Liver injury due to herbal and dietary supplements: A review of individual ingredients

Anti-obesity effects of red seaweed, Plocamium telfairiae, in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet

This study aimed to demonstrate the anti-obesity effect of Plocamium telfairiae (PT), a red seaweed. Different percentages of ethanol (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%) were used for the preparation of PT extract. Furthermore, 3T3-L1 cells were used to determine the percentage of ethanol for optimal anti-adipogenesis of PT, and the anti-obesity properties of the optimized extract of PT (PTE) (40%) was assessed in obese mice. The results indicate that 40% ethanol extract (40 PTE) significantly decreased fat accumulation and suppressed the expression of major adipogenesis factors such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP)-α, and phosphorylated ACC (pACC) in 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, in the high-fat diet-induced obese mice, 40 PTE significantly reduced the weights of white adipose tissue, as well as the levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, adiponectin, and insulin in the serum. Liver histopathology showed that steatosis decreased in all the PTE treatment groups. The adipogenesis-related proteins, PPAR-γ and SREBP-1, were also significantly decreased in PTE treatment groups. Additionally, 40 PTE increased mRNA expression of mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCP)-1 and UCP-3 in brown adipose tissue. These findings provide evidence that 40 PTE can alleviate lipid droplet accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and obese C57BL/6 mice, indicating that PTE has strong anti-obesity effects and could be used as a therapeutic agent or a component of pharmaceutical drugs and functional foods.

A Review on Worldwide Ephedra History and Story: From Fossils to Natural Products Mass Spectroscopy Characterization and Biopharmacotherapy Potential

Growing worldwide, the genus Ephedra (family Ephedraceae) had a medicinal, ecological, and economic value. The extraordinary morphological diversity suggests that Ephedra was survivor of an ancient group, and its antiquity is also supported by fossil data. It has recently been suggested that Ephedra appeared 8–32 million years ago, and a few megafossils document its presence in the Early Cretaceous. Recently, the high analytical power provided by the new mass spectrometry (MS) instruments is making the characterization of Ephedra metabolites more feasible, such as ephedrine series. In this regard, the chemical compounds isolated from crude extracts, fractions, and few isolated compounds of Ephedra species were characterized by MS-based techniques (LC-MS, LC-ESI-MS, HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS, LC-DAD-ESI/MSn, LC/Orbitrap MS, etc.). Moreover, we carry out an exhaustive review of the scientific literature on biomedicine and pharmacotherapy (anticancer, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, antiarthritic, and anti-influenza activities; proapoptotic and cytotoxic potential; and so on). Equally, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were discussed. This review is focused on all these topics, along with current studies published in the last 5 years (2015–2019) providing in-depth information for readers.

Senna Occidentalis Poisoning: An Uncommon Cause of Liver Failure

Senna is a commonly found weed used in traditional systems of medicine, often as a laxative. Senna poisoning is rarely reported, and its potential for toxicity greatly underestimated. Clinical presentation mimics acute liver failure, which is very difficult to attribute to this seemingly innocuous agent. We report an unusual case of an elderly woman who presented with a hepatoencephalopathic syndrome after ingestion of Senna occidentalis and elucidate the multisystem pathophysiology of this rapidly evolving disease. Most importantly, we attempt to provide some perspective on how this knowledge from the East can help prevent severe consequences in the West.

Sympathomimetic amine compounds and hepatotoxicity: Not all are alike-Key distinctions noted in a short review

Sympathomimetic amine compounds are often pooled together and incorrectly assumed to be interchangeable with respect to potential adverse effects. A brief and specific review of sympathomimetic compounds and one instance (i.e., hepatotoxicity) where these compounds have been improperly grouped together is covered. A review of the proposed mechanisms through which known hepatotoxic sympathomimetic agents (e.g., 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA, methamphetamine and amphetamine) cause liver injury, along with a corresponding review of in vitro data, interventional data, animal model studies and observational data allow for a comparison/contrast of different agents and reveals a lack of potential toxicity for some agents (e.g., pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, ephedrine, 1,3-dimethylamylamine, phentermine) in this broad category. Data show that compounds within the broad group of sympathomimetics display divergent pharmacological and toxicological profiles and can be clearly distinguished with respect to liver injury. These data serve as a reminder to clinicians and others, that even small structural differences between molecules can lead to drastically different pharmacological/toxicological profiles and that one should not assume that all sympathomimetic agents are hepatotoxic. Such assumptions could lead to diagnostic errors and incorrect or insufficient treatment.