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Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2023Neurological-related disorders are diseases that affect the body's neurons or peripheral nerve tissue, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The... (Review)
Review
Neurological-related disorders are diseases that affect the body's neurons or peripheral nerve tissue, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The development of neurological disorders can cause serious harm to the quality of life and functioning of the patient. The use of traditional therapeutic agents such as dopamine-promoting drugs, anticholinergic drugs, cholinesterase inhibitors, and NMDA receptor antagonists is often accompanied by a series of side effects such as drug resistance, cardiac arrhythmia, liver function abnormalities, and blurred vision. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find a therapeutic drug with a high safety profile and few side effects. Herbal medicines are rich in active ingredients that are natural macromolecules. Ginsenoside is the main active ingredient of ginseng, which has a variety of pharmacological effects and is considered to have potential value in the treatment of human diseases. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that ginsenosides Rg2 and Rh1 have strong pharmacological activities in the nervous system, with protective effects on nerve cells, improved resistance to neuronal injury, modulation of neural activity, resistance to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, improvement of brain damage after eclampsia hemorrhage, improvement of memory and cognitive deficits, treatment of AD and vascular dementia, alleviation of anxiety, pain, and inhibition of ionic-like behavior. In this article, we searched the pharmacological research literature of Rg2 and Rh1 in the field of neurological diseases, summarized the latest research progress of the two ginsenosides, and reviewed the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of Rg2 and Rh1, which provided a new way of thinking for the research of the active ingredients in ginseng anti-neurological diseases and the development of new drugs.
Topics: Humans; Ginsenosides; Quality of Life; Nervous System; Panax
PubMed: 38067664
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28237935 -
Microbiology Spectrum Aug 2023Red ginseng, widely used in traditional medicine for various conditions, imparts health benefits mainly by modulating the gut microbiota in humans. Given the...
Red ginseng, widely used in traditional medicine for various conditions, imparts health benefits mainly by modulating the gut microbiota in humans. Given the similarities in gut microbiota between humans and dogs, red ginseng-derived dietary fiber may have prebiotic potential in dogs; however, its effects on the gut microbiota in dogs remain elusive. This double-blinded, longitudinal study investigated the impact of red ginseng dietary fiber on the gut microbiota and host response in dogs. A total of 40 healthy household dogs were randomly assigned to low-dose ( = 12), high-dose ( = 16), or control ( = 12) groups and fed a normal diet supplemented with red ginseng dietary fiber (3 g/5 kg body weight per day, 8 g/5 kg per day, or no supplement, respectively) for 8 weeks. The gut microbiota of the dogs was analyzed at 4 weeks and 8 weeks using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples. Alpha diversity was significantly increased at 8 and 4 weeks in the low-dose and high-dose groups, respectively. Moreover, biomarker analysis showed that short-chain fatty acid producers such as and were significantly enriched, while potential pathogens such as were significantly decreased, indicating the increased gut health and pathogen resistance by red ginseng dietary fiber. Microbial network analysis showed that the complexity of microbial interactions was increased by both doses, indicating the increased stability of the gut microbiota. These findings suggest that red ginseng-derived dietary fiber could be used as a prebiotic to modulate gut microbiota and improve gut health in dogs. The canine gut microbiota is an attractive model for translational studies, as it responds to dietary interventions similarly to those in humans. Investigating the gut microbiota of household dogs that share the environment with humans can produce highly generalizable and reproducible results owing to their representativeness of the general canine population. This double-blind and longitudinal study investigated the impact of dietary fiber derived from red ginseng on the gut microbiota of household dogs. Red ginseng dietary fiber altered the canine gut microbiota by increasing diversity, enriching short-chain fatty acid-producing microbes, decreasing potential pathogens, and increasing the complexity of microbial interactions. These findings indicate that red ginseng-derived dietary fiber may promote canine gut health by modulating gut microbiota, suggesting the possibility of its use as a potential prebiotic.
Topics: Animals; Dogs; Dietary Fiber; Double-Blind Method; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Longitudinal Studies; Panax; Prebiotics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
PubMed: 37367492
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00949-23 -
Pharmaceutical Biology Dec 2023Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with aberrant Th17 cell differentiation. (Burk.) F. H. Chen (Araliaceae) saponins (PNS) have an anti-inflammatory...
CONTEXT
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with aberrant Th17 cell differentiation. (Burk.) F. H. Chen (Araliaceae) saponins (PNS) have an anti-inflammatory effect and can suppress Th17 cell differentiation.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate mechanisms of PNS on Th17 cell differentiation in RA, and the role of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Naive CD4T cells were treated with IL-6, IL-23 and TGF-β to induce Th17 cell differentiation. Apart from the Control group, other cells were treated with PNS (5, 10, 20 μg/mL). After the treatment, Th17 cell differentiation, PKM2 expression, and STAT3 phosphorylation were measured flow cytometry, western blots, or immunofluorescence. PKM2-specific allosteric activator (Tepp-46, 50, 100, 150 μM) and inhibitor (SAICAR, 2, 4, 8 μM) were used to verify the mechanisms. A CIA mouse model was established and divided into control, model, and PNS (100 mg/kg) groups to assess an anti-arthritis effect, Th17 cell differentiation, and PKM2/STAT3 expression.
RESULTS
PKM2 expression, dimerization, and nuclear accumulation were upregulated upon Th17 cell differentiation. PNS inhibited the Th17 cells, RORγt expression, IL-17A levels, PKM2 dimerization, and nuclear accumulation and Y705-STAT3 phosphorylation in Th17 cells. Using Tepp-46 (100 μM) and SAICAR (4 μM), we demonstrated that PNS (10 μg/mL) inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation and Th17 cell differentiation by suppressing nuclear PKM2 accumulation. In CIA mice, PNS attenuated CIA symptoms, reduced the number of splenic Th17 cells and nuclear PKM2/STAT3 signaling.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
PNS inhibited Th17 cell differentiation through the inhibition of nuclear PKM2-mediated STAT3 phosphorylation. PNS may be useful for treating RA.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Saponins; Th17 Cells; Panax notoginseng; Phosphorylation; Cell Differentiation
PubMed: 36794740
DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2023.2173248 -
BMC Plant Biology Jul 2020Understanding the genetic diversity in endangered species that occur inforest remnants is necessary to establish efficient strategies for the species conservation,...
De novo assembly and Transcriptome characterization of an endemic species of Vietnam, Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv., including the development of EST-SSR markers for population genetics.
BACKGROUND
Understanding the genetic diversity in endangered species that occur inforest remnants is necessary to establish efficient strategies for the species conservation, restoration and management. Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv. is medicinally important, endemic and endangered species of Vietnam. However, genetic diversity and structure of population are unknown due to lack of efficient molecular markers.
RESULTS
In this study, we employed Illumina HiSeq™ 4000 sequencing to analyze the transcriptomes of P. vietnamensis (roots, leaves and stems). Raw reads total of 23,741,783 was obtained and then assembled, from which the generated unigenes were 89,271 (average length = 598.3191 nt). The 31,686 unigenes were annotated in different databases i.e. Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Nucleotide Collection (NR/NT) and Swiss-Prot for functional annotation. Further, 11,343 EST-SSRs were detected. From 7774 primer pairs, 101 were selected for polymorphism validation, in which; 20 primer pairs were successfully amplified to DNA fragments and significant amounts of polymorphism was observed within population. The nine polymorphic microsatellite loci were used for population structure and diversity analyses. The obtained results revealed high levels of genetic diversity in populations, the average observed and expected heterozygosity were H = 0.422 and H = 0.479, respectively. During the Bottleneck analysis using TPM and SMM models (p < 0.01) shows that targeted population is significantly heterozygote deficient. This suggests sign of the bottleneck in all populations. Genetic differentiation between populations was moderate (F = 0.133) and indicating slightly high level of gene flow (Nm = 1.63). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed 63.17% of variation within individuals and 12.45% among populations. Our results shows two genetic clusters related to geographical distances.
CONCLUSION
Our study will assist conservators in future conservation management, breeding, production and habitats restoration of the species.
Topics: Endangered Species; Expressed Sequence Tags; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Flow; Genetic Markers; Genetic Variation; Genetics, Population; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Microsatellite Repeats; Molecular Sequence Annotation; Panax; Vietnam
PubMed: 32727354
DOI: 10.1186/s12870-020-02571-5 -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2022Cancer metastasis is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Due to the limitations of conventional cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, there is a need for... (Review)
Review
Cancer metastasis is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Due to the limitations of conventional cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, there is a need for novel therapeutics to prevent metastasis. Ginsenoside Rg3, a major active component of C.A. Meyer, inhibits tumor growth and has the potential to prevent tumor metastasis. Herein, we systematically reviewed the anti-metastatic effects of Rg3 from experimental studies. We searched for articles in three research databases, MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) through March 2022. In total, 14 studies (eight animal and six in vitro) provide data on the anti-metastatic effects of Rg3 and the relevant mechanisms. The major anti-metastatic mechanisms of Rg3 involve cancer stemness, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) behavior, and angiogenesis. Taken together, Rg3 would be one of the herbal resources in anti-metastatic drug developments through further well-designed investigations and clinical studies. Our review provides valuable reference data for Rg3-derived studies targeting tumor metastasis.
Topics: Animals; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Ginsenosides; Lung Neoplasms; Panax
PubMed: 36012338
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169077 -
Scientific Reports May 2024Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) is a significant global public health issue, with high mortality and morbidity rates and associated costs. Disease modules, which are...
Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) is a significant global public health issue, with high mortality and morbidity rates and associated costs. Disease modules, which are collections of disease-related genes, offer an effective approach to understanding diseases from a biological network perspective. We employed the multi-Steiner tree algorithm within the NeDRex platform to extract CHF disease modules, and subsequently utilized the Trustrank algorithm to rank potential drugs for repurposing. The constructed disease module was then used to investigate the mechanism by which Panax ginseng ameliorates CHF. The active constituents of Panax ginseng were identified through a comprehensive review of the TCMSP database and relevant literature. The Swiss target prediction database was utilized to determine the action targets of these components. These targets were then cross-referenced with the CHF disease module in the STRING database to establish protein-protein interaction (PPI) relationships. Potential action pathways were uncovered through Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses on the DAVID platform. Molecular docking, the determination of the interaction of biological macromolecules with their ligands, and visualization were conducted using Autodock Vina, PLIP, and PyMOL, respectively. The findings suggest that drugs such as dasatinib and mitoxantrone, which have low docking scores with key disease proteins and are reported in the literature as effective against CHF, could be promising. Key components of Panax ginseng, including ginsenoside rh4 and ginsenoside rg5, may exert their effects by targeting key proteins such as AKT1, TNF, NFKB1, among others, thereby influencing the PI3K-Akt and calcium signaling pathways. In conclusion, drugs like dasatinib and midostaurin may be suitable for CHF treatment, and Panax ginseng could potentially mitigate the progression of CHF through a multi-component-multi-target-multi-pathway approach. Disease module analysis emerges as an effective strategy for exploring drug repurposing and the mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine in disease treatment.
Topics: Panax; Heart Failure; Humans; Drug Repositioning; Molecular Docking Simulation; Protein Interaction Maps; Signal Transduction; Chronic Disease; Ginsenosides; Drugs, Chinese Herbal
PubMed: 38802411
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61926-2 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2021Ginseng rusty root symptom (GRS) is one of the primary diseases of ginseng. It leads to a severe decline in the quality of ginseng and significantly affects the ginseng...
Ginseng rusty root symptom (GRS) is one of the primary diseases of ginseng. It leads to a severe decline in the quality of ginseng and significantly affects the ginseng industry. The regulatory mechanism of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) remains unclear in the course of disease. This study explored the long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) in GRS tissues and healthy ginseng (HG) tissues and performed functional enrichment analysis of the screened differentially expressed ncRNAs. Considering the predictive and regulatory effects of ncRNAs on mRNAs, we integrated ncRNA and mRNA data to analyze and construct relevant regulatory networks. A total of 17,645 lncRNAs, 245 circRNAs, and 299 miRNAs were obtained from HG and GRS samples, and the obtained ncRNAs were characterized, including the classification of lncRNAs, length and distribution of circRNA, and the length and family affiliations of miRNAs. In the analysis of differentially expressed ncRNA target genes, we found that lncRNAs may be involved in the homeostatic process of ginseng tissues and that lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs are involved in fatty acid-related regulation, suggesting that alterations in fatty acid-related pathways may play a key role in GRS. Besides, differentially expressed ncRNAs play an essential role in regulating transcriptional translation processes, primary metabolism such as starch and sucrose, and secondary metabolism such as alkaloids in ginseng tissues. Finally, we integrated the correlations between ncRNAs and mRNAs, constructed corresponding interaction networks, and identified ncRNAs that may play critical roles in GRS. These results provide a basis for revealing GRS's molecular mechanism and enrich our understanding of ncRNAs in ginseng.
Topics: Basidiomycota; Disease Resistance; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene Regulatory Networks; Panax; Plant Diseases; Plant Proteins; Plant Roots; RNA, Untranslated
PubMed: 33911151
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88709-3 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2021Ginseng ( C.A. Mey.) is a precious Chinese traditional medicine, for which ginsenosides are the most important medicinal ingredients. Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450)...
Ginseng ( C.A. Mey.) is a precious Chinese traditional medicine, for which ginsenosides are the most important medicinal ingredients. Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450) and their primary redox molecular companion NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) play a key role in ginsenoside biosynthesis pathway. However, systematic studies of CPR genes in ginseng have not been reported. Numerous studies on ginsenoside synthesis biology still use CPR (AtCPR1) as a reductase. In this study, we isolated two CPR genes (, ) from ginseng adventitious roots. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that both PgCPR1 and PgCPR2 are grouped in classⅡ of dicotyledonous CPR. Enzyme experiments showed that recombinant proteins PgCPR1, PgCPR2 and AtCPR1 can reduce cytochrome c and ferricyanide with NADPH as the electron donor, and PgCPR1 had the highest enzymatic activities. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that PgCPR1 and PgCPR2 transcripts were detected in all examined tissues of and both showed higher expression in stem and main root. Expression levels of the PgCPR1 and PgCPR2s were both induced after a methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment and its pattern matched with ginsenoside accumulation. The present investigation suggested PgCPR1 and PgCPR2 are associated with the biosynthesis of ginsenoside. This report will assist in future CPR family studies and ultimately improving ginsenoside production through transgenic engineering and synthetic biology.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Cloning, Molecular; Computational Biology; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Models, Molecular; NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase; Panax; Phylogeny
PubMed: 34771064
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26216654 -
Nutrients Jan 2024Meyer and Thunb. are well established in traditional medicine and are known for their therapeutic properties in managing a range of ailments such as diabetes, asthma,...
Meyer and Thunb. are well established in traditional medicine and are known for their therapeutic properties in managing a range of ailments such as diabetes, asthma, and cancer. Although and can alleviate pulmonary fibrosis (PF), the anti-fibrosis effect on PF by the combination of two herbal medicines remains unexplored. Therefore, this study explores this combined effect. In conditions that were not cytotoxic, MRC-5 cells underwent treatment using the formula combining and (ISE081), followed by stimulation with transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, to explore the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition (FMT). After harvesting the cells, mRNA levels and protein expressions associated with inflammation and FMT-related markers were determined to evaluate the antiinflammation activities and antifibrosis effect of ISE081. Additionally, the anti-migratory effects of ISE081 were validated through a wound-healing assay. ISE081 remarkably reduced the mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, α-smooth muscle actin (SMA), and TGF-β1 in MRC-5 cells and suppressed the α-SMA and fibronectin expressions, respectively. Furthermore, ISE081 inhibited Smad2/3 phosphorylation and wound migration of MRC-5 cells. Under the same conditions, comparing those of ISE081, did not affect the expression of α-SMA, fibronectin, and Smad2/3 phosphorylation, whereas significantly inhibited them but with cytotoxicity. The results indicate that the synergistic application of and enhances the anti-fibrotic properties in pulmonary fibroblasts and concurrently diminishes toxicity. Therefore, ISE081 has the potential as a prevention and treatment herbal medicine for PF.
Topics: Humans; Inula; Fibronectins; Panax; Fibrosis; Pulmonary Fibrosis; Fibroblasts; Transforming Growth Factor beta1; RNA, Messenger
PubMed: 38276557
DOI: 10.3390/nu16020319 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) has the ability to regenerate skin cells and improve the skin barrier and wound healing. This study investigated the possibility of...
Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) has the ability to regenerate skin cells and improve the skin barrier and wound healing. This study investigated the possibility of replacing animal-derived PDRN with plant-derived PDRN. To test this, the adventitious roots of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), which is commonly used to treat various diseases, were suspension-cultivated through tissue culture; subsequently, PDRN was purified using microfluidization, an ultra-high-pressure physical grinding method. The results showed that purified Panax PDRN was effective in healing skin wounds and enhancing the skin barrier. Panax PDRN promoted the proliferation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts by increasing the expression of fibronectin, filaggrin, Ki-67, Bcl-2, inhibin beta A, and Cyclin D1. It also acted as an agonist of the adenosine A2A receptor and induced the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase, adenosine triphosphate-dependent tyrosine kinase, and mitogen-activated protein kinase. This activated signal transduction, thereby regenerating skin cells and strengthening the barrier. These results were not only observed in skin cells but also in an artificial skin model (KeraSkin). The use of plant-derived PDRN instead of animal-derived PDRN can promote animal welfare and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, Panax PDRN can potentially be a new plant-derived PDRN (PhytoPDRN) that may be utilized in the treatment of various skin diseases.
Topics: Animals; Polydeoxyribonucleotides; Panax; Skin; Wound Healing; Keratinocytes
PubMed: 37959659
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28217240