Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Codonopsis pilosula Glucofructan: Optimization, Structure, and Immunoregulatory Activity

Review of Codonopsis Radix biological activities: A plant of traditional Chinese tonic

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Codonopsis Radix, commonly known as Dangshen in Chinese, is frequently used to treat deficiencies of spleen and lung Qi, gastrointestinal discomfort, fatigue, asthmatic breathing, sallow complexion, lack of strength, shortness of breath, deficiencies of both Qi and blood, as well as impairments to both Qi and body fluids in suboptimal health status.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review systematically expounds on the modern pharmacological studies related to the use of Codonopsis Radix in invigorating Qi and nourishing the body in recent years. The aim is to provide theoretical research and reference for the in-depth and systematic exploration and development of the applications of Codonopsis Radix in the fields of food and medicine.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study employs "Codonopsis Radix," "Codonopsis," and "Dangshen" as keywords to gather pertinent information on Codonopsis Radix medicine through electronic searches of classical literature and databases such as PubMed, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Wiley, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and Baidu Scholar.

RESULTS

From previous studies, activities such as immune system modulation, gastrointestinal motility regulation, cardiac function revitalization, lung function improvement, blood circulation enhancement, aging process deceleration, learning and memory augmentation, fatigue resistance enhancement, and liver and kidney damage protection of Codonopsis Radix have been reported. Recognized as an important medicine and food homologous traditional Chinese herbal remedy for supplementing deficiencies, its mode of action is multi-elemental, multi-systemic, multi-organ, multi-mechanistic, and multi-targeted. Furthermore, the benefits of its tonic surpass its therapeutic value, establishing it as an extraordinary preventive and therapeutic medicine.

CONCLUSIONS

With its long history of traditional applications and the revelations of contemporary pharmacological research, Codonopsis Radix exhibits great potential as both a therapeutic agent and a dietary supplement for further research in medicine, nutrition, and healthcare.

Codonopsis radix: a review of resource utilisation, postharvest processing, quality assessment, and its polysaccharide composition

Codonopsis radix is the dried root of C. pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., C. pilosula Nannf. var. modesta (Nannf.) L. T. Shen, or C. tangshen Oliv., constitutes a botanical medicine with a profound historical lineage. It encompasses an array of bioactive constituents, including polyacetylenes, phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, and polysaccharides, conferring upon it substantial medicinal and edible values. Consequently, it has garnered widespread attention from numerous scholars. In recent years, driven by advancements in modern traditional Chinese medicine, considerable strides have been taken in exploring resources utilization, traditional processing, quality evaluation and polysaccharide research of Codonopsis radix. However, there is a lack of systematic and comprehensive reporting on these research results. This paper provides a summary of recent advances in Codonopsis research, identifies existing issues in Codonopsis studies, and offers insights into future research directions. The aim is to provide insights and literature support for forthcoming investigations into Codonopsis.

Drying kinetics prediction and quality effect of ultrasonic synergy vacuum far-infrared drying of Codonopsis pilosula

By using ultrasonic synergy vacuum far-infrared drying (US-VFID), the effects of different conditions on the drying kinetics, functional properties, and microstructure of Codonopsis pilosula slices were studied. The sparrow search algorithm (SSA) was used to optimize the back-propagation (BP) neural network to predict the moisture ratio during drying. With the increase of ultrasonic frequency, power and radiation temperature, the drying time of C. pilosula was shortened. The drying time of US-VFID was 25% shorter than VFID, when radiation temperature was 50°C, ultrasonic power was 48 W, and frequency was 28 kHz. The SSA-BP neural network, the average absolute error prediction was 0.0067. Compared with hot air drying (HAD), the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of C. pilosula by US-VFID were increased by 29.47% and 8.67%, respectively, and a reduction in color contrast of 16.19%. The dilation and generation of microcapillary of C. pilosula were more obvious. The study revealed US-VFID could be used for the selection and process control of agro-processing methods for C. pilosula products.

Effects of dietary Astragalus membranaceus and Codonopsis pilosula extracts on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune status, and intestinal health in broilers

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of dietary Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) consisting of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge (AMT) and Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf (CPO) extracts on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune status, and intestinal health of broiler chickens. Two groups were formed, each consisting of six replicates of 12 one-day-old healthy male 817 white feather broilers. Broilers were fed either a basal diet (CON group) or a basal diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg CHM. The trial lasted 50 days. The results showed that CHM supplementation resulted in enhanced feed efficiency and antioxidant capacity in both the serum and liver, while it reduced uric acid and endotoxin levels, as well as diamine oxidase activity (p < 0.05). Additionally, CHM treatment increased the height of jejunum villi and upregulated Claudin-1 expression in the jejunal mucosa accompanied by an increase in the mRNA levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interferon-β (IFN-β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) (p < 0.05). The presence of dietary CHM caused an increase in the proportions of Bacteroidetes and unclassified Bacteroidales but led to a decrease in those of Firmicutes and Alistipes (p < 0.05). The composition of the jejunal mucosa microbiota was correlated with the feed conversion ratio, serum metabolites, and gene expression based on Spearman correlation analysis. The findings indicated that the consumption of dietary CHM improved the utilization of feed, increased the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the jejunal mucosa, and decreased the endotoxin level and activities of diamine oxidase and lactate dehydrogenase in the serum, which could potentially be linked to changes in the gut microbiota of broiler chickens.

Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharides promote osteogenic differentiation and inhibit lipogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stem cells by activating β-catenin

Aberrant bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) lineage differentiation leads to osteoporosis. Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharides (CPPs) have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicines, due to their multiple pharmacological actions. However, little is known regarding their effects on BMSC differentiation. This study aimed to identify the effects and mechanisms of CPPs on osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation in rat BMSCs. An osteoporosis model was established in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats through bilateral ovariectomy (OVX), and be applied to observe the effect of CPPs on osteoporosis in vivo. The ability of CPPs to affect rBMSC proliferation was determined using the CCK-8 assay, and the osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs measured by ALP and Alizarin Red S staining. The adipogenic differentiation of rBMSCs was measured by Oil Red O staining. The mRNA and protein levels related to osteogenesis and adipogenic differentiation of rBMSCs were measured using qRT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. Cellular immunofluorescence was used to detect cytokine expression and localisation in rBMSCs. We observed that CPPs ameliorated bone loss in OVX rats. CPPs considerably enhanced osteogenic differentiation by increasing ALP activity and the prevalence of mineralised nodules and promoting the mRNA and protein expression of osteogenic differentiation markers (RUNX2, COL I, ALP, and OPN). Furthermore, it inhibited the accumulation of lipid vesicles in the cytoplasm and the mRNA and protein expression levels of adipogenic differentiation markers (PPARγ and C/EBPα) in a concentration-dependent manner. Meanwhile, CPPs notably increased the mRNA and protein expression of β-catenin, the core protein of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, in a concentration-dependent manner. Adding DKK1, a mature inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, partially suppressed CPP-stimulated β-catenin activation, and reversed the acceleration of osteogenic differentiation and the inhibition of lipogenic differentiation. Our observations demonstrated CPPs ameliorate bone loss in OVX rats in vivo, and favour osteogenic differentiation while inhibit adipogenic differentiation of rBMSCs in vitro. The findings suggested that CPPs could serve as functional foods for bone health, and have great potential for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

Systemic Immunomodulatory Effects of Codonopsis pilosula Glucofructan on S180 Solid-Tumor-Bearing Mice

The immune functions of the body are intricately intertwined with the onset and advancement of tumors, and immunotherapy mediated by bioactive compounds has exhibited initial effectiveness in overcoming chemotherapy resistance and inhibiting tumor growth. However, the comprehensive interpretation of the roles played by immunologic components in the process of combating tumors remains to be elucidated. In this study, the Codonopsis pilosula glucofructan (CPG) prepared in our previous research was employed as an immunopotentiator, and the impacts of CPG on both the humoral and cellular immunity of S180 tumor-bearing mice were investigated. Results showed that CPG administration of 100 mg/kg could effectively inhibit tumor growth in mice with an inhibitory ratio of 45.37% and significantly improve the expression of Interleukin-2 (IL-2), Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α). Additionally, CPG clearly enhanced B-cell-mediated humoral immunity and immune-cell-mediated cellular immunity, and, finally, induced S180 cell apoptosis by arresting cells in the G0/G1 phase, which might result from the IL-17 signaling pathway. These data may help to improve comprehension surrounding the roles of humoral and cellular immunity in anti-tumor immune responses.

A New Method of Extracting Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide with Antioxidant Function: Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction-Deep Eutectic Solvents Method

Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharide (PsP) with antioxidant function is the main active component of Polygonatum sibiricum (P.sibiricum). The currently poor extraction yield and extraction methods of PsP cannot meet the application of that in food industrial production. In this research, an ultrasound-assisted extraction-deep eutectic solvents (UAE-DESs) method, which has never been used in the PsP industry, was first used to extract PsP. The extraction conditions were optimized by the response surface method (RSM). Both the extraction yield and antioxidant function were simultaneously considered during the optimization process. The indicators of PsP's level and antioxidant activity in vitro were used to present the extraction yield of the UAE-DESs method, the purity, and the antioxidant effect of PsP. Under the optimal conditions, which included a liquid-solid ratio of 26:1 (mL:g), extraction temperature of 80 °C, ultrasonic time of 51 min, and ultrasonic power of 82 W, the PsP extraction yield could reach (43.61 ± 0.09)%, which was obviously higher than single DESs (33.81%) and UAE (5.83%), respectively, and the PsP appeared favorably antioxidant function. This research proposed an efficient extraction method for PsP, filled the basic research gap, and further improved the development of PsP as a dietary supplement with antioxidant function in the food industry.

Ultrasound-assisted enzyme extraction and properties of Shatian pomelo peel polysaccharide

In this study, Shatian pomelo peel was used as the raw material for extracting polysaccharides using hot water extraction (HW) and ultrasonic-assisted enzyme (UVE) methods, respectively. The optimal parameters for extractingShatian pomelo peel polysaccharides (StPP) using the ultrasound-assisted enzymatic method were determined using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions for the extraction of StPP were as follows: ultrasound power 350 W, ultrasound time 50 min, enzymatic digestion time 50 min, compound enzyme addition 1.5%, and enzymatic digestion temperature 55 °C. The yield of StPP was found to be 30.1310% under these conditions. Comparing the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of StPP extracted using different methods, it was observed that ultrasound-assisted enzyme extraction resulted in higher yield, sugar content and glucuronic acid content of StPP compared to traditional hot water extraction. Additionally, StPP extracted by ultrasound-assisted enzyme extraction showed better antioxidant activity. These results suggest that ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction is an effective method to enhance the activity of natural polysaccharides.

Extraction, purification, structural characterization and biological activity of polysaccharides from Fritillaria: A review

Fritillaria is a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) with a history of thousands of years. Fritillaria always contain saponins, alkaloids, amino acids, flavones, and polysaccharides. Among them, Fritillaria polysaccharide has a variety of biological activities. Its anti-inflammatory and antiaging activities are new study hotspots. The extraction, purification, quantitative determination, monosaccharide composition, and biological activity of Fritillaria polysaccharides have been examined for several years in an attempt to identify the active components and understand the pharmacological process. In this review, ample original publications related to the distribution, extraction, purification, quantitative determination, monosaccharide composition and biological activities of Fritillaria until 2023 were searched and collected by using various literature databases. Databases included the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP database, Wan Fang database, PubMed, Elsevier, Springer, Science Direct, Google Scholar and Web of Science database, as well as the classic Chinese medical books and PhD and MSc theses. The properties and outcomes of various extractions, purifications, quantitative determination methods, monosaccharide compositions, and biological activities of Fritillaria polysaccharides are discussed here. Additionally, we summarize the research potential of Fritillaria polysaccharide and identify promising research direction candidates.

Extraction, purification, structure characteristics, biological activities and pharmaceutical application of Bupleuri Radix Polysaccharide: A review

Bupleuri Radix (BR), as a well-known plant medicine of relieving exterior syndrome, has a long history of usage in China. Bupleuri Radix Polysaccharide (BRP), as the main component and an important bioactive substance of BR, has a variety of pharmacological activities, including immunoregulation, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-diabetic and anti-aging, etc. In this review, the advancements on extraction, purification, structure characteristics, biological activities and pharmaceutical application of BRP from different sources (Bupleurum chinense DC., Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd., Bupleurum falcatum L. and Bupleurum smithii Woiff. var. Parvifolium Shan et Y. Li.) are summarized. Meanwhile, this review makes an in-depth discussion on the shortcomings of the research on BRP, and new valuable insights for the future researches of BRP are proposed.

Preliminary Structural Characterization of Selenium Nanoparticle Composites Modified by Astragalus Polysaccharide and the Cytotoxicity Mechanism on Liver Cancer Cells

Astragalus alcohol soluble polysaccharide (AASP) could present superior water solubility and antitumor activity with high concentration. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have received growing attention in various fields, but their unstable property increases the application difficulties. In the present study, functionalized nano-composites (AASP-SeNPs) were synthesized through SeNPs using AASP (average molecular weight of 2.1 × 10³ Da) as a surface modifier, and the preliminary structural characteristics and inhibitory mechanism on liver cancer (HepG2) cells were investigated. Results showed that AASP-SeNPs prepared under a sodium selenite/AASP mass ratio of 1/20 (w/w) were uniformly spherical with a mean grain size of 49.80 nm and exhibited superior dispersivity and stability in water solution. Moreover, the composites could dose-dependently inhibit HepG2 cell proliferation and induce apoptosis through effectively regulating mitochondria-relevant indicators including ΔΨm depletion stimulation, intracellular ROS accumulation, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio improvement, and Cytochrome c liberation promotion. These results provide scientific references for future applications in functional food and drug industries.

Selenium-Modified Chitosan Induces HepG2 Cell Apoptosis and Differential Protein Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Chitosan is the product of the natural polysaccharide chitin removing part of the acetyl group, and exhibits various physiological and bioactive functions. Selenium modification has been proved to further enhance the chitosan bioactivities, and has been a hot topic recently.

METHODS

The present study aimed to investigate the potential inhibitory mechanism of selenium-modified chitosan (SMC) on HepG2 cells through MTT assays, morphological observation, annexin V-FITC/PI double staining, mitochondrial membrane potential determination, cell-cycle detection, Western blotting, and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE).

RESULTS

The results indicated that SMC can induce HepG2 cell apoptosis with the cell cycle arrested in the S and G2/M phases and gradual disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, reduce the expression of Bcl2, and improve the expression of Bax, cytochrome C, cleaved caspase 9, and cleaved caspase 3. Also, 2-DE results showed that tubulin α1 B chain, myosin regulatory light chain 12A, calmodulin, UPF0568 protein chromosome 14 open reading frame 166, and the cytochrome C oxidase subunit 5B of HepG2 cells were downregulated in HepG2 cells after SMC treatment.

DISCUSSION

These data suggested that HepG2 cells induced apoptosis after SMC treatment via blocking the cell cycle in the S and G2/M phases, which might be mediated through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. These results could be of benefit to future practical applications of SMC in the food and drug fields.