Aiweixin, a traditional Uyghur medicinal formula, protects against chromium toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans.
BACKGROUND
Aiweixin (AWX) is a traditional Uyghur medicine prescription, and has been mainly used to treat heart and brain diseases for a long time. Previous studies indicated that AWX had therapeutic effects in a rat model of myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury. In this study, we investigate whether AWX has protective effects against chromium toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).


METHODS
The AWX decoction was the conventional product for clinical use. It was added into M9 buffer in a certain volume for the treatment to the wild-type C. elegans and mutational worms, daf-16, glp-1(notch), daf-2, rsks-1 and eat-2. Assays for hexavalent chromium {Cr(VI)} stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were used.


RESULTS
We found that AWX at moderate contents (0.083, 0.1, 0.125 volume of AWX/total volume) increased resistance of C. elegans to Cr(VI) exposure, although higher contents of AWX are toxic for C. elegans. The protective effect of AWX was DAF-16-dependent, but independent on the DAF-2, GLP-1, RSKS-1 and EAT-2. AWX (0.1 volume of AWX/total volume) significantly reduced ROS production of C. elegans induced by Cr(VI) exposure.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicated the AWX protected against the toxicity of Cr(VI) in C. elegans, and the oxidative stress protective mechanism in worms should be involved.
College of Xinjiang Uyghur Medicine, Hetian, Xinjiang, 848000, China. bgenz2003@aliyun.com.|Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China. bgenz2003@aliyun.com.
Binggen
B
Zhu
Shanghai Research Center for Model Organisms, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Ping
P
Yang
College of Xinjiang Uyghur Medicine, Hetian, Xinjiang, 848000, China.
Nurahmat
N
Mammat
Shanghai Standard Biotech Co. Ltd, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Hui
H
Ding
College of Xinjiang Uyghur Medicine, Hetian, Xinjiang, 848000, China.|School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
Junmin
J
He
Shanghai Standard Biotech Co. Ltd, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Yong
Y
Qian
Shanghai Research Center for Model Organisms, Shanghai, 201203, China.|School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
Jian
J
Fei
College of Xinjiang Uyghur Medicine, Hetian, Xinjiang, 848000, China. kaiserrena86@aliyun.com.
Kaiser
K
Abdukerim
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002857:Chromium / Q000633:toxicity*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D000075322:Heavy Metal Poisoning; D019684:Magnoliopsida; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011041:Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
D000975:Antioxidants; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C108831:daf-16 protein, C elegans; D002857:Chromium; C074702:chromium hexavalent ion