Embryo-fetal development toxicity of honokiol microemulsion intravenously administered to pregnant rats

Lignans as multi-targeted natural products in neurodegenerative diseases and depression: Recent perspectives

As the global population ages, the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is becoming more and more important. There is an urgent need to discover novel drugs that are effective in treating neurological diseases. In recent years, natural products and their biological activities have gained widespread attention. Lignans are a class of metabolites extensively present in Chinese herbal medicine and possess good pharmacological effects. Latest studies have demonstrated their neuroprotective pharmacological activity in preventing acute/chronic neurodegenerative diseases and depression. In this review, the pharmacological effects of these disorders, the pharmacokinetics, safety, and clinical trials of lignans were summarized according to the scientific literature. These results proved that lignans mainly exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Anti-apoptosis, regulation of nervous system functions, and modulation of synaptic signals are also potential effects. Despite the substantial evidence of the neuroprotective potential of lignans, it is not sufficient to support their use in the clinical management. Our study suggests that lignans can be used as prospective agents for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and depression, with a view to informing their further development and utilization.

Neuropharmacological potential of honokiol and its derivatives from Chinese herb Magnolia species: understandings from therapeutic viewpoint

Honokiol is a neolignan biphenol found in aerial parts of the Magnolia plant species. The Magnolia plant species traditionally belong to China and have been used for centuries to treat many pathological conditions. Honokiol mitigates the severity of several pathological conditions and has the potential to work as an anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, anticancer, antioxidant, and neurotherapeutic agent. It has a long history of being employed in the healthcare practices of Southeast Asia, but in recent years, a greater scope of research has been conducted on it. Plenty of experimental evidence suggests it could be beneficial as a neuroprotective bioactive molecule. Honokiol has several pharmacological effects, leading to its exploration as a potential therapy for neurological diseases (NDs), including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), cerebral ischemia, anxiety, depression, spinal cord injury, and so on. So, based on the previous experimentation reports, our goal is to discuss the neuroprotective properties of honokiol. Besides, honokiol derivatives have been highlighted recently as possible therapeutic options for NDs. So, this review focuses on honokiol's neurotherapeutic actions and toxicological profile to determine their safety and potential use in neurotherapeutics.

Honokiol Microemulsion Causes Stage-Dependent Toxicity Via Dual Roles in Oxidation-Reduction and Apoptosis through FoxO Signaling Pathway

Honokiol, the main bioactive extract of Magnolia officinalis, exhibits extensive therapeutic actions. Its treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer is undergoing clinical trials in China. However, the published safety evaluation studies have focused on extract mixtures of Magnolia officinalis in which the honokiol content was well below the reported clinical dose of the honokiol monomer. Therefore, safety assessment of the honokiol monomer is urgently needed. Our previous studies have already demonstrated that a high dose of the honokiol microemulsion (0.6 μg/mL) induces developmental toxicity in rats and zebrafish by inducing oxidative stress. By exploring the relationship between time and toxicity, we found that developmental toxic responses were stage-dependent. They mainly occurred within the first 24 h post fertilization (hpf) especially the first 12 hpf. In zebrafish, low doses of honokiol microemulsion (0.15, 0.21 μg/mL) significantly decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased the mRNA expression of bcl-2. In contrast, high dose (0.6 μg/mL) increased the levels of ROS and MDA, decreased activities and mRNA expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and increased mRNA expression of bax, c-jnk, p53 and bim. By acridine orange staining, we found that a high dose of honokiol microemulsion induced apoptosis mainly in zebrafish brain. In rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12 cells), low doses of the honokiol microemulsion (1, 5, 10 µM) exerted a protective effect against H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage while high doses (≥20 µM) induced oxidative stress, which further confirms the dual effects of honokiol microemulsion on nerve cells. These dual roles of the honokiol microemulsion in oxidation-reduction reactions and apoptosis may be regulated by the forkhead box class O (FoxO) signaling pathway. Due to the potential of developmental toxicity, we recommend that the administration of high dose honokiol microemulsion in pregnant women should be considered with caution.

Maternal magnolol supplementation alters placental morphology, promotes placental angiogenesis during mid-gestation and improves offspring growth in a pregnant mouse model

The placenta is the organ that determines the growth of the fetus and the outcome of pregnancy. Magnolol is a multifunctional polyphenol with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and neuroprotective functions. However, there is less knowledge of the effects or complications in the placenta and the mechanism underlying the effect of magnolol when used during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of maternal magnolol supplementation on pregnancy outcomes and placental alterations in a pregnant mouse model. A total of 128 pregnant mice were randomly divided into 4 groups supplemented with 0, 40, 80 and 160 μM magnolol from gestational day 0 (GD0) to delivery. Our results revealed that the number of large-for-gestation-age fetuses on GD13 and the weaning weight of offspring were increased in the magnolol treatment groups. Moreover, maternal magnolol supplementation increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) in maternal serum, and promoted the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the placenta. Furthermore, magnolol significantly increased the area of the junctional zone and decidua in the placentas and increased the expression of interferon-γ (INF-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), chemokine (CC Motif) Ligand 3 (CCL3), chemokine (CXC motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and T-box transcription factor 21 (T-bet) in the placenta during GD13 in pregnant mice, while suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) was reduced. Moreover, the ratio of blood space in the labyrinth area, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were all increased in the magnolol treatment groups on GD13. Taken together, these results indicate that magnolol can improve the growth of offspring, which might be due to the alteration of placental morphology and the promotion of placental angiogenesis during mid-gestation.

Insights into the Action Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease characterized by articular cartilage destruction, synovial inflammation, and osteophyte formation. No effective treatments are available. The current pharmacological medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics, accompanied by possible adverse effects, might ameliorate OA symptoms. But they do not arrest the progression of OA. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides medical value by modification of disease and symptoms in OA. Valuable work on exploring TCM merits for OA patients has been investigated using modern technologies, although the complicated interacting network among the numerous components indicates the uncertainty of target specification. This review will provide an overview of the action mechanism of TCM in the last 5 years, discussing the TCM activities of anti-inflammation, antiapoptosis, antioxidation, anticatabolism, and proliferation in OA. TCM is a proposed medical option for OA treatment.