Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola) as Herbal Remedy for Diabetes

AbstractCurcumin, a potent phytochemical derived from the spice element turmeric, has been identified as a herbal remedy decades ago and has displayed promise in the field of medicinal chemistry. However, multiple traits associated with curcumin, such as poor bioavailability and instability, limit its effectiveness to be accepted as a lead drug-like entity. Different reactive sites in its chemical structure have been identified to incorporate modifications as attempts to improving its efficacy. The diketo group present in the center of the structural scaffold has been touted as the group responsible for the instability of curcumin, and substituting it with a heterocyclic ring contributes to improved stability. In this study, four heterocyclic curcumin analogues, representing some broad groups of heterocyclic curcuminoids (isoxazole-, pyrazole-, N-phenyl pyrazole- and N-amido-pyrazole-based), have been synthesized by a simple one-pot synthesis and have been characterized by FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, DSC and LC–MS. To predict its potential anticancer efficacy, the compounds have been analyzed by computational studies via molecular docking for their regulatory role against three key proteins, namely GSK-3β—of which abnormal regulation and expression is associated with cancer; Bcl-2—an apoptosis regulator; and PR which is a key nuclear receptor involved in breast cancer development. One of the compounds, isoxazole-curcumin, has consistently indicated a better docking score than the other tested compounds as well as curcumin. Apart from docking, the compounds have also been profiled for their ADME properties as well as free energy binding calculations. Further, the in vitro cytotoxic evaluation of the analogues was carried out by SRB assay in breast cancer cell line (MCF7), out of which isoxazole-curcumin (IC50–3.97 µM) has displayed a sevenfold superior activity than curcumin (IC50–21.89 µM). In the collation of results, it can be suggested that isoxazole-curcumin behaves as a potential lead owing to its ability to be involved in a regulatory role with multiple significant cancer proteins and hence deserves further investigations in the development of small molecule-based anti-breast cancer agents. Graphic abstract

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Capability of oxygen-scavenger sachets and modified atmosphere packaging to extend fresh barberry shelf life

Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture ◽

10.1186/s40538-020-00195-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Razieh Niazmand ◽

Samira Yeganehzad

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Activity ◽

Ascorbic Acid ◽

Phenolic Compounds ◽

Shelf Life ◽

Herbal Remedy ◽

Physicochemical Characterization ◽

Modified Atmosphere Packaging ◽

Storage Period ◽

Modified Atmosphere ◽

Oxygen Scavenger

Abstract Background Barberry has long been used as an herbal remedy since ancient times which is found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world. Given the short harvesting season and limited shelf life of the barberry, we evaluated the possibility of using modified atmosphere packaging and oxygen-scavenger sachets to increase its storage period. For this purpose, the physicochemical characterization (antioxidant activity, anthocyanin, phenolic compounds, and ascorbic acid content, acidity, firmness, color, and decay incident) of fresh barberry samples packaged within different atmospheres was investigated over 4 weeks of storage at 4 and 25 °C. The barberries were packaged with low-density polyethylene/polyester (LDPE/PET) films under natural atmosphere (C), N2 gas (N), vacuum (V), or in the presence of an oxygen scavenger (OS). Results The results revealed that with increased storage period, the O2 and CO2 levels inside the packages decreased and increased, respectively. The antioxidant activity and amounts of anthocyanin, phenolic compounds, and ascorbic acid all decreased with increasing storage period. Among the studied atmospheres, the OS and, subsequently, V packages were most capable of maintaining the quality of fresh barberries, with the decay incidence being approximately 30 times lower inside these packages relative to the control. Increasing the storage temperature accelerated the intensity of chemical changes and decay across all samples. Conclusion The barberries inside the OS packages stored at 4 °C (and even at 25 °C) still had good sensory properties in terms of chemical properties, texture, and color after 4 weeks. Fortunately, it seems that this packaging technology makes the exportation and delayed consumption of the fresh barberry possible by maintaining its quality.

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Protective Effects of Korean Herbal Remedy against Airway Inflammation in an Allergic Asthma by Suppressing Eosinophil Recruitment and Infiltration in Lung

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox10010006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 6

Author(s):

Soyon Yoon ◽

Seokcheon Song ◽

Jae Woo Shin ◽

Sini Kang ◽

Hye Young Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mouse Model ◽

Allergic Asthma ◽

Lung Tissue ◽

Oral Delivery ◽

Herbal Remedy ◽

Periodic Acid ◽

Lymphoid Cells ◽

Lung Epithelial Cells ◽

Eosinophil Infiltration ◽

Control Group

The increasing prevalence of allergic asthma has become the world’s major health issue. Current treatments for allergic asthma focus on treating symptoms, while permanent cures still remain undiscovered. In this study, we investigated the effect of Korean traditional herbal remedy, Pyunkang-tang (PGT)—composed of six plants—on asthma alleviation in a mouse model. The PGT mixture was orally gavaged to mice (PM group, 20 mg/mouse/day) from 7 days before sensitization with ovalbumin (OVA) (day −7). On day 0 and day 14, mice from OVA-control (n = 9) and PM group (n = 8) were sensitized with OVA and alum through intraperitoneal injection. On days 18~20, OVA was challenged to mice through nasal injection and sacrificed next day. Cell profile in lung tissue was analyzed by flow cytometry and RT-qPCR analysis, and the number of eosinophils and expression of siglec-F were significantly reduced in the PM group. Lung tissue was examined with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Alcian blue/periodic acid–Schiff (AB-PAS) staining. Noticeably reduced eosinophil infiltration around bronchioles was displayed in the PM group compared to the OVA-control group. Furthermore, PGT-treated mice showed a significant reduction in IL-13 and a mild reduction in IL-5 in lungs. A decreasing tendency of IL-5/13 (+) CD4+ T cells and IL-13(+) innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and a significant reduction in IL5(+) ILCs were also observed. When treating PGT on murine lung epithelial cells stimulated by papain, there was a significant reduction in IL-33 mRNA expression levels. Taken together, oral delivery of PGT successfully alleviated asthmatic responses provoked by OVA in a mouse model and could lead to novel therapies for allergic asthma.

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