Orientin and vitexin attenuate lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells: a molecular docking study, biochemical characterization, and mechanism analysis

Botany, phytochemistry, pharmacologic activities, traditional applications, pharmacokinetics, quality control and toxicity of Zanthoxyli Radix: An updated review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Zanthoxyli Radix (ZR), the dry root of Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC (ZN) is known as Liang Mian Zhen in China and has been the preferred Chinese medicine for the treatment of inflammation and cancer disease at home and abroad. ZR has been used as the core ingredient in anti-inflammatory traditional medicines, such as Sanjiuweitai granules and Jinji tablets, etc. AIM OF THE WORK: This review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of ZR in terms of traditional uses, quality control, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and pharmacokinetics. Meanwhile, the anti-inflammatory substances and mechanism of ZR were emphasized, to offer new perspectives and broad scopes for future studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The information was retrieved from Web of Science, Researchgate, Google Scholar, SciFinder, X-MOL, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Masters and Doctoral Dissertations, and Elsevier between 1984 and 2024.

RESULTS

Till now, a total of 184 chemical components have been identified in ZR, including 91 alkaloids, 22 lignans, 4 flavonoids, 19 coumarins, 17 terpenoids, and 31 other types. Pharmacological studies have proved that ZR had a variety of biological activities, such as anti-tumour, antibacterial, antioxidant and other activities, particularly in anti-inflammation. ZR exerts anti-inflammatory disease effects by modulating various signaling pathways, including MAPK, NF-κB, P13/AKT and JAK/STAT. Pharmacokinetic studies have shown that ZR exhibits low absorption rates, broad distribution, and rapid metabolism. Additionally, this review also revealed the shortcomings of current research on ZR and possible future research directions.

CONCLUSION

Extensive literature analysis indicates that ZR and its bioactive constituents possess diverse pharmacological activities, especially anti-inflammation. Moreover, in order to promote the safety and adaptability of ZR in clinical application, it is also strongly recommended that further research should focus on toxicity studies, pharmacokinetic studies of herb-drug interactions, and quality control.

SCH 644343 alleviates ischemic stroke-induced neuroinflammation by promoting microglial polarization via the IL-4/SREBP-1 signaling pathway

Ischemic stroke (IS), a kind of acute cerebrovascular disease, is one of the most common diseases, and it endangers the lives and health of elderly individuals. Inflammation is a key factor leading to stroke, making it a potential therapeutic target. Previous studies have found that neuroinflammation is closely associated with microglial polarization. Due to the various side effects of current drugs used to treat neuroinflammation, it is important to explore alternative drugs with anti-inflammatory activity for neuroinflammation treatment. In the present study, we investigated the effect of SCH 644343 (SCH), a natural compound, on neuroinflammation induced by IS and explored the mechanism. We found that SCH meliorated the phenotypes of IS in vivo, which was correlated with the increased percentage of infiltrated M2 macrophages in brain after stroke. SCH exerted a significant effect against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) in BV2 cells in vitro by inhibiting M1 microglial polarization and promoting M2 microglial polarization. Furthermore, suppression of SREBP-1 expression by pretreatment with the SREBP-1 inhibitor 25-HC attenuated the effect of SCH on IS in vitro. Taken together, SCH exerts anti-IS effect by promoting microglial polarization via the IL-4/SREBP-1 signaling pathway.

Anti-Inflammatory and Gut Microbiota Modulation Potentials of Flavonoids Extracted from Passiflora foetida Fruits

This study aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory and gut microbiota modulation potentials of flavonoid-rich fraction (PFF) extracted from Passiflora foetida fruits. The results showed that PFF markedly reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Meanwhile, PFF treatment also effectively decreased the phosphorylation levels of MAPK, PI3K/Akt, and NF-κB signaling-pathway-related proteins (ERK, JNK, p38, Akt, and p65). Moreover, PFF had an impact on microbial composition and metabolites in a four-stage dynamic simulator of human gut microbiota (BFBL gut model). Specifically, PFF exhibited the growth-promoting ability of several beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, and Roseburia, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) generation ability in gut microbiota. In addition, spectroscopic data revealed that PFF mainly contained five flavonoid compounds, which may be bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory and gut microbiota modulation potentials. Therefore, PFF could be utilized as a natural anti-inflammatory agent or supplement to health products.

Improvement of functional characteristics of Hypophthalmichthys molitrix protein by modification with chitosan oligosaccharide

In the food processing field, it is very often that fish proteins are denatured affecting the nutritional value of the product which is vital to be solved. By using appropriate sugar donors for glycosylation with protein, improving the stability and emulsification properties of fish proteins can be achieved. This research looks into the impacts of enzymatic chitosan oligosaccharide (CO) at various concentration (0.15%, 0.30%, 0.45%, 0.60%, w/v) upon the molecular makeup and function of silver carp myofibrillar protein (MP) in an attempt to comprehend the impact of electrostatic binding among MP as well as CO on protein conformation. Analysis was done on the impact of various CO concentrations upon MP's secondary structure, conformational changes, and functional characteristics. Twelve sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) assays were implemented to monitor MP; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, endogenous fluorescence spectroscopy, and UV absorption spectra were carried out to investigate the influence of CO on MP; Particle size distribution, emulsifying activity index (EAI), solubility, turbidity, sulfhydryl content, carbonyl content, foaming capacity, surface hydrophobicity, emulsifying stability index (ESI), and foam persistence were all investigated. In addition, we used dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscope, and atomic force microscope to analyze myosin (MO) and 0.60% CO-MO complex. The results demonstrated that CO and MP form complexes through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. CO modification not only delayed the oxidation of MP but also promoted MP to show better solubility, foaming, and foaming stability. In addition, CO modified myosin particle size decreased, reducing myosin's roughness and making myosin's structure more compact. To sum up, molecular interaction could change functional characteristics, and products with special properties could be developed after modification with chitosan oligosaccharide.