Natural Products For Prevention Research Articles

The Beneficial Effects of Using Some Natural Products for Prevention and Treatment of Saprolegnniosis in Grass Carp Eggs and Fingerlings

The Beneficial Effects of Using Some Natural Products for Prevention and Treatment of Saprolegnniosis in Grass Carp Eggs and Fingerlings

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Pathogenesis and Natural Products for Prevention and Treatment

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease, affecting approximately one-quarter of the global population, and has become a world public health issue. NAFLD is a clinicopathological syndrome characterized by hepatic steatosis, excluding ethanol and other definite liver damage factors. Recent studies have shown that the development of NAFLD is associated with lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and lipotoxicity. A range of natural products have been reported as regulators of NAFLD in vivo and in vitro. This paper reviews the pathogenesis of NAFLD and some natural products that have been shown to have therapeutic effects on NAFLD. Our work shows that natural products can be a potential therapeutic option for NAFLD.

Licorice extract inhibits growth of non-small cell lung cancer by down-regulating CDK4-Cyclin D1 complex and increasing CD8+ T cell infiltration

BackgroundTargeting tumor microenvironment (TME) may provide therapeutic activity and selectivity in treating cancers. Therefore, an improved understanding of the mechanism by which drug targeting TME would enable more informed and effective treatment measures. Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch (GUF, licorice), a widely used herb medicine, has shown promising immunomodulatory activity and anti-tumor activity. However, the molecular mechanism of this biological activity has not been fully elaborated.MethodsHere, potential active compounds and specific targets of licorice that trigger the antitumor immunity were predicted with a systems pharmacology strategy. Flow cytometry technique was used to detect cell cycle profile and CD8+ T cell infiltration of licorice treatment. And anti-tumor activity of licorice was evaluated in the C57BL/6 mice.ResultsWe reported the G0/G1 growth phase cycle arrest of tumor cells induced by licorice is related to the down-regulation of CDK4-Cyclin D1 complex, which subsequently led to an increased protein abundance of PD-L1. Further, in vivo studies demonstrated that mitigating the outgrowth of NSCLC tumor induced by licorice was reliant on increased antigen presentation and improved CD8+ T cell infiltration.ConclusionsBriefly, our findings improved the understanding of the anti-tumor effects of licorice with the systems pharmacology strategy, thereby promoting the development of natural products in prevention or treatment of cancers.

Natural Products for Prevention and Treatment of Chemical‐Induced Liver Injuries

Chemicals (such as alcohol, drugs, and pollutants) may cause liver injuries, which could consequently develop into fatty liver, hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure, or even cancers. Liver injuries have been a serious public health problem worldwide. Numerous natural products and their bioactive components have shown protective action for liver injuries, such as blueberry, cactus fruits, Pueraria lobate, betaine, and silymarin. The underlying mechanisms mainly include antioxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, anti-necrosis, repairing damaged DNA, regulating the metabolism of lipids, and modulating primary bile acid biosynthesis. This review summarizes the natural products and bioactive compounds with protective effects on liver injuries caused by chemicals, and special attention is paid to the mechanisms of action. This updated information can be helpful to prevent and treat liver-related diseases, especially chemical-induced liver injuries.

Pharmacological Approaches and Natural Products for Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy - A Review

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a one of the most common and severe cancer treatment-related adverse effect. It can often cause the stop of the treatment and affects the long-term quality of life of cancer survivors, too. Unfortunately, there are no effective agent or protocol to prevent with strong evidence of effectiveness this toxicity prevention of CIPN. Thus, CIPN prevention mainly consists of cumulative dose-reduction or lower dose-intensities, especially in higher risk patients. After a brief description of pathophysiology and features of CIPN, the purpose of this study is to analyse the role of standard pharmacological approaches and natural products for prevention of this serious side effect.

Impact of Non-Enzymatic Glycation in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Role of Natural Products in Prevention.

Non-enzymatic protein glycosylation is the addition of free carbonyls to the free amino groups of proteins, amino acids, lipoproteins and nucleic acids resulting in the formation of early glycation products. The early glycation products are also known as Maillard reaction which undergoes dehydration, cyclization and rearrangement to form advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). By and large the researchers in the past have also established that glycation and the AGEs are responsible for most type of metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus, cancer, neurological disorders and aging. The amassing of AGEs in the tissues of neurodegenerative diseases shows its involvement in diseases. Therefore, it is likely that inhibition of glycation reaction may extend the lifespan of an individual. The hunt for inhibitors of glycation, mainly using in vitro models, has identified natural compounds able to prevent glycation, especially polyphenols and other natural antioxidants. Extrapolation of results of in vitro studies on the in vivo situation is not straightforward due to differences in the conditions and mechanism of glycation, and bioavailability problems. Nevertheless, existing data allow postulating that enrichment of diet in natural anti-glycating agents may attenuate glycation and, in consequence may halt the aging and neurological problems.

Herbs and natural products in prevention and treatment of migraine

Migraine headaches are extremely common and it is considered that, on average, one of ten people suffer from migraine. The pathogenesis of migraine is not fully understood. There are two theories, vascular and neurogenic. The treatment of migraine involves the prevention and treatment of acute attacks. Preventive therapy is recommended when migraine attacks are extremely frequent (2 or more attacks per month), intensive, long, and resistant to acute therapy. One of the most important herbs in the treatment of migraine is species Tanacetum parthenium, Asteraceae, feverfew. The most important active compounds in aboveground parts of the plant are sesquiterpene α-methylenebutyrolactones. The dominant compound of this group is parthenolide - sesquiterpene lactone. Parthenolide is considered to be responsible for antimigraine activity. It was shown that parthenolide contains highly electrophilic α-methylene-γ-lactone ring and resin, which directly interact with the nucleophilic groups of biological molecules. Among other, (inhibition of platelet aggregation, the transcription of NF-kappaB and IKC-a), parthenolide inhibits the release of serotonin. Also, ergo-peptide alkaloid ergotamine, product of the metabolism of the fungus principal rye ( Claviceps purpurea ) shows antimigraine activity. It acts as a partial agonist of α-adrenergic receptors, which explains vasoconstriction. On 5-HT receptors it acts as partial agonist and that can explain usage in migraine therapy.

Natural products and the aging process.

Abstract Literature surveys show that the most of the research that have been conducted on the effect of herbal remedies on many tissue pathologies, including metabolic disturbances, cardiovascular decline, neurodegeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy and skin inflammation, all lead to an accelerated aging process. The increased carbonylation of proteins (carbonyl stress) disturbing their function has been indicated as an underlying mechanism of cellular senescence and age-related diseases. Because it is also linked to the carbonyl stress, aging chronic disease and inflammation plays an important role in understanding the clinical implications of cellular stress response and relevant markers. Greater knowledge of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in several pathologies associated with aging would provide a better understanding to help us to develop suitable strategies, use specific targets to mitigate the effect of human aging, prevent particularly chronic degenerative diseases and improve quality of life. However, research is lacking on the herbal compounds affecting cellular aging signaling as well as studies regarding the action mechanism(s) of natural products in prevention of the age-related disease. This review provides leads for identifying new medicinal agents or potential phytochemical drugs from plant sources for the prevention or delaying cellular aging processes and the treatment of some disorders related with accelerated body aging.

THE EFFECTS OF MORINDA CITRIFOLIA, MOMORDICA CHARANTIA AND CENTELLA ASIATICA EXTRACTS ON LIPOPROTEIN LIPASE AND 3T3-L1 PREADIPOCYTES

ABSTRACT The effect of Morinda citrifolia fruit (MCFE), Momordica charantia (MCE) and Centella asiatica (CAE) extracts on lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, proliferation and differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes was investigated. The inhibitory effect of the extracts on LPL activity was determined in vitro. The extent of cell proliferation was determined utilizing 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and the degree of differentiation was measured by Oil Red O staining assay. Extracts were analyzed for total phenolic compounds and flavonoids utilizing Folin–Ciocalteu assay and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Results showed that, at 1 mg/mL, MCFE demonstrated the highest inhibitory effect (21.4 ± 2.3%), compared to the other extracts tested. On the other hand, MCE demonstrated the highest inhibitory effect on both proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes (LC50of 1.6 mg/L). LC50 refers to the concentration of extracts (mg/mL) to cause a 50% reduction in viable cells. Results also revealed that all extracts consisted of high concentration of phenolic compounds, with catechin and epicatechin predominantly present in all three extracts, that maybe responsible for the activities measured. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Obesity has become an important public health issue, being a risk factor for various types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and metabolic disorders. Classical weight loss programs, such as low-fat diets, often fail to achieve a long-term maintenance of weight loss. As a consequence of that, alternative such as the use of natural products in prevention and treatment of obesity is studied. Results from the study indicate that both Momordica charantia and Morinda citrifolia fruit extracts exert antiobesity effects by inhibiting proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes and lipoprotein lipase activity in vitro, respectively. Both fruits have great potential to be used as the main ingredient in developing functional foods for antiobesity purposes.