Antiatherogenic properties of acetone extract of Alpinia zerumbet seeds

Identification of cholest-4-ene-3,6-dione as a Novel Neuroprotectant in Ischemic Stroke and Its Lipidomics

Purpose

Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death globally. However, there are few clinical drugs for stroke therapy. Novel and effective neuroprotectants are called on the way.

Methods

In this study, 93 steroids from a constructed steroidal library were randomly numbered and blindly evaluated in an L-glutamate-induced HT-22 oxidative stress model. The neuroprotective effects of 5 candidates were further investigated in potassium deprivation-induced apoptosis of cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs), D-glutamate-induced excitotoxicity of CGNs, and cortical neuron (CN) models.

Results

Interestingly, unblinding revealed that cholest-4-ene-3,6-dione (78), a cholesterol derivative, was first found to have comprehensive neuroprotective effects in all cell models. 78 administration also decreased the infarction volume and improved motor function in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model rats. Additionally, 78 treatment decreased intercellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NO production in the HT-22 cell model. Finally, lipidomics and molecular docking results showed that 78 may exert its neuroprotective effects by increasing platelet-activating factor (PAF) analog 1-(9Z-pentadecenoyl)-glycero-3-phosphocholine production.

Conclusion

This study indicates that 78, a novel neuroprotectant, is a promising therapeutic candidate with comprehensive neuroprotective effects for the treatment of ischemic stroke by decreasing ROS/reactive nitrogen species (RNS) levels and increasing 1-(9Z-pentadecenoyl)-glycero-3-phospho-choline production.

Vasorelaxant effect of Alpinia zerumbet's essential oil on rat resistance artery involves blocking of calcium mobilization

Alpinia zerumbet is a plant from the Zingiberaceae family, popularly used for hypertension treatment. Several studies have demonstrated Alpinia zerumbet vasodilator effect on conductance vessels but not on resistance vessels. Thereby, the aim of this study was to verify the vasodilator effect of the essential oil of Alpinia zerumbet (EOAz) on isolated rat resistance arteries and characterize its mechanism of action. Therefore, the effect of EOAz (3 to 3000 μg/mL) was verified in second-order branches of the mesenteric artery (SOBMA) pre-contracted by KCl and U46619. To study the mechanism of action, the influence of several inhibitors (TEA, 4-AP, Glibenclamide, Atropine, L-NAME, ODQ and indomethacin) on the vasodilator effect of EOAz was evaluated. Some protocols were also performed aiming to study the effect of EOAz on Ca2+ influx and release from intracellular storage. Furthermore, the binding energy of the main constituents with calcium channels were evaluated by molecular docking. Results showed an endothelium-independent vasorelaxant effect of EOAz on SOBMA, and only ODQ and L-NAME produced significant alteration on its pEC50. Regarding the calcium assays, contraction reduction caused by incubation with EOAz was observed in all three protocols. Hence, our results suggest that EOAz has a vasodilator effect mediated by inhibition of Ca2+ influx and release from intracellular storage, as well as an activation of the NOS/sGC pathway.

Deep learning models for cancer stem cell detection: a brief review

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), also known as tumor-initiating cells (TICs), are a subset of tumor cells that persist within tumors as a distinct population. They drive tumor initiation, relapse, and metastasis through self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types, similar to typical stem cell processes. Despite their importance, the morphological features of CSCs have been poorly understood. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have provided automated recognition of biological images of various stem cells, including CSCs, leading to a surge in deep learning research in this field. This mini-review explores the emerging trend of deep learning research in the field of CSCs. It introduces diverse convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep learning models for stem cell research and discusses the application of deep learning for CSC research. Finally, it provides perspectives and limitations in the field of deep learning-based stem cell research.

Methodologies for Assessing Pancreatic Lipase Catalytic Activity: A Review

Obesity is a disease of epidemic proportions with a concerning increasing trend. Regarded as one of the main sources of energy, lipids can also represent a big part of an unnecessary intake of calories and be, therefore, directly related to the problem of obesity. Pancreatic lipase is an enzyme that is essential in the absorption and digestion of dietary fats and has been explored as an alternative for the reduction of fat absorption and consequent weigh loss.Literature describes a great variability of methodologies and experimental conditions used in research to evaluate the in vitro inhibitory activity of compounds against pancreatic lipase. However, in an attempt to choose the best approach, it is necessary to know all the reaction conditions and understand how these can affect the enzymatic assay.The objective of this review is to understand and summarize the methodologies and respective experimental conditions that are mainly used to evaluate pancreatic lipase catalytic activity.156 studies were included in this work and a detailed description of the most commonly used UV/Vis spectrophotometric and fluorimetric instrumental techniques are presented, including a discussion regarding the differences found in the parameters used in both techniques, namely enzyme, substrate, buffer solutions, kinetics conditions, temperature and pH.This works shows that both UV/Vis spectrophotometry and fluorimetry are useful instrumental techniques for the evaluation of pancreatic lipase catalytic activity, presenting several advantages and limitations, which make the choice of parameters and experimental conditions a crucial decision to obtain the most reliable results.

Cytotoxic, Antioxidant, and Metabolic Enzyme Inhibitory Activities of Euphorbia cyparissias Extracts

Plants of the Euphorbia genus present a wide range of therapeutic applications. This study is aimed at investigating new antidigestive enzyme agents from Euphorbia cyparissias through inhibition of lipid and carbohydrate absorption, to evaluate their potential applications for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Lipase, phospholipase, protease, α-amylase, β-glucosidase, and xanthine oxidase activities under treatment with aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Euphorbia cyparissias were observed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of these extracts, as well as their antioxidant and cytotoxic effects. Results showed that ethanolic and aqueous extracts exhibited important inhibitory activity in a concentration-related manner on digestive enzymes, which is more effective than the commercial drugs used as controls. Results also showed that, out of the two extracts tested, the ethanolic extract presented the most promising results in inhibiting the activities of all digestive enzymes used. Moreover, the two extracts displayed a higher reducing power than that of the positive control used. The obtained results, together with previous reports in the literature, strongly suggest that Euphorbia cyparissias extracts may be natural inhibitors of the digestive enzymes and thus a potential new drug for metabolic syndrome treatment.

Alpinia zerumbet and Its Potential Use as an Herbal Medication for Atherosclerosis: Mechanistic Insights from Cell and Rodent Studies

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) Burtt. et Smith has been used as a flavor additive in food and a traditional medicine for centuries, especially in Guizhou Province, China, and it prolongs people's lives with multiple beneficial effects. Thus, one of the aims of this review was to expound the chemical constituents of this plant, especially its fruits. Since cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, pose a health threat to humans, another aim was to expound the possible mechanisms of its potential use as an herbal medication for atherosclerosis.

METHODS

In this study, 10 reports are cited to expound the potential bioactive compounds. Moreover, 33 reports explain the antihypertensive and antiatherosclerotic effects of the plant by ameliorating inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, increasing vasodilation, improving hyperlipidemia, downgrading the glucose status, and working as an antioxidant.

RESULTS

A. zerumbetis rich in terpenes, essential oils, flavonoids, polyphenolics, and sterols. Pharmacological experiments showed that A. zerumbet has antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects on the NF-κB signaling pathway and can ameliorate oxidative stress in the NOS-NO signaling pathway. Moreover, A. zerumbet demonstrates antihypertensive effects by accelerating vasorelaxant response and increasing 3T3-L1 intracellular cAMP, which has promising antiobesity properties, as well as hypolipidemic and anti-diabetic complication effects.

CONCLUSIONS

A. zerumbet has potential functions and applications in the prevention of atherosclerosis, but further studies are required before clinical trials.

Viewpoint: A Contributory Role of Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm) for Human Longevity in Okinawa, Japan?

The longevity of the population in the Okinawa Islands of Japan has been ascribed to genetic factors and the traditional Okinawa cuisine, which is low in calories and high in plant content. This diet includes shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm) of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). Due to its local popularity, Alpinia zerumbet has become the subject of a good deal of study at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa. Personal local experience and review of the literature now suggest that culinary shell ginger may contribute to longevity among the population in Okinawa. This is supported by its abundant phytochemical content, with antioxidant and anti-obesity properties. The major bioactive phytochemicals are dihydro-5,6-dehydrokawain (DDK; 80-410 mg g^-1 fresh weight), 5,6-dehydrokawain (DK; ≤100 mg g^-1), and essential oils, phenols, phenolic acids, and fatty acids (≤150 mg g^-1 each). Further, Alpinia zerumbet extends the lifespan in animals by 22.6%. In conclusion, culinary shell ginger may significantly contribute to human longevity in Okinawa.

Valorisation of softwood bark through extraction of utilizable chemicals. A review

Softwood bark is an important source for producing chemicals and materials as well as bioenergy. Extraction is regarded as a key technology for obtaining chemicals in general, and valorizing bark as a source of such chemicals in particular. In this paper, properties of 237 compounds identified in various studies dealing with extraction of softwood bark were described. Finally, some challenges and perspectives on the production of chemicals from bark are discussed.

Porcine Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitory Agent Isolated from Medicinal Herb and Inhibition Kinetics of Extracts from Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertner

Eleusine indica (Linnaeus) Gaertner is a traditional herb known to be depurative, febrifuge, and diuretic and has been reported with the highest inhibitory activity against porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) among thirty two plants screened in an earlier study. This study aims to isolate and identify the active components that may possess high potential as an antiobesity agent. Of the screened solvent fractions of E. indica, hexane fraction showed the highest inhibitory activity of 27.01 ± 5.68% at 100 μg/mL. Bioactivity-guided isolation afforded three compounds from the hexane fraction of E. indica, namely, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and lutein. The structures of these compounds were elucidated using spectral techniques. Lutein showed an outstanding inhibitory activity against PPL (55.98 ± 1.04%), with activity 60% higher than that of the reference drug Orlistat. The other compounds isolated and identified were β-sitosterol (2.99 ± 0.80%) and stigmasterol (2.68 ± 0.38%). The enzyme kinetics of E. indica crude methanolic extract on PPL showed mixed inhibition mechanism.

Highly Efficient In Vitro Reparative Behaviour of Dental Pulp Stem Cells Cultured with Standardised Platelet Lysate Supplementation

Dental pulp is an accessible source of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). The perspective role of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in regenerative medicine demands an in vitro expansion and in vivo delivery which must deal with the safety issues about animal serum, usually required in cell culture practice. Human platelet lysate (PL) contains autologous growth factors and has been considered as valuable alternative to fetal bovine serum (FBS) in cell cultures. The optimum concentration to be added of such supplement is highly dependent on its preparation whose variability limits comparability of results. By in vitro experiments, we aimed to evaluate a standardised formulation of pooled PL. A low selected concentration of PL (1%) was able to support the growth and maintain the viability of the DPSCs. The use of PL in cell cultures did not impair cell surface signature typically expressed by MSCs and even upregulated the transcription of Sox2. Interestingly, DPSCs cultured in presence of PL exhibited a higher healing rate after injury and are less susceptible to toxicity mediated by exogenous H₂O₂ than those cultured with FBS. Moreover, PL addition was shown as a suitable option for protocols promoting osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of DPSCs. Taken together, our results indicated that PL is a valid substitute of FBS to culture and differentiate DPSCs for clinical-grade use.

Utility of Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Generation

A large number of EBV immortalized LCLs have been generated and maintained in genetic/epidemiological studies as a perpetual source of DNA and as a surrogate in vitro cell model. Recent successes in reprograming LCLs into iPSCs have paved the way for generating more relevant in vitro disease models using this existing bioresource. However, the overall reprogramming efficiency and success rate remain poor and very little is known about the mechanistic changes that take place at the transcriptome and cellular functional level during LCL-to-iPSC reprogramming. Here, we report a new optimized LCL-to-iPSC reprogramming protocol using episomal plasmids encoding pluripotency transcription factors and mouse p53DD (p53 carboxy-terminal dominant-negative fragment) and commercially available reprogramming media. We achieved a consistently high reprogramming efficiency and 100% success rate using this optimized protocol. Further, we investigated the transcriptional changes in mRNA and miRNA levels, using FC-abs ≥ 2.0 and FDR ≤ 0.05 cutoffs; 5,228 mRNAs and 77 miRNAs were differentially expressed during LCL-to-iPSC reprogramming. The functional enrichment analysis of the upregulated genes and activation of human pluripotency pathways in the reprogrammed iPSCs showed that the generated iPSCs possess transcriptional and functional profiles very similar to those of human ESCs.

Medicinal Plants and Their Inhibitory Activities against Pancreatic Lipase: A Review

Obesity is recognized as a major life style disorder especially in developing countries and it is prevailing at an alarming speed in new world countries due to fast food intake, industrialization, and reduction of physical activity. Furthermore, it is associated with a vast number of chronic diseases and disabilities. To date, relatively effective drugs, from either natural or synthetic sources, are generally associated with serious side effects, often leading to cessation of clinical trials or even withdrawal from the market. In order to find new compounds which are more effective or with less adverse effects compared to orlistat, the drug that has been approved for obesity, new compounds isolated from natural products are being identified and screened for antiobesity effects, in particular, for their pancreatic lipase inhibitory effect. Pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity has been extensively used for the determination of potential efficacy of natural products as antiobesity agents. In attempts to identify natural products for overcoming obesity, more researches have been focused on the identification of newer pancreatic lipase inhibitors with less unpleasant adverse effects. In this review, we consider the potential role of plants that have been investigated for their pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity.

Dihydro-5,6-dehydrokavain (DDK) from Alpinia zerumbet: Its Isolation, Synthesis, and Characterization

Dihydro-5,6-dehydrokavain (DDK) is the major and most promising component of the tropical plant Alpinia zerumbet (shell ginger), a species of the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Alpinia zerumbet is known for its human use as a traditional herbal medicine, food, and dietary supplement. With its α-lactone ring, DDK belongs to the large chemical group of kavalactones, which are also found in kava (Piper methysticum), another herbal medicine; DDK is characterized by a double-bond linkage at positions 5,6 and the absence of a double-bond linkage at positions 7,8. This dissociates DDK from other kavalactones with their linkages at positions 7,8 and 5,6 that are both either completely saturated or unsaturated, or may have an unsaturated bond at the position 7,8 as well as a saturated bond at the position 5,6. DDK is easily identified and quantified by HPLC and GC. DDK contents in fresh leaves, stems and rhizomes range from 80 to 410 mg/g, requiring solvent extraction procedures to ensure high DDK yield. This is best achieved by hexane extraction from fresh rhizomes that were previously boiled in water, allowing DDK yields of up to 424 mg/g. Successful synthesis of DDK can be achieved by asymmetric pathways, whereas its simple chemical structure facilitates the synthesis of DDK derivatives by HCl hydrolysis. Thus, all synthesized products may be used for various commercial purposes, including the potential development of promising antiobesity pharmaceutical drugs, preparation of specific and safe dietary supplements, and use as effective natural herbicides or fungicides.

Gene Signature of Human Oral Mucosa Fibroblasts: Comparison with Dermal Fibroblasts and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Oral mucosa is a useful material for regeneration therapy with the advantages of its accessibility and versatility regardless of age and gender. However, little is known about the molecular characteristics of oral mucosa. Here we report the first comparative profiles of the gene signatures of human oral mucosa fibroblasts (hOFs), human dermal fibroblasts (hDFs), and hOF-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (hOF-iPSCs), linking these with biological roles by functional annotation and pathway analyses. As a common feature of fibroblasts, both hOFs and hDFs expressed glycolipid metabolism-related genes at higher levels compared with hOF-iPSCs. Distinct characteristics of hOFs compared with hDFs included a high expression of glycoprotein genes, involved in signaling, extracellular matrix, membrane, and receptor proteins, besides a low expression of HOX genes, the hDFs-markers. The results of the pathway analyses indicated that tissue-reconstructive, proliferative, and signaling pathways are active, whereas senescence-related genes in p53 pathway are inactive in hOFs. Furthermore, more than half of hOF-specific genes were similarly expressed to those of hOF-iPSC genes and might be controlled by WNT signaling. Our findings demonstrated that hOFs have unique cellular characteristics in specificity and plasticity. These data may provide useful insight into application of oral fibroblasts for direct reprograming.

Anti-obesity effects of hispidin and Alpinia zerumbet bioactives in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Obesity and its related disorders have become leading metabolic diseases. In the present study, we used 3T3-L1 adipocytes to investigate the anti-obesity activity of hispidin and two related compounds that were isolated from Alpinia zerumbet (alpinia) rhizomes. The results showed that hispidin, dihydro-5,6-dehydrokawain (DDK), and 5,6-dehydrokawain (DK) have promising anti-obesity properties. In particular, all three compounds significantly increased intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) concentrations by 81.2% ± 0.06%, 67.0% ± 1.62%, and 56.9% ± 0.19%, respectively. Hispidin also stimulated glycerol release by 276.4% ± 0.8% and inhibited lipid accumulation by 47.8% ± 0.16%. Hispidin and DDK decreased intracellular triglyceride content by 79.5% ± 1.37% and 70.2% ± 1.4%, respectively, and all three compounds inhibited glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) and pancreatic lipase, with hispidin and DDK being the most potent inhibitors. Finally, none of the three compounds reduced 3T3-L1 adipocyte viability. These results highlight the potential for developing hispidin and its derivatives as anti-obesity compounds.