Acute and sub-chronic 90-day oral toxicity study of Perilla seed oil in rodents and Beagle dogs

The Effects of Perilla frutescens Extracts on IgA Nephropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) Background: Chronic renal disorders (CRD) are associated with significant comorbidities and necessitate complex therapeutic management. As time passed, Perilla frutescens (PF) became a promising therapeutic option for CRD. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to outline the therapeutic effects of PF extracts on various models of immunoglobulin a (IgA) nephropathy; (2) Methods: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were used to find relevant studies. All prospective interventional studies that evaluated the effect of PF extract versus placebo on rat models of chronic renal disorders were assessed according to the international guidelines; (3) Results: Our search yielded 23 unique records, out of which only five were included in the analysis. Our results showed that administration of PF extracts led to a statistically significant reduction in proteinuria and PCNA levels in rats that received high doses of the extract as well as in the PCNA level and DNA synthesis in rats that received low doses of the extract. The evaluated outcomes benefited from a low degree of heterogeneity; (4) Conclusions: Some of the evaluated outcomes were significantly reduced by both high and low doses of extracts from Perilla frutescens. Further studies are needed to determine the exact effect over IgA nephropathy in human subjects.

A comprehensive review of the botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and quality control of Perillae Fructus

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Perilla frutescens (Linnaeus) Britton, Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 5: 277. 1894., is famous as a worldwide plant with multiple medical parts, including leaves, stems, fruits, etc. Perillae Fructus, the desiccative ripe fruit of P. frutescens, is locally called Zisuzi in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. It is a popularly used herb for relieving cough and asthma, dissipating phlegm and treating constipation in some Asian countries, such as China, Japan, India, South Korea, etc. Various chemical compounds were isolated and identified from Perillae Fructus.

THE AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review aims to summarize the botany, ethnopharmacological applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity and quality control of Perillae Fructus to provide scientific evidence for development and utilization Perillae Fructus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Relevant information about Perillae Fructus was collected from ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of science, CNKI, WanFang data, ancient classics and clinical reports. Some electronic databases were also retrieved.

RESULTS

Perillae Fructus was exerted to treat cough and asthma in traditional application. It also had the effect on moistening intestine to relieve constipation for tremendous lipid substances. Up to now, 193 compounds have been isolated and identified from Perillae Fructus, mainly including fatty acids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, phytosterols, triterpenoids and volatile oils. As for its pharmacological activities, prevalent traditional applications of Perillae Fructus have been supported by modern pharmacological experiments in vivo or in vitro, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Besides, Perillae Fructus also has hypolipidemic, anti-tumor, antibacterial effects, etc. This review will provide a scientific basis for further studies and rational applications of Perillae Fructus in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

According to its traditional applications, phytochemicals and pharmacological activities, Perillae Fructus was regarded as a valuable herb for application in medicine and food fields. Although some ingredients have been confirmed to have multiple pharmacological activities, their mechanisms of action are still unclear. Further studies on the material basis and mechanism of action are clearly warranted.

Advances in the Pharmacological Activities and Effects of Perilla Ketone and Isoegomaketone

As components of a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with many physiological activities, perilla ketone and isoegomaketone isolated from perilla essential oil are important active components of Perilla frutescens. Recent studies have shown that these two compounds have promising antitumor, antifungal, antirheumatoid arthritis, antiobesity, anti-inflammatory, healing-promoting, and other activities and can be used to combat toxicity from immunotherapy. Therefore, the multitude of pharmacological activities and effects demonstrate the broad research potential of perilla ketone and isoegomaketone. However, no reviews have been published related to the pharmacological activities or effects of perilla ketone and isoegomaketone. The purpose of this review is as follows: (1) outline the recent advances made in understanding the pharmacological activities of perilla ketone and isoegomaketone; (2) summarize their effects; and (3) discuss future research perspectives.

Emulgels Containing Perilla frutescens Seed Oil, Moringa oleifera Seed Oil, and Mixed Seed Oil: Microemulsion and Safety Assessment

P. frutescens seed oil and M. oleifera seed oil consist of fatty acids and sterols that are beneficial for skin. Mixing of these oils at 1:1 ratio has shown to increase antioxidant activity of oils. This study aims to formulate emulgels containing microemulsions of P. frutescens seed oil, M. oleifera seed oil, and mixed P. frutescens and M. oleifera seed oils. The chemical constituents of P. frutescens seed oil, M. oleifera seed oil, and mixed seed oil are analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The microemulsions are formulated by a phase titration method and characterized for the droplet size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential value using a dynamic light scattering technique. The physical and chemical stability of the microemulsions are investigated using a rheometer and UV-Visible spectrophotometer, respectively. The safety of microemulsion is evaluated on PBMC and human subjects. Emulgels containing three different types of microemulsion are formulated. The results show that P. frutescens seed oil is mainly composed of alpha-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, and oleic acid, whereas M. oleifera seed oil contains a high proportion of oleic acid. Mixed seed oil contains a comparable amount of alpha-linolenic acid and oleic acid. All types of oils are composed of β-sitosterol as the major plant sterol. Microemulsions of all types of oils are successfully prepared by using Tween 80 as a surfactant due to the largest transparent region of pseudoternary phase diagram. The size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential values of all types of microemulsion are in the acceptable range upon storage at 30 °C for 1 month. Microemulsions exhibit pseudoplastic flow behavior. The percent of remaining oils in all types of microemulsion is more than 90% after storage at 30 °C for 1 month. Emulgels containing three types of microemulsions exhibit good characteristics and no change in viscosity after storage at 4, 30, and 45 °C for 1 month. The safety results reveal that three types of microemulsion do not induce cytotoxicity to PBMC nor induce skin irritation and allergic reactions. Emulgels containing microemulsions developed in this study can be used to safely deliver P. frutescens seed oil, M. oleifera seed oil, and mixed seed oil to human skin.

In vivo Toxicity Assessment of Refined Red Palm-pressed Mesocarp Olein in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Refined red palm-pressed mesocarp olein (PPMO) is recovered from palm-pressed mesocarp fiber, which is a by-product from palm oil mill. Its utilization in food industry is extremely limited even though it contains various phytonutrients. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate its toxicity effects by using the male Sprague-Dawley rat model. The rats were administered with a single dose of 2 g/kg PPMO in an acute toxicity study while administered with 2, 1, or 0.5 g/kg PPMO daily for 28 days in a sub-chronic toxicity study. The mortality, oral LD50 value, clinical observation, body and organ weight, hematological and biochemical analyses, pathological and histopathological examinations were assessed. The overall outcomes indicated that PPMO is non-toxic up to 2 g/kg and considered safe to be used in food application, especially as functional food ingredient and supplement attributed to its phytonutrients. Besides, this study provides an insight in alternative utilization of the wastes from palm oil mill.

Molecular Mechanism of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Perilla Seed Oil and Rosmarinic Acid Rich Fraction Extracted from Perilla Seed Meal on TNF-α Induced A549 Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

Industrially, after the removal of oil from perilla seeds (PS) by screw-type compression, the large quantities of residual perilla seed meal (PSM) becomes non-valuable waste. Therefore, to increase the health value and price of PS and PSM, we focused on the biological effects of perilla seed oil (PSO) and rosmarinic acid-rich fraction (RA-RF) extracted from PSM for their role in preventing oxidative stress and inflammation caused by TNF-α exposure in an A549 lung adenocarcinoma culture model. The A549 cells were pretreated with PSO or RA-RF and followed by TNF-α treatment. We found that PSO and RA-RF were not toxic to TNF-α-induced A549 cells. Both extracts significantly decreased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in this cell line. The mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and COX-2 were significantly decreased by the treatment of PSO and RA-RF. The Western blot indicated that the expression of MnSOD, FOXO1, and NF-κB and phosphorylation of JNK were also significantly diminished by PSO and RA-RF treatment. The results demonstrated that PSO and RA-RF act as antioxidants to scavenge TNF-α induced ROS levels, resulting in decreased the expression of MnSOD, FOXO1, NF-κB and JNK signaling pathway in a human lung cell culture exposed to TNF-α.

Anti-inflammatory effect of Perilla frutescens seed oil rich in omega-3 fatty acid on dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice

Background and purpose

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that involves diffused inflammation of the large intestine. Omega-3 fatty acid (FA) has been known to regulate the inflammatory response associated with ulcerative colitis pathogenesis. Perilla frutescens is a valuable source of omega-3 FA and α-linolenic acid (ALA) contained in its seed oil. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of Perilla seed oil (PSO) on colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in a mouse model.

Experimental approach

PSO was extracted using a cold-pressed extractor and FA composition of PSO was analyzed by GC-MS. Acute colitis in mice was induced with 3% DSS in drinking water for 7 days. Some mice were treated with PSO (20, 100, 200 mg/kg BW) for 3 weeks before the DSS administration. Sulfasalazine was used as a positive control. The clinical features, histopathologic, serum, and gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the colon were assessed.

Finding/Results

PSO contained the highest proportion of ALA (61.51%). Furthermore, PSO pretreatment evidently reduced body weight loss, diminished diarrhea, gross bleeding, and DSS-induced colon shortening. PSO pretreatment attenuated histopathological changes in response to DSS-induced colitis. PSO pretreatment also markedly decreased inflammatory response in serum and the colon tissue of DSS-induced mice.

Conclusion and implication

ALA in PSO is suggested to be mainly responsible for the reduction of DSS-induced colitis through suppressing inflammatory markers. PSO could be further developed as a functional health supplement, which would be beneficial for anti-inflammation in the colonic mucosa.

The anti-tussive, anti-inflammatory effects and sub-chronic toxicological evaluation of perilla seed oil

BACKGROUND

Perilla seed oil (PSO) is the main constituent of perilla seeds currently being used in the food industry, however it also has great clinical potential in the regulation of lung function as a nutrition supplement because of the high content of α-linolenic acid (ALA). In this study, the pharmacological activities including anti-tussive, expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect of PSO were performed. Furthermore, the 90-day sub-chronic oral toxicity with a 30 day recovery period was evaluated in Wistar rats.

RESULTS

The pharmacological studies demonstrated that PSO inhibited cough frequency induced by capsaicine in mice. PSO also inhibited the leukotriene B4 (LTB4) release from the calcium ionophore A23187-induced polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) to some extent. In this sub-chronic toxicity study, mortality, clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, hematology, serum biochemistry, urinalysis, organ weight, necropsy, and histopathology were used to evaluate the toxicity of PSO. Lower body weight and various negative impacts on liver related parameters without histopathological lesion were observed in the 16 g kg^-1 groups. No clinically significant changes were discovered in the 4 g kg^-1 group during the test period.

CONCLUSION

In summary, PSO exhibited anti-tussive and anti-inflammatory activities in vivo and in vitro. These sub-chronic toxicity studies inferred that the 'no-observed adverse effect level' (NOAEL) of PSO in Wistar rats was determined to be 4 g kg^-1 . These results may provide a safety profile and a valuable reference for the use of PSO. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer properties of Thai Perilla frutescence fruit oil in animals

Perilla frutescens fruit oil (PFO) is rich in α-linolenic acid (ALA) and exhibits biological activities. We aimed to investigate analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer activities of PFO and PFO-supplemented soybean milk (PFO-SM) in animal models. Analgesic activity was assessed in acetic acid-induced writhing in mice, while anti-inflammatory activity was performed in ethyl phenylpropiolate (EPP)-induced ear edema and carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in rats. Anti-ulcer effects were conducted in water immersion stress, HCl/ethanol and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in rats. Distinctly, PFO, containing 6.96 mg ALA and 2.61 mg LA equivalence/g, did not induce acute toxicity (LD50 > 10 mL/kg) in mice. PFO (2.5 and 5 mL/kg) and PFO-SM (0.05 mL PFO equivalence/kg) inhibited incidences of writhing (16.8, 18.0 and 32.3%, respectively) in acetic acid-induced mice. In addition, topical applications of PFO (0.1 and 1 mL/ear) significantly inhibited EPP-induced ear edema (59.3 and 65.7%, respectively) in rats, while PFO-SM slightly inhibited ear edema (25.9%). However, PFO and PFO-SM did not inhibit carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in rats. Indeed, PFO (2.5 and 5 mL/kg) significantly inhibited gastric ulcers in rats that induced by water immersion stress (92.4 and 96.6%, respectively), HCl/ethanol (74.8 and 73.3%, respectively) and indomethacin (68.8 and 88.9%, respectively), while PFO-SM did not. PFO displayed potent analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer properties, while PFO-SM exerted only analgesic properties. Thus, Thai PFO and its functional drink offer potential benefits in treatment of analgesic, inflammatory diseases and gastric ulcer.

Chemical and biological activities of faveleira (Cnidoscolus quercifolius Pohl) seed oil for potential health applications

Faveleira (Cnidoscolus quercifolius) is an emerging Brazilian plant, with seeds rich in edible oil. This study investigates physicochemical properties, chemical composition, thermal and oxidative stability, in vitro and in vivo toxicity, antioxidant, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of faveleira seed oil. It was observed that the oil has low acidity, value of peroxide, chlorophyll, carotenoids, β-carotene and high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to presenting thermal and oxidative stability and high total phenolic content, with vanillin, eugenol and quercetin were predominating. The oil showed no toxicity in vitro and in vivo, and presented antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities. These findings provide relevant and appropriate conditions for processing of faveleira seed oil as functional food.