Therapeutic potentials of baicalin and its aglycone, baicalein against inflammatory disorders

Chronic liver dysfunction or injury is a serious health problem worldwide. Chronic liver disease involves a wide range of liver pathologies that include fatty liver, hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The efficiency of current synthetic agents in treating chronic liver disease is not satisfactory and they have undesirable side effects. Thereby, numerous medicinal herbs and phytochemicals have been investigated as complementary and alternative treatments for chronic liver diseases. Since some herbal products have already been used for the management of liver diseases in some countries or regions, a systematic review on these herbal medicines for chronic liver disease is urgently needed. Herein, we conducted a review describing the potential role, pharmacological studies and molecular mechanisms of several commonly used medicinal herbs and phytochemicals for chronic liver diseases treatment. Their potential toxicity and side effects were also discussed. Several herbal formulae and their biological effects in chronic liver disease treatment as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms are also summarized in this paper. This review article is a comprehensive and systematic analysis of our current knowledge of the conventional medicinal herbs and phytochemicals in treating chronic liver diseases and on the potential pitfalls which need to be addressed in future study.

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Current Status of Herbal Medicines in Chronic Liver Disease Therapy: The Biological Effects, Molecular Targets and Future Prospects

Baicalein alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity via suppression of myocardial oxidative stress and apoptosis in mice.

Hepatoprotective effects of natural compounds have been frequently attributed to their antioxidant properties and the ability to mobilize endogenous antioxidant defense system. Because of involvement of oxidative stress in virtually all mechanisms of liver injury, it is a reasonable presumption that antioxidant properties of these compounds may play a key role in the mechanism of their hepatoprotective activity. Nevertheless, growing evidence suggests that other pharmacological activities of natural compounds distinct from antioxidant are responsible for their therapeutic effects. In this review, we discussed currently known molecular mechanisms of the hepatoprotective activity of 27 most intensively studied phytochemicals. These compounds have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, antisteatotic, antiapoptotic, cell survival and antiviral activity through interference with multiple molecular targets and signaling pathways. Additionally, antifibrotic properties of phytochemicals have been closely associated with apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells and stimulation of extracellular matrix degradation. However, although these compounds exhibit a pronounced hepatoprotective effects in animal and cell culture models, the lack of clinical studies remains a bottleneck for their official acceptance by medical experts and physicians. Therefore, controlled clinical trials have an imperative in confirmation of the therapeutic activity of potentially hepatoprotective compounds. Understanding the principles of the hepatoprotective activity of phytochemicals could guide future drug development and help prevention of clinical trial failure. Also, the use of new delivery systems that enhances bioavailability of poorly water soluble compounds may improve the results already obtained. Most importantly, available data suggest that phytochemicals possess a various degree of modulation of specific signaling pathways, pointing out a need for usage of combinations of several hepatoprotective compounds in both experimental studies and clinical trials.

A comprehensive overview of hepatoprotective natural compounds: mechanism of action and clinical perspectives.

Baicalein and baicalin alleviate acetaminophen-induced liver injury by activating Nrf2 antioxidative pathway: The involvement of ERK1/2 and PKC.

Antifibrotic effects of chronic baicalein administration in a CCl4 liver fibrosis model in rats.

Obesity has become a worldwide public health problem. Lactic acid bacteria have attracted extensive attention for alleviating obesity and fat accumulation. This study aimed to evaluate the alleviating effects of Lactobacillus paracasei 24 (LP24) on lipid accumulation in an obese mouse model induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). The results showed that LP24 treatment significantly reduced body weight and fat deposition in HFD mice, improved blood lipid levels and liver steatosis, reduced liver oxidative stress injury and the inflammatory response, and regulated fat metabolism-related factors. Moreover, LP24 regulated the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota, reduced the abundance of Firmicutes and the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B), and increased the abundance of Akkermansia. In summary, LP24 regulates lipid metabolism by activating the expression level of related genes and regulating the gut microbiota through the gut-liver axis to attenuate the development of obesity. This study provides a theoretical basis for probiotics to regulate gut microbiota to reduce lipid accumulation.

Lactobacillus paracasei 24 Attenuates Lipid Accumulation in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice by Regulating the Gut Microbiota.

Due to the higher fat and cholesterol content in egg yolks, it is urgent to explore egg yolk substitutes in mayonnaise. Soybean oil body (SOB) has the potential to be a substitute for egg yolk due to its stable natural emulsifying properties. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of different ratios of SOB (10%–50%) substitution for egg yolk on the physicochemical, texture, flavor, sensory and digestive properties of mayonnaise. It was found that when SOB substituted for 50% of egg yolk, the cholesterol content per 100 g of mayonnaise sample was decreased from (124.10 ± 3.81) mg to (48.25 ± 1.44) mg, and the fat content decreased from (53.15 ± 0.24)% to (44.09 ± 0.38)%. Although, the higher moisture content in SOB resulted in a decrease in apparent viscosity and stability of the mayonnaise samples, the sensory score of mayonnaise with SOB substituted for 20% of egg yolk was not significantly different from that of the mayonnaise without SOB substitution (p > 0.05). Furthermore, SOB-substituted mayonnaise has health benefits by releasing more antioxidant active components during digestion, compared to whole egg yolk mayonnaise. Therefore, SOB has potential as an egg yolk substitute for the development of functional low-fat mayonnaise. 

Low-cholesterol-low-fat mayonnaise prepared from soybean oil body as a substitute for egg yolk: The effect of substitution ratio on physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation

Abstract Energy drinks, often advertised as dietary supplements that enhance physical and mental performance, have gained increasing popularity among adolescents and athletes. Several studies on individual ingredients such as caffeine or taurine have reported either adverse or favorable influences on myogenic differentiation, a key process in muscle regeneration to repair microtears after an intense workout session. However, the impact of different energy drinks with various formulas on muscle differentiation has never been reported. This study aims to examine the in vitro effects of various energy drink brands on myogenic differentiation. Murine C2C12 myoblast cells were induced to differentiate into myotubes in the presence of one of eight energy drinks at varying dilutions. A dose-dependent inhibition of myotube formation was observed for all energy drinks, supported by reduced percentage of MHC-positive nuclei and fusion index. Moreover, expression of myogenic regulatory factor MyoG and differentiation marker MCK were also decreased. Furthermore, given the variation in formulas of different energy drinks, there were remarkable differences in the differentiation and fusion of myotubes between energy drinks. This is the first study to investigate the impact of various energy drinks on myogenic differentiation and our results suggest an inhibitory effect of energy drinks in muscle regeneration. 

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Effects of energy drinks on myogenic differentiation of murine C2C12 myoblasts

Pea protein (PP) presents an attractive raw material for its excellent nutritional value and functional properties. Nevertheless, data of nutritional composition, structure and functional properties of various commercial PPs remain scarce. The purpose of this work is to comprehensively analyze and compare the composition, structural, thermal and functional characteristics of eight commercially available PPs from multiple batches and sources. Specifically, the contents of total, soluble and non-denatured protein of eight PP samples were in the range of 76%–85%, 57%–61% and 0.8%–7.0%, respectively. Additionally, the total contents of amino acids and hydrophilic amino acids of PP-Ⅳ sample were significantly higher than that of PP-Ⅰ, PP-Ⅴ, PP-Ⅵ and PP-Ⅶ (P < 0.05). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that PP-Ⅴ exhibited higher β-sheet content and better gelation properties than other PPs. Differential scanning calorimeter analysis suggested that denaturing temperature of PP-Ⅳ was 85.81 °C, which was higher than that of other PPs. Furthermore, the solubility and emulsion stability of PP-Ⅲ and PP-Ⅳ were significantly higher than other six PPs (P < 0.05). PP-Ⅳ also had higher significant foaming capacity and foaming stability than other seven samples (P < 0.05). Moreover, principal component analysis indicated that the total score of PP-Ⅳ was the highest among the eight PPs. This study is helpful to comprehensively evaluate the quality characteristics of PPs and provide theoretical reference for the industrial production of PP products with multifunctional characteristics. 

Hong Sun

Papers

Antifibrotic effects of chronic baicalein administration in a CCl4 liver fibrosis model in rats.

Lactobacillus paracasei 24 Attenuates Lipid Accumulation in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice by Regulating the Gut Microbiota.

Low-cholesterol-low-fat mayonnaise prepared from soybean oil body as a substitute for egg yolk: The effect of substitution ratio on physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation

Effects of energy drinks on myogenic differentiation of murine C2C12 myoblasts

Characterization and comparison of structure, thermal and functional characteristics of various commercial pea proteins