The Eleutherococcus senticosus fruits' intractum affects changes in the transepithelial electric potential in the distal section of the rabbit's large intestine and inhibits hyaluronidase.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Maxim. has been used in traditional Russian medicine due to its recognized immunostimulant and anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds present in the fruits have demonstrated the capability to modulate the activity of enzymes such as hyaluronidase, suggesting their potential value in the development of effective therapies for various conditions where anti-inflammatory properties are beneficial, such as gastrointestinal diseases and tumor growth. AIM OF THE STUDY: In order to support the use of the fruits in folk medicine, this study is aimed to evaluate, post-mortem, the impact of E. senticosus fruits intractum (40 % extract made from fresh fruits) on the transepithelial electrogenic transport of sodium ions in the colon. The objective of this study was also to examine the impact of the intractum on proinflammatory serum hyaluronidase in children diagnosed with acute leukemia. METHODS: The study employed the Ussing technique to examine electrophysiological characteristics of isolated epithelial tissue, using the distal colon wall isolated from 10 New Zealand white male rabbits. The effect of the intractum on the inhibition of human serum hyaluronidase was examined with turbidimetric screening methods, using the blood samples collected from patients diagnosed with acute leukemia. RESULTS: For the first time, we discovered that the intractum used in the stimulation fluid, caused hyperpolarization reactions in colon tissue. Statistical analysis showed that these reactions were significantly different in relation to the control. The intractum significantly inhibited hyaluronidase activity with the mean value by group of 60 %, and 40 % for aescin used as a control. CONCLUSION: The results support the traditional use of the fruits in inflammatory-related diseases. The use of intractum of E. senticosus on the distal colon wall demonstrates its protective effect on the wall integrity and in a relation to hyaluronidase inhibition may additionally indicate its anti-inflammatory property. Thus, the results mean that the intractum may be used in colon-related diseases.

Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant and Anti-Enzymatic Activities of Selected Adaptogenic Plants from South America, Asia, and Africa.

Despite the fact that there are many studies related to the adaptogenic and pro-healthy activities of plant-based compounds, there are some adaptogenic plants whose activities are not fully known, especially those coming from the wild regions of Asia, Africa, and South America. The aim of these studies was to examine the contents of non-nutritional compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids in ten adaptogenic species (Astragalus membranaceus (AM), Uncaria rhynchophylla (UR), Polygonum multiflorum (PM), Angelica sinensis (AS), Andrographis paniculatea (AP), Tinospora cordifolia (TC), Uncaria tomentosa (UT), Pfaffia paniculate (PP), Sutherlandia frutescens (SF), and Rhaponticum carthamoides (RC)). Considering biological activity, their antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and ferrous-ion-chelating ability assays), anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-hyaluronidase, and anti-tyrosinase activities were evaluated. The richest in polyphenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids was UR (327.78 mg GAE/g, 230.13 mg QE/g, and 81.03 mg CA/g, respectively). The highest inhibitions of acetylcholinesterase, hyaluronidase, and tyrosinase were observed for TC, UR, and PM, respectively. In the case of antioxidant properties, extract from PM appeared to most strongly reduce DPPH, extract from UR inhibited ABTS, and extract from SF showed the best chelating properties. It should be noted that a particularly interesting plant was Ulcaria rhynchophylla. The results mean that there were compounds in UR with broad biological activities, and this species should be explored in more detail. Additionally, our results justify the traditional use of these species in the nutripharmacological or ethnopharmacological care systems of different regions.

Effect of Supplementation with Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) Extract on Inflammatory Status and Selected Markers of Iron Metabolism in Young Football Players: A Randomized Double-Blind Trial.

The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements in amateur and professional sports has increased in the last decades. This is because most of these products and supplements contain bioactive compounds with a variety of biological properties that exert a physiological effect on the human body. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of dietary supplementation with lyophilized black chokeberry extract on the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, hepcidin, and selected markers of iron metabolism in a group of young football players. This double-blind study included 22 male football players (mean = 19.96 ± 0.56), divided into two groups: supplemented and placebo. Before and after a 90-day period of training combined with supplementation (6 g of lyophilized black chokeberry extract), participants performed maximal multistage 20-m shuttle run tests at the beginning and at the end of the supplementation period, with blood sampled for analysis at different times before and after exercise. The levels of IL-6, IL-10, ferritin, myoglobin, hepcidin, 8-OHdG, albumin, and TAC were analyzed. The analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of 90-day supplementation with the lyophilized extract on changes in the IL-6 and IL-10 levels, and TAC induced by maximal aerobic effort. In conclusion, supplementation with lyophilized black chokeberry extract improves the performance and antioxidant status of serum in humans and induces protective changes in inflammatory markers.

Effects of antioxidant supplementation on oxidative stress balance in young footballers- a randomized double-blind trial.

BACKGROUND: Intensive physical exercise that competitive sports athletes participate in can negatively affect their pro-oxidative-antioxidant balance. Compounds with high antioxidant potential, such as those present in chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), can prevent these adverse changes. We here investigated the effect of antioxidant supplementation on oxidative stress balance in young footballers. METHODS: The study was designed as a double-blind randomized trial. Diet of a group of young football players (male; n = 20; mean age, 15.8 years-old) was supplemented with 200 ml of chokeberry juice per day, for 7 weeks. The players were randomly assigned to the experimental (supplemented, FP-S; n = 12) and control (placebo, FB-C; n = 8) groups. Before and after the supplementation period, the participants performed a beep test. Venous blood was sampled for serum analysis before, immediately after, 3 h, and 24 h after the beep test. Serum levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive products, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, total antioxidant capacity, iron, hepcidin, ferritin, myoglobin, and albumin, and morphological blood parameters (red blood cells, (RBC), haemoglobin (HGB), haematocrit (HCT) mean corpuscular volume (MCV) mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and lactic acid) were determined. RESULTS: Chokeberry juice supplementation did not significantly affect the outcome of the beep test. The supplementation did not significantly affect any of the morphological, biochemical, or performance parameters analysed. CONCLUSIONS: Chokeberry juice supplementation did not affect the measured parameters in the studied population, which may indicate insufficient antioxidant capacity of the juice.