Tyrosol as a Neuroprotector: Strong Effects of a "Weak" Antioxidant

Comprehensive overview of different medicinal parts from Morus alba L.: chemical compositions and pharmacological activities

Morus alba L., a common traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with a centuries-old medicinal history, owned various medicinal parts like Mori folium, Mori ramulus, Mori cortex and Mori fructus. Different medical parts exhibit distinct modern pharmacological effects. Mori folium exhibited analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic action and lipid-regulation effects. Mori ramulus owned anti-bacterial, anti-asthmatic and diuretic activities. Mori cortex showed counteraction action of pain, inflammatory, bacterial, and platelet aggregation. Mori fructus could decompose fat, lower blood lipids and prevent vascular sclerosis. The main chemical components in Morus alba L. covered flavonoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, and amino acids. This article comprehensively analyzed the recent literature related to chemical components and pharmacological actions of M. alba L., summarizing 198 of ingredients and described the modern activities of different extracts and the bioactive constituents in the four parts from M. alba L. These results fully demonstrated the medicinal value of M. alba L., provided valuable references for further comprehensive development, and layed the foundation for the utilization of M. alba L.

Gut microbiota-based pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic study and molecular mechanism of specnuezhenide in the treatment of colorectal cancer targeting carboxylesterase

Specnuezhenide (SNZ) is among the main components of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi, which has anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and anti-tumor effect. The low bioavailability makes it difficult to explain the mechanism of pharmacological effect of SNZ. In this study, the role of the gut microbiota in the metabolism and pharmacokinetics characteristics of SNZ as well as the pharmacological meaning were explored. SNZ can be rapidly metabolized by the gut microbiome, and two intestinal bacterial metabolites of SNZ, salidroside and tyrosol, were discovered. In addition, carboxylesterase may be the main intestinal bacterial enzyme that mediates its metabolism. At the same time, no metabolism was found in the incubation system of SNZ with liver microsomes or liver homogenate, indicating that the gut microbiota is the main part involved in the metabolism of SNZ. In addition, pharmacokinetic studies showed that salidroside and tyrosol can be detected in plasma in the presence of gut microbiota. Interestingly, tumor development was inhibited in a colorectal tumor mice model administered orally with SNZ, which indicated that SNZ exhibited potential to inhibit tumor growth, and tissue distribution studies showed that salidroside and tyrosol could be distributed in tumor tissues. At the same time, SNZ modulated the structure of gut microbiota and fungal group, which may be the mechanism governing the antitumoral activity of SNZ. Furthermore, SNZ stimulates the secretion of short-chain fatty acids by intestinal flora in vitro and in vivo. In the future, targeting gut microbes and the interaction between natural products and gut microbes could lead to the discovery and development of new drugs.

Multiscale Modeling Unravels the Influence of Biomembranes on the Photochemical Properties of Embedded Anti-Oxidative Polyphenolic and Phenanthroline Chelating Dyes

The embedding of caffeate methyl ester, the flavonoids luteolin and quercetin, and the o-phenanthroline and neocuproine in a liquid disordered lipid bilayer has been studied through extensive atomistic calculations. The location and the orientation of these bio-active antioxidants are explained and analyzed. While the two phenanthrolines strongly associate with the lipid tail region, the other three compounds are rather found among the head groups. The simulations showcase conformational changes of the flavonoids. Through the use of a hybrid quantum mechanics-molecular mechanics scheme and supported by a profound benchmarking of the electronic excited-state method for these compounds, the influence of the anisotropic environment on the compounds' optical properties is analyzed. Influences of surrounding water molecules and of the polar parts of the lipids on the transition dipole moments and excited-state dipole moments are weighted with respect to a change in conformation. The current study highlights the importance of the mapping of molecular interactions in model membranes and pinpoints properties, which can be biomedically used to discriminate and detect different lipid environments.

LC-MS/MS method for the determination of a semi-synthetic phenolic antioxidant 2,6-diisobornyl-4-methylphenol in rats after different administration routes

IBP (2,6-diisobornyl-4-methylphenol) is a small drug molecule with antioxidant properties considered to be a promising neuro-, cardio-, and retinoprotective agent. In this study, a bioanalytical LC-MS/MS method for its determination in rat plasma was developed using 11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one oxime as an internal standard (IS). The analytes were extracted from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction technique using isopropyl alcohol:chloroform mixture (1:5, v/v) followed by evaporation and reconstitution of the residues in acetonitrile. The chromatographic separation was carried out on the EC Nucleodur C8 ec column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) under an isocratic elution mode using acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% (v/v) formic acid (97:3, v/v) as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.55 mL/min (40 °C). The IS and IBP were eluted at 3.79 ± 0.02 and 6.30 ± 0.02 min, respectively. The total analysis time was 7.00 min. Multiple reaction monitoring was used to conduct the MS/MS detection in the negative ion mode with transitions at m/z 245.9 → 214.9 (IS) and 379.2 → 256.0 (IBP). Validation studies of the developed method revealed good linearity over the range of 10-5,000 ng/mL. Within- and between-run accuracy was in the range of 92-110%, while within- and between-run precision was below 8%. Additionally, low matrix effects and high recovery (above 98%) were observed. IBP remained stable in rat plasma at room temperature for 4 h, at -80 °C for 21 days, over three freeze-thaw cycles, under vacuum concentrator (45 °C, dried residues) and auto-sampler (15 °C, processed samples) temperatures for 1 h and 24 h, respectively. Subsequently, the validated LC-MS/MS method has been successfully applied to quantitate IBP in actual plasma samples after a single oral, intramuscular, and subcutaneous dose of IBP (10 mg/kg in the peach oil) to rats. Pharmacokinetic studies show that more rapid and complete IBP absorption with a satisfactory excretion rate were observed after oral administration route compared to the intramuscular and subcutaneous ones.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), a Mediterranean Diet Component, in the Management of Muscle Mass and Function Preservation

Aging results in a progressive decline in skeletal muscle mass, strength and function, a condition known as sarcopenia. This pathological condition is due to multifactorial processes including physical inactivity, inflammation, oxidative stress, hormonal changes, and nutritional intake. Physical therapy remains the standard approach to treat sarcopenia, although some interventions based on dietary supplementation are in clinical development. In this context, thanks to its known anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, there is great interest in using extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) supplementation to promote muscle mass and health in sarcopenic patients. To date, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the pathological changes associated with sarcopenia remain undefined; however, a complete understanding of the signaling pathways that regulate skeletal muscle protein synthesis and their behavior during sarcopenia appears vital for defining how EVOO might attenuate muscle wasting during aging. This review highlights the main molecular players that control skeletal muscle mass, with particular regard to sarcopenia, and discusses, based on the more recent findings, the potential of EVOO in delaying/preventing loss of muscle mass and function, with the aim of stimulating further research to assess dietary supplementation with EVOO as an approach to prevent or delay sarcopenia in aging individuals.

Tyrosol Ameliorates Liver Inflammatory Response in a Mouse Model of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NFALD) by Regulating JAK1/STAT3

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming one of the major health issues globally. NAFLD is usually associated with obesity and other metabolic syndromes, and there is no specific cure to address this issue so far. Featured by lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, and later progressing to fibrosis, inflammatory responses are involved in the various levels of the pathological changes. In the present study, we added a natural compound, tyrosol, which in our previous study had demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties, to a high-fat diet-induced NAFLD mouse model and investigated whether tyrosol could mitigate the liver damage by attenuating the inflammation response. The treatment with tyrosol significantly improved the liver function and decreased the fasting glucose level in NAFLD mice. Morphologically, our results showed that tyrosol could reduce the fat deposition and lipid droplets accumulation in liver tissue. The key regulating factors, JAK1 and STAT3, were increased in NAFLD mice, but tyrosol treatment could effectively prevent the upregulation. The expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes in liver tissue of the NAFLD mice were upregulated, which could be effectively prevented by the treatment with tyrosol. Overall, in the high-fat diet-induced NAFLD mouse model, tyrosol could improve the liver function and, more importantly, ameliorate the inflammatory response triggered by the high-fat diet. Although our data here are consistent with the previous report that tyrosol could exert beneficial effects on the NAFLD animal model, we also provide solid evidence that tyrosol is able to conquer the inflammatory response in liver, which is related to the high-fat-diet feeding. Tyrosol could be a promising candidate for the treatment of NAFLD in the future.

Effect of p-Tyrosol on the Process of Left-Ventricular Remodeling in the Long Period after Myocardial Infarction

The effect of p-tyrosol on the main hemodynamic parameters and contractile function of the heart was studied and a morphometric assessment of left-ventricular remodeling was performed in Wistar rats 2 months after acute 1-h myocardial ischemia followed by reperfusion. p-Tyrosol in a dose of 20 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally 5 times: 20 min before the start of reperfusion, 4 h after the start of reperfusion, and then once a day over the next 3 days. Administration of p-tyrosol to animals in the acute period of myocardial infarction slowed down the formation of systolic and diastolic myocardial dysfunction, improved the pumping function of the heart, maintained the hemodynamic parameters at a significantly higher level, and reduced left-ventricular remodeling in the late period of myocardial infarction. In 2 months after acute myocardial ischemia modeling, the dimensions of the left-ventricular cavity, the area of the postinfarction focus, and the area of connective tissue in rats treated with p-tyrosol were significantly lower than in the control group. In the group treated with p-tyrosol, no anterior left-ventricular wall aneurysms were found.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Secoiridoids Modulate the Metabolic Activity of Dacarbazine Pre-Treated and Treatment-Naive Melanoma Cells

Nowadays, many individuals, whether healthy or diagnosed with disease, tend to expose themselves to various easily accessible natural products in hopes of benefiting their health and well-being. Mediterranean populations have traditionally used olive oil not only in nutrition but also in cosmetics, including skincare. In this study, the phenolic profile—composed of twelve compounds altogether, including the secoiridoids oleocanthal (OCAL) and oleacein (OCEIN)—of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) from autochthonous cultivars from Croatia was determined using ¹H qNMR spectroscopy and HPLC-DAD analysis, and its biological activity was investigated in melanoma cell lines. The EVOO with the highest OCEIN content had the strongest anti-cancer activity in A375 melanoma cells and the least toxic effect on the non-cancerous keratocyte cell line (HaCaT). On the other hand, pure OCAL was shown to be more effective and safer than pure OCEIN. Post-treatment with any of the EVOO phenolic extracts (EVOO-PEs) enhanced the anti-cancer effect of the anti-cancerous drug dacarbazine (DTIC) applied in pre-treatment, while they did not compromise the viability of non-cancerous cells. The metastatic melanoma A375M cell line was almost unresponsive to the EVOO-PEs themselves, as well as to pure OCEIN and OCAL. Our results demonstrate that olive oils and/or their compounds may have a potentially beneficial effect on melanoma treatment. However, their usage can be detrimental or futile, especially in healthy cells, due to inadequately applied concentrations/combinations or the presence of resistant cells.

Medicinal Plants and Their Impact on the Gut Microbiome in Mental Health: A Systematic Review

Background: Various neurocognitive and mental health-related conditions have been associated with the gut microbiome, implicating a microbiome–gut–brain axis (MGBA). The aim of this systematic review was to identify, categorize, and review clinical evidence supporting medicinal plants for the treatment of mental disorders and studies on their interactions with the gut microbiota. Methods: This review included medicinal plants for which clinical studies on depression, sleeping disorders, anxiety, or cognitive dysfunction as well as scientific evidence of interaction with the gut microbiome were available. The studies were reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Results: Eighty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and covered thirty mental health-related medicinal plants with data on interaction with the gut microbiome. Conclusion: Only a few studies have been specifically designed to assess how herbal preparations affect MGBA-related targets or pathways. However, many studies provide hints of a possible interaction with the MGBA, such as an increased abundance of health-beneficial microorganisms, anti-inflammatory effects, or MGBA-related pathway effects by gut microbial metabolites. Data for Panax ginseng, Schisandra chinensis, and Salvia rosmarinus indicate that the interaction of their constituents with the gut microbiota could mediate mental health benefits. Studies specifically assessing the effects on MGBA-related pathways are still required for most medicinal plants.

Protecting Superfood Olive Crop from Pests and Pathogens Using Image Processing Techniques: A Review

Background:

Olive (Oleo europaea L.) cultivars are widely cultivated all over the world. However, they are often attacked by pests and pathogens. This deteriorates the quality of the crop, leading to less yield of olive oil. The different infections that cause comparable disease symptoms on olive leaves can be classified using image processing techniques.

Objective:

The olive has established itself as a superfood and a possible source of medicine, owing to the rapid increase in the availability of data in the field of nutrigenomics. The goal of this review is to underline the importance of applying image processing techniques to detect and classify diseases early.

Method:

PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were used to conduct a systematic literature search using the keywords olive oil, pest and pathogen of olives, and metabolic profiling.

Results:

Infections caused by infectious diseases frequently result in significant losses and lowquality olive oil yields. Early detection of disease infestations can safeguard the olive plant and its yield.

Results:

This strategy can help protect the crop from disease spread, and early detection and classification of the disease can aid in prompt prophylaxis of diseased olive plants before the disease worsens. Protecting olive plants from pests and pathogens can help keep the yield and quality of olive oil consistent.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects Induced by a Polyphenolic Granular Complex from Olive (Olea europaea, Mainly Cultivar coratina): Results from In Vivo and Ex Vivo Studies in a Model of Inflammation and MIA-Induced Osteoarthritis

MOMAST^® GR25 is a polyphenolic granular complex from olive pressing juice with high total content in polyphenols. In this work, we evaluated the possible anti-inflammatory effects of MOMAST^® GR25 in both acute and chronic inflammatory models. MOMAST^® GR25 decreased the levels of prostaglandin (PG) E₂ and 8-iso-PGF_2α in isolated rat colon, liver, and heart specimens stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In vivo, compared to controls, rats treated with MOMAST^® GR25 (100 mg/kg to 1 g/kg) showed a significant reduction in both licking/biting time in the formalin test. In a rat model of osteoarthritis by monoiodoacetate (MIA) injection, MOMAST^® GR25 showed pain-relieving properties when acutely administered, reducing mechanical hyperalgesia and spontaneous pain. Moreover, a repeated daily treatment with MOMAST^® GR25 (300 mg/kg) fully counteracted osteoarticular pain without the development of tolerance to the antinociceptive effect. Taken together, our present findings showed that MOMAST^® GR25 could represent a potential strategy for the treatment of inflammation and pain.

Estimation of the Regenerative Potential of para-Tyrosol in the Model of Testicular Insufficiency Caused by Damage to Spermatogonial Stem Cells

The regenerative properties of p-tyrosol were investigated in a model of testicular insufficiency caused by a toxic effect on spermatogonial stem cells (single administration of paclitaxel in the maximum tolerable dose). Against the background of p-tyrosol administration, we observed an increase in the number of normal spermatogonia and Sertoli cells, stimulation of spermatogenesis, and renewal of the spermatogenic tissue. The treatment with p-tyrosol also led to a decrease in DNA damage in cells of the testicular tissue. These changes were accompanied by a decrease in the level of free radicals, an increase in antioxidant protection, and normalization of the redox potential.

Uncovering the Metabolic Mechanism of Salidroside Alleviating Microglial Hypoxia Inflammation Based on Microfluidic Chip-Mass Spectrometry

Microglia are the main immune cells in the brain playing a critical role in neuroinflammation, and numerous pieces of evidence have proved that energy metabolism is closely associated with inflammation in activated microglia. Salidroside (Sal) isolated from Tibetan medicine Rhodiola crenulate can inhibit microglial hypoxia inflammation (HI). However, whether the inhibition is due to the intervening energy metabolic process in microglia is not clear. In this work, the hypoxic microenvironment of BV2 microglial cells was simulated using deferoxamine (DFO) in vitro and the change of cell metabolites (lactate, succinate, malate, and fumarate) was real-time online investigated based on a cell microfluidic chip-mass spectrometry (CM-MS) system. Meanwhile, for confirming the metabolic mechanism of BV2 cells under hypoxia, the level of HI-related factors (LDH, ROS, HIF-1α, NF-κB p65, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) was detected by molecular biotechnology. Integration of the detected results revealed that DFO-induced BV2 cell HI was associated with the process of energy metabolism, in which cell energy metabolism changed from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis. Furthermore, administration of Sal treatment could effectively invert this change, and two metabolites of Sal were identified: tyrosol and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid. In general, we illustrated a new mechanism of Sal for reducing BV2 cell HI injury and presented a novel analysis strategy that opened a way for real-time online monitoring of the energy metabolic mechanism of the effect of drugs on cells and further provided a superior strategy to screen natural drug candidates for HI-related brain disease treatment.

Tyrosol improves ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma in rat model through prevention of airway inflammation

Asthma is an inflammatory disease that affects many people around the world, especially persons at paediatric age group. The effectiveness of tyrosol, a natural phenolic compound, was examined in the asthma model induced by ovalbumin (OVA). For this purpose, four groups, each consisting of eight rats, were arranged. For 21 days, physiological saline solution was treated to the control group and OVA was treated to the groups of OVA, OVA + dexamethasone (Dexa) and OVA + tyrosol groups, intraperitoneally and through inhalation. Additionally, 0.25 mg/kg Dexa was treated to the OVA + Dexa group and 20 mg/kg tyrosol to the OVA + tyrosol group by oral gavage. Serum, blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissues of the rats were examined. It was observed that MDA level decreased, GSH level and GPx activity increased, and there was no change in CAT activity in lung tissues of the tyrosol treatment groups. It was also observed that NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IFN-γ and IgE levels decreased compared to the OVA group in lung tissue and serum samples except for serum NF-κB and IL-4. However, no effect on IL-1 β level was observed. In addition, it was determined that tyrosol treatment increased the IL-10 level on both tissue samples. The results of the histopathological investigation of lung tissue showed that tyrosol significantly ameliorated OVA-induced histopathological lesions. Additionally, PAS staining showed that mucus hypersecretion was significantly reduced with the use of tyrosol. In addition, it was determined that the number of eosinophils decreased significantly in blood and BALF samples. The obtained results showed that tyrosol possessed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory features on OVA-induced rats and preserved tissue architecture.

Isolation and Characterization of an Endophytic Fungus Colletotrichum coccodes Producing Tyrosol From Houttuynia cordata Thunb. Using ITS2 RNA Secondary Structure and Molecular Docking Study

An endophytic fungus isolated from healthy leaf tissues of Houttuynia cordata Thunb., an ethnomedicinal plant of North East India, showed a considerable amount of antimicrobial activity. The ethyl acetate extract of the fungal culture filtrates displayed promising antimicrobial activity against a panel of clinically significant pathogens including Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Bioassay guided purification of the organic extract using column and thin layer chromatography yielded a pure homogenous compound which was identified using spectroscopic methods (essentially by ¹H NMR and MS) as tyrosol, a well-known phenylethanoid present in several natural sources. Besides, molecular docking studies against tyrosyl tRNA synthetases (TyrRS) of S. aureus (PDB ID: 1JIL) and E. coli (PDB ID: 1VBM), and CYP45014α-lanosterol demethylase (CYP51) of C. albicans (PDB ID: 5FSA) revealed tyrosol has a strong binding affinity with the enzyme active site residues. The fungus was identified as Colletotrichum sp. and characterized by its genomic ITS rDNA and ITS2 sequences. Phylogenetic analyses showed clustering of our isolate with Colletotrichum coccodes. Species of Colletotrichum are also reported to be plant pathogens. Therefore, to confirm the endophytic lifestyle of the isolate, ITS2 RNA secondary structure study was undertaken. The result indicated our isolate exhibited differences in the folding pattern as well as in motif structures when compared to those of pathogenic C. coccodes. The findings indicated that endophytic fungi harboring H. cordata could be explored as a potent source of antimicrobial agents.