Molecular mechanism of the anti-diabetic activity of an identified oligosaccharide from Rosa canina

The Antiobesity Effects of Rosehip (Rosa canina) Flesh by Antagonizing the PPAR Gamma Activity in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

SCOPE

The rosehip (Rosa canina) is a perennial shrub with a reddish pseudofruit that has demonstrated antidiabetic, antiatherosclerotic, and antiobesogenic effects in rodent models but there is low information about the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects on the onset and progression of diet-induced obesity.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Four-week-old C57BL/6J male mice are subjected to a high-fat diet (HFD)-supplemented or not with R. canina flesh for 18 weeks. The results indicated that the R. canina flesh exerts a preventive effect on HFD-induced obesity with a significant reduction in body-weight gain and an improvement of hyperglycemia and insulin resistance caused by a HFD. At the tissue level, subcutaneous white adipose tissue exhibits a higher number of smaller adipocytes, with decreased lipogenesis. On its side, the liver shows a significant decrease in lipid droplet content and in the expression of genes related to lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, and glucose metabolism. Finally, the data suggest that most of these effects agree with the presence of a putative Perosxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) antagonist in the R. canina flesh.

CONCLUSIONS

R. canina flesh dietary supplementation slows down the steatotic effect of a HFD at least in part through the regulation of the transcriptional activity of PPARγ.

A Comprehensive Review on Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Rosa Species (Rosaceae)

The Rosa L. genus is a significant plant family in the Rosaceae group, consisting of around 200 species, primarily shrubs. In India, it has 37 species, most located in the Western Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Roses are highly regarded for their beauty and growth and are popular worldwide for their nutritional, therapeutic, ornamental, and cosmetic value. The rose hips are utilized in creating various food and drink items, such as jams, jellies, teas, and alcoholic beverages. The Rosa species has various pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, anti-proliferative/anticancer, anti-arthritic, neurological, and anti-obesity activity. This review aims to provide an in- -depth overview of the phytochemistry and pharmacology of the Rosa species in India, focusing on Rosa indica L., which has significant potential for future chemical and biological research.

Targeted UHPLC-QTOF-IMS based metabolite profiling for bioactive compounds in Rosa webbiana wallich ex royle: An unexploited native from western himalayas

The current study focused on the tissues of wild Rosa webbiana from different altitudes of Indian Western Himalayas for vitamin C content, total phenolics, flavonoids, total sugars, and antioxidant potential. To date, there are very few studies on underutilized tissues viz. fruits, leaves and stem of Rosa webbiana growing in the higher altitudes. The targeted UHPLC-QTOF-IMS illustrated the phenolics fingerprinting of tissue extracts. Twelve bioactive compounds were detected with quercetin, kaempferol, and their derivatives dominantly in stem and leaves. The results have revealed that fruits possessed the highest vitamin C, and sugar contents (960, and 191.6 mg/100 g, respectively). Compared to other tissues, leaves showed the highest total phenolics as well as best results in vitro assays employed to assess antioxidant potential. The antioxidant activity showed a positive correlation with total phenolics. A significant variation in total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant potential was mainly attributed to oxidative stress on plants due to altitude difference, and secondary metabolite production. Taken together, the underutilized tissues of Rosa webbiana could be exploited as a promising, low-cost resource of phenolic compounds in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Our study will pave the way to developing food products from Rosa webbiana, a natural source for health-conscious people.

Evidence-Based Anti-Diabetic Properties of Plant from the Occitan Valleys of the Piedmont Alps

Data on urban and rural diabetes prevalence ratios show a significantly lower presence of diabetes in rural areas. Several bioactive compounds of plant origin are known to exert anti-diabetic properties. Interestingly, most of them naturally occur in different plants present in mountainous areas and are linked to traditions of herbal use. This review will aim to evaluate the last 10 years of evidence-based data on the potential anti-diabetic properties of 9 plants used in the Piedmont Alps (North-Western Italy) and identified through an ethnobotanical approach, based on the Occitan language minority of the Cuneo province (Sambucus nigra L., Achillea millefolium L., Cornus mas L., Vaccinium myrtillus L., Fragaria vesca L., Rosa canina L., Rubus idaeus L., Rubus fruticosus/ulmifolius L., Urtica dioica L.), where there is a long history of herbal remedies. The mechanism underlying the anti-hyperglycemic effects and the clinical evidence available are discussed. Overall, this review points to the possible use of these plants as preventive or add-on therapy in treating diabetes. However, studies of a single variety grown in the geographical area, with strict standardization and titration of all the active ingredients, are warranted before applying the WHO strategy 2014-2023.

Influence of a Polyherbal Choline Source in Dogs: Body Weight Changes, Blood Metabolites, and Gene Expression

Choline chloride is used to provide choline in dog foods; however, in other domestic species, it has been replaced with a polyherbal containing phosphatidylcholine. A polyherbal containing Achyrantes aspera, Trachyspermum ammi, Citrullus colocynthis, Andrographis paniculata, and Azadirachta indica was evaluated in adult dogs through body weight changes, subcutaneous fat thickness, blood metabolites, and gene expression. Forty dogs (4.6 ± 1.6 years old) who were individually housed in concrete kennels were randomly assigned to the following treatments: unsupplemented diet (377 mg choline/kg), choline chloride (3850 mg/kg equivalent to 2000 mg choline/kg diet), and polyherbal (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg) for 60 days. Blood samples were collected on day 59 for biochemistry, biometry, and gene expression analysis through microarray assays. Intake, final body weight, and weight changes were similar for the two choline sources. Feed intake variation among dogs (p = 0.01) and dorsal fat (p = 0.03) showed a quadratic response to herbal choline. Dogs that received the polyherbal diet had reduced blood cholesterol levels (Quadratic, p = 0.02). The gene ontology analysis indicated that 15 biological processes were modified (p ≤ 0.05) with implications for preventing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer prevention, inflammatory and immune response, and behavior and cognitive process. According to these results that were observed in a 60 day trial, the polyherbal form could replace choline chloride in dog diets at a concentration of 400 mg/kg.

In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Bioactive Compounds from Rosehip-Enriched Corn Extrudates

The rosehip (Rosa canina L.) fruit has gained researchers′ attention due to its rich chemical composition in vitamin C, phenols, carotenoids, and high antioxidant activity; meanwhile, polymers such as pea protein are generally recognized as exhibiting a protection role against the extrusion process. Corn snacks extrudates obtained by replacing corn flour with 10% R. canina powder (R) and 10% R. canina with pea protein (RPP) were evaluated for the physicochemical, textural, optical, and nutritional characteristics. A sample manufactured without R. canina powder was used as a control. Hardness, crispiness, chewiness, and solubility index (WSI) of the final extrudates were improved by addition of R. canina and pea protein powder (PP); meanwhile, b* (yellow/blue coordinate), C (chroma), and h* (tone) optical parameters were significantly different from the control sample (p < 0.05). Extrusion highlighted a negative impact on total phenols, carotenoids, vitamin C, and antioxidant activity extrudates, while PP exhibited a good protection against the extrusion process. In vitro digestion increased the bioaccessibility of vitamin C, folate, antioxidant activity, total phenols, and total carotenoids mainly on RPP extrudates.

Antidiabetic potential of the isolated fractions from the plants of Rosaceae family in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Background and purpose:

Diabetes is a group of multifactorial disorders characterized by chronic-elevated blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia). Natural remedies are used as alternative medications to treat diabetes. Here, we tested the protective effect of the plant extracts of the Rosaceae family on improving insulin secretion and repairing the pancreatic beta cells in diabetic rats.

Experimental approach:

The oligosaccharide fraction was isolated from the Rosaceae family of herbs. LC-MS/MS was applied to characterize the isolated fractions. The male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups, 10 each, including the control group with no intervention, diabetic rats without treatment, diabetic rats that received the extract of Malus domestica (apple), Cydonia oblonga (quince), Prunus persica (nectarine), and Prunus persica (peach), separately. Rats were monitored for the weight, fasting plasma glucose, and insulin levels. The effect of extracts in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats on the pancreatic islets was evaluated by morphometric analysis.

Findings/Results:

LC-MS/MS results indicated a similar mass spectrum of isolated fractions from nectarine and peach with Rosa canina. Oral administration of nectarine and peach extracts to STZ-induced diabetic rats showed restoration of blood glucose levels to normal levels with a concomitant increase in insulin levels. Morphometric analysis of pancreatic sections revealed the increase in number, diameter, volume, and area of the pancreatic islets in the diabetic rats treated with extracts compared to the untreated diabetic rats.

Conclusion and implications:

Nectarine and peach extracts’ anti-diabetic properties improved insulin secretion and pancreatic beta-cell function and subsequently led to restoring pancreatic islet mass in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Medical Species Used in Russia for the Management of Diabetes and Related Disorders

Background: Polyherbal mixtures called "medical species" are part of traditional and officinal medicine in Russia. This review aimed to analyze medical species used in Russia for the treatment of diabetes and related disorders. The information relevant to medical species, diabetes, and obesity was collected from local libraries, the online service E-library.ru, and Google Scholar. The prediction of the antidiabetic activity for the principal compounds identified in plants was performed using the free web resource PASS Online. Results: We collected and analyzed information about the compositions, specificities of use, and posology of 227 medical species. The medical species represent mixtures of 2-15 plants, while the most frequently mentioned in the literature are species comprising 3-6 plants. The top 10 plants among the 158 mentioned in the literature include Vaccinium myrtillus L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Taraxacum campylodes G.E. Haglund., Urtica dioica L., Rosa spp., Hypericum spp., Galega officinalis L., Mentha × piperita L., Arctium spp, and Fragaria vesca L. The leading binary combination found in medical species comprises the leaves of V. myrtillus and pericarp of P. vulgaris; leaves of V. myrtillus and leaves of U. dioica; and leaves of V. myrtillus and aerial parts of G. officinalis. In triple combinations, in addition to the above-mentioned components, the roots of T. campylodes are often used. These combinations can be regarded as basic mixtures. Other plants are added to improve the efficacy, treat associated disorders, improve gastrointestinal function, prevent allergic reactions, etc. Meanwhile, an increase in plants in the mixture necessitates advanced techniques for quality control. A feature of medical species in Russia is the addition of fresh juices, birch sap, seaweeds, and adaptogenic plants. Modern studies of the mechanisms of action and predicted activities of the principal compounds from medicinal plants support the rationality of polyherbal mixtures. Nevertheless, the mechanisms are not well studied and reported due to the limited number of compounds. Further investigations with calculations of synergistic or additive indices are important for strengthening the scientific fundamentals for the wider use of medical species in the therapy of diabetes. Two medical species, "Arfazetin" (7 medicinal plants) and "Myrphasinum" (12 medicinal plants), are approved for use in officinal medicine. The efficacy of these species was confirmed in several in vivo experiments and clinical trials. According to modern regulatory rules, additional experiments and clinical trials are required for more detailed investigations of the mechanisms of action and confirmation of efficacy. Conclusion: We believe that the scientifically based utilization of rich plant resources and knowledge of Russian herbal medicine can significantly contribute to the local economy as well as to the sectors seeking natural healing products.