Publications by authors named "Wei-Xiao Niu"

Liver fibrosis is a key global health care burden. Sclareol, isolated from Salvia sclarea, possesses various biological activities. Its effect on liver fibrosis remains unknown.

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Liver fibrosis is an important process in chronic liver disease and is strongly related to poor prognosis. Dehydromevalonolactone (C8) is a natural product isolated from a fungus of Fusarium sp. CPCC 401218, and its pharmacological activity has never been reported before.

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Liver fibrosis is one of the most severe pathologic consequences of chronic liver diseases, and effective therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are H/K-ATPase inhibitors and currently used to treat acid-related diseases such as gastric ulcers, which have shown other therapeutic effects in addition to inhibiting acid secretion. However, few studies have focused on PPIs from the perspective of inhibiting hepatic fibrosis.

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Background And Purpose: This study investigates the antifibrotic activities and potential mechanisms of costunolide (COS), a natural sesquiterpene compound.

Experimental Approach: Rats subjected to bile duct ligation and mice challenged with CCl were used to study the antifibrotic effects of COS in vivo. Mouse primary hepatic stellate cells (pHSCs) and human HSC line LX-2 also served as an in vitro liver fibrosis models.

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The manipulation of bile acid (BA) homeostasis by blocking the ileal apical Na-dependent bile salt transporter (ASBT/SLC10A2) may have therapeutic effects in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We developed a novel ASBT inhibitor, an N-(3,4-o-dichlorophenyl)-2-(3-trifluoromethoxy) benzamide derivative referred to as IMB17-15, and investigated its therapeutic effects and the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects. Syrian golden hamsters were challenged with high-fat diet (HFD) to induce NAFLD and were subsequently administered 400 mg/kg IMB17-15 by gavage daily for 21 days.

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