Hepatoprotective potential of Tecomella undulata stem bark is partially due to the presence of betulinic acid

Plant In Vitro Culture Factories for Pentacyclic Triterpenoid Production

Pentacyclic triterpenoids are a diverse subclass of naturally occurring terpenes with various biological activities and applications. These compounds are broadly distributed in natural plant resources, but their low abundance and the slow growth cycle of plants pose challenges to their extraction and production. The biosynthesis of pentacyclic triterpenoids occurs through two main pathways, the mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway and the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, which involve several enzymes and modifications. Plant in vitro cultures, including elicited and hairy root cultures, have emerged as an effective and sustainable system for pentacyclic triterpenoid production, circumventing the limitations associated with natural plant resources. Bioreactor systems and controlling key parameters, such as media composition, temperature, light quality, and elicitor treatments, have been optimized to enhance the production and characterization of specific pentacyclic triterpenoids. These systems offer a promising bioprocessing tool for producing pentacyclic triterpenoids characterized by a low carbon footprint and a sustainable source of these compounds for various industrial applications.

Unraveling the Potential Role of Tecomella undulata in Experimental NASH

The pathophysiology of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is complex, owing to its diverse pathological drivers and, until recently, there were no approved drugs for this disease. Tecomella is a popular herbal medicine used to treat hepatosplenomegaly, hepatitis, and obesity. However, the potential role of Tecomella undulata in NASH has not yet been scientifically investigated. The administration of Tecomella undulata via oral gavage lowered body weight, insulin resistance, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), triglycerides, and total cholesterol in western diet sugar water (WDSW) fed mice but had no effect on chow diet normal water (CDNW) fed mice. Tecomella undulata improved steatosis, lobular inflammation, and hepatocyte ballooning and resolved NASH in WDSW mice. Furthermore, Tecomella undulata also alleviated the WDSW-induced Endoplasmic Reticulum stress and oxidative stress, enhanced antioxidant status, and thus reduced inflammation in the treated mice. Of note, these effects were comparable to saroglitazar, the approved drug used to treat human NASH and the positive control used in the study. Thus, our findings indicate the potential of Tecomella undulata to ameliorate WDSW-induced steatohepatitis, and these preclinical data provide a strong rationale for assessing Tecomella undulata for the treatment of NASH.

A Review on Preparation of Betulinic Acid and Its Biological Activities

Betulinic acid, a pentacyclic triterpene, is distributed in a variety of plants, such as birch, eucalyptus and plane trees. It shows a wide spectrum of biological and pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antidiabetic, antimalarial, anti-HIV and antitumor effects. Among them, the antitumor activity of betulinic acid has been extensively studied. However, obtaining betulinic acid from natural resources can no longer meet the needs of medicine and nutrition, so methods such as chemical synthesis and microbial biotransformation have also been used to prepare betulinic acid. At the same time, with the development of synthetic biology and genetic engineering, and the elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways of terpenoid, the biosynthesis of betulinic acid has also been extensively researched. This article reviews the preparation of betulinic acid and its pharmacological activities, in order to provide a reference for the research and utilization of betulinic acid.

Antioxidant, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities of pentacyclic triterpenes isolated from Ziziphus oxyphylla Edgew

Ziziphus oxyphylla Edgew is in folk use in Pakistan as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and liver ailments. Therefore, we have investigated antioxidant, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities of the isolated compounds (ceanothic acid and zizybrenalic acid) from the chloroform fraction of Z. oxyphylla. Ceanothic acid and zizybrenalic acid showed significant DPPH and H₂O₂ scavenging activity as compared to control. In the acute toxicity study, ceanothic acid and zizybrenalic acid showed no toxic effects upto 200 mg/kg. The antinociceptive activity shown by ceanothic acid and zizybrenalic acid at 50 mg/kg was 64.28% and 65.35% compared to diclofenac sodium (72.3%) at 50 mg/kg. The percent inhibition of xylene-induced ear edema exhibited by ceanothic acid and zizybrenalic acid at 50 mg/kg was 51.33% and 58.66%, respectively, as compared to diclofenac sodium (72.66%). Both the isolated compounds exhibited inhibition of carrageenan-induced paw edema as compared to control. Hepatoprotection exhibited by zizybrenalic acid was more pronounced than ceanothic acid as observed from the decrease in carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced elevation of serum biomarkers, antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, zizybrenalic acid produced a marked decline in CCl₄-induced prolongation of phenobarbital-induced sleeping duration. Zizybrenalic acid exhibited 55.4 ± 1.37% inhibition of hypotonic solution-induced hemolysis compared to sodium salicylate (75.6 ± 2.15%). The histopathological damage caused by CCl₄ was also countered by the administration of ceanothic acid and zizybrenalic acid. Ceanothic acid and zizybrenalic acid exhibited antioxidant, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities. Zizybrenalic acid exhibited better antioxidant, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activity than ceanothic acid.

The phytochemical and anti-inflammatory studies of Dillenia suffruticosa leaves

The Dillenia suffruticosa leaves (Dilleniaceae), a folk medicine recommended in Southeast Asia for treating inflammation, were phytochemically studied for the first time and assessed for suppression of λ-carrageenan-induced paw oedema in rats. The crude methanolic extract orally administered at 5,000 mg/kg, displayed no toxicity and at 250 to 1,000 mg/kg significantly suppressed the paw oedema. Two-isolated triterpenoids, betulinic acid (1) and koetjapic acid (2) orally administered at 50 mg/kg, significantly reduced the paw oedema, (p < 0.001) and (p < 0.005) at the fourth h onwards to 47.36% ± 2.23 and 53.43% ± 7.09, respectively, from 95.90% ± 6.88 oedema induced by λ-carrageenan alone. 1 and the isolated flavonoids of vitexin (3), tiliroside (4), and kaempferol (5), displayed moderately more of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 than COX-1 enzyme inhibition, whereas 2 was slightly more inhibition of COX-1. The in silico molecular docking studies provided support to the in vitro COX studies that the isolated compounds formed H-bonding with the amino acid residues at the COX-2 catalytic sites. The triterpenoids were bound to the peroxidase, possibly inhibiting the peroxidase reaction, whereas the flavonoids interacted more at the cyclooxygenase, resembling celecoxib, therefore providing evidences that these compounds were responsible for the anti-inflammatory properties of D. suffruticosa.

Betulinic acid inhibits stemness and EMT of pancreatic cancer cells via activation of AMPK signaling

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are found in various types of human cancer, including pancreatic cancer, possess elevated metastatic potential, lead to tumor recurrence and cause chemoradiotherapy resistance. Alterations in cellular bioenergetics through the regulation of 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling may be a prerequisite to stemness. Betulinic acid (BA) is a well-known bioactive compound with antiretroviral and anti-inflammatory potential, which has been reported to exert anticancer effects on various types of cancer, including pancreatic cancer. The present study aimed to investigate whether BA could inhibit pancreatic CSCs via regulation of AMPK signaling. The proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells was examined by MTT and colony formation assays. The migratory and invasive abilities of pancreatic cancer cells were assessed using wound-scratch and Transwell invasion assays. In addition, the expression levels of candidate genes were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The results revealed that BA inhibited the proliferation and tumorsphere formation of pancreatic cancer cells, suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration and invasion, and reduced the expression of three pluripotency factors [SRY-box 2 (Sox2), octamer-binding protein 4 (Oct4) and Nanog]. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis confirmed that there was a significant inverse association between the expression levels of phosphorylated (P)-AMPK and Sox2 in pancreatic cancer, and it was revealed that BA may activate AMPK signaling. Notably, knockdown of AMPK reversed the suppressive effects of BA on EMT and stemness of pancreatic cancer cells. In addition, BA reversed the effects of gemcitabine on stemness and enhanced the sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine. Collectively, these results indicated that BA may effectively inhibit pluripotency factor expression (Sox2, Oct4 and Nanog), EMT and the stem-like phenotype of pancreatic cancer cells via activating AMPK signaling. Therefore, BA may be considered an attractive therapeutic candidate and an effective inhibitor of the stem-like phenotype in pancreatic cancer cells. Further investigation into the development of BA as an anticancer drug is warranted.

Betulinic acid ameliorates experimental diabetic-induced renal inflammation and fibrosis via inhibiting the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal failure and is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as fibronectin (FN), in the glomerular mesangium and tubulointerstitium. Betulinic acid (BA), a pentacyclic triterpene derived from the bark of the white birch tree, has been demonstrated to have many pharmacological activities. However, the effect of BA on DN has not been fully elucidated. To explore the possible anti-inflammatory effects of BA and their underlying mechanisms, we used streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat kidneys and high glucose-treated glomerular mesangial cells. Our study showed BA could inhibit the degradation of IκBα and the activity of NF-κB in diabetic rat kidneys and high glucose-induced mesangial cells, resulting in reduction of FN expression. In addition, BA suppressed the DNA binding activity and transcriptional activity of NF-κB in high glucose-induced glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs). Furthermore, BA enhanced the interaction between IκBα and β-arrestin2 in mesangial cells. Taken together, our data suggest BA inhibits NF-κB activation through stabilizing NF-κB inhibitory protein IκBα, thereby preventing diabetic renal fibrosis.

Effects of Rhus tripartitum fruit extract on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity and cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Rhus tripartitum D.C., Anacardiaceae, has traditionally been used in Tunisia against many illnesses. The present study investigates, for the first time, the protective effects of the methanol extract of Rhus tripartitum fruit (MERT) against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity and cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicty in Wistar rats. ALT, AST, LDH, GGT, creatinin, urea, and uric acid levels were studied. The changes in antioxidant parameters such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl contents were also determined. The increased levels of MDA (30.97 and 11.50 nmol MDA/mg protein in liver and kidney, respectively) and protein carbonyls (13.4 and 17.95 nmol/mg protein in liver and kidney, respectively) were attenuated by MERT pretreatment (19.35 and 6.1 nmol MDA/mg protein and 9.15 and 12 nmol/mg protein in liver and kidney, respectively). The MERT pretreatment significantly reduced the increased biochemical parameters of liver and kidney caused by CCl4 and cisplatin treatment. The histopathologic observation showed that MERT pretreatment restores the altered tissues. The observed results could be due to the high phenolic content and to MERT's important antioxidant potential. This study supports the hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects of R. tripartitum.

Optimization of Betulinic Acid Extraction from Tecomella undulata Bark Using a Box-Behnken Design and Its Densitometric Validation

Betulinic acid (BA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid acid obtained from the stem bark of Tecomella undulata Seem. (Bignoniaceae). Development of an efficient extraction method for the isolation of BA is important as it has a wide range of pharmacological activity. A Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to investigate the effect of extraction variables such as temperature (30-60 °C), time (4-8 h) and solvent to drug ratio (300-500 mL/100 g) on the maximization of BA yield and its quantification using validated densitometric high performance thin layer chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection (HPTLC-VIS). A quadratic polynomial model was found to best fit the model with R² = 0.99. The optimized Soxhlet extraction yielded 2.449% w/w of BA at a temperature 53.86 °C, time 6.38 h and solvent to drug ratio 371 mL/100 g. BA in Tecomella undulata bark was detected at Rf value of 0.65 at 510 nm using the solvent system toluene-ethyl acetate-glacial acetic acid (8.5:1.5:0.02 v/v/v). The analytical method was validated and the linear regression analysis reflects good linear relationship (R² = 0.9902). Lower %RSD and SEM suggested that the developed HPTLC-VIS method was precise, accurate and robust. Therefore, these economical techniques are very efficient and promising for the extraction and quantification of pharmaceutically important BA.

Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of the oil fractions from wild carrot (Daucus carota ssp. carota)

CONTEXT

Wild carrot, Daucus carota L. ssp. carota (Apiacae), is widely distributed throughout the world and has various uses in traditional medicine in Lebanon.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to fractionate and analyze the chemical composition of the Daucus carota oil extract (DCOE) fractions and to evaluate their antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties in vitro and in vivo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

DCOE was chromatographed on silica gel column to produce four fractions: pentane (F1), 50:50 pentane:diethyl ether (F2), diethyl ether (F3), and 93:7 chloroform: methanol (F4). Qualitative and quantitative analyses of oil fractions were performed by GC-MS and HPLC techniques. The in vitro antioxidant properties were assessed using DPPH, FIC, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The hepatoprotective property was determined by examining the levels of serum markers (alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST)) and hepatic antioxidant (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST)) enzymes in CCl4-intoxicated mice pretreated with intraperitoenal 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg b.w. of the oil fractions for 5 d.

RESULTS

GCMS analysis of F2 revealed the presence of 2-himachalen-6-ol (61.4%) which is reported for the first time in Daucus carota species. F3 and F4 were rich in phenolics and flavonoids and demonstrated significant DPPH activity (IC50 = 0.29 and 0.38 mg/ml, respectively) and high FRAP values (225.11 and 437.59 µmol FeSO4/g, respectively). The sesquiterpene-rich fraction F1 had the highest FIC ability (IC50 = 0.28 mg/ml). Pretreatment with F1 and F4 reversed the CCl4-induced decrease in SOD, CAT, and GST levels and reduced significantly hepatic damage.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The current results suggested that wild carrot oil fractions exhibited a unique chemical composition and possessed significant antioxidant activities as well as hepatoprotective effects against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity.

Betulinic acid prevents alcohol-induced liver damage by improving the antioxidant system in mice

Betulinic acid (BA), a pentacyclic lupane-type triterpene, has a wide range of bioactivities. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of BA and the potential mechanism underlying the ability of this compound to prevent liver damage induced by alcohol in vivo. Mice were given oral doses of BA (0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg) daily for 14 days, and induced liver injury by feeding 50% alcohol orally at the dosage of 10 ml/kg after 1 h last administration of BA. BA pretreatment significantly reduced the serum levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, total cholesterol, and triacylglycerides in a dose-dependent manner in the mice administered alcohol. Hepatic levels of glutathione, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase were remarkably increased, while malondialdehyde contents and microvesicular steatosis in the liver were decreased by BA in a dose-dependent manner after alcohol-induced liver injury. These findings suggest that the mechanism underlying the hepatoprotective effects of BA might be due to increased antioxidant capacity, mainly through improvement of the tissue redox system, maintenance of the antioxidant system, and decreased lipid peroxidation in the liver.

Betulinic acid alleviates non-alcoholic fatty liver by inhibiting SREBP1 activity via the AMPK-mTOR-SREBP signaling pathway

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging as the most common liver disease in industrialized countries. The discovery of food components that can ameliorate NAFLD is therefore of interest. Betulinic acid (BA) is a triterpenoid with many pharmacological activities, but the effect of BA on fatty liver is as yet unknown. To explore the possible anti-fatty liver effects and their underlying mechanisms, we used insulin-resistant HepG2 cells, primary rat hepatocytes and liver tissue from ICR mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Oil Red O staining revealed that BA significantly suppressed excessive triglyceride accumulation in HepG2 cells and in the livers of mice fed a HFD. Ca(+2)-calmodulin dependent protein kinase kinase (CAMKK) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) were both activated by BA treatment. In contrast, the protein levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and S6 kinase (S6K) were all reduced when hepatocytes were treated with BA for up to 24h. We found that BA activates AMPK via phosphorylation, suppresses SREBP1 mRNA expression, nuclear translocation and repressed SREBP1 target gene expression in HepG2 cells and primary hepatocytes, leading to reduced lipogenesis and lipid accumulation. These effects were completely abolished in the presence of STO-609 (a CAMKK inhibitor) or compound C (an AMPK inhibitor), indicating that the BA-induced reduction in hepatic steatosis was mediated via the CAMKK-AMPK-SREBP1 signaling pathway. Taken together, our results suggest that BA effectively ameliorates intracellular lipid accumulation in liver cells and thus is a potential therapeutic agent for the prevention of fatty liver disease.