Hecogenin and fluticasone combination attenuates TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis in rats via downregulation of pro-inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress.

OBJECTIVE: Ulcerative colitis is common types of severe, progressive, idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease that involves the mucosal lining of the large intestine. The purpose of the study is to explore the effects of hecogenin in TNBS (2, 4, 6- trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid) induced ulcerative colitis model in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty Wistar rats were randomized into five groups: (i) Normal Control (NC), (ii) Disease Control (DC), (iii) Hecogenin (HG) (50 µg/rat), (iv) Fluticasone (FC) (50 µg/rat), (v) Hecogenin + Fluticasone (HG + FC) combination (25 µg/rat). Colitis was induced by trans-rectal administration of TNBS using a catheter inserted 8 cm into the rectal portion of the rat. Colitis was evaluated by an independent observer who was blinded to the treatment. All treatment group results were compared to the TNBS group results. RESULTS: The study results revealed that treatment of rats with HG and HG + FC significantly improved the body weight and colon length whereas; decreased the spleen weight, colon weight/length ratio, macroscopic lesions score, diarrhea score and adhesion score. The drug treatment in rats substantially decreased the development of inflammatory cytokines, levels of serum immunoglobulin E, colonic nitric oxide contents and restoration of antioxidant stress markers. Histopathological colon sample study significantly reduced colonic inflammation with a substantial decrease in inflammation score. CONCLUSION: Thus, HG and HG + FC combination could change the pathogenesis of the disease and may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ulcerative colitis by a reduction in dose in conjunction with FC to prevent the persistent adverse effects associated with FC.

Role of peripheral and central sensitization in the anti-hyperalgesic effect of hecogenin acetate, an acetylated sapogenin, complexed with ß-cyclodextrin: Involvement of NFκB and p38 MAPK pathways.

Neuropathic pain develops due to injury to the somatosensory system, affecting the patient's quality of life. In view of the ineffectiveness of the current pharmacotherapy, substances obtained from natural products (NPs) are a promising alternative. One NP that has been discussed in the literature is hecogenin acetate (HA), a steroidal sapogenin with anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity. However, HA has low water solubility, which affects its bioavailability. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-hyperalgesic activity of pure and complexed hecogenin acetate (HA/ßCD) in an animal model of chronic neuropathic and inflammatory pain. The inclusion complex was prepared at a molar ratio of 1:2 (HA:ßCD) by the lyophilization method. For the induction of chronic inflammatory pain, the mice received an intraplantar injection of CFA (complete Freund's adjuvant), and were evaluated for mechanical hyperalgesia and for the levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the skin of the paw after eight days of treatment. HA and HA/ßCD reduced mechanical hyperalgesia in relation to the vehicle group until the fourth and fifth hours, respectively, in the acute evaluation, with a superior effect of the complexed form over the pure form in the second and third hour after treatment (p < 0.001). In the chronic evaluation, HA and HA/ßCD reduced hyperalgesia in relation to the vehicle in the eight days of treatment (p < 0.001). Both pure (p < 0.01) and complexed (p < 0.001) forms reduced myeloperoxidase activity in the skin of the animals' paw. Groups of animals subjected to the same pharmacological protocol were submitted to the partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL) model and evaluated for mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, and cold allodynia. HA and HA/ßCD reduced mechanical hyperalgesia until the fourth and sixth hours, respectively, and both reduced hyperalgesia in relation to the vehicle in the chronic evaluation (p < 0.001). HA and HA/ßCD also reduced thermal hyperalgesia and cold allodynia (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). The analysis of the spinal cord of these animals showed a decrease in the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 and a reduction in the phosphorylation of NFκB and p38MAPK, as well as a decrease in microglioses compared to the vehicle group. In addition, HA/ßCD reduced the nociception induced by intraplantar injection of agonist TRPA1 (p < 0.01) and TRPM8 (p < 0.05). Treatment for eight days with HA and HA/ßCD showed no signs of gastric or liver damage. HA and HA/ßCD were, therefore, shown to have antinociceptive effects in chronic pain models. Based on our exploration of the mechanisms of the action of HA, these effects are likely to be related to inhibited leukocyte migration, interaction with the TRPA1 and TRPM8 receptors, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines levels, microglial expression and suppression of NF-κB p65 and p38 MAPK pathway signaling. Therefore, HA/ßCD has great potential for use in the treatment of chronic pain.

20S-Protopanaxatriol Ameliorates Hepatic Fibrosis, Potentially Involving FXR-Mediated Inflammatory Signaling Cascades.

Ginseng has been used as a functional food and tonic for enhancing immune power. Here, the potential protective effect of 20S-protopanaxatriol (M4), the metabolite of protopanaxatriol, against hepatic fibrosis is investigated, which could provide nutritional interventions for disease treatment. M4 could inhibit extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and reduce the levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as caspase 1, interleukin 1 ß (IL-1ß), interleukin 1 receptor type 1 (IL1R1), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). M4 also significantly increased the expression of farnesoid X receptor (FXR), suppressed the purinergic ligand-gated ion channel 7 receptor (P2X7r) signaling pathway, and works as an FXR agonist, GW4064. In thioacetamide (TAA)-induced mice, M4 could attenuate the histopathological changes and significantly regulate the expression levels of FXR and P2X7r. M4 ameliorated TAA-induced hepatic fibrosis due to the reduction of P2X7r secretion, inhibition of hepatic stellate cell (HSCs) activation, and inflammation, which were all associated with FXR activation. Hence, M4 might be useful a nutritional preventive approach in antihepatic fibrosis and antihepatic inflammation.

Silicone elastomer gel impregnated with 20(S)-protopanaxadiol-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for ordered diabetic ulcer recovery.

Inefficient diabetic ulcer healing and scar formation remain a challenge worldwide, owing to a series of disordered and dynamic biological events that occur during the process of healing. A functional wound dressing that is capable of promoting ordered diabetic wound recovery is eagerly anticipated. In this study, we designed a silicone elastomer with embedded 20(S)-protopanaxadiol-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (PPD-NS) to achieve ordered recovery in scarless diabetic ulcer healing. The nanostructured lipid carriers were prepared through an emulsion evaporation-solidification method and then incorporated into a network of silicone elastomer to form a unique nanostructured lipid carrier-enriched gel formulation. Interestingly, the PPD-NS showed excellent in vitro anti-inflammatory and proangiogenic activity. Moreover, in diabetic mice with full-thickness skin excision wound, treatment with PPD-NS significantly promoted in vivo scarless wound healing through suppressing inflammatory infiltration in the inflammatory phase, promoting angiogenesis during the proliferation phase, and regulating collagen deposition in the remodeling phase. Hence, this study demonstrates that the developed PPD-NS could facilitate ordered diabetic wound recovery via multifunctional improvement during different wound-healing phases. This novel approach could be promising for scarless diabetic wound healing.

Enhanced the Bioavailability of Sterile 20(S)-Protopanaxadiol Nanocrystalline Suspension Coated by Bovine Serum Albumin for Intramuscular Injection: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation.

The aim of this study was to prepare a 20(S)-protopanaxadiol nanocrystalline suspension and enhance the bioavailability of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol by intramuscular injection. 20(S)-Protopanaxadiol nanocrystalline suspension was prepared using an anti-solvent combined with ultrasonic approach, in which meglumine and bovine serum albumin were screened as the optimized stabilizer and the coating agent during spray drying process, respectively. The optimal nanocrystallines were nearly spherical with a uniform particle size distribution, the mean particle size, polydispersity index, and drug loading of which were 151.20 ± 2.54 nm, 0.11 ± 0.01, and 47.15% (w/w), respectively. Sterile 20(S)-protopanaxadiol nanocrystalline suspension was obtained by passing through a 0.22-µm membrane, and the average filtration efficiency (FE%) was 99.96%. The cumulative release percentage of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol nanocrystalline suspension was 92.36% 20(S)-protopanaxadiol within 60 min in vitro, which was relatively rapid compared with that of the physical mixture for 12.51% and the 20(S)-protopanaxadiol bulk powder for 9.71% during the same time interval. The sterile 20(S)-protopanaxadiol nanocrystalline suspension caused minimal irritation responses by histological examination, indicating a good biocompatibility between the 20(S)-protopanaxadiol nanocrystalline suspension and muscle tissues. In pharmacokinetic study, the absolute bioavailability of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol nanocrystalline suspension for intramuscular injection and for oral gavage was 5.99 and 0.03, respectively. In summary, the 20(S)-protopanaxadiol nanocrystalline via intramuscular injection is an efficient drug delivery system to improve its bioavailability.

Hypoglycemic effects of esculeoside A are mediated via activation of AMPK and upregulation of IRS-1.

BACKGROUND: Tomato fruit (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) has been suggested to be useful for the prevention of diabetes. Esculeoside A is the main saponin compounds in tomatoes. This study investigated the hypoglycemic effects and the underlying mechanism of esculeoside A in C57BLKS/Leprdb (db/db) mice. METHODS: Wild-type C57BLKS (db/dm) mice were used in the db/dm mouse group and db/db mice were randomly divided into 2 groups: untreated and treated db/db mouse groups. Esculeoside A (100 mg/kg) was administered by gavage for 56 days to the treated db/db mouse group. Distilled water was administered to the db/dm mouse group and the untreated db/db mouse group. The blood and liver biochemical parameters and the expression of liver insulin signaling-related proteins were examined. RESULTS: The results showed that esculeoside A reduced the fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels and improved the glucose tolerance. Further investigation revealed that hepatic protein expressions of total AMP-activated protein kinase (T-AMPK), phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK), insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), and glucokinase (GCK) were significantly upregulated after esculeoside A treatment. In contrast, the hepatic protein expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) was significantly downregulated by esculeoside A treatment. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that esculeoside A has a potential of alleviating the metabolic abnormalities in db/db mice via regulation of AMPK/IRS-1 pathway. Our findings supported a possible application of esculeoside A as a functional supplement for diabetes treatment.

Protopanaxadiol alleviates obesity in high-fat diet-fed mice via activation of energy-sensing neuron in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus.

Obesity is one of the most important health problems worldwide. Panax ginseng has been reported to exert anti-obesity effect. However, the active constituents and the underlying mechanism remained uncertain. This study uncovered the anti-obesity effect of protopanaxadiol (PPD) and its potential mechanism. To investigate the anti-obesity effect of PPD, high-fat diet induced obesity (DIO) C57BL/6 mice were treated with PPD by both intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) and oral administration. Body weight and food intake were recorded. Energy expenditure was measured by CLAMS metabolic cages. For mechanism study, C-Fos in the hypothalamus of the mice was stained following the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of PPD. Our results showed that with both injection and feeding, PPD reduced body weight, inhibited food intake, increased energy expenditure and improved liver damage in DIO mice. Mechanistically, i.c.v. injection of PPD inhibited feeding and increased C-Fos expression in paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH). The results suggest that PPD may reduce body weight of DIO mice via the activation of PVH neurons and PPD is a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of obesity.

Cycloastragenol can negate constitutive STAT3 activation and promote paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Cycloastragenol (CAG), a triterpene aglycone is commonly prescribed for treating hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetic nephropathy, viral hepatitis, and various inflammatory-linked diseases. HYPOTHESIS: We investigated CAG for its action on signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation cascades, and its potential to sensitize gastric cancer cells to paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. METHODS: The effect of CAG on STAT3 phosphorylation and other hallmarks of cancer was deciphered using diverse assays in both SNU-1 and SNU-16 cells. RESULTS: We observed that CAG exhibited cytotoxic activity against SNU-1 and SNU-16 cells to a greater extent as compared to normal GES-1 cells. CAG predominantly caused negative regulation of STAT3 phosphorylation at tyrosine 705 through the abrogation of Src and Janus-activated kinases (JAK1/2) activation. We noted that CAG impaired translocation of STAT3 protein as well as its DNA binding activity. It further decreased cellular proliferation and mediated its anticancer effects predominantly by causing substantial apoptosis rather than autophagy. In addition, CAG potentiated paclitaxel-induced anti-oncogenic effects in gastric tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that CAG can function to impede STAT3 activation in human gastric tumor cells and therefore it may be a suitable candidate agent for therapy of gastric cancer.

Pharmacokinetic interaction of calcitriol with 20(S)-protopanaxadiol in mice: Determined by LC/MS analysis.

The physiological and anti-cancer functions of vitamin D3 are accomplished primarily via 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol), whereas 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (aPPD) is a ginsenoside, which is isolated from Panax ginseng, with potential anti-cancer benefits. In the present study, we report a pharmacokinetic (PK) herb-nutrient interaction between calcitriol and aPPD in mice. A liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method was developed using 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione derivatizing agent and we subsequently used the method to quantitate calcitriol in mouse serum. The limit of quantitation was 0.01 ng/ml which is approximately 100 fold lower than the previously reported assay from our laboratory. Calcitriol PK parameters were determined in non-tumor-bearing or C4-2 human prostate tumor-bearing nude mice following oral co-administration of calcitriol either alone or in combination with aPPD. Mice were pretreated with oral aPPD (70 mg/kg) or vehicle control twice daily for seven consecutive days, followed by a single oral dose of 4 µg/kg calcitriol alone or in combination with aPPD. Our PK results demonstrated that co-administration of calcitriol with aPPD (following pre-treatment with vehicle for seven days) resulted in a 35% increase in the area under the curve (AUC0-24 h) and a 41% increase in the maximum serum concentration (Cmax) compared to the calcitriol only group. aPPD therefore significantly increased calcitriol serum exposure. We also saw a reduction in the time required to reach Cmax. In contrast, calcitriol PK in mice co-administered with calcitriol and aPPD as well as those pretreated seven consecutive days with aPPD was no different than that determined for the mice that received vehicle for seven days as pre-treatment. Co-administration of calcitriol with aPPD therefore could increase health benefits of vitamin D3, however any increased risk of hypercalcemia, resulting from this combination approach, requires further investigation. Lastly, we surmise that a cytochrome P450 inhibition-based mechanism may contribute to the observed PK interaction.

Inhibitory effects of cycloastragenol on abdominal aortic aneurysm and its related mechanisms.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative disease affecting human health, but there are no safe and effective medications for AAA therapy. Cycloastragenol (CAG), derived from Astragali Radix, has various pharmacological effects. However, whether CAG can protect against AAA remains elusive. In this study, we investigated whether CAG has an inhibitory effect on AAA and its related mechanism. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The AAA mouse model was induced by incubating the abdominal aorta with elastase. CAG was administered by gavage at different doses beginning on the same day or 14 days after inducing AAA to explore its preventive or therapeutic effects respectively. The preventive effects of CAG on AAA were verified in another AAA mouse model induced by angiotensin II in ApoE-/- mouse. In vitro experiments were implemented on rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) stimulated by TNF-α. KEY RESULTS: Compared to the control AAA model group, CAG (125 mg·kg-1 body weight day-1 ) reduced the incidence of AAA, the dilatation of aorta and elastin degradation in media in both mouse models of AAA. CAG suppressed the inflammation, oxidation, phenotype switch and apoptosis in TNF-α-stimulated VSMCs, ameliorated the expression and activity of MMPs and decreased the activation of the ERK/JNK signalling pathway. CAG also inhibited the degradation of elastin in TNF-α-stimulated VSMCs. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: CAG presents protective effects against AAA through down-regulation of the MAPK signalling pathways and thus attenuates inflammation, oxidation, VSMC phenotype switch and apoptosis and the expression of MMPs as well as increasing elastin biosynthesis.

Cycloastragenol ameliorates experimental heart damage in rats by promoting myocardial autophagy via inhibition of AKT1-RPS6KB1 signaling.

Cycloastragenol, a naturally occurring compound in Astragali Radix, has been demonstrated to possess various pharmacological actions including anti-aging, anti-inflammation, anti-fibrosis, antibacterial, liver and endothelium protection. However, whether cycloastragenol ameliorates heart failure remains unclear. Isoproterenol administration to rats triggered classic cardiac damage, as demonstrated by objective parameters of cardiac dysfunction. The treatment of cycloastragenol improved deranged cardiac parameters in the isoproterenol-induced heart damage model in a dose-dependent manner. At the same time, cycloastragenol markedly ameliorated cardiac histological changes and down-regulated serum levels of various neuroendocrine factors including norepinephrine, aldosterone, brain natriuretic peptide, endothelin 1, angiotensin II and so on. Moreover, the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 in rat heart were also inhibited by cycloastragenol. Mechanistically, augmenting autophagy of myocardial cells via the inhibition of AKT1-RPS6KB1 signaling contributed to the improvement of isoproterenol-induced rat heart failure by cycloastragenol. These results suggest that cycloastragenol ameliorates cardiac dysfunction and remodeling through promoting autophagy in myocardial cells and suppressing MMP-2 and MMP-9 expressions, indicating that it could be a drug candidate for patients with congestive heart failure.

20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) alleviates scopolamine-induced memory impairment via regulation of cholinergic and antioxidant systems, and expression of Egr-1, c-Fos and c-Jun in mice.

20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) possesses various biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antitumor and anti-fatigue properties. Recent studies found that PPD functioned as a neurotrophic agent to ameliorate the sensory deficit caused by glutamate-induced excitotoxicity through its antioxidant effects and exhibited strong antidepressant-like effects in vivo. The objective of the present study was first to investigate the effect of PPD in scopolamine (SCOP)-induced memory deficit in mice and the potential mechanisms involved. In this study, mice were pretreated with PPD (20 and 40 µmol/kg) and donepezil (1.6 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (i.p) for 14 days. Then, open field test was used to assess the effect of PPD on the locomotor activity and mice were daily injected with SCOP (0.75 mg/kg) to induce cognitive deficits and then subjected to behavioral tests by object location recognition (OLR) experiment and Morris water maze (MWM) task. The cholinergic system function, oxidative stress biomarkers and protein expression of Egr-1, c-Fos, and c-Jun in mouse hippocampus were examined. PPD was found to significantly improve the performance of amnesia mice in OLR and MWM tests. PPD regulated cholinergic function by inhibiting SCOP-induced elevation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, decline of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity and decrease of acetylcholine (Ach) level. PPD suppressed oxidative stress by increasing activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lowering maleic diadehyde (MDA) level. Additionally, PPD significantly elevated the expression of Egr-1, c-Fos, and c-Jun in hippocampus at protein level. Taken together, all these results suggested that 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) may be a candidate compound for the prevention against memory loss in some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD).

20(s)-Protopanaxadiol (PPD) increases the radiotherapy sensitivity of laryngeal carcinoma.

Laryngeal carcinoma (LC) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors in the head and neck area. Due to its high morbidity and mortality, LC poses a serious threat to human life and health. Even with surgical removal, some patients were not sensitive to radiotherapy or experienced transfer or recurrence. 20(s)-Protopanaxadiol (PPD), a natural product from Panax ginseng, has been reported to have cytotoxic effects against several cancer cell lines. However, whether it can improve the radiation sensitivity and the underlying mechanism of PPD's sensitization effect is still unknown. Herein, from in vitro and in vivo experiments, we found that the combination of PPD and radiation not only significantly inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis, but also suppressed the tumor growth in mouse models. These findings confirmed the role of PPD in enhancing the sensitivity of radiotherapy. Moreover, our work showed that the expression levels of mTOR and its downstream effectors decreased remarkably after PPD addition when compared to radiation only. This result suggested that PPD's excellent synergistic effects with radiation might be associated with the down-regulation of the mTOR signaling pathway in Hep-2 cells.

Semi-synthetic sapogenin exerts neuroprotective effects by skewing the brain ischemia reperfusion transcriptome towards inflammatory resolution.

Stroke represents one of the first causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. We evaluated the therapeutic potential of a novel semi-synthetic spirosteroid sapogenin derivative "S15" in a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) focal ischemia model in rat. S15-treated rats had significantly reduced infarct volumes and improved neurological functions at 24h post-reperfusion, compared with ischemia. Corresponding gene expression changes in brain were characterized by mRNA sequencing and qPCR approaches. Next, we applied geneset, pathway and transcription factor motif enrichment analysis to identify relevant signaling networks responsible for neuronal damage upon ischemia-reperfusion or neuroprotection upon pretreatment with S15. As expected, ischemia-reperfusion brain damage strongly modulates transcriptional programs associated with immune responses, increased differentiation of immune cells as well as reduced (cat)ion transport and synaptic activity. Interestingly, S15-dependent neuroprotection regulates inflammation-associated genes involved in phagosome specific resolution of tissue damage, chemotaxis and anti-inflammatory alternative activation of microglia. Altogether our transcriptome wide RNA sequencing and integrated pathway analysis provides new clues in the neuroprotective properties of a novel spirosteroid S15 or neuronal damage in rat brains subjected to ischemia, which opens new perspectives for successful treatment of stroke.

Ginsenoside Rg3 Improves Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury in Rats via Suppression of Neuronal Apoptosis, Pro-Inflammatory Mediators, and Microglial Activation.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating medical conditions; however, currently, there are no effective pharmacological interventions for SCI. Ginsenoside Rg3 (GRg3) is one of the protopanaxadiols that show anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective effects. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effect of GRg3 following SCI in rats. SCI was induced using a static compression model at vertebral thoracic level 10 for 5 min. GRg3 was administrated orally at a dose of 10 or 30 mg/kg/day for 14 days after the SCI. GRg3 (30 mg/kg) treatment markedly improved behavioral motor functions, restored lesion size, preserved motor neurons in the spinal tissue, reduced Bax expression and number of TUNEL-positive cells, and suppressed mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6. GRg3 also attenuated the over-production of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase after SCI. Moreover, GRg3 markedly suppressed microglial activation in the spinal tissue. In conclusion, GRg3 treatment led to a remarkable recovery of motor function and a reduction in spinal tissue damage by suppressing neuronal apoptosis and inflammatory responses after SCI. These results suggest that GRg3 may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of SCI.

Synthesis and neuroprotective effects of the complex nanoparticles of iron and sapogenin isolated from the defatted seeds of Camellia oleifera.

CONTEXT: The defatted seeds of Camellia oleifera var. monosperma Hung T. Chang (Theaceae) are currently discarded without effective utilization. However, sapogenin has been isolated and shows antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities suggestive of its neuroprotective function. OBJECTIVE: In order to improve the activities of sapogenin, the nanoparticles of iron-sapogenin have been synthesized, and the neuroprotective effects are evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Structural characters of the nanoparticles were analyzed, and the antioxidant effect was assessed by DPPH method, and the neuroprotective effect was evaluated by rotenone-induced neurodegeneration in Kunming mice injected subcutaneously into the back of neck with rotenone (50 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks and then treated by tail intravenous injection with the iron-sapogenin at the dose of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg for 7 days. Mice behaviour and neurotransmitters were tested. RESULTS: The product had an average size of 162 nm with spherical shape, and scavenged more than 90% DPPH radicals at 0.8 mg/mL concentration. It decreased behavioural disorder and malondialdehyde content in mice brain, and increased superoxide dismutase activity, tyrosine hydroxylase expression, dopamine and acetylcholine levels in brain in dose dependence, and their maximum changes were respectively up to 60.83%, 25.17%, 22.13%, 105.26%, 42.17% and 22.89% as compared to vehicle group. Iron-sapogenin nanoparticle shows significantly better effects than the sapogenin. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Iron-sapogenin alleviates neurodegeneration of mice injured by neurotoxicity of rotenone, it is a superior candidate of drugs for neuroprotection.

Potential accumulation of protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides in six-months toxicokinetic study of SHENMAI injection in dogs.

SHENMAI injection (SMI), derived from famous Shen Mai San, is a herbal injection widely used in China. Ginsenosides are the major components of SMI. To monitor the exposure level of SMI during long-term treatment, a 6-month toxicokinetic experiment was performed. Twenty-four beagle dogs were dived into four groups (n = 6 in each group): a control group (0.9% NaCl solution) and three SMI groups (2, 6 or 3 mg/kg). The dogs were i.v. infused with vehicle or SMI daily for 180 d. Blood samples for analysis were collected at specific time points as follows: pre-dose (0 h); at 10, 30, and 60 min during infusion; and at 10, 30, 60, 90, 120, 240, and 300 min post-administration. Concentrations of ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, and Rg1 in the plasma were determined simultaneously by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Non-compartmental parameters were further calculated and analyzed. Significant differences were found between the kinetic behavior of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol-type (PPD-type) and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol-type (PPT-type) ginsenosides. Increasing in the exposure level of PPD-type ginsenosides was observed in dogs during the experiment. Therefore, PPD-type ginsenosides are closely related to the immunity modulation effect of SMI. Increased PPD-type ginsenoside exposure level may present potential toxicity and induce drug-drug interaction risks during SMI administration. As such, PPD-type ginsenoside accumulation must be carefully monitored in future SMI research.

25-methoxyl-dammarane-3ß, 12ß, 20-triol and artemisinin synergistically inhibit MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation through downregulation of testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50) expression.

While the incidence of cancer continues to increase, the current therapeutic options remain imperfect. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover new targeted anti-cancer therapies. Testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50) is abnormally expressed in most cancer tissues and downregulation of TSP50 expression can reduce cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis, which makes it a potential target for cancer therapy. In this study, we constructed a firefly luciferase reporter pGL3-TSP50-3'-UTR as a drug screening model to screen potential candidate compounds that target TSP50 mRNA. We identified the compound 7P3A, which consists of 70 % 25-methoxyl-dammarane-3ß, 12ß, 20-triol and 30 % artemisinin, as being capable of inhibiting the TSP50-3'-UTR reporter activity, as well as the expression of TSP50. Further investigation revealed that 7P3A could inhibit MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation and induce cell cycle arrest, and over-expression of TSP50 partially reversed the effect of 7P3A. In vivo investigation showed that 7P3A could inhibit tumor growth in a xenograft model of breast cancer. These results suggest that 7P3A exhibits anti-cancer effects, in part, through downregulation of TSP50 expression.

In vitro effectiveness of triterpenoids and their synergistic effect with antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus strains.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of four triterpenoids such as oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, cycloastragenol, and beta-boswellic acid alone and in combination with antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus strains. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen clinical strains of S. aureus from infected wounds were isolated. Eight were methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), and the other eight were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The activity was also seen in reference S. aureus American Type Culture Collection™ strains. The activity of all the triterpenoids and antibiotics against S. aureus was evaluated by broth microdilution method. The effectiveness was judged by comparing the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the compounds with antibiotics. The combination of antibiotics with compounds was evaluated by their fractional inhibitory concentrations (FIC). RESULTS: Against both clinical and reference MSSA strains, none of the compounds exhibited comparable activity to antibiotics vancomycin or cefradine except for ursolic acid (MIC 7.8 µg/ml). Against MRSA, all compounds (MIC 16-128 µg/ml) showed lesser activity than vancomycin (MIC 5.8 µg/ml). Among triterpenoid-antibiotic combinations, the most effective were ursolic acid and vancomycin against clinical strain MSSA (FICS 0.17). However, overall, different combinations between triterpenoids and antibiotics showed 95%-46% (P < 0.05) reduction in MICs of antibiotics compared to when antibiotics were used alone. Cefradine, a drug not suitable for treating MRSA (MIC = 45 µg/ml), showed a remarkable decrease in its MIC (87% P< 0.01) when it was used in combination with oleanolic acid or ursolic acid in both clinical and reference strains. CONCLUSION: The tested triterpenoids are relatively weaker than antibiotics. However, when used in combination with antibiotics, they showed remarkable synergistic effect and thus can help in prolonging the viability of these antibiotics against S. aureus infections. Furthermore, reduction in MIC of cefradine with oleanolic acid indicates their potential use against MRSA.

Anti-hyaluronidase Activity in Vitro and Amelioration of Mouse Experimental Dermatitis by Tomato Saponin, Esculeoside A.

The increasing incidence of atopic dermatitis during recent decades has prompted the development of safe and effective agents for prevention of atopic diseases. Esculeoside A, a glycoside of spirosolane type, is identified as a major component in ripe tomato fruits. The present study investigated the effects of esculeoside A and its aglycon esculeogenin A on hyaluronidase activity in vitro and antiallergy in experimental dermatitis mice. Esculeogenin A/esculeoside A (esculeogenin A equivalent) with an IC50 of about 2 µM/9 µM dose-dependently inhibited hyaluronidase activity measured by a modified Morgan-Elson method. Oral treatment with esculeoside A 10 mg/kg of experimental dermatitis mice for 4 weeks significantly decreased the skin clinical score to 2.5 without any detectable side effects compared with 6.75 of the control. The scratching frequency of esculeoside A 100 mg/kg application was decreased significantly as 107.5 times compared with 296.67 times of the control. Thus, the present study showed that esculeoside A/esculeogenin A significantly blocks hyaluronidase activity in vitro and that esculeoside A ameliorates mouse experimental dermatitis.