Protective role of ginseng in endometriosis during covid-19

The beneficial potential of ginseng for menopause

Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) has long been used not only as a food supplement but also as a treatment for various diseases. Ginseng originated in South Korea, which later spread to China and Japan, has a wide range of pharmacological activities including immune, endocrine, cardiovascular, and central nervous system effects. KRG is produced by repetitions of steaming and drying of ginseng to extend preservation. During this steaming process, the components of ginseng undergo physio-chemical changes forming a variety of potential active constituents including ginsenoside-Rg3, a unique compound in KRG. Pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has affected both men and women differentially. In particular, women were more vulnerable to COVID-related distress which in turn could aggravate menopause-related disturbances. Complementary and alternative medicinal plants could have aided middle-aged women for several menopause-related symptoms during and post COVID-19 pandemic. This review aimed to explore the beneficial effects of KRG on menopausal symptoms and gynecological cancer.

Anticipation and Verification of Dendrobium-Derived Nanovesicles for Skin Wound Healing Targets, Predicated Upon Immune Infiltration and Senescence

Background

Dendrobium, with profound botanical importance, reveals a rich composition of bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides, flavonoids, alkaloids, and diverse amino acids, holding promise for skin regeneration. However, the precise mechanism remains elusive. Seeking a potent natural remedy for wound healing, exocyst vesicles were successfully isolated from Dendrobium.

Aims of the Study

This investigation aimed to employ bioinformatics and in vivo experiments to elucidate target genes of Dendrobium-derived nanovesicles in skin wound healing, focusing on immune infiltration and senescence characteristics.

Materials and Methods

C57 mice experienced facilitated wound healing through Dendrobium-derived nanovesicles (DDNVs). Bioinformatics analysis and GEO database mining identified crucial genes by intersecting immune-related, senescence-related, and PANoptosis-associated genes. The identified genes underwent in vivo validation.

Results

DDNVs remarkably accelerated skin wound healing in C57 mice. Bioinformatics analysis revealed abnormal expression patterns of immune-related, senescence-related, and pan-apoptosis-related genes, highlighting an overexpressed IL-1β and downregulated IL-18 in the model group, Exploration of signaling pathways included IL-17, NF-kappa B, NOD-like receptor, and Toll-like receptor pathways. In vivo experiments confirmed DDNVs' efficacy in suppressing IL-1β expression, enhancing wound healing.

Conclusion

Plant-derived nanovesicles (PDNV) emerged as a natural, reliable, and productive approach to wound healing. DDNVs uptake by mouse skin tissues, labeled with a fluorescent dye, led to enhanced wound healing in C57 mice. Notably, IL-1β overexpression in immune cells and genes played a key role. DDNVs intervention effectively suppressed IL-1β expression, accelerating skin wound tissue repair.

New perspective on the immunomodulatory activity of ginsenosides: Focus on effective therapies for post-COVID-19

More than 700 million confirmed cases of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) have been reported globally, and 10-60% of patients are expected to exhibit "post-COVID-19 symptoms," which will continue to affect human life and health. In the absence of safer, more specific drugs, current multiple immunotherapies have failed to achieve satisfactory efficacy. Ginseng, a traditional Chinese medicine, is often used as an immunomodulator and has been used in COVID-19 treatment as a tonic to increase blood oxygen saturation. Ginsenosides are the main active components of ginseng. In this review, we summarize the multiple ways in which ginsenosides affect post-COVID-19 symptoms, including inhibition of lipopolysaccharide, tumor necrosis factor signaling, modulation of chemokine receptors and inflammasome activation, induction of macrophage polarization, effects on Toll-like receptors, nuclear factor kappa-B, the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, lymphocytes, intestinal flora, and epigenetic regulation. Ginsenosides affect virus-mediated tissue damage, local or systemic inflammation, immune modulation, and other links, thus alleviating respiratory and pulmonary symptoms, reducing the cardiac burden, protecting the nervous system, and providing new ideas for the rehabilitation of patients with post-COVID-19 symptoms. Furthermore, we analyzed its role in strengthening body resistance to eliminate pathogenic factors from the perspective of ginseng-epidemic disease and highlighted the challenges in clinical applications. However, the benefit of ginsenosides in modulating organismal imbalance post-COVID-19 needs to be further evaluated to better validate the pharmacological mechanisms associated with their traditional efficacy and to determine their role in individualized therapy.

Roles of increased NUCKS1 expression in endometriosis

BACKGROUND

Endometriosis is still a difficult problem for women. The Nuclear Ubiquitous Casein and cyclin-dependent Kinase Substrate 1 (NUCKS1) gene is located on human chromosome 1q32.1. It encodes the NUCKS1 protein, a 27 kDa nuclear DNA binding protein that plays an important role in cell growth and proliferation. NUCKS1 plays an important role in the development of many diseases. However, its role in endometriosis is unclear.

METHODS

Ectopic endometrial tissues and normal tissue specimens were collected, and the expression of NUCKS1, NF-κB and PI3K was detected by RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Inhibition of NUCKS1 in hEM15A cells, study the changes in cell viability, apoptosis, migration and protein expression by CCK8 assay, flow cytometry, wound-healing assay, western blot and ELISA techniques. The comparison of differences between the two groups was implemented using unpaired sample t test or Mann-whitney U test. One-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-wallis test was used for comparisons among the three groups.

RESULTS

(1) NUCKS1 is highly expressed in endometriosis tissues. (2) Inhibition of NUCKS1 decreases cell viability and capability of migration, and increases apoptosis in endometriosis cells. (3) Expressions of NF-κB and PI3K are increased in endometriosis tissues, and inhibition of NUCKS1 decreases the expression levels of PI3K and NF-κB in endometriosis cells. (4) Inhibition of NUCKS1 decreases the expression of VEGF.

CONCLUSION

(1) NUCKS1 is overexpressed in endometriosis, and inhibition of NUCKS1 inhibits cell viability and capability of migration, and increases apoptosis. (2) NUCKS1 promotes the progress of endometriosis through activating PI3K and NF-κB pathways, and VEFG is also involved in this process.