Forsythia Fruit Prevents Fulminant Hepatitis in Mice and Ameliorates Inflammation in Murine Macrophages

Efficacy of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl on mouse and rat models of inflammation-related diseases: a meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the fruits of the medicinal plant Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl (FS), in treating inflammation-associated diseases through a meta-analysis of animal models, and also probe deeply into the signaling pathways underlying the progression of inflammation. Materials and methods: All data analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3 and the results are presented as flow diagrams, risk-of-bias summaries, forest plots, and funnel plots. Summary estimates were calculated using a random- or fixed-effect model, depending on the value of I2. Results: Of the 710 records identified in the initial search, 11 were selected for the final meta-analysis. Each study extracted data from the model and treatment groups for analysis, and the results showed that FS alleviated the inflammatory cytokine levels in serum; oxidant indicator: reactive oxygen species; enzymes of liver function; endotoxin and regulatory cells in blood; and improved the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Conclusion: FS effectively reversed the change in acute or chronic inflammation indicators in animal models, and the regulation of multiple channel proteins in inflammatory signaling pathways suggests that FS is a good potential drug for inflammatory disease drug therapy.

Identifying Crude Drugs in Kampo Medicines Associated with Drug-Induced Liver Injury Using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report Database: A Comprehensive Survey

The current study aimed to identify the crude drugs associated with drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in 148 Kampo medicines prescribed throughout Japan using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) database, a large-scale spontaneous reporting system in Japan. First, we tabulated the number of DILI reports from the report-based dataset and the background information from the patient-based dataset. Thereafter, we combined the 126 crude drugs into 104 crude drug groups to examine multicollinearity. Finally, the reporting odds ratios (RORs), 95% confidence intervals, p values for Fisher's exact test, and number of reports were calculated for each crude group to identify those associated with DILI. Notably, the number of adverse event reports for DILI (63,955) exceeded that for interstitial lung disease (51,347), the most common adverse event. In total, 78 crude drug groups (90 crude drugs) were reported to have an ROR > 1, a p < 0.05, and ≥10 reported cases. Our results highlight DILI as an essential issue, given that it was among the most frequently reported adverse drug reactions. We were able to clearly identify the crude drugs associated with DILI, which could help manage adverse drug reactions attributed to Kampo medicines and crude drugs.

Exploration of the Molecular Basis of Forsythia Fruit in the Prevention and Treatment of Cholestatic Liver Injury through Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

Forsythia fruit, edible fruit of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl, which has been found to be effective in treating cholestasis. However, its key component for alleviating cholestasis has not been determined. In this study, four representative active ingredients in forsythia fruit were selected. Through network pharmacology and molecular docking technology, we tried to find the key component for its treatment of cholestasis. Furthermore, the model of cholestasis in mice was established to verify the protective effect of the key component on cholestasis. Network pharmacology and molecular docking showed that forsythoside A (FTA) is the key component of forsythia fruit in the treatment of cholestasis. In vivo experiments revealed that FTA treatment could alleviate liver injury, dysfunction, and collagen deposition induced by cholestasis in mice. At the same time, FTA treatment inhibited inflammatory factor release and fibrosis-related factor expression. In addition, FTA treatment also reduced MMP-2, TLR4, MYD88, NF-κB p65, and p-NF-κB p65 protein expression. In conclusion, FTA, a key component of forsythia fruit, alleviated liver damage and fibrosis caused by cholestasis via inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB pathway, extracellular matrix accumulation, and inflammatory cytokine expression. The research results could provide a scientific reference for the development of forsythia fruit as a drug or functional food to prevent and treat cholestasis.

Phillygenin inhibited M1 macrophage polarization and reduced hepatic stellate cell activation by inhibiting macrophage exosomal miR-125b-5p

Liver fibrosis (LF) is an important stage in chronic liver disease development, characterized by hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and excessive extracellular matrix deposition. Phillygenin (PHI), an active component in the traditional Chinese medicine Forsythiae Fructus with a significant anti-inflammatory effect, has been proved to inhibit HSC activation. Macrophages can polarize to pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype and anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, participating in LF development. Currently, Forsythiae Fructus and its many components have been proved to inhibit the inflammatory activation of macrophages. However, there is no direct evidence that PHI can regulate macrophage polarization, and the relationship between macrophage polarization and the anti-LF effect of PHI has not been studied. In this study, we found that PHI inhibited the co-expression of CD80 and CD86, and inhibited the mRNA expression and protein secretion of related inflammatory cytokines in RAW264.7 cells. For mechanism, PHI was found to inhibit the JAK1/JAK2-STAT1 and Notch1 signaling pathways. Subsequently, mHSCs were co-cultured with the conditioned media or exosomes from macrophages with different treatments. It was found that the conditioned media and exosomes from PHI-treated macrophages inhibited the expression of MMP2, TIMP1, TGF-β, α-SMA, COL1 and NF-κB in mHSCs. Moreover, through bioinformatic analysis and cell transfection, we confirmed that PHI reduced HSC activation by inhibiting the overexpression of miR-125b-5p in M1 macrophage-derived exosomes and restoring Stard13 expression in mHSCs. On the whole, PHI could inhibit M1 macrophage polarization by suppressing the JAK1/JAK2-STAT1 and Notch1 signaling pathways, and reduce HSC activation by inhibiting macrophage exosomal miR-125b-5p targeting Stard13. DATA AVAILABILITY: The raw data supporting the conclusions of this study are available in the article/Supplementary figures, and can be obtained from the first or corresponding author.

Better detoxifying effect of ripe forsythiae fructus over green forsythiae fructus and the potential mechanisms involving bile acids metabolism and gut microbiota

Forsythiae Fructus (FF), the fruit of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl. (Lianqiao), is one of the most fundamental herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM), mainly due to its heat-clearing and detoxifying effects. There are two types of FF, the greenish fruits that start to ripen (GF) and the yellow fruits that are fully ripe (RF), called “Qingqiao” and “Laoqiao” referred to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, respectively. It undergoes a complex series of changes during the maturation of FF. However, the clinical uses and preparation of phytopharmaceuticals of FF have not been distinguished to date. Moreover, there is limited information on the study of the difference in pharmacological activity between RF and GF. In this study, a rat model of bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced cholestasis was used to compare the differences in their effects. RF was found to have better results than GF in addressing toxic bile acids (BAs) accumulation and related pathological conditions caused by BDL. The underlying mechanism may be related to the interventions of gut microbiota. The results of the present study suggest that the better detoxifying effect of RF than GF may be indirectly exerted through the regulation of gut microbiota and thus the improvement of BAs metabolism.