Anti-hypertensive effects of Callisia fragrans extract on Reno-vascular hypertensive rats.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the anti-hypertensive effects of aqueous extract of Callisia fragrans and their underlying mechanism using a two-kidney one-clip (2K1C) model of reno-vascular hypertension in rats. METHODS: The reno-vascular hypertensive rats were treated with C. fragrans leaf extract (100 and 500 mg/kg; p.o.) and a reference drug, captopril (20 mg/kg; p.o.), for 4 weeks. The blood pressure and heart rate were recorded using a tail-cuff. The heart weight, left ventricular wall thickness, and serum creatinine and urea levels were measured. A spectrophotometric assay was used to analyze the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition activity of the extract and the reference drug. The total volume and the concentration of sodium, potassium, and chloride in urine samples were evaluated. RESULTS: C. fragrans extract significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the reno-vascular hypertensive rats. No significant difference in the heart rate was observed between each animal group. C. fragrans extract reduced the 2K1C-induced increase in the heart and body weight ratio and the left ventricular wall thickness. Moreover, the extract also attenuated the increase in serum urea induced by the 2K1C treatment. C. fragrans extract inhibited ACE activity in vitro with an IC50 of 20.97 ± 3.94 µg/ml. The urine output and urinary electrolyte excretion significantly increased in C. fragrans extract-treated rats. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated that C. fragrans extract can mitigate hypertension and alleviate ventricular hypertrophy and renal dysfunction in reno-vascular hypertensive rats, at least in part via ACE activity inhibition and diuretic property.

Kaempferol-3-O-(2″-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside): a novel neuroprotective agent from Diospryros kaki against cerebral ischemia-induced brain injury.

Our previous study demonstrated neuroprotective and therapeutic effects of a standardized flavonoid extract from leaves of Diospyros kaki L.f. (DK) on middle cerebral artery occlusion-and-reperfusion (MCAO/R)-induced brain injury and its underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to clarify flavonoid components responsible for the effects of DK using in vitro and in vivo transient brain ischemic models. Organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) subjected to oxygen- and glucose-deprivation (OGD) were performed to evaluate in vitro neuroprotective activity of DK extract and nine isolated flavonoid components. MCAO/R mice were employed to elucidate in vivo neuroprotective effects of the flavonoid component that exhibited the most potent neuroprotective effect in OHSCs. DK extract and seven flavonoids [quercetin, isoquercetin, hyperoside, quercetin-3-O-(2″-O-galloyl-ß-D-galactopyranoside), kaempferol, astragalin, and kaempferol-3-O-(2″-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside) compound (9)] attenuated OGD-induced neuronal cell damage and compound (9) possessed the most potent neuroprotective activity in OHSCs. The MCAO/R mice showed cerebral infarction, massive weight loss, characteristic neurological symptoms, and deterioration of neuronal cells in the brain. Compound (9) and a reference drugs, edaravone, significantly attenuated these physical and neurological impairments. Compound (9) mitigated the blood-brain barrier dysfunction and the change of glutathione and malondialdehyde content in the MCAO mouse brain. Edaravone suppressed the oxidative stress but did not significantly affect the blood-brain barrier permeability. The present results indicated that compound (9) is a flavonoid constituent of DK with a potent neuroprotective activity against transient ischemia-induced brain damage and this action, at least in part, via preservation of blood-brain barrier integrity and suppression of oxidative stress caused by ischemic insult.

Therapeutic effects of a standardized-flavonoid Diospyros kaki L.f. leaf extract on transient focal cerebral ischemia-induced brain injury in mice.

This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective and therapeutic effects of Diospyros kaki L.f. leaves (DK) on transient focal cerebral ischemic injury and underlying mechanisms using a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of mice. The animals received the MCAO operation on day 0. The daily administrations of DK (50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o) and edaravone (6 mg/kg, i.v), a reference drug with radical scavenging activity, were started 7 days before (pre-treatment) or immediately after the MCAO operation (post-treatment) and continued during the experimental period. Histochemical, biochemical, and neurological changes and cognitive performance were evaluated. MCAO caused cerebral infarction and neuronal cell loss in the cortex, striatum, and hippocampus in a manner accompanied by spatial cognitive deficits. These neurological and cognitive impairments caused by MCAO were significantly attenuated by pre- and post-ischemic treatments with DK and edaravone, suggesting that DK, like edaravone, has therapeutic potential for cerebral ischemia-induced brain damage. DK and edaravone suppressed MCAO-induced changes in biomarkers for apoptosis (TUNEL-positive cell number and cleaved caspase-3 protein expression) and oxidative stress (glutathione and malondialdehyde contents) in the brain. Interestingly, DK, but not edaravone, mitigated an increase in blood-brain permeability and down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor protein expression caused by MCAO. Although the exact chemical constituents implicated in the effects of DK remain to be clarified, the present results indicate that DK exerts neuroprotective and therapeutic activity against transient focal cerebral ischemia-induced injury probably by suppressing oxidative stress, apoptotic process, and mechanisms impairing blood-brain barrier integrity in the brain.

A Combination of Blue Light at 460 nm and H2O2 for the Safe and Effective Eradication of Staphylococcus aureus in an Infected Mouse Skin Abrasion Model.

Antibiotic-free approaches are more important than ever to address the rapidly growing problem of the antibiotic resistance crisis. The photolysis of the bacterial virulence factor staphyloxanthin using blue light at 460 nm (BL460 nm) has been found to effectively attenuate Staphylococcus aureus to chemical and physical agents. However, phototherapy using BL640 nm still needs to be investigated in detail for its safety in eradicating Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we employed a 460 nm continuous-wavelength LED source and a low concentration of hydrogen peroxide to treat S. aureus under a culturing condition and a wound abrasion mouse model. The results demonstrated the safety of the combined therapy when it did not modify the bacterial virulence factors or the susceptibility to widely used antibiotics. In addition, the results of the mouse model also showed that the combined therapy was safe to apply to mouse skin since it did not cause adverse skin irritation. More importantly, the therapy can aid in healing S. aureus-infected wounds with an efficacy comparable to that of the topical antibiotic Fucidin. The aforementioned findings indicate that the concurrent application of BL460 nm and hydrogen peroxide can be used safely as an alternative or adjunct to antibiotics in treating S. aureus-infected wounds.