Comparative Anti-Cancer and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Essential Oils from the Bark and Flower of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils.

This study was designed to compare the antioxidant, antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects of essential oils from the bark and flower of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. Distillation extraction and steam distillation were used to extract EOs from the bark and flower. The results showed that the contents of EOs of SDE-F and SDE-B were much higher than that of SD-F and SD-B. EOs from the bark were rich in eudesmol (especially α-eudesmol) and exhibited a stronger antioxidant effect than the flower. The anti-tumor effects of SD-B and SD-F on HepG2 and MDA-MB-231 cells were better than that of SDE-B and SDE-F. The inhibitory rates of SD-B and SD-F on MDA-MB-231 cells were 59.21% and 48.27%, exceeding that of positive control 5-fluorouracil (47.04%) at 50 µg/mL. All four EOs exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activities through the regulation of nitric oxide production and pro-inflammation cytokines in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells and they also remarkably suppressed the mRNA expressions of nitric oxide synthase, IL-6 and TNF-α at the concentration higher than that of positive control dexamethasone. These results indicated significant differences in the composition, and anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities of EOs extracted by different methods and provided a theoretical basis for their development and utilization.

Identification of narciclasine from Lycoris radiata (L'Her.) Herb. and its inhibitory effect on LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages.

Lycoris radiata (L'Her.) Herb. (L. radiata) was traditionally used as a folk medicine in China for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. However, the specific component responsible for its considerable toxicity remained unclear thus restricting its clinical trials. Narciclasine (NCS) was isolated from L. radiata and treatment of NCS for 72 h exhibited significant antiproliferative effects against L02, Hep G2, HT-29 and RAW264.7 cells. However, what needs to be emphasized is that at safe working concentrations of 0.001-0.016 µM, administration of NCS for 24 h inhibited the mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-ɑ), interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages thereby suppressing production of nitric oxide (NO), IL-6, TNF-ɑ and IL-1ß. NCS supplementation also inhibited nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation by suppressing NF-κB P65 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation, IκBɑ degradation and phosphorylation, and IκKɑ/ß phosphorylation. The phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and P38, and expression of COX-2 was also attenuated by NCS. These results suggested that NCS might exert anti-inflammatory effects through inhibiting NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways even at very low doses.

Characterization of nitrite degradation by Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus LCR 6013.

Nitrites are potential carcinogens. Therefore, limiting nitrites in food is critically important for food safety. The nitrite degradation capacity of Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus LCR 6013 was investigated in pickle fermentation. After LCR 6013 fermentation for 120 h at 37°C, the nitrite concentration in the fermentation system was significantly lower than that in the control sample without the LCR 6013 strain. The effects of NaCl and Vc on nitrite degradation by LCR 6013 in the De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) medium were also investigated. The highest nitrite degradations, 9.29 mg/L and 9.89 mg/L, were observed when NaCl and Vc concentrations were 0.75% and 0.02%, respectively in the MRS medium, which was significantly higher than the control group (p ≤ 0.01). Electron capture/gas chromatography and indophenol blue staining were used to study the nitrite degradation pathway of LCR 6013. The nitrite degradation products contained N2O, but no NH4(+). The LCR 6013 strain completely degraded all NaNO2 (50.00 mg/L) after 16 h of fermentation. The enzyme activity of NiR in the periplasmic space was 2.5 times of that in the cytoplasm. Our results demonstrated that L. casei subsp. rhamnosus LCR 6013 can effectively degrade nitrites in both the pickle fermentation system and in MRS medium by NiR. Nitrites are degraded by the LCR 6013 strain, likely via the nitrate respiration pathway (NO2(-)>NO->N2O->N2), rather than the aammonium formation pathway (dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, DNRA), because the degradation products contain N2O, but not NH4(+).

Efficacy evaluation of a Chinese bitter tea (Ilex latifolia Thunb.) via analyses of its main components.

In order to evaluate the health effects of Ilex latifolia Thunb., a Chinese bitter tea widely consumed as a health beverage, flavonoids, saponins, polysaccharides and alkaloids were extracted from its leaves and their in vitro antioxidant activity, anticomplement system activity, antiproliferative effects against human cervical carcinoma Hela cells, and anti-inflammatory effects against mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells were analyzed. Results showed that the polysaccharides exhibited a considerable inhibition of the complement system, the hemolysis inhibition rate reached 98% at a concentration of 0.8 mg mL(-1), which was clearly higher than that of the positive control (heparin sodium). The total flavonoids displayed significant DPPH scavenging activity and an inhibition effect on the generation of NO in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. In addition, the total saponins showed a better antiproliferative effect against Hela cells, and the total alkaloids exhibited a high reducing power. It is obvious that I. latifolia has a variety of nutritional and health functions which are attributed to its different components. The analysis method presented in this research can suggest lessons for analysis of other plant foods.

Hydroxytyrosol and its potential therapeutic effects.

As olive oil is the main source of calories in the Mediterranean diet, a large number of studies have been carried out to characterize its role in various diseases and exploitation for the prevention and treatment of hypertension, carcinogenesis, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and other diseases. As one of the major polyphenols present in virgin olive oil, hydroxytyrosol shows a variety of pharmacological activities such as antioxidant properties, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activities, and beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, which show its potentiality for the development of dietary supplements. In the future, more attention should be paid to its action mechanism in vivo and synergistic effect. Further research will be performed to provide the theoretical basis for hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives use as health supplements.

Antioxidant and anticomplement functions of flavonoids extracted from Penthorum chinense Pursh.

Penthorum chinense Pursh is rich in flavonoids, which have strong antioxidant and anticomplement activities. In order to optimize their extraction conditions, various extraction parameters were chosen to identify their effects on flavonoids extraction. Single factor and Box-Behnken experimental designs consisting of 24 experimental runs and five replicates at zero point were applied to obtain the optimal extraction yield. The optimization conditions for flavonoids extraction were determined as follows: ethanol concentration 60.89%, extraction time 68.15 min, temperature 52.89 °C and liquid/solid ratio 19.70 : 1. The corresponding flavonoids content was 7.19%. The regression equation was found to fit well with the actual situation. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity (the free radical scavenging ability and ferric reducing/antioxidant power) and anticomplement ability of the flavonoids from P. chinense were determined. Results showed that the flavonoids of P. chinense displayed significant antioxidant and anticomplement activities. Its antioxidant activity can compete with ascorbic acid (Vc), whereas its anticomplement activity (IC50 = 111.6 µg ml(-1)) surpassed the effect of heparin (IC50 = 399.7 µg ml(-1)) which was used as the positive control, suggesting that P. chinense flavonoids and their related products could potentially be used as a promising natural agent in the treatment of humoral effector inflammation.

Relationship between the microsatellite D2S388-5 and D2S2232 polymorphisms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Chinese Kazakh population.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors. The role of genetic susceptibility in the pathogenesis of COPD has recently gained more attention. The surface lung surfactant protein B plays an important role in COPD pathogenesis. Microsatellite DNA has been characterized in the surfactant protein B alleles D2S388-5 and D2S2232. The aim of this research was to investigate the distribution of the D2S388-5 and D2S2232 microsatellite polymorphisms in smokers of the Kazakh ethnic group in Xinjiang, China, with and without COPD to assess whether such polymorphisms are associated with COPD susceptibility. METHODS: DNA was extracted from the blood of 197 smokers with COPD and 236 control smokers of Kazakh ethnicity. The smokers diagnosed with COPD were registered at the Department of Respiratory Medicine from four different hospitals. The control group was recruited at the medical examination centre from the same area. The polymorphisms of the D2S388-5 and D2S2232 microsatellite loci were measured by multiple short tandem repeat amplification using fluorescence-labelled polymerase chain reaction and capillary electrophoresis. RESULTS: Nine alleles and 32 genotypes were identified in D2S388-5, while 9 alleles and 31 genotypes were identified in D2S2232. Both genotype distributions in control smokers were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequency of the 254 bp allele from the D2S388-5 locus was significantly higher in the COPD group versus the control (P < 0.001, odds ratio = 5.942). CONCLUSIONS: D2S388-5 microsatellite polymorphism may be associated with susceptibility to COPD in Xinjiang Kazakhs.