Traditional Chinese Medicine Rhodiola Sachalinensis Borissova from Baekdu Mountain (RsBBM) for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Therapeutic Effect and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Rhodiola sachalinensis and comparative analysis with its congeneric plants

Rhodiola, belonging to the Crassulaceae family, is a perennial herbaceous plant genus. There are about 90 Rhodiola species worldwide, some of which have been reported to have medicinal properties. Rhodiola sachalinensis is a perennial medicinal herb within this genus and, in the present study, its chloroplast genome was sequenced, assembled, annotated and compared with 24 other Rhodiola species. The results obtained show that the chloroplast genome of R. sachalinensis is 151 595 bp long and has a CG content of 37.7%. The inverted repeats (IR) region of the Rhodiola chloroplast genome is the most conserved region, with the main differences being observed in the ycf1 and ndhF genes at the IRb-small single copy boundary, and rps19 and trnH genes at the IRa-large single copy boundary. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Rhodiola species form two major clades, and species with recorded medicinal properties, clustered together in one branch except for R. dumulosa. Within the genus, R. sachalinensis is most closely related to Rhodiola rosea, although comparative analyses showed that only R. sachalinensis and Rhodiola subopposita contained the psbZ gene, which encodes a highly conserved protein subunit of the Photosystem II core complex. Overall, the present study contributes to the understanding of the chloroplast genome of Rhodiola species, and provides a theoretical basis for the study of their genetic diversity and possible use as medicinal plants.

The factors affecting the development of medicinal plants from a value chain perspective

MAIN CONCLUSION

From a value chain perspective, this paper examines the important factors from the selection of planting areas to storage, which restrict the development of medicinal plants. The purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical basis for the sustainable development of medicinal plants. Medicinal plants have significant economic and medicinal value. Due to the gradual depletion of wild medicinal plant resources, cultivators of medicinal plants must resort to artificial cultivation to cope. However, there are still many problems in the production process of medicinal plants, resulting in decreases in both yield and quality, thus hindering sustainable development. To date, research on the value chain of medicinal plants is still limited. Therefore, this paper analyzes the factors affecting the development of medicinal plants from the perspective of the value chain, including the selection of growing areas to the storage process of medicinal plants, and summarizes the challenges faced in the production process of medicinal plants. The purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical basis for the sustainable development of medicinal plants.

Advantages of Chinese herbal medicine in treating rheumatoid arthritis: a focus on its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects

Oxidative stress is a condition characterized by an imbalance between the oxidative and antioxidant processes within the human body. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is significantly influenced by the presence of oxidative stress, which acts as a pivotal factor in its pathogenesis. Elevated levels of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation have been found to be closely associated in the plasma of patients with RA. The clinical treatment strategies for this disease are mainly chemical drugs, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), glucocorticoids (GCs) and biological agents, but it is difficult for patients to accept long-term drug treatment and its side effects. In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), RA is thought to be caused by the attack of "wind, cold, damp humor," and herbs with the effect of removing wind and dampness are used to relieve pain. Chinese herbal medicine boasts a rich heritage in effectively attenuating the symptoms of RA, and its global recognition continues to ascend. In particular, RA-relevant anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidative effects of TCM herbs/herbal compounds. The main aim of this review is to make a valuable contribution to the expanding pool of evidence that advocates for the incorporation of Chinese herbal medicine in conventional treatment plans for RA.

Mechanism of Rhodiola rosea-Euonymus alatus drug pair against rheumatoid arthritis: Network pharmacology and experimental validation

PURPOSE

The present study aimed to explore the potential components and mechanisms of Rhodiola rosea-Euonymus alatus drug pair (TY) that ameliorate rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS

The main active components, core targets, and important pathways of TY against RA were predicted by network pharmacology analysis. The binding activity between the main active components and the core targets was verified by the molecular docking technique. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced fibroblast-like synovial cells in human RA (HFLS-RA) model were established, respectively. The core targets were verified by cell counting kit-8 assay, hematoxylin eosin, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis, and the therapeutic effect of TY was evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 18 possible components and 34 core targets were obtained by network pharmacology, among which inflammatory response, phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)-AKT and MAPK pathways were involved in the therapeutic effect of TY on RA. The results of molecular docking showed that kaempferol and quercetin had high binding affinity to interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)9, and TNF-α. In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that TY dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of HFLS-RA cells induced by TNF-α, and significantly reduced the paw swelling and arthritis scores in CIA rats. At the same time, TY inhibited the production of inflammatory factors in CIA rat serum and TNF-α-induced HFLS-RA cells. It also decreased the expression of PI3K, phospho-protein kinase B, MMP1, MMP3, MMP9, and increased the protein and mRNA levels of tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMP)1 in synovial tissue.

CONCLUSION

TY can inhibit the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and regulate the balance between MMPs and TIMP, thus playing a therapeutic role in RA.

Triterpenoid and Coumarin Isolated from Astilbe grandis with Anti-Inflammatory Effects through Inhibiting the NF-κB Pathway in LPS-Induced RAW264.7 Cells

The roots of Astilbe grandis, known as "Ma sang gou bang", are used as a Miao traditional medicine with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. However, the active components and mechanism of action of this plant remain mostly uncharacterized. The aim of this study was to identify its active components and verify their pharmacological activity. The extract of A. grandis root was separated using various chromatographic methods. As a result, we obtained one novel triterpenoid, named astigranlactone (1), which has an unusual lactone moiety formed between C-7 and C-27. Additionally, a known coumarin compound, 11-O-galloyl bergenin (2) was isolated from this plant. The structures of these two compounds were elucidated by extensive NMR experiments in conjunction with HR-ESI-MS data. To the best of our knowledge, both compounds were isolated from this species for the first time. Moreover, we tested the anti-inflammation effect of the two compounds by establishing a cellular inflammation model induced by LPS in RAW264.7 cells. The effect of different concentrations of these compounds on the activity of RAW264.7 cells was assessed using a CCK8 assay. The levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the supernatant of each group were evaluated using the Griess method and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-RCR) were used to measure the levels of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression. Our findings revealed that these two compounds inhibited the high levels of NO, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, COX-2, and iNOS (induced by LPS). Mechanistic studies demonstrated that these two compounds reduced the activation of the nuclear transcription factor-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p65. Therefore, our study indicates that compounds 1 and 2 can exert a definite anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.