PMID: 

J Pharmacopuncture. 2019 Mar ;22(1):7-15. Epub 2019 Mar 31. PMID: 30988996

Abstract Title: 

A Pharmacological Review onL.: Focusing on Anti-Inflammatory, Anti- Oxidant, Immuno-Modulatory and Antitumor Activities.

Abstract: 

. (PO) or Purslane is an annual grassy plant that is distributed in many parts of the world, especially the tropical and subtropical areas. PO has some pharmacological properties such as analgesic, antibacterial, skeletal muscle-relaxant, wound-healing, anti- inflammatory and a radical scavenger. This review article is focused on the anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, anti-oxidant and anti-tumor activities of the PO. Anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, anti-oxidant and Anti-tumor effects of PO were searched using various databases until the end of August 2018. The online literature was searched using PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science. Our review showed that PO exerts its effects through anti-inflammatory properties and balancing the adaptive and innate immune system depending on situations. PO acts as immune-modulator and anti-oxidant agent in both inflammatory states by the dominance of Th2 response such as asthma, cancer and atopic dermatitis and evoked Th1 disorders including hepatitis and multiple sclerosis.

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PMID: 

J Ethnopharmacol. 2019 Sep 15 ;241:112013. Epub 2019 Jun 4. PMID: 31170517

Abstract Title: 

Antiviral activity of Portulaca oleracea L. against influenza A viruses.

Abstract: 

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Portulaca oleracea L. is used not only as an edible potherb but also as a traditional remedy to assuage the symptoms of various diseases. The water extract of P. oleracea (WEPO) has been found to effectively alleviate the signs and symptoms of pandemic influenza A virus (IAV) infection. However, the anti-IAV activity of WEPO is still unclear.AIM OF STUDY: In this study, we aimed to elucidate the anti-IAV activity of WEPO and investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the anti-H1N1 activity.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cytotoxicity of WEPO and other Chinese herbs was measured using the cell viability test. The anti-IAV activity of WEPO was determined using the plaque reduction assay, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and immunofluorescence assay. The virucidal activity of WEPO was determined by labeling the virus and using the time-dependent virucidal activity assay.RESULTS: The half-maximal effective concentration of WEPO for A/WSN/1933 (H1N1) was very low, with a high selectivity index. The production of circulating H1N1 and H3N2 was suppressed by WEPO. Additionally, the antiviral activity of WEPO was observed in the early stage of IAV infection. Furthermore, WEPO inhibited the binding of virus to cells and exhibited good virucidal activity, significantly decreasing the viral load within 10 min to prevent viral infection.CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate the anti-IAV activity of WEPO and strongly recommend the use of WEPO, as an herbal regimen, to prevent and treat H1N1 infection at an early stage.

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PMID: 

Altern Ther Health Med. 2019 Jun 1. Epub 2019 Jun 1. PMID: 31221948

Abstract Title: 

Improvement of Tracheal Responsiveness and Th1/Th2 Balance in a Rat Model of Asthma, Treated with Portulaca Oleracea.

Abstract: 

Context: A large proportion of asthmatic patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for the treatment of their disease. Various pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory properties, have been described for Portulaca oleracea (P. oleracea).Objective: The study intended to evaluate the effects of an extract of P. oleracea on interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (INF-γ) and on the INF-γ /IL4 ratio, as an index for the balance of T helper 1 and 2 (Th1/Th2) cells, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as well as on tracheal responsiveness (TR) in a rat model of asthma.Design: The research team performed an animal study.Animals: Forty-eight male Wistar rats, each weighing 220± 50 g, were included in the study.Intervention: The rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: (1) a control group that was not induced with asthma and that received no treatments (C group), (2) a group induced with asthma that received no treatments (A group), (3) an intervention group induced with asthma and treated with one mg/ml of P. oleracea extract (PO 1 group), (4) an intervention group induced with asthma and treated with 2 mg/ml of P. oleracea extract (PO 2 group), (5) an intervention group induced with asthma and treated with 4 mg/ml of P. oleracea extract (PO 4 group), and (6) a positive control group induced with asthma and treated with 1.25μg/ml dexamethasone (D group). The asthma was induced using ovalbumin (OVA).Outcome Measures: Tracheal responsiveness and the BALF levels of IL-4 and INF-γ and the INF-γ/IL4 ratio were measured.Results: Tracheal responsiveness to methacholine in the A and PO 1 groups and to OVA in the A, PO 1, and PO 2 groups as well as the BALF levels of IL-4 in the A, D, PO 1, PO 2, and PO 4 groups were significantly higher than that of the C group. The BALF level of INF-γ and the INF-γ/IL4 ratio were significantly lower in the A, D, PO 1, PO 2, and PO 4 groups than in the C group. Only treatment with the 2 higher concentrations of the extract caused a concentration-dependent increase in the INF-γ/IL4 ratio (P

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PMID: 

BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019 Jul 5 ;19(1):161. Epub 2019 Jul 5. PMID: 31277622

Abstract Title: 

Anti-cervical carcinoma effect of Portulaca oleracea L. polysaccharides by oral administration on intestinal dendritic cells.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer worldwide. Portulaca oleracea L. polysaccharide (POL-P3b) has been found to have enhancing immune and anti-cervical cancer activity by oral administration. Dendritic cells (DC) play a key roles in regulating intestinal immune homeostasis. In this study, we analyzed the inhibition apoptosis effects of POL-P3b on intestinal DC and relevant mechanisms.METHODS: Intestinal DC was isolated from U14-bearing mice treated with POL-P3b (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, respectively). The effects of POL-P3b on proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis in intestinal DC were evaluated by MTT assay, Hoechst 33342 and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. Mitochondrial Cawas analyzed using flow cytometry instrument. The potential mechanisms underlying POL-P3b-induced protection of intestinal DC from cervical cancer-induced apoptosis were detected with Western blotting evaluation of expression levels of TLR4 and relevant proteins for apoptotic signaling pathway.RESULTS: We found that a large number of intestinal DC were apoptosis in U14-bearing mice. Treatment with POL-P3b in U14-bearing mice at different doses for 12 d resulted in a significant increase in intestinal DC survival, and the mechanisms were related to inhibiting DC apoptosis.CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that POL-P3b-induced protection against tumor-induced intestinal DC apoptosis through stimulating the TLR4-PI3K/AKT-NF-κB signaling pathway. This study enhanced understanding of the oral administration with POL-P3b exerted on anti-tumor activity and its action mechanism.

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PMID: 

Molecules. 2019 Aug 8 ;24(16). Epub 2019 Aug 8. PMID: 31398934

Abstract Title: 

Effects ofExtract on Acute Alcoholic Liver Injury of Rats.

Abstract: 

The present study was envisaged to investigate the chemical constituents and the intervention effects ofextract (POE) on acute alcoholic liver injury of rats. The chemical composition of POE was detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Sixty male Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups: Normal control (NC) group, acute alcoholic liver injury model group (ALI), low, medium and high dose of POE (25, 50, 100 mg/kg) groups and bifendate (BF, 3.75 mg/kg) group. Each group was given by intragastrical administration for 7 days. Alcoholic liver injury was induced in the experimental model by administering 50% ethanol at 8 mL/kg and repeated administration after 6 h, for a period of 7 days. The results showed that pretreatment with POE significantly reduced the ethanol-elevated serum level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and triglyceride (TG). The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) in liver were enhanced followed by administration of POE, while the content of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) was found to decrease. Hepatic content of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was also reduced by POE treatment. These results indicated that POE could increase the antioxidant capacity and relieve the inflammatory injury of the liver cells induced by ethanol. Meanwhile, in our study, POE reduced the expression of miR-122, acetyl coenzymeA carboxylase (ACC) 1 mRNA and protein and increased the expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) mRNA and protein in liver, which indicated that POE could improve the lipid metabolism disorder induced by ethanol. Our findings suggested that POE had protective effects on acute alcoholic liver injuryof rats.

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PMID: 

J Pharmacopuncture. 2019 Sep ;22(3):122-130. Epub 2019 Sep 30. PMID: 31673441

Abstract Title: 

Anti-Asthmatic Effects ofand its Constituents, a Review.

Abstract: 

Objectives: The medicinal plants are believed to enhance the natural resistance of the body to infections. Some of the main constituents of the plant and derived materials such as, proteins, lectins and polysaccharides have anti-inflammatory effects. Portulaca oleracea (P. oleracea) were used traditionally for dietary, food additive, spice and various medicinal purposes. This review article is focus on the anti-asthmatic effects of P. oleracea and its constituents.Methods: Various databases, such as the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, were searched the keywords including"Portulaca oleracea","Quercetin","Anti-inflammatory","Antioxidant","Cytokines","Smooth muscle", and"Relaxant effects"until the end of Jul 2018.Results: P. oleracea extracts and its constituents increased IFN-γ, IL-2, IFNγ/IL-4 and IL- 10/IL-4 ratio, but decreased secretion of TNF-α, IL-4 and chemokines in both in vitro and in vivo studies. P. oleracea extracts and quercetin also significantly decreased production of NO, stimulated β-adrenoceptor and/or blocking muscarinic receptors in tracheal smooth muscles. Conclusion: P. oleracea extracts and quercetin showed relatively potent anti-asthmatic effects due to decreased production of NO, inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, reduced oxidant while enhanced antioxidant markers, and also showed potent relaxant effects on tracheal smooth muscles via stimulatory on β-adrenoceptor or/and blocking muscarinic receptors.

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PMID: 

Food Chem. 2019 Aug 30 ;290:239-245. Epub 2019 Apr 2. PMID: 31000042

Abstract Title: 

The anti-inflammatory potential of Portulaca oleracea L. (purslane) extract by partial suppression on NF-κB and MAPK activation.

Abstract: 

Portulaca oleracea L. (Purslane) has great potential as food and traditional drugs in several countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of purslane extract on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Purslane extracts significantly reduced LPS-induced synthesis of NO in a dose-dependent manner, as well as the expression levels of iNOS and COX-2. The productions of TNF-α and IL-6 were also significantly reduced at the higher dose of 400 μg/ml. Meanwhile, the expression levels of P65, p-P65, p-MEK and p-IκB-α were inhibited dose-dependently. The nuclear translocation of P65 was partially prevented by the extract, which explained the inhibition of NF-κB pathway. In addition, three reported flavonoids, named luteolin, kaempferol and quercitrin, were identified in the extract, which might be responsible for its anti-inflammatory effects. Above all, our research has partially proved that purslane could be considered as a natural anti-inflammatory agent infurther applications.

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PMID: 

Biomed Pharmacother. 2019 Jul ;115:108888. Epub 2019 Apr 22. PMID: 31022599

Abstract Title: 

Kaempferol protects lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory injury in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) by regulation of miR-203.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hypertension is a common public health problem due to its high morbidity and potential risk, which is related to inflammatory actions. Kaempferol (KAE) has anti-inflammation activities. Herein, we explored the effects of KAE on LPS-induced inflammatory injury in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs).METHODS: HAECs were treated with KAE before stimulated with LPS or AngII. After miR-203 inhibitor transfection, cell viability and apoptosis were detected by CCK-8 and flow cytometry. The accumulated levels of apoptotic proteins, nuclear factorκB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways related proteins, MyD88 and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) were both determined by western blot. The concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were detected by ELISA. Expression of miR-203 was analyzedby qRT-PCR. The target of miR-203 was achieved by luciferase assay.RESULTS: LPS successfully induced inflammatory injury as evidenced by decreasing cell viability, increasing apoptosis, and also increasing IL-6, TNF-α concentrations. The apoptotic proteins p53 and cleaved-Caspase-3 were both upregulated while Bcl-2 was downregulated. Moreover, LPS activated NF-κB and MAPK pathways. However KAE reversed the results led by LPS. KAE increased miR-203 expression in LPS or AngII-disposed HAECs. More experiments revealed that transfection with miR-203 inhibitor impaired the inflammation-alleviating effects of KAE. MyD88 and TLR4 were predicated as a target of miR-203, which might be implicated in the protective functions of KAE on HAECs.CONCLUSION: KAE exerted the protective impacts on HAECs against inflammatory injury through inactivation of NF-κB and MAPK pathways, as well as upregulation of miR-203.

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PMID: 

Mol Med Rep. 2019 Jul ;20(1):728-734. Epub 2019 May 27. PMID: 31180555

Abstract Title: 

Synergistic effect of kaempferol and 5‑fluorouracil on the growth of colorectal cancer cells by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Abstract: 

Combination chemotherapy with chemosensitizers can exert synergistic therapeutic effects, reduce toxicity, and delay the induction of drug resistance. In the present study, the antitumor effects were investigated, and the possible underlying mechanisms of kaempferol combined with 5‑fluorouracil (5‑FU) in colorectal cancer cells were explored. HCT‑8 or HCT‑116 cells were treated with various concentrations of kaempferol and/or 5‑FU for the indicated time‑points. An MTT assay was used to determine cell viability, whereas the synergistic effects were assessed by calculating the combination indices of kaempferol and 5‑FU. Annexin V analysis and Hoechst staining were used to determine cell apoptosis. q‑PCR and western blotting were performed to determine the expression levels of Bax, Bcl‑2, thymidylate synthase (TS), PTEN, PI3K, AKT, and p‑AKT. The combination of kaempferol and 5‑FU was determined to be more effective in inhibiting cell viability than either of the agents alone. The inhibition of tumors in response to kaempferol and 5‑FU was associated with the reduction in proliferation ability and stimulation of apoptosis. The protein resultsindicated that kaempferol and 5‑FU could significantly upregulate the expression levels of Bax and downregulate the expression levels of Bcl‑2 and TS. Furthermore, the combination treatment greatly inhibited the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, suggesting the involvement of this pathway in the synergistic effects. The present study demonstrated that kaempferol has a synergistic effect with 5‑FU by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells via suppression of TS or attenuation of p‑Akt activation. The combination of kaempferol and 5‑FU may be used as an effective therapeutic strategy for colorectal cancer.

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PMID: 

Biomed Pharmacother. 2019 Sep ;117:109086. Epub 2019 Jun 11. PMID: 31200254

Abstract Title: 

The mechanism of anticancer action and potential clinical use of kaempferol in the treatment of breast cancer.

Abstract: 

In the last century, natural compounds have achieved remarkable achievements in the treatment of tumors through chemotherapy. This inspired scientists to continuously explore anticancer agents from natural compounds. Kaempferol is an ordinary natural compound, the most common flavonoid, which is widely existed in vegetables and fruits. It has been reported to have various anticancer activities, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, leukemia, etc. Meanwhile, we found that there were more reports on breast cancer among these cancers although there are limited clinical studies that have addressed the benefits of kaempferol as an anti-cancer agent for breast cancer treatment. Then we realize that although kaempferol has been reported to have anti-breast cancer effect many times, it is still far from becoming a real anti-breast cancer agent. Therefore, in this review, we talk about the options for improving the anti-breast cancer effect of kaempferol, including various techniques and methods to improve the bioavailability of kaempferol, the idea of combining other compounds to produce synergistic effects, and the possibility of developing kaempferol into a targeted drug delivery system.

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