Ingredient Of Herbal Medicine Research Articles

Effective enrichment and separation of three flavonoids from Ohwia caudata (Thunberg) H. Ohashi using magnetic layered double hydroxide/ZIF-8 composites and pCEC

In this study, Fe3O4@ZnCr–layered double hydroxide/zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 (MLDH/ZIF-8) magnetically functionalized composites were synthesized by co-precipitation and in situ growth based on the advantages of LDHs and ZIF-8 using Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a magnetic substrate to obtain adsorbents with excellent performance. Moreover, the composite was used for the efficient enrichment of flavonoids in Chinese herbal medicines. The internal structures and surface properties were characterized by SEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and so on. MLDH/ZIF-8 exhibited a large specific surface area and good paramagnetic properties. The MLDH/ZIF-8 magnetic composite was used as a magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) adsorbent, and a MLDH/ZIF-8 MSPE–pressurized capillary electrochromatography coupling method was developed for the separation and detection of flavonoids (luteolin, kaempferol and apigenin) in a sample of the Chinese herb Ohwia caudata (Thunberg) H. Ohashi. The relevant parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized to determine the ideal conditions for MSPE. 5 mg of adsorbent in sample solution at pH 6, vortex extraction for 5 min, elution with 1.5 mL of ethyl acetate for 15 min. The method showed good linearity in the concentration range of 3–50 μg mL−1 with correlation coefficients of 0.9934–0.9981, and displayed a relatively LODs of 0.07–0.09 μg mL−1. The spiked recoveries of all analytes ranged from 84.5% to 122.0% with RSDs (n=3) between 4.5% and 7.7%. This method is straightforward and efficient, with promising potential in the separation and analysis of active ingredients in various Chinese herbal medicines.

Structure-Based Discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Noncovalent Inhibitors from Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been extensively employed for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, there is demand for discovering more SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors with diverse scaffolds to optimize anti-SARS-CoV-2 lead compounds. In this study, comprehensive in silico and in vitro assays were utilized to determine the potential inhibitors from TCM compounds against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, which is an important therapeutic target for SARS-CoV-2. The ensemble docking analysis of 18263 TCM compounds against 15 SARS-CoV-2 Mpro conformations identified 19 TCM compounds as promising candidates. Further in vitro testing validated three compounds as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and showed IC50 values of 4.64 ± 0.11, 7.56 ± 0.78, and 11.16 ± 0.26 μM, with EC50 values of 12.25 ± 1.68, 15.58 ± 0.77, and 29.32 ± 1.25 μM, respectively. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicated that the three complexes remained stable over the last 100 ns of production run. An analysis of the binding mode revealed that the active compounds occupy different subsites (S1, S2, S3, and S4) of the active site of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro via specific poses through noncovalent interactions with key amino acids (e.g., HIS 41, ASN 142, GLY 143, MET 165, GLU 166, or GLN 189). Overall, this study provides evidence indicating that the three natural products obtained from TCM could be further used for anti-COVID-19 research, justifying the investigation of Chinese herbal medicinal ingredients as bioactive constituents for therapeutic targets.

Three-tiered authentication of herbal traditional Chinese medicine ingredients used in women's health provides progressive qualitative and quantitative insight.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbal products are increasingly used in Europe, but prevalent authentication methods have significant gaps in detection. In this study, three authentication methods were tested in a tiered approach to improve accuracy on a collection of 51 TCM plant ingredients obtained on the European market. We show the relative performance of conventional barcoding, metabarcoding and standardized chromatographic profiling for TCM ingredients used in one of the most diagnosed disease patterns in women, endometriosis. DNA barcoding using marker ITS2 and chromatographic profiling are methods of choice reported by regulatory authorities and relevant national pharmacopeias. HPTLC was shown to be a valuable authentication tool, combined with metabarcoding, which gives an increased resolution on species diversity, despite dealing with highly processed herbal ingredients. Conventional DNA barcoding as a recommended method was shown to be an insufficient tool for authentication of these samples, while DNA metabarcoding yields an insight into biological contaminants. We conclude that a tiered identification strategy can provide progressive qualitative and quantitative insight in an integrative approach for quality control of processed herbal ingredients.

Bioactivity of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc), Citronella (Cymbopogonnardus (L.) and Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii B) Against Decreased Blood Sugar Levels of Alloxan-induced (Rattus Novergicus)

Purpose: To see the potency of mixed extracts of Ginger (Zingiber officinal Rosc.), Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Randle, Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmanii B.) Against blood sugar levels in alloxan-induced Novergicus Rattus male rats. Theoretical reference: Insulin resistance is necessary to maintain dysglycemia, where insulin levels are higher than usual. Insulin resistance often occurs in people who are overweight, commonly known as obesity. 2. Pancreatic B Cell Dysfunction, decreased pancreatic beta cell function, and continued increase in insulin resistance, causing chronic hyperglycemia and stage liver disease. 3. Environmental factors are individuals who consume excessive carbohydrates and sugars. Method: Using Complete Randomized Design (RAL) consisting of 7 groups with 4 repetitions, namely K0 (Normal group), K- (Negative group), K+ (Positive group given meformin), K1, K2, K3 and K4 (mixed extracts of ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon 100, 200, 300 and 400mg/kg bw), The data obtained were analyzed using ANOVA with a sig < 0.05. Results and conclusion: It showed that the administration of mixed extracts of Ginger (Zingiber officinal Rosc.), Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Randle, Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmanii B.) affected reducing blood glucose levels and improving pancreatic histology. A mixed extract dose of Ginger (Zingiber officinal Rosc.), Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Randle, Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmanii B.) 400 mg/kg bw was most effective in lowering blood glucose levels and improving alloxan-induced pancreatic histology. Implications of the research: When you want to control blood sugar, you can use a mixture of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc), Citronella (Cymbopogonnardus (L.), and Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii B) extracts in balanced portions). Originality/Value: Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc), Citronella (Cymbopogon Nardus (L.), and Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii B) have potential as herbal medicine ingredients.

Analysis of the Therapeutic Effect of Shengmai Yin Chinese Herbal Medicine in Pneumonia

Health education is an important method to improve patients’ cognitive level and quality of life. Shengmai Yin (SMY) contain a variety of active ingredients of Chinese herbal medicine, pathology effect is relatively broad, plays an important role in a variety of chronic diseases treatment. This study aims to analyze the effect of nursing health education combined with the treatment with SMY on elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical information regarding the chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and pharmacokinetic characteristics of SMY in traditional Chinese medicine was summarized and analyzed. Animal experiments were conducted to analyze the immunomodulatory effects of SMY on elderly community acquired pneumonia. A total of 80 elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia admitted to our hospital from July 2019 to July 2022 were selected as the research objects. According to different nursing models, they were divided into a control group and a study group, with 40 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were given routine nursing, while patients in the study group were given health education nursing and SMY treament on the basis of the control group. The overall differences were compared between the two groups. In rat experiment, a rat model of chronic bronchitis was used and divided into control, model control group, low-dose group, medium-dose group, and high-dose group according to the dosage. The levels of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM), and cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α) in rat serum were determined using ELISA. The disease knowledge, the quality of life score and the effect of health education of the study group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.05), the temperature remission time of the two groups was not significantly different (P > 0.05), but the respiratory rate remission time and cough remission time were shorter than that of the control group (P < 0.05). In rat experiment, The levels of IgA, IgG, IgM, IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α in the serum of the model control group were higher than those in the normal control group. Compared with those in the model control group, the low-dose group exhibited lower levels of IgG, IgM, and IL-1, whereas the medium- and high-dose groups exhibited lower levels of IgA, IgG, IgM, IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α (all P < 0.05). Health education and SMY treatment have a good impact on elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia, which can effectively improve the patients’ mastery of health knowledge, treatment effect and quality of life. In addition, SMY had a significant downregulating effect on immunity and cytokines, providing anti-infective, antiallergic, and immunomodulatory effects, and is hence effective in treating bronchitis.

Discovery of Active Ingredients in Chinese Herbal Medicine Based on the Fishing Method of Surface Plasmon Resonance Technology

Discovery of Active Ingredients in Chinese Herbal Medicine Based on the Fishing Method of Surface Plasmon Resonance Technology

Effectiveness of herbal medicine as an alternative therapy for burning mouth syndrome: a systematic review

Background: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by a burning sensation or dysesthesia of the oral mucosa without accompanying abnormal clinical or laboratory findings. Management of BMS is very important to reduce pain, support nutrition and improve patients’ quality of life. Various studies on BMS therapy have been carried out, one of which is by using alternative materials derived from nature known as herbal ingredients. The objective of this systematic review is to review the effectiveness of herbal medicine to reduce pain in BMS patients. Methods: This systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Article searches were conducted through Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane, and Springer Link published from 2012 to 2022 with specific keywords. The search for articles was limited to human studies and randomized controlled trial (RCT), papers written in English and availability of full text. The risk assessment of bias uses the Modified Jadad Scale. Results: Seven articles with good eligibility that meet the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The herbal medicine reviewed were capsaicin (two articles), Aloe vera, catuama, capsaicin, virgin olive oil, chamomile and crocin (one article for each herbal medicine). All of the herbal medicine reviewed were proven to reduce pain in BMS patients, but capsaicin and catuama showed significant differences with the comparison group. Minimal side effects were also observed with capsaicin and catuama. Conclusion: Herbal medicinal ingredients have been proven to be effective, useful and safe alternative therapies for BMS patients.

Pharmacological Effects of Genus Lonicera and its Application in Tumors of the Digestive System

As an ingredient of Chinese herbal medicine with a long history of use, honeysuckle is popularly loved for its fragrant odor and elegant flower shape. The biological components extracted from Lonicera have the effectiveness of immunomodulation, antibacterial and antiviral, which can be taken as traditional Chinese herbs by decoction or com bined with novel biotechnology to treat cancer. As a kind of malignant tumor, digestive system tumors have complex causes, multiple pathologic types, wide range of invasion, and they are often accompanied by high cost of treatment and intolerable pain. As an economical and easily accepted form of cancer treatment, herbal medicine can be used as an adjunct to surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy to reduce the toxic side effects and pain of these routine treatments, thus improving the quality of life and even promoting the recovery of patients. This report reviewed the main bioactive components of Lonicera and their mechanism in cancer therapy, taking hepatocellular carcinoma, colon cancer and other cancers as examples. Even though a series of achievements have been made, as of now, experiments on honeysuckle in tumor therapy are still mostly focused on the cellular and animal levels, and more clinical trials are needed in the future to elucidate its specific mechanism of action through network pharmacology and molecular docking methods, so as to better assist in the treatment of cancer.

Porous phenolic resin regulated by alcohol-based deep eutectic solvent for selective extraction and separation of tanshinones from Salvia miltiorrhiza

Deep eutectic solvents (DES), regarded as promising green solvents, have gained attention due to their distinctive properties, particularly in analytical chemistry. While the use of DES in solvent extraction and separation has been extensively studied, its application in the synthesis of adsorbents has just begun. Phenolic resin, with its polyhydroxy structure and stable spherical morphology, could serve as an effective as adsorbents for enrichment of active ingredients in herbal medicine. Designing adsorbents with high selectivity and adsorption capacity presents a critical challenge in the enrichment of active ingredients in herbal medicine. In this study, alcohol-based DESs were employed as regulators of morphology and structure instead of organic solvents, facilitating the creation of polyhydroxy structure, adjustable pores and high specific surface areas. The resulting DES-regulated porous phenolic resin demonstrated enhanced extraction and separation capacity for active ingredients compared to conventional spherical phenolic resin owing to the alcohol-based DES offering more interaction modes with the analytes.

Medicine for chronic atrophic gastritis: a systematic review, meta- and network pharmacology analysis

Purpose The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness and reliability of adding traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the clinical intervention and explore mechanisms of action for chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) through meta- and network pharmacology analysis (NPAs). Methods A predefined search strategy was used to retrieve literature from PubMed, Embase database, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), Wan Fang Data and China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP). After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included for meta-analysis to provide clinical evidence of the intervention effects. A network meta-analysis using Bayesian networks was conducted to observe the relative effects of different intervention measures and possible ranking of effects. The composition of the TCM formulation in the experimental group was analysed, and association rule mining was performed to identify hub herbal medicines. Target genes for CAG were searched in GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, PharmGKB, Therapeutic Target Database and DrugBank. A regulatory network was constructed to connect the target genes with active ingredients of the hub herbal medicines. Enrichment analyses were performed using the Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to examine the central targets from a comprehensive viewpoint. Protein–protein interaction networks (PPINs) were constructed to identify hub genes and conduct molecular docking with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and corresponding active molecules. Results A total of 1140 participants from 12 RCTs were included in the statistical analysis, confirming that the experimental group receiving the addition of TCM intervention had better clinical efficacy. Seven hub TCMs (Paeonia lactiflora, Atractylodes macrocephala, Pinellia ternata, Citrus reticulata, Codonopsis pilosula, Salvia miltiorrhiza and Coptis chinensis) were identified through association rule analysis of all included TCMs. Thirteen hub genes (CDKN1A, CASP3, STAT1, TP53, JUN, MAPK1, STAT3, MAPK3, MYC, HIF1A, FOS, MAPK14 and AKT1) were obtained from 90 gene PPINs. Differential gene expression analysis between the disease and normal gastric tissue identified MAPK1 and MAPK3 as the significant genes. Molecular docking analysis revealed that naringenin, luteolin and quercetin were the main active compounds with good binding activities to the two hub targets. GO analysis demonstrated the function of the targets in protein binding, while KEGG analysis indicated their involvement in important pathways related to cancer. Conclusions The results of a meta-analysis of 12 RCTs indicate that TCM intervention can improve the clinical treatment efficacy of CAG. NPAs identified seven hub TCM and 13 target genes associated with their actions, while bioinformatics analysis identified two DEGs between normal and CAG gastric tissues. Finally, molecular docking was employed to reveal the mechanism of action of the active molecules in TCM on the DEGs. These findings not only reveal the mechanisms of action of the active components of the TCMs, but also provide support for the development of new drugs, ultimately blocking the progression from chronic gastritis to gastric cancer.

#75 : Mechanisms and Active Ingredients of Chinese Herbal Medicine on Ameliorating Endometriosis-Associated Pain

Background and Aims: Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) have been effectively used to treat the endometriosis-associated pain (EAP), but its pharmacological and molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we aim to use a network pharmacology-based approach to identify the potential therapeutic targets and active ingredients of CHM for EAP, and to verify their pharmaceutical actions on an experimental mouse model. Method: Pharmacological networks of 3 common CHM formulae for endometriosis (HXXYF, SFZYT and GXZYT) were built by targets collated from public databases, and the enrichment molecular pathway analysis was applied to select the potential pharmacological targets and CHM active ingredients. Pain assessments on the experimental mouse model were performed to evaluate efficacy of the CHM formulae and potential active ingredients. RT-PCR and immunostaining in endometriotic lesions were used to confirm the expression of the potential targets after treatment. Results: ‘Inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels’ was a major molecular pathway with highest significance in pharmacological network and enrichment analysis. In mouse, 2 CHM formulae, HXXYF and SFZYT, significantly reduced pain responses, while pain-related inflammatory mediators, IL1[Formula: see text] and PGE2, were significantly decreased after treatment. Meanwhile, densities of nerve fibers in lesions were significantly lower as well, with significantly lower expressions of TRPA1 and TRPV1. 3 CHM ingredients (baicalein, paeoniflorin and quercetin) with highest degree in pharmacological network were then selected for in-depth investigation. However, only paeoniflorin significantly reduced stimuli-evoked and non-stimuli-evoked pain in mice, along with effective reduction in all above parameters. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated multi-targets effects of CHM on EAP relief through inflammatory and neuropathic pathways, which supports CHM as alternative or complementary therapy for EAP. The active ingredients from CHM may provide a novel drug development and approach for EAP treatment.

Intrinsic "self-consistent" phenomenon based on holistic view of traditional Chinese medicine

The fundamental principle of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is holism, and it is crucial for TCM to address the key issue of the "holistic view" of Chinese herbal medicine. While the overall regulatory effects of Chinese herbal medicine have been widely recognized, the holistic internal logic of individual ingredients of Chinese herbal medicines require further clarification. In order to comprehensively understand the mechanism of action of Chinese herbal medicine, this paper combined the holistic view of Chinese herbal medicine with differentiation thinking to explore the intrinsic logical relationships within Chinese herbal medicine. Starting from the perspective of the coexistence of multiple components in Chinese herbal medicine, this paper systematically examined the "self-consistent" phenomenon within single Chinese herbal medicine. This phenomenon refers to the consistent or opposing actions of various components in terms of their physical and chemical properties, pharmacokinetic effects, biological effects, flavors and properties, and TCM efficacy. The paper summarized various logical relationships of syndrome differentiation exhibited by the same Chinese herbal medicine, analyzed the underlying reasons, and focused on analyzing external factors affecting the "self-consistent" phenomenon in the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine, aiming to better elucidate the theoretical basis of the pharmacological effects of Chinese herbal medicine, further enrich the scientific connotation of the holistic view of Chinese herbal medicine, and provide theoretical guidance for the preparation process, compatibility patterns, and formulation design of Chinese herbal medicine.

Chinese herbal medicine and active ingredients for diabetic cardiomyopathy: molecular mechanisms regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Background: Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the serious microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus. It is often associated with clinical manifestations such as arrhythmias and heart failure, and significantly reduces the quality of life and years of survival of patients. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) is the removal of unfolded and misfolded proteins and is an important mechanism for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. ERS plays an important role in the pathogenesis of DCM by causing cardiomyocyte apoptosis, insulin resistance, calcium imbalance, myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. Targeting ERS is a new direction in the treatment of DCM. A large number of studies have shown that Chinese herbal medicine and active ingredients can significantly improve the clinical outcome of DCM patients through intervention in ERS and effects on myocardial structure and function, which has become one of the hot research directions. Purpose: The aim of this review is to elucidate and summarize the roles and mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicine and active ingredients that have the potential to modulate endoplasmic reticulum stress, thereby contributing to better management of DCM. Methods: Databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Internet, and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform were used to search, analyze, and collect literature, in order to review the mechanisms by which phytochemicals inhibit the progression of DCM by targeting the ERS and its key signaling pathways. Keywords used included "diabetic cardiomyopathy" and "endoplasmic reticulum stress." Results: This review found that Chinese herbs and their active ingredients can regulate ERS through IRE1, ATF6, and PERK pathways to reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis, ameliorate myocardial fibrosis, and attenuate myocardial hypertrophy for the treatment of DCM. Conclusion: A comprehensive source of information on potential ERS inhibitors is provided in this review. The analysis of the literature suggests that Chinese herbal medicine and its active ingredients can be used as potential drug candidates for the treatment of DCM. In short, we cannot ignore the role of traditional Chinese medicine in regulating ERS and treating DCM, and look forward to more research and new drugs to come.

Empowerment and Counseling about Traditional Medicinal Plants (Jamu) to Facilitate Breast Milk (ASI) for Breastfeeding Mothers and PKK Mothers in Pasar X Village, Kutalimbaru District

This community service activity aims to increase the knowledge and skills of mothers with babies aged 0-2 years, PKK mothers and cadre mothers to better understand the benefits of herbal medicine and how to make and distribute leaflets on ingredients for making herbal medicine and it is hoped that respondents will practice it at home. The community service method involves providing outreach on the benefits of breast milk for babies, the benefits of herbal medicine as well as herbal medicine ingredients and how to make it through lectures, discussions and demonstrations of making herbal medicine. And the counseling was evaluated with pre-tests and post-tests, distribution of leafeads and the practice of making herbal medicine which was carried out at the Siti Rohana Br Ginting clinic as a midwife in Pasar X village, Kutalimbaru sub-district. The results obtained after carrying out community service regarding the benefits of herbal medicine, knowledge about the benefits of herbal medicine increased from 65% who did not know to 87%. And from 81.6% who did not know the ingredients and how to make it and after being given an explanation the ingredients and how to make it increased to 91.1%. Suggestions for village midwives and posyandu cadres to explain the benefits of herbal medicine and ingredients to breastfeeding mothers. Use leafheads so that the culture is not lost.

Integrating animal experiments, mass spectrometry and network-based approach to reveal the sleep-improving effects of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen and γ-aminobutyric acid mixture

BackgroundZiziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS) is a plant widely used as medicine and food in Asian countries due to its numerous health benefits. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a non-proteinaceous amino acid, is one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters with a relaxant function. In this study, a system pharmacology approach was employed to assess the effects of a mixture composed of ZSS and GABA (ZSSG) on sleep improvement.MethodsMice were divided into five groups (n = 10) and received either no treatment, sodium pentobarbital, or sodium barbital with diazepam or ZSSG. The effects of ZSSG on sleep quality were evaluated in mice, and differential metabolites associated with sleep were identified among the control, ZSS, GABA, and ZSSG groups. Additionally, network-based ingredient-insomnia proximity analysis was applied to explore the major ingredients.ResultsZSSG significantly improved sleep quality by decreasing sleep latency and prolonging sleep duration in sodium pentobarbital-induced sleeping mouse model (P < 0.05). ZSSG significantly enhanced the brain content of GABA in mice. Furthermore, ZSSG also significantly decreased sleep latency-induced by sodium barbital in mice (P < 0.05). Metabolic analysis revealed significant differences in 10 metabolites between ZSSG group and the groups administering ZSS or GABA. Lastly, using the network-based ingredient screening model, we discovered potential four active ingredients and three pairwise ingredient combinations with synergistic effect on insomnia from ZSSG among 85 ingredients identified by UPLC-Q/TOF–MS. Also, we have constructed an online computation platform.ConclusionOur data demonstrated that ZSSG improved the sleeping quality of mice and helped to balance metabolic disorders-associated with sleep disorders. Moreover, based on the network-based prediction method, the four potential active ingredients in ZSSG could serve as quality markers-associated with insomnia. The network-based framework may open up a new avenue for the discovery of active ingredients of herbal medicine for treating complex chronic diseases or symptoms, such as insomnia.

Phytochemical Investigation of Lepionurus sylvestris Blume and Their Anti-Diabetes Effects via Anti-Alpha Glucosidase and Insulin Secretagogue Activities Plus Molecular Docking.

This study presents a phytochemical investigation of Lepionurus sylvestris leaf extracts and their anti-diabetic activities. Traditionally, L. sylvestris leaves were used as vegetables and food in local recipes, but the root extracts of the plant can also be used in body tonic and erectile dysfunction treatments. Following a preliminary anti-diabetic activity screening test, the 80% ethanolic leaf extract exhibited potent anti-alpha glucosidase activity. So, the leaves' active components were selected for further investigation. Firstly, the plant was extracted via maceration using lower to higher polarity solvents such as hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water, respectively, to obtain the four crude extracts. Then, the phytochemicals contained in this plant were investigated via classical column chromatography and spectroscopy techniques. Anti-diabetic activity was evaluated via anti-alpha glucosidase and insulin secretagogue assays. The results showed that five compounds were isolated from the fractionated ethanolic leaf extract: interruptin A; interruptin C; ergosterol; diglycerol; and 15-16-epoxy-neo-cleoda-3,7(20),13(16),14-tetraene-12,17:18,19-diolide, a new diterpene derivative which is herein referred to as lepionurodiolide. Interruptin A and the new diterpene derivative exhibited the greatest effect on anti-alpha glucosidase activity, showing IC50 values of 293.05 and 203.71 μg/mL, respectively. Then, molecular docking was used to study the sites of action of these compounds. The results showed that interruptin A and the new compound interacted through H-bonds with the GLN279 residue, with a binding energy of -9.8 kcal/mol, whereas interruptin A and C interacted with HIS280 and ARG315 a with binding energy of -10.2 kcal/mol. Moreover, the extracts were investigated for their toxicity toward human cancer cells, and a zebrafish embryonic toxicity model was used to determine herbal drug safety. The results indicated that ethyl acetate and hexane extracts showed cytotoxicity to both Hela cells and human breast adenocarcinomas (MCF-7), which was related to the results derived from using the zebrafish embryonic toxicity model. The hexane and ethyl acetate presented LC50 values of 33.25 and 36.55 μg/mL, respectively, whereas the ethanol and water extracts did not show embryonic toxicity. This study is the first of its kind to report on the chemical constituents and anti-diabetic activity of L. sylvestris, the leaf extract of which has been traditionally used in southern Thailand as a herbal medicine and food ingredient.

Response of Growth and Yield of Mint (Mentha spicata L.) Cuttings to Auxin and Composition of Planting Media

Consumption of herbal medicines by Indonesian people is increasing because of the price and ease of obtaining them. One of the main ingredients of herbal medicine is mint leaves because they contain tannin and flavonoid secondary metabolites. However, the generative mint plant is very slow and needs vegetative cuttings propagation. This study aims to examine the effect of auxin-type growth regulators and the composition of the growing media on the growth and yield of mint plant cuttings. This study used a complete randomized block design with two factors. The first factor was the auxin growth regulator with four levels: without growth regulator, IBA 500 ppm, IAA 500 ppm, NAA 500 ppm. The second factor was the composition of the planting medium with three levels, namely soil, husk charcoal, and goat manure 3:3:1; 3:2:2, and 3:1:3. Three repetitions were carried out. Auxin affects the number and area of leaves. Applying 500 ppm NAA encouraged the highest leaf growth, with the number of leaves at 163.38. Growth regulator NAA 500 ppm increased the number of leaves and leaf area of mint plants, i.e., by 0.01% and 1.16% compared to the control. The growing media composition affected the crown fresh weight, root biomass, and crown root ratio. The media composition of 3:3:1 produced a crown fresh weight of 41.07 g, and the media composition 3:3:3 produced the highest biomass of 5.97 g. The media composition 3:1:3 showed the highest root crown ratio, 2.69%. Auxin and the composition of the growing media synergistically promote the growth and yield of mint cuttings.

Variation and phenetic relationships of Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq. from various host trees based on morphological characters

Dendrophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq.; Loranthaceae) is a shrub parasitic on various host tree species. This species is often used for herbal medicinal ingredients by local communities based on the spesies of host tree. The morphological characteristics of D. pentandra are important to study because their adaptation to different host trees may resulting population of ecotypes. This study aims to determine the variation of D. pentandra accession characters on different host tree species based on morphological characters and to determine morphological phenetic relationships between accessions. Besides studies of D. pentandra accessions in Yogyakarta Province have never been conducted in full. Sample collection (accession) of D. pentandra was conducted for various host tree species from various locations, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit. Morphological characterization and scoring of each accession were conducted to create a similarity matrix using the Jaccard Coefficient formula. Based on the similarity matrix between OTUs and the UPGMA algorithm, it can be formed into a dendrogram. The results showed that the morphological variations of D. pentandra were found in phyllotaxis, leaf thickness, petiole length, number of stomata density per field of view, flower color, crown tube length, corolla lobe length, petal length, stamen : corolla lobe ratio, fruit color, and seed color. The population of D. pentandra in Yogyakarta can be divided into two groups, D. pentandra which has alternate and opposite arrangements in phyllotaxis. The accession dendrogram of D. pentandra in Yogyakarta was divided into five clusters starting from a similarity index of 0.089 to 0.952. Thus, the diversity of morphological variations of D. pentandra on host trees is high.

PEGylated Gambogic Acid Nanoparticles Enable Efficient Renal-Targeted Treatment of Acute Kidney Injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical syndrome lacking effective pharmacotherapy. Gambogic acid (GA), as an active ingredient of herbal medicines, exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that benefit the treatment of AKI, but its poor aqueous solubility limits effective renal delivery. We, for the first time, developed GA-based nanoparticles (GA-NPs) with preferential renal uptake for AKI treatment. By PEGylating with NH2-PEG5000-NOTA, hydrophobic GA was self-assembled into ∼4.5 nm nanoparticles, which showed the enhanced renal accumulation in AKI models from PET images. Importantly, the in vitro cell assays and in vivo tests of the two AKI models have confirmed the obvious nephroprotective effects and biosafety of GA-NPs. Therefore, this work indicates that GA-NPs can be a promising therapeutic candidate for the management of AKI.

Formononetin Inhibits Microglial Inflammatory Response and Contributes to Spinal Cord Injury Repair by Targeting the EGFR/MAPK Pathway

ABSTRACT Zhenbao Pill contains many Chinese herbal medicinal ingredients and has been proven to have therapeutic effects on the repair of spinal cord injury (SCI). This study attempts to investigate the role of formononetin (FMN), an ingredient of Zhenbao Pill, in regulating neuroinflammation after SCI and the underlying mechanism. Primary microglia isolated from the spinal cord of newborn rats and human microglial clone 3 (HMC3) cells were stimulated with IL-1β followed by FMN incubation. The cell viability and inflammatory cytokine levels were detected. The target of FMN was predicted and screened using databases. By silencing or overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the anti-neuroinflammatory effect of FMN was assessed in vitro. In vivo, FMN was intraperitoneally injected into rats after SCI followed by the neurological function and histopathology examination. The isolated microglia were in high purity, and the different concentrations of FMN incubation had no toxic effects on primary microglia and HMC3 cells. FMN reduced the inflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α and IL-6) in a concentration-dependent manner. EGFR silencing or FMN incubation decreased p-EGFR and p-p38 levels and down-regulated inflammatory cytokine levels in IL-1β-stimulated cells or supernatants. Nevertheless, the effects of FMN on microglial inflammation were reversed by EGFR overexpression. In vivo, FMN treatment improved the neuromotor function, repaired tissue injury, and inhibited EGFR/p38MAPK phosphorylation. Formononetin inhibits microglial inflammatory response and contributes to SCI repair via the EGFR/p38MAPK signaling pathway.