Extract, fractions, and ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate isolate from Kaempferia galanga Elicit anti-inflammatory activity by limiting leukotriene B4 (LTB4) production

Carrageenan as a Potential Factor of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Carrageenan is a widely used food additive and is seen as a potential candidate in the pharmaceutical industry. However, there are two faces to carrageenan that allows it to be used positively for therapeutic purposes. Carrageenan can be used to create edible films and for encapsulating drugs, and there is also interest in the use of carrageenan for food printing. Carrageenan is a naturally occurring polysaccharide gum. Depending on the type of carrageenan, it is used in regulating the composition of intestinal microflora, including the increase in the population of Bifidobacterium bacteria. On the other hand, the studies have demonstrated the harmfulness of carrageenan in animal and human models, indicating a direct link between diet and intestinal inflammatory states. Carrageenan changes the intestinal microflora, especially Akkermansia muciniphilia, degrades the mucous barrier and breaks down the mucous barrier, causing an inflammatory reaction. It directly affects epithelial cells by activating the pro-inflammatory nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB) pathway. The mechanism is based on activation of the TLR4 receptor, alterations in macrophage activity, production of proinflammatory cytokines and activation of innate immune pathways. Carrageenan increases the content of Bacteroidetes bacteria, also causing a reduction in the number of short chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria. The result is damage to the integrity of the intestinal membrane and reduction of the mucin layer. The group most exposed to the harmful effects of carrageenan are people suffering from intestinal inflammation, including Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Dual action effects of ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate against dengue virus infection and inflammation via NF-κB pathway suppression

Dengue virus (DENV) infection can lead to severe outcomes through a virus-induced cytokine storm, resulting in vascular leakage and inflammation. An effective treatment strategy should target both virus replication and cytokine storm. This study identified Kaempferia galanga L. (KG) extract as exhibiting anti-DENV activity. The major bioactive compound, ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate (EPMC), significantly reduced DENV-2 infection, virion production, and viral protein synthesis in HepG2 and A549 cells, with half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values of 22.58 µM and 6.17 µM, and impressive selectivity indexes (SIs) of 32.40 and 173.44, respectively. EPMC demonstrated efficacy against all four DENV serotypes, targeting the replication phase of the virus life cycle. Importantly, EPMC reduced DENV-2-induced cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) and chemokines (RANTES and IP-10), as confirmed by immunofluorescence and immunoblot analyses, indicating inhibition of NF-κB activation. EPMC's role in preventing excessive inflammatory responses suggests it as a potential candidate for dengue treatment. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) and drug-likeness for EPMC were predicted using SwissADME and ProTox II servers, showing good drug-like properties without toxicity. These findings highlight KG extract and EPMC as promising candidates for future anti-dengue therapeutics, offering a dual-action approach by inhibiting virus replication and mitigating inflammatory reactions.

Synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymer with a methacrylate derivative monomer for the isolation of ethyl p-methoxycinnamate as an active compound from Kaempferia galanga L. extracts

Kaempferia galanga rhizome is traditionally used as a treatment for various diseases. Ethyl p-methoxycinnamate (EPMC), which constitutes up to 31.77% of the total essential oil, is the main/marker compound. EPMC is responsible for various pharmacological activities of Kaempferia galanga rhizome. According to the existing research, the isolation yield of EPMC is still meager, namely 0.50-2.50%; thus, a new EPMC isolation method is needed to produce better results. In this study, after determining the association constant and obtaining the Jobs plot between methacrylate derivative monomers and EPMC, a molecularly imprinted polymer for solid phase extraction (MI-SPE) was synthesized through bulk polymerization with EPMC as a template, methacrylic acid as a monomer, TRIM/EDGMA as a crosslinker in a ratio of 1 : 4 : 20 (MIP1) or 1 : 7 : 20 (MIP2). BPO was used as an initiator and n-hexane was used as a porogen. The synthesis of the NIP was also conducted using the same ratio but without the template. The MIPs were then characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurements, and their analytical performance was evaluated through adsorption capacity and selectivity. The results indicate that MIP2 exhibits better analytical performance with an adsorption capacity value of 0.0813 mg g-1. The selectivity of MIP2 was tested using EPMC analog compounds, namely ethyl cinnamic (EC), cinnamaldehyde (CD), and kaempferol (KF), with imprinting factor (IF) values of 17.436, 1.539, and 0.06, respectively. Lastly, MIP2 was applied to the SPE cartridge for the isolation of EPMC from Kaempferia galanga rhizome extract, and showed a percentage recovery of 82.40% for the ethanol extract, 68.05% for the ethyl acetate extract, and 65.27% for the n-hexane extract. MI-SPE 2 gives high purity results for the ethanol, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane extracts, with purities of 97.00%, 97.63%, and 99.59%, respectively. These results indicate that the MI-SPE technique shows great potential as a new method for isolating EPMCs with high yield and purity.

Exploring in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of the Thai traditional remedy Kheaw-Hom and its bioactive compound, ethyl p-methoxycinnamate, and ethnopharmacological analysis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Kheaw-Hom (KH) remedy, a Thai traditional medicine (TTM) on the National List of Essential Medicines, has long been clinically used to treat fever and inflammation in children. However, no in vitro or in vivo anti-inflammatory or bioactive compound studies are published in the literature.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

To explore the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of KH remedy and its bioactive compound and analyze relationships between flavor and ethnopharmacological activities of plant components in KH remedy according to TTM theory.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ethyl p-methoxycinnamate (EPMC), a bioactive compound of KH remedy was analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In vitro anti-inflammatory activities of ethanolic extract (KHE), aqueous extract (KHA), acid-hydrolysis of KHA (KHA-h), acid-hydrolysis of KH powder (KHP-h), and EPMC were investigated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) production in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. In vivo anti-inflammatory activities of KH powder (KHP) and KHE were determined using carrageenan-induced paw edema and ethyl phenylpropiolate (EPP)-induced ear edema in rats and PGE2 production in tissue samples was examined.

RESULTS

KHP-h showed the highest EPMC content (21.33 ± 1.08 mg/g of extract) and inhibited PGE2, NO, and TNF-α production with IC50 values of 11.92 ± 0.21, 30.61 ± 3.12, and 56.71 ± 2.91 μg/mL, respectively, followed by KHE and KHA-h while KHA did not. EPMC, a bioactive compound of KH remedy showed high anti-inflammatory activities through three pathways. KHP oral administration (100 mg/kg) significantly minimized rat paw inflammation at 1, 2, and 3 h while KHE (100 mg/kg) noticeably reduced at 2 and 3 h. KHP (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) and KHE (100 mg/kg) significantly inhibited PGE2 production. KHP (1% w/v) notably reduced rat ear edema at 30, 60, and 120 min whereas KHE at all concentrations decreased swelling at 120 min. KHP and KHE at all doses significantly inhibited PGE2 production. Cool flavor was the main KH remedy flavor. Spicy plant components and some fragrant components showed high anti-inflammatory activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from the in vivo study strongly paralleled the in vitro study. These findings support the rational use of KH remedy according to TTM theory for fever treatment and inflammation in children.

Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Medicinal Plants Used by the Tenggerese Society in Java Island of Indonesia

The archipelagic country of Indonesia is inhabited by 300 ethnic groups, including the indigenous people of Tengger. Based on the reported list of medicinal plants used by the Tengger community, we have reviewed each of them for their phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities. Out of a total of 41 medicinal plants used by the Tengerrese people, 33 species were studied for their phytochemical and pharmacological properties. More than 554 phytochemicals with diverse molecular structures belonging to different chemical classes including flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins and volatiles were identified from these studied 34 medicinal plants. Many of these medicinal plants and their compounds have been tested for various pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, wound healing, headache, antimalarial and hypertension. Five popularly used medicinal plants by the healers were Garcinia mangostana, Apium graveolens, Cayratia clematidea, Drymocallis arguta and Elaeocarpus longifolius. Only A. graviolens were previously studied, with the outcomes supporting the pharmacological claims to treat hypertension. Few unexplored medicinal plants are Physalis lagascae, Piper amplum, Rosa tomentosa and Tagetes tenuifolia, and they present great potential for biodiscovery and drug lead identification.