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Role of Natural Agents in the Management of Diabetes
Published in Rohit Dutt, Anil K. Sharma, Raj K. Keservani, Vandana Garg, Promising Drug Molecules of Natural Origin, 2020
Monika Elżbieta Jach, Anna Serefko
Gynostemma pentaphyllum is a plant used as a tea in traditional and folk medicines. For centuries, it has played a primary role in the diabetes prophylaxis and treatment in Chinese, Vietnam, and many other Asian countries, especially Southeast Asia (Hoa et al., 2009; Norberg et al., 2004; Yeh et al., 2003). G. pentaphyllum extract contains a large group of saponins, also called gypenosides (Le et al., 2010).
Herbal Products for the Treatment of Psoriasis
Published in Siba P. Raychaudhuri, Smriti K. Raychaudhuri, Debasis Bagchi, Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis, 2017
Anna Herman, Andrzej P. Herman
The role of the immune system and its interactive network of leukocytes and cytokines in disease pathogenesis was also described (Johnson-Huang et al. 2012). The primary immune defect in psoriasis appears to be an increase in cell signaling via chemokines and cytokines that act on upregulated gene expression and cause hyperproliferation of keratinocytes (Traub and Keri 2007). Therefore, some studies show that the inhibition of fibroblast-secreted cytokines could regulate keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, as well as slow down the process of inflammation in psoriasis (Zhang and Gu 2007). Ethanolic extracts from Alpinia galanga, C. longa, and Annona squamosa (Saelee et al. 2011), as well as C. langsdorffii oleoresin (known as Copaiba Balsam) (Gelmini et al. 2013), exhibited anti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of NFκB signaling molecules, which may positively affect the treatment of psoriasis with inflammation and hyperproliferation. Water-soluble polysaccharide (GP-I) purified from Gynostemma pentaphyllum has a significant anti-proliferative effect and decreases tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, a vital pro-inflammatory cytokine in psoriasis (X. Li et al. 2012). Methanol extracts of Acanthus mollis, Achillea ligustica, Artemisia arborescens, and Inula viscosa inhibited both 5-LOX and COX-1 activity without significant effects on the 12-LOX pathway, and NFκB activation was prevented by all extracts except A. mollis (Bader et al. 2015). Moreover, A. ligustica, A. arborescens, and A. mollis increased the biosynthesis of 15(S)-HETE, an anti-inflammatory eicosanoid. Herbal product treatment of psoriasis through inhibition of cytokines was also confirmed in animal-based studies. Topical application of an herbal extract mixture (T. cordifolia, C. longa, C. paniculatus, and A. vera) led to downregulating the overexpressed cytokines in mice initially induced with psoriasis-like dermatitis using topical application of imiquimod (Arora et al. 2015). Also, oral administration of astilbin ameliorated imiquimod-induced keratinocyte proliferation, infiltration of CD3+ cells to psoriatic lesions, and elevations in circulating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL] 17A, TNF-α, IL-6, interferon [IFN] γ, and IL-2) in BALB/c mice (Di et al. 2016). In vitro, astilbin inhibited Th17 cell differentiation and IL-17 secretion of isolated T cells, as well as inhibited Jak/Stat3 signaling in Th17 cells, while upregulating Stat3 inhibitor SCOSE3 expression in psoriatic lesions. Some animal studies have demonstrated the inhibitory effect of curcumin on NFκB (Chun et al. 2003) and downstream inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-6 (Gulcubuk et al. 2006; Aggarwal et al. 2013), both critical factors in the pathophysiology of psoriasis.
Inhibiting the Absorption of Dietary Carbohydrates and Fats with Natural Products
Published in Christophe Wiart, Medicinal Plants in Asia for Metabolic Syndrome, 2017
Orlistat is a specific and potent pancreatic lipase inhibitor derived from lipstatin, a β-lactone isolated from Streptomyces toxytricini used in therapeutic to reduce triglyceride absorption in obese patients.45,46 However, orlistat offers about 30% efficacy and is responsible for gastro-intestinal, nervous, endocrine, and renal system side effects, justifying the development of safer, natural pancreatic lipase inhibitor.46 Extract of Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino (containing more than 90% of saponins termed gypenosides) given orally to obese Zucker fatty rats at a dose of 250 mg/kg/day for 3 weeks and administered 1 hour before oral olive oil administration decreased postprandial triglyceridemia by 18% after 5 hours, suggesting pancreatic lipase inhibition.47 This extract given to Sprague–Dawley at a concentration of 125 mg/kg concomitantly with oral loading of sucrose had no effect of postprandial glycemia but inhibited yeast α-glucosidase activity in vitro with an IC50 value of 42.8 μg/mL (acarbose: 53.9 µg/mL).47 That result suggests that inhibition of yeast α-glucosidase in vitro by saponins is not correlated with in vivo with intestinal α-glucosidase because triterpene glycosides are metabolized by bacteria in the guts. In a subsequent study, gypenosides from Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino given orally for 5 weeks at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day to Wistar rats fed with high-fat diet reduced plasma cholesterol and triglycerides to about 40% and 60%.48 These dammarane saponins normalized hepatic cholesterol and hepatic triglycerides as efficiently as simvastatin at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day and halved the enzymatic activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase.48 This protein is a rate limiting enzyme in the synthesis of cholesterol.49 Su et al. (2016) made the demonstration that gypenosides from Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino at a concentration of 0.2 mg/mL inhibited porcine pancreatic lipase activity to about 40%, whereas orlistat evoked the same concentration approximately 95% inhibition.50 These saponins did not bind to the catalytic pocket of lipases but instead inhibited cholesterol in mixed micelles via increase in size of mixed micelles.50 It must be recalled that obese Zucker fatty rats are genetic model of metabolic syndrome due to mutated leptin receptor developing hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridemia, adipocyte hyperplasia, obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and glucose intolerance.51Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino’s ability to prevent triglyceride and cholesterol absorption in obese Zucker fatty rats by compromising mixed micelle formation and lipase inhibition could conceptually be of value to prevent hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglycemia in metabolic syndrome. Clinical trials are warranted.
Bifidobacterium animalis: the missing link for the cancer-preventive effect of Gynostemma pentaphyllum
Published in Gut Microbes, 2021
Weilin Liao, Imran Khan, Guoxin Huang, Shengshuang Chen, Liang Liu, Wai Kit Leong, Xiao Ang Li, Jianlin Wu, W. L. Wendy Hsiao
Early researches on prebiotics were mainly focusing on plant foods that contain inulin, polyphenols, fructo- or galactooligosaccharides. More recently, certain functional foods, such as Geranium dielsianum tea, cassava bagasse flour, and kiwifruit pectins, have also been reported for their prebiotic effects.23–25Gynostemma pentaphyllum is a dietary herbal medicine known for its many health benefits. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that triterpenoid saponins from Gynostemma pentaphylum together with ginseng, rotoginseng display prebiotic-like effects in the normal mouse model.26 Further research showed that G. pentaphylum saponin (GpS) exerts significant cancer-preventive effects in ApcMin/+ mice through modulating the GM composition and the gut epithelial microenvironment.27–29 We hypothesize that treatment with GpS might have preserved a particular group(s) of bacteria that provides health advantage to the host. In this current study, we performed both in vivo and in vitro experiments to track down the potential bacterial group(s) that confers the prebiotic and cancer-preventive effect of GpS. We provide evidence that Bifidobacterium animalis might be the critical gut microbe contributing to the anticancer and cancer-preventive activities of GpS against colonic cancer.
Jiang Zhi Granule protects immunological barrier of intestinal mucosa in rats with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2021
Xiao Yu, Haiyan Zhang, Jielu Pan, Lu Zou, Ling Tang, Hongyu Miao, Peiyong Zheng, Lianjun Xing
Jiang Zhi Granule (JZG) is a clinically prescribed traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of patients with NAFLD. Jiang Zhi Granule is composed of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Lamiaceae) (24 g), Folium nelumbinis (6 g), Polygala tenuifolia Willd. (Polygalaceae) (60 g) (Song et al. 2013), Artemisia capillaris Thunb. (Asteraceae) (6 g) and Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino (Cucurbitaceae) (60 g) (Song et al. 2013). Drug safety evaluation of JZG has shown positive result, while its clinical trials have been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA, the authorized number: Z10960082). Previous studies have established that JZG has a definite effect on the improvement of fat accumulation in the cell lines and liver of animals (Zheng et al. 2018a, 2018b).