A Study on the Regulation of TRPM8 Signaling Pathway by Interior-warming Medicines in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Yuanjun Wei, Chengcheng Xiong, Yanran Zhan, Jiangbo Fu, Chaoyan Yang, Yanfen ChenBackground:
Interior-warming medicines (Wēnlǐ herbs) have the effect of warming the interior of the body and dispelling cold, and they are traditionally used for interior cold syndrome. Currently, they are used for treating gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, tumors, etc. Transient receptor potential channel M8 (TRPM8) is a non-selective cation channel that can be activated by low temperature and menthol. However, the mechanism of temperature regulation of interior- warming medicines is not clear. This study designed an in vitro experiment on the TRPM8 signaling pathway using interior-warming medicines, aiming to investigate the relationship between the hot property of interior-warming medicines and the regulatory effect of TRPM8.
Methods:
The breast cancer cell line 7 was cultured at different temperatures as a research model, six kinds of interior-warming medicines were used, and medicated serums from rats were prepared as test drugs. PCR and western blotting were carried out to investigate their effects on TRPM8 mRNA and protein expression. ELISA and flow cytometry were conducted to detect intracellular cAMP and Ca2+ concentration.
Results:
Compared with the blank-containing serum group, interior-warming medicines had no significant effect on the expression of TRPM8 at 37°C, while they could inhibit the expression of TRPM8 at low temperatures (30°C). Moreover, the six herbs could increase intracellular cAMP content and reduce Ca2+ concentration at different temperatures.
Conclusion:
The natural hot property of interior-warming medicines may be associated with the regulation of the TRPM8 signaling pathway, causing Ca2+ influx blocking, which provides a deeper experimental basis for their clinical application and new drug development.