Natural Products Journal, The - Volume 14, Issue 5, 2024

Metabolic syndrome (MS) represents a complex cluster of medical conditions with profound implications for global public health. This constellation of disorders substantially increases the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, obesity, thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, and hyperlipidemia. The drugs currently prescribed for managing MS offer limited efficacy, likely due to their limited scope of action. Owing to their restricted mechanisms of action, these medications often lead to significant side effects such as weight gain, bone marrow impairment, Raynaud's phenomenon, galactorrhea, and others. Consequently, these adverse effects contribute to poor patient adherence and restrict the overall effectiveness of the treatment. Thus, developing new therapeutic strategies for managing MS is certainly required. Recent investigations have been concentrated on formulating strategies that combine conventional synthetic drugs with herbal medicines (which act via multiple targets), aiming to enhance treatment efficacy and enhance patient adherence in the management of MS. This concept of combining synthetic and herbal drugs is termed ‘Allo-polyherbal’ and has been shown to improve the efficacy of synthetic drugs and reduction of adverse effects. The present review uncovers the concept of Allo-polyherbal and reveals the potential benefits of using Allopolyherbal in managing diabetes, cardiovascular, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and thrombosis leading to MS.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of Sanchen Pediatric antipyretic Paste (SPAP). Methods: Rats were randomly divided into 7 groups: negative control group, positive control group, positive treatment group, SPAP high-dose, medium-dose and low-dose groups, and blank substrate group. Except normal control group, rats in other groups were subcutaneously injected with 10% dry yeast suspension (10 mL/kg) on the back to establish a fever model, and the normal group was given the same volume of saline. At the 4 h and 7 h after modeling, each treatment group was subjected to corresponding SPAP intervention. Anal temperature was measured every one hour after modeling for 10 consecutive times. The average temperature-rise curve, maximum temperature and body temperature response index (TRI) were calculated to evaluate the efficacy of SPAP. After the last temperature measurement, abdominal aortic blood was collected, and serum was separated from blood. The levels of IL-6, TNF-α and CRP in serum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The body temperature of the positive control group was significantly increased (p < 0.01) 4 hours after model establishment, and that of the SPAP groups significantly decreased (p < 0.01) after 5 hours of the model establishment. The levels of Serum IL-6, TNF-α and CRP were significantly decreased (p < 0.01) in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: SPAP has an obvious antipyretic effect on fever caused by dry yeast in rats. One of its antipyretic mechanisms may be associated with inhibiting inflammatory reactions by reducing the production or accelerating the degradation of endogenous thermogenic cytokines, such as IL-6, TNF- α, and CRP.

Background: Gastroduodenal ulcer is one of the common global gastrointestinal diseases. Sulongga-4 is a traditional Mongolian medicine used for the treatment of gastroduodenal ulcer. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of Sulongga-4 on gastroduodenal ulcer in the proteome has not been clarified. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the molecular mechanism behind the therapeutic efficacy of traditional Mongolian medicine Sulongga-4 on pyloric ligation-induced gastroduodenal ulcer in rats. Methods: Gastroduodenal ulcer was induced by pyloric ligation in rats. The pathological changes of gastric and duodenal tissues were observed first, and then the serum levels of AST and ALT were measured. The significantly different proteins were verified by western blot and qRT-PCR. Results: The proteomics results showed that the Mongolian medicine Sulongga-4 might act on pyloric ligation-induced gastroduodenal ulcer through differentially expressing several proteins, including RPL35, RPL37, and LOC102548628 in gastric tissue, as well as Serpin b1a, Serpin b6a, and Vtn in duodenal tissue by regulating ribosome, alcoholism and amoebiasis, and complement and coagulation cascade pathways. In addition, the changes in serum AST and ALT levels in rats showed gastroduodenal ulcer to be associated with liver injury. Conclusion: Sulongga-4 has shown a robust therapeutic effect against gastric duodenal ulcer. This therapeutic effect may be mainly associated with pathways of ribosome, alcoholism in gastric tissue, and amoebiasis, as well as complement and coagulation cascades in duodenal tissue.

Bacoside A is a vital bioactive component of the Indian medicinal herb Bacopa monnieri, which ranks second among the most significant medicinal plants. Bacoside A was discovered to have more pharmacological activity than bacoside B. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat mental problems and memory loss. It also possesses antioxidant, antidepressant, antiulcer, hepatoprotective, ant-cancerous, vasodilator and other pharmacological properties. The main objective of this review is to highlight the importance of Bacoside A in the treatment of various diseases. Several sources were used to acquire the material, including review articles published in various publications, such as PubMed, Scopus, Bentham Science, Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and Research Gate, which were used to compile the data for the article following a thorough analysis of the various research findings connected that had keywords, such as Bacoside A, Ayurvedic medicine, Brahmi, jujubogenin. Bacoside-A, derived from the Bacopa monniera plant, is a traditional medicine said to have therapeutic qualities. Various studies have found that bacoside- A has considerable therapeutic benefits. All of the evidence suggests that Bacoside-A has multiple therapeutic properties in regulating the various biological processes as well as paving the path for the treatment of various disorders in modern medicine. The current review focused on the pharmacological action of bacoside A. The results of the pharmacological investigations indicated that Bacoside A had a wide range of pharmacological effects, including those on the central nervous system (memory improvement), antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiparkinsonian, anticancer, and more.

Background: Liver cirrhosis is a consequence of various chronic liver conditions and may lead to liver failure and cancer. Huangqi Decoction (HQD) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) effective for treating liver conditions, including cirrhosis. Therefore, both the active ingredients and the pharmacological actions of HQD deserve further exploration. The active components and pharmacological actions of HQD in preventing and treating liver cirrhosis were investigated using network pharmacology. The actions of the principal active ingredient, Mairin, were investigated empirically. Methods: Using network pharmacology, the critical components of HQD were identified from multiple databases, and UPLC screening and targets were investigated using Swiss Target Prediction. Targets associated with liver cirrhosis were identified using the GeneCards database. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of targets that overlapped between HQD and cirrhosis were analyzed in DAVID, and a “component-target-pathway” network for HQD was created in Cytoscape 3.7.2. The biological functions of the key active component, Mairin, were investigated using in silico docking, cell experiments, and evaluation in a carbon-tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced mouse model of liver cirrhosis. CCK-8 and F-actin assays were used to measure cell viability and hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, respectively; fibrosis was measured by histological and immunohistochemical evaluations, and the levels of the cirrhosis-related protein α-SMA and predicted essential target proteins in the PI3KAKT, NFΚB-IΚBα, and NLRP3-IL18 pathways were determined by western blotting. Results: Fourteen active HQD components, 72 targets, and 10 pathways common to HQD and cirrhosis were identified. Network analysis indicated the association of Mairin with most targets and with inflammation through the PI3K/Akt, NF-ΚB, and NLRP3 pathways. Dose-dependent reductions in the activation and proliferation of LX-2 cells after Mairin treatment were observed. Mairin reversed the histopathological changes in the livers of cirrhosis model mice. Mairin also significantly reduced the α-SMA, NF-ΚB, IΚBα, NLRP3, and IL-18 protein levels while increasing those of p- PI3K and p-Akt, suggesting that Mairin mitigates liver cirrhosis through modulation of the PI3KAKT, NFΚB-IΚBα, and NLRP3-IL18 pathways. Conclusion: Using a comprehensive investigative process involving network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and experimental verification, it was found that Mairin, an active component of HQD, may be useful for developing specific treatments for preventing and treating liver cirrhosis.

Background: Laboratory evidence pertaining to the antihypertensive activity of a number of Ficus deltoidea (FD) varieties remains undetermined, although extracts of some of these varieties have been shown to have angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity in vitro. Objective: This study, therefore, evaluated the effect of a standardized aqueous-ethanolic extract of leaves of Ficus deltoidea var. trengganuensis (FDT) on blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods: SHR were given either 800, 1000 or 1200 mg kg^-1 body weight of standardized aqueousethanolic extract of FDT or 10 mg kg^-1 body weight of losartan or 0.5 ml of distilled water daily for four weeks. Results: SBP decreased significantly in FDT- and losartan-treated rats (p < 0.05). Components of RAAS and other serum and urinary parameters were not different between the groups except for endothelin-1, which was significantly lower than that in the controls. Urinary calcium excretion was significantly higher in FDT-treated rats (p < 0.05). Conclusion: It seems that daily oral administration of FDT significantly lowers blood pressure in SHR through mechanisms that do not involve RAAS but may involve the endothelium or other yetto- be-determined mechanisms.

Background: Phyllanthus amarus exhibited immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects in several in vitro and in vivo studies. However, there is no report on the inhibitory effects of its secondary metabolites on pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion from human THP-1-derived macrophages. Objective: The objective of this study was to correlate the polyphenols (ellagic acid (EA), gallic acid (GA), geraniin (GER), and corilagin (COR)) and lignans (phyllanthin (PHY), hypophyllanthin (HYPO), niranthin (NIR), phyltetralin (PHYLT), and isolintetralin (ISO)) of 80% ethanol extract of P. amarus with their inhibitory effect against IL-1β and TNF-α secretions from LPS-induced THP-1- derived macrophages. Methods: Chemical profiling of P. amarus was carried out by LC-MS/MS analysis. Validated qualitative and quantitative reversed-phase HPLC analyses of the P. amarus extract were performed for the determination of lignan and polyphenol contents. Human THP-1-derived macrophages were prepared by treatment of THP-1 cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The inhibition of cytokines released by the extract, lignans and polyphenols in the cells was investigated using ELISA assay. Results: P. amarus extract and its chemical constituents significantly reduced the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in a dose-dependent manner. At a dose of 50 μM, COR exhibited a maximum inhibition of 81.11% on TNF-α secretion, while GER showed 72.56% inhibition on IL-1β secretion. COR demonstrated the strongest inhibition of TNF-α secretion, exhibiting an IC50 value of 9.06 μM, which was comparable to that of dexamethasone (7.07 μM). Meanwhile, GER was the most potent against IL- 1β secretion, exhibiting an IC50 value of 20.09 μM. In the case of TNF-α secretion, the order of potency observed among the active compounds, with regard to IC50 value, was COR > GER > HYPO > PHY > NIR > GA > EA >ISO > PHYLT. For IL-1β secretion, the order of potency was GER > NIR > COR > GA > EA > PHY > HYPO > PHYLT > 1SO. Conclusion: The polyphenol contents of P. amarus, especially COR and GER, contributed significantly to the suppression of cytokines secretion, and they have the potential to be developed into agents for the treatment of pathologic inflammation.