Paeonol suppresses lipid formation and promotes lipid degradation in adipocytes

The gut-liver axis in fatty liver disease: role played by natural products

Fatty liver disease, a condition characterized by fatty degeneration of the liver, mainly classified as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD), has become a leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. The gut-liver axis is the bidirectional relationship between the gut and its microbiota and its liver. The liver can communicate with the gut through the bile ducts, while the portal vein transports the products of the gut flora to the liver. The intestinal flora and its metabolites directly and indirectly regulate hepatic gene expression, leading to an imbalance in the gut-liver axis and thus contributing to the development of liver disease. Utilizing natural products for the prevention and treatment of various metabolic diseases is a prevalent practice, and it is anticipated to represent the forthcoming trend in the development of drugs for combating NAFLD/ALD. This paper discusses the mechanism of the enterohepatic axis in fatty liver, summarizes the important role of plant metabolites in natural products in fatty liver treatment by regulating the enterohepatic axis, and provides a theoretical basis for the subsequent development of new drugs and clinical research.

Protective mechanism of Paeonol on central nervous system

Cerebrovascular diseases involve neuronal damage, resulting in degenerative neuropathy and posing a serious threat to human health. The discovery of effective drug components from natural plants and the study of their mechanism are a research idea different from chemical synthetic medicines. Paeonol is the main active component of traditional Chinese medicine Paeonia lactiflora Pall. It widely exists in many medicinal plants and has pharmacological effects such as anti-atherosclerosis, antiplatelet aggregation, anti-oxidation, and anti-inflammatory, which keeps generally used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Based on the therapeutic effects of Paeonol for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, this article reviewed the pharmacological effects of Paeonol in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, epilepsy, diabetes encephalopathy, and other neurological diseases, providing a reference for the research of the mechanism of Paeonol in central nervous system diseases.

Targeted intervention of natural medicinal active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine on epigenetic modification: Possible strategies for prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND

Atherosclerosis is a deadly consequence of cardiovascular disease and has very high mortality rate worldwide. The epigenetic modifications can regulate the pervasiveness and progression of atherosclerosis through its involvement in regulation of inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism and several other factors. Specific non-coding RNAs, DNA methylation, and histone modifications are key regulatory factors of atherosclerosis. Natural products from traditional Chinese medicine have shown promising therapeutic potential against atherosclerosis by means of regulating the expression of specific genes, stabilizing arterial plaques and protecting vascular endothelial cells.

OBJECTIVE

Our study is focusing to explore the pathophysiology and probability of traditional Chinese medicine and natural medicinal active ingredients to treat atherosclerosis.

METHODS

Comprehensive literature review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and China National Knowledge Infrastructure with a core focus on natural medicinal active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine prying in epigenetic modification related to atherosclerosis.

RESULTS

Accumulated evidence demonstrated that natural medicinal active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine have been widely studied as substances that can regulate epigenetic modification. They can participate in the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis through inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, cell proliferation and migration, macrophage polarization and autophagy respectively.

CONCLUSION

The function of natural medicinal active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine in regulating epigenetic modification may provide a new potential strategy for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis. However, more extensive research is essential to determine the potential of these natural medicinal active ingredients to treat atherosclerosis because of least clinical data.