A plasma metabonomic investigation into the intervention of volatile oil of Magnolia biondii Pamp on rat model of acute inflammation

Magnolin alleviated DSS-induced colitis by inhibiting ALOX5-mediated ferroptosis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and incurable disorder associated with higher cancer risk and currently faces unsatisfactory treatment outcomes. Ferroptotic cells secrete damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that recruit and activate immune cells, particularly macrophages. Magnolin has excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but its effect on IBD has not yet been clearly understood. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanism of magnolin in IBD. For this purpose, in vivo and in vitro colitis models were established using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), followed by optimization of magnolin concentration 2.5 μg/mL in vitro and 5 mg/kg in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis identified potential magnolin target sites and evaluated ferroptosis-associated gene expressions. Body weight, food intake, disease activity index (DAI), pathological changes, and inflammation levels were assessed. The effect of magnolin on ferroptosis and macrophages was evaluated using quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunofluorescent staining, flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and western blotting. Results indicated that magnolin at a lower dose (5 mg/kg) alleviated DSS-induced colitis symptoms and reduced inflammation in mice. The bioinformatics analysis showed arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5) as a potential magnolin target. Furthermore, magnolin inhibited the expression of ALOX5 with no effect on GPX4. Moreover, magnolin regulated macrophage differentiation into the M2 phenotype and suppressed pro-inflammatory factors, that is, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (IL-6 and TNFα). These results suggested that magnolin possesses significant therapeutic potential in treating IBD by suppressing ALOX5-mediated ferroptosis, inhibiting M1 while promoting M2 macrophages, which is envisaged to provide novel strategies for treating IBD.

Study on the mechanism of Fufang E'jiao Jiang on precancerous lesions of gastric cancer based on network pharmacology and metabolomics

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Fufang E'jiao Jiang (FEJ) is a prominent traditional Chinese medicine prescription, which consists of Asini Corii Colla (Donkey-hide gelatin prepared by stewing and concentrating from the hide of Equus asinus Linnaeus., ACC), Codonopsis Radix (the dried roots of Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., CR), Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra (the steamed and dried root of Panax ginseng C.A. Mey., GRR), Crataegi Fructus (the mature fruits of Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge., CF), and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata (the steamed and sun dried tuber of Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) Libosch. ex Fisch. & C.A. Mey., RRP). It is a popularly used prescription for "nourishing Qi and nourishing blood".

AIM OF THE STUDY

To explore the potential mechanism of FEJ on precancerous lesion of gastric cancer in rats by combining network pharmacology and metabolomics.

METHODS

Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine were used to identify the ingredients and potential targets of FEJ. GeneCards database was used to define PLGC-associated targets. We built a herb-component-disease-target network and analyzed the protein-protein interaction network. Underlying mechanisms were identified using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis. In addition, 40% ethanol, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitroguanidine and irregular eating were used to establish PLGC rats model. We also evaluated the efficacy of FEJ on MNNG-induced PLGC rats by body weight, histopathology, blood routine and cytokine levels, while the predicted pathway was determined by the Western blot. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based serum non-targeted metabolomics was used to select potential biomarkers and relevant pathways for FEJ in the treatment of PLGC.

RESULTS

Network pharmacology showed that FEJ exhibited anti-PLGC effects through regulating ALB, TNF, VEGFA, TP53, AKT1 and other targets, and the potential pathways mainly involved cancer-related, TNF, PI3K-AKT, HIF-1, and other signaling pathways. Animal experiments illustrated that FEJ could suppress inflammation, regulate gastrointestinal hormones, and inhibit the expression of PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α pathway-related proteins. Based on serum non-targeted metabolomics analysis, 12 differential metabolites responding to FEJ treatment were identified, and metabolic pathway analysis showed that the role of FEJ was concentrated in 6 metabolic pathways.

CONCLUSION

Based on network pharmacology, animal experiments and metabolomics, we found that FEJ might ameliorate gastric mucosal injury in PLGC rats by regulating gastrointestinal hormones and inhibiting inflammation, and its mechanism of action is related to the inhibition of excessive activation of PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α signaling pathway and regulation of disorders of body energy metabolism. This comprehensive strategy also provided a reasonable way for unveiling the pharmacodynamic mechanisms of multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Gastro-protective effect of Artemisia sieberi essential oil against ethanol-induced ulcer in rats as revealed via biochemical, histopathological and metabolomics analysis

CONTEXT

Gastric ulcer is regarded as one of the main clinical ailments with high morbidity and mortality rates.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Gastro-protective effect of Artemisia sieberi essential oil (AS-EO) in ethanol-induced rats was evaluated via biochemical, histopathological and large-scale metabolomics analyses. Glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), prostaglandin (PGE2) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) alongside with histopathological examination of gastric mucosa were analyzed. Metabolites profiling coupled to Global Natural Products Social molecular networking platform (GNPS) and multivariate data analyses to reveal for changes in rats metabolome with treatments and involved action mechanisms.

RESULTS

Pretreatment with 100 and 200 mg/kg of AS-EO in EtOH-treated rats restored all parameters towards normal status compared to disease model. AS-EO alleviated the histological and pathological damage of gastric tissue caused by ethanol. Metabolites profiling revealed an increase in uracil, cholesterol and fatty acids/fatty acyl amides levels in ulcer rats and restored to normal levels post AS-EO intervention. These results indicated the efficacy of AS-EO in a dose-dependent manner, and to exert protective effects in ulcer rat model by targeting several metabolic pathways viz. lipid, energy, and nucleotide metabolisms.

CONCLUSION

AS-EO adds to the known uses of genus Artemisia as anti-ulcerogenic agent by attenuating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses associated with an ulcer. Several novel biomarkers for ulcer progression in rats were identified and have yet to be confirmed in human models.

Magnoliae Flos Essential Oil as an Immunosuppressant in Dendritic Cell Activation and Contact Hypersensitivity Responses

Magnoliae Flos is a commonly used traditional medicinal material in Asia. It is used to treat sinusitis, nasal congestion, and hypersensitive skin. Because Magonlia Flos was described as an aromatic material in ancient Chinese texts, we hypothesized that its essential oil may be used to treat immune disorders. Dendritic cells (DCs), regarded as a major target of immunomodulators to control immune responses, play a critical role in the adaptive immune response. In this study, Magnoliae Flos essential oil (MFEO) decreased the production of the cytokines TNF-[Formula: see text], IL-6, and IL-12p70 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated DCs. It also suppressed the surface markers MHC II, CD80, and CD86 in LPS-stimulated DCs. Animal models demonstrated that the 2,4-Dinitro-1-fluorobenzene (DNFB) inducing a contact hypersensitivity response was inhibited following treatment with MFEO. In addition, MFEO inhibited the infiltration of T cells in the ears of DNFB-induced mice. To explore its bioactive compounds, the components of MFEO were analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry. The results revealed that the major compounds in MFEO are camphor and 1,8-cineole. Additional DC bioassays confirmed that these compounds substantially suppressed cytokine production in LPS-induced DCs. Therefore, we demonstrated that MFEO exhibits an immunosuppressive effect both in vivo and in vitro, and camphor and 1,8-cineole may be the major components responsible for its immunosuppressive ability. The findings indicate that MFEO has the potential to be developed as a new immunosuppressant for excessive diseases.

Two new phenylpropanoids and a new dihydrostilbenoid from the flower buds of Magnolia biondii pamp and their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities

Two new phenylpropanoids, named (2'R*,3'R*)-2',3'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxy-caffeoyl butyrate (1), 9-acetoxy syringin (2), and a new dihydrostilbene, named (8'R)-4',5-dihydroxy-4,8'-dimethoxy-2-hydroxyethyl diphenylethane (3), together with five analogues (4-8), were isolated from the flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses and comparison with literature data. The absolute configurations were deduced by comparison of experimental and calculated gauge-independent atomic orbital (GIAO) 1 D NMR data. Moreover, the isolated compounds (1-8) were evaluated in vitro for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities.

Chemometrics: a complementary tool to guide the isolation of pharmacologically active natural products

Chemometrics offers an important complementary tool to enhance the searching and isolation of bioactive natural products from natural sources.

Variations in Volatile Oil Yield and Composition of "Xin-yi" (Magnolia biondii Pamp. Flower Buds) at Different Growth Stages

Dried flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp. are the main ingredient in "Xin-yi" in China, and the volatile oils of M. biondii flower buds are the principal medicinal component. Gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) and microscopic techniques were employed to detect the volatile yields of M. biondii flowers at various growth stages. The volatile oil yields of M. biondii flowers differed significantly at different growth stages and were closely related to flower dry weight, oil cell density and degree of oil accumulation. In February 2016, flower buds had the highest dry weight, the maximum percentage of oil cells at the oil saturation stage and the highest density of oil cells, which coincided with the highest oil yield. In March 2016, flower buds had a lower dry weight, a higher percentage of oil cells at the oil-degrading stage and the lowest oil cell density, resulting in decreased oil yields. The total amounts of the major medicinal components in the M. biondii flower also showed regular changes at different growth stages. In January and February of 2016, M. biondii flowers had a higher dry weight, volatile oil yield and total content of medicinal ingredients, which was the best time for harvesting high-quality medicinal components. Our study reveals that volatile oil content and chemical composition are closely related to the growth stage of M. biondii flower buds. The results provide a scientific morphology and composition index for evaluating the medicinal value and harvesting of high-quality M. biondii medicinal herbs.

Revealing anti-inflammation mechanism of water-extract and oil of forsythiae fructus on carrageenan-Induced edema rats by serum metabolomics

Forsythiae Fructus is an important Chinese medicine which shows a significant effect against inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the preventive anti-inflammation mechanism of Forsythiae Fructus by serum metabolomics strategy and compare the difference of the metabolism pathways between Forsythia extract and Forsythia oil in rat. Four groups (control group, model group, Forsythia extract group and Forsythia oil group) were orally administered 10mL/kg 0.5% Tween 80 solution, 10mL/kg 0.5% Tween 80 solution, 5g/kg Forsythia extract and 0.48mL/kg Forsythia oil respectively. 30min after drug administration, rat acute inflammation was induced by subcutaneous injection of carrageenan in the right paw in model group, Forsythia extract group and Forsythia oil group. After being administered Forsythia extract and Forsythia oil, the percentage of rat paw edema was significantly decreased (P<0.05) compared with model group. Metabolomics based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was used to analyze the collected serum sample. Multivariate analysis was established for metabolomics analysis. According to Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) results, four groups were clearly separated. And thirteen alterative biomarkers were identified in the serum, namely PC (19:0/0:0), LysoPC (20:0), LysoPC (20:1), LysoPC (17:0), Sphingosine, Linoleic acid, 3R-hydroxy-butanoic acid (3-HB), 2-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid, Lactic acid, L-Threonine, L-Leucine, Maleic acid, Adipic acid. The change of biomarkers suggested that Forsythia extract affected Linoleic acid metabolism, Valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, Sphingolipid metabolism and Glycerophospholipid metabolism. Forsythia oil affected Sphingolipid metabolism and Glycerophospholipid metabolism. It indicated that Forsythia extract and Forsythia oil both showed significant preventive anti-inflammatory effect through acting on different metabolism pathways. Moreover, efficacy mechanism of Forsythiae Fructus could recover metabolites disturb in the body through affecting particular drug targets associated with the inflammatory pathway.

Serum and Liver Tissue Metabonomic Study on Fatty Liver in Rats Induced by High-Fat Diet and Intervention Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Qushi Huayu Decoction

Qushi Huayu Decoction (QSHY), clinically derived, consists of five crude drugs, commonly used in treating fatty liver in a clinical setting. However, little is known about its metabolomics study. Herein, the serum and liver tissue metabolomics approach, based on gas chromatography coupled to spectrometry (GC/MS), was employed to evaluate the efficacy and the mechanism underlying QSHY in a rat model of high-fat diet-induced fatty liver. With pattern recognition analysis of serum and liver tissue metabolite profile, a clear separation of model group and control group was acquired for serum and liver tissue samples, respectively. The QSHY group showed a predisposition towards recovery mimicking the control group, which was in agreement with the biochemical alterations and histological results. 23 candidate biomarkers were identified in the serum and liver tissue samples that were utilized for exploring the underlying mechanism. The present study suggests that QSHY has significant anti-fatty liver effects on high-fat diet-induced fatty liver in rats, which might be attributed to regulating the dysfunction of beta-alanine metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, and citrate cycle. Thus, metabolomics is a useful tool in the evaluation of the efficacy and elucidation of the mechanism underlying the complex traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions.

A GC-MS Based Metabonomics Study of Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Interventional Effects of the Simiaowan in Rats

Simiaowan (SMW) is a famous Chinese prescription widely used in clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the present study is to determine novel biomarkers to increase the current understanding of RA mechanisms, as well as the underlying therapeutic mechanism of SMW, in RA-model rats. Plasma extracts from control, RA model, and SMW-treated rats were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). An orthogonal partial least-square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model was created to detect metabolites that were expressed in significantly different amounts between the RA model and the control rats and investigate the therapeutic effect of SMW. Metabonomics may prove to be a valuable tool for determining the efficacy of complex traditional prescriptions.

Metabolomics and its application to the evaluation of the efficacy and toxicity of traditional Chinese herb medicines

Traditional Chinese herb medicines (TCHMs) have been used in the treatment of a variety of diseases for thousands of years in Asian countries. The active components of TCHMs usually exert combined synergistic therapeutic effects on multiple targets, but with less potential therapeutic effect based on routine indices than Western drugs. These complex effects make the assessment of the efficacy of TCHMs and the clarification of their underlying mechanisms very challenging, and therefore hinder their wider application and acceptance. Metabolomics is a crucial part of systems biology. It allows the quantitative measurement of large numbers of the low-molecular endogenous metabolites involved in metabolic pathways, and thus reflects the fundamental metabolism status of the body. Recently, dozens of metabolomic studies have been devoted to prove the efficacy/safety, explore the underlying mechanisms, and identify the potential biomarkers to access the action targets of TCHMs, with fruitful results. This article presents an overview of these studies, focusing on the progress made in exploring the pharmacology and toxicology of various herbal medicines.

Evaluation of the water soluble extractive of astragali radix with different growth patterns using 1H-NMR spectroscopy

Astragali radix (AR), known in China as huangqi, is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. Water soluble extractive (WSE) values play an important role in the quality evaluation of herbal drugs. In this study, WSE of wild and cultivated AR were compared systematically. The WSE value of cultivated AR was significantly higher than that of the wild AR, and their UV-absorbance in the range of 250–400 nm was also different. The chemical compositions of different WSE were further compared by 1H NMR spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis. Results from the principal component analysis and the hierarchical cluster analysis showed a clear separation between the WSEs of wild and cultivated AR. The differential metabolites responsible for the separation were identified by orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis and recursive support vector machine. The WSE of wild AR contained more arginine, valine, threonine, asparagine, succinate, and glutamine, while the cultivated AR contained more sucrose. Thus, the WSE can be used as a simple and reliable method for discrimination of wild and cultivated ARs, and the results obtained in this study extend the potential use of WSE in the quality evaluation of herbal drugs.

Methanol extract of the aerial parts of barley (Hordeum vulgare) suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in vitro and in vivo

CONTEXT

Recently, there has been renewed interest in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. Poaceae) as a functional food and for its medicinal properties.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the anti-inflammatory potential of the active fractions of barley and the mechanisms involved.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The macrophages were exposed to 100 μg/mL of each of the barley extracts in the presence of 1 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and after 24 or 48 h of incubation, cells or culture supernatants were analyzed by various assays. The anti-inflammatory potential of barley fractions was also investigated using the LPS-injected septic mouse model. The active constituents in the fractions were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

RESULTS

The active fractions, named F₄, F₇, F₉ and F₁₂, inhibited almost completely the LPS-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) and inducible NO synthase. Pre-treatment with these fractions at 100 μg/mL diminished the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels to 19.8, 3.5, 1.2 and 1.7 ng/mL, respectively, compared to LPS treatment alone (41.5 ng/mL). These fractions at 100 μg/mL also suppressed apparently the secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β and the DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor-κB in LPS-stimulated cells. Mice injected intraperitoneally with LPS (30 mg/kg BW) showed 20% survival at 48 h after injection, whereas oral administration of the fractions improved the survival rates to 80%. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of the derivatives of benzoic and cinnamic acids and fatty acids in the fractions.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The aerial parts of barley are useful as functional food to prevent acute inflammatory responses.

Chloroform extract of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation by downregulating ERK/NF-κB signaling and cytokine production

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is commonly used as a traditional medicine and functional food. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of alfalfa and the mechanisms involved. The chloroform extract of alfalfa aerial parts inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated immune responses more than ether, butanol, or water soluble extracts. Treatment with 1 μg/mL LPS increased nitrite concentrations to 44.3 μM in RAW267.4 macrophages, but it was reduced to 10.6 μM by adding 100 μg/mL chloroform extract. LPS treatment also increased the concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β to 41.3, 11.6, and 0.78 ng/mL in culture supernatants of the cells, but these cytokine levels decreased to 12.5, 3.1, and 0.19 ng/mL, respectively, by pretreating with 100 μg/mL of the extract. ICR mice injected with LPS (30 mg/kg body weight) alone showed a 0% survival rate after 48 h of the injection, but 48-h survival of the mice increased to 60% after oral administration of the extract. Subfractions of the chloroform extract markedly suppressed LPS-mediated activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase and nuclear factor kappa-B. Cinnamic acid derivatives and fatty acids were found to be active constituents of the extract. This research demonstrated that alfalfa aerial parts exert anti-inflammatory activity and may be useful as a functional food for the prevention of inflammatory disorders.

Metabolomic study of the fever model induced by baker's yeast and the antipyretic effects of aspirin in rats using nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A metabolomic investigation of baker's yeast-induced fever in rats was carried out. Plasma derived from Sprague-Dawley rats treated by subcutaneous administration of 20% (w/v) baker's yeast was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Statistical data analysis using t-test and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis revealed many significant changes in the metabolic data in the plasma of the fever group. Clear separation was achieved between the fever and control groups. Seventeen marked metabolites were found in the fever group. The metabolites, which include amino acids, carbohydrate, organic acids, and fatty acids, mostly contributed to the discrimination of plasma samples from the control and fever groups. These results suggested that fever may involve in the perturbation of amino acid metabolism coupled with energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, and glycometabolism. After determining the antipyretic effects of aspirin on the fever group, four metabolites in the fever rat plasma were found to be signally regulated and recognized as potential biomarkers, including 3-hydroxybutyric acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glucose, and linoleic acid. The metabolic relationships that possibly exist between these potential biomarkers were speculated, and the mechanism of baker's yeast-induced fever was illustrated based on the metabolic relationships. This study found that metabolomic approaches such as GC-MS and NMR could be used as potential powerful tools to investigate the biochemical changes and mechanisms in certain pathological states at the metabolism level.

Naturally derived anti-inflammatory compounds from Chinese medicinal plants

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Though inflammatory response is beneficial to body damage repair, if it is out of control, it can produce adverse effects on the body. Although purely western anti-inflammatory drugs, orthodox medicines, can control inflammation occurrence and development, it is not enough. The clinical efficacy of anti-inflammation therapies is unsatisfactory, thus the search for new anti-inflammation continues. Chinese Material Medica (CMM) remains a promising source of new therapeutic agents. CMM and herbal formulae from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), unorthodox medicines, play an improtant anti-inflammatory role in multi-targets, multi-levels, and multi-ways in treating inflammation diseases in a long history in China, based on their multi-active ingredient characteristics. Due to these reasons, recently, CMM has been commercialized as an anti-inflammation agent which has become increasingly popular in the world health drug markets. Major research contributions in ethnopharmacology have generated vast amount of data associated with CMM in anti-inflammtion aspect. Therefore, a systematic introduction of CMM anti-inflammatory research progress is of great importance and necessity.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This paper strives to describe the progress of CMM in the treatment of inflammatory diseases from different aspects, and provide the essential theoretical support and scientific evidence for the further development and utilization of CMM resources as a potential anti-inflammation drug through a variety of databases.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Literature survey was performed via electronic search (SciFinder®, Pubmed®, Google Scholar and Web of Science) on papers and patents and by systematic research in ethnopharmacological literature at various university libraries.

RESULTS

This review mainly introduced the current research on the anti-inflammatory active ingredient, anti-inflammatory effects of CMM, their mechanism, anti-inflammatory drug development of CMM, and toxicological information.

CONCLUSION

CMM is used clinically to treat inflammation symptoms in TCM, and its effect is mediated by multiple targets through multiple active ingredients. Although scholars around the world have made studies on the anti-inflammatory studies of CMM from different pathways and aspects and have made substantial progress, further studies are warranted to delineate the inflammation actions in more cogency models, establish the toxicological profiles and quality standards, assess the potentials of CMM in clinical applications, and make more convenient preparations easy to administrate for patients. Development of the clinically anti-inflammatory drugs are also warranted.