Xinjiang herbal tea exerts immunomodulatory activity via TLR2/4-mediated MAPK signaling pathways in RAW264.7 cells and prevents cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression in mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: A multi-herb Chinese medicinal formula consisting of a variety of medicinal and edible materials has long been consumed as a hot drink and immune enhancer for its efficiency to increase disease resistance in Xinjiang, China. However, no fundamental data has been collected associated with traditional consumption. The present work was designed to evaluate the immunostimulatory role of Xinjiang herbal tea (XMT-WE) in RAW 264.7 macrophages and cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppression mice model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RAW 264.7 cells were treated with various concentrations of XMT-WE. Nitric oxide (NO) levels were determined using Griess reagents, and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were investigated with a cytometric bead array kit. The effects on mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and TNF-α were investigated. Furthermore, activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and AP-1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways was investigated. RESULTS: Pre-treatment with XMT-WE significantly increased secretion of NO, IL-6, and TNF-α. In addition, XMT-WE markedly increased expression of iNOS, COX-2, and TNF-α as well as AP-1 and NF-κB translocation from the cytoplasm into the nucleus, which was associated with an increase of phosphorylated ERK, JNK, and p38 as well as membrane receptors such as toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4. Moreover, XMT-WE promoted the secretion of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressive mice. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that XMT-WE at 50 µg/ml exerts immunomodulatory activity via TLR2/4-mediated MAPK signaling pathways in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, in vivo experiments revealed that XMT-WE at the dose of 50 and 100 mg/kg strongly stimulated inflammatory cytokines.

Chrysin, a natural and biologically active flavonoid suppresses tumor growth of mouse B16F10 melanoma cells: In vitro and In vivo study.

Chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone) is a natural and biologically active compound which has many biological activities as an anticancer agent. The current report is aimed at finding out whether the antitumor potential of chrysin, evidenced in vitro and in vivo, is linked or not to its effect on immunological mechanisms of melanoma-bearing mice. Chrysin-treated B16F10 cells were analyzed for their metabolic rate and apoptotic potentials. In vivo, BALB/c mice received a subcutaneous injection of B16F10 melanoma cells prior to antitumor treatments with chrysin (50 mg/kg b.w) for 14 days and 21 days. The results showed that chrysin inhibited cancer cell growth at a dose-dependent manner by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase. Moreover, chrysin suppressed melanoma tumor growth at an average of 60% (after 14 days of treatment) and 71% (after 21 days of treatment) compared to the tumor-bearing group. Furthermore, chrysin treatment increased the cytotoxic activity of NK, CTL and macrophages. The findings showed that chrysin antitumor action on the murine melanoma model was very promising, suggesting that chrysin could be a potentially good candidate for future use in alternative anti-melanoma treatments.

Ferulic acid reverses depression-like behavior and oxidative stress induced by chronic corticosterone treatment in mice.

Corticosterone (CORT) treatment has been evidenced to develop a depression-like state in animals, that mimic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis dysregulation implicated in the development of depression. The present study aimed to examine the ferulic acid (FA), a natural phenolic compound, antidepressant and antioxidant activities on the CORT chronic model. Mice orally treated with 20mg/kg of CORT for 21days were connsidered control group, while mice treated with FA (1mg/kg) or fluoxetine (10mg/kg) for the last week of CORT treatment, as drug groups. Three weeks of CORT treatment resulted in depressive-like behavior, as indicated by the increase on the immobility time in the tail suspension test, grooming in the splash test and an increase in the oxidative stress markers in the brain. It was observed that FA ameliorated the behavioral and oxidative stress alterations induced by CORT, which may plausibly suggest a mode of action for the FA antidepressant effect. The involvement of FA repairing the stress caused by HPA-axis dysfunction evidenced that this phenolic acid could be further investigated as a novel potential agent to improve the management of depression.

Alleviation of cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression in Wistar rats by onion lectin (Allium cepa agglutinin).

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: In various traditional medicines, onion has been classified as an immune-boosting food. Recent studies have claimed this property due to the presence of bioactive organosulfur compounds, prebiotic fructo-oligosaccharides and an immunomodulatory protein, lectin (Allium cepa agglutinin; ACA) (Prasanna and Venkatesh, 2015. Characterization of onion lectin (Allium cepa agglutinin) as an immunomodulatory protein inducing Th1-type immune response in vitro. Int. Immunopharmacol. vol. 26, pp. 304-313). AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunoprotective properties of ACA in normal and cyclophosphamide (CP; 100µg/kg)-induced immunosuppressed Wistar rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wistar rats were administrated different doses of ACA (1, 10, and 100µg) to respective groups in normal as well as immunosuppressed animals. The effect of ACA on the status of immune organs was assessed by examining the splenic and thymic indices, and histopathological changes. The biomarkers for humoral immunity (serum IgG and IgA levels) and serum pro-inflammatory markers (COX-2, TNF-α and IL-10) were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: ACA showed immunoprotective properties by significantly promoting the restoration of lymphoid cell count by ~6 fold vs. model control (immunosuppressed animals) and promotes the immune response significantly (~1.5-fold) in CP-induced immunosuppressed animals compared to model control; production of pro-inflammatory molecules (COX-2 and nitric oxide) and expression levels of immune regulatory molecule (TNF-α) were elevated in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: The observed in vivo results suggest that ACA has the potential to be used as a nutritional therapeutic to boost the immune status of immunosuppressed subjects brought about by CP administration.

Diarylheptanoid from Curcuma comosa Roxb. suppresses RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation by decreasing NFATc1 and c-Fos expression via MAPK pathway.

Osteoporosis is caused by a functional imbalance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The increased activation of osteoclasts that is a hallmark of osteoporosis results in the progressive loss of bone mass and therefore in an increased susceptibility to bone fractures. Diarylheptanoids are a group of phytoestrogens that have been isolated from a number of plant species, including the rhizomes of Curcuma comosa Roxb. In this study, the effect of one of diarylheptanoids, (3S)-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-7-phenyl-(6E)-6-heptene (DHPH), was investigated for anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoclastogenic activity. DHPH significantly inhibited nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cell line following their activation by lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ, with no cytotoxicity. In primary mouse bone-marrow-derived macrophage precursors, DHPH suppressed osteoclastogenesis induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) ligand at an inhibitory concentration 50 of 325±1.37nM. DHPH treatment delayed and reduced the expression of master regulators of osteoclast differentiation, NFATc1 and c-Fos. Consistent with this result, the mRNA level of cathepsin K, associated with osteoclast differentiation, was decreased whereas the reduction in the mRNA of irf8, a negative regulator of osteoclast differentiation, was similar to that measured in the vehicle-treated control cells. DHPH reduced the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, ERK (p44/42). Furthermore, DHPH suppressed the bone absorption activity of osteoclasts and enhanced osteoblast differentiation. Taken together, DHPH interrupts the immediate downstream signaling cascade of RANK and interferes with osteoclast differentiation and its function while enhances osteoblast differentiation. These results demonstrate the potential of this diarylheptanoid as a new therapeutic agent in osteoporosis.

Antihypertensive activities of the aqueous extract of Kalanchoe pinnata (Crassulaceae) in high salt-loaded rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata (Crassulaceae) are used in Cameroon folk medicine to manage many diseases such as cardiovascular dysfunctions. In this work, we aimed to evaluate the activities of aqueous leaf extract of Kalanchoe pinnata on the blood pressure of normotensive rat (NTR) and salt hypertensive rats (SHR), as well as its antioxidant properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hypertension was induced in rats by oral administration of 18% NaCl for 4 weeks. For the preventive study, three groups of rats received 18% NaCl solution and the plant extract at 25 mg/kg/day, 50 mg/kg/day or 100 mg/kg/day by gavage. Two positive control groups received 18% NaCl solution and either spironolactone (0.71 mg/kg/day) or eupressyl (0.86 mg/kg/day) by gavage for 4 weeks. At the end of this experimental period, systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) and heart rate (HR) were measured by the invasive method. Some oxidative stress biomarkers (reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric monoxide (NO) were evaluated in heart, aorta, liver and kidney. NO level was indirectly evaluated by measuring nitrite concentration. RESULTS: Kalanchoe pinnata extract prevented significantly the increase of systolic and diastolic arterial pressures in high salt-loaded rats (SHR). In SHR, concomitant administration of Kalanchoe pinnata at 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day significantly prevented the increase in blood pressure by 32%, 24% and 47% (for SAP); 35%, 33% and 56% (for DAP), respectively. No significant change was recorded in heart rate of those rats. The plant extract improved antioxidant status in various organs, but more potently in aorta. Thus, antioxidant and modulatory effects of Kalanchoe pinnata at the vasculature might be of preponderant contribution to its overall antihypertensive activity. CONCLUSION: The work demonstrated that the concomitant administration of high-salt and the aqueous extract of Kalanchoe pinnata elicits prevention of salt-induced hypertension in rat. This antihypertensive activity is associated with an improvement of antioxidant status. Overall, results justify and support the use of Kalanchoe pinnata as antihypertensive medicine.

Solasodine protects rat brain against ischemia/reperfusion injury through its antioxidant activity.

Ischemic stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. The major limitation of stroke management is the lack of clinically effective therapy. Antioxidants have been demonstrated as potent neuroprotective agents by enhancing the defense mechanism(s), whereas reducing the oxidative stress in the ischemic stroke models. In the present study, we evaluated neuroprotective potential of solasodine, an antioxidant glycoalkaloid of Solanum species, against global model of ischemia in rats. Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-injury produced marked elevation in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide (NO), whereas superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) levels were decreased in experimental animals. Prior administration of solasodine (100 and 200mg/kg, p.o.) significantly heightened SOD, CAT, GSH and total thiols, whereas reduced LPO and NO levels in the brain. Interestingly, brain coronal sectioning and histopathology studies revealed a marked reversal of I/R-provoked neuronal damage in the solasodine treatment groups. Taken together, our study, for the first time, demonstrates neuroprotective potential of solasodine against global ischemia-induced cerebral injury in experimental rats. We propose that the neuroprotection offered by solasodine could be attributed, at least in part, to its anti-oxidant property.