Intestinal permeability and gut microbiota interactions of pharmacologically active compounds in valerian and St. John's wort

Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's Wort) in broilers diet improve growth performance, intestinal microflora and immunity

Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's Wort) extract (HPE), powdered H. perforatum (PHP), and selenium (Se) on growth, intestinal flora, and immunity of broiler chicks were investigated. In total, 504 one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly allocated into 6 dietary treatments, which were then denoted as negative control (NC) group (basal diet), containing organic Se 0.2% in the starter and grower period as positive control (PC), containing 1% PHP in the starter and grower period, and HPE I, HPE II, and HPE III groups containing respectively, 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5 mL / kg HPE in the starter and grower period. The results on performance showed that a significant (P < 0.05) higher body weight of chickens in the HPE III group was observed when compared with that of the NC and PHP groups. Although average daily weight gain and feed intake are significant in the HPE III group, the difference in terms of total feed conversion rate was insignificant (P > 0.05). The liver weights in PC and HPE III were lower compared to HPE I (P < 0.05). The difference in total lactic acid bacteria count (TLABC) between the NC group and all HPE groups was found to be significant (P ˂ 0.05), in addition to TLABC was higher in the HPE III group than other groups (P = 0.001). The highest serum antibody titers to the Newcastle disease vaccine were determined in the HPE III group on the 24th, 35th, and 42nd days of age. IL-1B and IL-6 were found to be insignificant between the groups in chickens (P ˃ 0.05). TNF-α in the HPE III group was greatly increased than the other groups and significant compared to the NC and HPE I groups (P = 0.018). In conclusion, 4.5 mL / kg HPE, which has a low production cost and is easy to extract and without causing environmental problems, varied significantly in their impact on growth performance, intestinal microflora, and immunity of growing broilers.

Hypericum perforatum: a comprehensive review on pharmacognosy, preclinical studies, putative molecular mechanism, and clinical studies in neurodegenerative diseases

The herb Hypericum perforatum, also referred to as St. John's wort, has drawn a lot of interest because of its potential therapeutic benefits in treating neurodegenerative illnesses. Due to the absence of effective therapies, illnesses like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease pose an increasing worldwide health concern. Because of its wide variety of phytochemicals, especially hyperforin, and hypericin, Hypericum perforatum is well known for its neuroprotective properties. These substances have proven to be able to affect different cellular processes linked to neurodegeneration. They can act as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neurotransmitter system regulators, which may help halt neurodegenerative illnesses' progression. The use of Hypericum perforatum extracts and its contents has shown encouraging results in research on animal models of neurodegenerative disorders. These advantages include higher nerve cell survival, lowered oxidative stress, and higher cognitive performance. Underscoring its versatile potential to combat neurodegeneration, Hypericum perforatum has neuroprotective mechanisms that modulate neuroinflammation and prevent apoptotic pathways. In conclusion, Hypericum perforatum shows tremendous promise as a potential treatment for neurological illnesses due to its wide variety of phytochemicals. To completely comprehend its specific mechanisms of action and turn these discoveries into efficient clinical therapies, additional research is needed. Investigating Hypericum perforatum's function in neurodegenerative disorders may present new opportunities for the advancement of ground-breaking therapeutic strategies.

Alkaloids in commercial preparations of California poppy - Quantification, intestinal permeability and microbiota interactions

California poppy products are commonly used for the treatment of nervousness, anxiety and sleeping disorders. Pharmacologically relevant constituents include the main alkaloids californidine, escholtzine and protopine. However, only limited information is available about the alkaloid content in commercial preparations and their intestinal absorption. Moreover, a possible metabolization of these alkaloids by the gut microbiota, and their impact on microbial activity and viability have not been investigated. Californidine, escholtzine and protopine were quantified by UHPLC-MS/MS in eight commercial California poppy products. The intestinal permeability of alkaloids was studied in Caco-2 cell as a model for absorption in the small intestine. The gut microbial biotransformation was explored in artificial gut microbiota from the in vitro PolyFermS model. In addition, the impact of these alkaloids and a California poppy extract on the microbial production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the viability of microbiota was investigated. Contents of californidine, escholtzine and protopine in California poppy products were in the ranges of 0.13-2.55, 0.05-0.63 and 0.008-0.200 mg/g, respectively. In the Caco-2 cell model, californidine was low-to-moderately permeable while escholtzine and protopine were highly permeable. An active transport process was potentially involved in the transfer of the three alkaloids. The three compounds were not metabolized by the artificial gut microbiota over 24 h. Neither the California poppy extract nor the alkaloids markedly impacted microbial SCFA production and bacterial viability.