Transcriptome profiling reveals multiple pathways responsible for the beneficial metabolic effects of Smilax glabra flavonoids in mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Quinoa Polysaccharides Inhibiting 3T3-L1 Preadipocyte Proliferation

Quinoa is a highly nutritious and biologically active crop. Prior studies have demonstrated that quinoa polysaccharides exhibit anti-obesity activity. This investigation confirmed that quinoa polysaccharides have the ability to inhibit the growth of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The objective of transcriptome research was to investigate the mechanism of quinoa water-extracted polysaccharides and quinoa alkaline-extracted polysaccharides that hinder the growth of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. There were 2194 genes that showed differential expression between untreated cells and those treated with high concentrations of quinoa water-extracted polysaccharides (QWPHs). There were 1774 genes that showed differential expression between untreated cells and those treated with high concentrations of quinoa alkaline-extracted polysaccharides (QAPHs). Through gene ontology and KEGG pathway analysis, 20 characteristic pathways are found significantly enriched between the untreated group and the QAPH and QWPH groups. These pathways include the NOD-like receptor, Hepatitis C, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Atp13A4 and Gbgt1 have been identified as genes that are upregulated and downregulated in both the untreated group and the QWPH group, as well as in the untreated group and the QAPH group. These findings establish a theoretical foundation for exploring quinoa polysaccharides as an anti-obesity agent.

Advances in the chemical constituents, pharmacological activity, and clinical application of Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma: A review and predictive analysis of quality markers (Q-markers)

Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma (SGR) is recognized in traditional Chinese medicine for its distinctive therapeutic properties and abundant supply. Its phytochemical profile is diverse, encompassing flavonoids, steroids, saccharides, phenolic glycosides, volatile constituents, organic acids, phenylpropanoids, stilbenoids, among others. Recent pharmacological investigations reveal that SGR possesses a broad spectrum of pharmacological effects with multifaceted clinical applications. This review collates the current knowledge on SGR's chemical composition, pharmacological activities, and its clinical utility. Utilizing network pharmacology and molecular docking approaches, this study provides a preliminary identification of potential quality markers (Q-Markers) within SGR. The findings suggest that compounds such as astilbin, isoengelitin, neoisoastilbin, neoastilbin, astragaloside, diosgenin, resveratrol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, and quercetin in SGR are promising candidates for Q-Markers. While flavonoids are the most extensively studied, there is a pressing need to further explore the active monomeric compounds within SGR. The introduction of Q-Markers is instrumental in developing standardized quality metrics. Specifically, astilbin has been noted for its antitumor, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anti-hyperuricemic, and hepatoprotective potential, warranting further research for therapeutic applications.

The interaction between gut microbiota and flavonoid extract from Smilax glabra Roxb. and its potent alleviation of fatty liver

Fatty liver is associated with intestinal microbiota dysbiosis and low-grade chronic inflammation. Herein we report the interaction of the flavonoid extract from Smilax glabra Roxb. (FSGR) with gut microbiota. Then, FSGR's function of modulating microbiota in a rat model of high-fat diet (HFD) induced fatty liver has been explored. These investigations indicated that the main compound in FSGR, such as astilbin and its isomers, could be metabolized to aglycone, while further splitting resulted in some phenolic acid compounds through a redox reaction. The data obtained clearly showed that FSGR not only alleviated the steatosis degree of liver cells and modulated the contents of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the intestinal tract, but also reversed gut dysbiosis induced by HFD as prognosticated by the decreased ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) and altered gene expression. The results demonstrated that FSGR probably could be used as a prebiotic agent to impede gut dysbiosis and fatty liver-related metabolic disorders.

Evaluating the potential risk by probing the site-selective binding of rutin-Pr(III) complex to human serum albumin

Having reported that rare earth elements displayed potential toxicity in vivo, often be found in soil, plants and etc., which might be easily chelated with the natural functional molecule rutin to form rutin metal complexes, ultimately entering the human body by means of food chain. However, few reports paid the attention on the toxicology of the complexes consisting of rutin with rare earth ions. Here, we focused on the potential toxicity by probing the site-selective binding of the rutin-rare earth ions complexes to human serum albumin (HSA). As a proof-of-concept, we selected Pr³⁺ as the representative to conjugate with rutin to form rutin-Pr(III) complex, which was further applied to interact with HSA in aqueous solution. The results exhibited that the rutin-Pr(III) complex primary bound to the hydrophobic cavity at site II (subdomain IIIA) of HSA through hydrogen bonding and van der Waals force. Through the thermomechanical analysis, we found this binding process was spontaneous because of the negative ΔG. We believe that this work may offer a new insight into understanding the physiological effects (e.g. toxicology) of rutin and rare earth ions, which could be helpful to guide their rational use in the agriculture and environment-related industries.