-
Journal of Ethnopharmacology Jun 2024Pueraria lobata is essential medicinal and edible homologous plants widely cultivated in Asian countries. Therefore, P. lobata is widely used in the food, health...
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Pueraria lobata is essential medicinal and edible homologous plants widely cultivated in Asian countries. Therefore, P. lobata is widely used in the food, health products and pharmaceutical industries and have significant domestic and international market potential and research value. P. lobata has remarkable biological activities in protecting liver, relieving alcoholism, antioxidation, anti-tumor and anti-inflammation in clinic. However, the potential mechanism of ethyl acetate extract of Pueraria lobata after 70% alcohol extraction(APL) ameliorating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has not been clarified.
AIM OF THE STUDY
This study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effect of P. lobata extract on human hepatoma cells and injury in rats, and to evaluate its therapeutic potential for ameliorating NAFLD.
METHODS
Firstly, the effective part of P. lobata extract was determined as APL by measuring its total substances and antioxidant activity. And then the in vitro and in vivo models of NAFLD were adopted., HepG2 cells were incubated with palmitic acid (PA) and hydrogen peroxide (HO). In order to evaluate the effect of APL, Simvastatin and Vitamin C (VC) were used as positive control. Various parameters related to lipogenesis and fatty acid β-oxidation were studied, such as intracellular lipid accumulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), Western Blot, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis, and the mechanism of APL improving NAFLD. The chemical components of APL were further determined by HPLC and UPLC-MS, and molecular docking was carried out with Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway related proteins.
RESULTS
APL significantly reduced lipid accumulation and levels of oxidative stress-related factors in vitro and in vivo. Immunohistochemical、Western Blot and PCR analysis showed that the expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 were up-regulated in APL treatment. The Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 can block the rescue by APL of cellular oxidative stress and lipid accumulation induced by HO and PA, demonstrating its dependence on Nrf2. UPLC/MS analysis showed that there were 3'-hydroxyl puerarin, puerarin, 3'-methoxy puerarin, daidzein, genistin, ononin, daidzin and genistein.
CONCLUSION
This study further clarified the mechanism of P. lobata extract in improving NAFLD, which provided a scientific basis for developing new drugs to protect liver injury and laid a solid foundation for developing P. lobata Chinese herbal medicine resources.
PubMed: 38906339
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118468 -
Nutrients May 2024In this study, we prepared fermented products of isoflavone-enriched soybean leaves (IESLs) and analyzed their nutrients, isoflavones, anti-obesity efficacy, and effects...
In this study, we prepared fermented products of isoflavone-enriched soybean leaves (IESLs) and analyzed their nutrients, isoflavones, anti-obesity efficacy, and effects on gut microbiota. Fermented IESLs (FIESLs) were found to be rich in nutrients, especially lauric acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. In addition, the concentrations of most essential free amino acids were increased compared to those of IESLs. The contents of bioactive compounds, such as total phenolic, total flavonoid, daidzein, and genistein, significantly increased as well. In addition, FIESLs administration in a high-fat diet (HFD) animal model improved the final body weight, epididymal fat, total lipid, triglyceride, total cholesterol, blood glucose, and leptin levels, as well as reverting microbiota dysbiosis. In conclusion, these findings indicate that FIESLs have the potential to inhibit obesity caused by HFDs and serve as a modulator of gut microbiota, offering the prevention of diet-induced gut dysbiosis and metabolite diseases associated with obesity.
Topics: Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Glycine max; Animals; Plant Leaves; Fermentation; Isoflavones; Obesity; Male; Diet, High-Fat; Anti-Obesity Agents; Lactic Acid; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice; Dysbiosis
PubMed: 38892626
DOI: 10.3390/nu16111693 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024This study is the first to report on the presence of oestrogenic compounds in different clover flower nectar samples, in bee-deposited nectars collected from hive combs...
This study is the first to report on the presence of oestrogenic compounds in different clover flower nectar samples, in bee-deposited nectars collected from hive combs (unripe honey) and in mature honeys harvested from the same hives. The clover species investigated were two red clover () cultivars, bred specifically for high isoflavone content, alongside a sainfoin () and a purple clover () cultivar. A total of eight isoflavones, four of them non-glycosidic (biochanin A, formononetin, genistein and daidzein) the others glycosidic (sissotrin, ononin, genistin and daidzin), were targeted for identification and quantification in this study using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). Leaves and flower bracts of the clover samples were also investigated. Different isoflavone profiles were found across the four clover species and also in the different samples collected from each species indicating that, most likely due to the activity of honeybee () salivary enzymes, biochemical conversions take place when these bioactive compounds transition from flower nectar into ripe honey. Among the four investigated clover species, the two red clover cultivars, including their honeys, were found to contain higher levels of estrogenic compounds compared to other two cultivars.
PubMed: 38890968
DOI: 10.3390/foods13111739 -
FASEB Journal : Official Publication of... Jul 2024Oxidative stress is proposed as a regulatory element in various neurological disorders, which is involved in the progress of several neurodegenerative diseases such as...
Oxidative stress is proposed as a regulatory element in various neurological disorders, which is involved in the progress of several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Antioxidant drugs are widely used to alleviate neurodegenerative disorders. Astragalus membranaceus (Huangqi, AM) is a commonly used medicinal herb with a wide range of pharmacological effects. Here, the protective effect and mechanism of AM extract (AME) and its bioactive compounds against neurodegenerative disorders via alleviating oxidative stress were detected using adult Drosophila melanogaster. The drug safety was measured by development analysis; oxidative stress resistance ability was detected by survival rate under HO environment; ROS level was detected by DHE staining and gstD1-GFP fluoresence assay; antioxidative abilitiy was represent by measuring antioxidant enzyme activity, antioxidative-related gene expression, and ATP and MFN2 levels. The neuroprotective effect was evaluated by lifespan and locomotion analysis in Aβ42 transgenic and Pink1 mutants. AME dramatically increased the survival rates, improved the CAT activity, restored the decreased mRNA expressions of Sod1, Cat, and CncC under HO stimulation, and ameliorated the neurobehavioral defects of the AD and PD. Thirteen small molecules in AM had antioxidant function, in which vanillic acid and daidzein had the most potent antioxidant effect. Vanillic acid and daidzein could increase the activities of SOD and CAT, GSH level, and the expressions of antioxidant genes. Vanillic acid could improve the levels of ATP and MFN2, and mRNA expressions of ND42 and SDHC to rescue mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, vanillic acid ameliorated neurobehavioral defects of PD. Daidzein ameliorated neurobehavioral defect of Aβ-induced AD mode. Taken together, AM plays a protective role in oxidative damage, thereby as a potential natural drug to treat neurodegenerative disorders.
Topics: Animals; Oxidative Stress; Astragalus propinquus; Drosophila melanogaster; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Antioxidants; Neuroprotective Agents; Drosophila Proteins; Plant Extracts; Animals, Genetically Modified; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Hydrogen Peroxide; Amyloid beta-Peptides
PubMed: 38877845
DOI: 10.1096/fj.202400390R -
Journal of Agricultural and Food... Jun 2024Alfalfa ( subsp. ), the "queen of forage," is the most important perennial legume, with high productivity and an excellent nutritional profile. subsp. is a subspecies...
Alfalfa ( subsp. ), the "queen of forage," is the most important perennial legume, with high productivity and an excellent nutritional profile. subsp. is a subspecies of the alfalfa complex and exhibits better drought tolerance. However, drought stress significantly hampers their development and yield. The molecular mechanisms underlying the aboveground and underground tissues of and responding to drought stress remain obscure. Here, we performed a comprehensive comparative analysis of the physiological and transcriptomic responses of and under drought stress. The results showed that photosynthesis was inhibited, and antioxidant enzymes were activated under drought stress. , a CCCH-type zinc finger protein, was identified as a hub gene through weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and was significantly induced by drought in underground tissue. The MsC3H29 protein was localized in the nucleus. Overexpression (OE) of can increase the primary root length and fresh weight of transgenic alfalfa hairy roots, while RNA interference (RNAi) decreases them under drought stress. The 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (HDCFDA) staining revealed that promoted drought tolerance of alfalfa hairy roots through decreasing ROS accumulation. The targeted metabolome analysis showed that the overexpression of resulted in higher levels of accumulation for flavonoid monomers, including vicenin, daidzein, apigenin, isorhamnetin, quercetin, and tricin, in transgenic alfalfa hairy roots before and after drought stress, while RNAi led to a reduction. Our study provided a key candidate gene for molecular breeding to improve drought resistance in alfalfa.
PubMed: 38864675
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c02472 -
Phytotherapy Research : PTR Jun 2024Continuing research is being conducted on novel preventive and therapeutic drugs for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Daidzein has shown potential beneficial effects... (Review)
Review
Continuing research is being conducted on novel preventive and therapeutic drugs for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Daidzein has shown potential beneficial effects regarding various CVDs and risk factors. However, data in this regard are inconsistent, and there is an urge to accumulate. Therefore, we reviewed the effects of daidzein and daidzin on CVDs. We conducted a search through Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science from inception up to October 2023 to find studies with the primary intention of assessing the impacts of daidzein and daidzin on cardiovascular disease in various in vitro, animal, and clinical settings. In vitro and animal studies showed that daidzein and daidzin are effective in terms of reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, hyperlipidemia, myocardial infarction, thromboembolism, hypertension, and aneurysms. However, clinical studies only confirmed a relatively small portion of the previous findings of the in vitro and animal investigations, including anti-hyperlipidemic effects. In conclusion, in vitro and animal studies have reported potential therapeutic effects for daidzein and daidzin regarding CVDs. However, most of the clinical studies were unable to exhibit the same results. Hence, further clinical studies are required to determine the outcomes of administering daidzein and its derivatives for an extended period and in various doses.
PubMed: 38847155
DOI: 10.1002/ptr.8261 -
Anticancer Research Jun 2024Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive type of cancer, with a dismally low survival rate of <5%. FDA-approved drugs like gemcitabine have shown little therapeutic success,...
Combination Treatment of Biochanin A and Atorvastatin Alters Mitochondrial Bioenergetics, Modulating Cell Metabolism and Inducing Cell Cycle Arrest in Pancreatic Cancer Cells.
BACKGROUND/AIM
Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive type of cancer, with a dismally low survival rate of <5%. FDA-approved drugs like gemcitabine have shown little therapeutic success, prolonging survival by a mere six months. Isoflavones, such as biochanin A and daidzein, are known to exhibit anti-cancer activity, whereas statins reportedly have anti-proliferative effects. This study investigated the effects of combination treatment of biochanin A and atorvastatin on pancreatic cancer cells.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Pancreatic cancer cells AsPC-1, PANC-1, and MIA PaCa-2 were procured from ATCC. The cell viability studies were carried out using MTT & cell count assays. Flow cytometry was used to study cell apoptosis whereas cell metabolism studies were carried out using the Seahorse Mito stress test and XF-PMP assay. The effects of treatment on cell signaling pathways & cell cycle associated proteins were investigated using western blot whereas invasiveness of cancer cells was evaluated using gelatin zymography.
RESULTS
The combination treatment decreased the survival and enhanced pro-apoptotic responses compared to single treatments in the pancreatic cancer cells. In PANC-1 cells, the combination treatment decreased invasiveness, reduced expression of activated STAT3 and expression of critical mediators of cell cycle progression. Furthermore, the combination treatment induced a differential inhibition of respiratory complexes in the pancreatic cancer cells.
CONCLUSION
The combination treatment of biochanin A and atorvastatin exerts enhanced anti-cancer effects, inducing apoptosis, down-regulating cell cycle associated proteins and invasiveness in pancreatic cancer cells and merits further investigation for new, improved treatments for pancreatic cancer.
Topics: Humans; Genistein; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Atorvastatin; Cell Line, Tumor; Mitochondria; Cell Cycle Checkpoints; Apoptosis; Energy Metabolism; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 38821627
DOI: 10.21873/anticanres.17038 -
Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of... May 2024Ovarian cancer (OC) is a common malignancies of the female genitalia. P. montana var. lobata (Willd.), a herb with anti-tumor effects, is widely used in the clinical...
Ovarian cancer (OC) is a common malignancies of the female genitalia. P. montana var. lobata (Willd.), a herb with anti-tumor effects, is widely used in the clinical treatment of ovarian cancer (OC), but the ingredients and molecular mechanism of action remains to be explored. In this study, we extracted the main active ingredients of P. montana var. lobata (Willd.) from the TCMSP database, and predicted its potential targets of action against OC from the DisGeNET and GeneCards databases. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) was constructed using the STRING database, while pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the DAVID database. Next, we generated an Ingredient-Target-Pathway network using Cytoscape 3.7.2, then processed the key targets of action and main active ingredients for molecular docking. The results showed that seven active ingredients of P montana var. lobata (Willd.) were associated with treating for OC, namely beta-sitosterol, coumestrol, daidzein, formononetin, genistein, puerarin and scoparone, two important targets Casp3 and Jun, and signaling pathways of P. montana var. lobata (Willd.) against the progression of OC. TUNEL staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Western blot assays, the pharmacodynamic effect of puerarin in the treatment of OC and the major targets were verified. Animal experiment demonstrated that application of puerarin at different times of modeling not only upregulated expression of Casp3, Smac, and c-jun proteins, but also promoted apoptosis in tumor cells, hence inhibiting progression of OC. This study demonstrates that P. montana var. lobata (Willd.) can thereby induce apoptosis in tumor cells and inhibit malignant progression through activating expression of Casp3, smac, and c-jun proteins to regulate related apoptosis pathways, as validated by network pharmacology predictions and animal experiments, and can be verifed by large-scale clinical trials in the future. This study also provides theoretical support and new research perspectives for this disease.
PubMed: 38809293
DOI: 10.1007/s00210-024-03158-9 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2024In recent years, the world's attention has been drawn to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) because to the frightening prospect of growing death rates. Nanomaterials are...
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, the world's attention has been drawn to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) because to the frightening prospect of growing death rates. Nanomaterials are being investigated due to their potential in a wide range of technical and biological applications.
METHODS
The purpose of this study was to biosynthesis zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using sp. SA17 fungal extract, followed by characterization of the produced nanoparticles (NP) using electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), UV-analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The HR-TEM revealed spherical nanoparticles with an average size of 7.2 nm, and XRD validated the crystalline nature and crystal structure features of the generated ZnONPs, while the zeta potential was 18.16 mV, indicating that the particles' surfaces are positively charged. The FT-IR was also used to identify the biomolecules involved in the synthesis of ZnONPs. The antibacterial and anticancer properties of both the crude fungal extract and its nano-form against several microbial strains and cancer cell lines were also investigated. Inhibition zone diameters against pathogenic bacteria ranged from 3 to 13 mm, while IC values against cancer cell lines ranged from 17.65 to 84.55 M. Additionally, 33 compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, coumarins, organic acids, anthraquinones, and lignans, were discovered through chemical profiling of the extract using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. Some molecules, such pomiferin and glabrol, may be useful for antibacterial purposes, according to study, while daidzein 4'-sulfate showed promise as an anti-cancer metabolite.
PubMed: 38803373
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1366614 -
Critical Reviews in Food Science and... May 2024Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a wide range of debilitating and incurable brain disorders characterized by the progressive deterioration of the nervous system's... (Review)
Review
Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a wide range of debilitating and incurable brain disorders characterized by the progressive deterioration of the nervous system's structure and function. Isoflavones, which are naturally occurring polyphenolic phytochemicals, have been found to regulate various cellular signaling pathways associated with the nervous system. The main objective of this comprehensive review is to explore the neuroprotective effects of isoflavones, elucidate the underlying mechanisms, and assess their potential for treating neurodegenerative disorders. Relevant data regarding isoflavones and their impact on neurodegenerative diseases were gathered from multiple library databases and electronic sources, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Science Direct. Numerous isoflavones, including genistein, daidzein, biochanin A, and formononetin, have exhibited potent neuroprotective properties against various neurodegenerative diseases. These compounds have been found to modulate neurotransmitters, which in turn contributes to their ability to protect against neurodegeneration. Both and experimental studies have provided evidence of their neuroprotection mechanisms, which involve interactions with estrogenic receptors, antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-apoptotic activity, and modulation of neural plasticity. This review aims to provide current insights into the neuroprotective characteristics of isoflavones and shed light on their potential therapeutic applications in future clinical scenarios.
PubMed: 38794836
DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2024.2357701