Chrysanthemum indicum L. ethanol extract reduces high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice

Garcinia cambogia Ameliorates Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress-Mediated Steatosis and Apoptosis through NRF2-ARE Activation

Excessive free fatty acids (FFAs) causes reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) development. Garcinia cambogia (G. cambogia) is used as an anti-obesity supplement, and its protective potential against NAFLD has been investigated. This study aims to present the therapeutic effects of G. cambogia on NAFLD and reveal underlying mechanisms. High-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice were administered G. cambogia for eight weeks, and steatosis, apoptosis, and biochemical parameters were examined in vivo. FFA-induced HepG2 cells were treated with G. cambogia, and lipid accumulation, apoptosis, ROS level, and signal alterations were examined. The results showed that G. cambogia inhibited HFD-induced steatosis and apoptosis and abrogated abnormalities in serum chemistry. G. cambogia increased in NRF2 nuclear expression and activated antioxidant responsive element (ARE), causing induction of antioxidant gene expression. NRF2 activation inhibited FFA-induced ROS production, which suppressed lipogenic transcription factors, C/EBPα and PPARγ. Moreover, the ability of G. cambogia to inhibit ROS production suppressed apoptosis by normalizing the Bcl-2/BAX ratio and PARP cleavage. Lastly, these therapeutic effects of G. cambogia were due to hydroxycitric acid (HCA). These findings provide new insight into the mechanism by which G. cambogia regulates NAFLD progression.

Network Pharmacology Prediction and Pharmacological Verification Mechanism of Yeju Jiangya Decoction on Hypertension

Background

Yeju Jiangya decoction (CIF) is an herbal formula from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of hypertension.

Materials and Methods

Based on the analysis of network pharmacology, combined with in animal experiments, the network pharmacology was used to explore the potential proteins and mechanisms of CIF against hypertension. The bioactive compounds of CIF were screened by using the platform, and the targets of hypertension and CIF were collected. Then, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and protein-protein interaction network (PPI) core targets were carried out, and the useful proteins were found by molecular docking technology. Finally, we used N-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) induced hypertension model rats to confirm the effect and mechanism of CIF on hypertension.

Results

14 bioactive compounds of CIF passed the virtual screening criteria, and 178 overlapping targets were identified as core targets of CIF against hypertension. The CIF-related target network with 178 nodes and 344 edges is constructed. The topological results show that quercetin and luteolin are the key components in the network. The key targets NOS3 (nitric oxide synthase 3) and NOS2 (nitric oxide synthase 2) were screened by the protein-protein interaction network. The analysis of target protein pathway enrichment showed that the accumulation pathway is related to the vascular structure of CIF regulation of hypertension. Further verification based on molecular docking results showed that NOS3 had the good binding ability with quercetin and luteolin. On the other hand, NOS3 has an important relationship with the composition of blood vessels. Furthermore, the animal experiment indicated that after the L-NNA-induced hypertension rat model was established, CIF intervention was given by gavage for 3 weeks, and it can decrease serum concentrations of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and thromboxane B2 (TXB₂), increase the expression of nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin 2 (PGI₂), and improve renal, cardiac, and aortic lesions. At the same time, it can reduce blood pressure and shorten vertigo time. Western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses indicated that CIF may downregulate the expression of NOS3, guanylyl cyclase-alpha 1 (GC-α1), guanylyl cyclase-alpha 2 (GC-α2), and protein kinase CGMP-dependent 1 (PRKG1). These results suggest that CIF may play an antihypertensive role by inhibiting the activation of the NOS3/PRKG1 pathway.

Conclusions

The results of this study indicate that CIF has the ability to improve target organs, protect endothelial function, and reduce blood pressure and that CIF might be a potential therapeutic drug for the prevention of hypertension. It provides new insight into hypertension and the potential biological basis and mechanism for CIF clinical research.

Chrysanthemum morifolium Flower Extract Inhibits Adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 Cells via AMPK/SIRT1 Pathway Activation

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat) flowers (CF) are widely consumed as herbal tea in many countries, including China. The aim of the present study was to examine the anti-adipogenic effect of hot water extraction of CF (HCF) on 3T3-L1 cells and their underlying cellular mechanisms. HCF treatment inhibited lipid accumulation under conditions that did not show the toxicity of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The activity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), which plays an important role in glycerol lipid metabolism, was also reduced by HCF. Adipogenesis/lipogenesis-related mRNA expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (CEBP-α), sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1), and fatty acid synthase (FAS) were suppressed by HCF in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, HCF increased activities of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), involved in lipid metabolism. These findings suggest that HCF inhibits adipocyte lipid accumulation through suppression of adipogenesis/lipogenesis-related gene expression and activation of the AMPK/SIRT1 pathway. Therefore, it suggests that HCF may be used as a potentially beneficial plant material for preventing obesity.

Effect of Enzymatic Treatment of Chrysanthemum indicum Linné Extracts on Lipid Accumulation and Adipogenesis in High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obese Male Mice

Enzyme treatment of the foods and herbs has been used to improve the absorption rate the efficiency of plant extracts by converting the glycosides of the plant into aglycones. In this study, we examined the obesity-inhibitory effect of Chrysanthemum indicum Linné (CI) treated with enzymes such as viscozyme and tannase, which are highly efficient in converting glycosides to aglycones and then compared with untreated CI extract. The enzyme-treated CI ethanol extract (CIVT) was administered orally at various doses for 7 weeks in the high fat diet (HFD)-fed male mice. CIVT administration reduced the body weights, the food efficiency and the serum levels of lipid metabolism-related biomarkers, such as triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and leptin in the dose-dependent manner but not those high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and adiponectin. CIVT also reduced considerably the total lipid amount in the liver and the size of adipocytes in the epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT). CIVT effectively downregulated the adipogenesis-related transcription factors such as peroxisome proliferation activated receptor (PPAR)-γ and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBP-α) but up-regulated PPAR-α, in the liver and eWAT. In addition, when compared to the enzyme-untreated CI 50% ethanol extract (CIEE), CIVT enhanced the reduction of body weight and lipid accumulation. Moreover, the viscozyme and tannase treatment of CI increased the flavonoid contents of the aglycone form. Therefore, our results support that the enzymatic treatment induced the production of aglycones for potentially suppressing the adipogenesis and lipid accumulation in HFD-fed mice. It suggests that CIVT might be an effective candidate for attenuating the over-weight and its related diseases.