Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Plays a Role in the Liver, Kidney, and Intestine to Ameliorate Hyperuricemia according to Experimental Studies

In the last few decades, hyperuricemia has drawn increasing attention owing to its global prevalence. Observational surveys have manifested that there is a relation between hyperuricemia and increased risks of hypertension, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events, metabolic disorders, end stage renal disease, and mortality. As alternatives, Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs have demonstrated concrete effects in mitigating hyperuricemia in different experiments. Researchers have made efforts to investigate the role of herbal medicine in attenuating hyperuricemia. This review focuses on traditional Chinese herbal medicines that have been reported to ameliorate hyperuricemia in experimental studies.

Traditional Uses, Pharmacological Effects, and Molecular Mechanisms of Licorice in Potential Therapy of COVID-19

The current Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global challenge, and although vaccines have been developed, it is expected that mild to moderate patients will control their symptoms, especially in developing countries. Licorice, not only a food additive, but also a common traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which has several pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammation, detoxification, antibacterial, antitussive, and immunomodulatory effects, especially in respiratory diseases. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizin diamine and glycyrrhizin extract have been widely studied and used in COVID-19 clinical trials. Therefore, it is a very interesting topic to explore the material basis, pharmacological characteristics and molecular mechanism of licorice in adjuvant treatment of COVID-19. In this paper, the material basis of licorice for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 is deeply analyzed, and there are significant differences among different components in different pharmacological mechanisms. Glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid inhibit the synthesis of inflammatory factors and inflammatory mediators by blocking the binding of ACE 2 to virus spike protein, and exert antiviral and antibacterial effects. Immune cells are stimulated by multiple targets and pathways to interfere with the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Liquiritin can prevent and cure COVID-19 by simulating type I interferon. It is suggested that licorice can exert its therapeutic advantage through multi-components and multi-targets. To sum up, licorice has the potential to adjuvant prevent and treat COVID-19. It not only plays a significant role in anti-inflammation and anti-ACE-2, but also significantly improves the clinical symptoms of fever, dry cough and shortness of breath, suggesting that licorice is expected to be a candidate drug for adjuvant treatment of patients with early / mild COVID-19.

Characterization, Antioxidant and Antitumor Activities of Oligosaccharides Isolated from Evodia lepta (Spreng) Merr. by Different Extraction Methods

Evodia lepta (E. lepta) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with various biological activities. One of the active components of this widely used medicinal plant is believed to be an oligosaccharide. The extraction yields, structural characteristics, antioxidant, and antitumor activities of four oligosaccharide extracts obtained by hot water extraction (HEO), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UEO), enzyme-assisted (EEO), and microwave-assisted extraction (MEO) were investigated. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicated that the extraction methods had a difference on the molecular mass distribution, structure, and morphology of the EOs. In addition, HEO and MEO showed strong antioxidant activities, which might be related to their uronic acid and protein contents. More interestingly, MEO was more active toward MDA-MB-231 cells compared to other cells, and cell growth inhibition was proposed to occur through apoptosis. Overall, microwave-assisted extraction is a promising technique for the extraction of high quality EO.

Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Activity of Herb Extracts Used in Burn Wound Healing: “San Huang Powder”

“San Huang Powder,” a nonsterile milled herb powder, is frequently used to treat burn wounds in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. However, treating a wound with a nonsterile dressing or reagent is not compatible with the current guidelines in modern medicine. Therefore, we investigated the bactericidal and anti-inflammatory activities of four herb extracts used in “San Huang Powder” in vitro. Meanwhile, an in vivo porcine model with superficial second-degree burns was used for the experiments since the size and skin composition of pigs are the closest to that of the human body. The minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the herb extracts was determined. The in vitro assay indicated that Rhubarb and Phellodendron bark extracts decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines, IL-8, and GM-CSF on LPS-induced HMEC-1 cells. In accordance with this result, the histopathological evaluation results showed that the efficacy of “San Huang Powder” containing both herb materials was much better than the group without Rhubarb. Our results not only provide a basis to understand why “San Huang Powder” has been used to clinically treat wounds without sterilization directly since ancient times but also show the advantages of using multiple herb materials simultaneously on wound sites to prevent infection during treatment. Rhubarb is the recommended ingredient involved in the preparation of “San Huang Powder” to ensure the healing efficacy of burn wounds.

RNA-Seq Based Transcriptome Analysis of Ethanol Extract of Saffron Protective Effect Against Corticosterone-Induced PC12 Cell Injury

Background Saffron is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which is typically used in clinical to regulate anxiety, tension, and other depression-related conditions. The study aimed to explore the neuroprotective effect of ethanol extract of saffron (EES) on corticosterone (CORT)-induced injury in PC12 cells and further explored its potential mechanism. Methods The authenticity of saffron and the active components of EES were identified by a water test and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry system. The screening of cytotoxicity for PC12 cells was incubated with EES in different concentrations for 24 h, and the protective efficacy of EES on CORT (500 µM) induced PC12 cell injury, cell viability was assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The DEGs of EES-protected PC12 cells were analyzed using the RNA-seq method, and the results were analyzed for GO and KEGG enrichment. The results of RNA-seq were verified by qPCR analysis. Results The saffron was initially identified as authentic in the water test and 10 compounds were identified by UPLC-MS. The results of CCK-8 demonstrated that EES at concentrations above 640 µg/mL exerted a certain cytotoxic effect, and PC12 cells pretreated with EES (20, 40, and 80 µg/mL) significantly reversed the 500 µM CORT-induced cell death. RNA-seq analysis showed that EES regulated 246 differential genes, which were mainly enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway. Dusp5, Dusp6, Gadd45b, Gadd45G, and Pdgfc were further validated by qPCR. Experimental data showed that the results of qPCR were consistent with RNA-seq. Conclusions These findings provide an innovative understanding of the molecular mechanism of the protective effect of EES on PC12 cells at the molecular transcription level, and the above molecules may be potential novel targets for antidepressant treatment.

The Active Compounds and Therapeutic Target of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. in Attenuating Proteinuria in Diabetic Nephropathy: A Review

Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. (TWHF) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine and widely used to treat diabetic kidney disease in China. Emerging evidences have revealed its ability to attenuate diabetic nephropathy (DN). Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides (TWPs), triptolide (TP), and celastrol are predominantly active compounds isolated from TWHF. The effects and molecular mechanisms of TWHF and its active compounds have been investigated in recent years. Currently, it is becoming clearer that the effects of TWHF and its active compounds involve in anti-inflammation, anti-oxidative stress, anti-fibrosis, regulating autophagy, apoptosis, and protecting podocytes effect. This review presents an overview of the current findings related to the effects and mechanisms of TWHF and its active compounds in therapies of DN, thus providing a systematic understanding of the mechanisms and therapeutic targets by which TWHF and its active compounds affect cells and tissues in vitro and in vivo.

Metabolomics integrated with transcriptomics reveals the distribution of iridoid and crocin metabolic flux in Gardenia jasminoides Ellis

Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (G. jasminoides) fruits are used as a resource for obtaining natural colorants and in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. However, G. jasminoides presents a relatively long flowering period and different ripening periods, so there are significant differences in the accumulation of metabolites in fruits of different colors. In addition, the complete metabolic pathways of iridoidsand crocins, which are used as medicinal composition of G. jasminoides, are poorly understood at present. In this research, we comprehensively compared the transcriptome and metabolites profiles of the developmental stages and locations of iridoid and crocin biosynthesis. A large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were detected in four groups of samples, and clear variation in the pattern of metabolite abundance and gene expression were observed among different fruit colors and parts. Geniposide and gardenoside mainly accumulated in the sarcocarp of green fruit (GFS) and the sarcocarp of red fruit (FS), respectively. Crocin mainly accumulated in the peel and sarcocarp of red fruits. In the iridoid pathway, we hypothesized that there was a transport mechanism from the sarcocarp to the peel of G. jasminoides because of the inconsistent expression of G8O, 10-HGO and IS associated with differences in fruit ripening. UGTs play an important role in the biosynthesis of the active components of G. jasminoides. Combined transcriptome and metabonomics analysis showed a negative correlation between the biosynthesis of geniposide and crocin. The redirection of the metabolic flux and the regulation of key enzymes may be the main reasons for the changes in the biosynthesis of iridoid and crocin in G. jasminoides fruit. Our study expended valuable information for functional genomic library and provided new insights for metabolic engineering of secondary metabolite in G. Jasminoides.