Supercritical-Carbon Dioxide Fluid Extract from Chrysanthemum indicum Enhances Anti-Tumor Effect and Reduces Toxicity of Bleomycin in Tumor-Bearing Mice

Therapeutic potential of traditional Chinese medicine for interstitial lung disease

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a chronic lung dysfunction disease with a poor prognosis and poor recovery. The clinically used therapeutic drugs, such as glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants, have no significant therapeutic effect and are accompanied with severe side effects. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in exploring and applying natural herb components for treating ILD. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) possesses innate, non-toxic characteristics and offers advantages in preventing and treating pulmonary ailments. However, a comprehensive study of TCM on ILD therapy has not yet been reviewed.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review aimed to provide a comprehensive summary of the monomer components, total extracts, and prescriptions of TCM for ILD therapy, elucidating their molecular mechanisms to serve as a reference in treating ILD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The literature information was searched in the PubMed, Web of Science databases. The search keywords included 'interstitial lung disease', 'lung fibrosis' or 'pulmonary fibrosis', and 'traditional Chinese medicine', 'traditional herbal medicine', or 'herb medicine'.

RESULTS

The active components of single herbs, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, and quinones, have potential therapeutic effects on ILD. The active extracts and prescriptions were also summarized and analyzed. The herbs, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (Gancao), Astragalus membranaceus Fisch. Bunge. (Huangqi) and Angelicasinensis (Oliv.) Diels (Danggui), play significant roles in the treatment of ILD. The mechanisms involve the inhibition of inflammatory factor release, anti-oxidative injury, and interference with collagen production, etc. CONCLUSION: This review examines the therapeutic potential of TCM for ILD and elucidates its molecular mechanisms, demonstrating that mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress, modulating the immune system, and promoting tissue repair are efficacious strategies for ILD therapy. The depth research will yield both theoretical and practical implications.

Fast and non-destructive discriminating the geographical origin of Hangbaiju by hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometrics

Hangbaiju is highly appreciated flower tea for its health benefits, and its quality and price are affected by geographical origin. Fast and accurate identification of the geographical origin of Hangbaiju is very significant for producers, consumers and market regulators. In this work, hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometrics, was used, for the first time, to explore and implement the geographical origin classification of Hangbaiju. The hyperspectral images in the spectral range of 410-2500 nm for 75 samples of five different origins were collected. As a versatile chemometrics tool, bagging classification tree-radial basis function (BAGCT-RBFN), compared with classification tree (CT), radial basis function network (RBFN), was applied to discriminate Hangbaiju samples from different origins. The results showed that BAGCT-RBFN based on optimal wavelengths yielded superior classification performances to CT and RBFN with full wavelengths. The recognition rates (RR) of the training and prediction sets by BAGCT-RBFN were 96.0 % and 92.0 %, respectively. Hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometric can be considered as a powerful, feasible and convenient tool for the classification of Hangbaiju samples from different origins. It promises to be a potential way for origin discriminant analysis and quality monitor in food fields.

Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Quality Control of Xiasangju: A Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula

As a traditional Chinese herbal formula, Xiasangju (XSJ) is widely used in China for antipyresis and influenza treatment. However, XSJ still fails to have a comprehensive summary of the research progress in the last decade. This review summarizes the advanced research on the extraction process, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and quality control of XSJ. Current research mainly focuses on quality control and the pharmacological effects of single herbs and active ingredients, but many pharmacological mechanisms of the formula are unclear. The development of active ingredients reflects the active characteristics of triterpenes, phenolic acids and flavonoids, but the hepatotoxicity of Prunella vulgaris L. has not been taken into account. XSJ has extensive historical practical experiences, while systematic clinical trials remain lacking. Therefore, it is necessary to study the active ingredients and define the mechanisms of XSJ to develop multiple applications, and further studies on the dose range between its hepatoprotective activity and hepatotoxicity are necessary to improve the safety of the clinical application. In this review, the current problems are discussed to facilitate the reference basis for the subsequent research on the development of XSJ and future application directions.

Effect of supercritical carbon dioxide fluid extract from Chrysanthemum indicum Linné on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis

Background

As a prevalent type of cryptogenic fibrotic disease with high mortality, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) still lacks effective therapeutic drugs. The compounds extracted from buds and flowers of Chrysanthemum indicum Linné with supercritical-carbon dioxide fluid (CI_SCFE) has been confirmed to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lung-protective effects. This paper aimed to clarify whether CI_SCFE could treat IPF induced by bleomycin (BLM) and elucidate the related mechanisms.

Methods

Rats (Sprague-Dawley, male) were separated into the following groups: normal, model, pirfenidone (50 mg/kg), CI_SCFE-L, −M, and -H (240, 360, and 480 mg/kg/d, i.g., respectively, for 4 weeks). Rats were given BLM (5 mg/kg) via intratracheal installation to establish the IPF model. A549 and MRC-5 cells were stimulated by Wnt-1 to establish a cell model and then treated with CI_SCFE. Haematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and Masson staining were employed to observe lesions in the lung tissues. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB) were performed to observe changes in genes and proteins connected with the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Results

CI_SCFE inhibited the proliferation of MRC-5 cells (IC₅₀: 2.723 ± 0.488 μg/mL) and A549 cells (IC₅₀: 2.235 ± 0.229 μg/mL). In rats, A549 cells, and MRC-5 cells, BLM and Wnt-1 obviously induced the protein expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), vimentin, type I collagen (collagen-I), and Nu-β-catenin. The mRNA levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) and − 9 (MMP-9), two enzymes that degrade and reshape the extracellular matrix (ECM) were also increased while those of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) were decreased. However, CI_SCFE reversed the effects of BLM and Wnt-1 on the expression pattern of these proteins and genes.

Conclusion

These findings showed that CI_SCFE could inhibit IPF development by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and may serve as a treatment for IPF after further investigation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12906-021-03409-9.

miR‑29b suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma ascites H22 cells via regulating TGF‑β1 and p53 signaling pathway

MicroRNA (miR)‑29b is a key tumor regulator. It can inhibit tumor cell proliferation, induce apoptosis, suppress tumor invasion and migration, thus delaying tumor progression. Our previous studies revealed an increased level of miR‑29b in hepatoma 22 (H22) cells in ascites tumor‑bearing mice. The present study investigated the effect of miR‑29b on proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma ascites H22 cells and its association with the transforming growth factor‑β1 (TGF‑β1) signaling pathway and p53‑mediated apoptotic pathway. Briefly, H22 cells were transfected with miR‑29b‑3p (hereinafter referred to as miR‑29b) mimic or miR‑29b inhibitor. MTS cell proliferation assay and flow cytometry were used to analyze cell viability and apoptosis. The expression change of the TGF‑β1 signaling pathway and p53‑mediated apoptotic pathway were detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR, western blotting and immunofluorescence. Furthermore, cells were treated with exogenous TGF‑β1 and TGF‑β1 small interfering RNA to evaluate the crosstalk between TGF‑β1 and p53 under miR‑29b regulation. The overexpression of miR‑29b decreased cell viability, increased cell apoptosis, activated the TGF‑β1 signaling pathway and p53‑mediated apoptotic pathway. Conversely, these effects were reversed by the miR‑29b inhibitor. Moreover, the effect of miR‑29b mimic was further increased after treating cells with exogenous TGF‑β1. The activation of the TGF‑β1 signaling pathway and p53‑mediated apoptotic pathway induced by miR‑29b overexpression were reversed by TGF‑β1 inhibition. In summary, these data indicated that miR‑29b has an important role in proliferation and apoptosis of H22 cells by regulating the TGF‑β1 signaling pathway, the p53‑dependent apoptotic pathway, and the crosstalk between TGF‑β1 and p53.

The effect of microbial composition and proteomic on improvement of functional constipation by Chrysanthemum morifolium polysaccharide

In this paper, SD rat constipation model was established with loperamide hydrochloride to study the effect of Chrysanthemum morifolium polysaccharide on the improvement of functional constipation, and the mechanism of improving constipation was investigated with the proteomics and intestinal flora. The results showed that the HD group of C. morifolium polysaccharide could significantly increase the levels of water content of stool pellets, small intestine propulsion rate, gastrin (MTL), gastrin (GAS) and substance P (SP), decrease the level of growth inhibitor (SS) and improved gastrointestinal motility in rats. Gut microbial studies showed that C. morifolium polysaccharide could significantly increase species abundance and flora diversity and improve flora structure. The relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Romboutsia increased, while the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and Roseburia decreased compared with the MC group. Proteomics studies suggested that C. morifolium polysaccharides could reduce intestinal lesions, enhance intestinal homeostasis, increase amino acid uptake, promote intestinal motility and relieve constipation by regulating the expression of RAS, FABP1 and SLC1A5 proteins.

Antioxidant and anticancer potentials of edible flowers: where do we stand?

Edible flowers are attracting special therapeutic attention and their administration is on the rise. Edible flowers play pivotal modulatory roles on oxidative stress and related interconnected apoptotic/inflammatory pathways toward the treatment of cancer. In this review, we highlighted the phytochemical content and therapeutic applications of edible flowers, as well as their modulatory potential on the oxidative stress pathways and apoptotic/inflammatory mediators, resulting in anticancer effects. Edible flowers are promising sources of phytochemicals (e.g., phenolic compounds, carotenoids, terpenoids) with several therapeutic effects. They possess anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-depressant, anxiolytic, anti-obesity, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective effects. Edible flowers potentially modulate oxidative stress by targeting erythroid nuclear transcription factor-2/extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (Nrf2/ERK/MAPK), reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant response elements (AREs). As the interconnected pathways to oxidative stress, inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), interleukins (ILs) as well as apoptotic pathways such as Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), Bcl-2, caspase and cytochrome C are critical targets of edible flowers in combating cancer. In this regard, edible flowers could play promising anticancer effects by targeting oxidative stress and downstream dysregulated pathways.

Pulmonary fibrosis: Therapeutic and mechanistic insights into the role of phytochemicals

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is the devastating consequence of various inflammatory diseases of the lung. PF leads to a reduction of lung function, respiratory failure, and death. Several molecular pathways are involved in PF, such as inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), tumor necrosis factor β1 (TNFβ1), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 4 (IL-4), reactive oxygen species, matrix metalloproteases, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). Targeting these processes involved in the progression of PF is essential for the treatment of this disease. Natural products, including plant extracts and active compound that directly target the processes involved in PF, could be suitable therapeutic options with less adverse effects. In the present study, we reviewed the protective effects and the therapeutic role of various bioactive compounds from plants in PF management.

The anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effect of Brucea javanica oil in ascitic tumor-bearing mice: The detection of brusatol and its role

Brucea javanica oil (BJO), one of the main products of Brucea javanica, has been widely used in treating different kinds of malignant tumors. Quassinoids are the major category of anticancer phytochemicals of B. javanica. However, current researches on the anti-cancer effect of BJO mainly focused on oleic acid and linoleic acid, the common major components of dietary edible oils, essential and characteristic components of B. javanica like quassinoids potentially involved remained unexplored. In the current investigation, we developed an efficient HPLC method to detect brusatol, a characteristic quassinoid, and comparatively scrutinized the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (anti-HCC) effect of BJO, brusatol-free BJO (BF-BJO), and brusatol-enriched BJO (BE-BJO) against hepatoma 22 (H22) in mice. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was utilized to identify the components in BJO. BE-BJO was extracted with 95 % ethanol. The anti-tumor effect of BJO, BF-BJO and BE-BJO was comparatively investigated, and the potential underlying mechanism was explored in H22 ascites tumor-bearing mice. The results indicated that BJO and BE-BJO significantly prolonged the survival time of H22 ascites tumor-bearing mice, while BF-BJO exhibited no obvious effect. BJO and BE-BJO exhibited pronounced anti-HCC activity by suppressing the growth of implanted hepatoma H22 in mice, including ascending weight, abdominal circumference, ascites volume and cancer cell viability, with a relatively wide margin of safety. BJO and BE-BJO significantly induced H22 cell apoptosis by upregulating the miRNA-29b gene level and p53 expression. Furthermore, BJO and BE-BJO treatment substantially downregulated Bcl-2 and mitochondrial Cytochrome C protein expression, and upregulated expression levels of Bax, Bad, cytosol Cytochrome C, caspase-3 (cleaved), caspase‑9 (cleaved), PARP and PARP (cleaved) to induce H22 cells apoptosis. Brusatol was detected in BJO and found to be one of its major active anti-HCC components, rather than fatty acids including oleic acid and linoleic acid. The anti-HCC effect of BJO and BE-BJO was intimately associated with the activation of miRNA-29b, p53-associated apoptosis and mitochondrial-related pathways. Our study gained novel insight into the material basis of BJO in the treatment of HCC, and laid a foundation for a novel specific standard for the quality evaluation of BJO and its commercial products in terms of its anti-cancer application.

Chrysanthemum ethanol extract induced loss of Kupffer cells via the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway

Chrysanthemum has been viewed as an important traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with a long history. Research studies indicated many potential pharmaceutical effects of chrysanthemum extract. However, hardly any investigation has been performed to describe its toxicity. In this study, acute application of chrysanthemum ethanol extract (CEE, 300 mg kg^-1) was found to induce apoptosis of hepatic Kupffer cells in vivo. CEE was also observed to induce apoptosis of RAW264.7 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further analysis using flow cytometry and western blotting revealed that CEE induced apoptosis of RAW264.7 cells via a mitochondria-dependent pathway. After a HPLC combined screening assay, we narrowed down the toxicity caused by the petroleum extract of CEE (CEE-PE, 66 μg mL^-1). In vivo effects of CEE-PE were also tested in mice. Additionally, nine potential toxic compounds were isolated and identified from CEE-PE. In all, we found that components with small polarities in CEE could induce apoptosis of Kupffer cells and macrophages via a mitochondrial dependent pathway, which might draw attention to the safety issues of everyday use of chrysanthemum.

An update on the health benefits promoted by edible flowers and involved mechanisms

The aim of this review is to provide new findings on health effects of edible flowers since 2015. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-osteoporosis, anti-obesity, and anti-hypertensive have been reviewed, and the effective concentrations of flower extracts have been summarized. Among all the health benefits mentioned, anti-osteoporosis, anti-obesity, and anti-hypertensive have rarely been mentioned before 2015. Some health benefits mechanisms of edible flowers were discussed frequently after 2015. Some newly found phytochemicals such as polysaccharides were shown to be beneficial to human health. Species of Rosa, Chrysanthemum, and Osmanthus have been reported to exert different health effects on human. For the toxicity studies, the safe level of flower extracts in cell and animal models were at hundreds of parts per million (ppm) level. In consideration of health promoting effects and toxicities of edible flowers, they could serve as potential natural health products for different health benefits.

Compressed fluids and phytochemical profiling tools to obtain and characterize antiviral and anti-inflammatory compounds from natural sources

Many natural compounds, found mainly in plants, are associated with the treatment of various diseases. The search for natural therapeutic agents includes compounds with antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities. Among the many steps involved in bioprospection, extraction is the first and most critical step for obtaining bioactive compounds. One of the main advantages of using compressed fluids extraction is the high quality of the final product obtained due to the use of green solvents, while the selectivity towards target compounds can be tuned by adjusting the process parameters, especially pressure, temperature and solvent characteristics. In this review, a discussion is provided on the power of compressed fluids, such as supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and subcritical water extraction (SWE) to obtain antiviral and anti-inflammatory compounds from natural sources. In addition, an adequate knowledge about the identity and quantity of the compounds present in the extract is essential to correlate biological activity with chemical composition. Phytochemical profiling tools used for identification and quantification of these bioactive natural compound are also discussed. It can be anticipated that after the current SARS-COV-2 pandemic, the search of new natural compounds with antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity will be a hot research topic, so, this review provides an overview on the technologies currently used that could help this research.

Suppressive effects of the supercritical-carbon dioxide fluid extract of Chrysanthemum indicum on chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depressive-like behavior in mice

The aim of the present study was to explore whether the supercritical-carbon dioxide fluid extract from flowers and buds of Chrysanthemum indicum (SEC) exhibits antidepressant-like effects in a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced mice model. Firstly, SEC was found to reverse a CUMS-induced decrease in the body weight gain in mice. Next, SEC was found to alleviate CUMS-induced depressive-like behavior, evidenced by the reversal of the decrease in the sucrose consumption in the sucrose preference test (SPT), the increase in the locomotor activity in the open field test (OPF), and the alleviation of immobility duration in both the forced swimming test (FST), and tail-suspension test (TST). SEC also attenuated CUMS-induced hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by decreasing the levels of serum corticosterone and (CORT) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and hypothalamus corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH). In addition, SEC was found to suppress the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 in the hippocampal of CUMS mice. Interestingly, further investigations demonstrated that SEC inhibited CUMS-induced activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes pathways but upregulated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and promoted phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) in hippocampal. In summary, SEC was able to alleviate depressive-like behavior in a CUMS-induced mice model, accompanied by inhibitory roles in the hyperactivity of the HPA axis and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. Modulating the NF-κB/NLRP3 and BDNF/CREB/ERK pathways contributed to SEC-mediated antidepressant-like effects.

Chrysanthemum indicum Inhibits Adipogenesis and Activates the AMPK Pathway in High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Chrysanthemum indicum (CI) is widely distributed in China and many parts of the tropical world, and has been reported to have antibacterial, antiviral, anti-oxidant and immunomodulatory effects, but no information is available on its effects on high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. This was undertaken to investigate the mechanism responsible for the effect of ethyl acetate fraction of CI (CIEA) on adipogenesis, in vitro and in vivo models of obesity. In the in vitro study, differentiating 3T3-L1 cells were treated with media to initiate differentiation (MDI) in the presence or absence of CIEA with different concentrations, and in the in vivo study, C57BL/6 mice were fed with HFD and administered CIEA daily for six weeks. Garcinia cambogia (GC) was used as the positive control, and was administered in the same manner as CIEA. Results showed CIEA reduced HFD-induced body weight gain, epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), and liver weight. In addition, CIEA significantly decreased serum lipid profiles, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) and increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) levels. Furthermore, CIEA also reduced leptin levels and increased adiponectin levels in serum, and significantly decreased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor [Formula: see text] (PPAR[Formula: see text]) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EPBs) levels, but increased PPAR[Formula: see text] level and the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in eWATs and in the liver tissues of HFD fed obese mice. Taken together, these results indicate CIEA might be beneficial for preventing obesity.