Anti-obesity, anti-hyperglycaemic, anti-antipyretic and analgesic activities of Globularia alypum extracts

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to evaluate the anti-obesity, anti-hyperglycaemic, analgesic and antipyretic activities of Globularia alypum (GA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

GA methanol and water extracts (GAME, GAWE) were administered to high-fat-high-glucose diet (HFFD) rats.

RESULTS

This study showed that GAME exhibited the highest antioxidant, anti-α-amylase and anti-lipase activities, with half inhibitory concentration (IC50) values 0.067, 1.05 and 2.97 mg/ml respectively. In HFFD rats, the administration of GAME inhibited lipase activity by 36, 37 and 30% in the intestine, pancreas and serum, respectively, reduced body weight by 17.7% and modulated lipid profile. In addition, administration of GAME to HFFD-rats decreased α-amylase activity, improved glucose level and protected liver function. Furthermore, the administration of GA extracts to rats revealed antipyretic (reduction in writhing by 64%) and analgesic (decrease of temperature by 1.11 °C) activities.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that GA extracts exhibited an anti-obesity, anti-hyperglycaemia, anti-pyretic and analgesic activities.

The Moringin/α-CD Pretreatment Induces Neuroprotection in an In Vitro Model of Alzheimer's Disease: A Transcriptomic Study

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and represents the most common form of senile dementia. Autophagy and mitophagy are cellular processes that play a key role in the aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau phosphorylation. As a consequence, impairment of these processes leads to the progression of AD. Thus, interest is growing in the search for new natural compounds, such as Moringin (MOR), with neuroprotective, anti-amyloidogenic, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory properties that could be used for AD prevention. However, MOR appears to be poorly soluble and stable in water. To increase its solubility MOR was conjugated with α-cyclodextrin (MOR/α-CD). In this work, it was evaluated if MOR/α-CD pretreatment was able to exert neuroprotective effects in an AD in vitro model through the evaluation of the transcriptional profile by next-generation sequencing (NGS). To induce the AD model, retinoic acid-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells were exposed to Aβ_1-42. The MOR/α-CD pretreatment reduced the expression of the genes which encode proteins involved in senescence, autophagy, and mitophagy processes. Additionally, MOR/α-CD was able to induce neuronal remodeling modulating the axon guidance, principally downregulating the Slit/Robo signaling pathway. Noteworthy, MOR/α-CD, modulating these important pathways, may induce neuronal protection against Aβ_1-42 toxicity as demonstrated also by the reduction of cleaved caspase 3. These data indicated that MOR/α-CD could attenuate the progression of the disease and promote neuronal repair.

The Potential Use of Plant Natural Products and Plant Extracts with Antioxidant Properties for the Prevention/Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases: In Vitro, In Vivo and Clinical Trials

Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease, present a major health issue and financial burden for health care systems around the world. The impact of these diseases will further increase over the next decades due to increasing life expectancies. No cure is currently available for the treatment of these conditions; only drugs, which merely alleviate the symptoms. Oxidative stress has long been associated with neurodegeneration, whether as a cause or as part of the downstream results caused by other factors. Thus, the use of antioxidants to counter cellular oxidative stress within the nervous system has been suggested as a potential treatment option for neurological disorders. Over the last decade, significant research has focused on the potential use of natural antioxidants to target oxidative stress. However, clinical trial results have lacked success for the treatment of patients with neurological disorders. The knowledge that natural extracts show other positive molecular activities in addition to antioxidant activity, however, has led to further research of natural extracts for their potential use as prevention or treatment/management of neurodegenerative diseases. This review will cover several in vitro and in vivo research studies, as well as clinical trials, and highlight the potential of natural antioxidants.

Study on the Polar Extracts of Dendrobium nobile, D. officinale, D. loddigesii, and Flickingeria fimbriata: Metabolite Identification, Content Evaluation, and Bioactivity Assay

The polar extract of the Dendrobium species or F. fimbriata (a substitute of Dendrobium), between the fat-soluble extract and polysaccharide has barely been researched. This report worked on the qualitative and quantitative studies of polar extracts from D. nobile, D. officinale, D. loddigesii, and F. fimbriata. Eight water-soluble metabolites containing a new diglucoside, flifimdioside A (1), and a rare imidazolium-type alkaloid, anosmine (4), were identified using chromatography as well as spectroscopic techniques. Their contents in the four herbs were high, approximately 0.9–3.7 mg/g based on the analysis of quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) spectroscopy. Biological activity evaluation showed that the polar extract of F. fimbriata or its pure component had good antioxidant and neuroprotective activity; compounds 1‒4 and shihunine (8) showed weak α-glucosidase inhibitory activity; 4 and 8 had weak anti-inflammatory activity. Under trial conditions, all samples had no cytotoxic activity.

Phochrodines A-D, first naturally occurring new chromenopyridines from mangrove entophytic fungus Phomopsis sp. 33

Four new chromenopyridine derivatives, phochrodines A-D (1-4), were identified from mangrove entophytic fungus Phomopsis sp. 33# by means of various modern chromatographic, spectroscopic and single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. Compounds 1-4 with an unusual 5H-chromeno[4,3-b]pyridine skeleton were the first naturally occurring chromenopyridines. Their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities were evaluated. 3 and 4 showed moderate inhibition of nitric oxide production with IC₅₀ values of 49.0 as well as 51.0μM, respectively. 4 had well ability to scavenge DPPH radical with IC₅₀ value of 34.0μM. The four had no cytotoxic activity for MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells.