2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-Glucoside Attenuates Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Brain Injury in Rats by Promoting Angiogenesis

Neuroprotective Strategies for Stroke by Natural Products: Advances and Perspectives

Cerebral ischemic stroke is a disease with high prevalence and incidence. Its management focuses on rapid reperfusion with intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy. Both therapeutic strategies reduce disability, but the therapy time window is short, and the risk of bleeding is high. Natural products (NPs) have played a key role in drug discovery, especially for cancer and infectious diseases. However, they have made little progress in clinical translation and pose challenges to the treatment of stroke. Recently, with the investigation of precise mechanisms in cerebral ischemic stroke and the technological development of NP-based drug discovery, NPs are addressing these challenges and opening up new opportunities in cerebral stroke. Thus, in this review, we first summarize the structure and function of diverse NPs, including flavonoids, phenols, terpenes, lactones, quinones, alkaloids, and glycosides. Then we propose the comprehensive neuroprotective mechanism of NPs in cerebral ischemic stroke, which involves complex cascade processes of oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, apoptosis or ferroptosis-related cell death, inflammatory response, and disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Overall, we stress the neuroprotective effect of NPs and their mechanism on cerebral ischemic stroke for a better understanding of the advances and perspective in NPs application that may provide a rationale for the development of innovative therapeutic regimens in ischemic stroke.

Parkinson's Disease: Is there a Role for Dietary and Herbal Supplements?

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is characterised by degeneration of the neurons of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway of the brain. The pharmacological cornerstone of PD management is mainly the use of dopamine precursors, dopamine receptor agonists, and agents that inhibit the biochemical degradation of dopamine. While these drugs initially provide relief to the symptoms and improve the quality of life of the patients, progression of the underlying pathological processes, such as oxidative stress and neuroinflammation (which have been strongly associated with PD and other neurodegenerative disorders), eventually reduce their benefits, making further benefits achievable, only at high doses due to which the magnitude and frequency of side-effects are amplified. Also, while it is becoming obvious that mainstream pharmacological agents may not always provide the much-needed answer, the question remains what succour can nature provide through dietary supplements, nutraceuticals and herbal remedies? This narrative review examines current literature for evidence of the possible roles (if any) of nutraceuticals, dietary supplements and herbal remedies in the prevention or management of PD by examining how these compounds could modulate key factors and pathways that are crucial to the pathogenesis and/or progression of PD. The likely limitations of this approach and its possible future roles in PD prevention and management are also considered.

Neuroprotective Phytochemicals in Experimental Ischemic Stroke: Mechanisms and Potential Clinical Applications

Ischemic stroke is a challenging disease with high mortality and disability rates, causing a great economic and social burden worldwide. During ischemic stroke, ionic imbalance and excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation are developed in a relatively certain order, which then activate the cell death pathways directly or indirectly via the promotion of organelle dysfunction. Neuroprotection, a therapy that is aimed at inhibiting this damaging cascade, is therefore an important therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke. Notably, phytochemicals showed great neuroprotective potential in preclinical research via various strategies including modulation of calcium levels and antiexcitotoxicity, antioxidation, anti-inflammation and BBB protection, mitochondrial protection and antiapoptosis, autophagy/mitophagy regulation, and regulation of neurotrophin release. In this review, we summarize the research works that report the neuroprotective activity of phytochemicals in the past 10 years and discuss the neuroprotective mechanisms and potential clinical applications of 148 phytochemicals that belong to the categories of flavonoids, stilbenoids, other phenols, terpenoids, and alkaloids. Among them, scutellarin, pinocembrin, puerarin, hydroxysafflor yellow A, salvianolic acids, rosmarinic acid, borneol, bilobalide, ginkgolides, ginsenoside Rd, and vinpocetine show great potential in clinical ischemic stroke treatment. This review will serve as a powerful reference for the screening of phytochemicals with potential clinical applications in ischemic stroke or the synthesis of new neuroprotective agents that take phytochemicals as leading compounds.

Treatment of tibial dyschondroplasia with traditional Chinese medicines: "Lesson and future directions"

Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) is a metabolic tibiotarsal bone disease in rapidly growing birds throughout the world, which is characterized by gait disorders, reduced growth, and in an unrecoverable lameness in many cases. The short production cycle in chickens, long metabolism cycle in most of the drugs with the severe drug residue, and high treatment cost severely restrict the enthusiasm for the treatment of TD. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for the prevention, treatment, and cure of avian bone diseases. Previously, a couple of traditional Chinese medicines has been reported being useful in treating TD. This review will discuss the TCM used in TD and the alternative TCM to treat TD. Selecting a TCM approach and its pharmacologic effects on TD chickens mainly focused on the differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis of chondrocytes, angiogenesis, matrix metabolism, oxidative damage, cytokines, and calcification of cartilage in tibia.

In vitro and in situ study on characterization and mechanism of the intestinal absorption of 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside

Background

2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxystilbence-2-O-β-D-glucoside (TSG) is a polyhydroxyphenolic compound, which exhibited a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-depression, anti-oxidation and anti-atherosclerosis. However, the compound had poor bioavailability and the underlying absorption mechanisms had not been studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the intestinal absorption mechanism of TSG.

Methods

This study used Caco-2 cell monolayer model and single-pass intestinal perfusion model to explore the gastrointestinal absorption mechanisms of TSG. The effects of basic parameters such as drug concentration, time and pH on the intestinal absorption of TSG were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. The absorption susceptibility of TSG to three inhibitors, P-gp inhibitors verapamil hydrochloride and quinidine, and MRP2 inhibitor probenecid were also assessed.

Results

TSG was poorly absorbed in the intestines and the absorption of TSG in stomach is much higher than that in intestine. Both in vitro and in situ experiments showed that the absorption of TSG was saturated with increasing concentration and it was better absorbed in a weakly acidic environment pH 6.4. Moreover, TSG interacts with P-gp and MRP2, and TSG was not only the substrate of the P-gp and MRP2, but also affected the expression of P-gp and MRP2.

Conclusions

It was concluded that the gastrointestinal absorption the most unique active ingredient and considered as the mechanisms of TSG involved processes passive transport and the participation of efflux transporters.

Tetrahydroxystilbene Glucoside Suppresses NAPDH Oxidative Stress to Mitigate Apoptosis and Autophagy Induced by Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Mice

Tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside (TSG) is the active ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Fallopia multiflora, which has extensive pharmacological activities. The current study aimed to observe the neuroprotective mechanism of TSG in the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) brain injury-induced apoptosis and autophagy from the point of view of oxidative stress (OS). The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was prepared through the suture-occluded method, and TSG was administered through tail vein injection at the time of reperfusion at the doses of 3.0, 6.0, and 12.0 mg/kg. Compared with sham group, the neurological score in I/R mice was increased (P<0.05), along with remarkably elevated cerebral infarct volume (P<0.05); while TSG administration could reduce the neurological score and cerebral infarct volume (P<0.05) and improve the neuronal damage in ischemic cortex and hippocampus (P<0.05). The expression of NOX4, activated caspase-3(9), and Beclin 1 (P<0.05), as well as the LC3BII/I ratio, had been markedly elevated (P<0.05), while TSG administration could effectively suppress the expression of the above-mentioned proteins (P<0.05). In conclusion, TSG shows obvious protection against brain injury in I/R mice, and its mechanism may be related to suppressing the NADPH-induced OS and reducing neuronal apoptosis as well as autophagy.

The synergistic effect of 2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside combined with Adriamycin on MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Objective

Breast cancer has been reported to be a serious disease and a threat to women's health. 2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside (THSG) is a bioactive natural compound originating from Polygonum multiflorum Thunb., which has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties. Adriamycin (ADM) is a chemotherapy agent used in tumor therapy that is limited by its side effects. However, little is known about the synergistic effect of THSG combined with ADM on breast cancer. This study seeks to investigate the effects of the combination of THSG plus ADM on MCF-7 breast cancer cells and to test the mechanisms involved.

Materials and methods

MTT assay was detected to determine cell viability. Furthermore, cell apoptosis was tested by flow cytometry and TUNEL assay. In addition, protein expression was measured by Western blot analysis.

Results

The individual treatment of THSG and ADM induced cell injury. Moreover, cotreatment further increased it, which the effect may be associated with the elevation of the apoptotic-related protein expression such as Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3. Lastly, our results also show the reduction of vascular endothelial growth factor/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt protein expression in the individual or synergistic treatment.

Conclusion

Taken together, cotreatment of THSG and ADM may exert a synergistic reduction of cell injury via the inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway. Thus, THSG might possess potent anti-breast cancer effect with ADM.

Biological Effects of Tetrahydroxystilbene Glucoside: An Active Component of a Rhizome Extracted from Polygonum multiflorum

Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. (PM), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, has been widely used in the Orient as a tonic and antiaging agent. 2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside (TSG, C20H22O9, FW = 406.38928) is one of the active components extracted from PM. TSG is an antioxidant agent, which exhibits remarkable antioxidative activities in vivo and in vitro. The antioxidant effect of TSG is achieved by its radical-scavenging effects. TSG can inhibit apoptosis and protect neuronal cells against injury through multifunctional cytoprotective pathways. TSG performs prophylactic and therapeutic activities against Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. It is also antiatherosclerotic and anti-inflammatory. However, the mechanisms underlying these pharmacological activities are unclear. This study aimed at reviewing experimental studies and describing the effectiveness and possible mechanisms of TSG.

Antidepressant-like effects of tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside in mice: Involvement of BDNF signaling cascade in the hippocampus

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Current antidepressants in clinic need weeks of administration and always have significant limitations. Tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside (TSG) is one of the major bioactive ingredients of Polygonum multiflorum with neuroprotective effects. This study aimed to evaluate the antidepressant effects of TSG in mice.

METHODS

The antidepressant-like effects of TSG in mice were examined in the forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), and chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) model of depression. The effects of CSDS and TSG on the hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling pathway and neurogenesis were further investigated. Moreover, the pharmacological inhibitors and lentiviral-shRNA were used to explore the antidepressant mechanisms of TSG.

RESULTS

TSG produced antidepressant-like effects in the FST and TST and also reversed the CSDS-induced depressive-like symptoms. Moreover, TSG treatment significantly restored the decreased hippocampal BDNF signaling pathway and neurogenesis in CSDS mice. Importantly, blockade of the hippocampal BDNF system fully abolished the antidepressant-like effects of TSG in mice.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, TSG produces antidepressant-like effects in mice via enhancement of the hippocampal BDNF system.