The extract of Ziziphus jujuba fruit (jujube) induces expression of erythropoietin via hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in cultured Hep3B cells

The fruit of Ziziphus jujuba Mill., known as jujube or Chinese date, is commonly consumed as health supplement or herbal medicine worldwide. To study the beneficial role of jujube in enhancing hematopoietic function, we investigated its roles on the expression of erythropoietin in cultured Hep3B human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Application of chemically standardized jujube water extract stimulated erythropoietin expression in a dose-dependent manner, with the highest response by ~ 100 % of increase. A plasmid containing hypoxia response element, a critical regulator for erythropoietin transcription, was transfected into Hep3B cells. Application of jujube water extract onto the transfected cells induced the transcriptional activity of the hypoxia response element. To account for its transcriptional activation, the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α was increased after treatment with jujube water extract: the increase was in both mRNA and protein levels. These results confirmed the hematopoietic function of jujube in the regulation of erythropoietin expression in liver cells.

A standardized extract of the fruit of Ziziphus jujuba (Jujube) induces neuronal differentiation of cultured PC12 cells: a signaling mediated by protein kinase A

The fruit of Ziziphus jujuba Mill., known as Chinese date or jujube, is consumed as a health supplement worldwide. To study the role of jujube in brain benefits, its effects on neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells were studied. Application of jujube water extract induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, >25% of which were differentiated; this effect was similar to that of nerve growth factor. In parallel, the expressions of neurofilaments (NFs) in jujube-treated cultures showed a dose-dependent increase, with the highest inductions by ∼150% for NF68 and NF160 and by ∼100% for NF200. Application of H89, a protein kinase A inhibitor, attenuated jujube-induced neurite outgrowth of the cultures. Besides, using jujube extract induced the phosphorylation of cAMP responsive element binding protein on PC12 cells, which was blocked by H89. These results support the use of jujube as a food supplement for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases in which neurotrophin deficiency is involved.

Chemical and biological assessment of Ziziphus jujuba fruits from China: different geographical sources and developmental stages

Chinese date, the fruit of Ziziphus jujuba Mill., has thousands of years cultivation history, and about 700 cultivars of dates in China. Two types of dates are commonly found in the market: (i) fresh immature dates consumed as fruits, and (ii) dried mature dates used as Chinese medicines. Here, chemical and biological properties of these dates were revealed. Different sources of dates showed similar chemical profiles; however, the amounts of identified chemicals showed a great variation. The amount of nucleotides, flavonoids and polysaccharides in dates could be affected by its maturity and drying process. In parallel, the antioxidative functions of their extracts were compared. The date extracts protected PC12 cells against tBHP-induced cytotoxicity, and which also stimulated the transcriptional activity of antioxidant response element. The antioxidative effects were varied among different dates. The current results suggested the optimization of sources and specific usage of different maturity dates.

Importance of wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix in Si Wu Tang, a traditional herbal formula for treating women's ailments

Si Wu Tang (Four Agents Decoction), a traditional Chinese decoction composed of Angelica Sinensis Radix, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Paeoniae Radix Alba, and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata in a ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 : 1, has been used to treat women's diseases for more than a thousand years. According to the original description of Si Wu Tang, Angelica Sinensis Radix should be treated with wine. However, the importance of this wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix in Si Wu Tang's function has not been identified. In this article, the chemical and biological properties of two decoctions processed in different ways (Si Wu Tang with crude Angelica Sinensis Radix and Si Wu Tang with wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix) were compared for examination. The herbal decoction Si Wu Tang prepared from wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix contained much different amounts of its active compounds. Compared with Si Wu Tang using crude Angelica Sinensis Radix, Si Wu Tang prepared from wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix had better biological responses. Therefore, these findings accentuate the functional importance of herbs treated with wine in the Chinese decoction.

Chemical and biological assessment of angelica roots from different cultivated regions in a chinese herbal decoction danggui buxue tang

Roots of Angelica sinensis (Danggui) have been used in promoting blood circulation as herbal medicine for over 2000 years in China. Another species of Angelica roots called A. gigas is being used in Korea. To reveal the efficiency of different Angelica roots, the chemical and biological properties of Angelica roots from different cultivated regions were compared. Roots of A. sinensis contained higher levels of ferulic acid, Z-ligustilide, and senkyunolide A, while high amounts of butylphthalide and Z-butylenephthalide were found in A. gigas roots. The extracts deriving from A. gigas roots showed better effects in osteogenic and estrogenic properties than that of A. sinensis from China. However, this difference was markedly reduced when the Angelica roots were being prepared in a Chinese herbal decoction together with Astragali Radix as Danggui Buxue Tang. In contrast, the herbal decoction prepared from A. sinensis roots showed better responses in cell cultures. In addition, the extracts of A. gigas roots showed strong cell toxicity both as single herb and as Danggui Buxue Tang. This result revealed the distinct properties of Angelica roots from China and Korea suggesting the specific usage of herb in preparing a unique herbal decoction.

Fo shou san, an ancient herbal decoction prepared from angelicae sinensis radix and chuanxiong rhizoma, induces erythropoietin expression: a signaling mediated by the reduced degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor in cultured liver cells

Fo Shou San (FSS) is an ancient herbal decoction composed of Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR; Danggui) and Chuanxiong Rhizoma (CR; Chuanxiong) in a ratio of 3:2. FSS is mainly prescribed for patients having a deficiency of blood supply, and it indeed has been shown to stimulate the production of erythropoietin (EPO) in cultured cells. In order to reveal the mechanism of this FSS-induced EPO gene expression, the upstream regulatory cascade, via hypoxia-induced signaling, was revealed here in cultured hepatocellular carcinoma cell line Hep3B. The induction of EPO gene expression, triggered by FSS, was revealed in cultured hepatocytes by: (i) the increase of EPO mRNA; and (ii) the activation of the hypoxia response element (HRE), an upstream regulator of the EPO gene. The FSS-induced EPO gene expression was triggered by an increased expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1 α) protein; however, the mRNA expression of HIF-1 α was not altered by the treatment of FSS. The increased HIF-1 α was a result of reduced protein degradation after the FSS treatment. The current results therefore provide one of the molecular mechanisms of this ancient herbal decoction for its hematopoietic function.

Chemical and biological assessment of Angelicae Sinensis Radix after processing with wine: an orthogonal array design to reveal the optimized conditions

The roots of Angelica sinensis [Angelica Sinensis Radix (ASR)] have been used as a common health food supplement for women's care for thousands of years in China. According to Asian tradition, ASR could be processed with the treatment of wine, which subsequently promoted the biological functions of ASR. By chemical and biological assessments, an orthogonal array design was employed here to determine the roles of three variable parameters in the processing of ASR, including oven temperature, baking time, and flipping frequency. The results suggested that oven temperature and baking time were two significant factors, while flipping frequency was a subordinate factor. The optimized condition of processing with wine therefore was considered to be heating in an oven at 80 °C for 90 min with flipping twice per hour. Under the optimized processing conditions, the solubilities of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide from ASR were markedly increased and decreased, respectively. In parallel, the biological functions of processed ASR were enhanced in both anti-platelet aggregation and estrogenic activation; these increased functions could be a result of the altered levels of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide in wine-processed ASR. Thus, the chemical and biological assessment of the processed ASR was in full accordance with the Chinese old tradition.

Flavonoids from Radix Astragali induce the expression of erythropoietin in cultured cells: a signaling mediated via the accumulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α

Radix Astragali (RA) is commonly used as a health food supplement to reinforce the body vital energy. Flavonoids, including formononetin, ononin, calycosin, and calycosin-7-O-β-d-glucoside, are considered to be the major active ingredients within RA. Here, we provided different lines of evidence that the RA flavonoids stimulated the expression of erythropoietin (EPO), the central regulator of red blood cell mass, in cultured human embryonic kidney fibroblasts (HEK293T). A plasmid containing hypoxia response element (HRE), a critical regulator for EPO transcription, was tagged upstream of a firefly luciferase gene, namely, pHRE-Luc, which was being transfected into fibroblasts. The application of RA flavonoids onto the transfected cells induced the transcriptional activity of HRE. To account for the transcriptional activation after the treatment of flavonoids, the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) was markedly increased: The increase was in both mRNA and protein levels. In addition, the degradation of HIF-1α was reduced under the effect of flavonoids. The regulation of HIF-1α therefore could account for the activation of EPO expression mediated by the RA flavonoids. The current results therefore reveal the function of this herb in enhancing hematopoietic functions.