Exploration of the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and wound healing activities of Bletilla Striata polysaccharide.

Bletilla Striata (BS) Polysaccharide (BSP) is one of the main components of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Bletilla striata Rchb. F. BSP has been widely used in antimicrobial and hemostasis treatments in clinics. Despite its use in skin disease treatment and cosmetology, the effects of BSP on wound healing remain unclear. Here we investigated the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and analgesic effects of BSP and explored its impact on morphological changes and inflammatory mediators during wound healing. A carrageenan-induced mouse paw edema model was established to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of BSP. Antioxidant indicators, including NO, SOD, and MDA, were measured in the blood and liver. The increased pain threshold induced by BSP was also determined using the hot plate test. A mouse excisional wound model was applied to evaluate the wound healing rate, and HE staining and Masson staining were used to detect tissue structure changes. In addition, ELISA was employed to detect the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß in serum. BSP significantly decreased the concentration of NO and MDA in serum and liver while increasing SOD activity. It exhibited a notable improvement in mouse paw edema induced by carrageenan. BSP dose-dependently delayed the appearance of licking behavior in mice, indicating its analgesic effect. Compared to the control group, the wound healing rate was significantly improved in the BSP treatment group. HE and Masson staining results showed that the BSP and 'Jingwanhong' ointment groups had slightly milder inflammatory responses and significantly promoted more new granulation tissue formation. The levels of serum inflammatory mediators TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 were reduced to varying degrees. The results demonstrated that BSP possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, and wound healing properties, and it may promote wound healing through inhibition of inflammatory cytokine synthesis and release.

Sodium New Houttuyfonate Effectively Improves Phagocytosis and Inhibits the Excessive Release of Inflammatory Factors by Repressing TLR4/NF-Кb Pathway in Macrophages.

BACKGROUND: Sodium new houttuyfonate (SNH) is an adduct of houttuyfonate, which is the main component of the common Chinese medicinal plant Houttuynia cordata. SNH has been widely used in antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatments in clinics. However, the exact antimicrobial mechanism of SNH is still unclear, despite its mild direct antimicrobial activity in vitro. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect and possible mechanism of SNH on macrophages against bacteria in vitro. METHODS: In this study, we assessed the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects of SNH on the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a major opportunistic pathogen. RESULTS: Firstly, we found that SNH showed minimal toxicity on RAW264.7 macrophages. Secondly, our results indicated that SNH effectively inhibited the inflammatory reaction of macrophages stimulated by P. aeruginosa. We also found that SNH improved the phagocytosis and killing effect of RAW264.7 macrophages against P. aeruginosa in vitro. Furthermore, our results revealed that SNH effectively inhibited the expression of the TLR4/NF-кB pathway in macrophage RAW264.7 co-incubated with P. aeruginosa in vitro. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, SNH can significantly improve the phagocytosis of macrophages and inhibit the excessive release of inflammatory factors by repressing the TLR4/NF-кB pathway.

The enhancement of the perception of saltiness by Sichuan pepper oleoresin in a NaCl model solution.

Health concerns related to the intake of salt have necessitated the investigation into NaCl reduction by examining the cross-modal interaction between the perception of saltiness and pungency elicited by Sichuan pepper oleoresin (Spo). The category scale and the generalized Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS) were used to determine the degree to which Spo enhanced the perception of saltiness in the NaCl model solution. Sixty-eight participants were divided into the hyposensitive, semi-sensitive, and hypersensitive groups according to individual exponent. The power functions of saltiness under different pungency carriers were obtained. The level of enhancement varied between the different sensitivity groups and pungency carriers. In the hypersensitive group, the low and strong pungency carriers effectively enhanced the perception of saltiness at low to moderate, and moderate to strong NaCl solutions, respectively. In the semi-sensitive group, low and moderate pungency carriers induced additive effect in the perception of saltiness at full and moderately strong NaCl solutions, respectively. However, the additive effect was inadequate in the hypo-sensitive group. Therefore, the low pungency solution was more feasible for enhancing in the perception of saltiness, while the maximum NaCl reduction percentages corresponded to the hypersensitive and semi-sensitive groups at 38.61% and 39.06%, respectively. This research not only provided insight into the effect of pungency on the perception of saltiness as it related to individual sensitivity, but also presented valuable information regarding flavor when developing food with reduced salt content.

The relationship between alkylamide compound content and pungency intensity of Zanthoxylum bungeanum based on sensory evaluation and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/ mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis.

BACKGROUND: Zanthoxylum bungeanum originating in different places varies in alkylamide content and pungency intensity. RESULTS: The pungency intensity of 19 Zanthoxylum bungeanum samples was first determined with Scoville pungency units (SPUs). The SPUs were found to range from 3.80E + 04 to 5.40E + 05. The chemical compositions and contents were measured next, using the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/ mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method. The total alkylamide content ranged from 9.83 ± 0.15 to 89.98 ± 1.35 g kg-1 . Hydroxy-ϵ-sanshool, hydroxy-α-sanshool, hydroxy-ß-sanshool, hydroxy-γ-sanshool, bungeanool, and isobungeanool were found to be the key pungent compounds, ranging in proportion from 92.65% to 97.69%. The relationship between alkymide compound content and pungency intensity was also analyzed by ridge regression, and it was found that the ß values of independent variables were stable when k was more than 0.6. The regression coefficients of hydroxy-ϵ-sanshool, hydroxy-α-sanshool, hydroxy-ß-sanshool, hydroxy-γ-sanshool, bungeanool, isobungeanool, and other alkylamides were 0.105, 0.177, 0.386, -0.166, -0.006, 0.005, and -0.018, respectively. CONCLUSION: Hydroxy- sanshool compounds were important in determinant the pungency intensity of Z. bungeanum. Knowledge of the relationship between alkymide compound content and pungency intensity will assist in the creation of new methods to determine pungency intensity and provide a scientific basis for flavor design, development of pungent food products, and consumer choice evaluations. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.