Based on previous studies about microflora regulation and immunity enhancement activities of polysaccharides from
Nannf. var.
(Nannf.) L. T. Shen (CPP), there is little study on intestinal mucosal ...immunity, which is a possible medium for contacting microflora and immunity. In the present study, the BALB/c mice were divided into five groups (eight mice in each group), including a normal group (Con), a model control group (Model), and model groups that were administered CPP (50, 100, 200 mg/kg/d) orally each day for seven days after intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg BW/d cyclophosphamide (CP) for three days. CPP recovered the spleen index and restored the levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-10, as well as serum IgG. In addition, it elevated ileum secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), the number of
and acetic acid content in cecum. These results indicated that CPP plays an important role in the protection against immunosuppression, especially mucosa immune damage, and the inhibition of pathogenic bacteria colonization, which could be considered a potential natural source of immunoregulator.
In this study, an acidic polysaccharide from
Nannf. var.
(Nannf.) L. T. Shen (WCP-I) and its main fragment, WCP-Ia, obtained after pectinase digestion, were structurally elucidated and found to ...consist of a rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) region containing both arabinogalactan type I (AG-I) and type II (AG-II) as sidechains. They both expressed immunomodulating activity against Peyer's patch cells. Endo-1,4-β-galactanase degradation gave a decrease of interleukine 6 (IL-6) production compared with native WCP-I and WCP-Ia, but exo-α-l-arabinofuranosidase digestion showed no changes in activity. This demonstrated that the stimulation activity partly disappeared with removal of β-d-(1→4)-galactan chains, proving that the AG-I side chain plays an important role in immunoregulation activity. WCP-Ia had a better promotion effect than WCP-I in vivo, shown through an increased spleen index, higher concentrations of IL-6, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum, and a slight increment in the secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and CD4
/CD8
T lymphocyte ratio. These results suggest that β-d-(1→4)-galactan-containing chains in WCP-I play an essential role in the expression of immunomodulating activity. Combining all the results in this and previous studies, the intestinal immune system might be the target site of WCP-Ia.
The antioxidant effect of salidroside has been proven, but its role in liver injury is poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the protective effects and mechanism of salidroside on ...liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl
) in vivo. Mice were pretreated with salidroside (60 mg/kg, intraperitoneally injected, i.p.) once per day for 14 consecutive days and then administered with CCl
(15.95 g/kg, i.p.) for 24 h to produce a liver injury model. Salidroside attenuated hepatic transaminase elevation in serum and ameliorated liver steatosis and necrosis, thereby suggesting its protective effect on the liver. Salidroside antagonized CCl
-induced toxicity by equilibrating antioxidation system, thereby inhibiting reactive oxygen species accumulation, and restoring mitochondrial structure and function. Salidroside exerts antioxidant and liver-protective effects by selectively inhibiting the activation of genes, including growth arrest and DNA -damage-inducible 45 α (Gadd45a), mitogen-activated protein kinase 7 (Mapk7), and related RAS viral oncogene homolog 2 (Rras2), which induce oxidative stress in the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. These results revealed that salidroside can protect the liver from CCl
-induced injury by resisting oxidative stress and protecting mitochondrial function.
The objectives of this study were to develop and optimize ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for shikonin from Arnebia euchroma using response surface methodology (RSM) and to evaluate the ...antimicrobial activity of shikonin. The maximum yield of shikonin was 1.26% under the optimal extraction conditions (ultrasound power, 93 W; time, 87 min; temperature, 39°C; and liquid-solid ratio, 11 : 1). Shikonin showed inhibitory activity against standard strains and clinical isolates to varying extents (MICs ranging from 128 to 1024 μg/mL, MBCs ranging from 256 to 2048 μg/mL), and it was more effective for Gram-positive bacteria as indicated by lower MIC and MBC values. Time-kill curves revealed that antibacterial activity of shikonin exhibited a dose-response relationship. In summary, via this study, we identified ultrasound-assisted RSM as the optimal extraction method for shikonin, which is a potential material for the treatment of bacterial infections.
Pseudorabies virus (PRV), in the family Herpesviridae, is a pathogen of Aujeszky's disease, which causes great economic losses to the pig industry. Recent outbreaks of Pseudorabies imply that new ...control measures are urgently needed. The present study shows that kaempferol is a candidate drug for controlling PRV infection, as it possesses the ability to inhibit PRV replication in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. Kaempferol at a concentration of 52.40 µmol L−1 could decrease PRV-induced cell death by 90%. With an 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 25.57 µmol L−1 kaempferol was more effective than acyclovir (positive control) which has an IC50 value of 54.97 µmol L−1. A mode of action study indicated that kaempferol inhibited viral penetration and replication stages, decreasing viral loads by 4- and 30-fold, respectively. Addition of kaempferol within 16 h post infection (hpi) could significantly inhibit virus replication, and viral genome copies were decreased by almost 15-fold when kaempferol was added at 2 hpi. Kaempferol regulated the NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways involved in PRV infection and changed the levels of the target genes of the MAPKs (ATF-2 and c-Jun) and NF-κB (IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-2) signaling pathways. The findings of the current study suggest that kaempferol could be an alternative measure to control PRV infection.
An inulin (CPPF), isolated from a traditional Chinese herbal medicine
, was characterized and demonstrated with potential prebiotic activity
before. Based on its non-digested feature, the intestinal ...mucosa and microbiota modulatory effects
on immunosuppressed mice were investigated after oral administration of 200, 100 and 50 mg/kg of CPPF for 7 days. It was demonstrated that the secretions of sIgA and mucin 2 (Muc2) in ileum were improved by CPPF, and the anti-inflammatory activities in different intestine parts were revealed. The intestine before colon could be the target active position of CPPF. As a potential prebiotic substance, a gut microbiota restorative effect was also presented by mainly modulating the relative abundance of
, including
,
and Lachnospiraceae after high-throughput pyrosequencing of V4 region of 16S rRNA analysis. All these results indicated that this main bioactive ingredient inulin from
was a medicinal prebiotic with enhancing mucosal immune, anti-inflammatory and microbiota modulatory activities.
The purpose of this study was to optimize the extraction process of phloridzin from Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd. leaves using response surface methodology and to determine the antioxidant capacity ...of the extract. A Box–Behnken design was used to analyze the effects of ethanol concentration, liquid–solid ratio, soak time and extraction time on the extraction yield of phloridzin. The content of phloridzin was determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. To assess the antioxidant capacity of the extract, three in vitro test systems were used (1,1‐,diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl radical scavenging test and reduction force). The optimal parameters obtained by response surface methodology were a volume fraction of ethanol of 64%, a liquid–solid ratio of 37:1, a soaking time of 35 h and a sonication time of 38 min. The proportion of the extraction of phloridzin from L. polystachyus under these industrial process conditions was 3.83%. According to the obtained results, response surface methodology could be suggested as an adequate model for optimizing the extraction process of phloridzin from L. polystachyus. Ultrasound extraction significantly increased the extraction rate of phloridzin, which could be used as an antioxidant in pharmaceutical and food products.
Dendrobium christyanum H.G. Reichenbach (Orchidaceae) is used as a source of the Chinese traditional medicine. Here, we report that the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of D. christyanum is ...157972 bp in length with134 genes, of which 114 are unique genes (80 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNAs, and 4 rRNAs). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that D. christyanum was closely related to D. strongylanthum, and D. longicornu. The newly sequenced cp genome will be useful for the phylogenetic and genetic conservation studies of Dendrobium.
Abstract Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A13 is mainly expressed in the respiratory system and has the ability to metabolize aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ). However, the role of CYP2A13-mediated AFB1 metabolism and its ...consequences in human lung epithelial cell is not clear. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the significance of CYP2A13 in AFB1 -induced cytotoxicity, DNA adducts, and apoptosis. To achieve these objectives, CYP2A13 was stably over-expressed in immortalized human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells (B-2A13) and its significance in AFB1 -induced cytotoxicity, DNA adducts, and apoptosis was compared to cells with stably expression of CYP1A2 (B-1A2), the predominant AFB1 metabolizing enzyme in liver, as well as CYP2A6 (B-2A6) as controls. AFB1 induced B-2A13 cytotoxicity and apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of AFB1 were significantly remarkable in B-2A13 cells than those of B-1A2 and B-2A6 cells. The increased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, such as C-PARP, C-caspase-3, and Bax, and decreased expression of anti-apoptotic proteins, such as caspase-3, Bcl-2, and p-Bad further confirmed the data of AFB1 -induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Furthermore, increased DNA adduct was observed in B-2A13 after AFB1 treatment as compared to B-1A2 cells and B-2A6 cells. Finally, treatment with nicotine, a competitor of AFB1 , and 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), an inhibitor of CYP enzyme, further confirm the critical role of CYP2A13 in AFB1 -induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Collectively, these findings suggest adverse effects of AFB1 in respiratory diseases mediated by CYP2A13.
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