Neuroprotective effects of Alpinia katsumadai against neuronal damage in the gerbil hippocampus induced by transient cerebral ischemia

Inhibiting mitochondrial inflammation through Drp1/HK1/NLRP3 pathway: A mechanism of alpinetin attenuated aging-associated cognitive impairment

Mitochondrial inflammation triggered by abnormal mitochondrial division and regulated by the Drp1/HK1/NLRP3 pathway is correlated with the progression of aging-associated cognitive impairment (AACI). Alpinetin is a novel flavonoid derived from Zingiberaceae that has many bioactivities such as antiinflammation and anti-oxidation. However, whether alpinetin alleviates AACI by suppressing Drp1/HK1/NLRP3 pathway-inhibited mitochondrial inflammation is still unknown. In the present study, D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging mice and BV-2 cells were used, and the effects of alpinetin on learning and memory function, neuroprotection and activation of the Drp1/HK1/NLRP3 pathway were investigated. Our data indicated that alpinetin significantly alleviated cognitive dysfunction and neuronal damage in the CA1 and CA3 regions of D-gal-treated mice. Moreover, D-gal-induced microglial activation was markedly reduced by alpinetin by inhibiting the Drp1/HK1/NLRP3 pathway-suppressed mitochondrial inflammation, down-regulating the levels of p-Drp1 (s616), VDAC, NLRP3, ASC, Cleaved-caspase 1, IL-18, and IL-1β, and up-regulating the expression of HK1. Furthermore, after Drp1 inhibition by Mdivi-1 in vitro, the inhibitory effect of alpinetin on Drp1/HK1/NLRP3 pathway was more evident. In summary, the current results implied that alpinetin attenuated aging-related cognitive deficits by inhibiting the Drp1/HK1/NLRP3 pathway and suppressing mitochondrial inflammation, suggesting that the inhibition of the Drp1/HK1/NLRP3 pathway is one of the mechanisms by which alpinetin attenuates AACI.

Effect of Yikou-Sizi powder hot compress on gastrointestinal functional recovery in patients after abdominal surgery: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction (PGD) is a common complication of patients who have undergone surgery. The clinical manifestations cause great discomfort to postoperative patients and can severely affect postoperative recovery. However, although various pharmacologic agents have been explored for several years, success has been limited. Because some commonly used drugs have caused adverse reactions and because abdominal surgery patients generally cannot consume food or medication during the perioperative period, we were prompted to try an external Chinese medicine treatment method. Yikou-Sizi powder hot compress is an efficient therapy in our hospital, but there is a lack of rigorous studies to certify the safety and effectiveness of its external use to improve gastrointestinal motility. This study aimed to introduce the clinical trial design and test the ability of Yikou-Sizi powder hot compress treatment to accelerate gastrointestinal functional recovery after abdominal surgery.

METHODS

This study is a randomized controlled clinical trial. The participants will undergo laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery and laparoscopic total hysterectomy. The primary outcome measure will be the gastrointestinal functional evaluation index, including the time to first passage of flatus, first defecation, first normal bowel sounds, and first consumption of liquid/semigeneral diet foods. According to good clinical practice (GCP), we will evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yikou-Sizi powder hot compress and objectively study the acting mechanism of ghrelin. This pilot trial will be a standard, scientific, and clinical study designed to evaluate the effect of Yikou-Sizi powder hot compress for the recovery of gastrointestinal function after surgery and determine its overall safety.

DISCUSSION

This is the first study to describe the use of Yikou-Sizi powder hot compress to accelerate the recovery of gastrointestinal function after abdominal surgery. The study is designed as a randomized, controlled, clinical, large sample size and pilot trial. Evaluation will consist of combining the primary outcome measures with secondary outcome measures to ensure the objectivity and scientific validity of the study. Due to the observational design and the limited follow-up period, it is not possible to evaluate to what extent the connection between the observed improvement and the interventions represents a causal relationship. Efficient comparison between groups will be analyzed by chi-square test.

Cardamonin, a Novel Antagonist of hTRPA1 Cation Channel, Reveals Therapeutic Mechanism of Pathological Pain

The increasing demand for safe and effective treatments of chronic pain has promoted the investigation of novel analgesic drugs. Some herbals have been known to be able to relieve pain, while the chemical basis and target involved in this process remained to be clarified. The current study aimed to find anti-nociceptive candidates targeting transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), a receptor that implicates in hyperalgesia and neurogenic inflammation. In the current study, 156 chemicals were tested for blocking HEK293/TRPA1 ion channel by calcium-influx assay. Docking study was conducted to predict the binding modes of hit compound with TRPA1 using Discovery Studio. Cytotoxicity in HEK293 was conducted by Cell Titer-Glo assay. Additionally, cardiotoxicity was assessed via xCELLigence RTCA system. We uncovered that cardamonin selectively blocked TRPA1 activation while did not interact with TRPV1 nor TRPV4 channel. A concentration-dependent inhibitory effect was observed with IC₅₀ of 454 nM. Docking analysis of cardamonin demonstrated a compatible interaction with A-967079-binding site of TRPA1. Meanwhile, cardamonin did not significantly reduce HEK293 cell viability, nor did it impair cardiomyocyte constriction. Our data suggest that cardamonin is a selective TRPA1 antagonist, providing novel insight into the target of its anti-nociceptive activity.

Alpinia: the gold mine of future therapeutics

Since prehistoric era, plant-derived drugs were much preferred due to their less side effects than drugs of synthetic origin. Bioassay-guided selection of active fraction of a plant extract and further isolation and characterization of the pure bioactive compounds are in practice in both academic and industrial research. Zingiberaceae, a medicinally important, ornamental, monocotyledonous family has potential members in the tribe Alpinieae, among which the genus Alpinia is studied under this current review due to its wide range of biomedical applications. The members in the genus possess many bioactive compounds against harmful microbes to deadly diseases like cancer by regulating the different signalling pathway systems. Several compounds have been discovered and found to deliver diversified biological efficacy either in vitro or in vivo against a range of diseases. The chemical profiling of the genus and investigation of crude essential oils and individual bioactive compounds towards the therapeutic importance in various disciplines have been documented in the current review.