Oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC) and antibacterial properties of Melicope glabra bark extracts and isolated compounds

Biosynthesis of Scopoletin in Sweet Potato Confers Resistance against Fusarium oxysporum

Fusarium wilt is a severe fungal disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum in sweet potato. We conducted transcriptome analysis to explore the resistance mechanism of sweet potato against F. oxysporum. Our findings highlighted the role of scopoletin, a hydroxycoumarin, in enhancing resistance. In vitro experiments confirmed that scopoletin and umbelliferone had inhibitory effects on the F. oxysporum growth. We identified hydroxycoumarin synthase genes IbF6'H2 and IbCOSY that are responsible for scopoletin production in sweet potatoes. The co-overexpression of IbF6'H2 and IbCOSY in tobacco plants produced the highest scopoletin levels and disease resistance. This study provides insights into the molecular basis of sweet potato defense against Fusarium wilt and identifies valuable genes for breeding wilt-resistant cultivars.

A Review of the Ethnomedicinal, Phytochemical, and Anticancer Properties of Melicope Species

The genus Melicope, which consists of 230 species, stands out as the largest genus within the Rutaceae family. Melicope species are characterized by their evergreen nature and can range from shrubs to predominantly dioecious trees. The Melicope species have been utilized in traditional medicine to address a wide range of ailments, including fever, colds, cramps, and inflammation. These plants have gained significant attention due to their noteworthy ethnopharmacological and ethnomedicinal significance. Researchers have isolated numerous biologically active secondary metabolites from different Melicope species, which include polymethoxylated flavonoids, furanocoumarins, acetophenones, benzenoids, and quinolone alkaloids. These compounds exhibit diverse biological activities, such as antibacterial, antidiabetic, antifungal, and antiproliferative properties against human cancer cell lines. This review provides an update on the chemical constituents of the selected species of Melicope. The study also highlights the anticancer and cytotoxicity properties of the plant extracts and phytochemical constituents from Melicope species. Furthermore, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer effects are elucidated. Overall, this review contributes to understanding the significant pharmacological potential of Melicope species and unlocking their chemical composition, emphasizing their relevance in the development of therapeutic agents, particularly in the field of cancer research.

Formulation, characterization, pharmacokinetics and antioxidant activity of phloretin oral granules

Phloretin (PHL), a flavonoid of the dihydrogen chalcone class, is reported to have low oral bioavailability due to its poor solubility and absorption. A common approach to enhance the solubility of such flavonoids is solubilization in a polymeric or lipidic matrix which would help in enhance dissolution rate and solubility. Accordingly, in the current study PHL was dissolved in Gelucire® 44/14 by melt-fusion technique and the viscous semisolid melt was adsorbed on a solid carrier to obtain free flowing granules. SeDeM-SLA (Solid-Liquid Adsorption) expert system was employed to select the most suitable carrier. This study achieved positive outcomes through the successful development of formulated oral PHL granules. The granules exhibited good stability, and favourable pharmacokinetic properties. In addition, the selected carrier effectively retained the antioxidant properties of PHL.

Umbelliferon: a review of its pharmacology, toxicity and pharmacokinetics

Coumarin, a plant secondary metabolite, has various pharmacological activities, including antioxidant stress and anti-inflammatory effects. Umbelliferone, a common coumarin compound found in almost all higher plants, has been extensively studied for its pharmacological effects in different disease models and doses with complex action mechanisms. This review aims to summarize these studies and provide useful information to relevant scholars. The pharmacological studies demonstrate that umbelliferone has diverse effects such as anti-diabetes, anti-cancer, anti-infection, anti-rheumatoid arthritis, neuroprotection, and improvement of liver, kidney, and myocardial tissue damage. The action mechanisms of umbelliferone include inhibition of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, improvement of insulin resistance, myocardial hypertrophy, and tissue fibrosis, in addition to regulation of blood glucose and lipid metabolism. Among the action mechanisms, the inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammation is the most critical. In short, these pharmacological studies disclose that umbelliferone is expected to treat many diseases, and more research should be conducted.

Pro-Apoptotic Activity and Cell Cycle Arrest of Caulerpa sertularioides against SKLU-1 Cancer Cell in 2D and 3D Cultures

Cancer is a disease with the highest mortality and morbidity rate worldwide. First-line drugs induce several side effects that drastically reduce the quality of life of people with this disease. Finding molecules to prevent it or generate less aggressiveness or no side effects is significant to counteract this problem. Therefore, this work searched for bioactive compounds of marine macroalgae as an alternative treatment. An 80% ethanol extract of dried Caulerpa sertularioides (CSE) was analyzed by HPLS-MS to identify the chemical components. CSE was utilized through a comparative 2D versus 3D culture model. Cisplatin (Cis) was used as a standard drug. The effects on cell viability, apoptosis, cell cycle, and tumor invasion were evaluated. The IC₅₀ of CSE for the 2D model was 80.28 μg/mL versus 530 μg/mL for the 3D model after 24 h of treatment exposure. These results confirmed that the 3D model is more resistant to treatments and complex than the 2D model. CSE generated a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, induced apoptosis by extrinsic and intrinsic pathways, upregulated caspases-3 and -7, and significantly decreased tumor invasion of a 3D SKLU-1 lung adenocarcinoma cell line. CSE generates biochemical and morphological changes in the plasma membrane and causes cell cycle arrest at the S and G2/M phases. These findings conclude that C. sertularioides is a potential candidate for alternative treatment against lung cancer. This work reinforced the use of complex models for drug screening and suggested using CSE's primary component, caulerpin, to determine its effect and mechanism of action on SKLU-1 in the future. A multi-approach with molecular and histological analysis and combination with first-line drugs must be included.

Effects of oleanolic acid on hair growth in mouse dorsal skin mediated via regulation of inflammatory cytokines

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid with favourable physiological activity. It is widely distributed in more than 200 species of plants. OA has garnered significant interest because of its potential biological activities, such as antioxidant, bacteriostatic, and hair growth-promoting effects. To study the effect of OA on hair growth and related mechanisms, we investigated hair growth in mice with testosterone-induced androgenetic alopecia (AGA) that were treated with three different concentrations of OA. The antioxidant, bacteriostatic, and cytotoxic effects of OA were evaluated. We found that mice with testosterone-induced AGA treated with 1% or 0.5% OA showed significantly enhanced hair growth and increased vascular endothelial growth factor/glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase ratio and levels of fibroblast growth factor receptor and insulin-like growth factor 1. Using an immunofluorescence staining assay, we demonstrated that β-catenin, a key Wnt signalling transducer, was highly expressed in the OA-treated groups. These results suggest that OA may promote hair growth by stimulating hair matrix cell proliferation via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and lowering the levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta 1, dihydrotestosterone, and 5α-reductase.

A Chinese herb preparation, honokiol, inhibits Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the antibiofilm and anticariogenic effects of honokiol, a traditional Chinese medicine, on the cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans).

DESIGN

The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of honokiol on S. mutans UA159 were measured. Then, S. mutans were treated with honokiol at concentrations of 1/2 MIC and 1/4 MIC. Extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) synthesis was assessed with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and the anthrone-sulfuric method. Crystal violet staining and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to demonstrate the characteristics and morphology of S. mutans biofilms. Colony-forming unit (CFU) assay was performed to observe the antibacterial effect of honokiol. Lactic acid production of 24-h biofilms was measured by the lactic acid assay. The expression level of caries-related genes (gtfB/C/D, comD/E and ldh) was identified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRTPCR) to explore the relevant mechanism. And the cytotoxic effect on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) was evaluated by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay.

RESULTS

The MIC and MBC of honokiol on S. mutans were 30 μg/mL and 60 μg/mL, respectively. Honokiol inhibited biofilm formation, EPS synthesis and lactic acid production. It also decreased the expression of glucosyltransferases (Gtfs) and quorum sensing (QS) system encoding genes. Moreover, honokiol showed favorable biocompatibility with HGFs.

CONCLUSIONS

Honokiol has an inhibitory effect on S. mutans and favorable biocompatibility, with application potential as a novel anticaries agent.

Study on Anti-Inflammatory Mechanism of Angelica pubescens Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

References and data show that AP has a certain effect on alleviating inflammation. Based on the methods of network pharmacology and molecular docking, this paper predicts the potential mechanism of anti-inflammatory effect of the effective components. Methods: Active components and target genes of AP were screened out by SymMap, an associated database of TCM syndromes. First, screen out the active components according to the setting conditions, and its molecular structure file was obtained from the PubChem database. The target genes of anti-inflammatory effect were obtained from GeneCards database with “anti-inflammation effect” as the keyword, and then the common gene targets between AP and anti-inflammatory effect were screened. The PPI network diagram was constructed with Cytoscape 3.80 software to screen the core genes. The GO function and KEGG pathway of the core genes were enriched and analyzed by David database; 3D view of proteins encoded by the core gene from the PDB database, conduct molecular docking between the active components and the core proteins in Auto Dock Vina software, and made a heat map with binding free energy. Results: The main anti-inflammatory components were O-Acetylcolumbianetin, isoindigo, Nodakenetin, Marmesin, Diphencyprone; The core targets are TNF, VEGFA, IL6, TP53, IL1B, ESR1, MMP9, PPARG, Jun, CASP3, PTGS2. AP participated in cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, response to drug, positive regulation of gene expression, and other processes by regulating the combination of extracellular space, cell surface with protein and enzyme, and then exert anti-inflammatory activity. The signal pathways mainly involved IL-17 signaling pathway, hepatitis B, TNF signaling pathway, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.; Through molecular docking, it was found that the key targets were MMP9, TNF, PTGS2, ESR1, JUN, and PPARG, while the active components which ha,d a strong effect on these genes were O-Acetylcolumbianetin, isoindigo, Nodakenetin, Marmesin, Diphencyprone. Conclusion: This study used network pharmacology and molecular docking methods to predict the potential active components, target genes, and signal pathways of the anti-inflammatory effect of AP, so as to provide a theoretical reference for the follow-up experimental research and clinical treatment of AP.

Evaluation of the Acute and Sub-Acute Oral Toxicity of Jaranol in Kunming Mice

Background: Jaranol has shown a wide range of pharmacological activities; however, no study has yet examined in vivo toxicity. The study aimed to investigate the oral acute and sub-acute toxicity of jaranol in mice.

Methods: The acute toxicity was determined by a single oral dose of jaranol (2000 mg/kg). Therein animal behaviour and mortality rate were observed for 14 days. The jaranol (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg BW·d⁻¹) was given by gavage for 28 days daily in the sub-acute study. The mouse body weight (BW), organ weight, food, water intake, biochemical, haematological parameters, and histopathology were studied in acute and sub-acute toxicity.

Results: During the acute toxicity test, a single oral dose (2000 mg/kg) jaranol did not cause significant alteration in majority of the hematological indices. However, jaranol decreased the level of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. Those results showed that the oral lethal dose 50 (LD₅₀) of jaranol was higher than 2000 mg/kg BW, regardless of sex. In repeated daily oral doses (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg BW·d⁻¹), no mortality was recorded in the various experimental groups. The jaranol reduced body weight gain (200 mg/kg BW·d⁻¹), the relative spleen weight (all doses) and serum alanine aminotransferase activity (200 mg/kg BW·d⁻¹). On the other hand, jaranol significantly elevated red blood cell count (100 and 200 mg/kg BW·d⁻¹) and serum creatinine levels (200 mg/kg BW·d⁻¹). Histological study revealed that spleen bleeding was identified in 200 mg/kg jaranol-treated mice.

Conclusion: Jaranol was relatively safe in Kunming Mice when repetitively administered orally in small doses for a prolonged period of time. We recommend more chronic toxicity studies and clinical trials on jaranol to ensure that its use is free of potential toxicity to humans.

Hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity values of low-molecular-weight phenolic compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

The antioxidant capacity of an antioxidant reflects its ability to remove reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, the hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (H-ORAC) method was used to quantitatively evaluate the antioxidant capacities of natural phenols and their derivatives against peroxyl radicals. This method was comprehensively applied to low-molecular-weight phenols to construct a database. Although no macroscopic correlation was observed for values related to the antioxidant capacity expression, we observed a difference in the trend of the H-ORAC values for each functional group. Thus, this database will serve as a new benchmark and tool for molecular design.

The hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (H-OARC) assay measures the antioxidant capacity of compounds against the peroxyl radical, a reactive oxygen species.

Scopoletin and umbelliferone protect hepatocytes against palmitate- and bile acid-induced cell death by reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress

BACKGROUND

The number of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly increasing due to the growing epidemic of obesity. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the inflammatory stage of NAFLD, is characterized by lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, chronic inflammation and hepatocyte cell death. Scopoletin and umbelliferone are coumarin-like molecules and have antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. Cytoprotective effects of these compounds have not been described in hepatocytes and the mechanisms of the beneficial effects of scopoletin and umbelliferone are unknown.

AIM

To investigate whether scopoletin and/or umbelliferone protect hepatocytes against palmitate-induced cell death. For comparison, we also tested the cytoprotective effect of scopoletin and umbelliferone against bile acid-induced cell death.

METHODS

Primary rat hepatocytes were exposed to palmitate (1 mmol/L) or the hydrophobic bile acid glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA; 50 μmol/L). Apoptosis was assessed by caspase-3 activity assay, necrosis by Sytox green assay, mRNA levels by qPCR, protein levels by Western blot and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by fluorescence assay.

RESULTS

Both scopoletin and umbelliferone protected against palmitate and GCDCA-induced cell death. Both palmitate and GCDCA induced the expression of ER stress markers. Scopoletin and umbelliferone decreased palmitate- and GCDCA-induced expression of ER stress markers, phosphorylation of the cell death signaling intermediate JNK as well as ROS production.

CONCLUSION

Scopoletin and umbelliferone protect against palmitate and bile acid-induced cell death of hepatocytes by inhibition of ER stress and ROS generation and decreasing phosphorylation of JNK. Scopoletin and umbelliferone may hold promise as a therapeutic modality for the treatment of NAFLD.