Peptide composition analysis, structural characterization, and prediction of iron binding modes of small molecular weight peptides from mung bean.

Iron supplementation is a proactive approach to limit instances of iron deficiency anemia. This study is based on the enzymatic hydrolysis and fractionation of mung bean proteins (MBPs) followed by the determination of the Fe2+ chelating activities of these peptide-containing fractions. MBP-Fe complex was generated using a chemical chelation method and subsequently characterized. Following Sephadex G15 separation of MBPs, one of the fractions containing 10 different peptides, demonstrated maximum Fe2+ chelating activity of 39.97 ± 0.07 µg/mg. The sequences of these peptides were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The Fe2+ ion content of the MBP-Fe complex was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and 80% of the iron was found to be in Fe2+ oxidation state. After iron chelation, there was an increase in the peptide's particle size, with an average value of 550.67 ± 0.70 nm. This increase in size was attributed to the contributions of the amino proline and glycine, which extended the peptides to form the MBP-Fe complex. Finally, molecular docking studies revealed that Fe2+ mainly bound to carboxy-oxygen of glutamate and aspartate residues of mung bean peptides to form MBP-Fe complex. This research could serve as a scientific foundation for the development of dietary iron supplements using plant-derived peptides.

Therapeutic Mechanism of Xiaoqinglong Decoction against COVID-19 Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Technology.

BACKGROUND: A xiaoqinglong decoction (XQLD) has been proven effective in treating severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases; however, the mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: In the current study, we used network pharmacology and molecular docking technology to identify the effective components, potential targets, and biological pathways of XQLD against COVID-19. METHODS: Public databases were searched to determine the putative targets of the active compounds of XQLD and COVID-19-related targets. STRING and Cytoscape were used to establish the protein-protein interaction network and drug component, along with the target-pathway network. The DAVID database was used to enrich the biological functions and signaling pathways. AutoDock Vina was used for virtual docking. RESULTS: We identified 138 active compounds and 259 putative targets of XQLD. Biological network analysis showed that quercetin, beta-sitosterol, kaempferol, stigmasterol, and luteolin may be critical ingredients of XQLD, whereas VEGFA, IL-6, MAPK3, CASP3, STAT3, MAPK1, MAPK8, CASP8, CCL2, and FOS may be candidate drug targets. Enrichment analysis illustrated that XQLD could function by regulating viral defense, inflammatory response, immune response, and apoptosis. Molecular docking results showed a high affinity between the critical ingredients and host cell target proteins. CONCLUSION: This study uncovered the underlying pharmacological mechanism of XQLD against COVID-19. These findings lay a solid foundation for promoting the development of new drugs against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection and may contribute to the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

GSP-2, a polysaccharide extracted from Ganoderma sinense, is a novel toll-like receptor 4 agonist.

Ganoderma sinense is a Chinese unique medicinal fungus that has been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. Polysaccharides are considered to be biologically active ingredients due to their immune-modulating functions. Previously we found that GSP-2, a new polysaccharide isolated from Ganoderma sinense, exerts an immunomodulatory effect in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells but the underlying mechanism is unclear. The present study aimed to investigate how GSP-2 triggers immunologic responses and the implicated signaling pathways. GSP-2 effects were investigated both in a macrophagic cell line, RAW264.7, and in primary macrophages. Moreover, the molecular basis of GSP-2 recognition by immune cells, and the consequent activation of signaling cascades, were explored by employing recombinant human HEK293-TLR-Blue clones, individually overexpressing various Toll-like receptors. GSP-2 dose-dependently induced the overexpression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) but did not affect the expression of other TLRs. Moreover, GSP-2 induced TNFα secretion in primary macrophages from wild-type, but not TLR4-knockout mice. In addition, GSP-2 upregulated TLR4 protein expression and activated the MAPK pathway in RAW246.7 macrophages. Finally, GSP-2 induced the production of the cytokines TNFα, IL1ß, and IL6. Our data demonstrated that GSP-2 was specifically recognized by TLR4, promoting cytokine secretion and immune modulation in macrophages.

Complete plastome sequence of Ilex asprella (Hooker and Arnott) Champion ex Bentham (Aquifoliaceae), a Chinese folk herbal medicine.

The complete chloroplast genome of Ilex asprella, a species of Aquifoliaceae is reported for the first time in this study. The complete chloroplast genome of I. asprella is 157,856 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, consisting of a large single-copy region (LSC, 87,258 bp), a single-copy region (SSC, 18,441 bp) and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 26,082 bp). There are 114 genes annotated, including 85 unique protein-coding genes, four unique ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. To investigate the evolution status of T. concolor, as well as Scrophulariaceae, we build a phylogenetic tree with I. asprella and other eight species based on their complete chloroplast genomes. According to the phylogenetic topologies, I. asprella was closely related to I. wilsonii.

Antidiabetic Activity and Chemical Composition of Sanbai Melon Seed Oil.

OBJECTIVES: Many fruits and herbs had been used in Traditional Chinese Medicines for treating diabetes mellitus (DM); however, scientific and accurate evidences regarding their efficacy and possible mechanisms were largely unknown. Sanbai melon seed oil (SMSO) was used in folk medicine in treating DM, but there is no literature about these effects. The present study was aimed at confirming the treatment effects of SMSO in type 1 DM. METHODS: Diabetes was induced by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) at a dose of 65 mg/kg body weight. After diabetes induction, mice were treated with SMSO at dose of 1 g/kg, 2 g/kg, and 4 g/kg. Drugs were given by gavage administration once a day continuously for 28 days. At the end of treatment, several biochemical parameters and molecular mechanisms were determined by biochemical assays, ELISA, and Western blotting. The chemical compositions of SMSO were also tested. RESULTS: SMSO treatment significantly improved the symptoms of weight loss, polydipsia, reduced FBG level, increased plasma insulin levels, reduced plasma lipids levels, and protected islet injury. The results also showed that SMSO mitigated oxidative stress and alleviated the liver and renal injury in diabetes mice. SMSO also protected islet cells from apoptotic damage by suppressing ER mediated and mitochondrial dependent apoptotic pathways. Further constituent analysis results showed that SMSO had rich natural resources which had beneficial effects on DM. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that SMSO had excellent antidiabetes effect and provided scientific basis for the use of SMSO as the functional ingredients production and dietary supplements production in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Novel target genes responsive to the anti-growth activity of triptolide in endometrial and ovarian cancer cells.

Triptolide (TPL), a bioactive component of the Chinese medicinal herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, induces apoptosis in some lines of human tumor cells. However, the effect of TPL on gynecologic cancer cells has not yet been well-described. We investigated the effects of TPL on cell growth, cell cycle, and apoptosis in endometrial and ovarian cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we examined global changes in gene expression after treatment with TPL. By using a list of 20 differentially expressed genes, Western blot analyses were performed on five endometrial and ovarian cancer cell lines. All cell lines were sensitive to the growth-inhibitory effect of TPL. TPL increased the proportion of cells in the S-phase of the cell cycle and induced apoptosis. cDNA microarray assay demonstrated that the treatment with TPL changed the expression of cell cycle regulators, apoptosis-related factors and cell proliferation markers. Of the gene expression changes induced by TPL treatment, up-regulation of LRAP, CDH4, and SFRP1 and down-regulation of cystatin, TNNT 1, and L1-CAM were confirmed using Western blot analysis in all the cell lines examined. We found a strong anticancer activity of TPL and identified some potential target genes of this drug, raising hopes that TPL may become a useful therapy for endometrial and ovarian cancers.