Anti-inflammatory effects of Glycine tabacina extract in LPS-stimulated macrophages and collagen-induced arthritis mice

Fatty Acid-Derived N-acylethanolamines Dietary Supplementation Attenuates Neuroinflammation and Cognitive Impairment in LPS Murine Model

Neuroinflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of most neurological and neurodegenerative diseases and therefore represents a potential therapeutic target. In this regard, accelerating the resolution process in chronic neuroinflammation may be an effective strategy to deal with the cognitive consequences of neuropathology and generalized inflammatory processes. N-acylethanolamine (NAE) derivatives of fatty acids, being highly active lipid mediators, possess pro-resolving activity in inflammatory processes and are promising agents for the suppression of neuroinflammation and its consequences. This paper is devoted to a study of the effects played by dietary supplement (DS), containing a composition of fatty acid-derived NAEs, obtained from squid Berryteuthis magister, on the hippocampal neuroinflammatory and memory processes. By detecting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and glial markers, a pronounced anti-inflammatory activity of DS was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. DS administration reversed the LPS-induced reduction in hippocampal neurogenesis and memory deterioration. LC-MS analysis revealed an increase in the production of a range of NAEs with well-documented anti-inflammatory activity in response to the administered lipid composition. To conclude, we found that tested DS suppresses the neuroinflammatory response by reducing glial activation, positively regulates neural progenitor proliferation, and attenuates hippocampal-dependent memory impairment.

Glytabastan B, a coumestan isolated from Glycine tabacina, alleviated synovial inflammation, osteoclastogenesis and collagen-induced arthritis through inhibiting MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways

The roots of Glycine tabacina are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and joint infection in folk medicine. Glytabastan B (GlyB), a newly reported coumestan isolated from this species, was found to significantly attenuate IL-1β-induced inflammation in SW982 human synovial cells at 3 and 6 μM, as evidenced by the decreased levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). GlyB also suppressed RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis, decreased the expression of osteoclastogenic markers (NFATc1, CTSK, MMP-9) and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Further, GlyB administration (12.5 and 25 mg/kg) significantly inhibited inflammation, osteoclast formation and disease progression in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice. Integration of network pharmacology, quantitative phosphoproteomic and experimental pharmacology results revealed that these beneficial actions were closely associated with the blockade of GlyB on the activation of MAPK, PI3K/AKT and their downstream signals including NF-κB and GSK3β/NFATc1. Drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) assay, cellular thermal shift (CETSA) assay and molecular docking analysis confirmed that there were direct interactions between GlyB and its target proteins ERK2, JNK1 and class Ⅰ PI3K catalytic subunit p110 (α, β, δ and γ), which significantly contributed to the inhibition of activation of MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways. In conclusion, these results strongly suggest GlyB is a promising multiple-target candidate for the development of agents for the prevention and treatment of RA.

Anti-inflammatory activity of flavonols via inhibiting MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in RAW264.7 macrophages

Fisetin (Fis), quercetin (Que), and myricetin (Myr) are flavonols with similar structure but different number of hydroxyl groups. The present research focused on the anti-inflammatory effect of these three flavonols in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The number and site of hydroxyl group in flavonols obviously affected their anti-inflammation activity. These flavonols suppressed the overproduction of nitric oxide. Fis showed the best activity with an inhibition rate of 52% at 20 μM. Moreover, the flavonols reduced the levels of ROS, TNF-α, and IL-6. The mechanistic study showed that they inhibited the activation of NF-κB and MAPK pathways by suppressing the phosphorylation of IκBα, p65, JNK, ERK, p38, MEK, and reducing the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. In addition, the metabolism of the flavonols was examined. The results indicated that Fis was both methylated and glucuronidated. Que and Myr were mainly transformed into methylated products. This study highlights the anti-inflammatory activity of flavonols, particularly Fis, which has the potential for the prevention or treatment of inflammation as an adjuvant medicine or food additive.

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Flavonols suppressed the production of NO and ROS.

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Flavonols partially blocked the activation of NF-κB and MAPK pathways.

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Fisetin is an excellent anti-inflammatory reagent.

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The number of hydroxyl group in flavonols obviously affects their anti-inflammation activity.

Traditional herbal medicine: Therapeutic potential in rheumatoid arthritis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease influenced by diverse endogenous and exogenous factors. It is characterized by cartilage and bone destruction. The current conventional allopathic therapy is expensive and carries adverse side effects. Recently, there were some ethnopharmacological studies on RA including anti-RA effects and therapeutic targets of distinct dosage forms of traditional herbal medicines (THMs).

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review provides a brief overview of the current understanding of the potential pharmacological mechanisms of THMs (active constituents, extracts and prescriptions) in RA. This study is intended to provide comprehensive information and reference for exploring new therapeutic strategies of THMs in the RA treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This review captured scientific literatures invivo and vitro experiments on effects of anti-RA THMs published between 2016 and 2021 from journals and electronic databases (e.g. PubMed, Elsevier, Science Direct, Web of Science and Google Scholar). Relevant literatures were searched and analyzed by using keywords such as 'rheumatoid arthritis AND traditional herbal medicines', 'rheumatoid arthritis AND immune cells', 'rheumatoid arthritis AND inflammation', 'rheumatoid arthritis AND miRNA', 'rheumatoid arthritis AND Angiogenesis', 'rheumatoid arthritis AND oxidative stress', 'rheumatoid arthritis AND osteoclasts', 'rheumatoid arthritis AND CIA model', 'rheumatoid arthritis AND AA model' AND 'rheumatoid arthritis herbal prescription'.

RESULTS

Experiments in vitro and in vivo jointly demonstrated the potential of THMs in the RA treatment. There are plentiful therapeutic targets in RA. THMs and active ingredients could alleviate RA symptoms through different therapeutic targets, such as immunoregulation, inflammation, fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs), microRNAs (miRNAs), angiogenesis, oxidative stress, osteoclasts and multiple targets interaction. Anti-RA THMs, active ingredients and prescriptions through corresponding therapeutic targets were summarized and classified.

CONCLUSIONS

Flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids and triterpenes of THMs are identified as the main components to ameliorate RA. Regulation of different and multiple related therapeutic targets by THMs and their active ingredients were associated with greater therapeutic benefits, among which inflammation is the main therapeutic target. Nonetheless, further studies are required to unravel the complexities and in-depth mechanisms of THMs in alleviating RA.

Isolation and Identification of Antiarthritic Constituents from Glycine tabacina and Network Pharmacology-Based Prediction of Their Protective Mechanisms against Rheumatoid Arthritis

Glycine tabacina (Labill.) Benth is an edible medicinal herb for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment in folk medicine. Current phytochemical research on this dried herb led to the isolation of eight new coumestans, named glytabastan A-H (1-8), and twenty-three known compounds 9-31. Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic methods. The antiarthritic activities of all isolates were evaluated, and the results showed that coumestans 1-6 and 8-10 could inhibit arthritic inflammation in vitro, while coumestans 1, 2, 9, and 10 significantly blocked the osteoclastogenesis induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF) κB ligand (RANKL). Moreover, network pharmacological analysis revealed that the anti-RA effect of G. tabacina involved multitargets, multipathways such as PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling pathways, and various biological processes such as inflammatory response and cytokine-mediated signaling pathways. These results suggested that this species and its novel coumestans could serve as potential antiarthritic agents for functional food or medicinal use.

Dolichosin A, a coumestan isolated from Glycine tabacina, inhibits IL-1β-induced inflammation in SW982 human synovial cells and suppresses RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis: From network pharmacology to experimental pharmacology

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Glycine tabacina (Labill.) Benth has been used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and joint infection. It is also one of the sources of the renowned native herbal medicine 'I-Tiao-Gung' in Taiwan.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to investigate anti-arthritic effects and underlying mechanisms of dolichosin A (DoA), a coumestan compound isolated from G. tabacina, by the integration of network pharmacology and experimental pharmacology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Putative therapeutic targets and potential pharmacological mechanisms of DoA for RA treatment were predicted by network pharmacology approach. The regulated network of DoA acting on RA was constructed using Cytoscape 3.7.1. Anti-arthritic effects of DoA and predicted mechanisms were further validated using IL-1β-induced SW982 human synovial cell model and RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis model.

RESULTS

A regulatory network of DoA-targets-pathways-RA was successfully constructed using network pharmacology approach. In this network, 65 candidate targets of DoA related to its therapeutic effect on RA were identified and the functional enrichment analysis revealed that these candidate targets were significantly involved in 12 central signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT pathway, MAPK pathway and osteoclast differentiation. Furthermore, we found that DoA could significantly inhibit IL-1β-induced inflammation in SW982 human synovial cells, as evidenced by the decreased levels of pro-inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-6 and COX-2) and MMP-3. DoA also suppressed RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis in vitro, as evidenced by decreased number of TRAP-positive multinucleated osteoclasts and reduced TRAP activity. Further experimental mechanism evidence confirmed the predicted results of network pharmacology that the blockade of PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways activation was closely associated with these regulated processes of DoA.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrated that DoA exhibited strong anti-arthritic activity through suppressing PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways activation in activated synovial cells and osteoclasts, suggesting its potential as a hopeful candidate for the development of novel agents for the prevention and treatment of RA.

Exploring protective effect of Glycine tabacina aqueous extract against nephrotic syndrome by network pharmacology and experimental verification

Background

Glycine tabacina (Labill.) Benth, one of the traditional Chinese herbal medicines, has been used for treatment of nephritis, osteoporosis, rheumatism, and menopausal syndrome. The aim of this study was to illuminate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Glycine tabacina aqueous extract (GATE) in the treatment of nephrotic syndrome (NS).

Methods

UHPLC-DAD-MS/MS was used to analyze the chemical profile of GATE. Adriamycin (ADR)-induced NS mouse model and network pharmacology methods were conducted to explore the protective effect and mechanism of GATE on NS treatment.

Results

GATE administration significantly ameliorated symptoms of proteinuria and hyperlipidemia in NS mice, as evidenced by reduced excretion of urine protein and albumin, and decreased plasma levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride. Decreased blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels in NS mice suggested that GATE could prevent renal function decline caused by ADR. GATE treatment also inhibited ADR-induced pathological lesions of renal tissues as indicated by periodic acid Schiff staining. Six flavonoids of GATE were identified by using UHPLC-DAD-MS/MS. Network pharmacology analysis indicated that the protection of GATE in treating NS might be associated with the regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation. In addition, the in vivo experiment validated that treatment with GATE markedly decreased reactive oxygen species production, malonaldehyde level, and increased superoxide dismutase activity both in plasma and renal tissues. TNF-α level in plasma and protein expression in kidney were significantly decreased in GATE treatment groups.

Conclusions

Combination of network pharmacology analysis and experimental verification revealed that GATE exerts anti-NS effect possibly through modulating oxidative stress and inflammation, suggesting the potential application of GATE or its derivatives in the prevention and treatment of NS and other related kidney diseases.