Gel express: a novel frugal method quantifies gene relative expression in conventional RT-PCR

Comparison of In Vitro Estrogenic Activity of Polygoni multiflori Radix and Cynanchi wilfordii Radix via the Enhancement of ERα/β Expression in MCF7 Cells

Postmenopausal women experience several symptoms, including inflammation and a sharp rise in oxidative stress caused by estrogen deprivation. Although estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is generally regarded as an effective treatment for menopause, it has been used less frequently due to some adverse effects and high costs. Therefore, there is an immediate need to develop an effective herbal-based treatment that is affordable for low-income populations. Acordingly, this study explored the estrogen-like properties of methanol extracts from Cynanchum wilfordii (CW) and Poligonum multiflorum (PM), two important medicinal plants in Republic of Korea, Japan, and China. Due to the similar names and morphologies of these two radixes, they are frequently confused in the marketplace. Our previous colleagues discriminated between these two plants. In this study, we investigated the estrogenic activity of PM and CW using several in vitro assays with their possible mechanism of action. First, their phytochemical contents, such as gallic acid, 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-glucoside (TSG) and emodin, were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Secondly, estrogen-like activity was assessed utilizing the well-known E-screen test and gene expression analysis in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF7 cells. ROS inhibition and anti-inflammatory effects were analyzed using HaCaT and Raw 264.7 cells, respectively. Our findings demonstrate that PM extracts significantly increased the expression of the estrogen-dependent genes (ERα, ERβ, pS2) and boosted MCF7 cell proliferation in comparison to CW extracts. Additionally, PM extract demonstrated a significant reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well as an enhanced antioxidant profile compared to the CW extract. Further, the PM extract treatment significantly reduced the generation of nitric oxide (NO) in RAW 264.7 cells, a murine macrophage cell line, demonstrating the anti-inflammatory properties of the extract. Finally, this research offers an experimental foundation for the use of PM as a phytoestrogen to minimize menopausal symptoms.

Investigating the induction of polyphenol biosynthesis in the cultured Cycolocarya paliurus cells and the stimulatory mechanism of co-induction with 5-aminolevulinic acid and salicylic acid

Background: Plant cell culture technology is a potential way to produce polyphenols, however, this way is still trapped in the dilemma of low content and yield. Elicitation is regarded as one of the most effective ways to improve the output of the secondary metabolites, and therefore has attracted extensive attention. Methods: Five elicitors including 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and Rhizopus Oryzae Elicitor (ROE) were used to improve the content and yield of polyphenols in the cultured Cyclocarya paliurus (C. paliurus) cells, and a co-induction technology of 5-ALA and SA was developed as a result. Meanwhile, the integrated analysis of transcriptome and metabolome was adopted to interpret the stimulation mechanism of co-induction with 5-ALA and SA. Results: Under the co-induction of 50 μM 5-ALA and SA, the content and yield of total polyphenols of the cultured cells reached 8.0 mg/g and 147.12 mg/L, respectively. The yields of cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, procyanidin B1 and catechin reached 28.83, 4.33 and 2.88 times that of the control group, respectively. It was found that expressions of TFs such as CpERF105, CpMYB10 and CpWRKY28 increased significantly, while CpMYB44 and CpTGA2 decreased. These great changes might further make the expression of CpF3'H (flavonoid 3'-monooxygenase), CpFLS (flavonol synthase), CpLAR (leucoanthocyanidin reductase), CpANS (anthocyanidin synthase) and Cp4CL (4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase) increase while CpANR (anthocyanidin reductase) and CpF3'5'H (flavonoid 3', 5'-hydroxylase) reduce, ultimately enhancing the polyphenols accumulation Conclusion: The co-induction of 5-ALA and SA can significantly promote polyphenol biosynthesis in the cultured C. paliurus cells by regulating the expression of key transcription factors and structural genes associated with polyphenol synthesis, and thus has a promising application.

Pomegranate juice fermented by tannin acyl hydrolase and Lactobacillus vespulae DCY75 enhance estrogen receptor expression and anti-inflammatory effect

Phenolics are phytochemicals in plants, fruits, and vegetables have potential health-promoting efficacies. However, mostly available as a complex form. So, to increase the contents and nutritional value of the phenolic compounds, fermentation is most readily used in the food industry. Especially, the hydrolyzable tannins present in the pomegranate that can be liberated into monomolecular substances, which enhances biological activity. Thus, this study aims to convert hydrolyzable tannins to ellagic acid by fermentation using Tannin acyl hydrolase (TAH) and a novel bacteria strain Lactobacillus vespulae DCY75, respectively to investigate its effect on Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) mRNA expression along with inflammation inhibition. As a result, the fermentation enhanced the ellagic acid content up to 70% by the synergetic effect of TAH and DCY75. Furthermore, fermented pomegranate (PG-F) increased cellular proliferation as well as upregulated the gene expression of estrogen regulators such as ERα, ERβ, and pS2 in breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), which commonly used to evaluate estrogenic activity. Moreover, to study the inflammation associated with low estrogen in menopause, we have analyzed the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO)/inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in RAW 264.7 cells. The PG-F juice did not exert any cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 cells and inhibited NO production along with the downregulation of a major pro-inflammatory cytokine iNOS which indicates the anti-inflammatory potential of it. To sum it up, the fermented commercial pomegranate juice using a novel bacteria strain increased the amount of ellagic acid that the value added bioactive of pomegranate and it has significantly increased the estrogenic activity via upregulating estrogen related biomarkers expression and reduced the risk of related inflammation via NO/iNOS inhibition. This study could be a preliminary study to use fermented pomegranate as a potential health functional food after further evaluation.