Lonicerae Japonicae Flos Attenuates Neutrophilic Inflammation by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress

Dihydrophenanthropyrans derived from the pseudobulbs of Pholidota chinensis alleviates neutrophilic inflammation by inhibiting MAPKs and calcium

Five dihydrophenanthropyrans (1-5) were isolated from the pseudobulbs of Pholidota chinensis, among which 1,3-di(4'-hydroxybenzy)-imbricatin (3) was isolated from the nature for the first time. Their structures were elucidated and established through various spectroscopic methods. These compounds exhibited a potent inhibition effect on both N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLF)-induced superoxide anion generation and elastase release with IC50 values ranging from 0.23 to 7.63 μM. Furthermore, dihydrophenanthropyrans (1-3) also demonstrated a dose-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging effect. In addition, dihydrophenanthropyrans (2-3) exhibited a dose-dependent reduction in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in fMLF-activated human neutrophils. Moreover, dihydrophenanthropyrans (1-3) selectively inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and p38, while only dihydrophenanthropyran (1) inhibited the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) in fMLF-activated human neutrophils. Notably, dihydrophenanthropyrans (1-3) did not affect protein kinase B (AKT) activity in these cells. These findings highlight the potent anti-inflammatory capabilities of dihydrophenanthropyrans, manifested through their ability to inhibit superoxide anion generation, suppress elastase release, and selectively modulate key signaling pathways in human neutrophils. This suggests that dihydrophenanthropyrans hold significant promise as therapeutic agents for conditions associated with neutrophil-mediated inflammation.

Integrating network pharmacology, experimental validation and molecular docking to reveal the alleviation of Yinhuang granule on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic disease characterized by the abnormal proliferation of fibroblast and excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), accompanied by inflammation and ultimately respiratory failure. Yinhuang granule (YHG), with clinical properties of clearing heat, detoxifying and anti-inflammation, is commonly used to heal upper respiratory diseases in China for decades.

PURPOSE

To explore the improvement of YHG on bleomycin (BLM)-induced IPF in mice and its possible engaged mechanism.

METHODS

The mortality rate was recorded, lung function was determined and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining was carried out to explore the alleviation of YHG on BLM-caused IPF in mice. Hydroxyproline, collagen I and collagen III contents were detected, and Sirius red and Masson staining were conducted to evaluate YHG's alleviation on lung fibrosis. The underlying mechanism was predicted by network pharmacology, and confirmed by Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western-blot (WB) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The binding affinity between related key proteins and active compounds in YHG was calculated by using molecular docking, and further validated by cellular thermal shift assay (CESTA).

RESULTS

YHG (400, 800 mg/kg) weakened lung damage and pulmonary fibrosis in mice induced by BLM. Network pharmacology and experimental validation displayed that inflammation and angiogenesis participated in the YHG-provided improvement on IPF, and key involved molecules included tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGFA), interleukine-6 (IL-6), etc. The data of molecular docking presented that some main active compounds from YHG had a high binding affinity with TNFR1 or VEGFR2, and some of them were further validated by CESTA.

CONCLUSION

YHG effectively improved the BLM-induced IPF in mice via reducing inflammation and angiogenesis.

Quality evaluation of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos from different origins based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting and multicomponent quantitative analysis combined with chemical pattern recognition

INTRODUCTION

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (LJF) is widely used in food and traditional Chinese medicine. To meet demand, Lonicera japonica Thunb. is widely cultivated in many provinces of China. However, reported studies on the quality evaluation of LJF only used a single or a few active components as indicators, which could not fully reflect the quality of LJF.

OBJECTIVES

In the present study, we aimed to develop a methodology for comprehensively evaluating the quality of LJF from different origins based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting and multicomponent quantitative analysis combined with chemical pattern recognition.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The HPLC method was developed for fingerprint analysis and was used to determine the contents of 19 components of LJF. To distinguish between samples and identify differential components, similarity analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis were performed.

RESULTS

The HPLC fingerprint was established. Using the developed method, the contents of 19 components recognized in the fingerprint analysis were determined. Samples from different origins could be effectively distinguished.

CONCLUSIONS

HPLC fingerprinting and multicomponent quantitative analysis combined with chemical pattern recognition is an efficient method for evaluating LJF.

Pharmacological Activities of Lonicerae japonicae flos and Its Derivative-"Chrysoeriol" in Skin Diseases

Chrysoeriol is an active ingredient derived from the Chinese medicinal herb (CMH) "Lonicerae japonicae flos" in the dried flower bud or bloomed flower of Lonicera japonica Thunberg. Dermatoses are the most common diseases in humans, including eczema, acne, psoriasis, moles, and fungal infections, which are temporary or permanent and may be painless or painful. Topical corticosteroids are widely used in Western medicine, but there are some side effects when it is continuously and regularly utilized in a large dosage. Chrysoeriol is a natural active ingredient, nontoxic, and without any adverse reactions in the treatment of dermatological conditions.

METHODS

Nine electronic databases were searched, including WanFang Data, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer Link, SciFinder, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), without regard to language constraints. The pharmacological activities of chrysoeriol from Lonicerae japonicae flos to fight against skin diseases were explained and evaluated through the literature review of either in vitro or in vivo studies.

RESULTS

Chrysoeriol decreased the mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. These were transcriptionally regulated by NF-κB and STAT3 to combat skin inflammation. It also showed promising actions in treating many skin ailments including wound healing, depigmentation, photoprotection, and antiaging.

CONCLUSION

The cutaneous route is the best delivery approach to chrysoeriol across the skin barrier. However, toxicity, dosage, and safety assessments of chrysoeriol in a formulation or nanochrysoeriol on the human epidermis for application in skin diseases must be further investigated.

Traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Lonicerae japonicae flos and Lonicerae flos: A systematic comparative review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Lonicerae japonicae flos (LJF) and Lonicerae flos (LF) belong to different genera of Caprifoliaceae with analogous appearances and functions. Historically, they have been used as herbal medicines to treat various diseases with confirmed wind-heat evacuation, heat-clearing, and detoxification effects. However, the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2005 Edition) lists LJF and LF under different categories.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Few studies have systematically compared the similarities and dissimilarities of LJF and LF concerning their research achievements. This systematic review and comparison of the traditional use, identification, and phytochemical and pharmacological properties of LJF and LF provides valuable insights for their further application and clinical safety.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Related document information was collected from databases that included Web of Science, X-MOL, Science Direct, PubMed, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure.

RESULTS

The chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of LJF and LF were similar. A total of 337 and 242 chemical constituents were isolated and identified in LJF and LF, respectively. These included volatile oils, cyclic ether terpenes, flavonoids, phenolic acids, triterpenoids, and their saponins. Additionally, LJF plants contain more iridoids and flavonoids than LF plants. The latter have a variety of triterpenoid saponins and significantly higher chlorogenic acid content than LJF plants. Pharmacological studies have shown that LJF and LF have various anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-endotoxic, antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-platelet, myocardial protective, and hepatoprotective effects.

CONCLUSIONS

This review was undertaken to explore whether LJF and LF should be listed separately in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia in terms of their disease prevention and treatment strategies. Although LJF and LF showed promising effects, their action mechanisms remains unclear. Specifically, their impact on gut microbiota, gastrointestinal tract, and blood parameters requires further investigation. These studies will provide the foundation for scientific utilization and clinical/non-clinical applications of LJF and LF, and the maximum benefits from their mutual use.

Extraction, Purification, Structural Characteristics, Health Benefits, and Application of the Polysaccharides from Lonicera japonica Thunb.: A Review

Lonicera japonica Thunb. is a widely distributed plant with ornamental, economic, edible, and medicinal values. L. japonica is a phytoantibiotic with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and a potent therapeutic effect on various infectious diseases. The anti-diabetic, anti-Alzheimer's disease, anti-depression, antioxidative, immunoregulatory, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-gout, and anti-alcohol-addiction effects of L. japonica can also be explained by bioactive polysaccharides isolated from this plant. Several researchers have determined the molecular weight, chemical structure, and monosaccharide composition and ratio of L. japonica polysaccharides by water extraction and alcohol precipitation, enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) and chromatography. This article searched in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Flora of China, Web of Science, PubMed, and CNKI databases within the last 12 years, using "Lonicera. japonica polysaccharides", "Lonicera. japonica Thunb. polysaccharides", and "Honeysuckle polysaccharides" as the key word, systematically reviewed the extraction and purification methods, structural characteristics, structure-activity relationship, and health benefits of L. japonica polysaccharides to provide insights for future studies. Further, we elaborated on the potential applications of L. japonica polysaccharides in the food, medicine, and daily chemical industry, such as using L. japonica as raw material to make lozenges, soy sauce and toothpaste, etc. This review will be a useful reference for the further optimization of functional products developed from L. japonica polysaccharides.

Role of curcumin in ischemia and reperfusion injury

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is an inevitable pathological process after organic transplantations. Although traditional treatments restore the blood supply of ischemic organs, the damage caused by IRI is always ignored. Therefore, the ideal and effective therapeutic strategy to mitigate IRI is warrented. Curcumin is a type of polyphenols, processing such properties as anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis. However, although many researches have been confirmed that curcumin can exert great effects on the mitigation of IRI, there are still some controversies about its underlying mechanisms among these researches. Thus, this review is to summarize the protective role of curcumin against IRI as well as the controversies of current researches, so as to clarify its underlying mechanisms clearly and provide clinicians a novel idea of the therapy for IRI.

Herbal medicines exhibit a high affinity for ACE2 in treating COVID-19

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been an unprecedented disaster for people around the world. A point particularly worth noting is that herbal medicines have made great contributions to the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in China. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as the critical functional receptor for SARS-CoV-2. It can bind to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein (S protein), which is responsible for the entry of the coronavirus into host cells. Therefore, ACE2 can be regarded as an important intervention target for COVID-19. Recently, many herbal medicines have exhibited a high affinity for ACE2 in treating COVID-19. The current work summarized these herbal medicines including formulas (such as Lianhua Qingwen capsules, Xuebijing injection, Qingfei Paidu Decoction, Huashi Baidu formula, Shufeng Jiedu capsules, and Maxing Shigan decoction), single herbs including Ephedra sinica Stapf (Mahuang), Scutellariae radix (Huangqin), Lonicera japonica (Jinyinhua), and Houttuynia cordata (Yuxingcao), and active ingredients (such as ursodeoxycholic acid, glycyrrhizic acid, glycyrrhizin, salvianolic acid, quercetin, and andrographidine C), which have exhibited a high affinity for ACE2 in treating COVID-19. We hope this work may provide meaningful and useful information on further research to investigate the mechanisms of herbal medicines against SARS-CoV-2 and follow-up drug discovery.

MS/MS Molecular Networking Unveils the Chemical Diversity of Biscembranoid Derivatives, Neutrophilic Inflammatory Mediators from the Cultured Soft Coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum

Biscembranoids are the distinctive tetraterpenoids owing a 14/6/14 membered tricyclic scaffold that have been mainly discovered in the soft corals, especially the genera Sarcophyton, Lobophytum and Sinularia. Recent findings have demonstrated the great anti-inflammatory potential of biscembranoid analogues in human neutrophils, motivating more chemical and biological explorations targeting these marine-derived natural products. In the current study, the chemical diversity of biscembranoids derived from the cultured-type Sarcophyton trocheliophorum von Marenzeller was illustrated through MS/MS molecular networking (MN) profiling approach. Based on the MN patterns, the prioritization of unknown biscembranoid derivatives was putatively analyzed. As a result, the biscembrane targeting isolation afforded two new metabolites, sarcotrochelides A (1) and B (2), along with six known analogues (3-8). Their structures and relative configurations were determined by spectroscopic methods. In vitro neutrophil inflammatory inhibition was further investigated for all isolates based on reduced superoxide anion (O₂^•-) generation detections. Compounds 5-8 showed significant dose-dependently inhibitory effects, suggesting the cruciality of 6,7-dihydrooxepin-2(5H)-one moiety and saturated γ-lactone ring in their reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent anti-inflammatory properties.