Polysaccharides from Bupleurum Induce Immune Reversal in Late Sepsis

Extraction, purification, structure characteristics, biological activities and pharmaceutical application of Bupleuri Radix Polysaccharide: A review

Bupleuri Radix (BR), as a well-known plant medicine of relieving exterior syndrome, has a long history of usage in China. Bupleuri Radix Polysaccharide (BRP), as the main component and an important bioactive substance of BR, has a variety of pharmacological activities, including immunoregulation, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-diabetic and anti-aging, etc. In this review, the advancements on extraction, purification, structure characteristics, biological activities and pharmaceutical application of BRP from different sources (Bupleurum chinense DC., Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd., Bupleurum falcatum L. and Bupleurum smithii Woiff. var. Parvifolium Shan et Y. Li.) are summarized. Meanwhile, this review makes an in-depth discussion on the shortcomings of the research on BRP, and new valuable insights for the future researches of BRP are proposed.

A Review of Antidepressant Effects and Mechanisms of Three Common Herbal Medicines: Panax ginseng, Bupleurum chinense, and Gastrodia elata

OBJECTIVES

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been reported to affect an increasing number of individuals due to the modern lifestyle. Because of its complicated mechanisms and recurrent attacks, MDD is considered a refractory chronic disease. Although the mainstream therapy for MDD is chemical drugs, they are not a panacea for MDD because of their expensiveness, associated serious adverse reactions, and endless treatment courses. Hence, we studied three kinds of herbal medicines, namely, Panax ginseng C.A. Mey (PGM), Bupleurum chinense DC (BCD), and Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB), and reviewed the mechanisms underlying their antidepressant properties to provide a reference for the development of antidepressants and clinical medications.

METHODS

An extensive range of medicinal, clinical, and chemistry databases and search engines were used for our literature search. We searched the literature using certain web literature search engines, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), and Web of Science.

RESULTS

Experimental research found that active compounds of these three medicines exhibited good antidepressant effects in vivo and in vitro. Clinical investigations revealed that single or combined treatment of these medicines improved certain depressive symptoms. Antidepressant mechanisms are summarized based on this research.

CONCLUSION

The antidepressant mechanism of these three medicines includes but is not limited to ameliorating inflammation within the brain, reversing the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) system hyperfunction, inhibiting monoamine neurotransmitters reuptake, anti-neuron apoptosis and preventing neurotoxicity, and regulating depressive-related pathways such as the BDNF pathway and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis of roots of Bupleurum chinense and B. scorzonerifolium, two sources of medicinal Chaihu

Radix Bupleuri (Chaihu in Chinese) is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used to treat colds and fevers. The root metabolome and transcriptome of two cultivars of B. chinense (BCYC and BCZC) and one of B. scorzonerifolium (BSHC) were determined and analyzed. Compared with BSHC, 135 and 194 differential metabolites were identified in BCYC and BCZC, respectively, which were mainly fatty acyls, organooxygen metabolites. A total of 163 differential metabolites were obtained between BCYC and BCZC, including phenolic acids and lipids. Compared with BSHC, 6557 and 5621 differential expression genes (DEGs) were found in BCYC and BSHC, respectively, which were annotated into biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid and fatty acid metabolism. A total of 4,880 DEGs existed between the two cultivars of B. chinense. The abundance of flavonoids in B. scorzonerifolium was higher than that of B. chinense, with the latter having higher saikosaponin A and saikosaponin D than the former. Pinobanksin was the most major flavonoid which differ between the two cultivars of B. chinense. The expression of chalcone synthase gene was dramatically differential, which had a positive correlation with the biosynthesis of pinobanksin. The present study laid a foundation for further research on biosynthesis of flavonoids and terpenoids of Bupleurum L.

The Structural Characteristics of an Acidic Water-Soluble Polysaccharide from Bupleurum chinense DC and Its In Vivo Anti-Tumor Activity on H22 Tumor-Bearing Mice

This study explored the preliminary structural characteristics and in vivo anti-tumor activity of an acidic water-soluble polysaccharide (BCP) separated purified from Bupleurum chinense DC root. The preliminary structural characterization of BCP was established using UV, HPGPC, FT-IR, IC, NMR, SEM, and Congo red. The results showed BCP as an acidic polysaccharide with an average molecular weight of 2.01 × 10³ kDa. Furthermore, we showed that BCP consists of rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, and galacturonic acid (with a molar ratio of 0.063:0.788:0.841:1:0.196) in both α- and β-type configurations. Using the H22 tumor-bearing mouse model, we assessed the anti-tumor activity of BCP in vivo. The results revealed the inhibitory effects of BCP on H22 tumor growth and the protective actions against tissue damage of thymus and spleen in mice. In addition, the JC-1 FITC-AnnexinV/PI staining and cell cycle analysis have collectively shown that BCP is sufficient to induce apoptosis and of H22 hepatocarcinoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of BCP on tumor growth was likely attributable to the S phase arrest. Overall, our study presented significant anti-liver cancer profiles of BCP and its promising therapeutic potential as a safe and effective anti-tumor natural agent.

A Network Pharmacology Study on the Active Components and Targets of the Radix Ginseng and Radix Bupleuri Herb Pair for Treating Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

OBJECTIVE

To explore the potential active components and corresponding target herb pairs of Radix Ginseng (Renshen) and Radix Bupleuri (Chaihu) in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through network pharmacology and in vitro experiments.

METHODS

The active components and potential targets of the herb pair of Renshen and Chaihu were screened through a network database system, and Venn analysis was performed with the obtained NAFLD targets. The intersecting targets were analysed for gene ontology (GO) functions and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) pathways, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was generated. Cytoscape software was used to construct active component-target networks of the Renshen and Chaihu herb pair. Free fatty acids were added to the HepG2 cell line to create high-fat models that were treated with different concentrations of stigmasterol. The effect of stigmasterol on the lipid metabolism in HepG2 cells and PPARγ-knockdown cells was determined by oil red O staining, Nile red staining, and TG level. PPARγ and UCP-1 mRNA, and protein expression levels were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses, respectively.

RESULTS

Twenty active components obtained from the Renshen and Chaihu herb pair were identified. The herb pair active component-target network showed that both Renshen and Chaihu contained stigmasterol and kaempferol as active components. The PPI network comprised 63 protein nodes. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the targets were mainly involved in lipid metabolism. Eight core targets were identified: AKT1, PPARG, MAPK3, TNF, TP53, SIRT1, STAT3, and PPARA. In vitro experiments demonstrated that stigmasterol reduced lipid accumulation and TG levels in HepG2 cells, and the mechanism may have been related to the activation of the PPARγ-UCP-1 signalling pathway.

CONCLUSION

This study preliminarily illustrated the potential components and corresponding core targets of the Renshen and Chaihu herb pair in treating NAFLD. The effect of stigmasterol on the PPARγ-UCP-1 signalling pathway in enhancing lipid metabolism may represent one of the mechanisms of the Renshen and Chaihu herb pair in the treatment of NAFLD. The results provide new evidence and research insights to reveal the roles of Renshen and Chaihu in the management of NAFLD.

Bupleurum chinense Polysaccharide Improves LPS-Induced Senescence of RAW264.7 Cells by Regulating the NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Macrophages are important inflammatory cells that play a vital role in inflamm-aging. Bupleurum chinense polysaccharide (BCP), an effective component of the Bupleurum chinense herb, exerts multiple beneficial pharmacological effects, such as improving immunity and antioxidant activity. However, the effects of BCP on macrophage-aging and inflamm-aging are yet to be established. In this study, we examined the effects of BCP on proliferation, inflammatory cytokines, β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal), senescence-associated heterochromatin foci (SAHF), reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential, p53, p16, and p65/NF-κB signaling proteins in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. BCP significantly inhibited production of interleukin-1α (IL-1α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), reduced the expression of SA-β-gal and formation of SAHF, as well as ROS level, and stabilized the mitochondrial membrane potential in RAW264.7 cells stimulated with LPS. Furthermore, BCP inhibited the expression of aging-related genes, p53 and p16, suppressed phosphorylation of p65 protein, and enhanced the expression of I-κBα protein through the NF-κB signaling pathway in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Accordingly, we conclude that BCP effectively suppresses inflamm-aging by reducing inflammatory cytokine levels and oxidative stress production following activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in RAW264.7 cells stimulated with LPS. Our collective findings support the utility of BCP as a novel pharmaceutical agent with potential anti-inflamm-aging effects.

Beneficial Effect of Intestinal Fermentation of Natural Polysaccharides

With the rapid development of modern society, many chronic diseases are increasing including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, etc., which further cause an increased death rate worldwide. A high caloric diet with reduced natural polysaccharides, typically indigestible polysaccharides, is considered a health risk factor. With solid evidence accumulating that indigestible polysaccharides can effectively prevent and/or ameliorate symptoms of many chronic diseases, we give a narrative review of many natural polysaccharides extracted from various food resources which mainly contribute their health beneficial functions via intestinal fermentation.