Hepatoprotective effect of Caesalpinia gilliesii and Cajanus cajan proteins against acetoaminophen overdose-induced hepatic damage

The Dietary Use of Pigeon Pea for Human and Animal Diets

Pigeon pea (PP) [Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth] plays an important role in preserving poor smallholders' major source of income in the tropics and subtropics by improving food and feed security, particularly protein intake. In the meantime, protein deficiency is frequent in tropical and subtropical regions due to rapidly increasing human populations and the high cost of animal-origin proteins. As a result, pulse crops should be their primary source of protein. Among these, PP is the most important pulse crop utilized as a food component in rain-fed agricultural conditions with the lowest costs, and it is the best source of protein supplements in typical cereal-based diets to fill the nutritional deficit. Despite this, it is the world's least-used pulse crop. Therefore, the primary goal of this review was to provide and synthesize scientifically confirmed and up-to-date information on the dietary usage of pigeon pea for food and feed. Protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and essential amino acids are all present in reasonable amounts in both mature and immature PP seeds. PP has the most potential for usage as food and feed, and its nutrients are comparable to those of soybeans and maize. PP's green leaves, roots, seeds, and pods are high in phenolic compounds, which have anti-inflammation, antibacterial, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and antidiabetic properties, as well as the ability to cure diseases like measles, smallpox, chicken pox, sickle cell anemia, fever, dysentery, hepatitis, and antimalarial medications for the body. Furthermore, the addition of pigeon pea and its by-products improves ruminant and nonruminant animal feeding performance significantly. In general, PP products such as dried grain, fresh (aerial portion), and green pods are used as a low-cost (low-cost) source of high-quality and quantity of protein food and feed for tropical and subtropical populations' livelihoods.

Systematic Elucidation of the Mechanism of Sappan Lignum in the Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Based on Network Pharmacology

Background

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes, which seriously affects the physical and mental health of patients. Sappan Lignum (SL) is effective in treating DPN. Previous reports have shown that SL has a clear hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory effect. However, the study of SL in the treatment of DPN is still limited and rare.

Objective

To investigate the mechanism of SL in the treatment of DPN based on network pharmacology.

Methods

The active ingredients of SL were screened by related databases. The compound targets were collected by the target prediction platforms. The DPN-related targets were gathered through disease databases. The intersection targets were obtained by uploading the compound targets and disease targets to Venny 2.1.0, and a compound-target network was constructed by Cytoscape3.7.2. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) relationships were obtained by the STRING11.0 database. Genome Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed using the DAVID6.8 database. Molecular docking of key compounds and core targets was performed by DockThor.

Results

A total of 29 compounds and 51 intersection targets with potential therapeutic effects on DPN were obtained. The compound-target network construction resulted in four key compounds: protostemonine, 3-deoxysappanchalcone, 7,3′,4′-trihydroxy-3-benzyl-2H-chromene, and o-12′-methylergocornine. PPI network analysis yielded 10 core targets: AKT1, MAPK3, CXCL8, TNF, OPRM1, MTOR, STAT3, MAPK8, SIRT1, and HSP90AA1. KEGG analysis resulted in 82 signaling pathways (P < 0.05), including insulin resistance, HIF-1 signaling pathway, and type II diabetes. The docking results indicated that the main active compounds could stably bind to core targets.

Conclusion

SL had the mechanism of multiple ingredients, multiple targets, and multiple pathways in the treatment of DPN. This study provided a scientific basis for further research on the treatment of DPN with SL and its extracts.

Crosslink among phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/Akt, PTEN and STAT-5A signaling pathways post liposomal galactomannan hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

Liposomal drug-delivery systems (LDDs) provide a promising opportunity to precisely target organs, improve drug bioavailability and reduce systemic toxicity. On the other hand, PI₃K/Akt signaling pathways control various intracellular functions including apoptosis, invasion and cell growth. Hyper activation of PI3K and Akt is detected in some types of cancer that posses defect in PTEN. Tracking the crosstalk between PI3K/Akt, PTEN and STAT 5A signaling pathways, in cancer could result in identifying new therapeutic agents. The current study, identified an over view on PI3K/Akt, PTEN and STAT-5A networks, in addition to their biological roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the current study galactomannan was extracted from Caesalpinia gilliesii seeds then loaded in liposomes. Liposomes were prepared employing phosphatidyl choline and different concentrations of cholesterol. HCC was then induced in Wistar albino rats followed by liposomal galactomannan (700 ± 100 nm) treatment. Liver enzymes as well as antioxidants were assessed and PI3K/Akt, PTEN and STAT-5A gene expression were investigated. The prepared vesicles revealed entrapment efficiencies ranging from 23.55 to 69.17%, and negative zeta potential values. The optimum formulation revealed spherical morphology as well as diffusion controlled in vitro release pattern. Liposomal galactomannan elucidated a significant reduction in liver enzymes and MDA as well as PI3K/Akt, PTEN and STAT 5A gene expression. A significant elevation in GST and GSH were deduced. In conclusion, Liposomal galactomannan revealed a promising candidate for HCC therapy.

Therapeutic activity of sour orange albedo extract and abundant flavanones loaded silica nanoparticles against acrylamide-induced hepatotoxicity

The current research aims to demonstrate the therapeutic effect of sour orange albedo extract (SOAE) and two flavanones loaded-tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) using sol-gel technique, in adose100 mg/kg body weight taken orally or45 days against acrylamide (ACR)toxicity in rats. This was achieved through measuring the activities of specific biochemical parameters related to liver functions in tissue of ACR intoxicated rats as compared to normal one. Liver functions included alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, antioxidants and oxidative stress biomarkers; superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione and lipid peroxide (malondialdehyde, MDA). Moreover, histological examination of liver was performed to confirm the biochemical findings. The present results clearly indicated disturbances in all biochemical parameters, such as increase in the liver function enzyme activities and MDA level. Results of ATPase enzyme activities revealed significant decrease in ACR intoxicated rats and liver biomarker enzymes declared significant decrease. On the other hand, treatment of intoxicated rats with the previous different nano-particles natural product demonstrated improvement in all biochemical parameters under investigation.