Irisolidone, an isoflavone metabolite, represses JC virus gene expression via inhibition of Sp1 binding in human glial cells

Oriental traditional herbal Medicine--Puerariae Flos: A systematic review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Pueraria Flos (PF), a traditional herbal medicine, is botanically from the dried flowers of Pueraria lobate (Willd.) Ohwi. (Chinese: ) or Pueraria thomsonii Benth. (Chinese: ). It has a long history of thousands of years in China for awakening the spleen, clearing the lungs, relieving alcohol.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review aims to report the up-to-date research progress in ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology, metabolism and therapeutic application of PF, so as to provide a strong basis for future clinical treatment and scientific research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Relevant information on PF was collected from scientific literature databases including PubMed, CNKI and other literature sources (Ph.D. and M.Sc. dissertations and Chinese herbal classic books) by using the keyword "Puerariae".

RESULTS

Briefly, phytochemical research report has isolated 39 flavonoids, 19 saponins and 25 volatile oils from PF. Flavonoids and saponins are the most important bioactive compounds, and most of the quality control studies focus on these two types of compounds. Modern pharmacological studies have revealed their significant biological activities in relieving alcoholism, hepatoprotective, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidation, which provides theoretical support for the traditional use.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive analysis showed that pharmacological activity of most purified compounds from PF had not been reported. Kakkalide, tectoridin and their deglycosylated metabolites (irisolidone and tectorigenin) has been focused on excessively due to their higher content and better activities. This leads to low development and resources waste. Interestingly, PF made a breakthrough in the field of food. Many kinds of fat-lowering foods such as PILLBOX Onaka have been popular in Japan market, which received extensive attention. Therefore, we suggest that future research can be paid attention on the development of the plant's function in the field of food and medicine, as well as the transformation from experimental to clinical.

Herbal Phytomedicine 'Irisolidone' in Chronic Diseases: Biological Efficacy and Pharmacological Activity

BACKGROUND

Plant-derived products have been used in medicine as a source of bioactive molecules, mainly due to their medicinal importance and therapeutic potential. Nowadays, plant derived products have been used in the medicine for the development of novel drug leads. Polyphenols are an important class of secondary metabolites found to be present in plants and their derived products. Polyphenols play an important role in the nutrition of human beings and also have a significant role in plant resistance against pests and diseases. Scientific studies have proven the biological importance of flavonoids in medicine and other allied health sectors. Anti-oxidant, analgesic, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-tumor and anti-allergic activities are the important pharmacological features of flavonoids. Irisolidone is an important isoflavone found to be present in Pueraria lobata flowers.

METHODS

To know the medicinal importance and therapeutic potential of irisolidone in the medicine, numerous scientific research data have been collected from Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus. Pharmacological activity data of irisolidone has been collected and analyzed in the present works to know their health beneficial aspects in the medicine. Detailed pharmacological activities of irisolidone have been investigated through scientific data analysis of scientific research works.

RESULTS

Scientific research data analysis of irisolidone revealed the anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic, anti-cancer, anti-platelet, anti-oxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic, immunomodulating, hepatoprotective and estrogenic potential. However, the biological effect of irisolidone on the gastric system, aldose reductase enzymes, malignant gliomas, and JC virus has also been investigated. Scientific data analysis revealed the significance of analytical tools for the separation and identification of irisolidone.

CONCLUSION

Present work signified the biological importance and therapeutic potential of irisolidone in medicine.

Genistein inhibits the replication of avian leucosis virus subgroup J in DF-1 cells

To investigate the antiviral effects of genistein on the replication of avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) in DF-1 cells, the cells were treated with genistein at different time points and the antiviral effects were examined by using a variety of assays. We determined that genistein strongly inhibited viral gene expression and decreased the viral protein level in the cell supernatant and the cytoplasm without alerting virus receptor expression and viral attachment. We also observed that genistein was not found to interfere with virus entry, but significantly inhibited both viral gene transcriptions at 24h post infection and virus release, which indicate that genistein exerts its inhibitory effects on the late phase of ALV-J replicative cycle. These results demonstrate that genistein effectively block ALV-J replication by inhibiting virus transcription and release in DF-1 cells, which may be useful for therapeutic drug design.

Molecular biology, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, the JC virus-induced demyelinating disease of the human brain

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a debilitating and frequently fatal central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disease caused by JC virus (JCV), for which there is currently no effective treatment. Lytic infection of oligodendrocytes in the brain leads to their eventual destruction and progressive demyelination, resulting in multiple foci of lesions in the white matter of the brain. Before the mid-1980s, PML was a relatively rare disease, reported to occur primarily in those with underlying neoplastic conditions affecting immune function and, more rarely, in allograft recipients receiving immunosuppressive drugs. However, with the onset of the AIDS pandemic, the incidence of PML has increased dramatically. Approximately 3 to 5% of HIV-infected individuals will develop PML, which is classified as an AIDS-defining illness. In addition, the recent advent of humanized monoclonal antibody therapy for the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Crohn's disease has also led to an increased risk of PML as a side effect of immunotherapy. Thus, the study of JCV and the elucidation of the underlying causes of PML are important and active areas of research that may lead to new insights into immune function and host antiviral defense, as well as to potential new therapies.

Antiviral Properties of Phytochemicals

In recent years, significant progress has been achieved for the development of novel anti-viral drugs. These newly developed drugs belong to three groups of compounds, nucleoside analogues, thymidine kinase-dependent nucleotide analogues and specific viral enzyme inhibitors. It has been found that the natural products, like plant-derived compounds (phytochemicals) as well as traditional medicines, like traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), Ayurvedic medicines and so on, are the important sources for potential and novel anti-viral drugs. In this chapter, the history of natural products as antiviral drugs, the approaches to discover potential lead compounds, and the anti-viral properties of phytochemicals with different action mechanisms are discussed. The key conclusion is that natural products are most important sources for novel anti-viral drugs.

Isoflavonoid glycosides from the flowers of Pueraria lobata

Pueraria lobata flower is a medicinal herb for treating intoxication, hepatic, and gastrointestinal tract lesions induced by alcohol. This study aims to investigate the isoflavonoid glycosides in P. lobata flowers. Two new isoflavone compounds were isolated from the extract of P. lobata flowers. Their structures were determined to be 5,6,7,4'-tetrahydroxyisoflavone-6,7-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and 5,6,7-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavone-6,7-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside on the basis of spectroscopic means including HR-ESI-MS, UV, IR, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR.

Myxoma and vaccinia viruses exploit different mechanisms to enter and infect human cancer cells

Myxoma (MYXV) and vaccinia (VACV) viruses have recently emerged as potential oncolytic agents that can infect and kill different human cancer cells. Although both are structurally similar, it is unknown whether the pathway(s) used by these poxviruses to enter and cause oncolysis in cancer cells are mechanistically similar. Here, we compared the entry of MYXV and VACV-WR into various human cancer cells and observed significant differences: 1--low-pH treatment accelerates fusion-mediated entry of VACV but not MYXV, 2--the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein inhibits entry of VACV, but not MYXV, 3--knockdown of PAK1 revealed that it is required for a late stage event downstream of MYXV entry into cancer cells, whereas PAK1 is required for VACV entry into the same target cells. These results suggest that VACV and MYXV exploit different mechanisms to enter into human cancer cells, thus providing some rationale for their divergent cancer cell tropisms.

Quantitative analysis of two isoflavones in Pueraria lobata flowers from eleven Chinese provinces using high performance liquid chromatography

Background

Pueraria lobata flower (Gehua) is a medicinal herb to treat intoxication, hepatic and gastrointestinal tract lesion induced by alcohol. This study aims to develop a new HPLC method for the determination of two major isoflavones in P. lobata flowers, namely tectoridin and 6"-O-xylosyl-tectoridin.

Methods

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with a C₁₈ column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) was developed for the quantitative analysis of tectoridin and 6"-O-xylosyl-tectoridin, the main isoflavone components in P. lobata flower. A simple gradient of acetonitrile/water (0 min 15:85; 35 min 50:50; 36 min 15:85; 40 min 15:85; v/v) was used, and 265 nm was selected as detection wavelength. Tectoridin and 6"-O-xylosyl-tectoridin were used as the external standards in quality control of P. lobata flower for the first time. The method was applied to practical use in quality assessment of eleven batches of P. lobata flower samples in Chinese herbal medicine market.

Results

The peak area response was linear for tectoridin in the 11.8-236.4 μg/mL range with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996 (P < 0.001), and for 6"-O-xylosyl-tectoridin in the 10.33-185.99 μg/mL range with a correlation coefficient of 0.9984 (P < 0.001) respectively. The average recoveries were 102.7-103.7% for tectoridin and 95.7-103.2% for 6"-O-xylosyl-tectoridin (RSDs < 3%), and the intra-day and inter-day RSDs of the two components were less than 2%. This HPLC method was applied to assess the quality of P. lobata flower from eleven provinces in China. P. lobata flowers from northern China contained 26.46-43.28 mg/g of tectoridin and 30.90-48.23 mg/g of 6"-O-xylosyl-tectoridin comparing to 10.00-19.81 mg/g of tectoridin and 11.08-37.03 mg/g of 6"-O-xylosyl-tectoridin in those from southern China.

Conclusion

The results showed that P. lobata flowers from northern China contained more tectoridin and 6"-O-xylosyl-tectoridin than those from southern China.

Molecular regulation of JC virus tropism: insights into potential therapeutic targets for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a growing concern for patients undergoing immune modulatory therapies for treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Currently, there are no drugs approved for the treatment of PML that have been demonstrated in the patient to effectively and reproducibly alter the course of disease progression. The human polyoma virus JC is the causative agent of PML. JC virus (JCV) dissemination is tightly controlled by regulation of viral gene expression from the promoter by cellular transcription factors expressed in cells permissive for infection. JCV infection likely occurs during childhood, and latent virus containing PML-associated promoter sequences is maintained in lymphoid cells within the bone marrow. Because development of PML is tightly linked to suppression and or modulation of the immune system as in development of hematological malignancies, AIDS, and monoclonal antibody treatments, further scrutiny of the course of JCV infection in immune cells will be essential to our understanding of development of PML and identification of new therapeutic targets.

Cardioprotective effect of 'methylamine irisolidone', a new compound, in hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in cultured rat cardiac myocytes

'Methylamine irisolidone' (=5,7-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-8-[(methylamino)methyl]-4H-[1]benzopyran-4-one), a new compound, is a structurally modified kakkalide with good water solubility. In this study, we investigated its effect on hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury in cultured rat cardiac myocytes. The results showed that methylamine irisolidone could significantly inhibit lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, enhance the mitochondrial membrane potential, decrease intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) associated with the attenuation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, reduce contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), and increase the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) after H/R in a dose-dependent manner. The present study demonstrated that methylamine irisolidone can directly protect cardiomyocytes against H/R injury, primarily as a result of reduction of the intracellular Ca(2+) overload coincident with an attenuation of ROS generation and ROS-mediated lipid peroxidation, which may contribute to the preservation of mitochondrion function and antioxidant against H/R injury.

Soy isoflavones and virus infections

Isoflavones and their related flavonoid compounds exert antiviral properties in vitro and in vivo against a wide range of viruses. Genistein is, by far, the most studied soy isoflavone in this regard, and it has been shown to inhibit the infectivity of enveloped or nonenveloped viruses, as well as single-stranded or double-stranded RNA or DNA viruses. At concentrations ranging from physiological to supraphysiological (3.7-370 muM), flavonoids, including genistein, have been shown to reduce the infectivity of a variety of viruses affecting humans and animals, including adenovirus, herpes simplex virus, human immunodeficiency virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, and rotavirus. Although the biological properties of the flavonoids are well studied, the mechanisms of action underlying their antiviral properties have not been fully elucidated. Current results suggest a combination of effects on both the virus and the host cell. Isoflavones have been reported to affect virus binding, entry, replication, viral protein translation and formation of certain virus envelope glycoprotein complexes. Isoflavones also affect a variety of host cell signaling processes, including induction of gene transcription factors and secretion of cytokines. The efficacy of isoflavones and related flavonoids in virus infectivity in in vitro bioassays is dependent on the dose, frequency of administration and combination of isoflavones used. Despite promising in vitro results, there is lack of data confirming the in vivo efficacy of soy isoflavones. Thus, investigations using appropriate in vivo virus infectivity models to examine pharmacological and especially physiological doses of flavonoids are warranted.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a demyelinating disease caused by JC virus, an opportunistic infection of the central nervous system. Although the majority of cases are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), other immunocompromised patients are also at risk. Purine nucleoside phosphorylase is an enzyme in the purine salvage pathway that reversibly converts inosine to hypoxanthine and guanosine to guanine. Purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency is a combined immunodeficiency with a profound cellular defect. Neurologic abnormalities are salient features of this syndrome. We describe for the first time a patient with this rare disorder presented with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.