Characterization and anti-tumor activity of a polysaccharide isolated from Dendrobium officinale grown in the Huoshan County

Critical review on the research of chemical structure, bioactivities, and mechanism of actions of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide

Dendrobium officinale (Tie-Pi-Shi-Hu) is a precious traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The principal active components are polysaccharides (DOP), which have a high potency in therapeutic applications. However, limitations in structure analysis and underlying mechanism investigation impede its further research. This review systemically and critically summarises current understanding in both areas, and points out the influence of starch impurities and the role of gut microbiota in DOP research. As challenges faced in studying natural polysaccharide investigations are common, this review contributes to a broader understanding of polysaccharides beyond DOP.

Dendrobium officinale Polysaccharide (DOP) inhibits cell hyperproliferation, inflammation and oxidative stress to improve keratinocyte psoriasis-like state

PURPOSE

Psoriasis is a skin disease characterized by excessive proliferation, inflammation and oxidative stress in keratinocytes. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) on keratinocyte psoriasis-like models.

METHODS

The HaCaT keratinocyte inflammation models were induced by interleukin (IL)-22 or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), respectively, and oxidative stress damage within cells was elicited by H2O2 and treated using DOP. CCK-8 and EdU were carried out to detect cell proliferation. ELISA, qRT-PCR, and Western blot were conducted to measure the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL17A, IL-23, IL1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and IL-6. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in keratinocytes was detected by flow cytometry. Cell proliferation-associated proteins (PCNA, Ki67, Cyclin D1) and pathway proteins (p-AKT and AKT), and oxidative stress marker proteins (Nrf-2, CAT, SOD1) were detected by Western blot.

RESULT

DOP did not affect the proliferation of normal keratinocytes, but DOP was able to inhibit the proliferative activity of IL-22-induced overproliferating keratinocytes and suppress the expression of proliferation-related factors PCNA, Ki67, and Cyclin D1 as well as the proliferation pathway p-AKT. In addition, DOP treatment was able to inhibit IL-22 and LPS-induced inflammation and H2O2-induced oxidative stress, including the expression of IL17A, IL-23, IL1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL1β, as well as the expression levels of intracellular ROS levels and cellular oxidative stress-related indicators SOD, MDA, CAT, Nrf-2 and SOD1.

CONCLUSION

DOP inhibits keratinocyte hyperproliferation, inflammation and oxidative stress to improve the keratinocyte psoriasis-like state.

Research Progress on the Anticancer Activity of Plant Polysaccharides

Tumor is a serious threat to human health, with extremely high morbidity and mortality rates. However, tumor treatment is challenging, and the development of antitumor drugs has always been a significant research focus. Plant polysaccharides are known to possess various biological activities. They have many pharmacological properties such as immunomodulation, antitumor, antiviral, antioxidative, antithrombotic, and antiradiation effects, reduction of blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and protection from liver injury. Among these effects, the antitumor effect of plant polysaccharides has been widely studied. Plant polysaccharides can inhibit tumor proliferation and growth by inhibiting tumor cell invasion and metastasis, inducing cell apoptosis, affecting the cell cycle, and regulating the tumor microenvironment. They also have the characteristics of safety, high efficiency, and low toxicity, which can alleviate, to a certain extent, the adverse reactions caused by traditional tumor treatment methods such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Therefore, this paper systematically summarizes the direct antitumor effects of plant polysaccharides, their regulatory effects on the tumor microenvironment, and intervening many common high-incidence tumors in other ways. It also provides data support for the administration of plant polysaccharides in modern tumor drug therapy, enabling the identification of new targets and development of new drugs for tumor therapy.

Structure, Health Benefits, Mechanisms, and Gut Microbiota of Dendrobium officinale Polysaccharides: A Review

Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DOPs) are important active polysaccharides found in Dendrobium officinale, which is commonly used as a conventional food or herbal medicine and is well known in China. DOPs can influence the composition of the gut microbiota and the degradation capacity of these symbiotic bacteria, which in turn may determine the efficacy of dietary interventions. However, the necessary analysis of the relationship between DOPs and the gut microbiota is lacking. In this review, we summarize the extraction, structure, health benefits, and related mechanisms of DOPs, construct the DOPs-host axis, and propose that DOPs are potential prebiotics, mainly composed of 1,4-β-D-mannose, 1,4-β-D-glucose, and O-acetate groups, which induce an increase in the abundance of gut microbiota such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, Bacteroides, and Prevotella. In addition, we found that when exposed to DOPs with different structural properties, the gut microbiota may exhibit different diversity and composition and provide health benefits, such as metabolism regulations, inflammation modulation, immunity moderation, and cancer intervention. This may contribute to facilitating the development of functional foods and health products to improve human health.

Chemical Constituents, Bioactivities, and Pharmacological Mechanisms of Dendrobium officinale: A Review of the Past Decade

Dendrobium officinale, a plant in the Orchidaceae family, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Sweet and slightly cold in nature, it can invigorate the stomach, promote fluid production, nourish Yin, and dissipate heat. Over the past decade, more than 60 compounds have been derived from D. officinale, including flavonoids, bibenzyl, and phenanthrene. Various studies have explored the underlying pharmacological mechanisms of these compounds, which have shown antitumor, hypoglycemic, hypertensive, gastrointestinal-regulatory, visceral organ protection, antiaging, and neurorestorative effects. This paper presents a systematic review of the structural classification, biological activity, and pharmacological mechanisms of different chemical components obtained from D. officinale over the past decade. This review aims to provide a reference for future study and establish a foundation for clinical applications. Furthermore, this review identifies potential shortcomings in current research as well as potential directions and methodologies in future plant research.

Photothermal Therapy Mediated Hybrid Membrane Derived Nano-formulation for Enhanced Cancer Therapy

Emodin is applied as an antitumor drug in many tumor therapies. However, its pharmacology performances are limited due to its low solubility. Herein, we fused erythrocyte and macrophage to form a hybrid membrane (EMHM) and encapsulated emodin to form hybrid membrane-coated nanoparticles. We employed glycyrrhizin to increase the solubility of emodin first and prepared the hybrid membrane nanoparticle-coated emodin and glycyrrhizin (EG@EMHM NPs) which exhibited an average particle size of 170 ± 20 nm and encapsulation efficiency of 98.13 ± 0.67%. The half-inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of EG@EMHM NPs were 1.166 μg/mL, which is half of the free emodin. Based on the photosensitivity of emodin, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) results disclosed that ROS levels of the photodynamic therapy (PDT) section were higher than the normal section (P < 0.05). Compared to the normal section, PDT-mediated EG@EMHM NPs could induce an early stage of apoptosis of B16. The western blot and flow cytometry results verified that PDT-mediated EG@EMHM NPs can significantly improve the solubility of emodin and perform a remarkably antitumor effect on melanoma via BAX and BCL-2 pathway. The application of the combined chemical and PDT therapy could provide an improving target therapy for cutaneous melanoma and also may offer an idea for other insoluble components sources of traditional Chinese medicine. Schematic of EG@EMHM NPs formulation.

Polysaccharides Extracted from Dendrobium officinale Grown in Different Environments Elicit Varying Health Benefits in Caenorhabditis elegans

Dendrobium officinale is one of the most widely used medicinal herbs, especially in Asia. In recent times, the polysaccharide content of D. officinale has garnered attention due to the numerous reports of its medicinal properties, such as anticancer, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-aging activities. However, few reports of its anti-aging potential are available. Due to high demand, the wild D. officinale is scarce; hence, alternative cultivation methods are being employed. In this study, we used the Caenorhabditis elegans model to investigate the anti-aging potential of polysaccharides extracted from D. officinale (DOP) grown in three different environments; tree (TR), greenhouse (GH), and rock (RK). Our findings showed that at 1000 µg/mL, GH-DOP optimally extended the mean lifespan by 14% and the maximum lifespan by 25% (p < 0.0001). TR-DOP and RK-DOP did not extend their lifespan at any of the concentrations tested. We further showed that 2000 µg/mL TR-DOP, GH-DOP, or RK-DOP all enhanced resistance to H₂O₂-induced stress (p > 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.01, respectively). In contrast, only RK-DOP exhibited resistance (p < 0.01) to thermal stress. Overall, DOP from the three sources all increased HSP-4::GFP levels, indicating a boost in the ability of the worms to respond to ER-related stress. Similarly, DOP from all three sources decreased α-synuclein aggregation; however, only GH-DOP delayed β-amyloid-induced paralysis (p < 0.0001). Our findings provide useful information on the health benefits of DOP and also provide clues on the best practices for cultivating D. officinale for maximum medicinal applications.

Glucomannan in Dendrobium catenatum: Bioactivities, Biosynthesis and Perspective

Dendrobium catenatum is a classical and precious dual-use plant for both medicine and food in China. It was first recorded in Shen Nong's Herbal Classic, and has the traditional functions of nourishing yin, antipyresis, tonifying the stomach, and promoting fluid production. The stem is its medicinal part and is rich in active polysaccharide glucomannan. As an excellent dietary fiber, glucomannan has been experimentally confirmed to be involved in anti-cancer, enhancing immunity, lowering blood sugar and blood lipids, etc. Here, the status quo of the D. catenatum industry, the structure, bioactivities, biosynthesis pathway and key genes of glucomannan are systematically described to provide a crucial foundation and theoretical basis for understanding the value of D. catenatum and the potential application of glucomannan in crop biofortification.

Dendrobium officinale Endophytes May Colonize the Intestinal Tract and Regulate Gut Microbiota in Mice

Dendrobium officinale is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating gastrointestinal diseases by nourishing "Yin" and thickening the stomach lining. To study whether D. officinale endophytes can colonize the intestinal tract and regulate gut microbiota in mice, we used autoclave steam sterilizing and 60Co-γ radiation to eliminate D. officinale endophytes from its juice. Then, high-throughput ITS1-ITS2 rDNA and 16S rRNA gene amplicons were sequenced to analyze the microbial community of D. officinale endophytes and fecal samples of mice after administration of fresh D. officinale juice. Sterilization of D. officinale juice by autoclaving for 40 min (ASDO40) could more effectively eliminate the D. officinale endophytes and decrease their interference on the gut microbiota. D. officinale juice could increase beneficial gut microbiota and metabolites including short-chain fatty acids. D. officinale endophytes Pseudomonas mosselii, Trichocladium asperum, Titata maxilliformis, Clonostachys epichloe, and Rhodotorula babjevae could colonize the intestinal tract of mice and modulate gut microbiota after oral administration of the juice for 28 days. Thus, the regulatory effect of D. officinale juice on gut microbiota was observed, which provides a basis for inferring that D. officinale endophytes might colonize the intestinal tract and participate in regulating gut microbiota to treat diseases. Thus, this study further provides a new approach for the treatment of diseases by colonizing plant endophytes in the intestinal tract and regulating gut microbiota.

Research progress on extraction, purification, structure and biological activity of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (D. officinale) is a traditional medicinal and food homologous plant that has been used for thousands of years in folk medicine and nutritious food. Recent studies have shown that polysaccharide is one of the main biologically active components in D. officinale. D. officinale polysaccharides possess several biological activities, such as anti-oxidant, heptatoprotective, immunomodulatory, gastrointestinal protection, hypoglycemic, and anti-tumor activities. In the past decade, polysaccharides have been isolated from D. officinale by physical and enzymatic methods and have been subjected to structural characterization and activity studies. Progress in extraction, purification, structural characterization, bioactivity, structure-activity relationship, and possible bioactivity mechanism of polysaccharides D. officinale were reviewed. In order to provide reference for the in-depth study of D. officinale polysaccharides and the application in functional food and biomedical research.

Metabolic Profiling of Terpene Diversity and the Response of Prenylsynthase-Terpene Synthase Genes during Biotic and Abiotic Stresses in Dendrobium catenatum

Dendrobium catenatum is a widely cultivated Chinese orchid herb rich in abundant secondary metabolites, such as terpenes. However, terpene distribution and characterization of terpene biosynthesis-related genes remain unknown in D. catenatum. In this study, metabolic profiling was performed to analyze terpene distribution in the root, stem, leaf, and flower of D. catenatum. A total of 74 terpene compounds were identified and classified. Clustering analysis revealed that terpene compounds exhibited a tissue-specific accumulation, including monoterpenes in the flowers, sesquiterpenes in the stems, and triterpenes in the roots. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the ‘terpenoid backbone biosynthesis’ pathway was only significantly enriched in root vs. flower. The expression of terpene biosynthesis-related genes was spatiotemporal in the flowers. Prenylsynthase-terpene synthases (PS-TPSs) are the largest and core enzymes for generating terpene diversity. By systematic sequence analysis of six species, 318 PS-TPSs were classified into 10 groups and 51 DcaPS-TPSs were found in eight of them. Eighteen DcaPS-TPSs were regulated by circadian rhythm under drought stress. Most of the DcaPS-TPSs were influenced by cold stress and fungi infection. The cis-element of the majority of the DcaPS-TPS promoters was related to abiotic stress and plant development. Methyl jasmonate levels were significantly associated with DcaTPSs expression and terpene biosynthesis. These results provide insight into further functional investigation of DcaPS-TPSs and the regulation of terpene biosynthesis in Dendrobium.

Quality Markers of Dendrobium officinale by “Oligosaccharide-Spectrum-Effect” Relationships

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and a functional food for thousands of years. Carbohydrate is one of the most important effective substances and indicative components in D. officinale. However, since the qualitative and quantitative analysis of polysaccharides in D. officinale remains a challenge and limitation, herein, an oligosaccharide-quality marker approach was newly developed for quality assessment of D. officinale by spectrum–effect relationships between high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) fingerprints and anti-inflammatory effects. The HPLC fingerprints of 48 batches of oligosaccharides from D. officinale (DOOS) were developed and analyzed with similarity analysis (SA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and eight common peaks were identified. In vitro screening experiment indicated that DOOS potentially inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production and effectively reduced the release of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in RAW 264.7 cells, thereby reducing the inflammatory response of cells. Finally, the HPLC fingerprint of different batches of DOOS was combined with in vitro anti-inflammatory activity to assess the spectrum–effect relationships of DOOS by gray correlation analysis (GCA), in addition, the purified oligosaccharide components were identified and validated for NO inhibitory activity. Our results showed four DOOS (maltotetraose, maltopentaose, maltohexaose, and mannohexaose) were relevant to anti-inflammatory effects and could be as quality markers for the quality control of D. officinale. It suggests that the “oligosaccharide-spectrum-effect” relationships approach is a simple and reliable method for the quality control of herb medicines or nutritious foods.

A Systematic Review on Polysaccharides from Dendrobium Genus: Recent Advances in the Preparation, Structural Characterization, Bioactive Molecular Mechanisms, and Applications

Dendrobium polysaccharides (DPSs) have aroused people's increasing attention in recent years as a result of their outstanding edible and medicinal values and non-toxic property. This review systematically summarized recent progress in the different preparation techniques, structural characteristics, modification, various pharmacological activities and molecular mechanisms, structure-activity relationships, and current industrial applications in the medicinal, food, and cosmetics fields of DPSs. Additionally, some recommendations for future investigations were provided. A variety of methods were applied for the extraction and purification of DPSs. They possessed primary structures (e.g., glucomannan, rhamnogalacturonan I type pectin, heteroxylan, and galactoglucan) and conformational structures (e.g., random coil, rod, globular, and a slight triple-helical). And different molecular weights, monosaccharide compositions, linkage types, and modifications could largely affect DPSs' bioactivities (e.g., immunomodulatory, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, gastrointestinal protective, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant activities). It was worth mentioning that DPSs were significant pharmaceutical remedies and therapeutic supplements especially due to their strong immunity enhancement abilities. We hope that this review will lay a solid foundation for further development and applications of Dendrobium polysaccharides.

Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Quality Control of Dendrobium officinale Kimura et. Migo

Dendrobium officinale, a well-known plant used as a medicinal and food homologous product, has been reported to contain various bioactive components, such as polysaccharides, bibenzyls, phenanthrenes, and flavonoids. It is also widely used as a traditional medicine to strengthen “Yin”, nourish heart, tonify five viscera, remove arthralgia, relieve fatigue, thicken stomach, lighten body, and prolong life span. These traditional applications are in consistent with modern pharmacological studies, which have demonstrated that D. officinale exhibits various biological functions, such as cardioprotective, anti-tumor, gastrointestinal protective, anti-diabetes, immunomodulatory, anti-aging, and anti-osteoporosis effects. In this review, we summarize the research progress of D. officinale from November 2016 to May 2021 and aim to better understand the botany, traditional use, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of D. officinale, as well as its quality control and safety. This work presents the development status of D. officinale, analyzes gaps in the current research on D. officinale, and raises the corresponding solutions to provide references and potential directions for further studies of D. officinale.

Isolation, structural properties, bioactivities of polysaccharides from Dendrobium officinale Kimura et. Migo: A review

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (D. officinale) is used as herbal medicine and new food resource in China, which is nontoxic and harmless, and can be used as common food. Polysaccharide as one of the main bioactive components in D. officinale, mainly composed of glucose and mannose (Manp: Glcp = 2.01:1.00-8.82:1.00), along with galactose, xylose, arabinose, and rhamnose in different molar ratios and types of glycosidic bonds. Polysaccharides of D. officinale exhibit a variety of biological effects, including immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, gastro-protective, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and vasodilating effects. This paper presents the extraction, purification, structural characteristics, bioactivities, structure-activity relationships and analyzes gaps in the current research on D. officinale polysaccharides. In addition, based on in vitro and in vivo experiments, the possible mechanisms of bioactivities of D. officinale polysaccharides were summarized. We hope that this work may provide helpful references and promising directions for further study and development of D. officinale polysaccharides.

Erianin induces triple-negative breast cancer cells apoptosis by activating PI3K/Akt pathway

BACKGROUND

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a refractory subtype of breast cancer, 25-30% of which have dysregulation in the PI3K/AKT pathway. The present study investigated the anticancer effect of erianin on TNBC cell line and its underlying mechanism.

METHODS

After treatment with erianin, MTT assay was employed to determine the MDA-MB-231 and EFM-192A cell proliferation, the nucleus morphological changes were observed by DAPI staining. The cell cycle and apoptotic proportion were detected by flow cytometry. Western blot was performed to determine the cell cycle and apoptosis-related protein expression and PI3K pathways. Finally, the antiproliferative activity of erianin was further confirmed by adding or not adding PI3K agonists SC79.

RESULTS

Erianin inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 and EFM-192A cells in a dose-dependent manner, the IC50 were 70.96 and 78.58 nM, respectively. Erianin could cause cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, and the expressions of p21 and p27 were up-regulated, while the expressions of CDK1 and Cyclin B1 were down-regulated. Erianin also induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway, with the up-regulation of the expression of Cyto C, PARP, Bax, active form of Caspase-3, and Caspase-9. Furthermore, p-PI3K and p-Akt expression were down-regulated by erianin. After co-incubation with SC79, the cell inhibition rate of erianin was decreased, which further confirmed that the attenuated PI3K/Akt pathway was relevant to the pro-apoptotic effect of erianin.

CONCLUSIONS

Erianin can inhibit the proliferation of TNBC cells and induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, which may ascribe to the abolish the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.

Study on quantitative diagnosis model of TCM syndromes of post-stroke depression based on combination of disease and syndrome

BACKGROUND

Post-stroke depression (PSD) is one of the most common stroke complications with high morbidity. Researchers have done much clinical research on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment, but very little research on diagnosis. Based on the thought of combination of disease and syndrome, this study will establish a unified and objective quantitative diagnosis model of TCM syndromes of PSD, so as to improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment of PSD.

OBJECTIVE

First: To establish a unified and objective quantitative diagnosis model of TCM syndromes in PSD under different disease courses, and identify the corresponding main, secondary, and concurrent symptoms, which are based on the weighting factor of each TCM symptom. Second: To find out the relationship between different stages of PSD and TCM syndromes. Clarify the main syndrome types of PSD under different stages of disease. Reveal the evolution and progression mechanism of TCM syndromes of PSD.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a retrospective study of PSD TCM diagnosis. Three hundred patients who were hospitalized in the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of TCM with complete cases from January 2014 to January 2019 are planned to be recruited. The study will mainly collect the diagnostic information from the cases, find the related indicators of TCM and Western medicine in PSD, and clarify the relationship between different disease stages and TCM syndromes. Finally, the PSD TCM syndrome quantitative diagnosis model will be established based on the operation principle of Back Propagation (BP) artificial neural network.

CONCLUSION

To collect sufficient medical records and establish models to speed up the process of TCM diagnosis.

Research progress on the ethanol precipitation process of traditional Chinese medicine

Ethanol precipitation is a purification process widely used in the purification of Chinese medicine concentrates. This article reviews the research progress on the process mechanism of ethanol precipitation, ethanol precipitation process application for bioactive component purification, ethanol precipitation and traditional Chinese medicine quality, ethanol precipitation equipment, critical parameters, parameter research methods, process modeling and calculation methods, and process monitoring technology. This review proposes that ethanol precipitation technology should be further developed in terms of five aspects, namely, an in-depth study of the mechanism, further study of the effects on traditional Chinese medicine quality, improvement of the quality control of concentrates, development of new process detection methods, and development of a complete intelligent set of equipment.

Acetonitrilated Unsymmetric BODIPYs having glycine fluorescence responsive quenching: Design, synthesis and spectroscopic properties

A series of novel N≡C-CH₂-B-F system BODIPY were designed and synthesized by introducing aldehyde and acetonitrile units which gave positive influence to spectroscopic and chemical properties of BODIPY derivatives. The effects of glycine (Gly) on the target products were studied via ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis) and photoluminescence (PL) under different conditions of the presence and absence of cations (K⁺, Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺). It was showed that glycine has an intense quenching effect on the compounds in both the presence and absence of ions with a dramatic color change from notable red to light orange owing to the addition of Gly. With regard to cells imaging investigation, the products showed the prominent fluorescence in cholangiocarcinoma cells. The luminescent effect of compounds 1 and 3 entering the cells was significantly stronger than that of compound 2. In addition, pertaining to anticancer properties, two human cancer cell lines (RBE, HCCC-9810) and one normal cell line (L-02) were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity. The target compounds, 1-3, exhibited moderate antitumor activity, of which compound 1 was found to be the most potent derivative with IC₅₀ values of 119.31 ± 6.25, 114.73 ± 3.25, and 106.33 ± 5.22 against RBE, HCCC-9810, and L-02 cells, respectively, slightly weaker than the positive control 5-FU.

Suitability evaluation on material specifications and edible methods of Dendrobii Officinalis Caulis based on holistic polysaccharide marker

Background

Dendrobii Officinalis Caulis (DC) is a well-known tonic herbal medicine worldwide and has favorable immunomodulatory activity. Various material specifications of DC are available in herbal markets, and DC is ingested by different edible methods. However, whether these specifications and edible methods are suitable or not remains unknown.

Methods

In this study, we evaluated the suitability of four material specifications (fresh stem, dried stem, fengdou and powder) and three edible methods (making tea, soup and medicinal liquor) based on holistic polysaccharide marker (HPM), the major polysaccharide components in DC. First, the HPMs were extracted from the four specifications of DC by the three edible methods in different conditions. Second, qualitative and quantitative characterization of the extracted HPMs was performed using high performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC). Third, immunomodulatory activities of the extracted HPMs were evaluated in vivo.

Results

The results showed that the HPMs were found to be quantitatively different from various specification of DC and edible methods. In vivo analysis indicated that the HPMs exerted positive effects on innate immune responses by increment in proliferation of splenocytes, secretion of IL-2 and cytotoxicity activity of NK cells. Moreover, the dosage amount of HPM should be defined as a certain range, but not the larger the better, for exerting strong immunological activities.

Conclusion

According to the both chemical and biological results, fengdou by boiling with water for 4 h is the most recommended specification and edible method for DC.

Dendrobium officinalis inhibited tumor growth in non-small cell lung cancer

Background

Lung cancer is the most common and lethal tumor in the world, and the number of patients who die from lung cancer is growing steadily. Because of conventional chemotherapy drugs’ poor tumor selectivity, side effects are significant. Conducting relevant studies and developing highly efficient and low toxicity anti-cancer drugs are urgently needed. Dendrobium officinale, which belongs to Orchidaceae aerophyte, has the characteristic of slow growth and lower natural propagation rate. In China, Dendrobium officinale has a very high value and is often referred to as the “gold of herbs”. According to reports in the literature, the active ingredients of Dendrobium officinale have anticancer activity and inhibit neovascularization’s potential. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Dendrobium officinale in A549 lung cancer cells and its potential involvement in slowing tumor growth.

Methods

We cultured A549 cells and established a cancer xenograft model in nude mice. Infused stomach with Dendrobium officinale was applied to the nude mouse model. Tumor volume and body weight were recorded.

Results

The results show that, compared with the negative control group, the gross tumor volume (GTV) of treatment groups decreased (all P<0.05), while the effect of the high concentration of the Dendrobium officinale was more significant than that found in the medium and low group. We believe that Dendrobium officinale exhibits a promising antitumor effect in the nude mouse tumor model. The best treatment concentrations for the nude mouse tumor model were achieved when treatment with the drug began about 7–15 days, and was more significant in high concentrations.

Conclusions

Dendrobium officinale has potent effects of inhibiting tumor on the nude mouse tumor model.

Optimization of quercetin extraction method in Dendrobium officinale by response surface methodology

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction of quercetin from Dendrobium officinale was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) using high-performance liquid chromatography as a separative method. Based on single-factor experiments and two-level factorial analysis, the ethanol concentration, solid-to-liquid ratio and ultrasonic power were selected as significant response factors. The amount of quercetin that we extracted from Dendrobium officinale was 2.506-2.594 μg/g under the extraction conditions, which showed that optimization could improve the extration rate of quercetin from Dendrobium officinale. Quercetin was extracted and detected within 12 consecutive months after the germination of Dendrobium officinale by optimizing the extraction process to analyze the accumulation of quercetin. The UV-B exposure experiments showed that the Dendrobium officinale leaves have different responses to low- and high-dose UV light. The results showed that the quercetin content in Dendrobium officinale could be changed by UV-B radiation, and the response of distinct tissue parts to varying intensities of UV-B radiation was different.