Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Heritiera littoralis Fruits on Dextran Sulfate Sodium- (DSS-) Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice by Regulating Gut Microbiota and Suppressing NF-κB Pathway

Synergistic Protective Effect of Interactions of Quercetin with Lycopene Against Ochratoxin A-Induced Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease responsible for the inflammation of the innermost lining of the colon and rectum. The present study's objective is to determine the potential synergistic impact of quercetin (QR) and lycopene (LP) in ulcerative colitis (UC) induced in rats by ochratoxin A (OTA) by biochemical and morphological alterations. QR and LP were administered alone and in combination with the OTA for 7 days. OTA administration caused UC generation, resulting in significant changes in body weight percentage, disease activity index (DAI), macroscopic evaluation, colon weight/length ratio, and histological score. In addition to the above parameters, it also leads to elevated oxidative stress, i.e. increased malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and hydroxyproline levels and decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. Histological changes in the colon architecture were also observed suggestive of extensive mucosal damage. In addition, a high level of matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) was observed in immunohistochemistry, and a high level of gene expression of osteopontin (OPN), runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), MMP-7, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was observed in OTA administered animals. The combination of QR and LP significantly restored the per cent body weight loss and DAI score and improved macroscopic and histological changes, colon weight/length ratio, and macroscopic damages. It also improved the biochemical parameters to near-normal levels, i.e. reduced MDA, NO, MPO, and hydroxyproline levels and increased SOD and GSH levels. In addition, OPN, Runx2, MMP-7, and IL-6 gene expression decreased compared to the OTA-induced UC group. Outcomes of the present study indicate the potential of QR + LP as anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agents against OTA-induced UC in rats.

Therapeutic Effects of Aloe saponaria against Ulcerative Colitis Induced by Dextran Sulfate Sodium

Aloe vera (A. vera) has been studied as a treatment option for ulcerative colitis (UC), but there is a lack of scientific evidence showing whether treatment with Aloe saponaria (A. saponaria) can also be beneficial. To investigate the therapeutic potential of A. saponaria as a treatment for UC, clinical symptoms, histopathological characteristics of the colon, inflammatory response, and toxicity were analyzed in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mice after administration of aqueous extracts of A. saponaria (AAS) for 7 days. The total polyphenol and tannin content of AAS was 272 µg/g and 163 µg/g, respectively. AAS exhibited significant antioxidant activity. Several clinical symptoms, including body weight, colon length, and hematochezia, remarkably improved in the DSS+AAS treated group compared to the DSS+Vehicle-treated group. In addition, similar improvements were detected in the histopathological characteristics and mucin-secreting ability in the colon of DSS-induced UC mice after the administration of AAS. The levels of infiltrated inflammatory cells and cytokine expression were significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner in the colon of the DSS+AAS-treated group. These alterations in inflammatory response were accompanied by a significant recovery of the protein kinase C/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (PKC/ERK) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/serine-threonine protein kinase (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathways. However, the levels of key markers for hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity consistently remained between those of the DSS+AAS-treated and the No groups. Therefore, the results of the present study provide novel evidence that AAS may improve the clinical symptoms and attenuate the inflammatory response in DSS-induced UC mice and does not have any significant hepatotoxicity or nephrotoxicity.

Sanghuangporus vaninii fruit body polysaccharide alleviates hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia via modulating intestinal microflora in type 2 diabetic mice

The disease of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is principally induced by insufficient insulin secretion and insulin resistance. In the current study, Sanghuangporus vaninii fruit body polysaccharide (SVP) was prepared and structurally characterized. It was shown that the yield of SVP was 1.91%, and SVP mainly contains small molecular weight polysaccharides. Afterward, the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects and the potential mechanism of SVP in T2DM mice were investigated. The results exhibited oral SVP could reverse the body weight loss, high levels of blood glucose, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and inflammation in T2DM mice. Oral SVP increased fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentrations of T2DM mice. Additionally, 16S rRNA sequencing analysis illustrated that SVP can modulate the structure and function of intestinal microflora in T2DM mice, indicating as decreasing the levels of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes, Flavonifractor, Odoribacter, and increasing the levels of Weissella, Alloprevotella, and Dubosiella. Additionally, the levels of predicted metabolic functions of Citrate cycle, GABAergic synapse, Insulin signaling pathway were increased, and those of Purine metabolism, Taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, and Starch and sucrose metabolism were decreased in intestinal microflora after SVP treatment. These findings demonstrate that SVP could potentially play hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects by regulating gut microflora and be a promising nutraceutical for ameliorating T2DM.

Evaluation of in vitro and in silico anti-inflammatory potential of some selected medicinal plants of Bangladesh against cyclooxygenase-II enzyme

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Medicinal plants are sources of chemical treasures that can be used in treatment of different diseases, including inflammatory disorders. Traditionally, Heritiera littoralis, Ceriops decandra, Ligustrum sinense, and Polyscias scutellaria are used to treat pain, hepatitis, breast inflammation. The present research was designed to explore phytochemicals from the ethanol extracts of H. littoralis, C. decandra, L. sinense, and P. scutellaria to discern the possible pharmacophore (s) in the treatment of inflammatory disorders.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The chemical compounds of experimental plants were identified through GC-MS analysis. Furthermore, in-vitro anti-inflammatory activity was assessed in human erythrocytes and an in-silico study was appraised against COX-2.

RESULTS

The experimental extracts totally revealed 77 compounds in GC-MS analysis and all the extracts showed anti-inflammatory activity in in-vitro assays. The most favorable phytochemicals as anti-inflammatory agents were selected via ADMET profiling and molecular docking with specific protein of the COX-2 enzyme. Molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) confirmed the stability of the selected natural compound at the binding site of the protein. Three phytochemicals exhibited the better competitive result than the conventional anti-inflammatory drug naproxen in molecular docking and MDS studies.

CONCLUSION

Both experimental and computational studies have scientifically revealed the folklore uses of the experimental medicinal plants in inflammatory disorders. Overall, N-(2-hydroxycyclohexyl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide (PubChem CID: 575170); Benzeneethanamine, 2-fluoro-. beta., 3, 4-trihydroxy-N-isopropyl (PubChem CID: 547892); and 3,5-di-tert-butylphenol (PubChem CID: 70825) could be the potential leads for COX-2 inhibitor for further evaluation of drug-likeliness.