Supercritical fluid extraction of monoamine oxidase inhibitor from antler velvet

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Captive Populations of Formosan Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor swinhoei)

Formosan sambar deer (Rusa unicolor swinhoei) are of great economic significance in Taiwan, resulting in a substantial increase in deer farming to meet the high demand for velvet antlers. Inbreeding depression and reduced genetic variability can lead to the deterioration of captive populations. In this study, 239 Formosan sambar deer were genotyped using 13 microsatellites to analyze their genetic diversity and population genetic structure. Our results indicate a high-resolution power of these microsatellites in individual discrimination and parentage analysis. However, captive populations exhibit a low level of genetic diversity, likely because of inbreeding and bottleneck effects. Both principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and STRUCTURE analyses revealed two distinct and segregated genetic groups within the captive populations and indicated no clear population genetic structure among the captive populations. Introducing new genetic material from the wild through translocation offers a potential solution for mitigating the impact of inbreeding and enhancing genetic diversity. The comprehensive information obtained from these genetic analyses is crucial for the development of effective breeding strategies aimed at preserving and enhancing Formosan sambar deer populations.

A Recent Look into Natural Products that have Potential to Inhibit Cholinesterases and Monoamine Oxidase B: Update for 2010-2019

With respect to the unknowns of pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease (AD)-, and Parkinson's Disease (PD)-like neurodegenerative disorders, natural product research is still one of the valid tools in order to provide alternative and/or better treatment options. At one hand, various extracts of herbals provide a combination of actions targeting multiple receptors, on the other hand, the discovery of active natural products (i.e., secondary metabolites) generally offers alternative chemical structures either ready to be employed in clinical studies or available to be utilized as important scaffolds for the design of novel agents. Regarding the importance of certain enzymes (e.g. cholinesterase and monoamine oxidase B), for the treatment of AD and PD, we have surveyed the natural product research within this area in the last decade. Particularly novel natural agents discovered within this period, concomitant to novel biological activities displayed for known natural products, are harmonized within the present study.

First Evaluation of the Biologically Active Substances and Antioxidant Potential of Regrowth Velvet Antler by means of Multiple Biochemical Assays

We investigated the biologically active substances contained in RVA (regrowth velvet antler) by comparing the composition of biologically active substances and antioxidant potential of different antler segments. RVA was subjected to extraction using DW (distilled water). RVA was divided into 3 segments: T-RVA (top RVA), M-RVA (middle RVA), and B-RVA (base RVA). The T-RVA section possessed the greatest amounts of uronic acid (36.251 mg/g), sulfated GAGs (sulfated glycosaminoglycans) (555.76 mg/g), sialic acid (111.276 mg/g), uridine (0.957 mg/g), uracil (1.084 mg/g), and hypoxanthine (1.2631 mg/g). In addition, the T-RVA section possessed the strongest antioxidant capacity as determined by DPPH, H2O2(hydrogen peroxide), hydroxyl, and ABTS (2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) radical scavenging activity as well as FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) and ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity). The values of those were 53.44, 23.09, 34.12, 60.31, and 35.81 TE/μM at 1 mg/mL and 113.57 TE/μM at 20 μg/mL. These results indicate that the T-RVA section possesses the greatest amount of biologically active substances and highest antioxidant potential. This is the first report on the biologically active substances and antioxidant potential of RVA.

Effects of deer velvet extract from Formosan sika deer on the embryonic development and anti-oxidative enzymes mRNA expression in mouse embryos

ETHNOPHARMACROLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The deer velvet or its extracts has been widely used in clinic. It has been used in promoting reproductive performances and treating of oxidation and aging process. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of velvet extract from Formosan sika deer (Formosan sika deer; Cervus nippon taiouanus, FSD) velvet on mouse embryonic development and anti-oxidant ability in vitro.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Mouse 4-cells embryos were divided into 16 groups for 72 h in vitro incubation. The embryonic development stages and morphology were evaluated every 12h in experimental period. The quantitative real time PCR was used to measure the CuZn-SOD, GPx and CAT mRNA expression of the blastocysts.

RESULTS

The 4-cells embryos of hydrogen peroxide (HP) groups did not continue developing after oxidant stress challenged. The blastocyst developmental rate (90.0-90.4%, P>0.05) and normal morphological rate (84.4-85.1%, P>0.05) of the 1% and 2% DV extract groups were similar to those in the control group (90.7% and 88.8%, respectively). The embryos challenged by HP (5, 10 and 25 μM) and subsequently incubated in mHTF medium with 1% and 2% of deer velvet (DV) extracts were able to continue development; the blastocyst developmental rate of these groups were similar to that in the control group. The relative mRNA expression of the focused anti-oxidative enzymes in the mouse embryos did not significantly differ among the designed DV treatment groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

The FSD velvet extract in adequate concentration could promote anti-oxidative enzymes mRNA expression followed the challenge of hydrogen peroxide, relieve the mouse embryo under oxidative stress, and maintain the blastocyst developmental ability in vitro.

Cerebroprotective effect of isolated harmine alkaloids extracts of seeds of Peganum harmala L. on sodium nitrite-induced hypoxia and ethanol-induced neurodegeneration in young mice

The aim of the study was to isolate the harmine alkaloids from the seeds of Peganum harmala (TAPH) and its cerebroprotective effect on cognitive deficit mice. The tested doses of TAPH were screened for Sodium nitrite induced hypoxia and Ethanol induced neurodegeneration using behavioral models. The TAPH was found to be non-neurotoxic and Psychoactive by preventing the motor impairment and increasing the locomotion activity of animals in Rota rod and Actophotometer respectively. TAPH (5, 2.5 and 1.25 mg kg(-1) p.o.) significantly (p < 0.001) protected the Sodium nitrite induced memory impairment by decreasing the time require to find the water bottle in special water bottle case model. In Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and Passive Shock Avoidance paradigm (PSA) the TAPH shown improved acquisition and retention memory significantly (p < 0.001) by decreasing the Transverse Latency Time (TLT) and increasing the Step Down Latency (SDL), respectively in dose dependent manner. The results were well supported by biochemical parameters, by inhibiting the Acetylcholinestrase (p < 0.01) activity, increasing the GSH (p < 0.001) level and decreasing the TBARS (p < 0.001) level of whole brain. Moreover TAPH has shown the significant Monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) inhibition action (p < 0.001), hence it reduces the metabolism of epinephrine, 5-HT and other monoamines and enhances the action of these neurotransmitters indirectly; this adrenergic system plays an important role in learning and memory. Further, TAPH (5 mg kg(-1)) protect the DNA fragmentation of frontotemporal cortex of the brain from hypoxic effect induced by Sodium nitrite in Gel Electrophoresis studies. The results were comparable to their respective standards. Hence, harmine alkaloids are potential enough to utilize in the management of Neurodegenerative disorders of the type Alzheimer's diseases.

An automated sequential injection spectrophotometric method for evaluation of tyramine oxidase inhibitory activity of some flavonoids

An automated sequential injection (SI) spectrophotometric system has been developed for evaluation of tyramine oxidase (TOD) inhibitory activity. The method is based on the inhibition of TOD that catalyzes the oxidation of tyramine substrate to produce aldehyde and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The produced H₂O₂ reacts with vanillic acid and 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AA) in the presence of peroxidase (POD) to form a quinoneimine dye, the absorbance of which is measured of absorbance at wavelength of 490 nm. The decrease of the quinoneimine dye is related to an increase of TOD inhibitory activity. Under the optimum conditions: 1.0 mM tyramine, 8 U mL(-1) TOD, 1.0 mM vanillic acid, 1.0 mM 4-AA and delay time of 10 s, some flavonoid compounds were examined for the TOD inhibitory activity expressed as IC₅₀ value. It was found that flavonols (quercetin and myricetin) and flavans (epicatechin gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin (EGC)) showed higher TOD inhibitory activity than flavones and flavanones. The results of IC₅₀ values obtained from the proposed method and a batch-wise method were not significantly different from each other. Moreover, the SI system enabled automation of the analysis, leading to more convenient, more sensitive and faster analysis than the batch-wise method. A precise timing of the system also improves precision and accuracy of the assay, especially when the measurement of absorbance at non-steady state condition is involved.

Selective MAO-B inhibitors: a lesson from natural products

Monoamine oxidases (MAOs) are mitochondrial bound enzymes, which catalyze the oxidative deamination of monoamine neurotransmitters. Inside the brain, MAOs are present in two isoforms: MAO-A and MAO-B. The activity of MAO-B is generally higher in patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Therefore, the search for potent and selective MAO-B inhibitors is still a challenge for medicinal chemists. Nature has always been a source of inspiration for the discovery of new lead compounds. Moreover, natural medicine is a major component in all traditional medicine systems. In this review, we present the latest discoveries in the search for selective MAO-B inhibitors from natural sources. For clarity, compounds have been classified on the basis of structural analogy or source: flavonoids, xanthones, tannins, proanthocyanidins, iridoid glucosides, curcumin, alkaloids, cannabinoids, and natural sources extracts. MAO inhibition values reported in the text are not always consistent due to the high variability of MAO sources (bovine, pig, rat brain or liver, and human) and to the heterogeneity of the experimental protocols used.

The Antiinfective Effects of Velvet Antler of Formosan Sambar Deer (Cervus unicolor swinhoei) on Staphylococcus aureus-Infected Mice

We assayed the effects of velvet antler (VA) of Formosan sambar deer (Cervus unicolor swinhoei) and its extracts on the anti-infective activity against pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and in vivo in this study. In vitro data indicated that the VA extracts stimulated the proliferation of resting splenocytes and macrophages in a dose-dependent manner up to the highest concentration used (150 μg mL(-1)). The production of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12) by lipoteichoic acid was significantly suppressed after being cocultured with the VA extracts in a dose-dependent manner. Animal test in S. aureus-infected mice demonstrated that the numbers of bacteria determined in the kidneys and peritoneal lavage fluid of S. aureus-infected mice were significantly higher than those found in the same organs of mice pretreated with the VA samples. Moreover, the highly enhanced phagocytic activity of macrophages was further verified after in vitro treatment with the VA samples. The protective mechanisms of the VA samples might include an immune enhancer and an inflammatory cytokine suppressor.