Caseahomopene A, a ring-expanded homotriterpenoid from Casearia kurzii showing anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo

Anti-inflammatory effect of fucoidan isolated from fermented Sargassum fusiforme in in vitro and in vivo models

Fucoidans possess potent anti-inflammatory effects. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory effect of the fucoidan (SFF-PS-F5) isolated from fermented Sargassum fusiforme was evaluated in vitro in RAW 264.7 macrophages and in vivo in zebrafish. The in vitro test results demonstrate that SFF-PS-F5 effectively inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in RAW 264.7 cells. SFF-PS-F5 effectively and concentration-dependently improved the viability of LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and reduced the level of prostaglandin E2, interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6. Further results display that these effects were actioned by suppressing the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 via regulating the nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathway. The in vivo test results indicate that SFF-PS-F5 remarkably reduced reactive oxygen species, cell death, and NO levels in LPS-treated zebrafish. These results indicate that SFF-PS-F5 could inhibit both in vitro and in vivo inflammatory responses and suggest it is a functional ingredient in the functional food and cosmetic industries.

Recent development in zebrafish model for bioactivity and safety evaluation of natural products

The zebrafish is a species of freshwater fish, popular in aquariums and laboratories. Several advantageous features have facilitated zebrafish to be extensively utilized as a valuable vertebrate model in the lab. It has been well-recognized that natural products possess multiple health benefits for humans. With the increasing demand for natural products in the development of functional foods, nutraceuticals, and natural cosmetics, the zebrafish has emerged as an unprecedented tool for rapidly and economically screening and identifying safe and effective substances from natural products. This review first summarized the key factors for the management of zebrafish in the laboratory, followed by highlighting the current progress on the establishment and applications of zebrafish models in the bioactivity evaluation of natural products. In addition, the zebrafish models used for assessing the potential toxicity or health risks of natural products were involved as well. Overall, this review indicates that zebrafish are promising animal models for the bioactivity and safety evaluation of natural products, and zebrafish models can accelerate the discovery of novel natural products with potential health functions.

Natural iridoids from Patrinia heterophylla showing anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo

Inflammation, especially chronic inflammation, has been found to be closely related to the pathology of many diseases and the discovery of bioactive natural products to inhibit NO production is one of strategies to treat inflammation. In our continuous search for bioactive natural substances as potential anti-inflammatory agents, five new compounds (1-5) were extracted and purified from Patrinia heterophylla. The NMR and MS data analysis, along with electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, led to the identification of these isolates, which were new iridoids. Using cell and zebrafish models, the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects were conducted to evaluate the potency of anti-inflammation of these compounds. The preliminary mechanism was explored using molecular docking and Western blotting experiments.