Frontiers in Microbiology
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2025
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IF 4.5
Junnan Wu,Qilei Xin,Shuo Wang,Xu Zhang,Chunping Jiang
Objective: The aims of the present study were to determine the efficacy of edible traditional Chinese medicines (ETCMs) in treating constipation, verify their laxative effects, and conduct preliminary investigations into their mechanisms of action.Methods: ICR mice were treated with loperamide to induce constipation, and various fecal parameters, including fecal volume, water content, and intestinal transport function, were measured in these constipation model mice to screen for ETCMs with laxative properties. The mechanism of action was preliminarily explored by examining changes in the intestinal mucosal structure, protein expression levels, and alterations in intestinal flora composition.Results: In ICR mice with loperamide-induced constipation, Elsholtzia ciliata aqueous extract (ECAE) and Hovenia dulcis aqueous extract (HDAE) significantly ameliorated constipation symptoms, mitigated colonic pathological tissue damage, significantly increased the expression levels of proteins associated with the promotion of intestinal peristalsis [Stem Cell Factor Receptor (c-Kit) and Stem Cell Factor (SCF)] and the maintenance of the intestinal barrier [Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-l), Occludin and Claudin-l], and promoted beneficial intestinal bacterial colonization.Conclusion: ECAE and HDAE ameliorated constipation in mice, and their mechanism of action may be related to the increased abundance of intestinal bacteria such as Turicibacter, Olsenella, and Odoribacter, which contribute to higher butyrate production. This increase in butyric acid reduces inflammation, improves intestinal barrier function, and increases the abundance of beneficial intestinal bacteria.
研究领域:
药理学
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微生物学
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传统中药研究
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
WORLD JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY
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2020
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IF 3.665
Xiao Meng,Guo-Yi Tang,Cai-Ning Zhao,Qing Liu,Xiao-Yu Xu,Shi-Yu Cao
BACKGROUND Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a worldwide health problem, and natural products have been shown to improve ALD due to their antioxidant activities. Some parts of Hovenia dulcis ( H. dulcis ), such as roots, peduncles, and stems, provide health benefits. Nevertheless, the effects and mechanisms of H. dulcis seeds on ALD have not yet been fully elucidated. AIM To determine H. dulcis antioxidant activity, evaluate its effects against ALD, and investigate the related mechanisms via network pharmacology. METHODS The antioxidant activity of H. dulcis seed was determined by both ferric-reducing antioxidant power and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assays. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by Folin–Ciocalteu method and aluminum chloride colorimetry, respectively, and polysaccharide was determined by phenol-sulfuric acid method. The effects of H. dulcis seeds against alcoholic liver injury were investigated in mice with water extract pretreatment for 7 days followed by alcohol administration. Moreover, the mechanisms of action were explored with network pharmacology. RESULTS The results showed that H. dulcis seeds possessed strong antioxidant activity (245.11 ± 10.17 μmol Fe 2+ /g by ferric-reducing antioxidant power and 284.35 ± 23.57 μmol TE/g by trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) and contained remarkable phenols and flavonoids, as well as a few polysaccharides. H. dulcis seeds attenuated alcohol-induced oxidative liver injury, showing reduced serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, and triglyceride, elevated hepatic glutathione, increased activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and reduced malondialdehyde and hepatic triglyceride. The results of network pharmacology analysis indicated that kaempferol, stigmasterol, and naringenin were the main bioactive compounds in H. dulcis seeds and that modulation of oxidative stress, inflammation, gut-derived products, and apoptosis were underlying mechanisms of the protective effects of H. dulcis seeds on ALD. CONCLUSION The results of this study demonstrate that H. dulcis seeds could be a good natural antioxidant source with protective effects on oxidative diseases such as ALD.
研究领域:
药理学
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肝病学
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天然产物化学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
MOLECULES
·
2026
·Vol. 31
·期 19
·3425
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IF 5.1
Lei Zhou,Haixin Li,Xu Zhou,Xueying Zou,Guanfeng He
Hovenia dulcisThunb. is a traditional medicinal and edible plant that is widely recognized for its hepatoprotective and hangover-alleviating properties, which are largely attributed to its rich flavonoid composition. The aim of this study was to develop an environmentally friendly ultrasonic-assisted deep eutectic solvent (UAE-DES) extraction method for the efficient extraction of bioactive flavonoids fromHovenia dulcisThunb. A Box–Behnken design (BBD) was employed to systematically optimize the extraction parameters. Under optimal conditions (water content of 36%, liquid-to-solid ratio of 42:1 mL/g, extraction time of 42 min), the extraction yield reached a maximum of 9.09 ± 0.04%. Following purification using AB-8 macroporous resin, the phytochemicals were comprehensively characterized by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-HRMS. A total of 12 flavonoids were identified. Bioassays demonstrated that the purified flavonoids exhibited strong, dose-dependent antioxidant activity against DPPH and ABTS radicals in vitro. Furthermore, the extract demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity by markedly inhibiting the excessive production of nitric oxide (NO) in RAW 264.7 macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), whilst exhibiting no cytotoxicity within the tested concentration range (0.06–0.96 mg/mL). These findings strongly confirm that the optimized UAE-DES method is a sustainable and efficient strategy for extracting structurally intact and pharmacologically active flavonoids fromHovenia dulcisThunb, highlighting its immense potential for future applications in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries.
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DOI
高影响因子
BIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY
·
2023
·Vol. 37
·期 4
·e5578
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IF 1.8
Pan Lv,Fei Zhu,Meiyan Lv,Jiaqi Bao,Linying Lv,Xiangwei Xu,Yi Tao
In this study, we used a serum metabolomics methodology based on GC coupled with MS (GC–MS) to investigate the liver-protective effects of raw and stir-fried semen of Hovenia dulcis in rats models of carbon tetrachloride–induced liver injury. Multivariate statistical analysis, such as principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis, were performed to examine changes in the metabolic state of rats with carbon tetrachloride–induced liver injury, as well as the recovery pattern of rats pretreated with the raw and stir-fried semen of H. dulcis . Liver tissues were subjected to histopathological examination. A total of 47 biomarkers were predicted to contribute to the dynamic pathological processes in the liver injury, such as phenylalanine, glutamic acid, glycine, arachidonic acid and linoleic acid. Further analysis revealed that pathways associated with phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, and linoleic acid metabolism were altered in the injured liver, and that pretreatment with raw and stir-fried semen of H. dulcis abolished the changes in the aforementioned metabolic pathways.
研究领域:
药理学
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代谢组学
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毒理学
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分析化学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
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