In silico and in vitro inhibition of host-based viral entry targets and cytokine storm in COVID-19 by ginsenoside compound K

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that emerged as an epidemic, causing a respiratory disease with multiple severe symptoms and deadly consequences. ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 play crucial and synergistic roles in the membrane fusion and viral entry of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 binds to the ACE-2 receptor for viral entry, while TMPRSS2 proteolytically cleaves the S protein into S1 and S2 subunits, promoting membrane fusion. Therefore, ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 are potential drug targets for treating COVID-19, and their inhibition is a promising strategy for treatment and prevention. This study proposes that ginsenoside compound K (G-CK), a triterpenoid saponin abundant in Panax Ginseng, a dietary and medicinal herb highly consumed in Korea and China, effectively binds to and inhibits ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 expression. We initially conducted an in-silico evaluation where G-CK showed a high affinity for the binding sites of the two target proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, we evaluated the stability of G-CK using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for 100 ns, followed by MM-PBSA calculations. The MD simulations and free energy calculations revealed that G-CK has stable and favorable energies, leading to strong binding with the targets. Furthermore, G-CK suppressed ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNA expression in A549, Caco-2, and MCF7 cells at a concentration of 12.5 μg/mL and in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells at a concentration of 6.5 μg/mL, without significant cytotoxicity.ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression were significantly lower in A549 and RAW 264.7 cells following G-CK treatment. These findings suggest that G-CK may evolve as a promising therapeutic against COVID-19.

Transcriptome expression profile of compound-K-enriched red ginseng extract (DDK-401) in Korean volunteers and its apoptotic properties

Ginseng and ginsenosides have been reported to have various pharmacological effects, but their efficacies depend on intestinal absorption. Compound K (CK) is gaining prominence for its biological and pharmaceutical properties. In this study, CK-enriched fermented red ginseng extract (DDK-401) was prepared by enzymatic reactions. To examine its pharmacokinetics, a randomized, single-dose, two-sequence, crossover study was performed with eleven healthy Korean male and female volunteers. The volunteers were assigned to take a single oral dose of one of two extracts, DDK-401 or common red ginseng extract (DDK-204), during the initial period. After a 7-day washout, they received the other extract. The pharmacokinetics of DDK-401 showed that its maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) occurred at 184.8 ± 39.64 ng/mL, Tmax was at 2.4 h, and AUC0-12h was 920.3 ± 194.70 ng h/mL, which were all better than those of DDK-204. The maximum CK absorption in the female volunteers was higher than that in the male volunteers. The differentially expressed genes from the male and female groups were subjected to a KEGG pathway analysis, which showed results in the cell death pathway, such as apoptosis and necroptosis. In cytotoxicity tests, DDK-401 and DDK-204 were not particularly toxic to normal (HaCaT) cells, but at a concentration of 250 μg/mL, DDK-401 had a much higher toxicity to human lung cancer (A549) cells than DDK-204. DDK-401 also showed a stronger antioxidant capacity than DDK-204 in both the DPPH and potassium ferricyanide reducing power assays. DDK-401 reduced the reactive oxygen species production in HaCaT cells with induced oxidative stress and led to apoptosis in the A549 cells. In the mRNA sequence analysis, a signaling pathway with selected marker genes was assessed by RT-PCR. In the HaCaT cells, DDK-401 and DDK-204 did not regulate FOXO3, TLR4, MMP-9, or p38 expression; however, in the A549 cells, DDK-401 downregulated the expressions of MMP9 and TLR4 as well as upregulated the expressions of the p38 and caspase-8 genes compared to DDK-204. These results suggest that DDK-401 could act as a molecular switch for these two cellular processes in response to cell damage signaling and that it could be a potential candidate for further evaluations in health promotion studies.

Molecular Docking and Dynamics Simulation Studies of Ginsenosides with SARS-CoV-2 Host and Viral Entry Protein Targets

Despite the contemporary advancements in the field of science and medicine, combating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is extremely challenging in many aspects as the virus keeps spreading and mutating rapidly. As there is no effective and conclusive drug therapy to date, it is crucial to explore plant-based natural compounds for their potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Recent research highly focuses on screening various phytochemicals to elucidate their anti-viral efficacy. However, very few studies were published investigating the anti-viral efficacy of ginsenosides. Hence, the main aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory potential of the available 122 ginsenosides from Panax ginseng against SARS-CoV-2-related proteins using a molecular docking and molecular dynamics approach. The major bioactive compounds “ginsenosides” of P. ginseng were docked to six vital SAR-CoV-2 host entry-related proteins such as ACE2, Spike RBD, ACE2 and Spike RBD complex, Spike (pre-fused), Spike (post-fused), and HR domain, with lowest binding energies of −9.5 kcal/mol, −8.1 kcal/mol, −10.4 kcal/mol, −10.4 kcal/mol, −9.3 kcal/mol, and −8.2 kcal/mol, respectively. Almost all the ginsenosides have shown low binding energies and were found to be favourable for efficient docking and resultant inhibition of the viral proteins. However, ACE2 has shown the highest interaction capability. Hence, the top five ginsenosides with the highest binding energy with ACE2 were subjected to MD, post MD analysis, and MM/PBSA calculations. MD simulation results have shown higher stability, flexibility, and mobility of the selected compounds. Additionally, MM-PBSA also affirms the docking results. The results obtained from this study have provided highly potential candidates for developing natural inhibitors against COVID-19.

Production of Minor Ginsenoside CK from Major Ginsenosides by Biotransformation and Its Advances in Targeted Delivery to Tumor Tissues Using Nanoformulations

For over 2000 years, ginseng (roots of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine. Ginsenosides are bioactive compounds present in ginseng responsible for the pharmacological effects and curing various acute diseases as well as chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Structurally, ginsenosides consist of a hydrophobic aglycone moiety fused with one to four hydrophilic glycoside moieties. Based on the position of sugar units and their abundance, ginsenosides are classified into major and minor ginsenosides. Despite the great potential of ginsenosides, major ginsenosides are poorly absorbed in the blood circulation, resulting in poor bioavailability. Interestingly, owing to their small molecular weight, minor ginsenosides exhibit good permeability across cell membranes and bioavailability. However, extremely small quantities of minor ginsenosides extracted from ginseng plants cannot fulfill the requirement of scientific and clinical studies. Therefore, the production of minor ginsenosides in mass production is a topic of interest. In addition, their poor solubility and lack of targetability to tumor tissues limits their application in cancer therapy. In this review, various methods used for the transformation of major ginsenosides to minor ginsenoside compound K (CK) are summarized. For the production of CK, various transformation methods apply to major ginsenosides. The challenges present in these transformations and future research directions for producing bulk quantities of minor ginsenosides are discussed. Furthermore, attention is also paid to the utilization of nanoformulation technology to improve the bioavailability of minor ginsenoside CK.

Pomegranate juice fermented by tannin acyl hydrolase and Lactobacillus vespulae DCY75 enhance estrogen receptor expression and anti-inflammatory effect

Phenolics are phytochemicals in plants, fruits, and vegetables have potential health-promoting efficacies. However, mostly available as a complex form. So, to increase the contents and nutritional value of the phenolic compounds, fermentation is most readily used in the food industry. Especially, the hydrolyzable tannins present in the pomegranate that can be liberated into monomolecular substances, which enhances biological activity. Thus, this study aims to convert hydrolyzable tannins to ellagic acid by fermentation using Tannin acyl hydrolase (TAH) and a novel bacteria strain Lactobacillus vespulae DCY75, respectively to investigate its effect on Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) mRNA expression along with inflammation inhibition. As a result, the fermentation enhanced the ellagic acid content up to 70% by the synergetic effect of TAH and DCY75. Furthermore, fermented pomegranate (PG-F) increased cellular proliferation as well as upregulated the gene expression of estrogen regulators such as ERα, ERβ, and pS2 in breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), which commonly used to evaluate estrogenic activity. Moreover, to study the inflammation associated with low estrogen in menopause, we have analyzed the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO)/inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in RAW 264.7 cells. The PG-F juice did not exert any cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 cells and inhibited NO production along with the downregulation of a major pro-inflammatory cytokine iNOS which indicates the anti-inflammatory potential of it. To sum it up, the fermented commercial pomegranate juice using a novel bacteria strain increased the amount of ellagic acid that the value added bioactive of pomegranate and it has significantly increased the estrogenic activity via upregulating estrogen related biomarkers expression and reduced the risk of related inflammation via NO/iNOS inhibition. This study could be a preliminary study to use fermented pomegranate as a potential health functional food after further evaluation.

Development of a 10-day chorioallantoic membrane vascular assay as an alternative to the Draize rabbit eye irritation test

The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of a fertilized hen's egg has been studied extensively as a promising alternative model for predicting eye irritation potential. The specific methodology used with this model has varied among investigators but the basic premise of applying test material to the membrane surface and evaluating changes in the vasculature is relatively consistent. The CAM vascular assay (CAMVA) has shown high correlation with in vivo rabbit eye irritation data. This method uses the CAM of a 14-day-old egg and the response at 30 min after treatment as the endpoint. The primary CAM methods being evaluated in Europe use 9-10-day-old eggs because older eggs are considered 'live animals'; the possibility of using 10-day-old eggs to make the method more globally acceptable as a non-animal test was therefore investigated. By keeping the original CAMVA dosing and evaluation procedures the same, and only altering the age of the eggs from 14-day to 10-day, the results were found to be nearly identical for the two methods and both produce equivalent correlations to the in vivo eye irritation test results. Maintaining the original CAMVA methodology but using a younger egg, therefore, provides a good alternative method for predicting eye irritation potential that is more globally acceptable as a non-animal test.

Gingival absorption of triclosan following topical mouthrinse application

This study assessed the gingival uptake and urinary excretion of triclosan in dogs following topical applications of a mouthrinse containing 0.03% of triclosan. Five different phases were conducted to define the time course of plasma concentration. The effect of plaque on gingival absorption was also measured. Phase I: Animals' teeth were cleaned of plaque via scraping. Blood sampling time was 0-2 hours. Phase II: Plaque was not removed from the animals' teeth. Blood sampling time was 0-2 hours. Phase III: Plaque was not removed from the animals' teeth. Blood sampling time was 0-6 hours. Phase IV: Plaque was not removed from the animals' teeth. Blood sampling time was 0-12 hours. Phase V: Animals' teeth were cleaned of plaque via scraping. Blood sampling time was 0-12 hours. The test substance was administered to 1 male and 1 female dog in Phases I, II, IV and V, and to 1 male dog in Phase III. The same animals were used in each phase. On the first day of each phase, the animals were treated with distilled water for a 15-minute period. The animals were exposed daily to the test material for a 15-minute period during the remaining 7 days of each phase. The test material was administered using custom-made acrylic applicator trays to enclose the maxillar premolars and molars and gingiva of one-half of the upper jaw. A leak-proof seal along the mucogingival junction and palatal mucosa was established and maintained during the exposure period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Safety profile of Colgate Platinum Professional Toothwhitening System

Colgate Platinum, a professional tooth-whitening paste containing 10% urea peroxide as the active ingredient, was evaluated for potential acute oral toxicity, genotoxicity, and irritation to oral mucosa. Oral administration to rats of a single dose of 5 g/kg of Colgate Platinum did not induce any adverse effects. Colgate Platinum was not mutagenic in Ames/Salmonella Plate Incorporation assay and did not induce primary DNA damage in the bone marrow hematopoietic cells of rats that were given oral doses of up to 1 g/kg for 5 consecutive days. Results of the oral mucosa irritation study in rats indicated that Colgate Platinum did not induce damage to soft and hard tissues of oral cavity after repeated applications for 28 days. Collectively, the data from these studies document the safety of the product for the intended use.

Triclosan: a safety profile

Triclosan (2, 4, 4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether), an antimicrobial agent, has been used extensively for 20 years in consumer products, principally in deodorants, soaps and other dermatological preparations. Recently, the use of triclosan has been extended to oral health care products such as dentifrices. This paper reviews safety information, both pre-clinical and clinical studies, from the literature, data submitted to the Antimicrobial I OTC Review Panel and unpublished work from the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department of the Colgate-Palmolive Company. The data spans acute, subacute, subchronic and chronic toxicity; mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, reproduction/teratology and pharmacokinetics. Results of these studies show that triclosan is well tolerated by a variety of species including man. In clinical studies with triclosan in solutions and dentifrices, a steady state was reached by day 7 with blood levels in the parts per billion (ppb) range and urine as the main route of excretion. Based on these studies, triclosan can be considered safe for use in dentifrice and mouthrinse products.

Surfactant-induced alteration of arachidonic acid metabolism of mammalian cells in culture

Primary irritancy in human and animal skin is characterized by an inflammatory reaction mediated, in part, by membrane-derived arachidonate metabolites. One of the mechanisms of this reaction was investigated in cultured mammalian cells using three surfactants: linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS), alkyl ethoxylate sulfate (AEOS), and TWEEN 20. These compounds listed in order in vivo irritancy are LAS greater than AEOS greater than TWEEN 20. Each of these compounds was studied in C3H-10T1/2 cells and human keratinocytes which had been prelabeled with 3H-labeled arachidonic acid (AA). After labeling, media were removed, cells were washed, and fresh media with or without surfactant were added. Cells were then incubated for 2 hr, media were removed and centrifuged, and an aliquot was assayed by liquid scintillation for release of label. In C3H-10T1/2 cells LAS and AEOS in 5-50 microM concentration stimulated 2 to 10 times the release of [3H]AA as compared to controls. In contrast, concentrations of 50-100 microM of TWEEN were required to release [3H]AA. With keratinocytes the same rank order of surfactant concentrations necessary for release was obtained as found with C3H-10T1/2 cells. High-performance liquid chromatography of media extracts of both cell systems revealed surfactant stimulation of the production of cyclooxygenase AA metabolites. These results confirm the induction of release by primary irritants of fatty acid groups from membrane phospholipids. Subsequent metabolism of these fatty acid groups are an integral part of the primary irritant response. Data presented with three known irritants in this in vitro model show a direct correlation with in vivo studies.

D & C Yellow Nos. 10 and 11: delayed contact hypersensitivity in the guinea pig

D & C Yellow No. 11 was found to be a skin sensitizer in guinea pigs at an elicitation concentration of 10.0% in ethanol but not at 1.0 and 3.0%. Sensitization was induced with a 50% suspension in ethanol. D & C Yellow No. 10, the disodium salt of the mono- and disulfonic acids of D & C Yellow No. 11, was not a skin sensitizer nor was it capable of eliciting a response in the D & C Yellow No. 11-sensitized guinea pigs even at a challenge concentration of 10%. Two commercial products, a soap containing 0.015% D & C Yellow No. 11 and a shampoo containing 0.002% D & C Yellow No. 10 did not elicit a reaction in the D & C Yellow No. 11-sensitized guinea pigs.