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Aging is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases in which microglia-driven neuroinflammation plays a critical role in neuronal dysfunction and disease progression. In this study, we sought to isolate bioactive metabolites from Quercus acuta Thunb. fruits—which have traditionally been used in oriental medicine but are chemically and pharmacologically underexplored—and evaluate their anti-neuroinflammatory potential. A total of 14 compounds were isolated from an ethanol extract of Q. acuta fruits through bioactivity-guided isolation, and their structures were identified by NMR spectroscopy. Notably, this study is the first to demonstrate that 3,5,7,2′,6′-pentahydroxyflavanone and 2,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, among the compounds isolated from Q. acuta fruits, exhibit significant anti-neuroinflammatory activities. Both compounds reduced the production of proinflammatory mediators, including IL-6 and TNF-α, while inhibiting the expression of iNOS and COX-2. Moreover, they significantly inhibited NF-κB activation in lipopolysaccharide-induced BV2 microglia. Collectively, these findings indicate that Q. acuta fruits contain bioactive constituents with previously unreported anti-neuroinflammatory properties, supporting their potential as a natural source for the development of therapeutic agents targeting age-related neuroinflammation.

The leaves of Thunb. are a source of traditional herbal medicines found in East Asia. The present study aimed to evaluate the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant-like effects of water extract of Thunb. leaves (VBLW) in a mouse model of chronic restraint stress (CRS) and to identify the possible molecular mechanisms of the neuroprotective effects. The CRS-exposed mice were orally administered VBLW (100 and 200 mg/kg) daily for 21 days consecutively. The behavioral effects of VBLW were assessed through the forced swim test (FST) and the open field test (OFT). The levels of serum corticosterone (CORT), corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), brain monoamines, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, and serotonin turnover by tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2), serotonin reuptake (SERT), and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) were evaluated, in addition to the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway. CRS-exposed mice treated with VBLW (100 and 200 mg/kg) showed significantly reduced immobility time and increased swimming and climbing times in the FST, and increased locomotor activity in the OFT. Moreover, CRS mice treated with VBLW exhibited significantly decreased CORT and ACTH, but enhanced brain monoamine neurotransmitters. In addition, CRS mice treated with VBLW had dramatically decreased protein levels of MAO-A and SERT, but increased TPH2 protein levels in the hippocampus and the PFC. Similarly, VBLW significantly upregulated the ERKs/Akt signaling pathway in the hippocampus and the PFC. Furthermore, VBLW showed neuroprotective effects via increased CREB phosphorylation in CORT-induced cell injury that were mediated through the ERK/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. These results suggested that the antidepressant-like effects of VBLW might be mediated by the regulation of the HPA axis, glucocorticoids, and serotonin turnover, such as TPH2, SERT, and MAO-A, as well as the concentration of monoamine neurotransmitters, and the activities of ERK and Akt phosphorylation, which were possibly associated with neuroprotective effects.

Neoporphyra dentata (Kjellman) L.-E. Yang & J. Brodie, 2020 is an economically valuable species in seaweed aquaculture in the southwest coastal regions of Korea. Here, we report the complete mitogenome information of N. dentata using Illumina Miseq platform permitted assembly of a circular mitochondrial genome of 26,807 bp from N. dentata consisting of 29.9% GC contents, 9 protein coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA), 23 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and a non-coding region. The overall nucleotide composition was A: 38%, T: 32%, C: 14.7%, and G: 15.2%. The mitochondrial genome of N. dentata contributes to revealing the phylogenetic relationships among species of the Bangiaceae family.

Climacterium is a series of physical and mental symptoms occurring in women and men due to decreased levels of sex hormones. Women lose the ability to become pregnant due to decreased ovarian estrogen production; the initial symptom being hot flushes. In addition, urogenital atrophy, sexual dysfunction, mood changes, and osteoporosis occur. Extracts of (SH) and (VB) fruits, with a wide range of biological activities, are widely used in traditional herbal medicine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mitigation of menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes and postmenopausal osteoporosis after combinatorial treatment with SH and VB (SHVB) of ovariectomized (OVX) rats. We measured the bone regenerative effect of SHVB on receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) ligand-induced osteoclast differentiation and on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis . We investigated the effect of SHVB in a rat model of menopausal hot flushes, in which the tail skin temperature increases following ovariectomy-induced rapid decline in estrogen levels. SHVB inhibited osteoclast formation and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity in primary mouse bone marrow-derived cells. In an estrogen deficiency-induced rat model, measurement of serum bone turnover factors showed that treatment with SHVB lowered the increased bone turnover. Additionally, SHVB decreased OVX-induced bone loss of the total femur. SHVB inhibited osteoclast differentiation, prevented bone mass reduction, and improved trabecular bone structure and biochemical markers in OVX-induced osteoporosis. In addition, administration of SHVB significantly ameliorated the changes in skin temperature in OVX rats. SHVB improved the symptoms of menopause. These results provide the foundation for developing SHVB as a natural substance to replace hormones in the future.

Artemisia Montana (Nakai) Pamp. is a widely used heath food and a well-known traditional Korean herbal medicine. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of A. Montana was determined using high-throughput sequencing technology. Chloroplast genome was 151,133 bp in length, with a large single-copy (LSC) region of 98,497 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,352 bp, separated by two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 17,142 bp each. It contained a total of 113 genes, with an overall GC content of 37.5%. The phylogenetic analysis showed that A. montana most closely related to A. feddei. This result will enrich the genetic resources of medicinal plant and useful for future investigation of genetics, evolution and identification of Artemisia species.

Protective effects of Dendropanax morbifera Lev. leaves (DM) against alcohol-induced liver injury in rat hepatocytes, and rats were investigated. Cell viability increased, and normally elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were reduced in cells treated with water extracts of DM (DMW) before ethanol treatment, compared with cells treated with 200 mM ethanol. DMW administration with ethanol resulted in prevention of ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity due to reductions of serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels. DMW supplementation reduced formation of malondialdehyde, and inhibited reductions of hepatic glutathione, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase levels, compared with rats administered ethanol, and suppressed expression of cytochrome P-450 2E1 that was elevated by ethanol administration. DMW reduced blood ethanol concentrations, and enhanced alcohol dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase activities that are typically decreased by ethanol administration, compared with ethanol-administered rats. DM exerted hepatoprotective effects against alcoholinduced hepatocyte injury.

Rumex acetosa L. (RA), a member of the Polygonaceae family, is called sorrel and has been used as a vegetable and traditional medicine. RA has various bioactive functions; however, its effects on cognitive function remain unclear. Herein, we investigated the learning- and memory-enhancing effects of RA in rats using the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test. In addition, we evaluated the effect of RA on cognitive function in the hippocampus, both in vitro and in vivo, to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms. RA showed cognitive enhancing effects by activating cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) via N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor 2 subunits (NR2A and NR2B), postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit (GluA1) signaling in primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons. For the in vivo experiments, RA was orally administered to SD rats for 26 days. RA showed significantly decreased escape latency on the first (acquisition) and last (retention) trials on the 2nd and 3rd training days and increased entry into the platform quadrant of time and distance on the probe trial. Furthermore, RA significantly increased NR2A, NR2B, PSD-95, and GluA1 the following downstream signaling extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) phosphorylation, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus. These results demonstrate that RA improves cognitive function, including synaptic plasticity, by regulating the NMDA receptor-dependent and BDNF/CREB signaling pathways. Graphical abstract

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of the prostate gland. Cynanchum wilfordii has been reported to improve sexual behavior in male rats. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of an aqueous extract of C. wilfordii (CWW) against BPH development in a testosterone-induced BPH rat model. The rats were divided into the following six groups: sham/vehicle; BPH/vehicle; BPH/finasteride; and three CWW doses (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg). After a 4-week treatment with CWW, the rats were euthanized at scheduled times, and their prostates were weighed, followed by a histopathological examination. Prostate growth inhibition rates in rats administered CWW 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg were 54.5%, 51.8%, and 50.1%, respectively. The BPH/CWW group showed decreased serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels compared to the BPH/vehicle group. Furthermore, the BPH/CWW group showed reduced prostate testosterone and DHT levels compared to the BPH/vehicle group. Mechanistically, the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed downregulated mRNA expression levels of the androgen receptor, 5α-reductase, and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in the BPH/CWW200 group compared with those in the testosterone-induced groups. In conclusion, these findings show the effectiveness of CWW in slowing the progression of testosterone-induced BPH in rats.

Hepatoprotective effects of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) leaves were investigated in HepG2 cells overexpressing CYP2E1. When compared to cells treated with 200 mM ethanol alone, a concentration-dependent increase in cell viability was observed in the cells pretreated with 40 and 80 μg/mL of 5% ethanol extract (EJE) of loquat leaves (23 and 36%, respectively). Also, pretreatment with EJE lead to a decrease in intracellular reactive oxygen species formation and an increase in hepatic antioxidant activity. These results suggest that EJE attenuates oxidative stress by improving antioxidative potentials, which contribute to this herb’s protective profile against ethanol-induced toxicity in vitro.

This study investigated the immunomodulatory effect of Salvia plebeia R. aqueous extract (FIE-SP, SPW) in forced swimming exercise-induced mice and the immunostimulatory effects on Raw264.7 cells. Mice were randomly assigned to four groups: the control group (CON), the forced swimming test group (FST), and two FIE-SP groups (low and high dose of FIE-SP). Compared with the control group, the FIE-SP groups showed significantly increased ratios of T lymphocyte surface markers CD4+/CD8+ and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)I/MHCII, as well as increased concentrations of immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG. FIE-SP groups significantly increased Th1 cytokines and decreased Th2 cytokines compared with negative control exercise-induced mice. Conversely, the immunostimulatory effects of FIE-SP significantly increased phagocytic activities, nitric oxide (NO) production, and pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-1β in Raw264.7 cells. Furthermore, FIE-SP increased natural killer (NK) cell activities and cytokines (IL-12) in splenocytes compared with the CON group. These results indicated that FIE-SP supplementation could prevent imbalanced immune states and produce immunostimulatory effects to support innate immunity.