The Standardized Wood Extract of Albizia myriophylla: Its Potential as an Active Ingredient in an Anti-inflammatory Herbal Gel Formulation.

Albizia myriophylla has been used in Thai folk medicine for treating inflammation-related diseases. The wood of this medicinal plant is traditionally used as a single herbal drug in the form of an aqueous decoction and as a component in several Thai herbal formulations for the remedy of fever, sore throat, and aphthous ulcers. This study aimed to evaluate in vivo the anti-inflammatory potential and possible mechanism of action of the standardized wood extract of A. myriophylla as well as to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity and physicochemical properties of the developed herbal gel formulation containing standardized wood extract of A. myriophylla. Results of quantitative HPLC analysis demonstrated that the standardized wood extract of A. myriophylla contained 22.95 mg/g of 8-methoxy-7,3',4'-trihydroxyflavone, a bioactive marker compound of A. myriophylla. The standardized wood extract of A. myriophylla (1% w/v) exhibited remarkable inhibition (54.4 - 80.3%) in the croton oil model of topical inflammation at all assessment times, comparable to standard indomethacin (55.3 - 63.6%). Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed to clarify the anti-inflammatory mechanism of standardized wood extract of A. myriophylla, and the result showed that this standardized extract decreased lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide synthase mRNA levels in a dose-dependent manner. The developed herbal gel containing standardized wood extract of A. myriophylla (1% w/w) had good physicochemical characteristics and exhibited potent inhibition (51.4 - 77.8%) of inflammation in a rat ear edema model at all assessment times, comparable to indomethacin gel (33.3 - 40.5%). The notable anti-inflammatory activity of standardized wood extract of A. myriophylla and its developed herbal gel formulation indicates their potential application as natural anti-inflammatory agents.

Mucoadhesive film containing α-mangostin shows potential role in oral cancer treatment.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is often preceded by a mucosal lesion called an oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD). Many plant-derived compounds are of value in medicine. The objectives of this study were to develop a soluble mucoadhesive film containing α-mangostin (α-MG), a compound extracted from the peel of mangosteen fruit, and determine its activities against oral cancer cells, against human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) pseudovirus, and its anti-inflammatory properties. METHODS: A soluble mucoadhesive film containing α-MG was prepared. Oral squamous carcinoma cell line (SCC25), murine macrophage cells (RAW264.7), and human gingival fibroblast cell line were cultured. Anticancer activity and viability of SCC25 cells in response to α-MG film solution were determined by MTT assay. HPV-16 pseudovirus was constructed and effects of the film solution on attachment and post-attachment steps of the infection were investigated. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by nitric oxide (NO) inhibition. Fibroblast cell migration was determined by in vitro scratch assay. RESULTS: The soluble α-MG film showed cytotoxic effects on SCC25 cells in concentration > 125 µg/ml with IC50 of 152.5 µg/ml. Antiviral activity against HPV-16 pseudovirus was observed at attachment step, but not at post-attachment step. The film also possessed a strong anti-inflammatory effect and promoted wound healing without cytotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Mucoadhesive film containing α-MG has a cytotoxic effect on oral squamous carcinoma cell line and an inhibitory effect on HPV-16 pseudovirus at attachment step. The α-MG film also shows a potent anti-inflammatory activity and enhances wound healing. Thus, the soluble α-MG film may have a potential role in treating oral cancer.

Thunbergia laurifolia Leaf Extract Increased Levels of Antioxidant Enzymes and Protected Human Cell-Lines In Vitro Against Cadmium.

Thunbergia laurifolia or Rang Jued has been used as an herbal tea and in folk medicine as a detoxifying agent. Cd contamination is globally widespread and a serious public health problem. The aim of this study was to determine the endogenous antioxidant enzyme activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) production of the crude dried extract (CDE) of T. laurifolia leaves, using human embryonic kidney (HEK293) and human liver (HepG2) cells as in vitro models. Moreover, the cytotoxicity including anti-cadmium (Cd) toxicity in both cells were measured. The experimental design had 3 treatment groups with combined, pre-, and post-treatments for investigating the anti-Cd toxicity, and cell viability was determined with MTT test (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide). The CDE showed low cytotoxicity and increased catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities with decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in both cell types. It was found that the CDE protected against Cd-induced toxicity in both cell types, and a synergistic combination therapy effect was seen when CaNa2EDTA, a chelating agent, was applied. Therefore, CDE can protect against Cd-induced oxidative stress in cells, possibly due to its antioxidant properties. Moreover, using the extract or drinking the herbal tea together with chelating agent should have an efficacy advantage over using the CDE or the chelating agent singly.

Anti-allergic activity of mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) protein hydrolysates produced by enzymatic hydrolysis using non-gastrointestinal and gastrointestinal enzymes.

Mung bean seed is a well-known plant protein consumed in Asian countries but the protein is usually retrieved as a waste product during starch production. This study investigated the anti-allergic property of mung bean protein hydrolysates (MBPH) produced by enzymatic hydrolysis using non-gastrointestinal (non-GI), GI and a combination of non-GI+GI enzymes. The hydrolysates were investigated for any anti-allergic property by detecting the amount of ß-hexosaminidase released in RBL-2H3 cells, and complemented with the MTT assay to show cell viability. It was found that MBPH hydrolyzed by a combination of flavourzyme (non-GI enzyme) and pancreatin (GI enzyme) exhibited the highest anti-allergic activity (135.61%), followed by those produced with alcalase, a non-GI enzyme (121.74%) and 80.32% for pancreatin (GI enzyme). Minimal toxicity (<30%) of all hydrolysates on RBL-2H3 cells line was observed. The results suggest that MBPH can potentially serve as a hypoallergenic food ingredient or supplement. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Mung bean (Vigna radiata L. (Wilczek)) is also known as "green gram" and it is an excellent source of protein. The major mung bean storage proteins are the globulin, albumin and legumin, which are also referred to as legume allergens. Our study showed that mung bean peptides obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis influenced ß-hexosaminidase inhibition without any toxic effect on RBL-2H3 cells. This indicates that mung bean allergenicity can be reduced after enzymatic hydrolysis and the protein hydrolysates could be as a hypoallergic food, ingredient, supplement and/or protein substitute in the formulation of food products.