Herbs/Botanical plants are considered as God's gift to human beings in the form of natural medicines, like the one well known "Sanjeevani booti" described in Hindu Mythology. The traditional and ethno-veterinary practices have been in use for centuries, transferring the knowledge from generation to generation and they are accessible, easy to prepare and administer, with little or no cost at all. Even though the modern developments in therapeutic field brought about a rapid decline in traditional medicine, the plant-based remedies are still having a crucial role as potential source of therapeutic aids in health systems all over the world for both humans and animals. Among the 21,000 medicinal plants listed by the World Health Organization (WHO), 2500 species are native to India, which stands first in the production of medicinal herbs. This innumerable treasure of medicinal herbs brings India the distinction of 'the botanical garden of the world'. Nowadays immune-based therapies are gaining more importance than monovalent approaches which are having limited benefits. Apart from the actions like treating diseases, control of ecto- and endo-parasites, fertility enhancement, bone setting and poor mothering management, an array of herbal medicines have been reported which are having immunomodulatory effects like modulation of cytokine secretion, histamine release, immunoglobulin secretion, class switching, cellular co-receptor expression, lymphocyte expression, phagocytosis and so on. The present article describes in brief few of these important ones viz., ashwagandha, amla, tulsi, arjuna, aloe vera, garlic, turmeric, ginger, shatavari, neem, guduchi, kiwifruit, tut, kamala, palashlata, kokilaksha etc. being used for human and animal health benefits.

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Immunomodulatory and therapeutic potentials of herbal, traditional/indigenous and ethnoveterinary medicines.

Autoimmune diseases arise from the loss of tolerance to endogenous self-antigens, resulting in a heterogeneous range of chronic conditions that cause considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Western countries, over 5% of the population is affected by some form of autoimmune disease, with enhanced or inappropriate activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB implicated in a number of these conditions. Although treatment strategies for autoimmunity have improved significantly in recent years, current therapeutics are still not capable of achieving satisfactory disease management in all patients, and as such, the therapeutic modulation of NF-κB is an attractive target in autoimmunity. To date, no NF-κB inhibitors have progressed to the clinic for the treatment of autoimmunity, but a variety of promising approaches targeting multiple stages of the NF-κB pathway are currently being explored. This review focuses on the current strategies being investigated for the inhibition of the NF-κB pathway in autoimmune diseases and considers potential future strategies for the therapeutic targeting of this crucial transcription factor.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1087057115617456

Modulation of NF-κB Signaling as a Therapeutic Target in Autoimmunity:

Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune disease primarily manifesting as chronic synovitis, subsequently leading to a change in joint integrity. Progressive disability and systemic complications are strongly associated with a decreased quality of life. To maintain function and health in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, early, aggressive and guided immunosuppressive therapy is required to induce clinical remission. Antirheumatic drugs are capable of controlling synovial inflammation and are therefore named 'disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs' (DMARDs). This article aims to bridge the beginning of DMARD therapy with agents such as methotrexate, leflunomide, sulfasalazine, injectable gold and (hydroxy)chloroquine with biological therapies, and with the new era of kinase inhibitors. Mechanisms of action, as well as advantages and disadvantages of DMARDs, are discussed with respect to the current literature and current recommendations.

Current immunotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis.

The molecular mass and its distribution of citrus pectin degraded by different methods were investigated. The primary structure and nanostructure of the degraded products were also identified. The results indicated that acid (80 °C, 12 h), ultrasound-assisted acid (25 °C, 2.5 h) and ultrasound (25 °C, 1.5 h) degraded pectins had equivalent molecular mass. The molecular mass distribution of ultrasound-assisted acid and ultrasound degraded pectins were less polydisperse than that of acid degraded pectin. According to HPLC, IR and NMR analysis, the main chain of ultrasound degraded pectin could be preserved. By contrast, acid degraded pectin was completely free of neutral sugar-side chains. Furthermore, the esterification level of ultrasound-assisted acid and ultrasound degraded pectins was considerably lower than that of original pectin, whereas that of the acid degraded pectin was nearly equal to zero. AFM analysis indicated that the morphology of original pectin was different from that of degraded pectins. The length of linear chains of degraded pectins was shorter and density of branches was lower, compared with that of original pectin. The results indicated that the ultrasound degradation method has the advantage of being timesaving, milder and environment-friendly.

Effect of degradation methods on the structural properties of citrus pectin

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of fifteen Indian medicinal plants has been evaluated by in vitro enzyme assay. Methanol extracts of Cyperus rotundus (tubers), Plumbago zeylanica (root), Symplocos racemosa (bark), and Terminalia arjuna (bark) had displayed 100% inhibition with the IC 50 value of 3.98 µg/ml, 3.46 µg/ml, 8.16 µg/ml and 0.69 µg/ml, respectively. Bark extract of Terminalia arjuna is highly effective against alpha- glucosidase activity even at nanogram concentration. Plant parts of Piper retrofractum (stem), Zingiber officinale (rhizome), Acorus calamus (rhizome), Picrorhiza kurroa (rhizome), Marsdenia tenacissima (stem), Clerodendron serratum (root), and Rubia cordifolia (root) are not effective and they require high concentration to exhibit inhibition. Potential plants that show maximum inhibition at low concentration (<10 µg/ml) were subjected to kinetic analysis to determine the mode of inhibition of the enzyme. Cyperus rotundus, Symplocos racemosa and Terminalia arjuna exhibited uncompetitive inhibition and Plumbago zeylanica had displayed mixed inhibition to alpha-glucosidase enzyme activity. From the enzyme assay, we infer that Cyperus rotundus, Plumbago zeylanica, Symplocos racemosa and Terminalia arjuna contain potential alpha-glucosidase inhibitors that can be exploited for its use in the treatment of diabetes.

Screening of fifteen indian ayurvedic plants for alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity and enzyme kinetics

Water-soluble polysaccharide obtained from Acorus calamus L. classically activates macrophages and stimulates Th1 response.

Traditionally used cotton-based bandaging materials have several disadvantages which can be overcome by using another fabric structure – nonwoven fabric. Moreover, these materials are more spongeous which increases their sorption capacity. The new bandaging material developed by the Institute of Physics of Strength and Material Science of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences has even better sorption capacity with improved sorption properties. Its sorption capacity has been increased by means of an additional introduction of porous aluminum hydrate particles into fabric. It is important that a bandaging material has a good biocompatibility and does not have any cytotoxic effect on cells and tissues. Here it is present results of the study of the material's direct contact and indirect cytotoxicity assays in comparison with cotton gauze. It have found that in the direct contact of nonwoven polymeric fibrous bandaging material (NPFBM) with cells for 24 hours of cultivation no changes in cell morphology take place, nor does the amount of dead cells increase. These conclusions have been made by means of both a visual examination and an МТТ assay. The NPFBM extract did not have any cytotoxic effect on the tested cells either. The obtained results allow us to make a conclusion that the NPFBM complies with the international standard ISO 10993-5, which is applied to medical goods, and can from now on be applied in the treatment of infected wounds in clinical practice.

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A Study of the Cytotoxicity of a New Nonwoven Polymeric Fibrous Bandaging Material In-Vitro

We compared the effects of NF-κB inhibitor aurothiomalate and voltaren on NO production by mouse macrophages in vitro, their ability to cause local edema at the site of injection, and their effect on carrageenan-induced inflammation. High concentrations of aurothiomalate reduced NO production, while in low concentrations both aurothiomalate and voltaren stimulated this process. When injected into mouse footpad, aurothiomalate in a dose >1 mM and voltaren in a dose >1.6 μM induce paw edema. Both compounds suppressed carrageenan-induced inflammation, but the efficacy of aurothiomalate 2-fold exceeded that of voltaren.

Study of anti-inflammatory action of aurothiomalate, an inhibitor of NF-κB.

We studied the effect of two pectic polysaccharides PS-B1-AG and PS-B2-RG that were contained in total polysaccharides extracted from Betula pendula leaves on NO production by mouse macrophages and the contribution of signaling molecules to macrophage activation by the test substances. Unlike the total sample, pectins produced a NO-stimulating effect on macrophages. The effect of PS-B2-RG (10 μg/ml) did not differ from the effect of LPS, while PS-B1-AG produced this effect only in a concentration of 20 μg/ml, which was probably due to differences in the chemical structure of the test substances. The studied pectin polysaccharides activated transcription factor NF-κB, kinases p38 and PI3, and cAMP as a negative regulator. These results indicate that Betula pendula polysaccharides are promising substances for creation of immunomodulating drugs.

Signaling events during macrophage activation with Betula pendula roth pectic polysaccharides.

We compared the effect of NF-κB inhibitor aurothiomalate and voltaren on local inflammation in different types of immune response. Both substances reduced edema caused by sheep erythrocytes (Th1-type immune response) and local immediate-type hypersensitivity response induced with ovalbumin (Th2-dependent response). The anti-inflammatory effects of aurothiomalate were similar to those of voltaren during Th1-type immune response.

N. V. Belska

Papers

Water-soluble polysaccharide obtained from Acorus calamus L. classically activates macrophages and stimulates Th1 response.

A Study of the Cytotoxicity of a New Nonwoven Polymeric Fibrous Bandaging Material In-Vitro

Study of anti-inflammatory action of aurothiomalate, an inhibitor of NF-κB.

Signaling events during macrophage activation with Betula pendula roth pectic polysaccharides.

Effect of NF-κB Inhibitor Aurothiomalate on Local Inflammation in Experimental Th1- and Th2-Type Immune Response