Maydis Stigma Elicits Analgesia and Blocks Edema in Mice and Inhibits Inflammation in Macrophages

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (07) ◽  
pp. 1477-1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Hee Jeong ◽  
You-Chang Oh ◽  
Won-Kyung Cho ◽  
Hye Jin Yang ◽  
Jin Yeul Ma

Maydis Stigma (MS) is an herb traditionally used in many parts of the world. Previous studies have reported that MS plays a role in several biological activities, including antidiabetic and anticancer activities. However, the effects of a MS ethanolic extract (MSE) on the anti-inflammatory cellular mechanism remain unclear. Here, we investigated the anti-inflammatory properties of MSE and its molecular mechanism both in vitro and in vivo. The effects of MSE on the production of inflammatory mediators, cytokines, and related proteins and the identification of target genes were determined using LPS-stimulated macrophages. We also determined the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of MSE by examining acetic acid-induced writhing responses and xylene-induced ear edema in mice. Our results indicated that MSE markedly decreased iNOS and COX-2 levels without causing cytotoxicity and suppressed the secretion of NO in LPS-stimulated macrophages. MSE also inhibited the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-[Formula: see text], IL-6, and IL-1[Formula: see text], and induced the expression of HO-1. Moreover, MSE treatment significantly reduced the LPS-stimulated activation of MAPK, NF-[Formula: see text]B, and AP-1. Furthermore, MSE exerted an analgesic effect on the acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing response test and an anti-inflammatory effect on xylene-induced ear edema in ICR mice. Finally, we investigated the components of MSE using UPLC-ESI-MS and found that it contains the maysin as a marker component. Overall, these observations demonstrate that MSE has anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects both in vitro and in vivo, which may provide new scientific evidence for its use as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of inflammation.

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (16) ◽  
pp. 4826
Author(s):  
Samar Rezq ◽  
Mona F. Mahmoud ◽  
Assem M. El-Shazly ◽  
Mohamed A. El Raey ◽  
Mansour Sobeh

Natural antioxidants, especially those of plant origins, have shown a plethora of biological activities with substantial economic value, as they can be extracted from agro-wastes and/or under exploited plant species. The perennial hydrophyte, Potamogeton perfoliatus, has been used traditionally to treat several health disorders; however, little is known about its biological and its medicinal effects. Here, we used an integrated in vitro and in vivo framework to examine the potential effect of P. perfoliatus on oxidative stress, nociception, inflammatory models, and brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia in mice. Our results suggested a consistent in vitro inhibition of three enzymes, namely 5-lipoxygenase, cyclooxygenases 1 and 2 (COX-1 and COX-2), as well as a potent antioxidant effect. These results were confirmed in vivo where the studied extract attenuated carrageenan-induced paw edema, carrageenan-induced leukocyte migration into the peritoneal cavity by 25, 44 and 64% at 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg, p.o., respectively. Moreover, the extract decreased acetic acid-induced vascular permeability by 45% at 600 mg/kg, p.o., and chemical hyperalgesia in mice by 86% by 400 mg/kg, p.o., in acetic acid-induced writhing assay. The extract (400 mg/kg) showed a longer response latency at the 3 h time point (2.5 fold of the control) similar to the nalbuphine, the standard opioid analgesic. Additionally, pronounced antipyretic effects were observed at 600 mg/kg, comparable to paracetamol. Using LC-MS/MS, we identified 15 secondary metabolites that most likely contributed to the obtained biological activities. Altogether, our findings indicate that P. perfoliatus has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic and antipyretic effects, thus supporting its traditional use and promoting its valorization as a potential candidate in treating oxidative stress-associated diseases.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 531
Author(s):  
Javier Ávila-Román ◽  
Sara García-Gil ◽  
Azahara Rodríguez-Luna ◽  
Virginia Motilva ◽  
Elena Talero

Acute inflammation is a key component of the immune system’s response to pathogens, toxic agents, or tissue injury, involving the stimulation of defense mechanisms aimed to removing pathogenic factors and restoring tissue homeostasis. However, uncontrolled acute inflammatory response may lead to chronic inflammation, which is involved in the development of many diseases, including cancer. Nowadays, the need to find new potential therapeutic compounds has raised the worldwide scientific interest to study the marine environment. Specifically, microalgae are considered rich sources of bioactive molecules, such as carotenoids, which are natural isoprenoid pigments with important beneficial effects for health due to their biological activities. Carotenoids are essential nutrients for mammals, but they are unable to synthesize them; instead, a dietary intake of these compounds is required. Carotenoids are classified as carotenes (hydrocarbon carotenoids), such as α- and β-carotene, and xanthophylls (oxygenate derivatives) including zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, fucoxanthin, lutein, α- and β-cryptoxanthin, and canthaxanthin. This review summarizes the present up-to-date knowledge of the anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of microalgal carotenoids both in vitro and in vivo, as well as the latest status of human studies for their potential use in prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 498
Author(s):  
Mariaevelina Alfieri ◽  
Antonietta Leone ◽  
Alfredo Ambrosone

Plants produce different types of nano and micro-sized vesicles. Observed for the first time in the 60s, plant nano and microvesicles (PDVs) and their biological role have been inexplicably under investigated for a long time. Proteomic and metabolomic approaches revealed that PDVs carry numerous proteins with antifungal and antimicrobial activity, as well as bioactive metabolites with high pharmaceutical interest. PDVs have also been shown to be also involved in the intercellular transfer of small non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs, suggesting fascinating mechanisms of long-distance gene regulation and horizontal transfer of regulatory RNAs and inter-kingdom communications. High loading capacity, intrinsic biological activities, biocompatibility, and easy permeabilization in cell compartments make plant-derived vesicles excellent natural or bioengineered nanotools for biomedical applications. Growing evidence indicates that PDVs may exert anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anticancer activities in different in vitro and in vivo models. In addition, clinical trials are currently in progress to test the effectiveness of plant EVs in reducing insulin resistance and in preventing side effects of chemotherapy treatments. In this review, we concisely introduce PDVs, discuss shortly their most important biological and physiological roles in plants and provide clues on the use and the bioengineering of plant nano and microvesicles to develop innovative therapeutic tools in nanomedicine, able to encompass the current drawbacks in the delivery systems in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical technology. Finally, we predict that the advent of intense research efforts on PDVs may disclose new frontiers in plant biotechnology applied to nanomedicine.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 991
Author(s):  
Melanie S. Matos ◽  
José D. Anastácio ◽  
Cláudia Nunes dos Santos

Inflammation is a crucial and complex process that reestablishes the physiological state after a noxious stimulus. In pathological conditions the inflammatory state may persist, leading to chronic inflammation and causing tissue damage. Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs) are composed of a large and diverse group of highly bioactive plant secondary metabolites, characterized by a 15-carbon backbone structure. In recent years, the interest in SLs has risen due to their vast array of biological activities beneficial for human health. The anti-inflammatory potential of these compounds results from their ability to target and inhibit various key pro-inflammatory molecules enrolled in diverse inflammatory pathways, and prevent or reduce the inflammatory damage on tissues. Research on the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of SLs has thrived over the last years, and numerous compounds from diverse plants have been studied, using in silico, in vitro, and in vivo assays. Besides their anti-inflammatory potential, their cytotoxicity, structure–activity relationships, and pharmacokinetics have been investigated. This review aims to gather the most relevant results and insights concerning the anti-inflammatory potential of SL-rich extracts and pure SLs, focusing on their effects in different inflammatory pathways and on different molecular players.


Author(s):  
Thriveni Vasanth Kumar ◽  
Manjunatha H. ◽  
Rajesh Kp

Objective: Dietary curcumin and capsaicin are well known for their health beneficial potencies. The current study was done to assess the anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin, capsaicin and their combination by employing in vitro and in vivo models.Methods: We investigated the protective effect of curcumin, capsaicin and their combination using in vitro heat induced human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane stabilisation, in vivo 3% agar induced leukocyte mobilisation and acetic acid induced vascular permeability assay.Results: Curcumin, capsaicin and their combination exhibited concentration dependent protective effect against heat-induced HRBC membrane destabilisation, while combined curcumin and capsaicin restored 87.0±0.64 % membrane stability and it is found to be better than curcumin, capsaicin and diclofenac sodium (75.0±0.25. 72±0.9 and 80.0±0.31 %) protective effect. In agar suspension induced leukocyte mobilization assay, the combined curcumin and capsaicin had shown 39.5±1.58 % of inhibition compared to individual curcumin and capsaicin, which showed moderate inhibition of 16.0±3.14 and 21.6±2.17 % respectively. Besides, the combined curcumin and capsaicin had shown highly significant inhibition of acetic acid-induced vascular permeability in rats (62.0±3.14 %), whereas individual curcumin and capsaicin showed moderate inhibition of vascular permeability with 36.0±2.41 and 43.0±1.92 % respectively.Conclusion: This study demonstrates the significant anti-inflammatory property of combined curcumin and capsaicin at half of the individual concentration of curcumin and capsaicin.


2017 ◽  
Vol 313 (4) ◽  
pp. L710-L721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunbo Ke ◽  
Olga V. Oskolkova ◽  
Nicolene Sarich ◽  
Yufeng Tian ◽  
Albert Sitikov ◽  
...  

Prostaglandins (PG), the products of cyclooxygenase-mediated conversion of arachidonic acid, become upregulated in many situations including allergic response, inflammation, and injury, and exhibit a variety of biological activities. Previous studies described barrier-enhancing and anti-inflammatory effects of PGE2 and PGI2 on vascular endothelial cells (EC). Yet, the effects of other PG members on EC barrier and inflammatory activation have not been systematically analyzed. This study compared effects of PGE2, PGI2, PGF2α, PGA2, PGJ2, and PGD2 on human pulmonary EC. EC permeability was assessed by measurements of transendothelial electrical resistance and cell monolayer permeability for FITC-labeled tracer. Anti-inflammatory effects of PGs were evaluated by analysis of expression of adhesion molecule ICAM1 and secretion of soluble ICAM1 and cytokines by EC. PGE2, PGI2, and PGA2 exhibited the most potent barrier-enhancing effects and most efficient attenuation of thrombin-induced EC permeability and contractile response, whereas PGI2 effectively suppressed thrombin-induced permeability but was less efficient in the attenuation of prolonged EC hyperpermeability caused by interleukin-6 or bacterial wall lipopolysaccharide, LPS. PGD2 showed a modest protective effect on the EC inflammatory response, whereas PGF2α and PGJ2 were without effect on agonist-induced EC barrier dysfunction. In vivo, PGE2, PGI2, and PGA2 attenuated LPS-induced lung inflammation, whereas PGF2α and PGJ2 were without effect. Interestingly, PGD2 exhibited a protective effect in the in vivo model of LPS-induced lung injury. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of barrier-protective and anti-inflammatory effects of different prostaglandins on lung EC in vitro and in vivo and identifies PGE2, PGI2, and PGA2 as prostaglandins with the most potent protective properties.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamires Rocha Falcão ◽  
Aurigena Antunes de Araújo ◽  
Luiz Alberto Lira Soares ◽  
Iuri Brilhante de Farias ◽  
Wliana Alves Viturino da Silva ◽  
...  

Background.Libidibia ferrea(L. ferrea)is found throughout the northeastern region of Brazil, where it has been used in folk medicine with beneficial effects on many inflammatory disorders.Purpose. This study investigated the phytochemical composition of the crude extract and fractions ofL. ferreafruit and evaluated its anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activitiesin vivoand effect on cell viabilityin vitro.Methods. Characterization of polyphenols present in crude extract (CE), hydroalcoholic fractions of 20-80% ethanol (CE20, CE40, CE60, and CE80), aqueous fraction (AqF), and ethyl acetate (EAF) fractions ofL. ferreafruit was performed by chromatographic analysis.Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by using a carrageenan-induced peritonitis model submitted to a leukocyte migration assay and myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) analysis. Total glutathione and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were assessed to evaluate the oxidative stress level. Antinociceptive activity was evaluated by acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing and hot plate test.In vitrocell viability was determined by using MTT assay in a mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line (3T3 cells).Results. Chromatography revealed the presence of ellagic acid content in EAF (3.06), CE (2.96), and CE40 (2.89). Gallic acid was found in EAF (12.03), CE 20 (4.43), and CE (3.99).L. ferreacrude extract and all fractions significantly reduced leukocyte migration and MPO activity (p<0.001).L. ferreaantioxidant effect was observed through high levels of total glutathione and reduction of MDA levels (p<0.001). Acetic acid-induced nociception was significantly inhibited after administration ofL. ferreacrude extract and all fractions (p<0.001). Crude extract and all fractions significantly increased the viability of the 3T3 cell line (p<0.05).Conclusions. The appropriate extraction procedure preserves the chemical components ofL. ferreafruit, such as gallic acid and ellargic acid. Crude extract and fractions ofL. ferreafruit exhibited anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antinociceptive activitiesin vivoand enhanced cell viabilityin vitro.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Anca Zanfirescu ◽  
Georgiana Nitulescu ◽  
Gheorghe Stancov ◽  
Denise Radulescu ◽  
Cosmin Trif ◽  
...  

Medicinal plants hold a significant place as alternative treatments available for inflammatory diseases, with many phytoconstituents being frequently tested in vitro for their biological activities. In the current study, we investigated the in vivo anti-inflammatory properties of a novel active gel formulation, combining Achillea millefolium and Taxodium distichum essential oils with extracts of Aesculus hippocastanum seeds and Plantago lanceolata leaves. The toxicity of the obtained extracts and volatile oils was determined using the invertebrate model based on Daphnia magna. Anti-inflammatory potential was evaluated by the plethysmometric method on Wistar rats, expressed as the inhibition of the inflammatory oedema (%IIO), while the antinociceptive response was determined on NMRI mice, according to the tail-flick latency method. The tested gel’s efficacy was similar to the 5% diclofenac standard (maximal %IIO of 42.01% vs. 48.70%, respectively), with the anti-inflammatory effect being observed sooner than for diclofenac. Our active gel also produced a significant prolongation of tail-flick latencies at both 60 and 120 min, comparable to diclofenac. Consequently, we can imply that the active constituents present in vivo anti-inflammatory properties, and the prepared gel may be suited for use as an alternative treatment of topical inflammatory conditions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Abarca-Vargas ◽  
Vera L. Petricevich

Background. Different pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, antiproliferative, and anti-inflammatory properties, have been described among natural products. We previously described that the Bougainvillea xbuttiana (Variety Orange) ethanolic extract (BxbO) has an anti-inflammatory effect; however, this action is not fully understood. In this study, the action of the BxbO extract on the secretion of inflammatory mediators in two experimental models, in vitro and in vivo, after LPS challenge was evaluated. Methods. Peritoneal macrophages were obtained from female BALB/c mice and LPS-challenged with or without the BxbO extract. For the evaluation of mediators, the supernatants at 0, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours were collected. For in vivo estimation, groups of female BALB/c mice were first intraperitoneously injected with different amounts of LPS and later administered the oral BxbO extract (v.o.) for 144 hours. To understand the mechanism of action, sera obtained from mice were collected at 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours after LPS challenge (with or without BxbO) for the detection of mediators. Results. The results showed that, in both peritoneal macrophages and sera of mice treated with the BxbO extract 1 hour before or together with LPS challenge, proinflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide release were unquestionably repressed. In contrast, in both systems studied here, the IL-10 levels were elevated to 5 to 9 times. At lethal doses of LPS, the BxbO extract treatment was found to protect animals from death. Conclusions. The results revealed that the inhibitory, protective, and benign effects of the BxbO extract were due to its capacity to balance the secretion of mediators.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1181
Author(s):  
Ana Henriques Mota ◽  
Noélia Duarte ◽  
Ana Teresa Serra ◽  
António Ferreira ◽  
Maria Rosário Bronze ◽  
...  

Sambucus nigra L. is widely used in traditional medicine with different applications. However, confirmative studies are strongly required. This study aimed to assess the biological activities of the S. nigra flower’s extract encapsulated into two different types of nanoparticles for optimizing its properties and producing further evidence of its potential therapeutic uses. Different nanoparticles (poly(lactide-co-glycolide, PLGA) and poly-Ɛ-caprolactone (PCL), both with oleic acid, were prepared by emulsification/solvent diffusion and solvent-displacement methods, respectively. Oleic acid was used as a capping agent. After the nanoparticles’ preparation, they were characterized and the biological activities were studied in terms of collagenase, in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory, and in vitro cell viability. Rutin and naringenin were found to be the major phenolic compounds in the studied extract. The encapsulation efficiency was higher than 76% and revealed to have an impact on the release of the extract, mainly for the PLGA. Moreover, biochemical and histopathological analyses confirmed that the extract-loaded PLGA-based nanoparticles displayed the highest anti-inflammatory activity. In addition to supporting the previously reported evidence of potential therapeutic uses of S. nigra, these results could draw the pharmaceutical industry’s interest to the novelty of the nanoproducts.


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