Inflammation and oxidative stress are involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension and ischemic heart disease. Natural products play an important role as nutritional supplements with potential health benefits in cardiovascular diseases. Polygonum minus (PM) is an aromatic plant that is widely used as a flavoring agent in cooking and has been recognized as a plant with various medicinal properties including antioxidative and anti-inflammatory actions. Phytoconstituents found in PM such as phenolic and flavonoid compounds contribute to the plant's antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. We conducted this review to systematically identify articles related to the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of PM. A computerized database search was conducted on Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and ACS publication, from 1946 until May 2020, and the following keywords were used: 'Kesum OR Polygonum minus OR Persicaria minor' AND 'inflammat* OR oxida* OR antioxida*'. A total of 125 articles were obtained. Another eight additional articles were identified through Google Scholar and review articles. Altogether, 17 articles were used for data extraction, comprising 16 articles on antioxidant and one article on anti-inflammatory activity of PM. These studies consist of 14 in vitro studies, one in vivo animal study, one combined in vitro and in vivo study and one combined in vitro and ex vivo study. All the studies reported that PM exhibits antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities which are most likely attributed to its high phenolic and flavonoid content.
In spite of medical advances, cardiovascular disease remains a significant concern, imposing a great burden upon the economy and public health of nations by causing the highest morbidity and mortality cases globally. Moreover, it is well established that inflammation is closely linked to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Hence, targeting inflammation seems to be a promising strategy in reducing cardiovascular risks. Currently, the importance of natural products in modern medicine is well recognised and continues to be of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Phenolic acids are a class of phytochemical compounds that are well-known for their health benefits. They consists of various phytochemical constituents and have been widely studied in various disease models. Research involving both animals and humans has proven that phenolic acids possess cardioprotective properties such as anti-hypertensive, anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-fibrotic and anti-hypertrophy activity. Furthermore, numerous studies have proven that phenolic acids in phytochemical constituents such as gallic acid, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid are promising anti-inflammatory agents. Hence, in this review, we outline and review recent evidence on the role of phenolic acids and their anti-inflammatory significance in studies published during the last 5 years. We also discuss their possible mechanisms of action in modulating inflammation related to cardiovascular disease.
In patients with acute heart failure (AHF), hemoconcentration has been suggested as a surrogate for volume changes (AHF). However, literatures comparing the outcome of AHF patients that achieved hemoconcentration during hospitalization with those that do not are limited. The aim of this research is to see if achieving hemoconcentration prior to discharge is linked to a lower risk of re-admission in AHF patients. 124 patients hospitalized in the Cardiology Unit, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) for AHF between November 2019 and November 2020 were enrolled. Information on patients' clinical characteristics, laboratory values and in-hospital treatments were collected through electronic medical record. At admission and discharge, the change in hematocrit (HCT) levels was calculated, and patients were stratified based on two quantiles of delta HCT, either discharged with hemoconcentration (ΔHCT >1.5%) or without hemoconcentration (ΔHCT ≤1.5%). The study's outcome was AHF readmission after a 90-day follow-up period. Readmission was significantly associated with ejection fraction (p = 0.032) and HCT change (p = 0.005). Consecutively, logistic regression performed revealed that patients with haemoconcentration were 78.3% less likely to be readmitted than those without haemoconcentration (OR = 0.217, p = 0.003, 95% CI = 0.078-0.605) and Patients with a lower ejection fraction have a threefold greater chance of being readmitted than those with a preserved ejection fraction (OR = 3.316, p = 0.022, 95% CI = 1.188-9.256). In conclusion, among patients hospitalized and discharged for AHF, those that (i) do not achieve haemoconcentration and (ii) patients with a reduced ejection fraction were more likely to be readmitted with acute heart failure. Therefore, optimising patients' haematocrit levels prior to discharge may potentially reduce rehospitalizations among heart failure patients.