Biological and Cytoprotective Effect of Piper kadsura Ohwi against Hydrogen-Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Stress in Human SW1353 Cells

Ecological risk assessment of future suitable areas for Piper kadsura under the background of climate change

Introduction

Piper kadsura is a well-known medicinal plant that belongs to woody liana, possessing high therapeutic and economic value. The market demand of P. kadsura is huge, but its wild resources are scarce and artificial cultivation methods have not been established, which leads to a situation with strong contradiction and imbalance between supply and demand.

Methods

In this study, 303 sample of distribution data for P. kadsura in China were collected, 33 environmental variables related to terrain, climate and soil were analyzed and the suitable habitats of P. kadsura during various periods were predicted by MaxEnt model and ArcGIS software, aiming to provide a basis for scientific cultivation and effective utilization of resources.

Results

The results indicated that precipitation and temperature were significant factors in the distribution of P. kadsura. The primary environmental variables influencing the potential distribution of P. kadsura were precipitation during the driest quarter (Bio17), annual precipitation (Bio12), mean diurnal range (Bio2), and annual temperature range (Bio7). Among them, precipitation of driest quarter (Bio17) was the most influential environmental variable for the distribution of P. kadsura with the range between 100.68 and 274.48 mm. The current distribution of P. kadsura is mainly located in the coastal areas of eastern and southern China, especially Guangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian, with a total area of 51.74 × 104 km2. Future climate change of global warming will lead to a reduction in the total suitable areas and high suitable areas under various climate scenarios. Especially in the SSP585 scenario, the total suitable area and the highly suitable area will be significantly reduced by 89.26% and 87.95% compared with the present during the 2090s.

Discussion

Overall, these findings can provide useful references for the suitable areas' determination of wild resources, optimization of artificial cultivation and scientific selection of high quality medicinal materials on P. kadsura.

Futoquinol improves Aβ25-35-induced memory impairment in mice by inhibiting the activation of p38MAPK through the glycolysis pathway and regulating the composition of the gut microbiota

Futoquinol (Fut) is a compound extracted from Piper kadsura that has a nerve cell protection effect. However, it is unclear whether Fut has protective effects in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we aimed to explore the therapeutic effect of Fut in AD and its underlying mechanism. UPLC-MS/MS method was performed to quantify Fut in the hippocampus of mice brain. The cognition ability, neuronal and mitochondria damage, and levels of Aβ1-42, Aβ1-40, p-Tau, oxidative stress, apoptosis, immune cells, and inflammatory factors were measured in Aβ25-35-induced mice. The content of bacterial meta-geometry was predicted in the microbial composition based on 16S rDNA. The protein levels of HK II, p-p38MAPK, and p38MAPK were detected. PC-12 cells were cultured in vitro, and glucose was added to activate glycolysis to further explore the mechanism of action of Fut intervention in AD. Fut improved the memory and learning ability of Aβ25-35 mice, and reduced neuronal damage and the deposition of Aβ and Tau proteins. Moreover, Fut reduced mitochondrial damage, the levels of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammatory factors. Fut significantly inhibited the expression of HK II and p-p38MAPK proteins. The in vitro experiment showed that p38MAPK was activated and Fut action inhibited after adding 10 mM glucose. Fut might inhibit the activation of p38MAPK through the glycolysis pathway, thereby reducing oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammatory factors and improving Aβ25-35-induced memory impairment in mice. These data provide pharmacological rationale for Fut in the treatment of AD.

Coaxial nanofibers encapsulated with Ampelopsis brevipedunculata extract and green synthesized AgNPs for wound repair

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized from Aloe vera extract exhibited a pronounced antibacterial effect, while the Ampelopsis brevipedunculata extract (ABE) showcased a high antioxidant capacity for wound healing. Spherical AgNPs with a particle size of 28.82 nm crystallized in a face-centered-cubic lattice. AgNPs/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and ABE/polycaprolactone (PCL) underwent electrospinning to produce coaxial and electrosprayed nanofibers, respectively. The developed coaxial nanofibers demonstrated a strain of 159%, a Young's modulus of elasticity of 7080.14 kPa, a 3.9-fold swelling ratio, a water contact angle of 38.91°, characteristic hydrophilicity, and an adequate water vapor transmission rate of 2272 g/m2/day. ABE exhibited no cytotoxicity to L929 cells and induced a twofold increase in the cell migration rate. Upon applying the developed coaxial nanofiber on an in vivo rat model with a 9 mm wound diameter, the wound rapidly and completely healed within 10 days, with a healing speed 60% greater than that of the control group. Histopathological analysis revealed that the coaxial group did not exhibit inflammation, showed complete epithelization, and featured a well-arranged deposition of collagen on the 10th day.

Achyranthes bidentate extracts protect the IL-1β-induced osteoarthritis of SW1353 chondrocytes

Osteoarthritis, the most common joint disease worldwide, is a degenerative disease characterized by cartilage degeneration and inflammation. The active ingredients in the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Achyranthes bidentate can be used to treat waist, leg, and joint pain caused by rheumatism arthralgia. In this study, we identified the optimal microwave extraction protocol for saponins from A. bidentate, evaluated their protective effects against IL-1β-induced inflammation in SW1353 human chondrocytes, and explored their protective pathway. The microwave-extraction parameters required to obtain the maximum yield of A. bidentate saponins using 80% ethanol were identified using response surface methodology. The parameters were solid-liquid ratio, 1:10; extraction time, 20 min; power, 721 W; temperature, 65 °C. The actual yield of saponins extracted was to be 194.01 μg/mg extract. The SW1353 cells were pretreated with A. bidentate extract (ABE) at a concentration of 50 or 100 μg/mL for 3 h, after which an inflammatory response was stimulated using IL-1β. The ABE significantly reduced the expression of proinflammatory factors IL-6, TNF-α, COX-2, iNOS, PGE2, and NO, and inhibited NF-κB activity, effectively attenuating the inflammatory response. ABE also inhibited MMP13 and ADAMTS-5 expression, reducing IL-1β-induced degradation of the extrachondral matrix. This confirmed that ABE effectively inhibits NF-κB activity and reduces IL-1β-induced inflammation, extracellular matrix degradation, and expression of apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3. Therefore, ABE has potential as a new botanical drug for preventing osteoarthritis.