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Alanazi HH, Elasbali AM, Alanazi MK, El Azab EF. Medicinal Herbs: Promising Immunomodulators for the Treatment of Infectious Diseases. Molecules 2023; 28:8045. [PMID: 38138535 PMCID: PMC10745476 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28248045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are constantly at high risk of emerging pandemics caused by viral and bacterial infections. The emergence of new pandemics is mainly caused by evolved viruses and bacteria that are highly resistant to existing medications. The rapid evolution of infectious agents demands the urgent investigation of new therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat these infections at an early stage. One of these therapeutic strategies includes the use of medicinal herbs for their antibacterial and antiviral properties. The use of herbal medicines as remedies is very ancient and has been employed for centuries. Many studies have confirmed the antimicrobial activities of herbs against various pathogens in vitro and in vivo. The therapeutic effect of medicinal herbs is mainly attributed to the natural bioactive molecules present in these plants such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenoids. Different mechanisms have been proposed for how medicinal herbs enhance the immune system and combat pathogens. Such mechanisms include the disruption of bacterial cell membranes, suppression of protein synthesis, and limitation of pathogen replication through the inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis. Medicinal herbs have been shown to treat a number of infectious diseases by modulating the immune system's components. For instance, many medicinal herbs alleviate inflammation by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1, IL-6) while promoting the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-10). Medicinal herbs also play a role in defense against viral and intracellular infections by enhancing the proliferation and functions of natural killer cells, T-helper-1 cells, and macrophages. In this review, we will explore the use of the most common herbs in preventing and treating infectious and non-infectious diseases. Using current and recently published studies, we focus on the immunomodulatory and therapeutic effects induced by medicinal herbs to enhance immune responses during diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamad H. Alanazi
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences-Qurayyat, Jouf University, Al-Qurayyat 77455, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.); (E.F.E.A.)
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Zuo G, Kim HY, Guillen Quispe YN, Wang Z, Kim KH, Gonzales Arce PH, Lim SS. Valeriana rigida Ruiz & Pav. Root Extract: A New Source of Caffeoylquinic Acids with Antioxidant and Aldose Reductase Inhibitory Activities. Foods 2021; 10:1079. [PMID: 34068163 PMCID: PMC8152971 DOI: 10.3390/foods10051079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Valeriana rigida Ruiz & Pav. (V. rigida) has long been used as a herbal medicine in Peru; however, its phytochemicals and pharmacology need to be scientifically explored. In this study, we combined the offline 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH)-/ultrafiltration-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC)/pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography (pH-zone-refining CCC) to screen and separate the antioxidants and aldose reductase (AR) inhibitors from the 70% MeOH extract of V. rigida, which exhibited remarkable antioxidant and AR inhibitory activities. Seven compounds were initially screened as target compounds exhibiting dual antioxidant and AR inhibitory activities using DPPH-/ultrafiltration-HPLC, which guided the subsequent pH-zone-refining CCC and HSCCC separations of these target compounds, namely 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 3,4-O-di-caffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-O-di-caffeoylquinic acid, 4,5-O-di-caffeoylquinic acid, and 3,4,5-O-tri-caffeoylquinic acid. These compounds are identified for the first time in V. rigida and exhibited remarkable antioxidant and AR inhibitory activities. The results demonstrate that the method established in this study can be used to efficiently screen and separate the antioxidants and AR inhibitors from natural products and, particularly, the root extract of V. rigida is a new source of caffeoylquinic acids with antioxidant and AR inhibitory activities, and it can be used as a potential functional food ingredient for diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanglei Zuo
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdeahak-gil, Chuncheon 24252, Korea; (G.Z.); (H.-Y.K.); (Y.N.G.Q.); (K.-H.K.)
| | - Hyun-Yong Kim
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdeahak-gil, Chuncheon 24252, Korea; (G.Z.); (H.-Y.K.); (Y.N.G.Q.); (K.-H.K.)
| | - Yanymee N. Guillen Quispe
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdeahak-gil, Chuncheon 24252, Korea; (G.Z.); (H.-Y.K.); (Y.N.G.Q.); (K.-H.K.)
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151742, Korea
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- College of Public Health, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China;
| | - Kang-Hyuk Kim
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdeahak-gil, Chuncheon 24252, Korea; (G.Z.); (H.-Y.K.); (Y.N.G.Q.); (K.-H.K.)
| | - Paul H. Gonzales Arce
- Laboratorio de Florística, Departamento de Dicotiledóneas, Museo de Historia Natural–Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Avenida Arenales 1256, Lima 14-0434, Peru;
| | - Soon-Sung Lim
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdeahak-gil, Chuncheon 24252, Korea; (G.Z.); (H.-Y.K.); (Y.N.G.Q.); (K.-H.K.)
- Institute of Korean Nutrition, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdeahak-gil, Chuncheon 24252, Korea
- Institute of Natural Medicine, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdeahak-gil, Chuncheon 24252, Korea
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