New Perspectives on the Old Uses of Traditional Medicinal and Edible Herbs: Extract and Spent Material of Persicaria hydropiper (L.) Delarbre

Background/Objectives:Persicaria hydropiper (L.) Delarbre, commonly known as water pepper, possesses multifunctional potential. Our research focuses on its complex phenolic composition, bioactivity, safety evaluation and utilization in a sustainable manner. Moreover, a survey was conducted among the Serbian population to gain insight into the attitude towards traditional wild-growing herbs (i.e., P. hydropiper), the level of familiarity with their zero-waste culture, and to assess eating behaviors. Methods: A survey was conducted with 168 participants to assess attitudes towards traditional herbs, zero-waste culture, and eating behaviors, while cytotoxicity, in vivo toxicity, chemical analysis of secondary metabolites, and probiotic viability assays were performed to evaluate the effects of the PH extract. Results: Notably, P. hydropiper extract (PH) exhibits a diverse phenolic profile, including quinic acid (3.68 ± 0.37 mg/g DW), gallic acid (1.16 ± 0.10 mg/g DW), quercetin (2.34 ± 0.70 mg/g DW) and kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (4.18 ± 0.17 mg/g DW). These bioactive compounds have been linked to anticancer effects. The tested extract demonstrated a cytotoxic effect on the human neuroblastoma cell line, opening questions for the further exploration of its mechanisms for potential therapeutic applications. Based on the toxicity assessment in the Artemia salina model, the PH could be characterized with good safety, especially for the lower concentrations (LC50 = 0.83 mg/mL, 24 h). The utilization of the spent PH material supports the viability of psychobiotic strains (up to 9.26 ± 0.54 log CFU/mL). Based on the conducted survey, 63.7% (n = 107) of respondents mainly prefer traditional instead of imported herbs. The respondents were skeptical about zero-waste edibles; 51.2% (n = 86) would not try them, and a bit more than half were not familiar with zero-waste culture (57.7%; n = 97). Only 8.3% (n = 14) followed a flexitarian diet as a dietary pattern. Conclusions: The use of underutilized traditional plants and their spent material could potentially contribute to the acceptance of a zero-waste culture in Serbia. Reinventing the use of neglected traditional plants and addressing ways for spent material valorization could contribute to the acceptance of a zero-waste strategy and encourage healthier eating behavior.

In silico and in vitro chemometrics, cell toxicity and permeability of naringenin 8-sulphonate and derivatives

Background

Sulphur containing natural compounds are among the most biologically relevant metabolites in vivo. Naringenin 8-sulphonate from Parinari excelsa Sabine was evaluated in a previous work, demonstrating ability to act as a natural anti-inflammatory. Although the interference of this molecule against different inflammatory mediators was described, there is no information regarding its potential toxicity and pharmacokinetics, which are essential for its capacity to reach its therapeutic targets. In fact, despite the existence of reports on naringenin ADMET properties, the influence of sulphation patterns on them remains unknown.

Objectives

This work aims to assess the in vitro pharmacokinetic and toxicological behavior of naringenin 8-sulphonate, as well as to understand the importance of the presence and position of the sulphur containing group for that.

Methods

Naringenin 8-sulphonate physicochemical and ADMET properties were investigated using in silico tools and cell-based in vitro models. At the same time, naringenin and naringenin 4'-O-sulphate were investigated to evaluate the impact of the sulphonate group on the results. ADMETlab 2.0 in silico tool was used to predict the compounds' physicochemical descriptors. Pharmacokinetic properties were determined experimentally in vitro. While MRC-5 lung fibroblasts and HaCaT keratinocytes were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of samples through MTT and LDH assays, Caco-2 human intestinal epithelial cells were used for the determination of genotoxicity, through alkaline comet assay, and as a permeability model to assess the ability of compounds to cross biological barriers.

Results

Experimental determinations showed that none of the compounds was cytotoxic. In terms of genotoxicity, naringenin 8-sulphonate and naringenin caused significant DNA fragmentation, whereas naringenin 4'-O-sulphate did not. When it comes to permeability, the two sulphur-containing compounds with a sulphur containing group were clearly less capable to cross the Caco-2 cell barrier than naringenin.

Conclusion

In this study, we conclude that the sulphur containing group from naringenin 8-sulphonate is disadvantageous for the molecule in terms of ADMET properties, being particularly impactful in the permeability in intestinal barrier models. Thus, this work provides important insights regarding the role of flavonoids sulphation and sulphonation upon pharmacokinetics and toxicity.

The genus Polygonum: An updated comprehensive review of its ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, pharmacological activities, toxicology, and phytopharmaceutical formulation

Polygonum is a plant genus that includes annual and perennial species and is found at various temperatures, from northern temperate regions to tropical and subtropical areas. The genus Polygonum has been used for centuries for various disorders, including hypertension, intestinal and stomach pain, dysuria, jaundice, toothaches, skin allergies, hemorrhoids, cardiac disorders, kidney stones, hemostasis, hyperglycemia, and others. Various databases, including Google Scholar, Scifinder, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, ResearchGate, and Web of Science, were utilized to collect pertinent scientific literature data. According to bibliographic studies, the Polygonum genus possesses various compounds from different families, including phenolic acids (gallic acid, caffeic acid, quinic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, and many other compounds), flavonoids (quercetin, catechin, epicatechin, quercitrin, kaempferol, myricetin, etc.), tannins, stilbenes (polydatin and resveratrol), terpenes (α-pinene, β-caryophyllene and β-caryophyllene oxide, bisabolene, β-farnesene, etc.), fatty acids (decanoic acid, lauric acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, dodecanoic acid), polysaccharides, and others. Various chemical and biological activities (in vitro and in vivo), such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiparasitic, hepatoprotective, neuropharmacological, gastroprotective, diuretic, antipyretic, and others, have been described in several biological studies involving this species. An updated summary of Polygonum species and their ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, toxicological, pharmacological, and phytopharmaceutical formulations is necessary. Considering the numerous potentialities of the Polygonum species and their wide-ranging use, it is extremely essential to provide knowledge by compiling the accessible literature to identify the topics of intense investigation and the main gaps to better design future studies. The objective of this review is to give readers a better understanding, greater comprehension, and in-depth knowledge of the genus Polygonum's traditional applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicological features, and galenic formulation. Several species of this genus have been detailed in this review, including those that were frequently used in traditional medicine (P. minus, P. aviculare, P. hydropiper, P. cuspidatum, and P. multiflorum) and many of the genus' therapeutic species, like P. equisetiforme, which do not get enough attention.

The Mechanism of Polygonum Hydropiper L-Coptis Chinensis in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation

BACKGROUND

Polygonum hydropiper L (PH) was widely used to treat dysentery, gastroenteritis, diarrhea and other diseases. Coptis chinensis (CC) had the effects of clearing dampness-heat, purging fire, and detoxifying. Study confirmed that flavonoids in PH and alkaloids in CC alleviated inflammation to inhibit the development of intestinal inflammation. However, how PH-CC affects UC was unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the mechanism of PH-CC on ulcerative colitis (UC) through network pharmacology and in vivo experiments.

METHODS

The active ingredients and targets of PH-CC and targets of UC were screened based on related databases. The core targets of PH-CC on UC was predicted by protein-protein interaction network (PPI), and then the Gene Ontology-biological processes (GO-BP) function enrichment analysis was conducted using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) database. The binding activity between pyroptosis proteins, core targets and effective ingredients were verified based on molecular docking technology. Finally, combined with the results of network pharmacology and literature research, the mechanism of PH-CC against UC was verified by in vivo experiments.

RESULTS

There were 23 active components and 191 potential targets in PH-CC, 5275 targets in UC, and 141 co-targets. GO-BP functional analysis of 141 co-targets showed that the first 20 biological processes were closely related to inflammation and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Furthermore, core targets had good binding activity with the corresponding compounds. Animal experiment indicated that PH-CC effectively prevented weight loss in UC mice, reduced the disease activity index (DAI) score, maintained colon length, suppressed myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, inhibited pyroptosis protein expression, and downregulated the levels of IL-18 and IL-1β to alleviate intestinal inflammation.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of network pharmacology and animal experiments showed that PH-CC suppressed the inflammatory response, restored colon morphology, and inhibited pyroptosis in UC mice. Thus, PH-CC may improve UC by regulating the NOD-like receptor protein domain 3 (NLRP3)/Caspase-1 signaling pathway.