Effect of Yajieshaba, a preparation of Dai indigenous medicine, on enhanced liver detoxification

"Yajieshaba" prevents acute alcoholic liver injury and repairs the intestinal mucosal barrier

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

An essential factor related to the acute alcoholic liver injury is damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier. Yajieshaba (YJSB) is a commonly used formulation of Dai people in China and protects the liver.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study investigated whether YJSB can prevent acute alcoholic liver injury by regulating the intestinal mucosal barrier.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The mice received 0.39 g/kg, 1.17 g/kg, and 3.51 g/kg dose YJSB for 7 days, a mouse model of acute alcoholic liver injury was established by a single instillation of 56% alcohol. Plasma biochemical markers were analyzed, liver injury was identified by histopathology, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), nuclear factor-k-gene binding (NF-κB), hepatic inflammatory factors, oxidative stress factors and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content was analyzed. The morphological changes of intestinal histology were observed by H&E staining, and the ultrastructure of ileal cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Immunofluorescence and Western blot was used to determine the expression levels of transporters and enzymes involved in Claudin 1, Occludin and zona occludens 1 (ZO-1) homeostasis in the liver and intestine.

RESULTS

The findings showed that YJSB reduced the levels of aspartate aminotr ansferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and total bile acid (TBA), both of which are indicators of liver function and had a protective effect against liver injury. In the liver homogenate, YJSB reduced the level of LPS, NF-κB, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), decreased the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and catalase (CAT) and ROS. The results of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that YJSB reduced the degree of damage to intestinal tissue and intracellular organelles, implying that YJSB can reduce the "attack factor" that causes intestinal barrier damage, increase the "defense factor" that protects the intestinal barrier. The results of immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analysis showed that YJSB could increase the expression of claudin 1, occludin, and ZO-1 proteins, suggesting that the mechanism of action of YJSB against acute alcohol liver injury involves the upregulation of the expression of the intestinal barrier-related proteins and the repair of the damaged intestinal barrier.

CONCLUSIONS

YJSB can block LPS, oxidative stress factors, and other harmful substances in the blood and protect the liver resisting acute alcoholic liver injury.

Palmatine treats urticaria by reducing inflammation and increasing autophagy

Introduction

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is mainly manifested as wheals and erythema on the skin accompanied by itching, which will cause emotional anxiety and seriously affect the quality of life in patients. Palmatine (PAL) is a main chemical component of Yajieshaba, which has been found to effectively alleviate the symptoms of food allergy. However, its role and mechanism in CSU remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of PAL on CSU rats.

Methods

We replicated the CSU rat model by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA) in rats on days 0, 2, 4, and 14, with a double dose given on the last challenge. PAL, loratadine and saline were given by gavage from day 5 to day 14. We observed the skin pathologic changes, mast cell degranulation, immune factor levels, inflammatory response and autophagy-related protein expression in CSU rats.

Results

We found PAL treatment to be effective in alleviating CSU-like skin lesions and reducing itching and mast cell degranulation in rats. Compared with the OVA group, the levels of immune and inflammatory factors were significantly reduced, neutrophil recruitment was alleviated, suggesting a reduced inflammatory response. The autophagy results showed that PAL further increased the expression of LC3, Beclin-1 and p-LKB1, p-AMPK, Atg5, Atg12 and Atg5-Atg12, while P62 and p-p70S6K1 expression decreased. They collectively suggested that autophagic flux was activated after PAL treatment. However, there was an increase in the expression of LC3I, probably due to the fact that PAL induced its accumulation in order to provide substrate for the generation of more LC3II.

Discussion

Overall, PAL had a protective effect on CSU in normal rats, activated the expression of autophagy and improved the inflammatory response.

Mechanisms of Yajieshaba in the treatment of liver fibrosis through the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway

Yajieshaba (YJSB), a traditional Dai medicine formula containing botanical drugs, is commonly employed in Yunnan due to its significant therapeutic effects on liver protection. Consequently, to determine the efficacy of YJSB and the mechanism of action of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)-nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway against liver fibrosis. We wanted to see if YJSB could treat CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis by regulating the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway. YJSB significantly improved liver function biochemical indices, liver fibrosis quadruple, hydroxyproline (Hyp), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) levels. The staining results demonstrated that the degree of liver fibrosis was significantly reduced. YJSB reduced the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and elevated the content of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the liver, exhibiting antioxidant effects; meanwhile, it regulated the expression of Keap1-Nrf2 pathway protein, increased the expression of NAD(P)H: Quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), Heme Oxygenase 1 (HO-1), Glutamate cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM), and Glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) expression in the liver decreased while Nrf2 expression increased. Fluorescence immunoassay studies demonstrated that YJSB promoted the trans-nuclearization of Nrf2. YJSB possesses anti-liver fibrosis pharmacological effects that improve liver function and effectively counteract CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis damage. The mechanism of action might be related to the regulation of protein expression of the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway, increasing the ability of the body to resist oxidative stress and reduce oxidative stress injury.

The Transcriptome Profiling of Flavonoids and Bibenzyls Reveals Medicinal Importance of Rare Orchid Arundina graminifolia

Orchids are very important flowering plants that spend long juvenile phases before flowering. Along with aesthetic importance, they are rich sources of medicinal components. However, their long reproductive cycle is the major hurdle to study the medicinal efficacy. Arundina graminifolia is a rare orchid that grows fast, unlike other orchids, and this characteristic makes it an ideal plant to study the medicinal enrichment of orchids. Therefore, this study presents the identification of important medicinal components in various parts of A. graminifolia. Transcriptome analysis was performed for five stages (FD1-FD5) of flower development and four tissue types (mature flower, silique, root, and leaf) to ascertain genetic regulators of flavonoids and bibenzyls. Most of the genes showed the highest expression in roots as compared with other tissues. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify the coexpression modules and the candidate genes involving biosynthesis pathways of these chemicals. MEyellow module contained the highly coexpressed genes. Moreover, the concentrations of phenylpropanoid, bibenzyls, and flavone were ascertained through high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Phenylpropanoid and bibenzyl were comparatively high in the leaf, while flavone showed a high concentration in the stem. The selected candidate genes [bibenzyl biosynthesis (BIBSY212), CYP84A1, CYP73A4, 4CLL7, UGT88B1, UGT73C3, anthocyanin synthase (ANS), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), flavanone synthase FLS, and CHS8] were validated through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Most of these genes showed high expression in leaf and root as compared with other tissue. Therefore, the presence of bibenzyls and flavonoids in different parts of A. graminifolia and their molecular regulators can provide a quick source to decipher the medicinal efficacy of orchids.

Arundinosides A-G, new glucosyloxybenzyl 2R-benzylmalate derivatives from the aerial parts of Arundina graminifolia

Seven new glucosyloxybenzyl 2R-benzylmalate derivatives, arundinosides A-G (1-7) were isolated from the aerial parts of the bamboo orchid Arundina graminifolia. This is the first occurrence of this class of compounds in the genus Arundina. Their planar structures and absolute configuration were determined by extensive NMR spectroscopic data as well as chemical conversion. Their neuroprotective properties were also evaluated on their potential ability to reduce the beta amyloid damage on PC12 cell model.

Two New Stilbenoids from the Aerial Parts of Arundina graminifolia (Orchidaceae)

Two new phenanthrene derivatives, a phenanthrenequinone named arundiquinone (1) and a 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene named arundigramin (2) together with a known lignin dimer (3) and seven known stilbenoids (4–10) were isolated from the aerial parts of the Asian orchid Arundina graminifolia. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D, 2D NMR (heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation spectroscopy (HMBC), and HR-ESI-MS techniques, as well as comparison with respective literature reports. The cytoprotective activity of the isolated compounds were evaluated for their ability to reduce beta amyloid induced toxicity on undifferentiated PC12 cells. Compound 8 showed moderate cytoprotective activity at 0.5 µmol/L (71% of cell viability) while the other compounds showed no significant activity at the highest concentration tested.