In vitro cytotoxic activity of ginseng leaf/stem extracts obtained by subcritical water extraction

In-vitro evaluation of immunomodulatory activity of sulphation-modified total ginsenosides derivative-3

Background

Ginseng has been used in biomedicine to prevent and treat decreased physical and mental capacities. Total ginsenosides (TG) from ginseng root which have antitumor and immune-enhancing properties, are the principal active components of Panax ginseng, while the sulphation-modified TG derivative-3 (SMTG-d3) was expected to enhance the anticancer activity in conventional medicinal treatments.

Methods

The chlorosulphonic acid-pyridine technique, used for the sulfation modification of TG to improve their biological activity, and the infrared spectroscopic characteristics of TG and SMTG-d3 were investigated, and the effects of SMTG-d3 on immunocytes and cytokines relevant to tumor treatment were assessed. The MTT assay was used to assess the effect of TG and SMTG-d3 on the cytotoxicity and T-lymphocytic proliferation against mouse splenocytes. The LDH method was employed to evaluate NK activity induced by TG or SMTG-d3. The production levels of splenocytes-secreted IL-2 and IFN-γ and peritoneal macrophages-secreted TNF-α were determined using mouse ELISA kits.

Results and discussion

It showed that the ideal conditions for the sulfation modification of TG: the volume ratio of chlorosulfonic acid to pyridine lower than 1:2.5; controlled amount of chlorosulfonic acid; and a yield of 51.5% SMTG-d3 (2 h, < 45°C). SMTG-d3 showed two characteristic absorption peaks at 1,230 cm^-1 and 810 cm^-1, indicating the formation of sulfuric acid esters and the presence of sulfuric acid groups. SMTG-d3 exhibited higher antitumor immunological activity than TG by promoting the proliferation of T lymphocytes and the production of IFN-γ and TNF-α, thus enhancing NK cell activity, and reducing cytotoxicity. The findings imply sulfated modification represents an effective method of enhancing the immunomodulatory activities of TG and could be used as the basis for developing new drug target compounds; SMTG-d3 can serve as an antitumor immunomodulator and can be considered an effective and prospective herbal formulation in clinical applications.

Immunostimulatory effects of a subcritical water extract of Ganoderma

Ganoderma, a medicinal mushroom with various physiological activities, has been extensively investigated regarding its effectiveness. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a subcritical water extract of Ganoderma (SWEG) on the immune system. The use of subcritical water with a higher temperature and pressure than hot water allows efficient elution of components from natural products. As an evaluation of the effectiveness of SWEG, a cell proliferation and a cell differentiation test were carried out using A-6 cells, a model of hematopoietic stem cells. Furthermore, an oral administration test in mice was conducted to examine the effects of SWEG on the number and function of immune cells. As a result, SWEG was revealed to promote both self-renewal and differentiation into immune cells such as T cells and natural killer (NK) cells in experiments with A-6 cells. These results were not obtained in experiments using hot water extract of Ganoderma lucidum and Ganoderma sinense. The oral administration test in mice demonstrated that SWEG increased hematopoietic precursor cells, immature B cells, and NK cells in the bone marrow, and T cells in the thymus. In addition, SWEG enhanced the immune functions in the spleen by promoting granzyme B expression and NK cell activity. SWEG was demonstrated to be a food material that acts on HSCs and regulates immunity in vivo.

Immunoregulatory mechanism studies of ginseng leaves on lung cancer based on network pharmacology and molecular docking

Panax ginseng is one of the oldest and most generally prescribed herbs in Eastern traditional medicine to treat diseases. Several studies had documented that ginseng leaves have anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties similar to those of ginseng root. The aim of this research was to forecast of the molecular mechanism of ginseng leaves on lung cancer by molecular docking and network pharmacology so as to decipher ginseng leaves' entire mechanism. The compounds associated with ginseng leaves were searched by TCMSP. TCMSP and Swiss Target Prediction databases were used to sort out the potential targets of the main chemical components. Targets were collected from OMIM, PharmGKB, TTD, DrugBank and GeneCards which related to immunity and lung cancer. Ginseng leaves exert its lung cancer suppressive function by regulating the several signaling proteins, such as JUN, STAT3, AKT1, TNF, MAPK1, TP53. GO and KEGG analyses indicated that the immunoreaction against lung cancer by ginseng leaves might be related to response to lipopolysaccharide, response to oxidative stress, PI3K-Akt, MAPK and TNF pathway. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated that hydrogen bonding was interaction's core forms. The results of CCK8 test and qRT-PCR showed that ginseng leaves inhibit cell proliferation and regulates AKT1 and P53 expression in A549. The present study clarifies the mechanism of Ginseng leaves against lung cancer and provides evidence to support its clinical use.

A Proliferation-Inducing Ligand Regulation in Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils by Panax ginseng

A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily that was first identified as a factor favoring tumorigenesis. APRIL is important fitness and survival factors for B cells and plasma cells in the periphery. Considering this, as well as the quantitative predominance of neutrophils among the peripheral blood leukocytes, we carried out the first study assessing the influence of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling pathway on APRIL expression in these cells. Furthermore, as the Rb1 ginsenoside is known to exhibit multiple pharmacological activities, we verified if the saponin is capable of modulating the process. The present study shows that TGF-β increased the expression of APRIL and the level of phospho-p38, phospho-Akt(T308), and phospho-Akt(S473) in the cytoplasmic fraction, as well as the expression of Fra1, c-Fos, and c-Jun in the nuclear fraction, of neutrophils. However, exposure of these cells to Rb1 reduced the expression and level of the investigated proteins. No changes were found in the expression of APRIL and the level of p-p38 in the cytoplasmic fraction of neutrophils following the application of Rb1 alone, as well as in the neutrophils incubated first with Rb1 and then with TGF-β, whereas a higher level of phosphorylation was observed for Akt and PI3 kinases in the cells. Moreover, a higher expression of all the studied transcription factors was observed in the nuclear fraction of neutrophils. Based on the observed changes, it may be assumed that the expression of APRIL molecule in TGF-β-induced neutrophils and its regulation by Rb1 are associated with PI3K/AKT signaling pathways and transcription factors Fra-1, Fra-2, c-Jun, and c-Fos. Rb1 appears to be a favorable factor that may be potentially used in the modulation of tumor-promoting APRIL expression.

Saponins derived from the stems and leaves of Panax ginseng attenuate scrotal heat-induced spermatogenic damage via inhibiting the MAPK mediated oxidative stress and apoptosis in mice

Heat stress (HS) reaction is a stress response caused by adverse conditions. Currently, the incidence of reproductive malignancies particularly in males has been constantly increasing. This work investigated the effects of saponins derived from the stems and leaves of Panax ginseng (GSLS) on testicular injury induced by scrotal hyperthermia in mice. GSLS (150, 300 mg/kg) were administered intragastrically to mice for 14 days, then exposed to a single scrotal heat treatment at 43°C for 18 min on seventh day. HS induced a significant loss of multinucleate giant cells, desquamation of germ cells in destructive seminiferous tubules. Moreover, HS reduced the serum testosterone, testicular tissue superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione (GSH) content, while significantly enhanced the production of malondialdehyde (p < .05). GSLS exhibited the protective potential against HS-induced injury not only by modulating Bcl-2 family and caspase protease family, but also by suppressing the protein levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and activation of Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways (p < .05). In conclusion, we clearly demonstrated that GSLS exhibited a significant protective effect against HS-induced testicular dysfunction, mainly the inhibition of oxidative stress associated apoptosis partly via regulation of the MAPK signaling pathway.

Subcritical water extraction of withanosides and withanolides from ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L) and their biological activities

Subcritical water extraction (SWE) applied to analyses the bioactives from ashwagandha (W. somnifera) at varying temperature (100-200 °C) and extraction time (10-30 min). The effect of temperature and time has been investigated in terms of extraction yield (EY), total phenolic content (TPC), cytotoxicity, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory activities. The withanosides and withanolides responsible for various biological effects were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC analysis revealed Withanoside V, Withanoside IV, 12-Deoxywithastramonolide, Withanolide A, and Withaferin A as a principle bioactive compounds in SWE, with high in concentration compared to microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), Soxhlet extraction (SE) and maceration (MC). For SWE the highest EY (65.6%; 200 °C for 30 min), TPC (82.5 mg GAE/g DE), antioxidant activity (DPPH: 80.3%, FRAP: 60.5% and ABTS: 78.9), and potent enzyme inhibitory effects were observed. The SWE and Withaferin A showed significant reduction in cell viability of cervical cancer (HeLa) cells, with IC₅₀ values 10 mg/ml and 8.5 μM/ml, respectively but no cytotoxic effect for normal cells (MDCK). Thus, SWE can provide effective extraction for ashwagandha withanosides and withanolides compared MAE, SE and MC to conventional methods, which could be used for extraction of pharmacologically active fractions with therapeutic applications.

Compuestos fenólicos y actividad antioxidante de los extractos de la hoja de chirimoya (Annona cherimola Mill)

Después de la cosecha del fruto chirimoya, los árboles liberan enormes cantidades de hojas, las cuales son quemadas por los agricultores. Este trabajo muestra que las hojas pueden ser usadas para nuestro beneficio como antioxidante. Se determinaron los compuestos fenólicos (CF) y la actividad antioxidante (AA) de los extractos de la hoja seca de Annona cherimola Mill en etanol al 70% v/v, agua a 80 °C, y agua subcrítica (AS) a 110, 120 y 130 °C, siguiendo un diseño factorial con el programa Minitab. Los CF se cuantificaron con la metodología de Folin Ciocalteu y la AA con el 2,2-difenil-1-picrilhidrazilo (DPPH) y con el poder antioxidante reductor del hierro (FRAP). Los resultados indicaron que el tipo de solvente y el tiempo de extracción presentaron un efecto significativo en el contenido de CF y AA de los extractos. Se concluyó que el extracto de hoja de chirimoya es un potencial antioxidante. El extracto de AS a 130 °C presentó el mayor contenido de CF (5,6 g EAG/100 g de hoja seca) y el extracto etanólico presentó mayor AA (0,86 mg equivalente trolox/mg extracto seco; IC50=0,020 mg de extracto seco/mL de extracto de hoja seca y FRAP de 1710,14 μmol equivalente trolox /g de hoja seca) y los extractos obtenidos con AS a menor temperatura presentaron mayores valores de AA.

Comparative analysis of the antioxidant and anticancer activities of chestnut inner shell extracts prepared with various solvents

BACKGROUND

The chestnut inner shell (CIS) has long been used as a medicinal herb for strengthening the antioxidant in the cosmetic industry. However, little is known about the antioxidant and anticancer effects of the CIS.

RESULTS

The antioxidant and anticancer effects of CIS extracts (CISEs) were investigated by the use of various methods and cancer cell lines, respectively. The total polyphenol content of CISEs using ethanol, methanol, butanol, ethyl acetate and water were 53.30, 43.98, 32.16, 26.79 and 11.53 mg gallic acid equivalents g(-1), respectively. The CISEs using ethanol and methanol exhibited high antioxidant activities in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, β-carotene bleaching and ferric reducing ability of plasma assays; the effects were equivalent to those of butylated hydroxytoluene. All CISEs at 2.5 mg mL(-1) were shown to have a cytotoxic effect over 50%, and the CISE using ethyl acetate at 0.6 mg mL(-1) was proved to have 90% cytotoxic effect against the tested cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

The ethanol and methanol CISEs had potent antioxidant effects, and the ethyl acetate CISE had the highest cytotoxicity. These results suggest that CISEs could be used as functional ingredients for antioxidant and anticancer effects in foods as extraction solvents.

Dissipation, residues, and safety evaluation of trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole on ginseng and soil

Supervised field trials at two locations in 2012 and 2013 were conducted to evaluate the dissipation, terminal residues, and safety evaluation of Nativo 75 water dispersible granule (WG) (25 % trifloxystrobin + 50 % tebuconazole) on ginseng and soil following foliar application at a recommended dose 150 (50 + 100) and 1.5 times of the recommended dosage 225 (75 + 150) g a.i. ha(-1). The average recoveries of trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole at three spiking levels in ginseng root, stem, and leaf and in soil were in the ranges of 81.0-96.8 % and 80.2-97.5 % with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 4.92-13.13 % and 4.67-8.35 %, respectively. The half-lives of trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole were 5.92-9.76 days and 4.59-7.53 days, respectively. The terminal residues were all below the maximum residue limits (MRLs) of EU, USA, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. The food safety was evaluated by comparing the estimated daily intake (IEDI) with its acceptable daily intake (ADI). IEDI values calculated from residue data were found to be far less than the ADI on ginseng. Therefore, it would be unlikely to cause health problems induced by Nativo 75 WG use on ginseng at a dosage of 150-225 g a.i. ha(-1).