Advances in Traditional Medicine最新文献

Ziziphus jujuba is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, whose fruit (Jujubae fructus) has been highly utilized in herbal medicine for decades. The fruit of this plant contains a wide variety of phytochemicals having efficacious biological activity. These phytochemicals have been utilized in this study to discover potential drug candidates in preventing osteoarthritis (OA) progression using network pharmacology and molecular docking method. The phytochemicals information of Jujubae fructus was obtained from the TCMSP database, which were screened for druglikeness and oral bioavailability. Screened compounds were explored for Network pharmacology using BATMAN-TCM database and Molecular Docking with IGEMDOCK 2.1. Obtained compounds from this analysis were used to predict their ADMET properties. Network pharmacology analysis showed that Mairin, Oleanonic acid, Oleanolic acid, and Stigmasterol reduce inflammation and activate Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARs) signaling pathway to intervene with OA progression. Molecular docking predicted that Mairin, Oleanonic acid, and Stigmasterol reduce inflammation by targeting Janus-kinase-2 protein. All these compounds have moderate ADMET qualities, which need to be calibrated to counteract their toxic effect and increase the drug effectivity. Mairin, Oleanonic acid, and Stigmasterol are the potential phytochemicals of Jujubae fructus playing a therapeutic role in OA. These compounds can be further explored for invitro and clinical studies.

Thymoquinone (TQ), the main bioactive component of Nigella sativa, has shown promising anticarcinogenic activity in extensive preclinical studies. This study aimed to evaluate the antitumor activity of TQ, in a wide range of doses with monotherapy and combined use with known the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (Dox) and linseed oil (LO) in a rat model with Pliss lymphosarcoma (PLS) and a mouse model with Lewis lung adenocarcinoma (LLC). Animals was administered orally of TQ daily for 12 days at doses of 5, 10 and 30 mg/kg of body weight (rats) and 5 mg/kg (mice) from the 7th day after subcutaneous transplantation of tumors, as well as combinations of TQ with Dox (5 mg/kg, once at the start of treatment by i.p.) and LO (3 ml/kg, orally). It was found that TQ in the studied doses significantly suppresses the growth of the PLS and the LLC tumors (p < 0.001) and increases the frequency of complete tumor regression (FCR) (p < 0.001) compared to control. TQ, especially (TQ + LO) were able to effectively potentiates the antitumor effect of Dox when used in combination, reducing the PLS tumor volume at the end of treatment by 1.9–2.7 times (p < 0.009), increasing the FCR tumors 60 days after the start of treatment by 2.7–3.7 times (p < 0.02) (PLS) and by 1.5 times (p ≤ 0.05) (LLC), as well as reducing the LLC frequency of metastasis compared to Dox monotherapy. The results strongly suggest that TQ and its combination with LO have clinical potential as an adjuvant in cancer chemotherapy using Dox.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is an herb utilized all over the world for its extensive phytochemical properties. This study aims to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of Zingiber officinale. Arthritis was induced in the rats used in the experiment using Complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA). Gas chromatography-Mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) was used to screen for bioactive components present in ginger. For ten days, Zingiber officinale ethanolic extract (62.5, 125, and 250 mg/kg/day) was administered orally to the rats. Edema in the paws was measured before and 10 days after Zingiber officinale treatment in order to identify pathological alterations. Additionally, cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) were assessed in plasma. When compared to the control group, the CFA-arthritis induced group had edema in their paws and knee joints considerably reduced upon treated with Zingiber officinale at days 6, 8, and 10. Rats in the groups given Zingiber officinale also showed a significant decrease in cytokine levels and also recovered from the pathological alterations brought on by CFA. Twenty bioactive metabolites were found when the extracts of the ethanol, hexane, and chloroform was analyzed using GC-MS. There were no carbohydrates or steroids in the chloroform and n-hexane extract. Protein and cardiac glycoside were also missing. In summary, our findings demonstrated that Zingiber officinale treatment was successful in preventing CFA-induced arthritis through its cytokine level regulation anti-inflammatory property.

Introduction

Medicinal plants have been traditionally used in the treatment of various diseases including cancer, however, their IC₅₀ determined in vitro are hardly attained in patients. Rheum ribes L. is an indigenous medicinal plant shown to possess anticancer activity due to high polyphenolic compounds abundance. Our objective was to assess if long-term exposure to plant extract concentrations lower than IC₅₀ may still possess an anticancer potential.

Methods

We used the ethanolic extract of rhizomes of Rheum ribes L. (EERR) and assessed its effect on proliferation, clonogenicity, and senescence in cell lines-based models.

Results

Our results showed that EERR has a short-term antiproliferative activity on non-small cell lung carcinoma A549, breast cancer MCF7, and glioblastoma SF268 cell lines with IC₅₀ varying from 100 to 255 µg/mL. Additionally, EERR decreased the population doubling level and the clonogenic ability of the three cancer cell lines at lower concentrations (10 to 100 µg/mL) and with longer treatment protocols. This was accompanied by a significant increase in the senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity, suggesting that EERR induces senescence at these concentrations.

Conclusion

EERR displayed anticancer activity at concentrations 2- to 10-fold lower than the IC₅₀ in three different cancer cell lines and should be further investigated as it may provide novel therapeutic avenues for cancer treatment.

Graphical abstract

Myocardial injury (MI) has remain a global concern due to high mortality rate associated with cardiovascular diseases. Jatropha tanjorensis (J. tanjorensis) is a medicinal herb with proven medicinal properties. This study investigated the level of cardio-inflammatory response in adrenaline-induced MI in rats treated with J. tanjorensis. Twenty Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 5). Group 1 served as Control. Group 2 was induced with MI using 2 mg/kg bodyweight of adrenaline administered subcutaneously for two days at 24 h interval between the first and second administrations. Group 3 received 200 mg/kg body weight of methanol extract of J. tanjorensis orally for 14days while Group 4 were induced with MI using 2 mg/kg body weight of adrenaline and treated with 200 mg/kg of J. tanjorensis leaf extract for 14 days. Blood was collected via cardiac puncture for biochemical analysis. J. tanjorensis reduced adrenaline-induced MI by lowering serum concentration of ALT, AST and ALP, pro-inflammatory (MDA, CRP and IL-6) and cardiac injury markers (CK-MB, Troponin-I). SOD and NO level were also raised in J. tanjorensis-treated animals. The extract also restored histoarchitectural changes in the cardiac muscle. Jatropha tanjorensis mitigates cardio-inflammatory response and restores cyto-architecture of the cardiac muscle in adrenaline-induced MI rats.

Plant secondary metabolites have been gaining significant attention as potential cancer therapeutics in recent years. In several cases, these are present in plants that are commonly found in the surrounding environment. This study explores the anticancer properties of the methanolic extract of Oxalis corniculata, a common creeper plant known to have medicinal properties. The phytochemical characterization of the extract was performed by biochemical tests and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). Cytotoxicity studies on the HCT-116 cell line have shown that the extract can inhibit cell proliferation with an IC₅₀ value of 119.498 µg/mL. Through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation, it has been observed that two constituents of the extract namely Desulphosinigrin and d-Glycero-d-ido-heptose exhibit strong and specific interactions with the caspase binding site of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP). Thus, these compounds may be capable of inhibiting XIAP in the cellular environment, thereby promoting apoptosis, resulting in the death of cancer cells.

Lecithin is one of the most useful and valuable by-products of the oilseed industry and has long been a crucial component of a wide range of both food and non-food items. Lecithin obtained from soybean (Soy) is called soy lecithin and is composed of triglycerides, fatty acids, pigments, sterols, steroid glycosides, esters, tocopherols, and carbohydrates. Lecithin serves a variety of industrial purposes in food as well as non-food industries. Soy lecithin has grown in importance as a component of nutraceuticals and food supplements during the past few decades. Soy lecithin primarily consists of phospholipids including phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylserine (PS) which plays a major role in biological and structural processes such as cellular signalling and membrane transport. Soy lecithin has exceptional biocompatibility and is amphipathic in nature. Because of these special qualities, soy lecithin is best suited to be used as a major pharmacological excipient, and it is broadly used in drug delivery systems. It also has a significant role in medicine as it is an antioxidant, increases biliary secretions, maintains cholesterol levels, storehouse of choline, and supports the synthesis of crucial neurotransmitters involved in memory recall and storage. The core intent of this review is to investigate and update the information on the therapeutic importance of soy lecithin and highlight its various other commercial roles in the pharmaceutical industries and food industries.

Opium Use Disorder (OUD) has the highest rate of opioid use disorder in Iran. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Azaraghi Majoon (AM), a traditional Persian compound, on a rat model of OUD. AM was prepared from a combination of 14 herbs plus honey, standardized by strychnine and brucine using high-performance liquid chromatography, and administered by gavage. One hundred twenty male mice were used to investigate the effect of AM on the manifestations of opium withdrawal syndrome and craving for opium. Naloxone-precipitated withdrawal signs and conditioned place preference (CPP) test were used to assess the scopes mentioned above of OUD, respectively. A modified schedule of opium dependence was used to assess physical dependence (last for eight days). 50 mg/ml/kg intraperitoneal opium and 50, 100, or 150 mg/ml/kg gavaged AM in different groups were administered in the CPP paradigm. In the CPP test, treating opium-addicted animals with AM (50 and 150 mg/kg for time and 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg for frequency) resulted in the extinction of preference for drug compartments. Also, the administration of AM decreased the number of jumping, diarrhea, rearing, and grooming following naloxone-precipitated opium withdrawal signs. As AM could improve both physical and psychological withdrawal signs of opium use disorder in rats in this study, the authors suggest consideration of clinical trials to investigate possible beneficial effects of AM in OUD patients.

The concept of body constitution (BC) is a core notion in traditional Chinese medicine, used in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; however, there is little standardization in terms of definitions and measurements. To improve standardization, constructive questionnaires have been developed to classify the various BC types. One of the most commonly used is the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ). Despite including nine BCs, CCMQ lacks the blood-vacuity constitution, although it is often noted in clinical practice. In this study, we have modified the original CCMQ to include the blood-vacuity constitution and amended the language to better suit the Taiwan population. The revised questionnaire was given to a panel of experts to check for content validity, and then distributed to volunteers for completion. The reliability analysis, based on 512 valid questionnaires, achieved a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.65–0.86. The content validity index scores ranged from 60 to 100. In addition, we collected demographic data from our volunteers and found that BMI, gender, exercise frequency, disease status, allergies, and psychiatric disorder status may impact the body constitution. Collectively, our study presents an expanded version of the CCMQ which includes the blood-vacuity constitution, and has been validated among the Taiwanese population. Demographic data also demonstrates possible relationships among BC, lifestyle and diseases.

The current investigation compared the efficacy of an ethanol extract of B. racemosa L. leaf against standard bacterial and fungal cultures. Quantitative phytochemical analysis of Phenol, Flavonoid and Tanin was studied by the appropriate methods; Heavy metal test was done by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer; Antimicrobial activity was done by disc diffusion and agar well diffusion method; MIC through 96 well method and antioxidant assay was performed by DPPH and ABTS. Ethanol extract of B. racemosa L. showed significantly higher inhibitory effect against E. coli, S. aureus and B. cereus, and moderate antimicrobial activity against K. pneumoniae, but it was inactive on fungal strain at lower concentrations. The minimum bactericidal concentration of B. racemosa L. extract against the pathogenic bacteria tested was 1.25 mg/ml for P. aeruginosa, 2.5 mg/ml for E. coli and 5 mg/ml for B. cereus, K. pnuemoniae, and S. aureus. The extract has exhibited antioxidant activity which was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS as 61.61 ± 0.61 and 64.45 ± 0.49% of inhibition in 250 µg/ml concentration. Prominent phytochemical bioconstituents, as determined by phytochemical investigation, comprise flavonoids (8.712 ± 0.7 mg/g Rutin equivalents), tannins (2.930 ± 0.73 mg/g Tannic acid equivalents) and phenol (12.06 ± 0.25 mg/g Gallic acid equivalents) etc. Lethality experiment was performed by using brine shrimp to determine the cytotoxicity of plant extract and the substantial mortality rate observed as LC50 = 22.8435 µg/mL. The result of fluorescence analysis showed various shades of green and brown fluorescence in visible light and various shades of green, blue and brown were found under UV light. HPTLC, FTIR and GCMS were done to find out the bioactive phytocompounds.