Anti-diabetic properties of three common Bidens pilosa variants in Taiwan

Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata (BPR), B. pilosa L. var. pilosa (BPP), and B. pilosa L. var. minor (BPM) are common variants of a plant often used as a folk remedy for diabetes in Taiwan. However, the three variants are often misidentified and little is known about their relative anti-diabetic efficacy and chemical composition. In this paper, we have first developed a method based on GC–MS and cluster analysis with visualization to assist in rapidly determining the taxonomy of these three Bidens variants. GC–MS was used to determine the chemical compositions of supercritical extracts, and differences and similarities in the variants were determined by hierarchical cluster analysis. Next, the HPLC profiles of the methanol crude extracts in the Bidens plants and evaluated anti-diabetic effects of methanol crude extracts were compared, as well as three polyacetylenic compounds of the Bidens plants using db/db mice. Single-dose and long-term experiments showed that the BPR extract had higher glucose-lowering and insulin-releasing activities than extracts from the other two variants, and that cytopiloyne was the most effective pure compound among the three polyacetylenic compounds. BPR extract and cytopiloyne also significantly reduced the percentage of the glycosylated hemoglobin A1c in db/db mice. Besides, both animal studies and HPLC analysis demonstrated a good correlation between anti-diabetic efficacy of the Bidens extracts and the particular polyacetylenes present.     

Topical application of marine briarane-type diterpenes effectively inhibits 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced inflammation and dermatitis in murine skin

Background  

Skin is the largest organ in the body, and is directly exposed to extrinsic assaults. As such, the skin plays a central role in host defense and the cutaneous immune system is able to elicit specific local inflammatory and systemic immune responses against harmful stimuli. 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) can stimulate acute and chronic inflammation and tumor promotion in skin. TPA-induced dermatitis is thus a useful in vivo pharmacological platform for drug discovery. In this study, the inhibitory effect of briarane-type diterpenes (BrDs) from marine coral Briareum excavatum on TPA-induced dermatitis and dendritic cell (DC) function was explored.     

Neuroprotective effects of ononin against the aluminium chloride-induced Alzheimer’s disease in rats

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease categorized by the deficiency in the cognition and memory. Approximately 50 million peoples has the AD, which is categorized by the deficiency in the cognition, memory and other kinds of cognitive dissention. The present exploration was designed to unveil the ameliorative properties of ononin against the aluminium chloride (AlCl3)-provoked AD in animals via the suppression of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. AD was provoked to the Sprague Dawley rats through administering orally with 0.5 ml/100 g b.wt. of AlCl3 25 days and then supplemented with the 30 mg/kg of ononin orally for 25th day to 36th day. The behavioural changes were examined using open field and Morris Water Maze test. The acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity was studied by standard method. The status of Aβ1-42, MDA, SOD, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were quantified using respective assay kits. The interleukin(IL)-1β and TNF-α, BDNF, PPAR-γ, p38MAPK, and NF-κB/p65 status was quantified using respective assay kits. Brain histology was studied using microscope. The ononin treatment effectively modulated the AlCl3-triggered behavioural alterations in the AD animals. Ononin appreciably suppressed the AChE, Aβ1-42, and MDA and improved the SOD and TAC in the brain tissues of AD animals. The status of IL-1β, TNF-α, p38MAPK, and NF-κB were suppressed and the BDNF and PPAR-γ contents were elevated in the brain tissues of AD animals. The outcomes brain histology analysis proved the attenuate role of ononin. Our findings recommended that the ononin treatment could ameliorate the cognitive impairment, suppress the neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the AD animals.     

Possible role of HIWI2 in modulating tight junction proteins in retinal pigment epithelial cells through Akt signaling pathway

PIWI subfamily of proteins is shown to be primarily expressed in germline cells. They maintain the genomic integrity by silencing the transposable elements. Although the role of PIWI proteins in germ cells has been documented, their presence and function in somatic cells remains unclear. Intriguingly, we detected all four members of PIWI-like proteins in human ocular tissues and somatic cell lines. When HIWI2 was knocked down in retinal pigment epithelial cells, the typical honeycomb morphology was affected. Further analysis showed that the expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins, CLDN1, and TJP1 were altered in HIWI2 knockdown. Moreover, confocal imaging revealed disrupted TJP1 assembly at the TJ. Previous studies report the role of GSK3β in regulating TJ proteins. Accordingly, phospho-kinase proteome profiler array indicated increased phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3α/β in HIWI2 knockdown, suggesting that HIWI2 might affect TJ proteins through Akt-GSK3α/β signaling axis. Moreover, treating the HIWI2 knockdown cells with wortmannin increased the levels of TJP1 and CLDN1. Taken together, our study demonstrates the presence of PIWI-like proteins in somatic cells and the possible role of HIWI2 in preserving the functional integrity of epithelial cells probably by modulating the phosphorylation status of Akt.     

Epidemiology of soil transmitted helminths and risk analysis of hookworm infections in the community: Results from the DeWorm3 Trial in southern India

Since 2015, India has coordinated the largest school-based deworming program globally, targeting soil-transmitted helminths (STH) in ~250 million children aged 1 to 19 years twice yearly. Despite substantial progress in reduction of morbidity associated with STH, reinfection rates in endemic communities remain high. We conducted a community based parasitological survey in Tamil Nadu as part of the DeWorm3 Project—a cluster-randomised trial evaluating the feasibility of interrupting STH transmission at three geographically distinct sites in Africa and Asia—allowing the estimation of STH prevalence and analysis of associated factors. In India, following a comprehensive census, enumerating 140,932 individuals in 36,536 households along with geospatial mapping of households, an age-stratified sample of individuals was recruited into a longitudinal monitoring cohort (December 2017-February 2018) to be followed for five years. At enrolment, a total of 6089 consenting individuals across 40 study clusters provided a single adequate stool sample for analysis using the Kato-Katz method, as well as answering a questionnaire covering individual and household level factors. The unweighted STH prevalence was 17.0% (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 16.0–17.9%), increasing to 21.4% when weighted by age and cluster size. Hookworm was the predominant species, with a weighted infection prevalence of 21.0%, the majority of which (92.9%) were light intensity infections. Factors associated with hookworm infection were modelled using mixed-effects multilevel logistic regression for presence of infection and mixed-effects negative binomial regression for intensity. The prevalence of both Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infections were rare (<1%) and risk factors were therefore not assessed. Increasing age (multivariable odds ratio [mOR] 21.4, 95%CI: 12.3–37.2, p<0.001 for adult age-groups versus pre-school children) and higher vegetation were associated with an increased odds of hookworm infection, whereas recent deworming (mOR 0.3, 95%CI: 0.2–0.5, p<0.001) and belonging to households with higher socioeconomic status (mOR 0.3, 95%CI: 0.2–0.5, p<0.001) and higher education level of the household head (mOR 0.4, 95%CI: 0.3–0.6, p<0.001) were associated with lower odds of hookworm infection in the multilevel model. The same factors were associated with intensity of infection, with the use of improved sanitation facilities also correlated to lower infection intensities (multivariable infection intensity ratio [mIIR] 0.6, 95%CI: 0.4–0.9, p<0.016). Our findings suggest that a community-based approach is required to address the high hookworm burden in adults in this setting. Socioeconomic, education and sanitation improvements alongside mass drug administration would likely accelerate the drive to elimination in these communities.Trial Registration: {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT03014167","term_id":"NCT03014167"}}NCT03014167.