ABSTRACT
The present study is aimed to determine the efficacy and dose response of the nuciferine (1), norcoclaurine (2) and crude extract of Nelumbo nucifera in managements of diabetes, Alzheimer disease and related allergies. Experimentally, alloxan (100 mg/kg body weight (b.w.))-induced diabetic rats (200−250 g) were divided into seven groups (n = 6). Group I: normal control, Group II: diabetic control, Group III: standard treated with glibenclamide and Group lV-VII: treated with methanolic crude extracts (100, 200 mg/kg), nuciferine and norcoclaurine (10 mg/kg b.w.) for 15 days. Different tests were performed, including blood glucose, body weights and antioxidant enzyme assays, i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase test (CAT), lipid peroxidation assay (TBARS), glutathione assay (GSH) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) assay. Nuciferine and norcoclaurine significantly reduced blood glucose (p < 0.05) and restored body weight in diabetic rats. Moreover, nuciferine and norcoclaurine (10 mg/kg) significantly recovered the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPx and GSH) which decreased during induced diabetes. Significant increase in TBARS was also observed in the diabetic group and nuciferine as well as norcoclaurine (10 mg/kg) inhibited the increase in TBARS in diabetic animals (p < 0.05), as compared to glibenclamide. AChE activity was significantly recovered by nuciferine and norcoclaurine (10 mg/kg) both in the blood and brain of the diabetic group (p < 0.05). Nuciferine and norcoclaurine showed potent inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase and α-amylase with IC50, 19.06 ± 0.03, 15.03 ± 0.09 µM and 24.07 ± 0.05, 18.04 ± 0.021 µM, as confirmed by molecular docking studies. This study concludes that nuciferine and norcoclaurine significantly improve memory and could be considered as an effective phytomedicine for diabetes, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and oxidative stress.
ABSTRACT
Huoxin Pill (HXP), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been prescribed widely in the treatment of coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, and other diseases. However, the possible protective mechanisms of HXP on myocardial ischemia remain unclear. In the current study, we investigated the effects and potential mechanism of HXP on myocardial ischemia and cardiac inflammation and the activation of TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Determination of electrocardiogram, echocardiography, and heart weight index (HWI) indicated that HXP treatment obviously attenuated the elevation of ST-segment, end-diastolic volume, and HWI in the AMI rat model. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) demonstrated that Huoxin Pill treatment significantly decreased the levels of CTnT, CK-MB, MDA, IL-6, and TNF-α, while it increased SOD content in serum of the AMI rat model. Moreover, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining revealed that HXP treatment alleviated pathological change, infiltration of inflammatory cells, levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, and expression of TLR4 and p-NF-κB in cardiac tissues of the AMI rat model. In conclusion, HXP treatment significantly improves cardiac function and attenuates cardiac inflammation by suppressing the activation of TLR4/NF-κB pathway in the ISO-induced AMI rat model. This study provides insights into the potential of HXP on prevention and treatment of AMI.
ABSTRACT
A study was conducted using 162 Bovans laying hens to investigate the impacts of extra dietary vitamin A (0, 8000, 16,000 IU/kg), selenium (0, 0.25, 0.50 mg/kg), and their combinations on the performance, egg quality, and blood biological parameters of laying hens during summer months. Supplemental vitamin A up to 16,000 IU/kg diet significantly (P < 0.05) improved all productive traits studied except feed intake which increased with 8000 IU/kg diet compared with control. Feed intake and feed conversion of hens fed diet supplemented with selenium revealed high statistical (P = 0.001) differences. All egg quality criteria were not significantly (P < 0.05) affected by dietary vitamin A except albumin percentage and Haugh units, since Haugh unit score was gradually increased with increasing vitamin A level. Vitamin A-enriched groups showed significant (P < 0.05 and 0.01) decreases in plasma albumen, total lipids, and total cholesterol in respect to the unsupplemented groups. Compared with unsupplemented groups, total protein, albumin, total lipid, and total cholesterol were increased in selenium-enriched groups. There were no significant impacts of selenium treatments in layer diets on thyroid hormones and liver enzymes studied except alanine transferase (ALT) and thyroxin (T4), as compared with the control group. Hematological parameters were not affected by vitamin A treatment except PCV% which decreased with vitamin A supplementation. Hemoglobin and lymphocytes were increased with increasing dietary selenium level. In conclusion, the combined supplementary concentrations of vitamin A (16,000 IU/kg) and selenium (0.25 mg/kg) might be needed for better production and health of laying hens reared under heat stress conditions.