK-2 cells were co-incubated with Sal B and TGF-β1 for a further 72 h, the morphology of myofibroblasts returned to that of proximal tubular epithelial cells, whereas the myofibroblast phenotype was maintained after exposure of cells to TGF-β1 for 144 h. Sal B reduced alpha smooth muscle actin levels and increased E-cadherin levels compared with their epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition controls. The reversal effect of Sal B was dose-dependent. That Sal B reverses the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in vitro suggests that it could possibly facilitate the repair of tubular epithelial structures and the regression of renal fibrosis in injured kidneys.

Renal ischemia reperfusion injury (RIRI) refers to the irreversible damage for renal function when blood perfusion is recovered after ischemia for an extended period, which is common in clinical surgeries and has been regarded as a major risk for acute renal failures (ARF) that is accompanied with unimaginably high morbidity and mortality. Hypoxia during ischemia followed by reoxygenation via reperfusion serves as a major event contributing to cell apoptosis, which has been widely accepted as the vital pathogenesis in RIRI. Preventing apoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cell has been considered as effective method for blocking RIRI. In this paper, we established a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury model in human proximal tubular epithelial HK-2 cells. Here, we found increased SPHK1 levels in H/R injured HK-2 cells, which could be significantly down regulated after berberine treatment. Berberine has been reported to exert a protective effect on H/R-induced apoptosis of HK-2 cells. So, in our present study, we planned to investigate whether SPHK1 participated in the anti-apoptosis process of berberine in H/R injured HK-2 cells. Our study confirmed the protective effect of berberine against H/R-induced apoptosis in HK-2 cells through promoting cells viability, inhibiting cells apoptosis, and down-regulating p-P38, caspase-3, caspase-9 as well as SPHK1, while up regulating the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax. However, SPHK1 overexpression in HK-2 cells induced severe apoptosis, which can be significantly ameliorated with additional berberine treatment. We concluded that berberine could remarkably prevent H/R-induced apoptosis in HK-2 cells through down-regulating SPHK1 expression levels, and the mechanisms included the suppression of p38 MAPK activation and mitochondrial stress pathways.

Purpose: Oxidative stress is considered a major determinant in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Methylcobalamin (MeCbl) is an activated form of vitamin B12 that regulates inflammatory factors, counters oxidative stress, and reduces apoptosis in many disease models. However, the specific mechanism of MeCbl repigmentation against vitiligo is unknown. In this study, we explored the effect of MeCbl on melanocytes following hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )induced oxidative stress. Methods: We established an oxidative stress model using the immortalized human normal melanocyte cell line PIG1. We used a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) to detect drug cytotoxicity, and we measured the melanin content of cells using the NaOH method. Intracellular oxidative damage was assessed by flow cytometry and antioxidant enzyme detection kits. In addition, we assessed the presence of apoptosis by flow cytometry and Western blots. We explored the underlying mechanisms of MeCbl during oxidative stress in melanocytes by analyzing the results of experiments based on real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blotting, and laser scanning confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. Finally, we repeated the experiments after applying an inhibitor to block the Nrf2 pathway. Results: We found that MeCbl treatment enhanced cell viability, increased melanin content, reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, increased the activities of antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), reduced melanocyte apoptosis, and up-regulated the expression of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Moreover, the protective effects of MeCbl were significantly weakened after inhibiting the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Conclusion:Our results indicate that MeCbl attenuated the H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative stress in melanocytes by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, this suggests that MeCbl may be an effective treatment against vitiligo.

BSHX can effectively relieve the renal fibrosis in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy via the change of cell factor levels including enhancement of the expression of E-cadherin and depression of the levels of α-SMA and TGF-β1 expression.
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Dengzhanxixin injection (DI) product has been clinically proven to be effective for treating cardio-cerebrovascular disease. Furthermore, herb-drug interactions between the DI product and drugs that are commonly co-administered, such as aspirin, must be explored to ensure safe clinical use. A reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/ MS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of scutellarin and salicylic acid (SA) in rat plasma. The proposed method has been successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies on analytes in rats after i.g. administration of aspirin alone, i.v. administration of DI alone or a combination of both (i.g.: 10 mg kg-1 aspirin, i.v.: 4 mL kg-1 DI). Both SA and scutellarin exhibited a two-compartment model pharmacokinetic profile. Aspirin did not change the concentration-time course for scutellarin, but DI decreased the peak plasma concentration and the area under the SA curve. This study indicates that co-administration of aspirin and DI can cause an apparent herbdrug pharmacokinetic interaction in rats.