Plantamajoside Inhibits UVB and Advanced Glycation End Products‐Induced MMP‐1 Expression by Suppressing the MAPK and NF‐κB Pathways in HaCaT Cells

Photoaging and glycation stress are major causes of skin deterioration. Oxidative stress caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation can upregulate matrix metalloprotease 1 (MMP‐1), a major enzyme responsible for collagen damage in the skin. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulate via gradual formation from skin proteins, especially from long‐lived proteins such as dermal elastin and collagen. Plantamajoside (PM), isolated from Plantago asiatica, has various biological effects including anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In this study, we assessed the protective effects of PM on a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) and primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) against stress caused by glyceraldehyde‐induced AGEs (glycer‐AGEs) with UVB irradiation. We found that PM attenuated UVB‐ and‐glycer‐AGEs‐induced MMP‐1 expression in HaCaT and HDF cells and proinflammatory cytokines expression by inhibiting the phosphorylation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activated by reactive oxygen species. Specific inhibitors of NF‐κB and MAPKs attenuated the induced expression of MMP‐1. PM also inhibited the phosphorylation of IκBα, and reduced nuclear translocation of NF‐κB in these cells. Furthermore, PM attenuated the upregulation of receptor for AGEs (RAGE) by glycer‐AGEs with UVB irradiation. Therefore, our findings strongly suggest that PM is a promising inhibitor of skin photoaging.     

A Synthetic Loop Replacement Peptide That Blocks Canonical NF‐κB Signaling

Aberrant canonical NF‐κB signaling is implicated in diseases from autoimmune disorders to cancer. A major therapeutic challenge is the need for selective inhibition of the canonical pathway without impacting the many non‐canonical NF‐κB functions. Here we show that a selective peptide‐based inhibitor of canonical NF‐κB signaling, in which a hydrogen bond in the NBD peptide is synthetically replaced by a non‐labile bond, shows an about 10‐fold increased potency relative to the original inhibitor. Not only is this molecule, NBD2, a powerful tool for dissection of canonical NF‐κB signaling in disease models and healthy tissues, the success of the synthetic loop replacement suggests that the general strategy could be useful for discovering modulators of the many protein–protein interactions mediated by such structures.     

Di‐μ‐formato‐1κ2O:2κ2O′‐di‐μ‐pyridin‐2‐olato‐1κO:2κN;1κN:2κO‐bis­[(2‐pyridone‐κO)copper(II)] acetonitrile 1.02‐solvate

In the title compound, [Cu₂(CHO₂)₂(C₅H₄NO)₂(C₅H₅NO)₂]·1.02CH₃CN, the dimeric unit is centrosymmetric, with two bidentate pyridin‐2‐olate and two bidentate formate syn–syn bridges, and two apical 2‐pyridone ligands coordinated through the O atoms. The N atom from the apical 2‐pyridone ligand is a donor of a hydrogen bond to the O atom of the bridging pyridinolate ligand of the same complex. The coordination polyhedron of the Cu atom is a distorted square pyramid.     

Tetrakis(5‐tert‐butylpyrazole‐1κN2)tetrachloro‐1κCl,2κ3Cl‐μ‐oxo‐1:2κ2O‐diiron(III)

The title compound, [Fe₂Cl₄O(C₇H₁₂N₂)₄], contains vertex‐sharing distorted tetrahedral [FeOCl₃]^? and octahedral [FeOCl(Hpz^tBu)₄]⁺ moieties (Hpz^tBu is 5‐tert‐­butyl­pyrazole), linked by a bent oxo bridging ligand. The two Fe^III centres are also bridged by intramolecular hydrogen bonds between the pyrazole N—H groups and the O^2? and Cl^? ligands.     

Fisetin Inhibits UVB‐induced Cutaneous Inflammation and Activation of PI3K/AKT/NFκB Signaling Pathways in SKH‐1 Hairless Mice

Solar ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation has been shown to induce inflammation, DNA damage, p53 mutations and alterations in signaling pathways eventually leading to skin cancer. In this study, we investigated whether fisetin reduces inflammatory responses and modulates PI3K/AKT/NFκB cell survival signaling pathways in UVB‐exposed SKH‐1 hairless mouse skin. Mice were exposed to 180 mJ cm^?2 of UVB radiation on alternate days for a total of seven exposures, and fisetin (250 and 500 nmol) was applied topically after 15 min of each UVB exposure. Fisetin treatment to UVB‐exposed mice resulted in decreased hyperplasia and reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells. Fisetin treatment also reduced inflammatory mediators such as COX‐2, PGE₂ as well as its receptors (EP1–EP4) and MPO activity. Furthermore, fisetin reduced the level of inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL‐1β and IL‐6 in UVB‐exposed skin. Fisetin treatment also reduced cell proliferation markers as well as DNA damage as evidenced by increased expression of p53 and p21 proteins. Further studies revealed that fisetin inhibited UVB‐induced expression of PI3K, phosphorylation of AKT and activation of the NFκB signaling pathway in mouse skin. Overall, these data suggest that fisetin may be useful against UVB‐induced cutaneous inflammation and DNA damage.     

Tetra‐μ‐chloro‐1:2κ4Cl;1:3κ4Cl‐di­methyl‐2κC,3κC‐tetra­kis(tetra­hydro­furan)‐1κ2O,2κO,3κO‐chromium(II)dizinc(II)

The title compound, [CrZn₂(CH₃)₂Cl₄(C₄H₈O)₄], contains a central distorted octa­hedral Cr atom, located at an inversion center, bound to two tetra­hydro­furan ligands and four chloro ligands that bridge to two symmetry‐related tetra­hedral Zn atoms. The coordination around zinc is completed by methyl and tetra­hydro­furan ligands. This structure is compared with a previously reported complex of vanadium, and their differences in metric parameters are explained.     

Modulation of Lipopolysaccharide‐Induced NF‐κB Signaling Pathway by 635 nm Irradiation via Heat Shock Protein 27 in Human Gingival Fibroblast Cells

Heat shock protein‐27 (HSP27) is a member of the small HSP family which has been linked to the nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling pathway regulating inflammatory responses. Clinical reports have suggested that low‐level light therapy/laser irradiation (LLLT) could be an effective alternative treatment to relieve inflammation during bacterial infection associated with periodontal disease. However, it remains unclear how light irradiation can modulate the NF‐κB signaling pathway. We examined whether or not 635 nm irradiation could lead to a modulation of the NF‐kB signaling pathway in HSP27‐silenced cells and analyzed the functional cross‐talk between these factors in NF‐κB activation. The results showed that 635 nm irradiation led to a decrease in the HSP27 phosphorylation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, I‐κB kinase (IKK)/inhibitor of κB (IκB)/NF‐κB phosphorylation, NF‐κB p65 translocation and a subsequent decrease in the COX‐1/2 expression and prostaglandin (PGE₂) release in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)‐induced human gingival fibroblast cells (hGFs). However, in HSP27‐silenced hGFs, no obvious changes were observed in ROS generation, IKK/IκB/NF‐κB phosphorylation, NF‐κB p65 translocation, nor in COX‐1/2 expression, or PGE₂ release. This could be a mechanism by which 635 nm irradiation modulates LPS‐induced NF‐κB signaling pathway via HSP27 in inflammation. Thus, HSP27 may play a role in regulating the anti‐inflammatory response of LLLT.     

Weak antiferromagnetic inter­actions in hydro­nium diaqua‐1κO,2κO‐trichloro‐1κCl,2κ2Cl‐μ‐dimethyl­glycinato‐1κO:2κ2O′,N‐dimethyl­glycinato‐1κ2N,O‐dicuprate(II)

The crystal structure of the title compound, (H₃O)[Cu₂(C₄H₈NO₂)₂Cl₃(H₂O)₂], contains two Cu^II ions bridged by the carboxyl­ate group of a dimethyl­glycinate ion in an anti–anti configuration. The Cu^II atoms both have an approximately square‐pyramidal conformation geometry and are 5.977 (2) Å apart. The two dimethyl­glycinate ligands have similar conformations, although they play different roles in the structure. A weak antiferromagnetic inter­action between the two copper ions could be inferred from the magnetic susceptibility measurements.     

μ‐Acetato‐1:2κ2O:O′‐diacetato‐1κ2O,O′;2κO‐bis(di‐2‐pyridylamine)‐1κ2N,N′;2κ2N,N′‐isothiocyanato‐2κN‐dicopper(II)

In the title dinuclear acetate‐bridged complex, [Cu₂(C₂H₃O₂)₃(NCS)(C₁₀H₉N₃)₂], the two Cu atoms are five‐coordinated, with a basal plane consisting of two N atoms of a di‐2‐pyridylamine (dpyam) ligand and two O atoms of two different acetate ligands. The axial positions of these Cu atoms are coordinated to N and O atoms from thio­cyanate and acetate mol­ecules, respectively, leading to a distorted square‐pyramidal geometry with τ values of 0.30 and 0.22. Both Cu^II ions are linked by an acetate group in the equatorial–equatorial positions and have syn–anti bridging configurations. Hydrogen‐bond inter­actions between the amine H atom and the coordinated and uncoordinated O atoms of the acetate anions generate an infinite one‐dimensional chain.     

catena‐Poly[[μ‐hexa­nedioato‐1κO1:2κO6‐bis­[aqua­(5‐carboxy­penta­noato‐κO)copper(II)]]‐di‐μ‐4,4′‐bipyridine‐1κN:1′κN′;2κN:2′κN′]

In the title compound, [Cu₂(C₆H₈O₄)(C₆H₉O₄)₂(C₁₀H₈N₂)₂(H₂O)₂]_n, the square‐pyramidally coordinated Cu atoms are bridged by both 4,4‐bipyridine and adipate ligands into ladder‐­like chains, with exo‐orientated 5‐carboxypentan­oate ligands pendant from both side rails. Half of the adipate ligand is related to the other half by inversion symmetry. Inter­chain O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds from the aqua ligands to the carbonyl O atoms of the 5‐carboxy­penta­noate ligands are responsible for the formation of two‐dimensional grid‐like (4,4)‐networks, which complete a twofold inter­penetration.     

Di‐μ‐chloro‐1:2κ2Cl;3:4κ2Cl‐hexachloro‐1κ3Cl,4κ3Cl‐tetra‐μ‐dimethyl­glycine‐2:3κ8O:O′‐tetra­copper(II)

The title compound, [Cu₄Cl₈(C₄H₉NO₂)₄], crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P2₁/c with a unit cell containing two tetra­nuclear copper(II) complexes sited on crystallographic inversion centres. The coordination geometry around the central Cu atoms is square pyramidal, with four O atoms in the basal plane and a Cl atom in the apical position. The lateral CuCl₄ groups are flattened tetra­hedral. The bridging dimethyl­glycine mol­ecules are present in the dipolar zwitterionic form. The tetra­nuclear copper complexes exist as isolated entities since only intra­molecular hydrogen bonds are found.     

Tetraaqua‐1κO,2κ3O‐(μ‐2,4‐dinitrophenolato‐1κ2O1,O2:2κO1)(2,4‐dinitrophenolato‐1κ2O1,O2)dilithium(I): a dinuclear lithium(I) complex

The title complex, [Li₂(C₆H₃N₂O₅)₂(H₂O)₄], contains two kinds of Li atoms, viz. five‐coordinated and four‐coordinated. The five‐coordinated Li ion has a tetragonal–pyramidal geometry, with a water molecule in the apical position and four O atoms from two 2,4‐dinitrophenolate (2,4‐DNP) ligands in the basal plane. The four‐coordinated Li ion has a tetrahedral geometry, with three water molecules and one phenolate O atom of a 2,4‐DNP ligand. The Li ions are bridged by a phenolate O atom, giving the complex a dinuclear structure. The crystal packing is stabilized by O—H...O hydrogen‐bonding interactions involving the water molecules and nitro O atoms.     

Screening and identification of Caulis Sinomenii bioactive ingredients with dual‐target NF‐κB inhibition and β2‐AR agonizing activities

Caulis Sinomenii (CS) is a valuable traditional medicine in China. Its extract can act as an anti‐inflammatory agent and a vascular smooth muscle relaxant. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we developed a simple dual‐target method based on ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry combined with a dual‐target bioactive screening assay for anti‐inflammatory and antispasmodic activities to characterize the chemical structure of various bioactive compounds of CS rapidly. Seven potential NF‐κB inhibitors were identified, including laudanosoline‐1‐O‐xylopyranose, 6‐O‐methyl‐laudanosoline‐1‐O‐glucopyranoside, menisperine, sinomenine, laurifoline, magnoflorine and norsinoacutin. Furthermore, IL‐6 and IL‐8 assays confirmed the anti‐inflammatory effects of these potential NF‐κB inhibitors, in which laudanosoline‐1‐O‐d ‐xylopyranose and menisperine were revealed as novel NF‐κB inhibitors. Among the seven identified alkaloids, three potential β₂‐adrenergic receptor agonists, including sinomenine, magnoflorine and laurifoline, were characterized using a luciferase reporter system to measure for the activity of β₂‐adrenergic receptor agonists. Finally, sinomenine, magnoflorine and laurifoline were identified not only as potential NF‐κB inhibitors but also as potential β₂‐adrenegic receptor agonists, which is the first time this has been reported. Molecular dynamic simulation and docking results suggest that the three dual‐bioactive constituents could not only inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAK strain‐induced inflammatory responses via a negative regulation of the Braf protein that participates in MAPK signaling pathway but also activate the β₂‐adrenegic receptor. These results suggest that CS extract has dual signaling activities with potential clinical application as a novel drug for asthma.     

Tetrakis(μ‐triisopropylsilanethiolato)‐1:2κ4S:S;2:3κ4S:S‐bis(triisopropylsilanethiolato)‐1κS,3κS‐trizinc(II)

The title compound, [Zn₃(C₉H₂₁SiS)₆] or [(ⁱPr₃SiS)Zn(μ‐SSiⁱPr₃)₂Zn(μ‐SSiⁱPr₃)₂Zn(SSiⁱPr₃)], is the first structurally characterized homoleptic silanethiolate complex of zinc. A near‐linear arrangement of three Zn^II ions is observed, the metals at the ends being three‐coordinate with one terminally bound silanethiolate ligand. The central Zn^II ion is four‐coordinate and tetrahedral, with two bridging silanethiolate ligands joining it to each of the two peripheral Zn^II ions. The nonbonding intermetallic distances are 3.1344 (11) and 3.2288 (12) Å, while the Zn...Zn...Zn angle is 172.34 (2)°. A trimetallic silanethiolate species of this type has not been previously identified by X‐ray crystallography for any element.     

AQP4 Attenuated TRAF6/NFκB Activation in Acrylamide-Induced Neurotoxicity

Acrylamide (ACR) is present in high-temperature-processed high-carbohydrate foods, cigarette smoke, and industrial pollution. Chronic exposure to ACR may induce neurotoxicity from reactive oxygen species (ROS); however, the mechanisms underlying ACR-induced neurotoxicity remain unclear. We studied 28-day subacute ACR toxicity by repeatedly feeding ACR (0, 15, or 30 mg/kg) to rats. We conducted RNA sequencing and Western blot analyses to identify differences in mRNA expression in the blood and in protein expression in the brain tissues, respectively, of the rats. AQP4 transient transfection was performed to identify potential associations with protein regulation. The rats treated with 30 mg/kg ACR exhibited hind-limb muscle weakness. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP9) expression was higher in the ACR-treated group than in the control group. ACR induced MMP-9 and AQP4 protein expression in the brain tissues of the rats, which subsequently presented with neurotoxicity. In the in vitro study, Neuro-2a cells were transiently transfected with AQP4, which inhibited MMP-9 and TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) expression, and inhibited ACR induced expression of TRAF6, IκBα, and nuclear factor κB (NFκB). Using a combination of in vivo and in vitro experiments, this study revealed that depressive symptoms associated with ACR-induced neurotoxicity are associated with downregulation of AQP4 and induction of the TRAF6 pathway.     

μ‐Cyano‐1:2κ2C:N‐tetracyano‐1κ4C‐(5‐methyl‐5‐nitro‐3,7‐diazanonane‐1,9‐diamine‐2κ4N1,3,7,9)‐nitrosyl‐1κN‐copper(II)iron(II) dihydrate

The title binuclear complex, [CuFe(CN)₅(C₈H₂₁N₅O₂)(NO)]·2H₂O or [CuFe(nelin)(CN)₅(NO)]·2H₂O (nelin is 5‐methyl‐5‐nitro‐3,7‐di­aza­nonane‐1,9‐di­amine) consists of discrete binuclear mixed‐metal species, with a Cu centre linked to an Fe centre through a cyano bridge, and two water mol­ecules of crystallization. In the complex, the Cu^II ion is coordinated by five N atoms and has a distorted square‐pyramidal geometry. The Fe^II centre is in a distorted octahedral environment.     

Resatorvid‐based Pharmacological Antagonism of Cutaneous TLR4 Blocks UV‐induced NF‐κB and AP‐1 Signaling in Keratinocytes and Mouse Skin

Cutaneous exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a major causative factor in skin carcinogenesis, and improved molecular strategies for efficacious chemoprevention of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are urgently needed. Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling has been shown to drive skin inflammation, photoimmunosuppression, and chemical carcinogenesis. Here we have examined the feasibility of genetic and pharmacological antagonism targeting cutaneous TLR4 for the suppression of UV‐induced NF‐κB and AP‐1 signaling in keratinocytes and mouse skin. Using immunohistochemical and proteomic microarray analysis of human skin, we demonstrate for the first time that a significant increase in expression of TLR4 occurs in keratinocytes during the progression from normal skin to actinic keratosis, also detectible during further progression to squamous cell carcinoma. Next, we demonstrate that siRNA‐based genetic TLR4 inhibition blocks UV‐induced stress signaling in cultured keratinocytes. Importantly, we observed that resatorvid (TAK‐242), a molecularly targeted clinical TLR4 antagonist, blocks UV‐induced NF‐κB and MAP kinase/AP‐1 activity and cytokine expression (Il‐6, Il‐8, and Il‐10) in cultured keratinocytes and in topically treated murine skin. Taken together, our data reveal that pharmacological TLR4 antagonism can suppress UV‐induced cutaneous signaling, and future experiments will explore the potential of TLR4‐directed strategies for prevention of NMSC.