AIM OF THE STUDY: The molecular mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory properties of M. accedens are not yet understood. Therefore, we examined those mechanisms using a methanol extract of M. accedens (Ma-ME) and determined the target molecule in macrophages.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of Ma-ME in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and in an HCl/EtOH-triggered gastritis model in mice. To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity, we performed a nitric oxide (NO) production assay and ELISA assay for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). RT-PCR, luciferase gene reporter assays, western blotting analyses, and a cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) were conducted to identify the mechanism and target molecule of Ma-ME. The phytochemical composition of Ma-ME was analyzed by HPLC and LC-MS/MS.
RESULTS: Ma-ME suppressed the production of NO and PGE2 and the mRNA expression of proinflammatory genes (iNOS, IL-1β, and COX-2) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells without cytotoxicity. Ma-ME inhibited NF-κB activation by suppressing signaling molecules such as IκBα, Akt, Src, and Syk. Moreover, the CETSA assay revealed that Ma-ME binds to Syk, the most upstream molecule in the NF-κB signal pathway. Oral administration of Ma-ME not only alleviated inflammatory lesions, but also reduced the gene expression of IL-1β and p-Syk in mice with HCl/EtOH-induced gastritis. HPLC and LC-MS/MS analyses confirmed that Ma-ME contains various anti-inflammatory flavonoids, including quercetin, daidzein, and nevadensin.
CONCLUSIONS: Ma-ME exhibited anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo by targeting Syk in the NF-κB signaling pathway. Therefore, we propose that Ma-ME could be used to treat inflammatory diseases such as gastritis.
METHODS: The antidiarrheal investigation was performed by using in vivo castor oil-induced diarrheal method whereas in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant investigation have been implemented by disc diffusion and DPPH scavenging method respectively. Moreover, in silico studies were followed by molecular docking analysis of several secondary metabolites that were appraised with Schrödinger-Maestro v11.1 and Biovia Discovery Studio.
RESULTS: The induction of plant extract (200 and 400 mg/kg, b.w, p.o) has minimized the castor oil mediated diarrhea by 16.96% (p
MATERIAL AND METHODS: The composition of Danshen water extract was determined using (High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Then Thioflavin T assay was used to determined if Danshen water extract could prevent the aggregation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ). Alzheimer's disease C.elegans model was used to determine the effect of Danshen water extract. Finally, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) was determined using the 2,7-dichlorofuorescein diacetate method.
RESULTS: In this study, we found that standardized Danshen water extract that contains danshensu (1.26%), salvianolic acid A (0.35%) and salvianolic acid B (2.21%) are able to bind directly to Aβ and prevents it from aggregating. The IC50 for the inhibition of Aβ aggregation by Danshen water extract was 0.5 mg/ml. In the AD model of C.elegans, Danshen water extract managed to alleviates the paralysis phenotype. Furthermore, the administration of Danshen water extract displayed antioxidant properties toward the Aβ-induced oxidative stress.
CONCLUSIONS: AD is a widespread neurodegenerative disease attributed to the accumulation of extracellular plaques comprising Aβ. Danshen water extract could significantly reduce the progress of paralysis in the AD model of C. elegans, showing promising results with its antioxidant properties. It can be concluded that Danshen water extract could potentially serve as a therapeutic for AD.
AIM OF THE STUDY: However, there are no scientific reports documented on the wound healing activities of this plant against Staphylococcus aureus infections in the Sprague Dawley male rat model. Thus, the present study was conducted to evaluate the wound healing potential of E. guineensis extract leaves.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The crude extract was prepared in 10% (w/w) ointment and evaluated for wound healing activity using excision and infected wound models in Sprague Dawley rats. The wound healing activity was evaluated from wound closure rate, CFU reduction, histological analysis of granulation tissue and matrix metalloprotease expression.
RESULTS: The results show that the E. guineensis extract has potent wound healing ability, as manifest from improved wound closure and tissue regeneration supported by histopathological parameters. Assessment of granulation tissue every fourth day showed a significant reduction in the microbial count. The expression of matrix metalloproteinases was well correlated with the other results, hence confirming E. guineensis wound healing activity's effectiveness.
CONCLUSIONS: E. guineensis enhanced infected wound healing in rats, thus supporting its traditional use.