The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Review
Regulatory Effects of Quercetin on Bone Homeostasis: Research Updates and Future Perspectives.
The imbalance of bone homeostasis has become a major public medical problem amid the background of an aging population, which is closely related to the occurrence of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and fractures. Presently, most drugs used in the clinical treatment of bone homeostasis imbalance are bisphosphonates, calcitonin, estrogen receptor modulators, and biological agents that inhibit bone resorption or parathyroid hormone analogs that promote bone formation. However, there are many adverse reactions. ⋯ An in-depth exploration of the pharmacological mechanism of quercetin is of great significance for the development of new drugs. This review discusses the therapeutic mechanisms of quercetin on bone homeostasis, such as regulating the expression of long non-coding RNA, signaling pathways of bone metabolism, various types of programmed cell death, bone nutrients supply pathways, anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, and activation of Sirtuins. We also summarize recent progress in improving quercetin bioavailability and propose some issues worth paying attention to, which may help guide future research efforts.
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Ginseng is a valuable medicinal plant in Asian countries with thousands of years of history. Ginsenosides, one of the active components of ginseng, are considered to be of potential value in the treatment of various diseases. ⋯ On the other hand, ginsenosides also have anti-inflammatory effects, including reducing the release of inflammatory factors, regulating the balance of immune cells, regulating the diversity of intestinal flora, and activating MAPK, NF-[Formula: see text]B, and NLRP3 inflammasomes. These data suggest that ginsenosides may provide new insights as promising drugs for the treatment of malignant tumors and inflammatory diseases.
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For centuries, Sophora alopecuroides L. has been used both as a food and an herbal medicine in northern China. A new cytisine-type alkaloid, N-methylene-(5,7,4[Formula: see text]-trihydroxy)-isoflavone (LY01), was found in the fruits of Sophora alopecuroides L. and shows neuroprotective effects against Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is a frequently occurring, irreversible neurodegenerative disease that seriously threatens the health of the elderly population. ⋯ In the rotarod test, LY01 alleviated the impaired motor coordination in PD mice. Furthermore, LY01 treatment prevented the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and striatum of the PD mice, reduced neuroinflammation in the mice with MPTP-induced PD and the LPS-activated BV-2 cells, and diminished oxidative stress in the PD mice and the MPP[Formula: see text]-induced SH-SY5Y cells. In conclusion, these results suggest the potential of LY01 as a therapeutic agent for treating PD.
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Gut microbiota are significantly associated with the occurrence and development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) could be used for colitis and to modulate gut microbiota. However, the mechanism behind the effects of PNS on anti-colitis that are pertinent to gut microbiota is largely unknown. ⋯ Importantly, Akkermansia spp. and Bacteroides spp. were correlated with the IBD disease indicators. Moreover, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiments confirmed that PNS-reshaped gut microbiota significantly alleviated DSS-induced colitis, while A. muciniphila significantly reduced the levels of the LPS-induced cellular inflammatory factors IL-1[Formula: see text] and TNF-[Formula: see text]. In conclusion, PNS alleviated colitis pertinent to the upregulation of Akkermania spp. and downregulation of Bacteroides spp. in the gut.
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Ferroptosis is a new cell death process characterized by massive iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Emerging evidence demonstrates that ferroptosis plays a crucial role in the development and progression of tumorigenesis. Targeting it is a potentially effective cancer prevention and treatment strategy in the clinic. ⋯ A total of 62 kinds of natural products and their active compounds were reported to exert antitumor effects via causing ferroptosis of cancer cells by regulating the System Xc--GPX4 axis and lipid, mitochondrial, and iron metabolism. Natural products have advantages in improving chemotherapy's therapeutic effects by causing cancer cell ferroptosis through their polypharmacological actions. These molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis regulation by natural products will pave the way for developing natural antitumor drugs based on regulating ferroptosis.