Natural medicines for the treatment of fatigue: Bioactive components, pharmacology, and mechanisms
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It is a common phenomenon that people are in a sub-health condition and facing ...“unexplained fatigue”, which seriously affects their health, work efficiency and quality of life. Meanwhile, fatigue is also a common symptom of many serious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, and schizophrenia. However, there are still no official recommendations for the treatment of various forms of fatigue. Some traditional natural medicines are often used as health care products, such as ginseng, Cordyceps militaris (L.ex Fr.Link) and Rhodiola rosea L., and these have been reported to have specific anti-fatigue effects with small toxic and side effects and rich pharmacological activities. It may be promising treatment strategy for sub-health. In this review, we first outline the generation of fatigue. Furthermore, we put emphasis on the anti-fatigue mechanism, bioactive components, and clinic trials of natural medicines, which will contribute to the development of potential anti-fatigue agents and open up novel treatments for sub-health.
Fatigue seriously affects people’s work efficiency and quality of life and has become a common health problem in modern societies around the world. The pathophysiology of fatigue is complex and not ...fully clear. To some degree, interactions between gut microbiota and host may be the cause of fatigue progression. Polyphenols such as tannin, tea polyphenols, curcumin, and soybean isoflavones relieve fatigue significantly. Studies have shown that the gut microbiota is able to convert these active compounds into more active metabolites through intestinal fermentation. However, the mechanism of anti-fatigue polyphenols is currently mainly analyzed from the perspective of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and changes in gut microbiota are rarely considered. This review focuses on gut microecology and systematically summarizes the latest theoretical and research findings on the interaction of gut microbiota, fatigue, and polyphenols. First, we outline the relationship between gut microbiota and fatigue, including changes in the gut microbiota during fatigue and how they interact with the host. Next, we describe the interactions between the gut microbiota and polyphenols in fatigue treatment (regulation of the gut microbiota by polyphenols and metabolism of polyphenols by the gut microbiota), and how the importance of potential active metabolites (such as urolithin) produced by the decomposition of polyphenols by gut microbiota is emerging. Based on the new perspective of gut microbiota, this review provides interesting insights into the mechanism of polyphenols in fatigue treatment and clarifies the potential of polyphenols as targets for anti-fatigue product development, aiming to provide a useful basis for further research and design.
Background:
Triphala
is a traditional polyherbal formula used in Indian Ayurvedic and Chinese Tibetan medicine. A wide range of biological activities have been attributed to
Triphala
, but the impact ...of various extraction methods on efficacy has not been determined.
Purpose:
The study aimed to evaluate
Triphala
extracts obtained by various methods for their hepatoprotective effects and molecular mechanisms in a mouse model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl
4
)-induced liver injury.
Methods:
HPLC fingerprinting was used to characterize the chemical characteristics of
Triphala
extracts obtained by (a) 0.5 h ultrasonication, (b) 2 h reflux, and (c) 4 h reflux. Hepatoprotective efficacy was evaluated in a mouse model of CCl
4
-induced liver damage. Serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured, as well as the liver antioxidant and inflammatory markers malondialdehyde superoxide dismutase glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), TNF-α, and IL-6. Gene and protein expression of Nrf-2 signaling components Nrf-2, heme oxygenase (HO-1), and NADPH Quinone oxidoreductase (NQO-1) in liver tissue were evaluated by real-time PCR and western blotting.
Results:
Chemical analysis showed a clear difference in content between extracts produced by ultrasonic and reflux methods. The pharmacological analysis showed that all three Triphala extracts reduced ALT, AST, MDA, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels and increased SOD and GSH-Px. Triphala extracts also induced transcript and protein expression of Nrf-2, HO-1, and NQO-1.
Conclusion:
Triphala extract prevents CCl
4
-induced acute liver injury. The ultrasonic extract of Triphala was most effective, suggesting that hepatoprotection may be related to the larger tannins via activation of Nrf-2 signaling.
Explore the effects of high-temperature reflux extraction and low-temperature decompressing inner ebullition on Triphala's chemical composition and anti-chronic pharyngitis activity.
The network ...pharmacology was used to analyze the material basis, targets and pathways of Triphala for chronic pharyngitis. HPLC were used to compare the fingerprint profile and content of components between the two extracts. The antioxidant and anti-chronic pharyngitis activities of the two extracts were compared by DPPH assay and ammonia induced chronic pharyngitis model in rats.
The network pharmacology results showed that the active ingredients of Triphala for chronic pharyngitis are epigallocatechin-3-gallate, (+)-catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, (+)-gallocatechin, quercetin, luteolin, leucodelphinidin and other flavonoids; phenolic acids such as gallic acid and ellagic acid; alkaloids such as ellipticine, cheilanthifoline; hydrolyzed tannins such as corilagin and chebulic acid. The high-temperature reflux extract and the low-temperature decompressing inner ebullition extract have extremely significant differences in the fingerprint profile. Among them, the content of gallic acid, ellagic acid, chebulic acid, catechin, epicatechin, corilagin, quercetin, and epicatechin gallate in the reflux extract is 1.1–5.3 times as much as decompressing inner ebullition extract. The free radical scavenging ability of reflux extract is significantly stronger than that of decompression extract (p < 0.01), and it has a repairing effect on pharyngeal mucosal damage (reducing keratinization or hyperplasia of mucosal epithelium, reducing inflammatory cell infiltration and bleeding), and reducing IL-1β (P＜0.05), IL-6 (p＜0.05), TNF-α overexpression ability is stronger than the decompressing inner ebullition extract.
gallic acid, ellagic acid, chebulic acid, catechin, epicatechin, corilagin and epicatechin gallate are the basic aglycones or oligomers of tannin. High temperature reflux extraction can significantly promote the occurrence of the hydrolysis of tannins and significantly increases the content of these components.Therefore, its anti-chronic pharyngitis activity is enhanced. It is suggested that high temperature reflux extraction should be used in the treatment of chronic pharyngitis.
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•Chronic pharyngitis (CP) is a prevalent health problem.•Triphala has significant therapeutic effect on chronic pharyngitis.•The extraction temperature has influence on the anti-chronic pharyngitis activity of Triphala.•High temperature promotes the hydrolysis of hydrolyzed tannins in Triphala to generate active compounds.
Background:
Zanthoxylum schinifolium
is a common herbal medicine in Southwest China. It is also a condiment commonly used in many families. In Chinese folk medicine,
Z. schinifolium
is considered to ...have the effect of relieving migraine, but there is no modern evidence on its anti-migraine mechanism.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical constituents of the supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of
Z. schinifolium
(CO
2
-ZSE) and its effects on migraine animals.
Materials and Methods:
Supercritical CO
2
extraction technology was applied to extract the dried fruit of
Z. schinifolium
, and the chemical components were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Two migraine animal models were established by subcutaneous injection of nitroglycerin (NTG) and reserpine, respectively, to further evaluate the therapeutic effect of CO
2
-ZSE and explore its mechanism. On the basis of the experimental results, the therapeutic effects of linalool in different dosages and different ways of administration on NTG-induced migraine rats have been further investigated.
Results:
About 125 peaks were detected in CO
2
-ZSE, and the relative content of linalool was 74.16%. CO
2
-ZSE decreased the number of head-scratching significantly and the levels of serum nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1), calcitonin gene–related peptide (CGRP), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65, and inhibitor of kappa B alpha (IκBα), and increased the level of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Linalool has the potential to reduce the frequency of scratching the head and the expressions of NO, ET-1, and CGRP in NTG-induced migraine rats.
Conclusion:
CO
2
-ZSE has a definite therapeutic effect on migraine by affecting the expression of vasomotor factors and the inflammatory pathway. Linalool has been proven to be the main effective substance against migraine. These findings provide scientific basis for the development of effective and simple migraine therapy.
is a common herbal medicine in Southwest China. It is also a condiment commonly used in many families. In Chinese folk medicine,
is considered to have the effect of relieving migraine, but there is ...no modern evidence on its anti-migraine mechanism.
The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical constituents of the supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of
(CO
-ZSE) and its effects on migraine animals.
Supercritical CO
extraction technology was applied to extract the dried fruit of
, and the chemical components were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Two migraine animal models were established by subcutaneous injection of nitroglycerin (NTG) and reserpine, respectively, to further evaluate the therapeutic effect of CO
-ZSE and explore its mechanism. On the basis of the experimental results, the therapeutic effects of linalool in different dosages and different ways of administration on NTG-induced migraine rats have been further investigated.
About 125 peaks were detected in CO
-ZSE, and the relative content of linalool was 74.16%. CO
-ZSE decreased the number of head-scratching significantly and the levels of serum nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65, and inhibitor of kappa B alpha (IκBα), and increased the level of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Linalool has the potential to reduce the frequency of scratching the head and the expressions of NO, ET-1, and CGRP in NTG-induced migraine rats.
CO
-ZSE has a definite therapeutic effect on migraine by affecting the expression of vasomotor factors and the inflammatory pathway. Linalool has been proven to be the main effective substance against migraine. These findings provide scientific basis for the development of effective and simple migraine therapy.
Activated carbon aerogels（ACAs） derived from sol-gel polycondensation of resorcinol （R） and formaldehyde （F） were pyrolyzed under Ar flow and activated in CO2 atmosphere. The morphology of ACAs was ...characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and the structural properties were determined by N2 adsorption at 77 K. The results show that ACAs have a typical three-dimensional nanonetwork structure composing of cross-linking of carbon nanoparticles. The specific surface area and the total pore volume remarkably increase with increasing activation time while the previous porous structure still remains. The specific capacitance of the 950-10-ACA electrode can reach up to 212.3 F/g in 6 mol/L KOH electrolyte. The results of constant-current charge-discharge testing indicate that the ACAs electrodes present fast charge- discharge rate and long cycle life （about 98% capacitance retained after 3000 charge-discharge cycles at 1.25 mA/cm2）. Lower internal resistances can be achieved for 950-10-ACA electrode in KOH electrolyte. Our investigations are very important to improve the wettability and electrochemical performance of electrode for supercapacitors.
The choice of torque curve in lower-limb enhanced exoskeleton robots is a key problem in the control of lower-limb exoskeleton robots. As a human-machine coupled system, mapping from sensor data to ...joint torque is complex and non-linear, making it difficult to accurately model using mathematical tools. In this research study, the knee torque data of an exoskeleton robot climbing up stairs were obtained using an optical motion-capture system and three-dimensional force-measuring tables, and the inertial measurement unit (IMU) data of the lower limbs of the exoskeleton robot were simultaneously collected. Nonlinear approximations can be learned using machine learning methods. In this research study, a multivariate network model combining CNN and LSTM was used for nonlinear regression forecasting, and a knee joint torque-control model was obtained. Due to delays in mechanical transmission, communication, and the bottom controller, the actual torque curve will lag behind the theoretical curve. In order to compensate for these delays, different time shifts of the torque curve were carried out in the model-training stage to produce different control models. The above model was applied to a lightweight knee exoskeleton robot. The performance of the exoskeleton robot was evaluated using surface electromyography (sEMG) experiments, and the effects of different time-shifting parameters on the performance were compared. During testing, the sEMG activity of the rectus femoris (RF) decreased by 20.87%, while the sEMG activity of the vastus medialis (VM) increased by 17.45%. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of this control model in assisting knee joints in climbing up stairs.
Digital microfluidics is an elegant technique based on single droplets for the design, composition, and manipulation of microfluidic systems. In digital microfluidics, especially in the ...electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) system, each droplet acts as an independent reactor, which enables a wide range of multiple parallel biological and chemical reactions at the microscale. EWOD digital microfluidics reduces reagent and energy consumption, accelerates analysis, enables point-of-care diagnostic, simplifies integration with sensors, etc. Such a digital microfluidic system is especially relevant for droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), thanks to its nanoliter droplets and well-controlled volume distribution. At low DNA concentration, these small volumes allow less than one DNA strand per droplet on average (limited dilution) so that after a fixed number of PCR cycles (endpoint PCR), only the DNA in droplets containing the sequence of interest has been amplified and can be detected by fluorescence to yield an accurate count of the sequences of interest using statistical models. Focusing on ddPCR, this article summarizes the latest development and research on EWOD technology for droplet PCR over the last decade.
Infrared sensors capture thermal radiation emitted by objects. They can operate in all weather conditions and are thus employed in fields such as military surveillance, autonomous driving, and ...medical diagnostics. However, infrared imagery poses challenges such as low contrast and indistinct textures due to the long wavelength of infrared radiation and susceptibility to interference. In addition, complex enhancement algorithms make real-time processing challenging. To address these problems and improve visual quality, in this paper, we propose a multi-scale FPGA-based method for real-time enhancement of infrared images by using rolling guidance filter (RGF) and contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE). Specifically, the original image is first decomposed into various scales of detail layers and a base layer using RGF. Secondly, we fuse detail layers of diverse scales, then enhance the detail information by using gain coefficients and employ CLAHE to improve the contrast of the base layer. Thirdly, we fuse the detail layers and base layer to obtain the image with global details of the input image. Finally, the proposed algorithm is implemented on an FPGA using advanced high-level synthesis tools. Comprehensive testing of our proposed method on the AXU15EG board demonstrates its effectiveness in significantly improving image contrast and enhancing detail information. At the same time, real-time enhancement at a speed of 147 FPS is achieved for infrared images with a resolution of 640 × 480.
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