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Antipsoriatic Medicinal Plants
Published in José L. Martinez, Amner Muñoz-Acevedo, Mahendra Rai, Ethnobotany, 2019
José Luis Ríos, Guillermo R. Schinella, Isabel Andújar
Other relevant mediators in psoriasis are matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), and its inhibition by Scrophularia striata extract and some isolated compounds were studied by Monsef-Esfahani et al. (2014). Among these isolated compounds, the inhibitory effects of nepitrin at 20 μg/mL (56%) and acteoside at 80 μg/mL (73%) on MMP-2 and MMP-9 were remarkable. Lipoxygenase and elastase could also be potential therapeutic targets in psoriasis. In this sense, Prieto et al. (2003) screened 15 extracts from traditional Chinese medicinal plants/fungi used to treat topical inflammations such as psoriasis. They were screened for their inhibitory effect on lipoxygenase, cyclooxygenase and elastase activity in intact leukocytes and platelets. Astragalus propinquus (syn: Astragalus membranaceus), Forsythia suspensa and Wolfiporia extensa (syn: Poria cocos) inhibited 5-lipoxygenase (IC50 values of 141, 80 and 141 μg/mL, respectively). Angelica dahurica, Angelica pubescens, F. suspensa and W. extensa also inhibited elastase (IC50 values of 80, 123, 68 and 93 μg/mL, respectively). Previously, Cuéllar et al. (1996) had demonstrated the inhibitory effect of W. extensa extract and its metabolites dehydrotumulosic and pachymic acids on phospholipase A2 activity as well as experimental dermatitis (Cuéllar et al. 1997).
Protecting Pancreatic β-cells from Metabolic Insults
Published in Christophe Wiart, Medicinal Plants in Asia for Metabolic Syndrome, 2017
Hexane extract of Angelica dahurica (Fisch.) Benth. & Hook. f. (Figure 2.17) given at a single oral dose of 300 mg/kg given to C56BL6 mice lowered 30 minutes peak glycemia in oral glucose tolerance test and increased plasma insulin.261 From this extract, imperatorin and phellopterin (Figure 2.18) at a concentration of 100 µM increased the reporter activity in GPR119-CRE-bla CHO-K1 cells, increased glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion in GLUTag cells and increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in INS-1 cells.261 This suggests the ability of these furanocoumarins to stimulates G-protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) expressed in pancreatic β-cells and intestinal endocrine L-cells to promote glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and glucagon-like peptide-1 release.261 Clinical trials are warranted.
Research progress on antiviral constituents in traditional Chinese medicines and their mechanisms of action
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2022
In TCM, infectious diseases caused by viruses are referred to as ‘plagues’. The pathogenic mechanisms of viruses mainly include the direct damage or apoptosis of host cells, the alteration of normal cellular functions, the induction of excessive inflammation or pathological injury, the immunosuppression, etc. Adhering to the syndrome differentiation-based treatment in TCM, these viral infectious diseases are often treated with heat-clearing, fire-purging, and heat-clearing, damp-drying principles, which are supplemented by drugs that benefit Qi and blood, nourish yin and engender fluids. To date, there have been extensive studies on the antiviral effects of TCM in vitro, which focus on single herbs such as Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Caprifoliaceae) flower (Jinyinhua), Forsythia suspensa Thunb. Vahl. (Oleaceae) fruit (Lianqiao), Angelica dahurica (Fisch. ex Hoffm.) Benth. et Hook. f. ex Franch. et Sav. (Umbelliferae) root (Baizhi), and Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Rosc. (Zingiberaceae) rhizome (Ezhu), as well as some of their active constituents (Law et al. 2017; Lee et al. 2020; Li, Xie, et al. 2020; Wan et al. 2020). Although their definite antiviral effects have been verified by in vivo or in vitro experiments, the specific mechanisms of their antiviral actions have scarcely been explored, where the emphasis is on the extraction of single herbal medicines. Flavonoids, polysaccharides, triterpenoids, alkaloids, etc. are mostly common constituents in the existing reports of antiviral TCM.
Antioxidant and Immunomodulatory Properties of Partially purified Exopolysaccharide from Lactobacillus Casei Isolated from Chinese Northeast Sauerkraut
Published in Immunological Investigations, 2022
Xiaoqing Xu, Yu Qiao, Qing Peng, Bo Shi, Vermont P. Dia
The aim of many researches is to introduce various new polysaccharides as bioactive molecules. Kim et al. (2013) indicated that polysaccharide isolated from Angelica dahurica could activate dendritic cells and increased the expressions of CD86 and MHC-II molecules, promoting the production of IL-12, IL-1β, and TNF-α. As previously reported, EPS produced by some strains of LAB present immunomodulatory properties (Hidalgo-Cantabrana et al. 2012). For example, Li et al. (2014) demonstrated EPS isolated from Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM showed immunoregulatory activity in Caco-2 cells by triggering NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Recently, EPS from Lactococcus lactis Z-2 isolated from healthy common carp was first evaluated in vitro and in vivo, showing the EPS could modulate the immune responses by up-regulating the NO production and protein levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) (Feng et al. 2020). EPS from Lactobacillus plantarum JLAU103 (Wang et al. 2020) and Lactobacillus helveticus LZ-R-5 (You et al. 2020) were also reported to have immunostimulatory activity by enhancing the phagocytic activity of RAW 264.7 macrophages and increasing the NO and cytokine production. However, more studies of new EPS-producing LAB are needed to establish the role of EPS in immune regulation.
The predictive utility of the plant phylogeny in identifying sources of cardiovascular drugs
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2018
Emily Guzman, Jeanmaire Molina
Experimental studies have repeatedly shown that members of the family Apiaceae work as diuretics. Diuretics increase urine output and lower blood pressure by inhibiting the reabsorption of sodium at different parts of the renal tubular system (Klabunde 2012). Ammi visnaga has been used traditionally in Egypt to treat kidney stones (Vanachayangkul et al. 2010), and has been demonstrated to possess potent diuretic activity due to its bioactive component khellin (Khan et al. 2001; Günaydin and Beyazit 2004). The confamilial Angelica dahurica, an important medicinal plant in the Far East, has also been traditionally used as diuretic (Sarker and Nahar 2004). In celery, Apium graveolens, diuresis due to its constituent, n-butylphthalide, promoted its antihypertensive effect (Moghadam et al. 2013). The crude extract of coriander, Coriandrum sativum, similarly worked as a diuretic in an experiment in rats (Jabeen et al. 2009). In parsley, Petroselinum crispum, phenolic compounds, flavonoids and essential oil components are believed to be responsible for many of its pharmacological activities including its diuretic and antiplatelet activity (Farzaei et al. 2013). Though there were no experimental studies found to support Daucus carota’s (carrot) or Ligusticim wallichii’s use as a diuretic, it is predicted that based on this phylogenetic pattern for Apiaceae, that these species may also promote diuresis.