The Herbal Medicine Cordyceps sinensis Protects Pancreatic Beta Cells from Streptozotocin-Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Ethnopharmacology and current conservational status of Cordyceps sinensis

Cordyceps sinensis, known as the caterpillar fungus, constitutes an invaluable and irreplaceable part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is now gaining widespread global recognition and dedicated attention owing to both highly promising characteristics as well as grave dangers that are suggestive of an impending doom. C. sinensis possibly holds the key to the treatment of many human ailments with minimal side effects due to a wide array of biologically active chemical constituents. The powerful potential harbored by this fungus has led to a meteoric rise in its prices in the domestic and international markets which has caused the involvement of an increasing number of harvesters, traders, and buyers and unchecked overexploitation of this bioresource thus threatening its long-term survival in its natural habitat of the Himalayan region. This review focuses on the ethnopharmacology of C. sinensis, and various aspects related to its conservation, such as natural distribution, sale and revenue, decline in population density, and conservational practices prevalent in the current scenario of fungal depletion. The paper concludes with a comprehensive evaluation of the discrete therapeutic capabilities possessed by C. sinensis, the mechanistic insights into the remarkable treatment of chronic ailments using the fungus or its derivatives, and a suggested strategic roadmap that may be adopted for fruitful conservation of this natural miracle.

Therapeutic potential of endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibitors in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Endoplasmic stress response, the unfolded protein response (UPR), is a homeostatic signaling pathway comprising transmembrane sensors that get activated upon alterations in ER luminal environment. Studies suggest a relation between activated UPR pathways and several disease states such as Parkinson, Alzheimer, inflammatory bowel disease, tumor growth, and metabolic syndrome. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a common microvascular complication of diabetes-related chronic hyperglycemia, causes chronic pain, loss of sensation, foot ulcers, amputations, allodynia, hyperalgesia, paresthesia, and spontaneous pain. Factors like disrupted calcium signaling, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, inflammation, insulin signaling, and oxidative stress disturb the UPR sensor levels manifesting as DPN. We discuss new effective therapeutic alternatives for DPN that can be developed by targeting UPR pathways like synthetic ER stress inhibitors like 4-PhenylButyric acid (4-PBA), Sephin 1, Salubrinal and natural ER stress inhibitors like Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), Cordycepin, Proanthocyanidins, Crocin, Purple Rice extract and cyanidin and Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE).

In silico identification and verification of ferroptosis-related genes in type 2 diabetic islets

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major global public health burden, with β-cell dysfunction a key component in its pathogenesis. However, the exact pathogenesis of β-cell dysfunction in T2D is yet to be fully elucidated. Ferroptosis, a recently discovered regulated form of non-apoptotic cell death, plays a vital role in the development of diabetes and its complications. The current study aimed to identify the key molecules involved in β-cell ferroptosis3 in patients with T2D using the mRNA expression profile data of GSE25724 by bioinformatic approaches. The differentially expressed mRNAs (DE-mRNAs) in human islets of patients with T2D were screened using the islet mRNA expression profiling data from the Gene Expression Omnibus and their intersection with ferroptosis genes was then obtained. Ferroptosis-related DE-mRNA functional and pathway enrichment analysis in T2D islet were performed. Using a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network constructed from the STRING database, Cytoscape software identified ferroptosis-related hub genes in the T2D islet with a Degree algorithm. We constructed a miRNA-hub gene network using the miRWalk database. We generated a rat model of T2D to assess the expression of hub genes. A total of 1,316 DE-mRNAs were identified in the islet of patients between T2D and non-T2D (NT2D), including 221 and 1,095 up- and down-regulated genes. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that the ferroptosis-related gene set was significantly different in islets between T2D and NT2D at an overall level. A total of 33 ferroptosis-related DE-mRNAs were identified, most of which were significantly enriched in pathways including ferroptosis. The established PPI network with ferroptosis-related DE-mRNAs identified five hub genes (JUN, NFE2L2, ATG5, KRAS, and HSPA5), and the area under the ROC curve of these five hub genes was 0.929 in the Logistic regression model. We constructed a regulatory network of hub genes and miRNAs, and the results showed that suggesting that hsa-miR-6855-5p, hsa-miR-9985, and hsa-miR-584-5p could regulate most hub genes. In rat model of T2D, the protein expression levels of JUN and NFE2L2 in pancreatic tissues were upregulated and downregulated, respectively. These results contribute to further elucidation of ferroptosis-related molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of β-cell dysfunction of T2D.

Therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicines and their extracts on diabetes

With the improvement of people's living standards and changes in the environment, the incidence of diabetes has increased rapidly. It has gradually become one of the main diseases threatening the health and life of modern people, bringing a great burden to the society. Although the existing treatment methods can effectively control the symptoms of diabetes and delay its progression, they have not brought satisfactory improvement in the quality of life and treatment of patients. Traditional Chinese herbal medicines and their extracts combine thousands of years of experience and the scientific basis provided by modern experimental research, which is expected to bring a qualitative leap in the clinical management of diabetes. Therefore, this article systematically reviews studies on the effects of Chinese herbal medicine and its extracts on diabetes and its complications, and aims to bring new ideas and options for the clinical treatment of diabetes.

Structure and hypoglycemic activity of a novel exopolysaccharide of Cordyceps militaris

A novel neutral exopolysaccharide (EPS-III) was isolated from culture broth of Cordyceps militaris (C. militaris). The EPS-III was a homogeneous polysaccharide with M_w of 1.56 × 10³ kDa. The yield of EPS-III from culture broth was 123.2 ± 3.1 mg/L and the sugar content was 93.32 ± 0.87%. The backbone of EPS-III was mainly consisted of →4)-α-D-Galp-(1→, while →3, 6)-α-D-Manp-(1→, →4)-α-D-Manp-(1→, →3)-β-D-Galp-(1→ and →3)-α-D-Glcp-(1→ were distributed in the backbone or in the branch chains. The EPS-III had helix structure when dissolved in weak alkaline solution. It also had branched and intertwined form on the surface. The inhibition of α-glucosidase significantly increased as the increase of purity of exopolysaccharides. The EPS-III had effective inhibition on the α-glucosidase with dose-effect relationship. Besides, the results of hypoglycemic activity analysis in vivo indicated that EPS-III can alleviate weight loss, reduce plasma glucose concentration, improve glucose tolerance, protect immune organs and repair dyslipidemia to relieve diabetes in STZ-induced diabetic mice. The manuscript first studied the hypoglycemic activity of exopolysaccharide of by C. militaris, proving and promoting the application value of culture broth. The structure characterization of EPS-III laid experimental foundations on the exploration of structure-activity relationship.

Biodiversity of Entomopathogenic Fungi in the Soils of South China

The southern part of China, located in tropical and south subtropical areas has unique natural environments, but the distributions of entomopathogenic fungi (EFs) in the soil are not clear. In this research, 198 soil samples were collected from the four Provinces (Autonomous Region) of South China. The results indicated that a total of 292 fungal isolates were obtained from 176 soil samples. Then, based on the morphological and rDNA-ITS sequences analysis, 213 EFs isolates of 19 species in 12 genera were identified. Furthermore, Purpureocillium lilacinum with 75 isolates was recognized as the absolutely dominant EF species, while Isaria javanica, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Beauveria bassiana (respectively with 29, 26, and 26 isolates) were the richer species. The data also indicated that Guangxi Province has the best EFs diversity with the Shannon–Wiener index (SWI) of 2.29, the soils covered with grass had the best EFs diversity with the 2.14 SWI, while the orchard and fallow land had the lowest SWI of 1.52, which suggested that the diversity of plants and insects on ground, as well as the massive application of broad-spectrum fungicides, affect the EFs diversity in the soil. Finally, the rare species, Nectria mauritiicola and Scopulariopsis brumptii were first reported about their entomopathogenic activities against Bemisia tabaci. Our experiment will give new insights to the understanding of EFs distribution characteristics and their biodiversity conservation.

Resveratrol reduces liver endoplasmic reticulum stress and improves insulin sensitivity in vivo and in vitro

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the effects of resveratrol upon hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and insulin sensitivity in vivo and in vitro. Material and methods: C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks, and insulin resistance was evaluated by the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT). Mice were then treated with resveratrol for 12 weeks and blood and liver samples collected. Blood biochemical indicators were determined by kits, liver protein expression was determined by western blot, and morphological changes were observed by histological staining. Palmitic acid (PA)-induced insulin-resistant HepG2 cells were established. Cells were exposed to 100, 50 or 20 μM resveratrol for 24 hrs, and proliferation/cytotoxicity was determined. Cells were divided into five groups: control, PA, PA + Rev (100 μM), PA + Rev (50 μM) and PA + Rev (20 μM) groups. After 24 hrs of treatment, cellular proteins were analyzed the same way as animal tissues. Results: The IPGTT confirmed that the insulin resistance model was established successfully. After resveratrol treatment, fasting blood glucose and cholesterol levels declined and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index increased. Western-blot results showed that resveratrol-treated HFD mice had reduced hepatic levels of p-PERK, ATF-4 and TRIB3, and increased the levels of ATF-6, p-AKT and p-GSK3β. In the cell model, resveratrol with 100 and 50 μM enhanced ERS and insulin resistance, whereas 20 μM had beneficial effects, similar to the animal model. Conclusion: Resveratrol reduced hepatic ERS, thereby improving insulin sensitivity and glucose levels. However, high doses of resveratrol had harmful effects on cells, elevating ERS and insulin resistance. The safe dose of resveratrol needs further investigation.

Optimization of protein extraction and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis profiles for the identification of Cordyceps sinensis and other similar species

Given that Chinese materia medica (CMM) is expensive and rare, people take tremendous risk to adulterate and falsify Cordyceps sinensis with counterfeit species with similar morphological features. It is thus essential to develop new methods to identify the authenticity of Cordyceps sinensis. It is hypothesized in this study that Cordyceps sinensis possesses certain protein biomarkers distinct from its counterfeits, which can be identified by proteomic technologies for authentication purposes. This is the first study that aims to optimize the conditions for extracting proteins from Cordyceps sinensis, a hybrid of fungal-animal CMM, and to compare the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) profiles between different Cordyceps species. Two different protein extraction buffer systems, namely, phenol/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) buffer or lysis buffer, were evaluated, where the preparation using lysis buffer yielded better protein content. The results also showed that extraction with lysis buffer without pre- or post-washing of samples was the most effective protocol, with over 220% of protein yield and 819 protein spots detected on a 2-DE gel. Moreover, the results demonstrated that Cordyceps sinensis possesses protein biomarkers distinct from its counterfeits, and these biomarkers are not source- or origin-dependent, strongly supporting the feasibility of using identified biomarkers as indicators for authentication of Cordyceps species. The findings of this study warrant further investigations on the structural identification of protein biomarkers of Cordyceps species.

Beneficial Effect of Intestinal Fermentation of Natural Polysaccharides

With the rapid development of modern society, many chronic diseases are increasing including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, etc., which further cause an increased death rate worldwide. A high caloric diet with reduced natural polysaccharides, typically indigestible polysaccharides, is considered a health risk factor. With solid evidence accumulating that indigestible polysaccharides can effectively prevent and/or ameliorate symptoms of many chronic diseases, we give a narrative review of many natural polysaccharides extracted from various food resources which mainly contribute their health beneficial functions via intestinal fermentation.