Effects of dietary supplementation with the solanaceae plant alkaloid anatabine on joint pain and stiffness: results from an internet-based survey study

Systems biology reveals anatabine to be an NRF2 activator

Anatabine, an alkaloid present in plants of the Solanaceae family (including tobacco and eggplant), has been shown to ameliorate chronic inflammatory conditions in mouse models, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, and intestinal inflammation. However, the mechanisms of action of anatabine remain unclear. To understand the impact of anatabine on cellular systems and identify the molecular pathways that are perturbed, we designed a study to examine the concentration-dependent effects of anatabine on various cell types by using a systems pharmacology approach. The resulting dataset, consisting of measurements of various omics data types at different time points, was analyzed by using multiple computational techniques. To identify concentration-dependent activated pathways, we performed linear modeling followed by gene set enrichment. To predict the functional partners of anatabine and the involved pathways, we harnessed the LINCS L1000 dataset’s wealth of information and implemented integer linear programming on directed graphs, respectively. Finally, we experimentally verified our key computational predictions. Using an appropriate luciferase reporter cell system, we were able to demonstrate that anatabine treatment results in NRF2 (nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2) translocation, and our systematic phosphoproteomic assays showed that anatabine treatment results in activation of MAPK signaling. While there are certain areas to be explored in deciphering the exact anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action of anatabine and other NRF2 activators, we believe that anatabine constitutes an interesting molecule for its therapeutic potential in NRF2-related diseases.

Anatabine attenuates ovalbumin-induced asthma via oxidative stress and inflammation mitigation and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling upregulation in rats

AIMS

Asthma affects a large number of people worldwide and is characterized by chronic allergic airway inflammation. Anatabine is a natural alkaloid that is structurally similar to nicotine and found in the Solanaceae family of plants, with anti-inflammatory properties. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate the potential therapeutic effect of anatabine against asthma.

MAIN METHODS

Ovalbumin was used to induce asthma in rats. Two asthmatic groups were treated with low and high doses of anatabine.

KEY FINDINGS

Asthmatic animals experienced increased total leukocyte count and inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), bronchitis, and bronchopneumonia associated with mast cell infiltration. Additionally, inducible nitric oxide synthase immunostaining was observed, with decreased pulmonary antioxidant capacity and enzymes and decreased Nrf2 and HO-1 gene expression while increased NFκB-P65 expression. Interestingly, asthmatic animals treated with anatabine at both doses showed dose-dependently decreased inflammatory cells and cytokine levels within BALF reduced inflammation in the airways through decreased mast cell infiltration within lung tissues and increased antioxidant enzymes and Nrf2 and Ho-1 expression levels.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our results highlight the potential beneficial effect of anatabine against asthma through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms. Therefore, anatabine is a promising candidate for pulmonary asthma treatment.

Anatabine ameliorates intestinal inflammation and reduces the production of pro-inflammatory factors in a dextran sulfate sodium mouse model of colitis

Background

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the collective term for chronic immune-mediated diseases of unknown, multifactorial etiology, arising from the interplay between genetic and environmental factors and including two main disease manifestations: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease. In the last few decades, naturally occurring alkaloids have gained interest because of their substantial anti-inflammatory effects in several animal models of disease. Studies on mouse models of IBD have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory action of the main tobacco alkaloid, nicotine. In addition, anatabine, a minor tobacco alkaloid also present in peppers, tomato, and eggplant presents anti-inflammatory properties in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties of nicotine and anatabine in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) mouse model of UC.

Results

Oral administration of anatabine, but not nicotine, reduced the clinical symptoms of DSS-induced colitis. The result of gene expression analysis suggested that anatabine had a restorative effect on global DSS-induced gene expression profiles, while nicotine only had limited effects. Accordingly, MAP findings revealed that anatabine reduced the colonic abundance of DSS-associated cytokines and increased IL-10 abundance.

Conclusions

Our results support the amelioration of inflammatory effects by anatabine in the DSS mouse model of UC, and suggest that anatabine constitutes a promising therapeutic agent for IBD treatment.

Effects of tobacco smoke constituents, anabasine and anatabine, on memory and attention in female rats

Nicotine has been well characterized to improve memory and attention. Nicotine is the primary, but not only neuroactive compound in tobacco. Other tobacco constituents such as anabasine and anatabine also have agonist actions on nicotinic receptors. The current study investigated the effects of anabasine and anatabine on memory and attention. Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained on a win-shift spatial working and reference memory task in the 16-arm radial maze or a visual signal detection operant task to test attention. Acute dose-effect functions of anabasine and anatabine over two orders of magnitude were evaluated for both tasks. In the radial-arm maze memory test, anabasine but not anatabine significantly reduced the memory impairment caused by the NMDA antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801). In the signal detection attentional task, anatabine but not anabasine significantly attenuated the attentional impairment caused by dizocilpine. These studies show that non-nicotine nicotinic agonists in tobacco, similar to nicotine, can significantly improve memory and attentional function. Both anabasine and anatabine produced cognitive improvement, but their effectiveness differed with regard to memory and attention. Follow-up studies with anabasine and anatabine are called for to determine their efficacy as therapeutics for memory and attentional dysfunction.