Sargassum wightii-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles reduce the fitness and reproduction of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi and cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera

Sargassum is recognized both empirically and scientifically as a potential anti-inflammatory agent. Inflammation is an important response in the body that helps to overcome various challenges to body homeostasis such as microbial infections, tissue stress, and certain injuries. Excessive and uncontrolled inflammatory conditions can affect the pathogenesis of various diseases. This review aims to explore the potential of Sargassum’s anti-inflammatory activity, not only in crude extracts but also in sulfated polysaccharides and purified compounds. The tropical region has a promising availability of Sargassum biomass because its climate allows for the optimal growth of seaweed throughout the year. This is important for its commercial utilization as functional ingredients for both food and non-food applications. To the best of our knowledge, studies related to Sargassum’s anti-inflammatory activity are still dominated by subtropical species. Studies on tropical Sargassum are mainly focused on the polysaccharides group, though there are some other potentially bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, terpenoids, fucoxanthin, fatty acids and their derivatives, typical polar lipids, and other groups. Information on the modulation mechanism of Sargassum’s bioactive compounds on the inflammatory response is also discussed here, but specific mechanisms related to the interaction between bioactive compounds and targets in cells still need to be further studied.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/17/10/590/pdf

Sargassum Seaweed as a Source of Anti-Inflammatory Substances and the Potential Insight of the Tropical Species: A Review.

Seaweed, a popular and abundant food ingredient mainly consumed in Asian countries, is a good source of bioactive compounds with anti-obesity effects. However, the anti-obesity effects of Sargassum thunbergii have not yet been established. In this study, we isolated six indole derivatives (STCs)-indole-2-carboxaldehyde (STC-1), indole-3-carboxaldehyde (STC-2), indole-4-carboxaldehyde (STC-3), indole-5-carboxaldehyde (STC-4), indole-6-carboxaldehyde (STC-5), and indole-7-carboxaldehyde (STC-6)-from S. thunbergii and evaluated their inhibitory effects on adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells. We found that STC-1 and STC-5 resulted in non-toxic inhibition of the differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and thus selected these compounds for further study. STC-1 and STC-5 significantly inhibited lipid accumulation and downregulated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) in a dose-dependent manner. The specific mechanism mediating the effects of STC-1 and STC-5 was shown to be AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. Our results demonstrated the inhibitory effect of STC-1 and STC-5 on adipogenesis through the activation of the AMPK signal pathway. Together, these findings suggested that STC-1 and STC-5 may be effective candidates for the prevention of obesity or obesity-related diseases.

Indole Derivatives Isolated from Brown Alga Sargassum thunbergii Inhibit Adipogenesis through AMPK Activation in 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes.

An imbalance in the production of reactive oxygen species in the body can cause an increase of oxidative stress that leads to oxidative damage to cells and tissues, which culminates in the development or aggravation of some chronic diseases, such as inflammation, diabetes mellitus, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Secondary metabolites from Inula species can play an important role in the prevention and treatment of the oxidative stress-related diseases mentioned above. The databases Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science and the combining terms Inula, antioxidant and secondary metabolites were used in the research for this review. More than 120 articles are reviewed, highlighting the most active compounds with special emphasis on the elucidation of their antioxidative-stress mechanism of action, which increases the knowledge about their potential in the fight against inflammation, cancer, neurodegeneration, and diabetes. Alantolactone is the most polyvalent compound, reporting interesting EC50 values for several bioactivities, while 1-O-acetylbritannilactone can be pointed out as a promising lead compound for the development of analogues with interesting properties. The Inula genus is a good bet as source of structurally diverse compounds with antioxidant activity that can act via different mechanisms to fight several oxidative stress-related human diseases, being useful for development of new drugs.

Inula L. Secondary Metabolites against Oxidative Stress-Related Human Diseases.

The structure-activity relationship between polysaccharides from Sargassum thunbergii and anti-tumor activity.

Purpose : To evaluate the anti-oxidant and anti-neuroinflammatory effects of the Sargassum thunbergii  extract (Mertens ex Roth) Kuntze (STE) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells in vitro. Methods : STE antioxidative activity was evaluated with an Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectrometer, which measured 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. Cell viabilities were estimated using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia were used to study the expression and production of inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and tumor necrosis alpha (TNF-α). Results : LPS treatment, following STE pretreatment, decreased NO production by 13 ~ 65% in a dosedependent manner (p < 0.001 at 20, 40, 80 and 100 μg/mL), and was associated with the downregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. STE also attenuated the TNF-α soluble protein by 16 ~ 47% (p < 0.01at 20, 40 and 80 μg/mL) in activated murine microglia. Furthermore, the DPPH-generated free radicals were inhibited by STE concentration-dependently. Conclusion : STE has therapeutic potential in the prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative and oxidative stress-related disorders. Keywords : Sargassum thunbergii, Neurodegenerative diseases, Anti-inflammatory, Microglial cells, Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α

/pdf/neuroprotective-effect-of-sargassum-thunbergii-mertens-ex-1jfsoaefj2.pdf

Neuroprotective Effect of Sargassum thunbergii (Mertens ex Roth) Kuntze in Activated Murine Microglial Cells

Purpose: To investigate the antioxidant and anti-neuroinflammatory potential of Saussurea lappa Clarke (SLC-EA) extract in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells.Methods: Cell viability was measured by using the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay while antioxidant activity was evaluated by using the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to stimulate BV-2 microglia. Griess assay was employed to assess nitric oxide (NO) production. iNOS (inducible NO synthase) expression and TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha) cytokine production were measured by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and immuno blot analysis, respectively.Results: Pretreatment of 100 mg/ml of SLC-EA (p < 0.001) was inhibited Nitric Oxide (NO) by 1 ug/ml of LPS-treated murine BV-2 cells. The expression of iNOS and TNF-α were reduced by SLC-EA concentration dependent manner (p < 0.001 at 100 mg/ml). SLC-EA were scavenged 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of approximately 51.4 μg/ml.Conclusion: The results indicate that SLC-EA extract exhibits strong antioxidant properties and inhibits excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine due probably to the antioxidant phenolic compounds present in SLC-EA extract. Further work in exploring the in-depth mechanisms of SLC-EA extract in regulating inflammatory signaling pathways in treating neuroinflammatory diseases is necessary.
Keywords: Saussurea lappa, Antioxidant, Neuroinflammation, Microglia, TNF-α, iNOS

/pdf/saussurea-lappa-clarke-extract-exhibits-potent-antioxidant-2g468nqia2.pdf

Saussurea lappa Clarke extract exhibits potent antioxidant effect and attenuates neuroinflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated microglial cells

Purpose: To evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and anti- neuroinflammatory activities of Inula helenium  extract (IHE) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) by primary microglial cells. Methods: Cell viability was estimated by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2- yl)-2, 5- diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia were used to study the expression and production of inflammatory mediators, including NO, inducible NO synthase (iNOS)and Interukin-6 (IL-6). Results: Pretreatment with IHE prior to LPS treatment significantly inhibited excessive production of NO ( p < 0.001 at 20, 40, 80 and 100 μg/mL) in a dose-dependent manner, and was associated with downregulation of expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). IHE also suppressed the LPSinduced increase in IL-6 level ( p < 0.01 at 40 and 80 μg/mL) in BV-2 cells. The antioxidant activity exhibited by IHE might play a critical role in ameliorating neuroinflammatory processes in LPSstimulated BV-2 microglial cells. Conclusion: IHE may be beneficial in preventing and treating neurodegenerative and oxidative stressrelated diseases. Keywords: Inula helenium , DPPH, Neurodegenerative diseases, Anti inflammatory, Anti-oxidant, Microglial cell

/pdf/anti-neuroinflammatory-effects-of-ethanol-extract-of-inula-3uj9mq27aw.pdf

Anti-neuroinflammatory Effects of Ethanol Extract of Inula helenium L (Compositae)

Nano-biomarker-Based Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Selective Diagnosis of Gallbladder and Liver Injury

The root bark of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica (Japanese elm) is used in Korea and other East Asian countries as a traditional herbal remedy to treat a variety of inflammatory diseases and ailments such as edema, gastric cancer and mastitis. For this study, we investigated the lipid metabolism and anti-obesity efficacy of ethyl alcohol extract of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica root bark (UDE). First, HPLC was performed to quantify the level of (+)-catechin, the active ingredient of UDE. In the following experiments, cultured 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes and high-fat diet (HFD)-fed murine model were studied for anti-obesity efficacy by testing the lipid metabolism effects of UDE and (+)-catechin. In the test using 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes, treatment with UDE inhibited adipocyte differentiation and significantly reduced the production of adipogenic genes and transcription factors PPARγ, C/EBPα and SREBP-1c. HFD-fed, obese mice were administered with UDE (200 mg/kg per day) and (+)-catechin (30 mg/kg per day) by oral gavage for 4 weeks. Weight gain, epididymal and abdominal adipose tissue mass were significantly reduced, and a change in adipocyte size was observed in the UDE and (+)-catechin treatment groups compared to the untreated control group (***p < 0.001). Significantly lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were detected in UDE-treated HFD mice compared to the control, revealing the efficacy of UDE. In addition, it was found that lipid accumulation in hepatocytes was also significantly reduced after administration of UDE. These results suggest that UDE has significant anti-obesity and lipid metabolism effects through inhibition of adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis.

Sung-Gyu Lee

Papers

Neuroprotective Effect of Sargassum thunbergii (Mertens ex Roth) Kuntze in Activated Murine Microglial Cells

Saussurea lappa Clarke extract exhibits potent antioxidant effect and attenuates neuroinflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated microglial cells

Anti-neuroinflammatory Effects of Ethanol Extract of Inula helenium L (Compositae)

Nano-biomarker-Based Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Selective Diagnosis of Gallbladder and Liver Injury

Anti-Obesity and Lipid Metabolism Effects of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.