Effective fraction of Bletilla striata reduces the inflammatory cytokine production induced by water and organic extracts of airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in vitro

Background Bletilla striata is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat hemorrhage, scald, gastric ulcer, pulmonary diseases and inflammations. In this study, we investigated bioactivity of the effective fraction of B. striata (EFB) in reducing the inflammatory cytokine production induced by water or organic extracts of PM2.5. Methods PM2.5 extracts were collected and analyzed by chromatographic system and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Cell viability was measured using MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay, and cell supernatant was analyzed by flow cytometry, ELISA, and qRT-PCR in cultured mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 treated with EFB and PM2.5 extracts. Expressions of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway were measured by Western blot. Results PM2.5 composition is complex and the toxicity of PM2.5 extracts were not noticeable. The treatment of EFB at a wide dose-range of 0–40 μg/mL did not cause significant change of RAW264.7 cell proliferation. EFB pretreatment decreased the inflammatory cytokines in the macrophage. Further analysis showed that EFB significantly attenuated PM2.5-induced proinflammatory protein expression and downregulated the levels of phosphorylated NF-κBp65, inhibitor of kappa B (IκB)-α, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and p38. Conclusions Our study demonstrated the potential effectiveness of B. striata extracts for treating PM2.5-triggered pulmonary inflammation.

Hepatoprotective studies on methanolic extract fractions of Lindernia ciliata and development of qualitative analytical profile for the bioactive extract

Background The objective of the study is to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of methanolic extract fractions of Lindernia ciliata (LC) and development of qualitative analytical profile of the bioactive fraction using HPLC fingerprinting analysis. All the fractions of methanolic extract of Lindernia ciliata (LCME) are assessed for their total phenolic, flavonoid contents and in vitro antioxidant properties by using DPPH, superoxide, nitric oxide, hydroxyl radical scavenging activities and reducing power assay. Acute toxicity study was conducted for all the fractions and the two test doses 50 and 100 mg/kg were selected for the hepatoprotective study. Liver damage was induced in different groups of rats by administering 3 g/kg.b.w.p.o. paracetamol and the effect of fractions were tested for hepatoprotective potential by evaluating serum biochemical parameters and histology of liver of rats. The effective fraction was evaluated for its antihepatotoxic activity against D-Galactosamine (400 mg/kg b.w. i.p.) and in vivo antioxidant parameters viz., Glutathione (GSH), Melondialdehyde (MDA) and Catalase (CAT) levels are estimated using liver homogenate. Results Among all the fractions, butanone fraction of LCME, (BNF-LCME) has shown better hepatoprotective activity and hence it is selected to evaluate the antihepatotoxicity against D-GaIN. The activity of BNF-LCME is well supported in in vitro and in vivo antioxidant studies and may be attributed to flavonoidal, phenolic compounds present in the fraction. Hence, BNF-LCME was subjected to the development of qualitative analytical profile using HPLC finger printing analysis. Conclusions All the fractions of LCME exhibited significant hepatoprotective activity and BNF-LCME (50 mg/kg) was identified as the most effective fraction.