Ethyl Acetate Fractions of Papaver rhoeas L. and Papaver nudicaule L. Exert Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

Correlation between the Degree of Inflammation and Stress Indicators and Concurrent Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Severe Craniocerebral Injury

BACKGROUND

Craniocerebral injuries can cause inflammation and oxidative stress, and can have permanent effects on cognitive function. Moreover, over time, excessive expression of inflammatory factors and high levels of oxidative stress will be detrimental to recovery from craniocerebral injury and may exacerbate neurological damage, further damaging neurons and other cellular structures. In this study, we investigated changes in inflammation and stress indicators in patients with severe craniocerebral injuries, and analyzed associations with concurrent cognitive impairment.

METHODS

82 patients with severe craniocerebral injuries admitted to Longyou County People's Hospital during January 2022-June 2023 were selected for retrospective study. Levels of inflammatory factors and the degree of oxidative stress were recorded and compared between the acute and chronic phases. Inflammatory measures included interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP), and oxidative stress indicators included human cortisol (Cor), norepinephrine (NE), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The patients' cognitive function was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the incidence of cognitive impairment was assessed. Spearman's correlation was used to analyze associations between inflammatory and oxidative stress measures and MMSE scores; logistic regression was used to analyze the related factors affecting the patients' concurrent cognitive impairment; and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to test the predictive value of inflammatory and oxidative stress measures on the patients' concurrent cognitive impairment in the acute phase and the chronic phase.

RESULTS

Patients had higher levels of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, CRP, Cor, and NE, and lower levels of SOD, in the acute phase compared to the chronic phase (p < 0.05). MMSE scores were higher in the acute phase than in the chronic phase (p < 0.05). A total of 50 cases were complicated by cognitive impairment, and the incidence of cognitive impairment was 60.98%. The levels of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, CRP, Cor, and NE in the chronic phase were positively correlated with the concurrent cognitive impairment, and the level of SOD was negatively correlated with the concurrent cognitive impairment (p < 0.05). Single-factor analysis showed that age and levels of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, CRP, Cor, and NE were higher in the cognitively impaired group than in the cognitively normal group, SOD levels were lower than in the cognitively normal group, and percentages of below-secondary school and frontal lobe damage were higher than those in the cognitively normal group (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that below-secondary school, frontal lobe injury, higher levels of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and CRP in the chronic phase, and lower levels of SOD in the chronic phase were all relevant factors affecting the patients' concurrent cognitive impairment. As shown by the ROC curve, the area under the curve (AUC) for the combination of indicators was 0.949, sensitivity was 0.980, and specificity was 0.844.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of cognitive impairment is higher in patients with severe craniocerebral injury, and the levels of inflammation and oxidative stress, which are not conducive to recovery, are higher in patients in the acute stage. The risk of concurrent cognitive impairment is higher in patients with a lower level of literacy, frontal lobe injury, and high levels of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress in the chronic stage; these indicators, therefore, have a significant predictive effect on the prognosis of the patients.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of elemental sulfur-derived sustainable sulfur quantum dots

Sulfur quantum dots (SQDs) are attracting increasing attention in the biomedical field due to their unique properties, such as antibacterial activity, free radical scavenging potential, optical properties, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity. Ethylenediamine passivated SQDs (ED-SQDs) were synthesized using a hydrothermal method. Cytotoxicity evaluation of ED-SQDs on RAW264.7 cells showed more than 90% cell viability even at 500 μg/mL of ED-SQDs, with an established IC50 value of 880.9 μg/mL. In addition, ED-SQDs showed potent antioxidant activity in vitro, effectively scavenging ABTS and DPPH free radicals at concentrations below 100 μg/mL, comparable to ascorbic acid. ED-SQD reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in macrophages, lowered pro-inflammatory cytokines, and inactivated LPS-activated STAT3. In addition, ED-SQD increased nuclear NRF2 and the expression of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes in LPS-stimulated cells. These results reveal the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of ED-SQDs at non-toxic concentrations, providing evidence for their potential anti-inflammatory applications.

Sulfur quantum dots as sustainable materials for biomedical applications: Current trends and future perspectives

Discovered over a decade ago, sulfur quantum dots (SQDs) have rapidly emerged as a sustainable, safe, and inexpensive quantum material. Sustainably synthesizing SQDs using sublimed sulfur powders, typically produced as waste in industrial petrochemical refining processes, has attracted researchers to use these functional quantum materials in various research fields. SQDs quickly found applications in various research fields, such as electronics, environmental sensing, food packaging, and biomedical engineering. Although low production yields, time-consuming and energy-intensive synthetic methods, and low photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) have been some problems, researchers have found ways to improve synthetic methods, develop passivating agents, and systematically modify reaction schemes and energy sources to achieve large-scale synthesis of stable SQDs with high PLQY. Nonetheless, SQDs have succeeded tremendously in biomedical and related applications due to their low toxicity, antibacterial and antioxidant properties, biocompatibility, appropriate cellular uptake, and photoluminescent properties. Although the bioimaging applications of SQDs have been extensively studied, their other reported properties indicate their suitability for use as antimicrobial agents, free radical scavengers, and drug carriers in other biomedical applications, such as tissue regeneration, wound healing, and targeted drug delivery.

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of High-Glucosinolate-Synthesis Lines of Brassica rapa

Excessive oxidative stress and inflammatory responses are associated with the development of various diseases, including cancer. Glucosinolates (GSLs) are phytochemicals known for their antioxidant properties, and doubled haploid lines (DHLs) of Brassica rapa with high GSL contents (HGSL) were intentionally developed from two edible subspecies of Brassica rapa: B. rapa subsp. trilocularis and B. rapa subsp. chinensis. The purpose of the present study is to assess the capacity of HGSL DHLs to mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, compared to pak choi as a parental control. Our findings demonstrate that HGSL DH lines effectively suppressed the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, leading to the reduced levels of nitric oxide at non-toxic concentrations. Additionally, these lines exhibited scavenging activity against reactive oxygen species and free radicals. The enhanced antioxidant capacity of HGSL DHLs was mechanistically attributed to the upregulation of antioxidant enzymes, such as NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), the glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), and heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1). Furthermore, we confirmed that these effects were mediated through the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) signaling pathway via p38 phosphorylation. Moreover, HGSL DHLs demonstrated inhibitory effects on pro-inflammatory cytokines and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation. Collectively, our results indicate that HGSL DHLs possess better antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties compared to the parental control pak choi in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, suggesting that HGSL DHLs of Brassica rapa could be considered as a beneficial daily vegetable for reducing the risk of inflammation-associated diseases.

Phytochemistry, antioxidant, anticancer, and acute toxicity of traditional medicinal food Biarum bovei (Kardeh)

BACKGROUND

The Biarum species (Kardeh) has been consumed as a traditional functional food and medicine for decades. The current study investigates the phytochemistry, in-vitro and in-vivo bioactivities of methanol extracts of B. bovei.

METHODS

The Gas-chromatography mass spectrophotometer (GS/GS-MS) was used to analyze the phytochemical profile of the methanol extracts of B. bovei leaves and corms. The B. bovei extracts (BBE) were also investigated for in-vitro antioxidant, anticancer, and in-vivo acute toxicity (2000 mg/kg) activities.

RESULTS

The chemical profiling of BBE revealed mainly fatty acids, phytosterol, alcohols, and hydrocarbon compounds. Namely, Linoleic acid, eliadic acid, palmitic acid, 22,23-dihydro-stigmasterol, and campesterol. The antioxidant activity of BBE ranged between 0.24-3.85 μg TE/mL based on different assays. The extracts also exhibited significant anticancer activity against DU-145 (prostate cancer cells), MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma), and HeLa (human cervical cancer) cell lines with IC50 values ranging between 22.73-44.24 μg/mL. Rats fed on 2000 mg/kg dosage of BBE showed absence of any toxicological sign or serum biochemical changes.

CONCLUSION

The detected phytochemicals and bioactivities of BBE scientifically backup the folkloric usage as an important source of nutraceuticals and alternative medicine for oxidative stress-related diseases and carcinogenesis inhibition.

Anticancer Effects of High Glucosinolate Synthesis Lines of Brassica rapa on Colorectal Cancer Cells

Chemoprevention is a method of health control in modern industrialized societies. Traditional breeding (hybridization) has been widely used to produce new (sub)species with beneficial phenotypes. Previously, we produced a number of doubled haploid (DH) lines of Brassica rapa with a high glucosinolate (GSL) content. In this study, we evaluated the anticancer activities of extracts from three selected high-GSL (HGSL)-containing DH lines (DHLs) of Brassica rapa in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. The three HGSL DHL extracts showed anti-proliferative activities in the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium assay and pro-apoptotic activities in the cell cycle or annexin V analysis with the induction of pro-apoptotic protein expression in CRC cells. Mechanistically, HGSL DHL extracts inhibited the NF-κB and ERK pathways, leading to a reduction in the nuclear localization of NF-κB p65. In addition, reactive oxygen species were induced by HGSL DHL extract treatment in CRC cells. In conclusion, our data suggest that the newly developed HGSL DHLs possess enhanced anticancer activities and are potentially helpful as a daily vegetable supplement with chemopreventive activities.

Gastroprotective, Biochemical and Acute Toxicity Effects of Papaver decaisnei against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcers in Rats

Papaver decaisnei (P. decaisnei) has been used as folkloric medicine for many health issues including gastric problems. The current study investigates the gastroprotective roles of P. decaisnei against ethanol-induced ulcers in rodents. Sprague Dawley rats (30) were separated into five groups: the normal group (G1) and the ulcer control group (G2) were orally administered 0.5% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC); the reference group (G3) was administered 20 mg/kg of Omeprazole; two experimental groups were fed with 200 mg/kg (G4) and 400 mg/kg (G5) of the P. decaisnei extract (PDE), respectively. Next, the rats were given absolute ethanol and sacrificed for the analysis of the gastric mucosal injury through microscopic, enzymatic, histologic, and immunohistochemistry assays. The ulcer controls showed significant superficial hemorrhagic gastric mucosal lesions, with a decreased gastric wall mucus and edema production, whereas fewer were found for the reference and plant-treated rats. Furthermore, the PDE pre-treated rats had a significantly reduced the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining intensity, produced the upregulation of the HSP70 protein, and the downregulation of the Bax protein expressions in the stomach epithelium. P. decaisnei displayed a significant role in the upregulation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and PGE2), significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA), TNF-a, IL-6, and upraised the IL-10 levels. Based on the positive impacts, the PDE can be proposed as the protective/treatment agent against gastric ulcers and stomach lesions.