Antiglycation, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities of Uvaria chamae root and essential oil composition.

Uvaria chamae (Annonaceae), is an essential oil bearing plant; the root is acclaimed as an effective remedy for folkloric diabetic therapy. The root extracts were evaluated for composition, antiglycation, antioxidant, and cytotoxicity. Flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and tannins were relatively high in the alcohol extract; benzyl benzoate (23.3%), dimethoxy-p-cymene (14.2%), τ-cadinol (12.1%), and methyl thymol (8.7%) predominated the constituents identified by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The ethanol extract demonstrated significant antiglycation activity (IC50, 1.12 mg/mL), and cytotoxicity to brine shrimp (LC50, 25.01 µg/mL). The extract (IC50, 8.0 µg/mL; absorbance 0.531, 100 µg/mL) also exhibited better antioxidant effects compared with the essential oil (IC50, 50.0 µg/mL; absorbance 0.292, 100 µg/mL) using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical and ferric reducing power assays respectively. U. chamae root possess antiglycation effect, and may also reduce oxidative stress in patients with diabetes; its antiglycation effect, oil composition, and cytotoxicity are reported for the first time.[Formula: see text].

Astragalus polysaccharides inhibit avian infectious bronchitis virus infection by regulating viral replication.

The avian coronavirus causes infectious bronchitis (IB), which is one of the most serious diseases affecting the avian industry worldwide. However, there are no effective strategies for controlling the IB virus (IBV) at present. Therefore, development of novel antiviral treatment strategies is urgently required. As reported, astragalus polysaccharides (APS) have potential antiviral effects against several viruses; however, the antiviral effect of APS against IBV remains unclear. In this study, we explored whether APS had the potential to inhibit IBV infectionby utilizing several in vitro experimental approaches. To this end, the effect of APS on the replication of IBV was examined in chicken embryo kidney (CEK) cells. Viral titers were calculated by using the plaque formation assay, and the cytotoxicity of APS was tested by utilizing a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The expression of viral mRNA and cytokine (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α) mRNA transcripts was determined by real-time quantitative RT-PCR(qRT-PCR). IBV titers in infected CEK cells treated with APS were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that APS inhibited IBV replication in vitro. We also found that the decreased viral replication after APS treatment was associated with reduced mRNA levels of the cytokines IL-1B, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α. In conclusion, these results suggest that APS exhibit antiviral activities against IBV and it may represent a potential therapeutic agent for inhibiting the replication of IBV.

Phytochemicals that regulate neurodegenerative disease by targeting neurotrophins: a comprehensive review.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by progressive dementia and deterioration of cognitive function, is an unsolved social and medical problem. Age, nutrition, and toxins are the most common causes of AD. However, currently no credible treatment is available for AD. Traditional herbs and phytochemicals may delay its onset and slow its progression and also allow recovery by targeting multiple pathological causes by antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antiamyloidogenic properties. They also regulate mitochondrial stress, apoptotic factors, free radical scavenging system, and neurotrophic factors. Neurotrophins such as BDNF, NGF, NT3, and NT4/5 play a vital role in neuronal and nonneuronal responses to AD. Neurotrophins depletion accelerates the progression of AD and therefore, replacing such neurotrophins may be a potential treatment for neurodegenerative disease. Here, we review the phytochemicals that mediate the signaling pathways involved in neuroprotection specifically neurotrophin-mediated activation of Trk receptors and members of p75(NTR) superfamily. We focus on representative phenolic derivatives, iridoid glycosides, terpenoids, alkaloids, and steroidal saponins as regulators of neurotrophin-mediated neuroprotection. Although these phytochemicals have attracted attention owing to their in vitro neurotrophin potentiating activity, their in vivo and clinical efficacy trials has yet to be established. Therefore, further research is necessary to prove the neuroprotective effects in preclinical models and in humans.

[Study on quality of medicinal material of Thesium chinense].

OBJECTIVE: To study the quality of medicinal material of Thesium chinense. METHOD: The active ingredients of total flavonoids, kaempferol, mannitol, polysaccharides were selected as the evaluative indicators to comprehensively evaluate the quality of medicinal material of T. chinense. RESULT: The total flavone 3.38%, kaempferol 0.984 7 mg x g(-1), mannitol 6.12%, polysaccharides 14.08% and water soluble extract 30.28% were measured in the sample of T. chinense. There was a certain correlation among these selected active ingredients. The compositions of most biological activities component in T. chinense of different populations were similar, but the contents were different significantly. The content of activities component in T. chinense showed a general tendency of declining during growth period and with the increase time of storage. CONCLUSION: Flavone, kaempferol, mannitol, polysaccharides should be selected as the indicators to evaluate the quality of medicinal material of T. chinense.

Influence of Radix Isatidis on the endotoxin-induced release of TNF-alpha and IL-8 from HL-60 cells.

The effects of active antiendotoxin chemical fraction isolated from Radix Isatidis (fraction D) on TNF-alpha and IL-8 secretion in HL-60 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were studied. The appropriate densities of cell suspension and fraction D solution were determined by MTT colorimetric method. Fraction D and LPS were added to HL-60 cell suspension with three different methods respectively. The contents of TNF-alpha and IL-8 in the cultured supernatant induced by LPS were detected by using ELISA method. The results showed that the absorbance (A) was directly proportional to the number of cells and the linearity was good in the range from 0.25 x 10(5) to 2 x 10(5) cell/mL cell suspension. The fraction D significantly inhibited the oversecretion of TNF-alpha and IL-8 in HL-60 cells induced by LPS at the concentration of 7.812 mg/mL which had no cytotoxicity. It was indicated that the antiendotoxin mechanism of the active fraction from Radix Isatidis was contributed to the inhibition of the oversecretion of cytokines induced by LPS.

Insulin mediators are the signal transduction system responsible for insulin's actions on human placental steroidogenesis.

To test the hypothesis that insulin mediators serve as the signal transduction system for insulin's steroidogenic actions in human placental cytotrophoblasts, we examined the effects of two inositolglycan insulin mediators, the insulin pH 2.0 chiro-inositol mediator (IM-pH 2.0) and the insulin pH 1.3 myo-inositol mediator (IM-pH 1.3), on cytotrophoblastic steroidogenesis. When human cytotrophoblasts were incubated in medium supplemented with androstenedione for 24 h, treatment with IM-pH 2.0 or IM-pH 1.3 suppressed aromatase activity by 15% (P less than 0.05) and 49% (P less than 0.05), respectively, compared to insulin, which suppressed aromatase activity by 21% (P less than 0.05). When cytotrophoblasts were incubated in medium supplemented with pregnenolone for 24 h, treatment with IM-pH 2.0 or IM-pH 1.3 stimulated 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta HSD) activity by 145% (P less than 0.05) and 168% (P less than 0.05), respectively, compared to insulin, which stimulated 3 beta HSD activity by 63% (P less than 0.05). Suppression of aromatase activity and stimulation of 3 beta HSD activity by inositolglycan mediators were both concentration dependent. Moreover, preincubation of cytotrophoblasts with the antiinositolglycan antibody alpha IGP completely abolished insulin's ability to either inhibit aromatase or stimulate 3 beta HSD activity. These results indicate that insulin mediators mimic insulin's effects on cytotrophoblastic aromatase and 3 beta HSD activities and suggest that inositolglycan mediators are the signal transduction mechanism responsible for insulin's regulation of human placental steroid hormone biosynthesis.