Chinese medicine Bazi Bushen capsule improves lipid metabolism in ovariectomized female ApoE−/− mice

Abstract

Background: Dyslipidemia is one of the mechanisms of atherosclerosis (AS). Depletion of estrogen plays a key role in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal AS in women, and the blood lipid levels of women are closely related to endogenous estrogen levels. Phytoestrogens (PEs) exert estrogenic effects, including protection against AS, without the adverse effects of estrogen administration. Bazi Bushen capsule (BZBS) is a traditional Chinese medicine herbal compound prescription that has been shown to contain 11 unique PEs.In the present study, we assessed the effects of BZBS against lipid metabolism disorders.Methods: All ApoE -/mice underwent ovary ligation and bilateral ovariectomy (Ovx) to induce surgical menopause (Ovx/ApoE -/mice), whereas the C57BL/6J mice underwent sham surgery (needle threading).Ovx/ApoE -/mice were given a high-fat diet without estrogen and C57BL/6J mice were given a normal diet for 12 weeks. Ovx/ApoE -/mice treated with G1, a highly selective G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor1 (GPER1) agonist with proven activity against AS, were used as positive controls. Estrogen levels were measured and uterine atrophy index was calculated to determine the success of the model. Serum levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured in each group. The orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model was used to separate the groups, MetaboAnalyst was then used to analyze the metabolic pathway, and the most representative metabolites were finally identified.Results: Removal of bilateral ovaries resulted in successful surgical menopause models, where BZBS increased estrogen levels but did not increase the risk of uterine proliferation. BZBS attenuated dyslipidemia, including decreased TG, TC, and LDL-C levels, but increased HDL-C levels. The OPLS-DA model successfully distinguished the groups with good predictive ability and revealed their tendency to separate from each other. MetaboAnalyst suggested that both the G1 group and high-dose BZBS (HD-BZ) could improve the effect of lipid metabolism: the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway was mainly improved by the G1 group, while the inositol phosphate metabolism pathway was mainly improved by the HD-BZ group. For the four compounds with the highest content, the concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 3-hydroxybutyric acid, and 5(Z), 8(Z), 11(Z)-eicosatrienoic acid were dramatically lower in the model group compared to the control group. Lysophosphatidylethanolamine (18:0) was higher in the model group than in the control group. BZBS corrected these effects.Conclusions: BZBS treatment reduced serum lipid levels and improved fatty acid metabolism in high-fat diet-fed, surgically induced menopausal ApoE -/mice.

Bazi Bushen alleviates skin senescence by orchestrating skin homeostasis in SAMP6 mice

“…23,24 Bazi Bushen has been demonstrated to improve lipid metabolism, atherogenesis, ageing-related hypogonadism and ageing-associated cognitive impairments. [22][23][24][25] At the same time, these studies have also proven that Bazi Bushen could prevent skin senescence such as hair loss, skin atrophy and loose skin. However, the mechanism of Bazi Bushen on skin senescence remains largely unclear.…”

The role of collateral disease theory in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis in post-menopausal women: a narrative review

“…Our previous study found that BZBS contains 11 PEs, namely isoquercitrin, hyperoside, verbascoside, epimedin A, icariin, baohuosideⅠ, imperatorin, osthole, catalpol, deoxyschizandrin, schisandrin B (36). BZBS lowed serum lipid levels, and improved fatty acid metabolism in highfat diet-fed, ovariectomized female ApoE −/− mice (36).…”

“…Our previous study found that BZBS contains 11 PEs, namely isoquercitrin, hyperoside, verbascoside, epimedin A, icariin, baohuosideⅠ, imperatorin, osthole, catalpol, deoxyschizandrin, schisandrin B (36). BZBS lowed serum lipid levels, and improved fatty acid metabolism in highfat diet-fed, ovariectomized female ApoE −/− mice (36). Disturbance of lipid metabolism is one of the mechanisms of occurrence and development of AS (37,38), and PEs inhibit the progression of AS by improving lipid metabolism (39).…”

Platelet factor 4 induces bone loss by inhibiting the integrin α5-FAK-ERK pathway

“…First, to explore the relationship between PF4 and osteoporosis, a classic osteoporotic animal model was established via ligaturing bilateral ovariectomy (OVX). Generally, 60 mice were split into 10 groups of 6 mice, and the ligation of bilateral OVX was undertaken using standard methods [32]. After surgery, euthanasia was performed on each group every two weeks (at least) until week 12.…”