Comparative metabolism of honokiol in mouse, rat, dog, monkey, and human hepatocytes

Experimental Insights on the Use of Secukinumab and Magnolol in Acute Respiratory Diseases in Mice

This study investigates the combined treatment of secukinumab (SECU) and magnolol (MAGN) in a mouse model of LPS-induced ALI overlapped with allergic pulmonary inflammation, aiming to better understand the mechanism behind this pathology and to assess the therapeutic potential of this novel approach in addressing the severity of ALI. The combined treatment reveals intricate immunomodulatory effects. Both treatments inhibit IL-17 and promote M2 macrophage polarization, which enhances anti-inflammatory cytokine production such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13, crucial for lung repair and inflammation resolution. However, the combination treatment exacerbates allergic responses and increases OVA-specific IgE, potentially worsening ALI outcomes. MAGN pretreatment alone demonstrates higher potency in reducing neutrophils and enhancing IFN-γ, suggesting its potential in mitigating severe asthma symptoms and modulating immune responses. The study highlights the need for careful consideration in therapeutic applications due to the combination treatment's inability to reduce IL-6 and its potential to exacerbate allergic inflammation. Elevated IL-6 levels correlate with worsened oxygenation and increased mortality in ALI patients, underscoring its critical role in disease severity. These findings offer valuable insights for the advancement of precision medicine within the realm of respiratory illnesses, emphasizing the importance of tailored therapeutic strategies.

Honokiol and magnolol: A review of structure-activity relationships of their derivatives

Honokiol (HK) and magnolol (MAG) are typical representatives of neolignans possessing a wide range of biological activities and are employed as traditional medicines in Asia. In the past few decades, HK and MAG have been proven to be promising chemical scaffolds for the development of novel neolignan drugs. This review focuses on recent advances in the medicinal chemistry of HK and MAG derivatives, especially their structure-activity relationships. In addition, it also presents a comprehensive summary of the pharmacology, biosynthetic pathways, and metabolic characteristics of HK and MAG. This review can provide pharmaceutical chemists deeper insights into medicinal research on HK and MAG, and a reference for the rational design of HK and MAG derivatives.

The Anticancer Application of Delivery Systems for Honokiol and Magnolol

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and the effectiveness of treatment is consistently not at a satisfactory level. This review thoroughly examines the present knowledge and perspectives of honokiol (HON) in cancer therapeutics. The paper synthesizes critical insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed anticancer effects, emphasizing both in vitro and in vivo studies. The effects of HON application, primarily in the common types of cancers, are presented. Because the therapeutic potential of HON may be limited by its physicochemical properties, appropriate delivery systems are sought to overcome this problem. This review discusses the effect of different nanotechnology-based delivery systems on the efficiency of HON. The data presented show that HON exhibits anticancer effects and can be successfully administered to the site of action. Honokiol exerts its anticancer activity through several mechanisms. Moreover, some authors used the combinations of classical anticancer drugs with HON. Such an approach is very interesting and worth further investigation. Understanding HON's multiple molecular mechanisms would provide valuable insights into how HON might be developed as an effective therapeutic. Therefore, further research is needed to explore its specific applications and optimize its efficacy in diverse cancer types.

Lignans as multi-targeted natural products in neurodegenerative diseases and depression: Recent perspectives

As the global population ages, the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is becoming more and more important. There is an urgent need to discover novel drugs that are effective in treating neurological diseases. In recent years, natural products and their biological activities have gained widespread attention. Lignans are a class of metabolites extensively present in Chinese herbal medicine and possess good pharmacological effects. Latest studies have demonstrated their neuroprotective pharmacological activity in preventing acute/chronic neurodegenerative diseases and depression. In this review, the pharmacological effects of these disorders, the pharmacokinetics, safety, and clinical trials of lignans were summarized according to the scientific literature. These results proved that lignans mainly exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Anti-apoptosis, regulation of nervous system functions, and modulation of synaptic signals are also potential effects. Despite the substantial evidence of the neuroprotective potential of lignans, it is not sufficient to support their use in the clinical management. Our study suggests that lignans can be used as prospective agents for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and depression, with a view to informing their further development and utilization.

Pharmacokinetics and metabolites of glycosides and lignans of the stem bark of Magnolia officinalis in functional dyspepsia and normal rats using LC-MS/MS

The stem bark of Magnolia officinalis is a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of abdominal distention and functional dyspepsia. The pharmacokinetics of three glycosides (magnoloside A, magnoloside B, and syringin) and two lignans (honokiol and magnolol) in both of normal and functional dyspepsia rats were firstly investigated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method and the influences of the coexisting compounds on the pharmacokinetic parameters of honokiol and magnolol were also studied. It was found that all of the five target compounds were quickly absorbed and eliminated in both of normal and functional dyspepsia rats, while, their residence time was significantly decreased in pathological states except magnoloside A. The coexisting compounds in the stem bark of M. officinalis significantly reduced absorption and increased elimination of honokiol in vivo. It's worth noticing that the volume of distribution of lignan was quite lower than that of glycoside. Moreover, the metabolic profiling of magnoloside A, honokiol, and magnolol in vivo was analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method, from which three prototypes were identified and thirty five metabolites were putatively characterized, and eighteen unknown metabolites were reasonably characterized for the first time. The results indicated that sulfation and glucuronidation were the main metabolic pathways of honokiol and magnolol. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Honokiol: A naturally occurring lignan with pleiotropic bioactivities

Honokiol is the dominant biphenolic compound isolated from the Magnolia tree, and has long been considered as the active constituent of the traditional Chinese herb, 'Houpo', which is widely used to treat symptoms due to 'stagnation of qi'. Pharmacological studies have shown that honokiol possesses a wide range of bioactivities without obvious toxicity. Honokiol protects the liver, kidneys, nervous system, and cardiovascular system through reducing oxidative stress and relieving inflammation. Moreover, honokiol shows anti-diabetic property through enhancing insulin sensitivity, and anti-obese property through promoting browning of adipocytes. In vivo and in vitro studies indicated that honokiol functions as an anti-cancer agent through multiple mechanisms: inhibiting angiogenesis, promoting cell apoptosis, and regulating cell cycle. A variety of therapeutic effects of honokiol may be associated with its physiochemical properties, which make honokiol readily cross the blood brain barrier and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, with high bioavailability. In the future, more clinical researches on honokiol are needed to fully authenticate its therapeutic values.

Identification of Catalposide Metabolites in Human Liver and Intestinal Preparations and Characterization of the Relevant Sulfotransferase, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, and Carboxylesterase Enzymes

Catalposide, an active component of Veronica species such as Catalpa ovata and Pseudolysimachion lingifolium, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antinociceptic, anti-oxidant, hepatoprotective, and cytostatic activities. We characterized the in vitro metabolic pathways of catalposide to predict its pharmacokinetics. Catalposide was metabolized to catalposide sulfate (M1), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (M2), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid glucuronide (M3), and catalposide glucuronide (M4) by human hepatocytes, liver S9 fractions, and intestinal microsomes. M1 formation from catalposide was catalyzed by sulfotransferases (SULTs) 1C4, SULT1A1*1, SULT1A1*2, and SULT1E1. Catalposide glucuronidation to M4 was catalyzed by gastrointestine-specific UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) 1A8 and UGT1A10; M4 was not detected after incubation of catalposide with human liver preparations. Hydrolysis of catalposide to M2 was catalyzed by carboxylesterases (CESs) 1 and 2, and M2 was further metabolized to M3 by UGT1A6 and UGT1A9 enzymes. Catalposide was also metabolized in extrahepatic tissues; genetic polymorphisms of the carboxylesterase (CES), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT), and sulfotransferase (SULT) enzymes responsible for catalposide metabolism may cause inter-individual variability in terms of catalposide pharmacokinetics.

In Vitro Metabolism of 25B-NBF, 2-(4-Bromo-2,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-Fluorobenzyl)ethanamine, in Human Hepatocytes Using Liquid Chromatography⁻Mass Spectrometry

25B-NBF, 2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-fluorobenzyl)ethanamine, is a new psychoactive substance classified as a phenethylamine. It is a potent agonist of the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor, but little is known about its metabolism and elimination properties since it was discovered. To aid 25B-NBF abuse screening, the metabolic characteristics of 25B-NBF were investigated in human hepatocytes and human cDNA-expressed cytochrome P450 (CYP) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes using liquid chromatography⁻high resolution mass spectrometry. At a hepatic extraction ratio of 0.80, 25B-NBF was extensively metabolized into 33 metabolites via hydroxylation, O-demethylation, bis-O-demethylation, N-debenzylation, glucuronidation, sulfation, and acetylation after incubation with pooled human hepatocytes. The metabolism of 25B-NBF was catalyzed by CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2J2, CYP3A4, and UGT2B7 enzymes. Based on these results, it is necessary to develop a bioanalytical method for the determination of not only 25B-NBF but also its metabolites in biological samples for the screening of 25B-NBF abuse.

Multiple UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase and Sulfotransferase Enzymes are Responsible for the Metabolism of Verproside in Human Liver Preparations

Verproside, an active iridoid glycoside component of Veronica species, such as Pseudolysimachion rotundum var. subintegrum and Veronica anagallis-aquatica, possesses anti-asthma, anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, antioxidant, and cytostatic activities. Verproside is metabolized into nine metabolites in human hepatocytes: verproside glucuronides (M1, M2) via glucuronidation, verproside sulfate (M3) via sulfation, picroside II (M4) and isovanilloylcatalpol (M5) via O-methylation, M4 glucuronide (M6) and M4 sulfate (M8) via further glucuronidation and sulfation of M4, and M5 glucuronide (M7) and M5 sulfate (M9) via further glucuronidation and sulfation of M5. Drug-metabolizing enzymes responsible for verproside metabolism, including sulfotransferase (SULT) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT), were characterized. The formation of verproside glucuronides (M1, M2), isovanilloylcatalpol glucuronide (M7), and picroside II glucuronide (M6) was catalyzed by commonly expressed UGT1A1 and UGT1A9 and gastrointestinal-specific UGT1A7, UGT1A8, and UGT1A10, consistent with the higher intrinsic clearance values for the formation of M1, M2, M6, and M7 in human intestinal microsomes compared with those in liver microsomes. The formation of verproside sulfate (M3) and M5 sulfate (M9) from verproside and isovanilloylcatalpol (M5), respectively, was catalyzed by SULT1A1. Metabolism of picroside II (M4) into M4 sulfate (M8) was catalyzed by SULT1A1, SULT1E1, SULT1A2, SULT1A3, and SULT1C4. Based on these results, the pharmacokinetics of verproside may be affected by the co-administration of relevant UGT and SULT inhibitors or inducers.

Targeting mTOR signaling by polyphenols: A new therapeutic target for ageing

Current ageing research is aimed not only at the promotion of longevity, but also at improving ‎health span‎ through the‎ discovery and development‎ of new therapeutic strategies‎‏‎ by investigating ‎molecular and ‎cellular ‎pathways involved in cellular senescence.‎ Understanding the mechanism of action ‎of ‎polyphenolic compounds targeting mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) and related pathways opens up new directions ‎‎to revolutionize ways to slow down the ‎onset and development of age-dependent degeneration. Herein, we will ‎discuss the mechanisms by which polyphenols can delay the‎ molecular ‎pathogenesis of ageing via manipulation or more specifically inhibition of mTOR-signaling pathways. We will also discuss the implications of polyphenols in targeting mTOR and its related ‎pathways‎‎ on ‎health life span extension and longevity.‎.