Experimental pretreatment with YES-10®, a plant extract rich in scutellarin and chlorogenic acid, protects hippocampal neurons from ischemia/reperfusion injury via antioxidant role

Exploring Copper's role in stroke: progress and treatment approaches

Copper is an important mineral, and moderate copper is required to maintain physiological processes in nervous system including cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Over the past few decades, copper induced cell death, named cuprotosis, has attracted increasing attention. Several lines of evidence have confirmed cuprotosis exerts pivotal role in diverse of pathological processes, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and I/R injury. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the interaction mechanism between copper-mediated cell death and I/R injury may reveal the significant alterations about cellular copper-mediated homeostasis in physiological and pathophysiological conditions, as well as therapeutic strategies deciphering copper-induced cell death in cerebral I/R injury.

Dietary Polyphenols: Review on Chemistry/Sources, Bioavailability/Metabolism, Antioxidant Effects, and Their Role in Disease Management

Polyphenols, as secondary metabolites ubiquitous in plant sources, have emerged as pivotal bioactive compounds with far-reaching implications for human health. Plant polyphenols exhibit direct or indirect associations with biomolecules capable of modulating diverse physiological pathways. Due to their inherent abundance and structural diversity, polyphenols have garnered substantial attention from both the scientific and clinical communities. The review begins by providing an in-depth analysis of the chemical intricacies of polyphenols, shedding light on their structural diversity and the implications of such diversity on their biological activities. Subsequently, an exploration of the dietary origins of polyphenols elucidates the natural plant-based sources that contribute to their global availability. The discussion extends to the bioavailability and metabolism of polyphenols within the human body, unraveling the complex journey from ingestion to systemic effects. A central focus of the review is dedicated to unravelling the antioxidant effects of polyphenols, highlighting their role in combating oxidative stress and associated health conditions. The comprehensive analysis encompasses their impact on diverse health concerns such as hypertension, allergies, aging, and chronic diseases like heart stroke and diabetes. Insights into the global beneficial effects of polyphenols further underscore their potential as preventive and therapeutic agents. This review article critically examines the multifaceted aspects of dietary polyphenols, encompassing their chemistry, dietary origins, bioavailability/metabolism dynamics, and profound antioxidant effects. The synthesis of information presented herein aims to provide a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, and health enthusiasts, fostering a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between polyphenols and human health.

Anti-stress effects of Fameyes in in vitro and in vivo models of stresses

BACKGROUND

Fameyes (a mixture of Clematis mandshurica Rupr. extract (CMRE) and Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. extract (EAPE)) containing scutellarin and chlorogenic acid as major components has been reported to relieve mental stress in human subjects, which is reflected in improved scores in psychometric tests measuring levels of depression, anxiety, well-being, and mental fitness. The aim of this study was to examine the anti-stress activity of Fameyes and to investigate the mechanisms of the anti-stress activity using in vitro and in vivo models of stresses.

RESULTS

First, we tested the effect of Fameyes on corticosterone-induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells (human neurofibroma cell lines). Corticosterone induced apoptosis and decreased cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential, but treatment with Fameyes inhibited these cytotoxic effects in a dose-dependent manner. However, CMRE and EAPE (components of Fameyes) did not inhibit the cytotoxic effect of corticosterone individually. Next, we tested the effects of Fameyes on rats that were exposed to different kinds of stresses for four weeks. When the stressed rats were treated with Fameyes, their immobility time in forced swim and tail suspension tests decreased. A reduction was also observed in the serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone. Furthermore, upon oral administration of Fameyes, serum serotonin levels increased. These in vitro and in vivo results support the anti-stress effects of Fameyes.

CONCLUSIONS

In vitro experiments showed anti-stress effects of Fameyes in cell viability, apoptosis, and mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, in vivo experiments using rats showed anti-stress effects of Fameyes in blood and tissue levels of ACTH, corticosterone, and serotonin, as well as the immobility time in the forced swim and tail suspension tests. However, we did not specifically investigate which ingredient or ingredients showed anti-stress effects, although we reported that Fameyes contained chlorogenic acid and scutellarin major ingredients.

miR-23b/TAB3/NF-κB/p53 axis is involved in hippocampus injury induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in rats: The protective effect of chlorogenic acid

Apoptosis is the main pathological aspect of neuronal injury after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However the detailed molecular mediators are still under debate. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of cerebral I/R on miR-23a/TGF-β-activated kinase 1 binding protein 3 (TAB3)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)/p53 axis in rat hippocampus alone and in combination with chlorogenic acid (CGA). Common carotid artery occlusion (CCAO) was performed by nylon monofilament for 20 min to establish a model of ischemic brain injury. CGA (30 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally (ip), 10 min prior to ischemia and 10 min before reperfusion. Examination of hippocampus neurons by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling staining showed that the number of apoptotic neurons was elevated at 24 h after reperfusion. At the molecular levels, I/R injury resulted in an increased protein expression of p53 with a concomitant upregulation of cleaved-caspase3/phosphorelated-caspase3 ratio and cytochrome c level. Further miR-23b gene expression was significantly downregulated after 24 h of reperfusion. Also, we observed increased TAB3 and NF-κB protein expressions after 24 h following CCAO. Treatment with CGA significantly reduced the apoptotic damage and also reversed miR-23b gene expression, TAB3 and NF-κB protein expressions in hippocampus neurons in I/R rats. In conclusion our data suggest that miR-23b/TAB3/NF-κB/p53 axis could play a regulatory role in hippocampus cell death, which provide a new target for novel therapeutic interventions during transit ischemic stroke. It also demonstrated that CGA could reverse these molecular alterations indicating an effective component against hippocampus apoptotic insult following acute I/R injury.

YES-10 Improves Stress, Tension, and Fatigue by Reducing Cortisol and IL-6 Levels

The extract of Clematis mandshurica Rupr. (CMR) inhibits the production of proinflammatory mediators from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated peritoneal macrophages and concanavalin A-stimulated splenocytes. Erigeron annuus Pers. (EAP) extract suppresses the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from preadipocytes. Furthermore, the mixture of the leaf extracts of CMR and EAP, YES-10^®, protected against nerve injuries induced by ischemia/reperfusion, suggesting a ROS-scavenging action. These observations show the anti-inflammatory action of YES-10. Inflammatory cytokines can cause alterations in mental function, including depression, by influencing the neurotransmitter system. Thus, it was hypothesized that YES-10 could improve mental health, such as depression, anxiety, and sense of well-being. Seventy-two subjects were recruited and randomly divided into YES-10 or placebo groups (n = 36 per group). Each group was daily administered two capsules orally, containing 200 mg of YES-10 or placebo, for 4 weeks in a double-blinded manner and tested for levels of depression, anxiety, well-being, and mental fitness using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Psychosocial Well-being Index (PWI), and Mental Fitness Scale (MFS). In addition, the levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (an inflammatory cytokine), and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG; a marker of oxidative stress) in the serum were measured. The BDI, BAI, PWI, and MFS scores decreased significantly, and the serum levels of cortisol, IL-6, and 8-OHdG were lowered significantly (P < .05), suggesting that YES-10 has the ability to improve mental health by relieving stress and by decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress.

Ischemia-Induced Cognitive Impairment Is Improved via Remyelination and Restoration of Synaptic Density in the Hippocampus after Treatment with COG-Up® in a Gerbil Model of Ischemic Stroke

Cerebrovascular disease such as ischemic stroke develops cognitive impairment due to brain tissue damage including neural loss, demyelination and decrease in synaptic density. In the present study, we developed transient ischemia in the forebrain of the gerbil and found cognitive impairment using the Barnes maze test and passive avoidance test for spatial memory and learning memory, respectively. In addition, neuronal loss/death was detected in the Cornu Ammonis 1 (CA1) region of the gerbil hippocampus after the ischemia by cresyl violet histochemistry, immunohistochemistry for neuronal nuclei and histofluorescence with Fluoro-Jade B. Furthermore, in the CA1 region following ischemia, myelin and vesicular synaptic density were significantly decreased using immunohistochemistry for myelin basic protein and vesicular glutamate transporter 1. In the gerbils, treatment with COG-up^® (a combined extract of Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. and Brassica oleracea Var.), which was rich in scutellarin and sinapic acid, after the ischemia, significantly improved ischemia-induced decline in memory function when compared with that shown in gerbils treated with vehicle after the ischemia. In the CA1 region of these gerbils, COG-up^® treatment significantly promoted the remyelination visualized using immunohistochemistry myelin basic protein, increased oligodendrocytes visualized using a receptor-interacting protein, and restored the density of glutamatergic synapses visualized using double immunofluorescence for vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and microtubule-associated protein, although COG-up^® treatment did not protect pyramidal cells (principal neurons) located in the CA1 region form the ischemic insult. Considering the current findings, a gerbil model of ischemic stroke apparently showed cognitive impairment accompanied by ischemic injury in the hippocampus; also, COG-up^® can be employed for improving cognitive decline following ischemia-reperfusion injury in brains.

Ischemia-Reperfusion under Hyperthermia Increases Heme Oxygenase-1 in Pyramidal Neurons and Astrocytes with Accelerating Neuronal Loss in Gerbil Hippocampus

It has been studied that the damage or death of neurons in the hippocampus is different according to hippocampal subregions, cornu ammonis 1–3 (CA1–3), after transient ischemia in the forebrain, showing that pyramidal neurons located in the subfield CA1 (CA1) are most vulnerable to this ischemia. Hyperthermia is a proven risk factor for brain ischemia and can develop more severe and extensive brain damage related with mortality rate. It is well known that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) activity and expression is increased by various stimuli in the brain, including hyperthermia. HO-1 can be either protective or deleterious in the central nervous system, and its roles depend on the expression levels of enzymes. In this study, we investigated the effects of hyperthermia during ischemia on HO-1 expression and neuronal damage/death in the hippocampus to examine the relationship between HO-1 and neuronal damage/death following 5-min transient ischemia in the forebrain using gerbils. Gerbils were assigned to four groups: (1) sham-operated gerbils with normothermia (Normo + sham group); (2) ischemia-operated gerbils with normothermia (Normo + ischemia group); (3) sham-operated gerbils with hyperthermia (39.5 ± 0.2 °C) during ischemia (Hyper + sham group); and (4) ischemia-operated gerbils with hyperthermia during ischemia (Hyper + ischemia group). HO-1 expression levels in CA1–3 of the Hyper + ischemia group were significantly higher than those in the Normo + ischemia group. HO-1 immunoreactivity in the Hyper + ischemia group was significantly increased in pyramidal neurons and astrocytes with time after ischemia, and the immunoreactivity was significantly higher than that in the Normo + ischemia group. In the Normo + Ischemia group, neuronal death was shown in pyramidal neurons located only in CA1 at 5 days after ischemia. However, in the Hyper + ischemia group, pyramidal neuronal death occurred in CA1–3 at 2 days after ischemia. Taken together, our findings showed that brain ischemic insult during hyperthermic condition brings up earlier and severer neuronal damage/death in the hippocampus, showing that HO-1 expression in neurons and astrocytes is different according to brain subregions and temperature condition. Based on these findings, we suggest that hyperthermia in patients with ischemic stroke must be taken into the consideration in the therapy.