Five Constituents Contributed to the Psoraleae Fructus-Induced Hepatotoxicity via Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Apoptosis

Backgrounds: Psoraleae Fructus (PF)-induced hepatotoxicity has been reported in clinical and animal experiments. However, the hepatotoxic constituents and mechanisms underlying PF-induced toxicity have remained unclear. Therefore, this study explored the potentially toxic PF components and revealed their relative mechanisms.Methods: The hepatotoxicity of PF water (PFW) and ethanol (PFE) extracts was compared using Kunming mice. The different compositions between PFW and PFE, which were considered toxic compositions, were identified using the UHPLC-Q-Exactive MS method. Then, L02 and HepG2 cell lines were used to evaluate the toxicity of these compositions. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined through the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. An automatic biochemical analyzer detected the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Lastly, we used high-content screening (HCS) to determine the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP).Results: The ethanol extraction process aggravated the hepatotoxicity of PF, causing more severe injuries. The content of psoralen, isopsoralen, bavachin, psoralidin, bavachinin, neobavaisoflavone, and bakuchiol was higher in the PFE than PFW. Bavachin, psoralidin, bavachinin, neobavaisoflavone, and bakuchiol induced cell apoptosis and the AST, ALT, and ALP leakages. Furthermore, these five constituents increased intracellular lipid accumulation and ROS levels but decreased the MMP level.Conclusion: The ethanol extraction process could induce severe PF hepatotoxicity. Bavachin, psoralidin, bavachinin, neobavaisoflavone, and bakuchiol are the main hepatotoxic ingredients. This mechanism could be associated with oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage-mediated apoptosis. Taken together, this study provides a basis for the clinical application of PF that formulates and improves its herbal standards.

Red Quinoa Bran Extract Prevented Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease via Increasing Antioxidative System and Repressing Fatty Acid Synthesis Factors in Mice Fed Alcohol Liquid Diet

Alcohol is metabolized in liver. Chronic alcohol abuse results in alcohol-induced fatty liver and liver injury. Red quinoa (Chenopodium formosanum) was a traditional staple food for Taiwanese aborigines. Red quinoa bran (RQB) included strong anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory polyphenolic compounds, but it was usually regarded as the agricultural waste. Therefore, this study is to investigate the effect of water and ethanol extraction products of RQB on the prevention of liquid alcoholic diet-induced acute liver injury in mice. The mice were given whole grain powder of red quinoa (RQ-P), RQB ethanol extract (RQB-E), RQB water extract (RQB-W), and rutin orally for 6 weeks, respectively. The results indicated that RQB-E, RQB-W, and rutin decreased alcoholic diet-induced activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, and the levels of serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and hepatic triglyceride. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of liver tissues showed that RQB-E and RQB-W reduced lipid droplet accumulation and liver injury. However, ethanol extraction process can gain high rutin and antioxidative agents contents from red quinoa, that showed strong effects in preventing alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver injury via increasing superoxide dismutase/catalase antioxidative system and repressing the expressions of fatty acid synthesis enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase.

Ekstraksi Astaxanthin Kulit Udang (Litopenaeus vannamei) Pantai Gunung Kidul Menggunakan Pelarut Minyak Bunga Matahari dan Etanol

ABSTRACT As a maritime country with vast waters, Indonesia has many opportunities to utilize marine resources as a source of bioactive compounds that have the potential as active medicinal ingredients. One of the marine biotas that potentially contains the active compounds is the Vannamei shrimp's shell (Litopenaeus vannamei), which is commonly found as waste along the coast of Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. The shrimp’s shell contains astaxanthin, a potential source of antioxidants for the health industry. The purpose of this study was to compare the astaxanthin extraction yield from L. vannamei shrimp shells using sunflower oil and 70% ethanol. The Astaxanthin extraction used sunflower oil and ethanol 70% as solvents and was done by maceration method, while the phytochemical test and Astaxanthin profiling used Thin Layer Chromatography and Spectrophotometer with Kelly and Harmon (1972) [5] calculations as well as pure Astaxanthin standards. The extraction yield of the 70% ethanol extraction was further processed by column chromatography using ether: ethanol (8: 2) as mobile phase. The highest Astaxanthin yield (220 mg / g of shrimp powder) was obtained from the extraction with sunflower oil compared to the 70% ethanol solvent, while the fractionation result with a chromatographic column from a crude extract of ethanol 70% showed high astaxanthin yield of 220.77 mg. / g fraction. The results of the fraction test on rat neutrophils, the best percentage reduction was at a concentration of 150 mg / g bw of rats.

Effect of Solvents and Extraction Conditions on the Properties of Crude Rice Bran Oil

This research aimed to study the effect of solvents, namely n-hexane and ethanol, on the yield of crude rice bran oil extraction. The effects of extraction temperatures of 50, 60, and 70 ºC and extraction times of 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h were investigated. Rice bran composition was determined. It was found that protein, lipid, moisture, fiber, ash, and carbohydrate content were 12.65±0.56, 16.32±0.81, 7.65±0.62, 10.25±0.64, 6.38±0.59, and 46.75 %, respectively. From the results, the rice bran oil yield from n-hexane extraction was significantly higher than ethanol extraction, with p < 0.05. The maximum rice bran oil obtained from n-hexane extraction was 16.23±0.34 %. The highest yield of rice bran oil was obtained from extraction temperature of 60 - 70 ºC for 12 - 24 h. After extraction by the optimum conditions at 60 ºC for 12 h, the rice bran oil was kept for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 weeks for investigation of its quality changes. It can be concluded that the optimum conditions for rice bran oil extraction was with using n-hexane as a solvent for extraction at a temperature of 60 ºC for 12 h. Storing oil for 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks resulted in the increase of free fatty acids (FFA) and peroxide value, whereas iodine value and saponification value were relatively constant. HIGHLIGHTS n-Hexane and ethanol effect the yield of crude rice bran oil extraction The rice bran oil yield from n-hexane extraction was higher than ethanol extraction The optimum conditions for rice bran oil extraction were with using n-hexane as a solvent for extraction at a temperature of 60 ºC for 12 h Storing rice bran oil for 8 weeks resulted in the increase of free fatty acids (FFA) and peroxide value, whereas iodine value and saponification value were relatively constant