Role of Acorus calamus in preventing depression, anxiety, and oxidative stress in long-term socially isolated rats

Background and Aim

Social isolation stress (SIS) and individual housing have been shown to cause abnormal cognitive insufficiencies, altered anxiety levels, and signs of psychiatric diseases. Acorus calamus (AC), commonly known as Sweet Flag, has been widely used in India to treat neurological, metabolic, and respiratory disorders, indicating its potential therapeutic value. This study aimed to determine the antidepressant and antioxidative effects of AC on rats subjected to long-term, social isolation-induced stress.

Materials and Methods

This study involved 2-month-old male rats (24) weighing approximately 180-200 g bred in-house. The rats were divided into four groups (n = 6): Group 1 received saline, Group 2 received SIS, Group 3 received only 50 mg/kg AC, and Group 4 received 50 mg/kg AC and SIS for 6 weeks. After this, behavioral, biochemical, and neuronal assays were conducted.

Results

Behavioral experiments showed significantly higher activity levels (p < 0.001) in AC-treated rats than in the SIS group. In addition, rats subjected to SIS with AC treatment exhibited enhanced total antioxidants, superoxide dismutase, and neuronal assays compared to rats subjected to SIS alone.

Conclusion

Acorus calamus treatment improved the antidepressant and antioxidant potential against SIS in rat brain tissue. Moreover, we proved that AC can effectively reverse the neurotoxicity induced by SIS in animal models. As we battle against the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and social isolation, AC could be considered a supplementary treatment to alleviate depressive-like symptoms in our present-day lifestyle.

Distribution of polyphenolic compounds, antioxidant potential, and free amino acids in Ziziphus fruits extract; a study for determining the influence of wider geography

Ziziphus fruits have attracted much attention within the field of medicine due to their high potential against central nervous system disorders. Abundance of secondary metabolites and their composition is key to the pharmaceutical potential and commercial qualities of plants. The in vitro antioxidant activities of Ziziphus nummularia (Burm. f.) and Ziziphus oxyphylla Edgew fruit extract were analyzed using 2,2‐diphenil‐1‐pycrilhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′‐azino‐bis (3‐ethylbenzothiazoline)‐6‐sulfonic acid (ABTS) free radical scavenging assay methods. Phenolic profiles were explored using high‐performance liquid chromatography‐diode array detector (HPLC‐DAD). The result revealed high concentration of polyphenols and their antioxidant potential. In Z. nummularia, the total phenolic content (TPC) (80.270 ± 0.422 μg/ml), DPPH (62.03 ± 0.98 μg/ml), ABTS (66.32 ± 0.73 μg/ml), and TFC (90.683 ± 0.274 μg/ml) were recorded. However, in Z. oxyphylla, DPPH and ABTS values were 60.66 ± 0.56 μg/ml and 61.55 ± 0.77 μg/ml, respectively, indicative of the impacts of climate and soil nutrients. The overall screening of phytochemicals revealed that both the Ziziphus species contain diverse bioactive compounds, including spinacetine‐3‐O‐(2 feruloyl glucopyranosyl)‐glucopyranoside, kaempferol‐3‐O‐glucoside‐7‐O‐glucoside, and caffeic acid; p‐hydroxybenzoyl hexose, p‐coumaric acid, salicylic acid, and ellagic acid pentoxide. Additionally, the highest concentrated amino acid noted was of Lue 0.19 g/100 g with 596.00 retention time (RT), followed by Thr>Ale>Isl>Phya>Val in Z. nummularia. Similarly, the highest concentration of Lue amino acid was recorded as 0.18/100 g with 564.52 RT followed by Pr>Thr>Ale>Lue>Isl>Phya>Val in all genotypes of Z. oxyphylla. Reporting of polyphenols rich and stable species along with identification of favorable regions of cultivation for amino acid, polyphenols, and higher antioxidant potential may lead the way for the identification of elite clones of the species as well as may result in new drug discovery.

Old dog, new tricks: Polydatin as a multitarget agent for current diseases

Polydatin (PD) is a natural single-crystal product that is primarily extracted from the traditional plant Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. Early research showed that PD exhibited a variety of biological activities. PD has attracted increasing research interest since 2014, but no review comprehensively summarized the new findings. A great gap between its biological activities and drug development remains. It is necessary to summarize new findings on the pharmacological effects of PD on current diseases. We propose that PD will most likely be used in cardiac and cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion-related diseases and atherosclerosis in the future. The present work classified these new findings according to diseases and summarized the main effects of PD via specific mechanisms of action. In summary, we found that PD played a therapeutic role in a variety of diseases, primarily via five mechanisms: antioxidative effects, antiinflammatory effects, regulation of autophagy and apoptosis, maintenance of mitochondrial function, and lipid regulation.

Two Birds One Stone: The Neuroprotective Effect of Antidiabetic Agents on Parkinson Disease-Focus on Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease affecting more than 1% of the population over 65 years old. The etiology of the disease is unknown and there are only symptomatic managements available with no known disease-modifying treatment. Aging, genes, and environmental factors contribute to PD development and key players involved in the pathophysiology of the disease include oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, autophagic-lysosomal imbalance, and neuroinflammation. Recent epidemiology studies have shown that type-2 diabetes (T2DM) not only increased the risk for PD, but also is associated with PD clinical severity. A higher rate of insulin resistance has been reported in PD patients and is suggested to be a pathologic driver in this disease. Oral diabetic drugs including sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors have been shown to provide neuroprotective effects in both PD patients and experimental models; additionally, antidiabetic drugs have been demonstrated to lower incidence rates of PD in DM patients. Among these, the most recently developed drugs, SGLT2 inhibitors may provide neuroprotective effects through improving mitochondrial function and antioxidative effects. In this article, we will discuss the involvement of mitochondrial-related oxidative stress in the development of PD and potential benefits provided by antidiabetic agents especially focusing on sglt2 inhibitors.

Health promoting activities of probiotics

In recent years, probiotics have received increasing attention and become one type of popular functional food because of their many biological functions. Among these desirable biological functions, the immune regulation, antioxidative activities, and antimicrobial effects are essential properties to maintain host health. Probiotics can regulate the immune system and improve the antioxidative system by producing microbial components and metabolites. Meanwhile, probiotics also possess antimicrobial abilities owing to their competition for nutrient requirements and mucus adherence, reducing pathogenic toxins, producing antimicrobial metabolites (short-chain fatty acids, bacteriocins, reuterin, linoleic acid, and secondary bile acids) and enhancing intestinal, or systemic immunity. Therefore, probiotics could be used to alleviate heavy metal toxicity and metabolic disorders by improving immunity, the antioxidative system, and intestinal micro-environment. This comprehensive review mainly highlights the potential health promoting activities of probiotics based on their antioxidative, antimicrobial, and immune regulatory effects. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The antioxidative defense and the immune system are essential to maintain human health. However, many factors may result in microbial dysbiosis in the gut, which subsequently leads to pathogenic expansion, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses. Therefore, it is important to explore beneficial foods to prevent or suppress these abnormal responses. Successful application of probiotics in the functional foods has attracted increasing attention due to their immune regulatory, antioxidative, and antimicrobial properties. The aim of this review is to introduce immune regulatory antioxidative and antimicrobial effects of probiotics, which provides some basic theories for scientific research and development of potential functional foods.

Hop Compounds: Extraction Techniques, Chemical Analyses, Antioxidative, Antimicrobial, and Anticarcinogenic Effects

Hop plants comprise a variety of natural compounds greatly differing in their structure and properties. A wide range of methods have been developed for their isolation and chemical analysis, as well as for determining their antioxidative, antimicrobial, and antigenotoxic potentials. This contribution provides an overview of extraction and fractionation techniques of the most important hop compounds known for their health-promoting features. Although hops remain the principal ingredient for providing the taste, stability, and antimicrobial protection of beer, they have found applications in the pharmaceutical and other food industries as well. This review focuses on numerous health-promoting effects of hops raging from antioxidative, sedative, and anti-inflammatory potentials, over anticarcinogenic features to estrogenic activity. Therefore, hops should be exploited for the prevention and even healing of several prevalent diseases like cardiovascular disorders and various cancer types. New ideas for future studies on hops are finally presented: computational investigations of chemical reactivities of hop compounds, nanoencapsulation, and synergistic effects leading to a higher bioavailability of biologically active substances as well as the application of waste hop biomass from breweries for the production of high-added-value products in accordance with the biorefinery concept.

Do Coffee Polyphenols Have a Preventive Action on Metabolic Syndrome Associated Endothelial Dysfunctions? An Assessment of the Current Evidence

Epidemiologic studies from several countries have found that mortality rates associated with the metabolic syndrome are inversely associated with coffee consumption. Metabolic syndrome can lead to arteriosclerosis by endothelial dysfunction, and increases the risk for myocardial and cerebral infarction. Accordingly, it is important to understand the possible protective effects of coffee against components of the metabolic syndrome, including vascular endothelial function impairment, obesity and diabetes. Coffee contains many components, including caffeine, chlorogenic acid, diterpenes and trigonelline. Studies have found that coffee polyphenols, such as chlorogenic acids, have many health-promoting properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, and antihypertensive properties. Chlorogenic acids may exert protective effects against metabolic syndrome risk through their antioxidant properties, in particular toward vascular endothelial cells, in which nitric oxide production may be enhanced, by promoting endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression. These effects indicate that coffee components may support the maintenance of normal endothelial function and play an important role in the prevention of metabolic syndrome. However, results related to coffee consumption and the metabolic syndrome are heterogeneous among studies, and the mechanisms of its functions and corresponding molecular targets remain largely elusive. This review describes the results of studies exploring the putative effects of coffee components, especially in protecting vascular endothelial function and preventing metabolic syndrome.

Antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties of wines and winery byproducts in relation to their flavonoid content

Grapes produce organic compounds that may be involved in the defense of the plants against invading phytopathogens. These metabolites include numerous phenolic compounds that are also active against human pathogens. Grapes are used to produce a variety of wines, grape juices, and raisins. Grape pomace, seeds, and skins, the remains of the grapes that are a byproduct of winemaking, also contain numerous bioactive compounds that differ from those found in grapes and wines. This overview surveys and interprets our present knowledge of the activities of wines and winery byproducts and some of their bioactive components against foodborne (Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio vulnificus), medical (Helicobacter pylori, Klebsiella pneumoniae), and oral pathogenic bacteria, viruses (adeno, cytomegalo, hepatitis, noro, rota), fungi (Candida albicans, Botrytis cinerea), parasites (Eimeria tenella, Trichomonas vaginalis), and microbial toxins (ochratoxin A, Shiga toxin) in culture, in vivo, and in/on food (beef, chicken, frankfurters, hot dogs, lettuce, oysters, peppers, pork, sausages, soup, spinach) in relation to composition and sensory properties. Also covered are antimicrobial wine marinades, antioxidative and immunostimulating aspects, and adverse effects associated with wine consumption. The collated information and suggested research needs might facilitate and guide further studies needed to optimize the use of wines and byproducts to help improve microbial food safety and prevent or treat animal and human infections.

Composite PLGA/AgNpPGA/AscH nanospheres with combined osteoinductive, antioxidative, and antimicrobial activities

The global rise in the resistance of pathogens to conventional antibiotics has created an intensive search for alternative materials with antimicrobial properties. This study is performed with an intention to investigate the combined effects of poly(l-glutamic acid)-capped silver nanoparticles (AgNpPGA) and ascorbic acid (AscH) encapsulated within freeze-dried poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanospheres to obtain a nanomaterial with simultaneous osteoinductive, antioxidative, and prolonged antimicrobial properties. The influence of PLGA/AgNpPGA/AscH particles on (i) viability and superoxide production of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro, (ii) morphology and expression of osteogenic markers in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells in vitro, and (iii) antimicrobial activity against a Gram-positive bacterium, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and a Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, was investigated. PLGA/AgNpPGA/AscH nanoparticles showed a superior and extended antibacterial activity against both types of bacteria. The nanoparticles appeared to be capable of delivering ascorbate to the cells, which was evidenced by the significant decrease in the level of superoxides in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and which could have a therapeutic potential in preventing oxidative stress. PLGA/AgNpPGA/AscH nanoparticles had a positive effect on MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells in vitro, promoting: (i) an intimate contact with the cells and preservation of their healthy morphologies; (ii) unreduced cell viability; and (iii) multiple-fold upregulation of two osteogenic markers: osteocalcin and type I procollagen. It is concluded that PLGA/AgNpPGA/AscH nanospheres present a promising new material for the treatment of infections and use in wound dressings and other prophylactic applications.