Structure–activity relationship of lupane-triterpene glycosides from Acanthopanax koreanum on spleen lymphocyte IL-2 and IFN-γ

Immunomodulatory and antioxidant effects of hydroxytyrosol in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed broilers

As an important olive component, hydroxytyrosol (HT) has good medicinal and health effects. However, its importance in alleviating immune suppression in broilers has not been established. Therefore, we aimed at evaluating the immunomodulatory and antioxidant effects of HT in immune suppressed broilers. Immune suppressed broiler models were established via intraperitoneal injection of 80 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (Cy). Thirty two Cobb 500 male broilers were randomly allocated into 4 groups of 8 each. Broilers in the model (Cy) and HT treatment (Cy+HT) groups were intraperitoneally administered with Cy (80 mg/kg BW) once a day for 3 d. From the 4th d, broilers in the Cy+HT and HT groups were treated with 0.5 mL of 200 mg/L HT solution, once a day, for 7 d. The Cy and Con groups were orally administered with normal saline. On the 14th and 28th d, serum and duodenal samples were obtained for testing. It was found that HT increased villi height (VH)/crypt depth (CD) ratio in the duodenum and suppressed serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. Moreover, it elevated the expressions of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. HT upregulated the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interleukin-10 (IL-10), enhanced the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and downregulated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in Cy-induced immune-suppressed broilers. In conclusion, HT can alleviate immune-suppression as well as enhance immunity and antioxidant activities in the local mucosa of small intestines in broilers. Therefore, it can be used as an immune stimulant. More studies should be performed to confirm our findings and to elucidate on the mechanisms of HT.

Acankoreagenin and acankoreosides, a family of lupane triterpenoids with anti-inflammatory properties: an overview

Acankoreagenin (ACK, also known as acankoreanogenin and HLEDA) and impressic acid are two lupane-type triterpenes that can be isolated from various Acanthopanax and Schefflera species. They efficiently block activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and the release of proinflammatory cytokines and/or the action of inflammation mediators (HMGB1, iNOS, and NO). These effects are the basis for the antiviral and anticancer activities reported with these pentacyclic compounds or their various glycoside derivatives. More than 15 acankoreosides (Ack-A to -O, and -R) and a few other mono- and bidesmosidic saponins (acantrifoside A and acangraciliside S) derive from the ACK aglycone. Compounds like Ack-A and -B are remarkable anti-inflammatory agents, inhibiting cytokine release from activated macrophages. Despite their effectiveness, ACK and impressic acid are far much less known and studied than the structurally related compounds betulinic acid and 23-hydroxybetulinic acid (anemosapogenin). The structural differences (notably the R/S stereoisomerism of the 3-hydroxyl group) and functional similarities of these compounds are discussed. The complete series of acankoreosides is presented for the first time. These natural products deserve further attention as anti-inflammatory agents, and ACK is recommended as a template for the design of new anticancer and antiviral drugs.

Inhibitory effects of lupane‑type triterpenoid saponins from the leaves of Acanthopanax gracilistylus on lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF‑α, IL‑1β and high‑mobility group box 1 release in macrophages

Acanthopanax gracilistylus (AGS) has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. 3‑O‑β‑D‑glucopyranosyl 3α, 11α‑dihydroxylup‑20(29)‑en‑28‑oic acid, acantrifoside A, acankoreoside D, acankoreoside B and acankoreoside A are major lupane‑type triterpenoid saponins derived from AGS. In the present study, these five saponins were isolated from AGS by chromatography and their anti‑inflammatory activities were investigated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‑treated RAW264.7 macrophages. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α, interleukin (IL)‑1β and NF‑κB p65 were measured by ELISA. The gene expression levels of TNF‑α and IL‑1β was detected by reverse‑transcription polymerase chain reaction. And high‑mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were analyzed by western blotting. The results demonstrated that these five saponins significantly suppressed LPS‑induced expression of TNF‑α and IL‑1β at the mRNA and protein level in RAW264.7 cells. Further analysis revealed that acankoreoside A and acankoreoside B were able to reduce the secretion of HMGB1 and NF‑κB activity induced by LPS in RAW264.7 macrophages. Taken together, these results suggested that the anti‑inflammatory activity of AGS‑derived saponins may be associated with the downregulation of TNF‑α and IL‑1β, and the 'late‑phase' proinflammatory cytokine HMGB1, via negative regulation of the NF‑κB pathway in RAW264.7 cells.

Optimization and evaluation of astragalus polysaccharide injectable thermoresponsive in-situ gels

The objective of this study was to develop an injectable in situ forming gel system based on Poloxamer for sustained release of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), thus achieved once or twice administration instead of frequent dosing during long-term treatment. The optimal formulation is 10 g APS, 18 g poloxamer 407, 2 g poloxamer 188, 0.15 g CMC-Na, 0.85 g sodium chloride in 100 ml gel in situ which had a preferable sol-gel transition temperature(T sol-gel) (34.1 ± 0.4°C), and good stability. In vitro release studies, all formulations containing polymer additives had prolonged release time and decreased initial burst to some extent. The optimal formulation containing 0.15% CMC-Na showed a best sustained release profile for about 132 h with the lowest initial burst in vitro about 16.30% in 12 h). In vivo, Male BALB/c mice (18–20 g) were administrated with APS in-situ gel just once, the values of immune organ indices, spleen lymphocyte proliferation, and serum IgM, IgG, IL-2 and IL-6 had significant increase, which was consistent with the mice given daily APS injections (7 times), while the above indices were increased more significantly in which administrated with APS in-situ gel twice. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the Poloxamer depot is a promising carrier for the sustained release of APS with an ideal release behavior.

Quantitative determination of 15 bioactive triterpenoid saponins in different parts of Acanthopanax henryi by HPLC with charged aerosol detection and confirmation by LC-ESI-TOF-MS

Triterpenoid saponins are difficult to analyze using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to UV/vis spectrophotometry due to their lack of chromophores. This study describes the first analytical method for the determination of 15 triterpenoid saponins from the leaves, stems, root bark, and fruits of Acanthopanax henryi, using a high-performance liquid chromatography with charged aerosol detection coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method. The separation was carried out on a Kinetex XB-C18 column with an acetonitrile/water gradient as the mobile phase, followed by charged aerosol detection. The operating conditions of charged aerosol detection were set at 24 kPa for nitrogen pressure and 100 pA for the detection range. Liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is described for the identification of compounds in plant samples. The electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method involved the use of the [M + Na](+) and [M + NH4 ](+) ions for compounds 1-15 in the positive ion mode with an extracted ion chromatogram. The developed method was fully validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, repeatability, and recovery, then subsequently applied to evaluate the quality of A. henryi.

The anti-porcine parvovirus activity of nanometer propolis flavone and propolis flavone in vitro and in vivo

Objectives. The present study was conducted to evaluate the activity of nanometer propolis flavone (NPF) on inhibiting porcine parvovirus (PPV) in vitro and in vivo. Methods. In vitro, the effect of NPF on cellular infectivity of PPV was carried out before and after adding drug and simultaneous adding and PPV after being mixed. In vivo, the anti-PPV effect of NPF in guinea pigs was performed. Results. The results showed that NPF could significantly inhibit PPV infecting porcine kidney- (PK-) 15 cells compared with propolis flavone (PF), and the activity of NPF was the best in preadding drug pattern. NPF at high and medium doses was able to observably restrain PPV copying in lung, gonad, blood, and spleen, decrease the impact of PPV on weight of guinea pigs, and improve hemagglutination inhibition (HI) of PPV in serum. In addition, it could also increase the contents of IL-2 and IL-6 in serum after PPV challenge. Conclusion. These results indicated that NPF could significantly improve the anti-PPV activity of PF, and its high concentration possessed the best efficacy. Therefore, NPF would be expected to be exploited into a new-style antiviral drug.

Phenolic components from the stem of Acanthopanax koreanum and their inhibitory effects on NF-kappa B

Two novel phenolic glucosides (1-2), as well as seven known compounds (3-9), were isolated from the stem of Acanthopanax koreanum; their chemical structures were determined by chemical and spectroscopic methods and subsequently compared with previously reported data. Their inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) was measured in human embryonic kidney (293T) cells by using an NF-κB luciferase assay.

Anti-influenza Sesquiterpene from the Roots of Reynoutria japonica

One new flavonol glycoside, 4′- O-methylmyricitrin 3′- O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), one new sesquiterpene, reynoudiol (11), as well as the 12 known compounds (2–10, 12–14) quercetin 3- O-methyl ether (2), quercitrin (3), isorhamnetin 3- α-L-rhamnopyranoside (4), tamarixetin 3- α-L-rhamnopyranoside (5), myricitrin (6), 4′- O-methylmyricitrin (7), isorhamnetin 3- O-β-D-xylopyranosyl (1→2)- O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), isorhamnetin 3- O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→2)- O-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), (+)-catechin (10), 7-drimene-3,11,12-triol (12), clovane-2 β,9 α-diol (13), and α-cadinol (14), were isolated from the methanol extract of Reynoutria japonica roots. Based on in vitro screening of the anti-influenza activity of the isolated compounds, reynoudiol showed significantly higher activity than that of oseltamivir phosphate at the same concentration, and did not induce any detectable cytopathic effect in MDCK cells. The CC50 of reynoudiol was above 50 μM and could inhibit influenza virus infection with an IC50 of 0.29 ± 0.01 μM. The therapeutic index (TI) of reynoudiol against influenza infection was 172.4, and thus, this compound can be potentially used to treat oseltamivir-resistant influenza virus infection.

The design of propolis flavone microemulsion and its effect on enhancing the immunity and antioxidant activity in mice

The objective of the present study was to formulate a microemulsion system for improving the activity of propolis flavone (PF). Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed to evaluate the existence area of PF microemulsion (PFM). The formulation was characterized by particle size, zeta potential, morphology and stability. The results showed that the optimal PFM formulation consists of 5.3% ethyl acetate, 14% RH-40, 7% ethanol and 73.7% water (w/w), with a solubility of PF up to 3.0 mg mL(-1). The immune-enhancing and antioxidant activity of PFM in vitro and in vivo were performed. The results showed that PFM could significantly promote the splenocyte proliferation and the secretion of IL-2 and IFN-γ in vitro. In vivo, PFM at high and medium doses was able to significantly increase the thymus and spleen indices, enhance splenocyte activity and improve the contents of IgG and IgM in serum, it could also improve the antioxidant activity, significantly increase the levels of superoxidase dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and decrease the malondialdehyde levels compared with PF. These results indicated that microemulsion could be used as an effective formulation for enhancing the activity of PF. Therefore, microemulsion would be expected to exploit into a new-type preparation of PF.

Microemulsion can improve the immune-enhancing activity of propolis flavonoid on immunosuppression and immune response

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether the immune-enhancing activity of propolis flavone (PF) could be improved after PF was made into PF microemulsion (PFM). Two experiments were carried out. In immunosuppression experiment, the immune-enhancing effect of PFM in immunosuppressive chickens was performed. The results showed that PFM at high and medium doses was able to overcome the CTX-induced immunosuppression, significantly increases the immune organ indexes, enhances lymphocyte proliferation and improves the concentrations of IL-2 and IL-6 in serum when compared with PF. In immune response experiment, the adjuvant effect of PFM at three doses and PF were compared on chickens which were immunized intramuscularly with Avian Influenza Recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus bivalent Vaccine. The results showed that PFM at high and medium doses could significantly promote lymphocyte proliferation, enhances antibody titer and the concentrations of IgG and IgM, and its efficacy were significantly better than PF at most time points. These results indicated that PFM could significantly improve the immune-enhancing activity and adjuvanticity of PF, and its high and medium doses possessed the best efficacy. Therefore, the microemulsion could be used as an effective formulation for enhancing the bioavailability of PF.

The immunological activity of propolis flavonoids liposome on the immune response against ND vaccine

Three hundred and fifty 14-day-old chickens were randomly assigned to 7 groups. At the same time of vaccination with Newcastle disease vaccine, the chickens in experimental groups were injected with propolis flavonoids liposome (PFL) at three doses, PF and blank liposome, respectively. The titer of serum antibody, concentrations of immunoglobulins G (IgG) and immunoglobulins M (IgM), activity of lymphocytes proliferation and concentrations of cytokines were measured. The results showed that three doses of PFL could significantly enhance antibody titer, concentrations of IgG, IgM, and promote lymphocyte proliferation, interferon-γ and interleukin-2 secretion, and its high and medium doses possessed the best efficacy. In general evaluation, the efficacy of PFL was the best, with certain of dose- and time-effect relationships. These findings indicated that the immunological activity of PF could be enhanced with liposome encapsulation.

Triterpenoids

This review covers the isolation and structure determination of triterpenoids, including squalene derivatives, protostanes, lanostanes, holostanes, cycloartanes, dammaranes, euphanes, tirucallanes, tetranortriterpenoids, quassinoids, lupanes, oleananes, friedelanes, ursanes, hopanes, serratanes and saponins; 305 references are cited.