Dihydrocapsiate supplementation prevented high-fat diet-induced adiposity, hepatic steatosis, glucose intolerance, and gut morphological alterations in mice.

Despite the lipolytic and thermogenic properties of capsaicin, its putative use as a weight-lowering dietary supplement has been limited because of the burning sensation caused by capsaicin when it comes in contact with mucous membranes. A potential alternative to capsaicin are the capsinoids, nonpungent capsaicin analogs that exhibit effects similar to capsaicin. Whereas the antiobesity properties of capsinoids have been reported, the effectiveness of FDA-approved synthetic dihydrocapsiate has not yet been investigated. In the present study, we hypothesized that dihydrocapsiate might ameliorate high-fat diet (HFD)-induced metabolic disorders in a manner similar to capsaicin and therefore can be its nonpungent alternative. To test this hypothesis, HFD-fed mice were orally administered dihydrocapsiate (2 and 10mg/kg body weight) for 12weeks. Dihydrocapsiate modestly reduced the HFD-induced weight gain and significantly prevented the associated hyperglyceridemia and hyperinsulinemia while improving glucose tolerance. Histological and gene expression analysis showed that dihydrocapsiate significantly prevented the lipid accumulation in white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue via targeting genes involved in energy expenditure and mitochondrial biogenesis, respectively. Dihydrocapsiate corrected hepatic triglyceride concentrations and normalized expression of genes regulating hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism. Moreover, dihydrocapsiate administration significantly improved gut morphology and altered gut microbial composition, resulting in reduced host energy availability. Collectively, these results indicate that dihydrocapsiate administration improved glucose tolerance, prevented adiposity and hepatic steatosis, as well as improved HFD-induced gut alterations, positing dihydrocapsiate as a potential food ingredient for the dietary management of HFD-induced metabolic alterations.

Kodo millet whole grain and bran supplementation prevents high-fat diet induced derangements in a lipid profile, inflammatory status and gut bacteria in mice.

The protective role of kodo millet whole grain and bran supplementation in diet induced obesity has not been investigated. Here we have studied the role of kodo millet supplementation in age matched Swiss albino mice that were randomly divided into groups and fed their respective diets for 16 weeks. A high fat diet increased weight gain, reduced glucose tolerance, increased serum lipids, altered hepatic and adipocyte gene expression and caused dysbiosis in the intestinal beneficial bacteria. Kodo millet supplementation did not affect weight gain but it improved glucose tolerance and prevented an increase in the serum cholesterol and lipid parameters (P ≤ 0.05), modulated adipogenesis related gene expression, decreased serum IL-6 and LPS levels (P ≤ 0.05), promoted selected beneficial gut bacterial abundances (Lactobacillus sp., Bifidobacteria, Akkermansia and Roseburia spp.) and improved the total short chain fatty acid production (P ≤ 0.05) and acetate levels (P ≤ 0.05) in cecal contents. This study provides evidence that kodo millet supplementation alleviates high-fat diet induced changes and hence can be incorporated as a functional ingredient for the management of obesity.

Cinnamaldehyde supplementation prevents fasting-induced hyperphagia, lipid accumulation, and inflammation in high-fat diet-fed mice.

Cinnamaldehyde, a bioactive component of cinnamon, is increasingly gaining interest for its preventive and therapeutic effects against metabolic complications like type-2 diabetes. This study is an attempt to understand the effect of cinnamaldehyde in high-fat diet (HFD)-associated increase in fasting-induced hyperphagia and related hormone levels, adipose tissue lipolysis and inflammation, and selected cecal microbial count in mice. Cinnamaldehyde, at 40 µM dose, prevented lipid accumulation and altered gene expression toward lipolytic phenotype in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell lines. In vivo, cinnamaldehyde coadministration prevented HFD-induced body weight gain, decreased fasting-induced hyperphagia, as well as circulating leptin and leptin/ghrelin ratio. In addition to that, cinnamaldehyde altered serum biochemical parameters related to lipolysis, that is, glycerol and free fatty acid levels. At transcriptional level, cinnamaldehyde increased anorectic gene expression in hypothalamus and lipolytic gene expression in visceral white adipose tissue. Furthermore, cinnamaldehyde also decreased serum IL-1ß and inflammatory gene expression in visceral white adipose tissue. However, cinnamaldehyde did not modulate the population of selected gut microbial (Lactobacillus, Bifidibaceria, and Roseburia) count in cecal content. In conclusion, cinnamaldehyde increased adipose tissue lipolysis, decreased fasting-induced hyperphagia, normalized circulating levels of leptin/ghrelin ratio, and reduced inflammation in HFD-fed mice, which augurs well for its antiobesity role.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 1,3,6-trisubstituted ß-carboline derivatives for cytotoxic and anti-leishmanial potential.

In the present study, 23 derivatives of 1,3,6-trisubstituted ß-carboline were synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxic potential against four human cancer cells, namely A-549, HeLa, Hep G2 and MCF-7 as well as anti-leishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani (MHOM/80/IN/Dd8) promastigotes. Among the studied compounds, compounds 13c and 13q showed potent cytotoxic activity better than the parent compound 10. For instance, compound 13c was found to be the most cytotoxic with IC50 of 4.72, 3.59, 3.65 and 4.17 µM against A-549, HeLa, Hep G2 and MCF-7 respectively, while for compound 13q, IC50 were 15.47, 5.30, 6.15 and 13.39 µM against the same cancer cells respectively. Further, these two compounds were found to be apoptotic in A-549 and MCF-7 cells when observed using Annexin V/propidium iodide staining under confocal microscope. All the compounds were also tested for anti-leishmanial potential. In which, compounds 13u and 13c were found to show moderate inhibition with IC50 of 23.5±9.0 and 68.0±0.0 µM respectively, while compound 10 was the most active with IC50 of 9.0±2.8 µM, suggesting the modification at C-6 detrimental for anti-leishmanial activity. Interestingly, amongst all, compound 13c was found to be the most active for cytotoxic and moderately active for anti-leishmanial activity which can be further developed as a lead for these disease areas.

A review on biological sources, chemistry and pharmacological activities of pinostrobin.

Pinostrobin, a dietary bioflavonoid discovered more than 6 decades ago in the heart-wood of pine (Pinus strobus), has depicted many pharmacological activities including anti-viral, anti-oxidant, anti-leukaemic, anti-inflammatory and anti-aromatase activities. It is an inhibitor of sodium channel and Ca(2+) signalling pathways and also inhibits intestinal smooth muscle contractions. In spite of the fact that pinostrobin has an application as functional foods, till-to-date no comprehensive review on pinostrobin has been carried out. Hence, the present review deals with the biological sources, chemistry and pharmacological activities of pinostrobin.

Online antioxidant activity and ultra-performance LC-electrospray ionisation-quadrupole time-of-fight mass spectrometry for chemical fingerprinting of Indian polyherbal formulations.

A HPLC-DAD-DPPH method was developed for evaluating the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl free radical scavenging activity of ethylacetate extracts of different polyherbal formulations (draksarista, draksava, lohasava and arvindasava) by using RP-18e column. The ethylacetate extract from polyherbal, 'draksarista' exhibited maximum free radical scavenging activity (99.9 ± 0.38%) followed by draksava (99.8 ± 0.34%), lohasava (98.5 ± 0.30%) and arvindasava (42.3 ± 0.34%) at 100 µg mL(-1). Simultaneously, ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) was used to study chemical composition of the ethylacetate extracts of formulations. The characteristic electrospray mass ionisation reveals the dominance of polyphenols and their glycosides in the four polyherbal formulations.

Investigations on Leucas cephalotes (Roth.) Spreng. for inhibition of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators in murine macrophages and in rat model.

Silica gel column chromatography fractionation of the dichloromethane extract (LCD) of Leucas cephalotes (Roth.) Spreng. led to the isolation of five compounds namely ß-sitosterol (1) + stigmasterol (2), lupeol (3), oleanolic acid (4) and laballenic acid (5). Also, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of sub-fraction (LCD-F1) of this extract showed the presence of eleven (6-16) compounds. In addition to this, 3-5 and LCD-F1 were evaluated for lipopolysachharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1ß production in RAW 264.7 and J774A.1 cells. Results directed that 4 and 5 were found to inhibit these mediators at half maximal inhibitory concentration of 17.12 to 57.20 µM while IC50 for LCD-F1 was found to be 15.56 to 31.71 µg/mL. Furthermore, LCD at a dose of 50, 100 and 400 mg/Kg was found to reduce significantly LPS induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1ß production in female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. All the results findings evoked that the anti-inflammatory effects of Leucas cephalotes is partially mediated through the suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators and hence can be utilized for the development of anti-inflammatory candidates.

2'-Hydroxy flavanone derivatives as an inhibitors of pro-inflammatory mediators: Experimental and molecular docking studies.

2'-Hydroxy flavanone (1) was previously isolated from Mimosa pudica (L.) whole plant and was found to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. There are also reports on anti-inflammatory properties of compounds bearing flavanone/chromone nucleus. Taking this into account, fourteen derivatives of 2'-hydroxy flavanone (1) were synthesized and evaluated against pro-inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-1ß and NO) in in vitro and in vivo models. Results directed that among the synthesized compounds, four derivatives (11-14) showed profound inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators as compared to the lead molecule. Further, 11-14 demonstrated comparable anti-inflammatory activity with ibuprofen in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema assay and appreciable inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced pro-inflammatory mediators (TNF-α and IL-1ß) in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The synthesized compounds were further subjected to molecular docking analysis and in silico prediction of pharmacokinetic properties.

Activity-guided investigation of Carissa carandas (L.) roots for anti-inflammatory constituents.

The present study was structured to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential of the extracts, fractions and compounds isolated from Carissa carandas (L.) roots. Bioassay guided fractionation of methanol extract based on inhibitory potential towards proinflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-1ß and nitric oxide (NO)) led to the identification of stigmasterol (1), lupeol (2), oleanolic acid (3), carissone (4) and scopoletin (5) as potential anti-inflammatory agents. Carissone (4) (IC50 = 20.1 ± 2.69 µg/mL) and scopoletin (5) (IC50 = 24.6 ± 1.36 µg/mL) exhibited significant inhibition of NO production comparable to specific NO inhibitor (L-NAME; IC50 = 19.82 ± 1.64 µg/mL) without affecting the cell viability. Also, 4 and 5 at a concentration of 30 µM were found to inhibit 41.88-53.44% of TNF-α and IL-1ß. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report displaying the anti-inflammatory effects of C. carandas (L.) roots, partially mediated by inhibition of TNF-α, IL-1ß and NO.

Quantification and comparison of extraction methods for alkaloids in Aegle marmelos leaves by HPLC.

The leaves of Aegle marmelos are reported to contain multi-bioactive classes of compounds including coumarins, furanocoumarins and alkaloids. HPLC analysis of the crude extract was challenging due to low concentrations of the compounds in the leaves. Five compounds visible in the HPLC chromatogram were separated and identified by HPLC and further elaborated for quantification as marker compounds of A. marmelos leaves using a C18 column with detection at 275 nm. A gradient mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water was used. The developed HPLC method showed good linearity (r2 > 0.994), high precision (RSD<5%), and good recovery (99.27-99.98%) of the compounds. The lowest detection limit was 5 ng and the method was found to be robust. All the validation parameters were within the permissible limits. Therefore, the developed method is accurate and reliable for the quality control of A. marmelos. This is the first report of extensive quantitative HPLC analysis of marker compounds in A. marmelos leaves and method validation.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide inhibitory constituents from Cassia occidentalis roots.

The anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity of thirty-six extracts of nine Indian medicinal plants were determined by measuring the inhibition of production of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Their cytotoxic activity against macrophages was determined by MTT assay. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract of Cassia occidentalis L. (roots) (IC50 = 21.3 to 43.1 microg/mL) and Mimosa pudica (whole plant) (1C50= 31.7 to 47.2 microg/mL) and the dichloromethane (DCM) extract of Leucas cephalotes (whole plant) (IC50 = 46.8 to 49.3 microg/mL) exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity by in vitro inhibition of the production of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and NO in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, the five compounds isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of Cassia occidentalis roots were found to suppress LPS-induced IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and NO production in a concentration-dependent manner in these cells at 1C50 values ranging from 22.5 to 97.4 microM. Emodin and chrysophanol were also found active in inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines in vivo. These findings justify an ethnopharmacological use of C occidentalis roots as an effective herbal remedy for the treatment and prevention of inflammation and associated ailments.

Capsaicin-induced transcriptional changes in hypothalamus and alterations in gut microbial count in high fat diet fed mice.

Obesity is a global health problem and recently it has been seen as a growing concern for developing countries. Several bioactive dietary molecules have been associated with amelioration of obesity and associated complications and capsaicin is one among them. The present work is an attempt to understand and provide evidence for the novel mechanisms of anti-obesity activity of capsaicin in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Swiss albino mice divided in three groups (n=8-10) i.e. control, HFD fed and capsaicin (2mg/kg, po)+HFD fed were administered respective treatment for 3months. After measuring phenotypic and serum related biochemical changes, effect of capsaicin on HFD-induced transcriptional changes in hypothalamus, white adipose tissue (WAT) (visceral and subcutaneous), brown adipose tissue (BAT) and gut microbial alterations was studied and quantified. Our results suggest that, in addition to its well-known effects, oral administration of capsaicin (a) modulates hypothalamic satiety associated genotype, (b) alters gut microbial composition, (c) induces "browning" genotype (BAT associated genes) in subcutaneous WAT and (d) increases expression of thermogenesis and mitochondrial biogenesis genes in BAT. The present study provides evidence for novel and interesting mechanisms to explain the anti-obesity effect of capsaicin.

Pinostrobin and Cajanus lactone isolated from Cajanus cajan (L.) leaves inhibits TNF-α and IL-1ß production: in vitro and in vivo experimentation.

The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) inhibitory activities of Cajanus cajan (leaves) crude methanolic extract, its fractions and its phytochemical constituents were evaluated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 and J774A.1 cells. Phytochemical investigation of the active ethyl acetate (CCE) and n-butanol (CCB) fractions of C. cajan L. leaves yielded 14 compounds. It was observed that both pinostrobin (9) and cajanus lactone (4) were found to be most active in inhibiting TNF-α (IC50<22 µM) and IL-1ß (IC50<40 µM) whereas compounds 2, 3, 5-8, 10 and 14 showed moderate and mild effects (IC50=35.50-81.22 µM for TNF-α and 38.23-89.10 µM for IL-1ß) in both the cell lines. Furthermore, at dose of 20mg/kg, both pinostrobin (9) and cajanus lactone (4) were found to reduce LPS-induced TNF-α levels by 48.6% and 55.0% respectively and IL-1ß levels by 53.1% and 41.8% respectively in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. These findings suggest that C. cajan L. leaves can be developed as an effective herbal remedy for the treatment and prevention of inflammation or associated ailments.

Activity-guided fractionation of Ipomea fistulosa leaves for pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide inhibitory constituents.

In the continuous search for new antiinflammatory agents from natural products, dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH) extracts of Ipomea fistulosa leaves were evaluated for inhibition of production of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin 1beta (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated J774A.1 cells. Among the tested extracts, the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract was found to be most active and activity based fractionation of this extract by column chromatography led to the identification of seven compounds for the first time from this plant. Furthermore, 3,4-dimethoxy cinnamic acid (1) exhibited two folds more potent inhibition of LPS-induced NO production (IC50 = 10.7 µg/mL) as compared with the standard, L-NAME (IC50 = 19.8 µg/mL). The present study supports the use of Ipomea fistulosa leaves for the treatment of inflammation.

Inhibitors of pancreatic lipase: state of the art and clinical perspectives.

Obesity is a disorder of lipid metabolism and continues to be a global problem, ranking fifth for deaths worldwide. It also leads to diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, musculoskeletal disorders and some types of cancer. Obesity is regarded as the output of a long-term imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Digestion and absorption of dietary lipids by pancreatic lipase, a major source of excess calorie intake, can be targeted for development of anti-obesity agents. Being the major factor of concern, food materials and edible plants are most widely studied for the anti-obesity activity, so that they can be incorporated in the routine diet. In this review, an attempt was made to present a current scenario of the bioactive compounds from plant and microbial origin that have been investigated for their pancreatic lipase inhibition. Compounds belonging to various classes of natural products such as alkaloids, carotenoids, glycosides, polyphenols, polysaccharides, saponins and terpenoids are well studied while lipophilic compounds from microbial sources are the most active against the pancreatic lipase. Few studies on the synthetic analogues, structurally similar to the triglycerides have been described in the review. Despite of tremendous research on the finding of potential pancreatic lipase inhibitor, very few compounds have entered the clinical studies and no new molecule after orlistat has been marketed. Along with HTS based screening, detailed structure-activity relationship studies on semi-synthetic and synthetic derivatives might also provide a direction for the development of potential lead(s) or pharmacophore for pancreatic lipase inhibition in order to treat and/or prevent obesity and related disorders.

Suppressive effects of Mimosa pudica (L.) constituents on the production of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators.

The present study deals with the isolation of fourteen compounds from the active ethyl acetate (MPE) extract of M. pudica (L.) whole plant and their subsequent evaluation for the nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) inhibitory activities in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 and J774A.1 cells. Among the tested compounds, L-mimosine (12; IC50 = 19.23 to 21.15 µM), crocetin (4; IC50 = 23.45 to 25.57 µM), crocin (14; IC50 = 27.16 to 31.53 µM) and jasmonic acid (11; IC50 = 21.32 to 29.42 µM) were identified as potent NO inhibitor when tested on the macrophages. Similarly, towards TNF-α and IL-1ß inhibition, including these four compounds, and ethyl gallate (3), gallic acid (10) and caffeic acid (7) were found to be more active with half maximal concentration, 17.32 to 62.32 µM whereas the other compounds depicted moderate and mild effects (IC50 = 59.32 to 95.01 µM). Also, at a dose of 40 mg/Kg, L-mimosine (12), jasmonic acid (11), crocin (14) and its de-esterified form, crocetin (4) were found to significantly (p < 0.05 and 0.001) reduce 60.7 %, 48.9 %, 48.4 % and 43.6 % respectively of TNF-de-esterified production in female Sprague Dawley rats. However, in case of IL-1ß, with the same dose (40 mg/Kg), jasmonic acid (11) exhibited significant reduction with 54.2 % followed by crocin (14) (50.2 %) and crocetin (4) (39.8 %) while L-mimosine (12) was found to reduce only 16.3 %. Based on the results, it can be estimated that these compounds imparting greatly to anti-inflammatory effects of M. pudica in vitro as well as in vivo through reduction of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators which affirm the ethno-pharmacological use of this plant for prevention of inflammatory-related disorders.

Anti adipogenic activity of Aegle marmelos Correa.

In continuation of evaluating the anti-obesity effect of Aegle marmelos, we have screened the n-hexane, dichloro methane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH) extracts of the leaves at the concentration of 25, 50, 75 and 100 µg/ml for adipogenesis inhibition in the adipocytes. Nile red staining with the help of fluorometry was used as indicator of the antiobesity activity. The most active DCM extract showed the 33.98±3.55% lipid content at 100µg/ml and was selected for the further isolation. 14 compounds were isolated from DCM extract of A. marmelos leaves. The compounds were screened for the adipogenesis inhibition at 50 and 100 µM concentrations. Out of the 14 compounds, halfordinol, ethyl ether aegeline and esculetin were showing 10.04±0.52, 16.29±0.85 and 25.09±1.31% lipid content respectively at 100 µM. We hereby report the adipogenesis inhibition by A. marmelos as one of the pathway for its antiobesity effect.

NorA efflux pump inhibitory activity of coumarins from Mesua ferrea.

The purpose of this investigation was to study the modulator and efflux pump inhibitor activity of coumarins isolated from Mesua ferrea against clinical strains as well as NorA-over expressed strain of Staphylococcus aureus 1199B. Seven coumarins were tested for modulator activity using ethidium bromide (EtBr) as a substrate. Compounds 1, 4-7 modulated the MIC of EtBr by ≥ 2 fold against wild type clinical strains of S. aureus 1199 and S. aureus 1199B, whereas compounds 4-7 modulated the MIC of EtBr by ≥ 16 fold against MRSA 831. Compounds 1, 4-7 also reduced the MIC of norfloxacin by ≥ 8 fold against S. aureus 1199B, and 4-6 reduced the MIC of norfloxacin by ≥ 8 fold against MRSA 831 at half of their MICs. Inhibition of EtBr efflux by NorA-overproducing S. aureus 1199B and MRSA 831 confirmed the role of compounds 4-6 as NorA efflux pump inhibitors (EPI). Dose-dependent activity at sub-inhibitory concentration (6.25 µg/mL) suggested that compounds 4 and 5 are promising EPI compared to verapamil against 1199B and MRSA 831 strains.

Evaluation of anti-obesity effect of Aegle marmelos leaves.

The study was carried out to investigate the anti-obesity effects of Aegle marmelos leaves extracts and its phytochemical constituents in vitro and in vivo. The dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and n-butanol extracts of A. marmelos leaves were studied for their lipolytic effect. Lipolysis was measured by determining the amount of glycerol released at 12 h and 24 h at 50 µg/ml and 100 µg/ml concentrations. Phytochemical investigation of the most active DCM extract yielded 14 compounds. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their lipolytic effects at 50 µM and 100 µM. The most active compounds, umbelliferone and esculetin were further screened for their antiobesity effects in vivo in the high fat diet (HFD) induced obese rat model. Umbelliferone and esculetin reduced body weight, total triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and glucose level in their respective HFD groups. A. marmelos DCM extract and compounds isolated from it have the potential of counteracting the obesity by lipolysis in adipocytes.