Mitogen activated protein kinases are prime signalling enzymes in nitric oxide production induced by soluble β-glucan from Sparassis crispa

Hymenocallis littoralis ameliorates inflammatory responses in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and HCl/EtOH-induced gastric mucosal injury via targeting the MAPK pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Hymenocallis littoralis (Jacq.) Salisb. Also known as Pancratium littorale Jacq. And Hymenocallis panamensis Lindl., is a medicinal plant from the family Amarylideceae used for emetic and wound healing and has manifested anti-neoplastic, anti-oxidant, and anti-viral properties.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this paper is to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential and molecular mechanism of H. littoralis against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages and in vivo HCl/EtOH-induced gastritis mucosal injury models.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators was evaluated by Griess assay, RT-PCR, and real-time PCR. Moreover, the relevant proteins of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) including ERK, JNK, p38, c-Jun, and c-Fos were detected using immunoblotting.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that H. littoralis prominently dampened production of nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-, poly I:C-, or pam3CSK-stimulated RAW264.7 cells; down-regulated the expression levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and inducible nitric oxide synthase; and markedly attenuated the luciferase activities of AP-1 reporter promoters. Moreover, H. littoralis administration prominently downregulated c-Fos and c-Jun phosphorylation as well as JNK1, ERK2, and MKK7 overexpression in HEK 293T cells. Furthermore, H. littoralis displayed anti-inflammatory effects in the HCl/EtOH-induced gastritis mice model.

CONCLUSIONS

Cumulatively, these results demonstrated that H. littoralis exerts eminently anti-inflammatory activities in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells in vitro and in HCl/EtOH-induced gastritis mice models in vivo. These activities could be attributed to its modulatory effects on the MAPK signaling pathway.

NK cell-mediated immunostimulatory effects of ethanol extract of Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit

Background

Morinda citrifolia (Noni) is a plant that has long been used in various products such as foods and cosmetics. Although noni has been known to have immunostimulatory activity, detailed mechanism at the cellular level has not been fully elucidated yet. In this study, we focused on understanding as to how noni fruit can positively stimulate body’s immune responses.

Methods

To do this, an ethanol extract of noni fruit (Mc-fEE) was prepared and administered for 30 days to male C57BL/6 mice for in vivo experiment. NK cell activity and cytokine production level from Mc-fEE-treated mice were analyzed by flowcytometry, real-time PCR, and ELISA. Mc-fEE-triggered molecular events were detected from RAW264.7 cells and splenocytes using Western blotting and real-time PCR analyses.

Results

The mRNA expression levels of cytokines such as interleukin families, interferon (IFN)-β, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were increased by Mc-fEE treatment in vitro and in vivo. Western blotting analysis showed that the phosphorylation levels of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and activator protein (AP)-1 subunits these were enhanced in Mc-fEE-treated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, according to in vivo experiments, it was considered that Mc-fEE can increase the population of splenic NK cells and subsequent upregulation of their cytotoxic activity against YAC-1 cells, a T- cell lymphoma.

Conclusion

In this paper, we could confirm that Mc-fEE has remarkable immunostimulatory effects by activation and increase of the NK cell population.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12906-022-03700-3.

Effects of Sparassis crispa in Medical Therapeutics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential and medical applications of Sparassis crispa (S. crispa) by conducting a systematic review of the existing literature and performing a meta-analysis. The original efficacy treatment of the mushroom extract is considered primarily and searched in electronic databases. A total of 623 articles were assessed, 33 randomized controlled experiments were included after the manual screening, and some papers, review articles, or editorials that did not contain data were excluded. A comparative standard means difference (SMD) and a funnel plot between control and S. crispa groups were used as parameters to demonstrate the beneficial effects of S. crispa for diabetes and cancer treatment, as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antioxidant activities. The meta-analysis was carried out using Review Manager 5.1 software. Although for therapeutic diabetes there was heterogeneity in the subgroup analysis (I² = 91.9%), the overall results showed statistically significant SMDs in major symptoms that decreased serum insulin levels (SMD = 1.92, 95% CI (1.10, 2.75), I² = 0%), wound rates (SMD = 3.55 (2.56, 4.54), I² = 40%) and contributions to an increase in nutrient intake content (SMD = 0.32 (−0.15, 0.78), I² = 0%). Simultaneously, the study confirmed the utility of S. crispa treatment in terms of not only anti-cancer activity (reduction of tumor activity and survival of cancer cells I² = 42 and 34%, respectively) but also anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antioxidant activities (I² = 50, 44, and 10%, respectively). Our findings suggest that S. crispa extracts are useful for prevention and treatment of human diseases and might be the best candidates for future medicines.

Anticancer properties of low molecular weight oat beta-glucan – An in vitro study

Anticancer properties of 1-3, 1-4 oat beta glucan are under intensive investigation now. Antitumor characteristic of fungi and yeast beta-glucans have been widely recognized, but those polysaccharides are mostly insoluble which creates several problems especially in topical formulation. Also high molecular weight oat beta-glucans reveal high viscosity which restricts its application. According to those problems in the current study the antitumor activities of low molecular weight beta-glucan derived from oats were investigated in cancer cells: Me45, A431 and normal HaCaT and murine macrophages P388/D1. The low molecular weight beta-glucan from oat significantly deceased cancer cells viability, while for the normal cells it was non-toxic. It was observed that with the increasing incubation time and the beta-glucan concentration the cancer cells viability significantly deceased. Furthermore for the normal cells the low molecular weight beta-glucan from oat was non-toxic. Immunocytochemical ABC analysis showed that beta-glucan induced strong expression of caspase-12 in both cancer cell lines, while in HaCaT cells ABC reaction was significantly lower and in P388/D1 cell line ABC reaction was negative. Our preliminary studies show strong anti-tumor properties of new low molecular weight beta-glucan from oat and at the same time no toxicity for normal cells.

Stimulation with the Aureobasidium pullulans-produced β-glucan effectively induces interferon stimulated genes in macrophage-like cell lines

A β-(1,3),(1,6)-D-glucan produced by A. pullulans (AP-PG) is known to be an immune stimulating agent. In this study, we demonstrate that the stimulation with AP-PG effectively induces the interferon (IFN) stimulated genes (ISGs) in macrophage-like cell lines. The ISGs, Mx1, ISG15, and viperin mRNAs were significantly increased in RAW264.7 cells after stimulation with AP-PG. The stimulation with AP-PG transiently induced IFN-β mRNA. However, the expression of viperin mRNA was also increased after stimulation with AP-PG even when new protein synthesis was completely blocked by treatment with cycloheximide. Further, in IFN-α receptor knockdown RAW264.7 cells, AP-PG stimulation more effectively induced viperin mRNA compared with that of IFN-α stimulation. The phosphorylation of Ser 727 in STAT1 involved in the enhancement of STAT1 activation was immediately increased after stimulation with AP-PG. In addition, viperin mRNA expression induced after stimulation with IFN-α was significantly increased by combined stimulation with AP-PG. These results suggest that stimulation with AP-PG effectively induces the ISGs through the induction of IFN and the enhancement of STAT1-mediated transcriptional activation.

Natural products and biological activity of the pharmacologically active cauliflower mushroom Sparassis crispa

Sparassis crispa, also known as cauliflower mushroom, is an edible mushroom with medicinal properties. Its cultivation became popular in Japan about 10 years ago, a phenomenon that has been attributed not only to the quality of its taste, but also to its potential for therapeutic applications. Herein, I present a comprehensive summary of the pharmacological activities and mechanisms of action of its bioactive components, such as beta-glucan, and other physiologically active substances. In particular, the immunomodulatory mechanisms of the beta-glucan components are presented herein in detail.