Tsaokopyranols A-M, 2,6-epoxydiarylheptanoids from Amomum tsao-ko and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity.

The dried fruits of Amomum tsao-ko are well-known dietary spices and traditional Chinese medicines. The random screen revealed that 50% ethanol-water extract of A. tsao-ko demonstrated significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 38.6 µg/mL. Bioactivity-guided isolation on the active fraction afforded 13 new 2,6-epoxy diarylheptanoids, tsaokopyranols A-M (1-13), and four known ones (14-17). Their structures featuring a 2,6-epoxy pyran ring were established by extensively spectroscopic analyses (HRESIMS, IR, UV, 1D and 2D NMR) and ECD calculations. Seven new (4-6, 8-11) and one known (16) compounds showed obvious α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC50 values ranging from 59.4 to 116.5 µM, higher than acarbose (IC50: 219.0 µM). An enzyme kinetic analysis indicated that compounds 12 and 13 were noncompetitive-type inhibitors of α-glucosidase with Ki values of 539.6 and 385.2 µM. This result provided new insights for the usage of A. tsao-ko, and 2,6-epoxydiarylheptanoids as new anti-diabetic candidates.

Eimeria maxima: efficacy of recombinant Mycobacterium bovis BCG expressing apical membrane antigen1 against homologous infection.

Coccidiosis is one of the most important protozoan diseases and inflicts severe economic losses on the poultry industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) to deliver apical membrane antigen1 (AMA1) of Eimeria maxima to stimulate specific cellular and humoral immune responses in chickens. Day-old birds were immunized twice with rBCG/pMV261-AMA1, rBCG/pMV361-AMA1, or BCG via oral, intranasal, and subcutaneous routes and then orally challenged with homologous E. maxima sporulated oocysts. Gain of body weight, fecal oocyst output, lesion scores, serum antibody responses, numbers of splenocyte CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, and gut cytokine transcript levels were assessed as measures of protective immunity. Challenge experiments demonstrated that rBCG vaccination via intranasal or subcutaneous routes could increase weight gain, decrease intestinal lesions, and reduce fecal oocyst shedding, and the subcutaneous and intranasal routes were superior to the oral route based on the immune effects. Furthermore, intranasal rBCG immunization could also lead to a significant increase in serum antibody, the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte cells, and the levels of IL-1ß, IFN-γ, IL-15, and IL-10 mRNAs compared with the control group. These results suggested that intranasal rBCG immunization could induce a strong humoral and cellular response directed against homologous E. maxima infection. This study provides data for the use of rBCG to develop a prophylactic vaccine against coccidiosis.

Nineteen New Flavanol-Fatty Alcohol Hybrids with α-Glucosidase and PTP1B Dual Inhibition: One Unusual Type of Antidiabetic Constituent from Amomum tsao-ko.

The dried fruits of Amomum tsao-ko were first revealed to have hypoglycemic effects on db/db mice at a concentration of 200 mg/kg. In order to clarify the antidiabetic constituents, 19 new flavanol-fatty alcohol hybrids, tsaokoflavanols A-S (1-19), were isolated and determined by extensive spectroscopic data and ECD calculations. Most of the compounds showed α-glucosidase and PTP1B dual inhibition, among which 1, 2, 6, 11, and 18 exhibited obvious activity against α-glucosidase with IC50 values of 5.2-9.0 µM, 20-35 times stronger than that of acarbose (IC50, 180.0 µM); meanwhile, 6, 10-12, and 19 were PTP1B/TCPTP-selective inhibitors with IC50 values of 56.4-80.4 µM, 2-4 times stronger than that of suramin sodium (IC50, 200.5 µM). Enzyme kinetics study indicated that compounds 1, 2, 6, and 11 were α-glucosidase and PTP1B mixed-type inhibitors with Ki values of 13.0, 11.7, 2.9, and 5.3 µM and 142.3, 88.9, 39.2, and 40.8 µM, respectively. Docking simulations proved the importance of hemiacetal hydroxy, the orientation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl, and the length of alkyl in binding with α-glucosidase and PTP1B.

Lactobacillus plantarum vaccine vector expressing hemagglutinin provides protection against H9N2 challenge infection.

Hemagglutinin (HA) has been demonstrated as an effective candidate vaccine antigen against AIVs. Dendritic cell-targeting peptide (DCpep) can enhance the robustness of immune responses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether DCpep could enhance the immune response against H9N2 AIV when utilizing Lactobacillus plantarum NC8 (NC8) to present HA-DCpep in mouse and chicken models. To accomplish this, a mucosal vaccine of a recombinant NC8 strain expressing HA and DCpep that was constructed in a previous study was employed. Orally administered NC8-pSIP409-HA-DCpep elicited high serum titers of hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies in mice and also induced robust T cell immune responses in both mouse and chicken models. Orally administered NC8-pSIP409-HA-DCpep elicited high serum titers of hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies in mice and also induced robust T cell immune responses in both mouse and chicken models. These results revealed that recombinant L. plantarum NC8-pSIP409-HA-DCpep is an effective vaccine candidate against H9N2 AIVs.