Raphanus sativus L. seed extracts induce apoptosis and reduce migration of oral squamous cell carcinoma KB and KBCD133+cells by downregulation of β-catenin

Integrating Intestinal Biotransformation and Gut Microbiota to Uncover the Influence of Tongfu Xiexia Decoction in Rats With Constipation

RATIONALE

Tongfu Xiexia Decoction (TFXXD), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, comprises six herbs: semen raphani, Rehmannia glutinosa, rhubarb, Magnolia officinalis, trifoliate orange, and mirabilite. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of TFXXD on its biotransformation and microbial abundance in the gut of constipated rats.

METHODS

Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was used to analyze the biotransformation of TFXXD in the colonic contents, and 16S rRNA sequencing was used to assess the structure and diversity of the gut microbiota across various rat groups.

RESULTS

We identified and analyzed 25 biotransformations of TFXXD in the colonic contents, which undergo various reactions such as deglycosylation, ring opening, and hydration in intestinal bacteria, with 14 originating from trifoliate orange, six from rhubarb, three from Rehmannia glutinosa, one from Semen raphani, and one from M. officinalis. 16S rRNA analysis revealed that TFXXD significantly enhanced the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bacteroides while significantly reducing Oscillospira abundance. Moreover, TFXXD considerably affected the carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. Correlation analyses revealed a significant negative correlation between Bacteroides and ACH (Acetylcholine), NO (nitric oxide), D-Lac (D-Lactate), IL-6 (Interleukin-6), TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), and IL-1β (Interleukin-1β) and a significant positive correlation between Bacteroides, hesperetin, and rhein.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, our findings indicate that TFXXD can modulate the structure and diversity of the gut microbiota and enhance the metabolic balance in constipated rats.

Antimicrobial Effects of Plant-Based Supplements on Gut Microbial Diversity in Small Ruminants

Every year in the United States, approximately 48 million people are affected by bacterial illnesses that are transmitted through food, leading to 3000 fatalities. These illnesses typically stem from food animals and their by-products, which may harbor dangerous pathogens like Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter jejuni. Factors that contribute to contamination include manure used as a soil amendment, exposure to polluted irrigation water, and contact with animals. To improve food safety, researchers are studying pre-slaughter intervention methods to eliminate bacterial contamination in live animals. While small ruminants are vital to global agriculture and income generation for small farms, traditional feeding practices involve supplements and antibiotics to boost performance, which contributes to antibiotic resistance. Hence, researchers are looking for friendly bacterial strains that enhance both animal and human health without impacting livestock productivity. The global trend is to minimize the use of antibiotics as feed supplements, with many countries prohibiting or limiting their use. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive insight on the antioxidant capabilities, therapeutic attributes, and applications of bioactive compounds derived from sweet potato tops (SPTs), rice bran (RB) and radish tops (RTs). This overview provides an insight on plant parts that are abundant in antioxidant and prebiotic effects and could be used as value-added products in animal feed and pharmaceutical applications. This review was based on previous findings that supplementation of basal diets with natural supplements represents a multifaceted intervention that will become highly important over time. By remarkably reducing the burden of foodborne pathogens, they apply to multiple species, are cheap, do not require withdrawal periods, and can be applied at any time in food animal production.

Recent Advances in the Targeting of Head and Neck Cancer Stem Cells

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a very heterogeneous cancer with a poor overall response to therapy. One of the reasons for this therapy resistance could be cancer stem cells (CSCs), a small population of cancer cells with self-renewal and tumor-initiating abilities. Tumor cell heterogeneity represents hurdles for therapeutic elimination of CSCs. Different signaling pathway activations, such as Wnt, Notch, and Sonic-Hedgehog (SHh) pathways, lead to the expression of several cancer stem factors that enable the maintenance of CSC features. Identification and isolation of CSCs are based either on markers (CD133, CD44, and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)), side populations, or their sphere-forming ability. A key challenge in cancer therapy targeting CSCs is overcoming chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance. However, in novel therapies, various approaches are being employed to address this hurdle such as targeting cell surface markers, other stem cell markers, and different signaling or metabolic pathways, but also, introducing checkpoint inhibitors and natural compounds into the therapy can be beneficial.

Natural products targeting inflammation-related metabolic disorders: A comprehensive review

Currently, the incidence of metabolic disorders is increasing, setting a challenge to global health. With major advancement in the diagnostic tools and clinical procedures, much has been known in the etiology of metabolic disorders and their corresponding pathophysiologies. In addition, the use of in vitro and in vivo experimental models prior to clinical studies has promoted numerous biomedical breakthroughs, including in the discovery and development of drug candidates to treat metabolic disorders. Indeed, chemicals isolated from natural products have been extensively studied as prospective drug candidates to manage diabetes, obesity, heart-related diseases, and cancer, partly due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Continuous efforts have been made in parallel to improve their bioactivity and bioavailability using selected drug delivery approaches. Here, we provide insights on recent progress in the role of inflammatory-mediated responses on the initiation of metabolic disorders, with particular reference to diabetes mellitus, obesity, heart-related diseases, and cancer. In addition, we discussed the prospective role of natural products in the management of diabetes, obesity, heart-related diseases, and cancers and provide lists of potential biological targets for high throughput screening in drug discovery and development. Lastly, we discussed findings observed in the preclinical and clinical studies prior to identifying suitable approaches on the phytochemical drug delivery systems that are potential to be used in the treatment of metabolic disorders.

Traditional uses, phytochemistry, transformation of ingredients and pharmacology of the dried seeds of Raphanus sativus L. (Raphani Semen), A comprehensive review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Raphani Semen (Lai Fu-zi in Chinese, RS), the dried seeds of Raphanus sativus L., is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. RS has long been used for eliminating bloating and digestion, antitussive, expectorant and anti-asthmatic in clinical treatment of traditional Chinese medicine.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review provides a critical and comprehensive summary of traditional uses, phytochemistry, transformation of ingredients and pharmacology of RS based on research data that have been reported, aiming at providing a basis for further study on RS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The search terms "Raphani Semen", "the seeds of Raphanus sativus L." and "radish seed" were used to obtain the information from electronic databases such as Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed and other web search instruments. Traditional uses, phytochemistry, transformation of ingredients and pharmacology of RS were summarized.

RESULTS

RS has been traditionally used to treat food dyspeptic retention, distending pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, constipation, diarrhea and dysentery, panting, and cough with phlegm congestion in the clinical practice. The chemical constituents of RS include glucosinolates and sulfur-containing derivatives, phenylpropanoid sucrosides, small organic acids and derivatives, flavone glycosides, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, oligosaccharides and others. Among them, glucosinolates can be transformated to isothiocyanates by plant myrosinase or the intestinal flora, which display a variety of activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, treatment of metabolic diseases, central nervous system protection, anti-osteoporosis. RS has a variety of pharmacological activities, including treatment of metabolic diseases, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, antibacterial, antihypertensive, central nervous system protection, anti-osteoporosis, etc. This review will provide useful insight for exploration, further study and precise medication of RS in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

According to its traditional uses, phytochemistry, transformation of ingredients and pharmacology, RS is regarded as a promising medical plant with various chemical compounds and numerous pharmacological activities. However, the material bases and mechanisms of traditional effect of RS need further study.

Role of Ayurvedic Plants as Anticancer Agents

The use of natural products has been increasing at a rapid pace, worldwide, with the aim to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to modify one's dietary habits. Ayurveda is a domain that has numerous wealth of information concerning medicinal plants and its part in controlling numerous ailments, such as neoplastic, cardiovascular, neurological plus immunological ailments. The use of such medicinal plants is important for preventing such diseases, especially "cancer" which is the succeeding foremost cause of mortality collectively. Even though abundant developments have been made in the management and control of cancer progression, substantial deficits and scope for advancement still continue to be unchanged. Several lethal adjacent consequences occur throughout the course of chemotherapy. Natural treatments, such as the use of plant-derived products in the treatment of cancer, might reduce the hostile side effects. Presently, a few plant-based products and its phytoconstituents are being utilized for the management of cancer. Here we have focused on numerous plant-derived phytochemicals and promising compounds from these plants to act as anticancer agents, along with their mechanisms of action.

The effect of Raphanus sativus L. seeds on regulation of intestinal motility in rats consuming a high-calorie diet

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a short-term high-calorie diet and the regulation mechanism of Raphanus sativus L. seeds (RSL seeds) on the intestinal motility of young rats.

METHODS

We fed 20 Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) 4-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats special high-calorie diet for 3 days and then randomized them to a high-calorie diet group (HCG, 10 rats) and an RSL seeds treatment group (TG, 10 rats). Ten rats of the same age served as the control group (CG). HCG and TG rats continued to be fed high-calorie feed. All of the rats were weighed every 2 days. After 3 days of treatment, the effects of RSL seeds on the regulation of intestinal motility in rats consuming a high-calorie diet were examined.

RESULTS

After 3 days of consuming a high-calorie diet, body weight was significantly lower in the HCG group than in the control group, and body weight of the HCG group increased slowly with time. Serum substance P (SP) and ghrelin levels were significantly lower, while the nitric oxide (NO) level was significantly higher. There were no differences in hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining of colon sections between the groups. The expression levels of Cx43 and BDNF protein and mRNA in colon tissue were significantly lower in the HCG group. There were no significant differences in body weight between the CG and TG groups. Serum SP and ghrelin indexes in TG group were higher than those in the HCG group, and the NO index was significantly decreased. The expression levels of Cx43 and BDNF proteins and mRNA in the colon tissue were also significantly greater.

CONCLUSION

Consumption of a short-term high-calorie diet may result in intestinal motility dysfunction and reduced intestinal motility. RSL seeds may improve the intestinal motility by regulating the secretion of gastrointestinal motility hormones and the expression of intestinal motility-related proteins, such as Cx43 and BDNF.