Therapeutic Effect of Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Cervi Cornu Collagen NP-2007 and Potential for Application in Osteoarthritis Treatment.

Cervi cornu extracts have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various disorders, including osteoporosis. However, since it is not easy to separate the active ingredients, limited research has been conducted on their functional properties. In this study, we extracted the low-molecular-weight (843 Da) collagen NP-2007 from cervi cornu by enzyme hydrolyzation to enhance absorption and evaluated the therapeutic effect in monosodium iodoacetate-induced rat osteoarthritis (OA) model. NP-2007 was orally administered at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg for 21 days. We showed that the production of matrix metalloproteinase-2, -3, and -9, decreased after NP-2007 treatment. The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and prostaglandin E2 were also reduced after treatment of NP-2007. Furthermore, the administration of NP-2007 resulted in effective preservation of both the synovial membrane and knee cartilage and significantly decreased the transformation of fibrous tissue. We verified that the treatment of NP-2007 significantly reduced the production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in lipopolysaccharides-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells by regulation of the NF-kB and MAPK signaling pathways. This study indicates that NP-2007 can alleviate symptoms of osteoarthritis and can be applied as a novel treatment for OA treatment.

Effects of Perilla frutescens var. acuta in amyloid ß toxicity and Alzheimer's disease-like pathology in 5XFAD mice.

Although accumulation of amyloid ß (Aß) plaque is a major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), various pathologies have been suggested therapeutic targets. Therefore, therapies-targeting multiple pathologies would be required for effective managements of AD. Accordingly, natural products, which has multiple active ingredients, have been receiving a lot of attention. In this study, we tested whether standardized ethanol extract of leaves of Perilla frutescens var. acuta (L.) Britt. (Lamiaceae) (ELPF) could modulate various pathologies in AD using 5XFAD mice. ELPF blocked Aß aggregation and disassembled pre-formed Aß aggregates. ELPF blocked Aß aggregates-induced LTP impairment and ELPF-disassembled Aß aggregates failed to impair hippocampal LTP. Systemic administration of ELPF blocked Aß aggregates-induced memory impairment in a passive avoidance test. ELPF-disassembled Aß aggregates failed to impair passive avoidance memory. Prolonged administration of ELPF ameliorated memory impairments in 5XFAD mice. In the hippocampus of 5XFAD mice, ELPF administration significantly reduced Aß deposits and neuroinflammation. These results demonstrate that ELPF could be a promising therapeutic candidate for AD.

Effect of ß-caryophyllene from Cloves Extract on Helicobacter pylori Eradication in Mouse Model.

New antibacterial treatments against Helicobacter pylori are needed as H. pylori is acquiring antibiotic resistance. ß-caryophyllene is a natural bicyclic sesquiterpene, with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. This study investigates the effects of H-002119-00-001 from ß-caryophyllene on the eradication of H. pylori in a mouse model, and its effects on the inflammation of the gastric mucosa. To evaluate the anti-H.pylori efficacy of ß-caryophyllene, a total of 160 mice were divided into eight groups (n = 10 each) and were administered different treatments for 2 and 4 weeks. H. pylori eradication was assessed using a Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test and H. pylori qPCR of the gastric mucosa. The levels of inflammation of gastric mucosa were assessed using histology and immunostaining. H-002119-00-001 decreased bacterial burden in vitro. When H-002119-00-001 was administered to mice once daily for 2 weeks, cure rates shown by the CLO test were 40.0%, 60.0%, and 70.0% in groups 6, 7, and 8, respectively. H. pylori levels in gastric mucosa decreased dose-dependently after H-002119-00-001 treatment. H-002119-00-001 also reduced levels of inflammation in gastric mucosa. H-002119-00-001 improved inflammation and decreased bacterial burden in H. pylori-infected mouse models. H-002119-00-001 is a promising and effective therapeutic agent for the treatment of H. pylori infection.

Bee venom ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced memory loss by preventing NF-kappaB pathway.

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of beta-amyloid and neuroinflammation trigger Alzheimer's disease. We previously found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) caused neuroinflammation with concomitant accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides leading to memory loss. A variety of anti-inflammatory compounds inhibiting nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) activation have showed efficacy to hinder neuroinflammation and amyloidogenesis. We also found that bee venom (BV) inhibits NF-κB. METHODS: A mouse model of LPS-induced memory loss used administration of BV (0.8 and 1.6 µg/kg/day, i.p.) to ICR mice for 7 days before injection of LPS (2.5 mg/kg/day, i.p.). Memory loss was assessed using a Morris water maze test and passive avoidance test. For in vitro study, we treated BV (0.5, 1, and 2 µg/mL) to astrocytes and microglial BV-2 cells with LPS (1 µg/mL). RESULTS: We found that BV inhibited LPS-induced memory loss determined by behavioral tests as well as cell death. BV also inhibited LPS-induced increases in the level of beta-amyloid (Aß), ß-and γ-secretases activities, NF-κB and its DNA-binding activity and expression of APP, and BACE1 and neuroinflammation proteins (COX-2, iNOS, GFAP and IBA-1) in the brain and cultured cells. In addition, pull-down assay and molecular modeling showed that BV binds to NF-κB. CONCLUSIONS: BV attenuates LPS-induced amyloidogenesis, neuroinflammation, and therefore memory loss via inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway. Thus, BV could be useful for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Bee venom inhibits growth of human cervical tumors in mice.

We studied whether bee venom (BV) inhibits cervical tumor growth through enhancement of death receptor (DR) expressions and inactivation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in mice. In vivo study showed that BV (1 mg/kg) inhibited tumor growth. Similar inhibitory effects of BV on cancer growth in primary human cervical cancer cells were also found. BV (1-5 µg/ml) also inhibited the growth of cancer cells, Ca Ski and C33Aby the induction of apoptotic cell death in a dose dependent manner. Agreed with cancer cell growth inhibition, expression of death receptors; FAS, DR3 and DR6, and DR downstream pro-apoptotic proteins including caspase-3 and Bax was concomitantly increased, but the NF-κB activity and the expression of Bcl-2 were inhibited by treatment with BV in tumor mice, human cancer cell and human tumor samples as well as cultured cancer cells. In addition, deletion of FAS, DR3 and DR6 by small interfering RNA significantly reversed BV-induced cell growth inhibitory effects as well as NF-κB inactivation. These results suggest that BV inhibits cervical tumor growth through enhancement of FAS, DR3 and DR6 expression via inhibition of NF-κB pathway.

Anti-cancer effect of thiacremonone through down regulation of peroxiredoxin 6.

Thiacremonone (2, 4-dihydroxy-2, 5-dimethyl-thiophene-3-one) is an antioxidant substance as a novel sulfur compound generated from High-Temperature-High-Pressure-treated garlic. Peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6) is a member of peroxidases, and has glutathione peroxidase and calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) activities. Several studies have demonstrated that PRDX6 stimulates lung cancer cell growth via an increase of glutathione peroxidase activity. A docking model study and pull down assay showed that thiacremonone completely fits on the active site (cys-47) of glutathione peroxidase of PRDX6 and interacts with PRDX6. Thus, we investigated whether thiacremonone inhibits cell growth by blocking glutathione peroxidase of PRDX6 in the human lung cancer cells, A549 and NCI-H460. Thiacremonone (0-50 µg/ml) inhibited lung cancer cell growth in a concentration dependent manner through induction of apoptotic cell death accompanied by induction of cleaved caspase-3, -8, -9, Bax, p21 and p53, but decrease of xIAP, cIAP and Bcl2 expression. Thiacremonone further inhibited glutathione peroxidase activity in lung cancer cells. However, the cell growth inhibitory effect of thiacremonone was not observed in the lung cancer cells transfected with mutant PRDX6 (C47S) and in the presence of dithiothreitol and glutathione. In an allograft in vivo model, thiacremonone (30 mg/kg) also inhibited tumor growth accompanied with the reduction of PRDX6 expression and glutathione peroxidase activity, but increased expression of cleaved caspase-3, -8, -9, Bax, p21 and p53. These data indicate that thiacremonone inhibits tumor growth via inhibition of glutathione peroxidase activity of PRDX6 through interaction. These data suggest that thiacremonone may have potentially beneficial effects in lung cancer.

Anti-cancer effect of bee venom in prostate cancer cells through activation of caspase pathway via inactivation of NF-κB.

BACKGROUND: Bee venom has been used as a traditional medicine to treat arthritis, rheumatism, back pain, cancerous tumors, and skin diseases. However, the effects of bee venom on the prostate cancer and their action mechanisms have not been reported yet. METHODS: To determine the effect of bee venom and its major component, melittin on the prostate cancer cells, apoptosis is analyzed by tunnel assay and apoptotic gene expression. For xenograft studies, bee venom was administrated intraperitoneally twice per week for 4 weeks, and the tumor growth was measured and the tumor were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. To investigate whether bee venom and melittin can inactivate nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), we assessed NF-κB activity in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Bee venom (1-10 µg/ml) and melittin (0.5-2.5 µg/ml) inhibited cancer cell growth through induction of apoptotic cell death in LNCaP, DU145, and PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. These effects were mediated by the suppression of constitutively activated NF-κB. Bee venom and melittin decreased anti-apoptotic proteins but induced pro-apoptotic proteins. However, pan caspase inhibitor abolished bee venom and melittin-induced apoptotic cell death and NF-κB inactivation. Bee venom (3-6 mg/kg) administration to nude mice implanted with PC-3 cells resulted in inhibition of tumor growth and activity of NF-κB accompanied with apoptotic cell death. Therefore, these results indicated that bee venom and melittin could inhibit prostate cancer in in vitro and in vivo, and these effects may be related to NF-κB/caspase signal mediated induction of apoptotic cell death.

4-O-Methylhonokiol attenuates memory impairment in presenilin 2 mutant mice through reduction of oxidative damage and inactivation of astrocytes and the ERK pathway.

Presenilin 2 (PS2) mutation increases Aß generation and neuronal cell death in the brains of Alzheimer disease (AD) patients. In a previous study, we showed that increased oxidative damage and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) were associated with Aß generation and neuronal cell death in neuronal cells expressing mutant PS2. In this study, we show that oral treatment with 4-O-methylhonokiol, a novel compound isolated from Magnolia officinalis, for 3 months (1.0mg/kg) prevented PS2 mutation-induced memory impairment and neuronal cell death accompanied by a reduction in Aß(1-42) accumulation. We also found that 4-O-methylhonokiol inhibited PS2 mutation-induced activation of ERK and ß-secretase, and oxidative protein and lipid damage, but recovered glutathione levels in the cortex and hippocampus of PS2 mutant mice. Additionally, 4-O-methylhonokiol prevented PS2 mutation-induced activation of astrocytes as well as production of TNF-α, IL-1ß, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nitric oxide (NO) in neurons. Generation of TNF-α, IL-1ß, ROS, and NO and ERK activation in cultured astrocytes treated with lipopolysaccharide (1µg/ml) were also prevented by 4-O-methylhonokiol in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the improving effects of 4-O-methylhonokiol on memory function may be associated with a suppression of the activation of ERK and astrocytes as well as a reduction in oxidative damage. Thus, 4-O-methylhonokiol may be useful in the prevention and treatment of AD.