Mixing ratio optimization for functional complex extracts of Rhodiola crenulata, Panax quinquefolius, and Astragalus membranaceus using mixture design and verification of immune functional efficacy in animal models

Synergistic immunomodulatory effect of wheat/soybean/sea cucumber peptides in chloramphenicol induced immunosuppression zebrafish

BACKGROUND

Food-derived immunomodulatory peptides serve as vital agents in promoting health by protecting the body against pathogens. The present study focused on determining the optimal ratio for combining different peptides to form a complex that enhances immune activity in immunosuppressed zebrafish.

RESULTS

We established a method for immunosuppression in zebrafish, discovering that treatment with 125 μg mL-1 chloramphenicol significantly decreased the macrophage number and neutrophil fluorescence intensity. We then assessed the immunomodulatory activity of soft-shelled turtle peptides, sea cucumber peptides (SCP), black-bone silky fowl peptides, soybean peptides (SP), wheat peptides (WP), whey protein peptides and casein hydrolysate peptides. The results of individual peptides showed that WP uniquely increased the interferon-γ level, SP most effectively increased neutrophil fluorescence intensity, and SCP increased both macrophage number and neutrophil fluorescence intensity. Using mixture design and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation methods, we identified a synergistic mixture peptides: 8.32% SCP + 20.84% SP + 70.84% WP, which had the highest score in the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, making it the best blend for boosting zebrafish immunity.

CONCLUSION

A specific mixture of peptides (8.32% SCP + 20.84% SP + 70.84% WP) holds potential as a result of a synergistic immunomodulatory effect. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Immuno-Enhancing Effects of Galium aparine L. in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppressed Animal Models

This study investigates the immunomodulatory potential of Galium aparine L. (GAE) in immunodeficient animals. In this study, animals were categorized into five groups: the normal group, CYP group (cyclophosphamide intraperitoneal injection), GA5 group (cyclophosphamide + 5 μg GAE), GA50 group (cyclophosphamide + 50 μg GAE), and GA500 group (cyclophosphamide + 500 μg GAE). The CYP group exhibited significantly reduced spleen weights compared to the normal group, while the groups obtaining GAE displayed a dose-dependent increase in spleen weight. Furthermore, the GAE demonstrated dose-dependent enhancement of splenocyte proliferating activity, with significant increases observed in both LPS and ConA-induced assays. NK cell activity significantly increased in the GA50 and GA500 groups compared to the CYP group. Cytokine analysis revealed a significant increase in IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels in ConA-induced splenocytes treated with GAE. Gene expression analysis identified 2434 DEG genes in the extract groups. Notable genes, such as Entpd1, Pgf, Thdb, Syt7, Sqor, and Rsc1al, displayed substantial differences in individual gene expression levels, suggesting their potential as target genes for immune enhancement. In conclusion, Galium aparine L. extract exhibits immunomodulatory properties. The observed gene expression changes further support the potential of Galium aparine L. extract as a natural agent for immune augmentation.

Comprehensive Investigation of Ginsenosides in the Steamed Panax quinquefolius with Different Processing Conditions Using LC-MS

Panax quinquefolius (PQ) has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and functional food. Ginsenosides are the important functional components of PQ. The ginsenosides' diversity is deeply affected by the processing conditions. The ginsenosides in the steamed PQ have been not well-characterized yet because of the complexity of their structure. In the study, the comprehensive investigation of ginsenosides was performed on the steamed PQ with different steaming times and temperatures by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Based on the molecular weight, retention time and characterized fragment ions, 175 ginsenosides were unambiguously identified or tentatively characterized, including 45 protopanaxatriol type, 49 protopanaxadiol type, 19 octillol type, 6 oleanolic acid type ginsenosides, and 56 other ginsenosides. Ten new ginsenosides and three new aglycones were discovered in the steamed PQ samples through searching the database of CAS SciFindern. Principal component analysis showed the significant influence on the chemical components of PQ through different processing conditions. The steaming temperature was found to promote the transformation of ginsenosides more than the steaming time. The protoginsenosides were found to transform into the rare ginsenosides by elimination reactions. The malonyl ginsenosides were degraded into acetyl ginsenosides, and then degraded into neutral ginsenosides. The sugar chain experienced degradation, with position changes and configuration inversions. Furthermore, 20 (S/R)-ginsenoside Rh1, Rh2, Rg2, and Rh12 were found to transform from the S-configuration to the R-configuration significantly. This study could present a comprehensive ginsenosides profile of PQ with different steaming conditions, and provide technical support for the development and utilization of PQ.

Fufang shenhua tablet, astragali radix and its active component astragaloside IV: Research progress on anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory mechanisms in the kidney

Background: Given the limited treatment options available for kidney disease, a significant number of patients turn to alternative therapies, including traditional Chinese medicine. Among these therapies, the Fufang Shenhua tablet (SHT) has garnered attention for its effectiveness in addressing the most common deficiency of Qi and Yin in chronic glomerulonephritis. Notably, the sovereign drug of SHT is Astragali Radix (AR), with the most abundant and effective component being Astragaloside IV (AS-IV). AS-IV has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, and it is extensively used in treating kidney diseases. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms underlying its action are numerous and intricate, and a comprehensive understanding is yet to be achieved. Aim of the review: Thus, we have thoroughly examined the existing research and outlined the advancements made in investigating the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory mechanisms of SHT, AR and its active component AS-IV, in relation to kidney health. This serves as a dependable foundation for conducting more comprehensive investigations, evaluating efficacy, and making further improvements in the future. Materials and methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search utilizing multiple globally recognized databases, including Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, ACS, Springer, and CNKI. The search keywords used in this study were "Fufang Shenhua tablet," "Astragali Radix," "Astragaloside IV," and "Anti-inflammatory" or "Immunity." Results: The mechanism of inflammation inhibition by SHT, AR and its active component AS-IV is mainly related to the signaling pathways such as NF-κB, TLRs, PI3K/AKT, Wnt/β-catenin, and JAK-STAT. Immunomodulation exerts not only activating, stimulating, and regulating effects on macrophages and dendritic cells, but also on immune organs, T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, and a myriad of cytokines. Moreover, the SHT, AR and its active component AS-IV also demonstrate regulatory effects on renal cells, including glomerular mesangial cells, tubular epithelial cells, and podocytes. Conclusion: To summarize, SHT, AR and its active component AS-IV, exhibit notable therapeutic effects in kidney-related ailments, and their molecular mechanisms for anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects have been extensively explored. However, further standard clinical trials are necessary to evaluate their safety and efficacy in the adjunctive treatment of kidney-related diseases. Moreover, in-depth studies of unverified chemical components and regulatory mechanisms in SHT are required. It is our belief that with continued research, SHT, AR and its active component AS-IV are poised to pave the way for enhancing therapeutic outcomes in kidney-related ailments.

Effects of complex extracts of traditional Chinese herbs on gastric mucosal injury in rats and potential underlying mechanism

Five complex extracts (CEs) of seven Chinese herbs (Astragalus, Poria cocos, Alpinia officinarum Hance, Radix Puerariae, Ginseng, Licorice, Hericium erinaceus) were prepared by hot water extraction and evaluated for their effect on gastric ulcer in rats. In rats with acetic acid‐induced chronic gastric ulcer, gross and microscopic appearance showed that gastric mucosal injury index and lesion inhibition rate were improved after CEs gavage for 21 days. Pretreatment with CEs for 21 days in rats with acute gastric ulcer could also improve the gastric mucosal injury by ethanol. CE1, CE4, and CE5 showed more obvious effect in two models. The cell experiments results showed that CE1, CE4, and CE5 effectively inhibited Wnt signaling activity. Thus, they could protect gastric mucosa through inhibiting Wnt signaling pathway. These results indicated that CE1, CE4, and CE5 had significant protective effects on gastric mucosal injury by inhibiting Wnt signalling pathway and could be developed into safe functional products.

Recent Applications of Mixture Designs in Beverages, Foods, and Pharmaceutical Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Design of Experiments (DoE) is a statistical tool used to plan and optimize experiments and is seen as a quality technology to achieve products excellence. Among the experimental designs (EDs), the mixture designs (MDs) stand out, being widely applied to improve conditions for processing, developing, or formulating novel products. This review aims to provide useful updated information on the capacity and diversity of MDs applications for the industry and scientific community in the areas of food, beverage, and pharmaceutical health. Recent works were selected following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA) flow diagram. Data analysis was performed by self-organizing map (SOM) to check and understand which fields of application/countries/continents are using MDs. Overall, the SOM indicated that Brazil presented the largest number of works using MDs. Among the continents, America and Asia showed a predominance in applications with the same amount of work. Comparing the MDs application areas, the analysis indicated that works are prevalent in food and beverage science in the American continent, while in Asia, health science prevails. MDs were more used to develop functional/nutraceutical products and the formulation of drugs for several diseases. However, we briefly describe some promising research fields in that MDs can still be employed.

Background, Applications and Issues of the Experimental Designs for Mixture in the Food Sector

BACKGROUND

Mixtures play a key role in Food Science and Technology. For studying them, rational approaches should be used. In detail, the experimental designs for mixtures are useful tools for studying the effects of ingredients/components in formulations.

RESULTS

Food Science and Technology is the fourth category among the total records considered in this review. The applications span from food formulation to the composition of modified atmosphere, shelf-life improvement and bioactives extraction. However, the majority of the studies regards few products and ingredients. Simplex-lattice and simplex-centroid designs are the most common used, although some optimal designs, such as the D-optimal, have also interesting applications. Finally, some issues are highlighted, which basically regard the interpretation of the models coefficients and the lack of model validation.

CONCLUSION

In the last decade, mixture designs have been fairly used in the field of Food Science and Technology. Modeling the response(s) allows researchers to achieve a global knowledge of the system under study within the defined experimental domain. However, the majority of application has regarded limited classes of products, and thus an increase in the spectrum of applications is desired.

Effect of acupuncture combined with Shenqi Yigan Decoction on liver function and T cell subsets in patients with HBV-induced liver fibrosis

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of acupuncture combined with Shenqi Yigan Decoction on liver function and T cell subsets in patients with Hepatitis B virus-induced liver fibrosis.

METHODS

All of the 90 patients with HBV-induced liver fibrosis were divided into two groups with the control group (n=45) treated with the conventional treatment, and the observation group (n=45) treated with acupuncture and Shenqi Yigan decoction based on the observation group. The seroconversion rate of hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg), the liver function, the serum indexes of liver fibrosis of hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), type III procollagen (PC III), type IV collagen (IV-C), the T cell subsets and the inflammatory factors were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

After 2 and 4 months of treatment, the HBeAg seroconversion rate of patients in the observation group was higher than that of the control group, but the difference was not significant (P>0.05). And the HBeAg seroconversion rate of patients in the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group after 6 months treatment (P<0.05). After treatment, the serum levels of the liver function index of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin (Tbil), the liver fibrosis index of HA, LN, PC III, and the inflammatory factor of type IV collagen (IV-C), C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the two groups were lower than those before treatment, in addition, the levels of there index were lower in the observation group (all P<0.05). After treatment, the proportion of CD3⁺, CD4⁺ T lymphocyte subsets and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ in peripheral blood of the two groups were increased, and the proportion of CD8⁺ was decreased. The change range of the observation group was larger than that of the observation group (all P<0.01). The proportion of patients with liver fibrosis grade F1 in the observation group after treatment was significantly higher than that before treatment, and the proportion of patients with liver fibrosis grade F2 to F3 was significantly lower than that before treatment. There was a significant difference in liver fibrosis grade between the two groups after treatment (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The combined treatment of acupuncture and Shenqi Yigan decoction can significantly improve the liver function of patients with HBV-induced liver fibrosis, delay the progress of liver fibrosis, improve the cellular immune function and reduce the inflammatory reaction.

Efficient microwave-assisted extraction of salidroside from Rhodiola crenulata

A rapid microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was established to extract commercially important salidroside from dry plant materials of Rhodiola crenulata. Several parameters such as extraction time, solid/liquid ratio, extraction temperature and solvent concentration were investigated for efficient salidroside extraction. The estimated maximum salidroside extraction ratio based on parameter optimization using response surface methodology (RSM) reached 2.17% (w/w) in 20 min at optimum conditions of 90 °C, 60% aqueous ethanol and solid to liquid ratio of 2 g/100 mL, which was confirmed to the experimental data. Compared with ultrasonic assistant extraction method (UAE) and heat reflux extraction method (HRE), MAE was the most efficient and effective method in the extraction of salidroside from the dry plant materials. The mechanism on the extraction enhancement using MAE was elucidated further using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and light microscope.

Plant-Derived Nutraceuticals and Immune System Modulation: An Evidence-Based Overview

Immunomodulators are agents able to affect the immune system, by boosting the immune defences to improve the body reaction against infectious or exogenous injuries, or suppressing the abnormal immune response occurring in immune disorders. Moreover, immunoadjuvants can support immune system acting on nonimmune targets, thus improving the immune response. The modulation of inflammatory pathways and microbiome can also contribute to control the immune function. Some plant-based nutraceuticals have been studied as possible immunomodulating agents due to their multiple and pleiotropic effects. Being usually more tolerable than pharmacological treatments, their adjuvant contribution is approached as a desirable nutraceutical strategy. In the present review, the up to date knowledge about the immunomodulating properties of polysaccharides, fatty acids and labdane diterpenes have been analyzed, in order to give scientific basic and clinical evidence to support their practical use. Since promising evidence in preclinical studies, limited and sometimes confusing results have been highlighted in clinical trials, likely due to low methodological quality and lacking standardization. More investigations of high quality and specificity are required to describe in depth the usefulness of these plant-derived nutraceuticals in the immune system modulation, for health promoting and disease preventing purposes.

Astragali Radix (Huangqi): A promising edible immunomodulatory herbal medicine

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Astragali Radix (AR, Huangqi in Chinese), the dried root of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao or A. membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge., possesses diverse therapeutic effects against fatigue, dyspepsia, diarrhea, heart diseases, hepatitis, and anemia. In recent years, increasing evidence has indicated the multiple immunomodulatory activities of AR in preclinical and clinical studies.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review attempts to elaborate the immunomodulatory effects of AR and its potential application in the treatment of immune related diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive literature search AR was carried out using multiple internationally recognized databases (including Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, ACS, Springer, Taylor & Francis, and CNKI).

RESULTS

The immunomodulatory effects of AR are closely attributed to its active constituents such as polysaccharides, saponins, and flavonoids. We also demonstrate that AR can be used as a potential therapeutic intervention for immune related diseases through regulating immune organs, mucosal immune, and immune system (innate immunity and acquired immunity).

CONCLUSION

AR promotes the development of immune organs, enhances mucosal immune function, increases the quantity and phagocytic capacity of innate immunity, promotes the maturation and differentiation of acquired immunity cells, and improves the expression of antibodies in acquired immunity. We believe that AR has a broad research space in the adjuvant treatment of immune related diseases, which could be a breakthrough point to improve the application value of AR.

A Mixture of Functional Complex Extracts from Lycium barbarum and Grape Seed Enhances Immunity Synergistically In Vitro and In Vivo

A mixture of multiple ingredients is often more effective than the individual ingredients. The functions of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) glycoconjugate and grape seed procyanidins (GSP) are widely known. Here, we investigated the synergistic immune-enhancing activity of LBP and GSP. Atomic force microscopy results suggested that the mixture of LBP and GSP exhibited circular structure unlike LBP alone, and the addition of polyphenols may change the spatial conformation of the sugar chain. The changes in the structure were related to the synergistic effect of the two functional agents on immune recovery. In vitro, the proliferation rate of splenocytes was higher in LBP + GSP group (64.16%), rather than the sum of LBP group (13.01%) and GSP group (43.61%) individually used. This synergistical proliferation of splenocytes may be correlated to the increasing intracellular free calcium levels. Furthermore, the mixture significantly enhanced the immunity in vivo, as evident from the recovery of peripheral white blood cell counts in LBP + GSP group (18.535 × 10⁹ /L) to normal group levels (18.115 × 10⁹ /L) and higher B cell proliferation than normal group (P < 0.05). These results highlight the immune-enhancing activity of the combination of LBP and GSP associated with the structural changes, which may facilitate the development of functional foods with fewer resources but enhanced activities. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The synergistic effects of LBP and GSP on immunomodulatory were better than the sum of the effects of the individual agents both in vitro and in vivo. Our results may provide a research-based support for the development of related functional products and an insight into the production of food resources with a fewer but more effective functional agents for better results.

The Effect of Pectinase-Assisted Extraction on the Physicochemical and Biological Properties of Polysaccharides from Aster scaber

The edible and medicinal perennial herb Aster scaber is known to have anticancer, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties. However, the biological effects of its polysaccharides are not well understood. Here, we aimed to extract novel polysaccharides with enhanced biological properties from Aster scaber using enzyme-assisted methods. Amylase, cellulase, and pectinase were used to extract enzyme-assisted polysaccharide (ASEP)-A, ASEP-C, and ASEP-P, respectively. The yields, physicochemical properties, and immunostimulatory activities of the polysaccharides were investigated and compared with those of hot water extracted polysaccharide (ASWP). The highest yield (3.8%) was achieved for ASEP-P extracted using pectinase digestion. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and chemical composition analysis revealed that ASWP and three ASEPs were typical acidic heteropolysaccharides, mainly comprising rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, and galacturonic acid. Immunostimulatory activity assays on RAW264.7 macrophages showed ASEP-P to have the greatest immunostimulatory potential in terms of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine productions and phagocytic activity. ASEP-P administration improved immune-enhancing effects in normal mice by improving the spleen index and splenic lymphocyte proliferation, and in immunosuppressed mice by modulating lymphocyte proliferation, natural killer (NK) cell activity, and leukocyte counts. The ASEP-P derived from pectinase hydrolysate of Aster scaber demonstrated efficacious immunostimulatory properties and has potential applications as an immune stimulator.