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.
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.
In this study, the
leaf polysaccharide (NNLP) was isolated by hot water extraction and ethanol precipitation. DEAE anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration were further performed to obtained ...the purified fraction NNLP-I-I, the molecular weight of which was 16.4 kDa. The monosaccharide composition analysis and linkage units determination showed that the fraction NNLP-I-I was a pectic polysaccharide. In addition, the NMR spectra analysis revealed that NNLP-I-I mainly consisted of a homogalacturonan backbone and rhamnogalacturonan I, containing a long HG region and short RG-I region, with AG-II and 1-3 linked rhamnose as side chains. The biological studies demonstrated that NNLP-I-I displayed antioxidant properties through mediating the Nrf2-regulated intestinal cellular antioxidant defense, which could protect cultured intestinal cells from oxidative stress and improve the intestinal function of aged mice.
With continuous emergence and widespread of multidrug-resistant
infections, common antibiotics have become ineffective in treating these infections in the clinical setting. Anti-virulence strategies ...could be novel, effective therapeutic strategies against drug-resistant bacterial infections. Sortase A (srtA), a transpeptidase in gram-positive bacteria, can anchor surface proteins that play a vital role in pathogenesis of these bacteria. SrtA is known as a potential antivirulent drug target to treat bacterial infections. In this study, we found that erianin, a natural bibenzyl compound, could inhibit the activity of srtA in vitro (half maximal inhibitory concentration-IC
= 20.91 ± 2.31 μg/mL, 65.7 ± 7.2 μM) at subminimum inhibitory concentrations (minimum inhibitory concentrations-MIC = 512 μg/mL against
). The molecular mechanism underlying the inhibition of srtA by erianin was identified using molecular dynamics simulation: erianin binds to srtA residues Ile182, Val193, Trp194, Arg197, and Ile199, forming a stable bond via hydrophobic interactions. In addition, the activities of
binding to fibronectin and biofilm formation were inhibited by erianin, when co-culture with
. In vivo, erianin could improve the survival in mice that infected with
by tail vein injection. Experimental results showed that erianin is a potential novel therapeutic compound against
infections via affecting srtA.
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.
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.
is a plant widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, of which polysaccharides are reported to be the main components responsible for its bio-functions. In this work, the inulin-type fructan (PGF) ...was obtained by DEAE anion exchange chromatography from the water extracted from
. Characterization was performed with methanolysis, methylation, and NMR and the results showed that PGF is a β-(2-1) linked fructan, with terminal glucose and with a degree of polymerization of 2⁻10. In order to study its biofunctions, the prebiotic and immunomodulation properties were assayed. We found that PGF exhibited good prebiotic activity, as shown by a promotion on six strains of lactobacillus proliferation. Additionally, the PGF also displayed direct immunomodulation on intestinal epithelial cells and stimulated the expressions of anti-inflammatory factors. These results indicated that the inulin from
is a potential natural source of prebiotics as well as a potential intestinal immunomodulator, which will be valuable for further studies and new applications.
Aging is a biological process of progressive deterioration of physiological functions, which poses a serious threat to individual health and a heavy burden on public health systems. As population ...aging continues, research into anti-aging drugs that prolong life and improve health is of particular importance. In this study, the polysaccharide from stems and leaves of
was obtained with water extraction and alcohol precipitation, and then separated and purified with DEAE anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration to obtain CVP-AP-I. We gavaged natural aging mice with CVP-AP-I and performed serum biochemical analysis, histological staining, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and ELISA kit assays to analyze inflammation and oxidative stress-related gene and protein expression in tissues, and 16SrRNA to analyze intestinal flora. We found that CVP-AP-I significantly improved oxidative stress and inflammatory responses of the intestine and liver, restored the intestinal immune barrier, and balanced the dysbiosis of intestinal flora. In addition, we revealed the potential mechanism behind CVP-AP-I to improve intestinal and liver function by regulating intestinal flora balance and repairing the intestinal immune barrier to regulate the intestinal-liver axis. Our results indicated that
polysaccharides possessed favorable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and potentially anti-aging effects
.
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