Bombycis corpus extract (BCE) protects hippocampal neurons against excitatory amino acid-induced neurotoxicity

Insect-derived extracts and peptides in neuroprotection

Throughout history, various cultures have recognized the significance of insects and have integrated them into traditional medicinal practices. In addition to medicines, insects are garnering attention as a sustainable and nutritious dietary alternative. Although edible insects have long been recognized as food sources in many Asian cultures, recent scientific studies have highlighted their potential therapeutic benefits, particularly in the field of neuroprotection. This review explores insect-derived extracts and peptides, elucidating their neuroprotective potential. This review highlights the potential use of insects as a source of neuroprotective agents. Advancements in neuroprotection may find a key ally in insects as our understanding of the symbiotic relationship between insects and human health becomes more profound.

Development of the Korean Medicine Core Outcome Set for Facial Palsy: herbal medicine treatment of patients with facial palsy in primary clinics

Introduction

Facial palsy (FP) significantly affects the quality of life of patients and poses a treatment challenge in primary healthcare settings. This study aimed to develop a Korean medicine (KM) core outcome set (COS) for FP, with a focus on evaluating the effectiveness of herbal medicine (HM) treatments in KM primary clinics.

Methods

Outcomes and effect modifiers related to FP treatments were initially identified through related review articles. Subsequently, experts in the field took part in three rounds of modified Delphi consensus exercises to refine and prioritize these outcomes and effect modifiers. Additionally, primary KM clinicians were involved in a Delphi consensus round to assess the suitability and feasibility of the proposed COS in real-world clinical settings.

Results

The initial review of related literature identified 44 relevant studies, resulting in an initial selection of 23 outcomes and 10 effect modifiers. The expert consensus process refined these to 8 key outcomes and 6 effect modifiers, which established the foundation of the COS-FP-KM. Subsequently, primary KM clinicians confirmed the practicality and applicability of the COS, endorsing its suitability for use in KM primary clinics.

Conclusion

The COS-FP-KM establishes a standardized approach for assessing HM treatment effectiveness in FP patients in KM primary clinics. The COS-FP-KM encourages consistent outcome reporting and enhances patient care quality. Future work should aim to integrate broader stakeholder perspectives to refine and validate the COS further.

The Effect of Protein-Rich Extract from Bombyx Batryticatus against Glutamate-Damaged PC12 Cells Via Regulating γ-Aminobutyric Acid Signaling Pathway

Bombyx Batryticatus (BB) is a known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) utilized to treat convulsions, epilepsy, cough, asthma, headaches, etc. in China for thousands of years. This study is aimed at investigating optimum extraction of protein-rich extracts from BB (BBPs) using response surface methodology (RSM) and exploring the protective effects of BBPs against nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced PC12 cells injured by glutamate (Glu) and their underlying mechanisms. The results indicated optimum process of extraction was as follows: extraction time 1.00 h, ratio of liquid to the raw material 3.80 mL/g and ultrasonic power 230.0 W. The cell viability of PC12 cells stimulated by Glu was determined by CCK-8 assay. The levels of γ-aminobutyric (GABA), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-4 (IL-4), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and glucocorticoid receptor alpha (GR) in PC12 cells were assayed by ELISA. Furthermore, the Ca²⁺ levels in PC12 cells were determined by flow cytometry analysis. Protein and mRNA expressions of GABAA-Rα1, NMDAR1, GAD 65, GAD 67, GAT 1 and GAT 3 in PC12 cells were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting assays. Results revealed that BBPs decreased toxic effects due to Glu treatment and decreased Ca²⁺ levels in PC12 cells. After BBPs treatments, levels of GABA and 5-HT were increased and contents of TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-1β were decreased in NGF-induced PC12 cells injured by Glu. Moreover, BBPs up-regulated the expressions of GABAA-Rα1, GAD 65 and GAD 67, whereas down-regulated that of NMDAR1 GAT 1 and GAT 3. These findings suggested that BBPs possessed protective effects on NGF-induced PC12 cells injured by Glu via γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) signaling pathways, which demonstrated that BBPs has potential anti-epileptic effect in vitro. These findings may be useful in the development of novel medicine for the treatment of epilepsy.

Extensive characterization and differential analysis of endogenous peptides from Bombyx batryticatus using mass spectrometric approach

Bombyx batryticatus, the dried larva of Bombyx mori L. (4th-5th instars) infected with Beauveria bassiana Vuill, is an important animal-derived medicine effective against several diseases. The metamorphosis of silkworm can result insignificant changes in the levels of proteins and polypeptides in the 4^th and 5^th instar larvae. Here, we performed extensive characterization of Bombyx batryticatus peptides, including polypeptides containing cysteines, using an MS-based data mining strategy. A total of 779 peptides with various PTMs (post-translational modifications) were identified through database search and de novo sequencing. Some of these peptides might have important biological activities. Besides, the differential analysis of polypeptides between the head and body of Bombyx batryticatus was performed to provide a clinical basis for rational use of the drugs derived from it. This study illustrates the abundance and sequences of endogenous Bombyx batryticatus polypeptides, and thus, provides potential candidates for the screening of active compounds for future biological research and drug discovery studies.

Traditional Uses, Origins, Chemistry and Pharmacology of Bombyx batryticatus: A Review

Bombyx batryticatus (B. batryticatus), a well-known traditional animal Chinese medicine, has been commonly used in China for thousands of years. The present paper reviewed advances in traditional uses, origin, chemical constituents, pharmacology and toxicity studies of B. batryticatus. The aim of the paper is to provide more comprehensive references for modern B. batryticatus study and application. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) culture, drugs containing B. batryticatus have been used to treat convulsions, headaches, skin prurigo, scrofula, tonsillitis and fever. Many studies indicate B. batryticatus contains various compounds, including protein and peptides, fatty acids, flavonoids, nucleosides, steroids, coumarin, polysaccharide and others. Numerous investigations also have shown that extracts and compounds from B. batryticatus exert a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects both in vivo and in vitro, including effects on the nervous system, anticoagulant effects, antitumor effects, antibacterial and antifungal effects, antioxidant effects, hypoglycemic effects, as well as other effects. However, further studies should be undertaken to investigate bioactive compounds (especially proteins and peptides), toxic constituents, using forms and the quality evaluation and control of B. batryticatus. Furthermore, it will be interesting to study the mechanism of biological activities and structure-function relationships of bioactive constituents in B. batryticatus.

Acute toxicity and genotoxicity of fermented traditional medicine oyaksungi-san

Background

The traditional medicine oyaksungi-san (OY) has been prescribed in East Asia for hundreds of years for the treatment of stroke, paralysis, and ataxia. OY also has therapeutic effects on arthralgia, myalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis, and recent studies have shown its protective effects against apoptosis of hippocampal cells and its anti-inflammatory effects on the peripheral blood cells of patient with cerebral infarction. Many studies have explored the use of traditional medicine and herb materials in the development of safe, novel, and effective pharmaceuticals with fewer side effects. These efforts commonly adopt a bioconversion tool for fermentation with beneficial microbes. However, only pharmaceuticals with high levels of safety and low levels of toxicity can be used in healthcare system.

Methods

OY water extract was fermented with Lactobacillus and assayed for acute toxicity and genotoxicity. Single dose acute toxicity, bacterial reverse mutation, chromosome aberrations, and micronucleus were observed and assayed in rats, histidine/tryptophan auxotrophic bacteria, Chinese hamster ovary fibroblast cells, and mice bone marrow cells, respectively.

Results

All the experimental animals showed no abnormal behavior, clinical signs, body weight increases, or mortality. In the bacterial cultures, no revertant colonies were observed. Morphological and numerical chromosomal aberrations were not found in all metaphases examined. Frequency of induced micronuclei was not significantly increased in all doses applied.

Conclusion

As a whole, no acute toxicity or genotoxicity were observed in all the assays examined. Therefore, fermented OY is considered to be a safe material that can be used for development of complementary and alternative medicine using bioconversion.

Advances in Genomics of Entomopathogenic Fungi

Fungi are the commonest pathogens of insects and crucial regulators of insect populations. The rapid advance of genome technologies has revolutionized our understanding of entomopathogenic fungi with multiple Metarhizium spp. sequenced, as well as Beauveria bassiana, Cordyceps militaris, and Ophiocordyceps sinensis among others. Phylogenomic analysis suggests that the ancestors of many of these fungi were plant endophytes or pathogens, with entomopathogenicity being an acquired characteristic. These fungi now occupy a wide range of habitats and hosts, and their genomes have provided a wealth of information on the evolution of virulence-related characteristics, as well as the protein families and genomic structure associated with ecological and econutritional heterogeneity, genome evolution, and host range diversification. In particular, their evolutionary transition from plant pathogens or endophytes to insect pathogens provides a novel perspective on how new functional mechanisms important for host switching and virulence are acquired. Importantly, genomic resources have helped make entomopathogenic fungi ideal model systems for answering basic questions in parasitology, entomology, and speciation. At the same time, identifying the selective forces that act upon entomopathogen fitness traits could underpin both the development of new mycoinsecticides and further our understanding of the natural roles of these fungi in nature. These roles frequently include mutualistic relationships with plants. Genomics has also facilitated the rapid identification of genes encoding biologically useful molecules, with implications for the development of pharmaceuticals and the use of these fungi as bioreactors.

A novel peptide inhibitor of platelet aggregation from stiff silkworm, Bombyx batryticatus

A novel platelet aggregation inhibitory peptide, named BB octapeptide, was isolated from stiff silkworm (Bombyx batryticatus) by gel filtration, anion-exchange, and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The molecular mass of the peptide was determined to be 885 Da using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and the sequence was identified as Asp-Pro-Asp-Ala-Asp-IIe-Leu-Gln using the Edman degradation method. To test its biological activity, the peptide was chemically synthesized using Fmoc solid-phase synthesis method. BB octapeptide inhibited rabbit platelet aggregation that was induced by collagen and epinephrine, with the IC50 values of 91.14 μM and 104.50 μM, respectively. After intravenous administrated in mice (30 mg/kg, 4 days), BB octapeptide showed similar ex vivo efficacy of inhibiting platelet aggregation as aspirin (10 mg/kg). In addition, this peptide prevented paralysis and death in pulmonary thromboembolism model and significantly reduced ferric chloride-induced thrombus formation in rats. Moreover, it exhibited low cytotoxicity in a cellular model. In conclusion, this is the first report that a novel platelet aggregation inhibitory peptide was isolated from stiff silkworm (B. batryticatus). Due to the excellent efficacy in reducing platelet aggregation and low toxicity, it can be a valuable lead compound for new drug design and development.

Genomic perspectives on the evolution of fungal entomopathogenicity in Beauveria bassiana

The ascomycete fungus Beauveria bassiana is a pathogen of hundreds of insect species and is commercially produced as an environmentally friendly mycoinsecticide. We sequenced the genome of B. bassiana and a phylogenomic analysis confirmed that ascomycete entomopathogenicity is polyphyletic, but also revealed convergent evolution to insect pathogenicity. We also found many species-specific virulence genes and gene family expansions and contractions that correlate with host ranges and pathogenic strategies. These include B. bassiana having many more bacterial-like toxins (suggesting an unsuspected potential for oral toxicity) and effector-type proteins. The genome also revealed that B. bassiana resembles the closely related Cordyceps militaris in being heterothallic, although its sexual stage is rarely observed. A high throughput RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis revealed that B. bassiana could sense and adapt to different environmental niches by activating well-defined gene sets. The information from this study will facilitate further development of B. bassiana as a cost-effective mycoinsecticide.

Neuroprotective herbs for stroke therapy in traditional eastern medicine

Traditional Eastern Medicine (TEM) has a long history in stroke therapy and its therapeutic efficacy has been confirmed by clinical studies. Extensive experience and abundant clinical data on TEM in stroke treatment have been accumulated over the past thousand years. Basic and clinical research in TEM constitutes a potentially rich source for new drug discovery and development with the integration of TEM and Western pharmacology. In recent years, many attempts have been made to document research data from extracts of composite formulas, single herbs, or single compounds from TEM herbs, according to orthodox pharmacological actions. This article reviews herbs and prescriptions that have been documented to have a neuroprotective effect in in vitro and in vivo ischemic model systems, and the neuroprotective compounds isolated from them. I also discuss the neuroprotective mechanisms of prescriptions, herbs, and single compounds relevant to the treatment of brain ischemia, including anti-oxidant, anti-excitotoxic, and anti-inflammatory effects.