Angelica gigas polysaccharide induces CR3-mediated macrophage activation and the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells against HCT-116 cells via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

Angelica gigas (A. gigas) is traditional medicinal herb that mainly exists in Korea and northeastern China. There have been relatively few studies conducted thus far on its polysaccharides and their bioactivities. We purified and described a novel water-soluble polysaccharide derived from A. gigas and investigated its immunoenhancing properties. The basic components of crude and purified polysaccharides (F1 and F2) were total sugar (41.07% - 70.55%), protein (1.12-10.33%), sulfate (2.9-5.5%), and uronic acids (0.5-31.05%) in total content. Our results demonstrated that the crude and fractions' molecular weights (Mw) varied from 42.2 to 285.2 × 103 g/mol. As the most effective polysaccharide, F2 significantly stimulated RAW264.7 cells to release nitric oxide (NO) and express several cytokines. Furthermore, F2 increased the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-É£), natural killer cytotoxicity receptors (NKp44), and granzyme-B in NK-92 cells and enhanced the cytotoxicity against HCT-116 cells. In our experiments, we found that F2 stimulated RAW264.7 cells and NK-92 cells via MAPK and NF-κB pathways. The monosaccharide and methylation analysis of the high immunostimulant F2 polysaccharide findings revealed that the polysaccharide was primarily composed of 1 â†’ 4, 1 â†’ 6, 1 â†’ 3, 6, 1 â†’ 3 and 1 â†’ 3, 4, 6 galactopyranose residues, 1 â†’ 3 arabinofuranose residues, 1 â†’ 4 glucopyranose residues. These results demonstrated that the F2 polysaccharide of A. gigas which possesses potential immunostimulatory attributes, could be used to create a novel functional food.

Phellinus linteus polysaccharides: A review on their preparation, structure-activity relationships, and drug delivery systems.

Phellinus linteus polysaccharides exhibit antitumor, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, mitigate insulin resistance, and enhance the diversity and abundance of gut microbiota. However, the bioactivities of P. linteus polysaccharides vary owing to the complex structure, thereby, limiting their application. Various processing strategies have been employed to modify them for improving the functional properties and yield. Herein, we compare the primary modes of extraction and purification employed to improve the yield and purity, review the structure-activity relationships, and discuss the application of P. linteus polysaccharides using nano-carriers for the encapsulation and delivery of various drugs to improve bioactivity. The limitations and future perspectives are also discussed. Exploring the bioactivity, structure-activity relationship, processing methods, and delivery routes of P. linteus polysaccharides will facilitate the development of functional foods and dietary supplements rich in P. linteus polysaccharides.

A review of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides: Health benefit, structure-activity relationship, modification, and nanoparticle encapsulation.

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides possess unique functional properties. Various processing technologies have been used to produce and modify G. lucidum polysaccharides to improve their yield and utilization. In this review, the structure and health benefits were summarized, and the factors that may affect the quality of G. lucidum polysaccharides were discussed, including the use of chemical modifications such as sulfation, carboxymethylation, and selenization. Those modifications improved the physicochemical characteristics and utilization of G. lucidum polysaccharides, and made them more stable that could be used as functional biomaterials to encapsulate active substances. Ultimate, G. lucidum polysaccharide-based nanoparticles were designed to deliver various functional ingredients to achieve better health-promoting effects. Overall, this review presents an in-depth summary of current modification strategies and offers new insights into the effective processing techniques to develop G. lucidum polysaccharide-rich functional foods or nutraceuticals.

Traditional Chinese medicine for hypertrophic scars-A review of the therapeutic methods and potential effects.

Hypertrophic scar (HS) is a typical pathological response during skin injury, which can lead to pain, itching, and contracture in patients and even affect their physical and mental health. The complexity of the wound healing process leads to the formation of HS affected by many factors. Several treatments are available for HS, whereas some have more adverse reactions and can even cause new injuries with exacerbated scarring. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a rich source, and most botanical drugs have few side effects, providing new ideas and methods for treating HS. This paper reviews the formation process of HS, the therapeutic strategy for HS, the research progress of TCM with its relevant mechanisms in the treatment of HS, and the related new drug delivery system of TCM, aiming to provide ideas for further research of botanical compounds in the treatment of HS, to promote the discovery of more efficient botanical candidates for the clinical treatment of HS, to accelerate the development of the new drug delivery system and the final clinical application, and at the same time, to promote the research on the anti-HS mechanism of multiherbal preparations (Fufang), to continuously improve the quality control and safety and effectiveness of anti-HS botanical drugs in clinical application.

Pretreatment with millet-derived selenylated soluble dietary fiber ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice by regulating inflammation and maintaining gut microbiota balance.

Inflammatory activation and intestinal flora imbalance play key roles in the development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and selenium have been proven to be effective for preventing and relieving IBD. This study investigated and compared the therapeutic efficacy of millet-derived selenylated-soluble dietary fiber (Se-SDF) against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice alone or through the synergistic interaction between selenium and SDF. In female mice, Se-SDF markedly alleviated body weight loss, decreased colon length, reduced histological damage scores, and enhanced IL-10 expression to maintain the barrier function of intestinal mucosa compared to male mice. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis further indicated that pretreatment with Se-SDF restored the gut microbiota composition in female mice by increasing the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that Se-SDF can protect against DSS-induced colitis in female mice by regulating inflammation and maintaining gut microbiota balance. This study, therefore, provides new insights into the development of Se-SDF as a supplement for the prevention and treatment of colitis.

Metabolomics study on the intervention effect of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae extract in exercise-induced exhaustion rat using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

The metabolomics approach based on the gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was adopted to explore the underlying mechanism of the anti-fatigue effect of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (RSM), a famous herbal medicine in China used for multiple biological functions, in load-weighted swimming test in rat, combined with biochemical parameters evaluations. As a result, the metabolomics study followed by orthogonal partial least-square (OPLS) analysis could differentiate metabolic profiling between the control and exhaustive exercise group, showing the rats underwent an obvious metabolic perturbation, whereas RSM treatment restored scores plot close to normal and showed regulatory effects on the muscle metabolic profiles. The changed metabolic pathways of the potential biomarkers in response to the effect of RSM treatment for exhaustive exercise rats included in glucose metabolism (glucose, lactic acid, alanine), glutathione metabolism (glycine, glutamate, 5-oxo-proline), TCA cycle (succinic acid), arginine biosynthesis (glutamine, ornithine, urea), glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism (serine, glycine), oxidative stress (taurine) and purine metabolism (inosine). In addition, intervention of RSM increased hepatic glycogen, muscle glycogen and serum glucose, and decreased triglyceride and blood urea nitrogen levels, indicating RSM treatment may regulate energy metabolism by increasing the rate of fat utilization, decrease the protein and carbohydrate utilization. Furthermore, RSM reduced exhaustive exercise-induced accumulation of the lipid peroxidation byproduct malonaldehyde and elevated antioxidants' levels, including reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase, which might be a positive reflection of improved oxidant-antioxidant balance. Moreover, RSM could protect against exercise-induced muscle damage by attenuating creatine kinase release. In summary, RSM provided a good anti-fatigue effect by regulating energy metabolism, oxidant-antioxidant balance, and the endogenous metabolites in the exercising muscle. This study demonstrates that metabolomics is an effective tool for the estimation of the potential anti-fatigue effect of RSM and for the illustration of its pharmacological mechanism.

[Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of acidic fraction of Pheratima extract in asthma mice induced by ovalbumin].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of acidic fraction of Pheratima extract in an ovalbumin (OVA) induced asthma mouse model, and to provide the experimental evidences for the anti-asthmatic application of Pheratima extract with further purification and development. METHOD: Mice model of allergic asthma was established through the OVA challenge. To investigate the inflammatory cell level and Th1/Th2 levels as well as the therapeutic effects of acidic fraction from Pheratima extract, cell count of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was performed to evaluate the secretion of eosinophils (EOS) cells, and IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IFN-y levels were detected by ELISA. RESULT: Compared with control group, the EOS count of BALF in the model group was remarkably increased (P<0.01), and IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 levels were also increased (P<0.01), while IFN-gamma decreased (P<0.01). Acidic fraction from Pheratima (S) extract and its 30% ethanol washed fraction (S30) significantly inhibited the increase of EOS count (P<0.01), decreased the IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 levels (P<0.05), and inhibited the decrease of IFN-gamma level (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that inhibition of the EOS secretion and balancing of the altered Th1/Th2 levels may be important mechanisms of Pheratima's therapeutic effect in asthmatic mice model, and S30 is pharmacologically effective as evaluated with the above mentioned parameters, as a representative fraction of the Pheratima extract.