Fucoidan from Sargassum hemiphyllum inhibits infection and inflammation of Helicobacter pylori.

Having infected by Helicobacter pylori, the infection often leads to gastritis, gastric ulcer, or even gastric cancer. The disease is typically treated with antibiotics as they used to effectively inhibit or kill H. pylori, thus reducing the incidence of gastric adenoma and cancer to significant extent. H. pylori, however, has developed drug resistance to many clinically used antibiotics over the years, highlighting the crisis of antibiotic failure during the H. pylori treatment. We report here that the fucoidan from Sargassum hemiphyllum can significantly reduce the infection of H. pylori without developing to drug resistance. Fucoidan appears to be a strong anti-inflammation agent as manifested by the RAW264.7 cell model examination. Fucoidan can prohibit H. pylori adhesion to host cells, thereby reducing the infection rate by 60%, especially in post treatment in the AGS cell model assay. Mechanistically, fucoidan intervenes the adhesion of BabA and AlpA of H. pylori significantly lowering the total count of H. pylori and the level of IL-6 and TNF-α in vivo. These results all converge on the same fact that fucoidan is an effective agent in a position to protect the stomach from the H. pylori infection by reducing both the total count and induced inflammation.

Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Modified Doxorubicin-Loaded Chitosan-Lipid Nanocarrier with Multi Polysaccharide-Lecithin Nanoarchitecture for Augmented Bioavailability and Stability of Oral Administration In Vitro and In Vivo.

For oral anti-cancer drug delivery, a new chitosan-lipid nanoparticle with sodium dodecyl sulfate modification was designed and synthesized using a double emulsification. TEM examination showed that the DOX-loaded nanoparticles, termed D-PL/TG NPs, exhibited a unique core-shell configuration composed of multiple amphiphilic chitosan-lecithin reverse micelles as the core and a triglyceride shell as a physical barrier to improve the encapsulation efficiency and reduce the drug leakage. In addition, the D-PL/TG NPs with sodium dodecyl sulfate modification on the surface have enhanced stability in the GI tract and increased oral bioavailability of doxorubicin. In vitro transport studies performed on Caco-2 monolayers indicated that the D-PL/TG NPs enhanced the permeability of DOX in the Caco-2 monolayers by altering the transport pathway from passive diffusion to transcytosis. The in vivo intestinal absorption assay suggested that the D-PL/TG NPs were preferentially absorbed through the specialized membranous epithelial cells (M cells) of the Peyer's patches, resulting in a significant improvement (8-fold) in oral bioavailability compared to that of free DOX. The experimental outcomes in this work demonstrate that the D-PL/TG NPs provide an exciting opportunity for advances in the oral administration of drugs with poor bioavailability that are usually used in treating tough and chronic diseases.

Salidroside decreases atherosclerotic plaque formation in low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice.

Salidroside is isolated from Rhodiola rosea and is one of the main active components in Rhodiola species. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of Salidroside on atherosclerotic plaque formation in high-fat diet-(HFD-) fed female LDL receptor knockout (LDLr(-/-)) mice. LDLr(-/-) mice fed an atherogenic HFD for 12 weeks were divided into two groups. One group was administered Salidroside (50 mg/kg/oral gavage) daily for 8 weeks, while the control group was administered saline. Salidroside treatment reduced serum lipids levels and the plaque area through the arch to the abdominal aorta. Furthermore, Salidroside improved macrophage content and enhanced collagen and smooth muscle cells contents in the aortic sinus. These changes were associated with reduced MCP-1, VCAM-1, and VCAM-1 protein expression in atherosclerotic aortas. All these results suggest that Salidroside decreases atherosclerotic plaques formation via effects on lipid lowering and anti-inflammation in HFD-fed LDLr(-/-) mice.

In vitro antioxidant properties of flavonoids and polysaccharides extract from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) leaves.

In the present study, antioxidant properties of flavonoids and polysaccharides from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) leaves were evaluated in several in vitro systems, e.g., scavenging activities on hydroxyl, superoxide anion, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals, and reducing power. Flavonoids showed much better activity than polysaccharides in scavenging activities on free radicals. When compared to the positive control, ascorbic acid, both showed weaker antioxidant potential. However, flavonoids possessed comparable superoxide anion, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging abilities to ascorbic acid at high concentration (600 µg/mL). Meanwhile, it was found that flavonoids had prominent effects on the reducing power, which was equivalent to ascorbic acid, and was significantly higher than polysaccharides. These results clearly indicate that flavonoids are effective in scavenging free radicals and have the potential to be powerful antioxidants. Thus, tobacco leaves could be considered as a potential source of natural antioxidants for food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics or nutraceutical industries.

Effect of yishen huayu fang on kidney tissue E-cadherin expression in unilateral ureter ligation in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To observe E-calcium sticky protein (E-cadherin) expression in kidney tissues in a rat model of unilateral ureter ligation and the effect of Yishen Huayu Fang (formula of tonifying the kidney and dissolving accumulated blood stasis) on the expression. METHODS: A total of 150 clean grade male rats were randomly divided into a control group, model group, low-dose Yishen Huayu Fang group (low-dose group), high-dose Yishen Huayu Fang group (high-dose group), and Lotensin group. A renal fibrosis model was established with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Pathological changes of rat renal tissue were observed with light microscopy on days 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after UUO. Changes in kidney tissue E-cadherin expression were observed with immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Three days after modeling, kidney edema appeared followed by gradual inflammatory cell infiltration, and part of the small tubules disappeared while the renal cortex thinned. Meanwhile, the E-cadherin expression level dropped, which was negatively correlated with the obstruction time. After intervention, E-cadherin expression was increased in all treatment groups (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), while there were no significant differences between the high-dose and Lotensin groups. CONCLUSION: Yishen Huayu Fang delays the renal fibrosis process by promoting E-cadherin expression in renal tissues and reducing extracellular matrix deposition.