Polysaccharides from Chinese herbal medicine: a review on the hepatoprotective and molecular mechanism / 中国天然药物

Polysaccharides, predominantly extracted from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs such as Lycium barbarum, Angelica sinensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Dendrobium officinale, Ganoderma lucidum, and Poria cocos, represent principal bioactive constituents extensively utilized in Chinese medicine. These compounds have demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory capabilities, especially anti-liver injury activities, while exhibiting minimal adverse effects. This review summarized recent studies to elucidate the hepatoprotective efficacy and underlying molecular mechanisms of these herbal polysaccharides. It underscored the role of these polysaccharides in regulating hepatic function, enhancing immunological responses, and improving antioxidant capacities, thus contributing to the attenuation of hepatocyte apoptosis and liver protection. Analyses of molecular pathways in these studies revealed the intricate and indispensable functions of traditional Chinese herbal polysaccharides in liver injury management. Therefore, this review provides a thorough examination of the hepatoprotective attributes and molecular mechanisms of these medicinal polysaccharides, thereby offering valuable insights for the advancement of polysaccharide-based therapeutic research and their potential clinical applications in liver disease treatment.

Chrysin promotes SMMC-7721 cell apoptosis by regulating MAPKs signaling pathway / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of chrysin in inducing apoptosis of human hepatic carcinoma cells and explore the possible mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human hepatic carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells treated with DMSO or chrysin at different concentrations (5-200 μg/mL) were examined for changes in the cell proliferation using CCK-8 assay. The morphological changes of SMMC-7721 cells were observed in response to treatment with 5, 10, or 20 μg/mL chrysin, and the changes in the cell nuclei were observed using DAPI nuclear staining. Annexin Ⅴ-FITC/PI flow cytometry was used to determine the cell apoptosis rate. The changes in the apoptosis-related proteins (PARP and caspase-3) and MAPKs signal pathway were detected with Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Chrysin treatment obviously suppressed the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells in a dose-dependent manner below the concentration of 60 μg/mL. Chrysin (20 μg/mL) also caused significantly increased cell apoptosis and significant cleavage of PARP and caspase-3. Chrysin significantly activated MAPKs signaling pathway in a time-and dose-dependent manner, with the peak activation level occurring at 15 min. Pretreatment of the cells with specific inhibitors of the MAPKs pathway obviously inhibited the effect of chrysin in inducing cell apoptosis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Chrysin inhibits the proliferation and promotes apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells by regulating the activation of MAPKs signaling.</p>