RESUMO
Echinacea purpurea has been widely used for the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory tract infections and the common cold. The restraint stress has been reported to suppress a broad spectrum of immune functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of the pressed juice of E. purpurea (L.) Moench (EFLA®894; Echinacea) against restraint stress-induced immunosuppression in BALB/c mice. Echinacea significantly normalized the restraint stress-induced reduction in splenocyte proliferation and splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity (P < .05). Echinacea treatment significantly increased the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the blood (P < .05). In addition, Echinacea restored serum cytokine levels, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and interleukin-17 (IL-17), as well as the mRNA expressions of these cytokines in spleen (P < .05). Our findings suggest that Echinacea might have beneficial effects on restraint stress-induced immunosuppression by increasing splenocyte proliferation and NK cell activity, while modulating T lymphocyte subsets and cytokine levels in the blood.
Assuntos
Anti-Inflamatórios não Esteroides/uso terapêutico , Suplementos Nutricionais , Echinacea/química , Componentes Aéreos da Planta/química , Extratos Vegetais/uso terapêutico , Estresse Fisiológico/imunologia , Estresse Psicológico/imunologia , Animais , Anti-Inflamatórios não Esteroides/administração & dosagem , Biomarcadores/sangue , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/imunologia , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/metabolismo , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/patologia , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/imunologia , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/metabolismo , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/patologia , Proliferação de Células , Células Cultivadas , Citocinas/antagonistas & inibidores , Citocinas/sangue , Citocinas/genética , Citocinas/metabolismo , Terapia de Imunossupressão/efeitos adversos , Terapia de Imunossupressão/psicologia , Células Matadoras Naturais/imunologia , Células Matadoras Naturais/metabolismo , Células Matadoras Naturais/patologia , Contagem de Linfócitos , Masculino , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Extratos Vegetais/administração & dosagem , Distribuição Aleatória , Restrição Física/efeitos adversos , Restrição Física/psicologia , Baço/imunologia , Baço/metabolismo , Baço/patologia , Estresse Psicológico/etiologia , Estresse Psicológico/metabolismo , Estresse Psicológico/patologiaRESUMO
Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) bark extract, PineXol (PX), was investigated for its potential antioxidant and anti-inflammation effects in vitro. It was hypothesized that PX treatment (25-150 µg/ml) would reduce the lipid synthesis in HepG2 hepatocytes as well as lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Hepatocytes' intracellular triglycerides and cholesterol were decreased in the PX 150 µg/ml treatment group compared with the control (p < 0.05). Consequently, de novo lipogenic proteins (acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, elongase of very long chain fatty acids 6, glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 1, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1) were significantly decreased in hepatocytes by PX 150 µg/ml treatment compared with the control (p < 0.05). In differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, the lipid accumulation was significantly attenuated by all PX treatments (p < 0.01). Regulators of adipogenesis, including CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins alpha, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, and perilipin, were decreased in PX 100 µg/ml treatment compared with the control (p < 0.05). In conclusion, PX might have anti-obesity effects by blocking hepatic lipogenesis and by inhibiting adipogenesis in adipocytes.
Assuntos
Adipócitos/metabolismo , Adipogenia/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação para Baixo/efeitos dos fármacos , Lipogênese/fisiologia , Fígado/efeitos dos fármacos , Pinus/química , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Células 3T3-L1/efeitos dos fármacos , Acetil-CoA Carboxilase/metabolismo , Acetiltransferases/metabolismo , Adipócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Fármacos Antiobesidade/farmacologia , Proteína beta Intensificadora de Ligação a CCAAT/metabolismo , Diferenciação Celular , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Colesterol/metabolismo , Elongases de Ácidos Graxos , Glicerol-3-Fosfato O-Aciltransferase/metabolismo , Células Hep G2/efeitos dos fármacos , Hepatócitos/metabolismo , Humanos , Fígado/metabolismo , Camundongos , Obesidade , PPAR gama/metabolismo , Perilipina-1/metabolismo , Estearoil-CoA Dessaturase/metabolismo , Proteína de Ligação a Elemento Regulador de Esterol 1 , Triglicerídeos/metabolismoRESUMO
FlexPro MD® (FP-MD), a novel multi-ingredient dietary supplement formulation, has been demonstrated to relieve knee joint pain in humans. However, the mechanisms of action responsible for the activity of FP-MD have not been elucidated. In this study, we show the anti-inflammatory effects of FP-MD in RAW264.7 macrophage cells and mice challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). FP-MD significantly inhibited the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-1ß. In contrast, it elevated the mRNA levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. FP-MD markedly reduced LPS-induced phosphorylation levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 and inhibitor of κB-α (IκB-α). Importantly, the anti-inflammatory effects of FP-MD were demonstrated in mice with LPS-induced inflammatory arthritis in which FP-MD significantly reduced the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory markers. Thus, this study suggests that FP-MD has anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting NF-κB that may offer a molecular basis for its pain relief property.