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(L.) Gaud. has traditionally been regarded as a medicinal food with applications in various inflammatory disorders. However, its role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not yet been clarified. In this study, the preventive efficacy of the ethyl acetate fraction of (L.) Gaud. leaves (EA-BN) was evaluated in a COPD model established by intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0.5 mg/kg body weight) and cigarette smoke condensate (CSC; 12.5 mg/kg body weight) in male C57BL/6N mice. The experimental groups received dexamethasone (3 mg/kg) as a positive control or EA-BN at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. EA-BN administration significantly reduced T helper 1 cytokine levels and decreased macrophage and neutrophil counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Histological analyses revealed that EA-BN mitigated alveolar destruction and inflammatory infiltration, whereas pulmonary function tests demonstrated improvements in the FEV0.1/FVC ratio and lung elastance in the LPS/CSC-induced COPD. Additionally, EA-BN alleviated oxidative stress by promoting the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and enhancing the expression of its downstream targets, HO-1 and NQO1, leading to a reduction in reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide production. EA-BN downregulated thioredoxin-interacting protein and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, thereby suppressing caspase-1 and IL-1β expression, whereas also attenuating apoptosis by modulating the Bax/Bcl-2/caspase-3 pathway. Collectively, these findings suggest that EA-BN possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties, supporting its potential as a preventive agent against COPD.

Particulate matter (PM) is a complex mixture of airborne solid particles and liquid droplets originating from various environmental sources, and it has been implicated in the initiation, development, and progression of pulmonary inflammation and respiratory diseases. However, the underlying associated molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Adenophora divaricate Franch. & Sav. (AD) is a medicinal herb classified within the Campanulaceae family and genus Adenophora, with a broad geographic distribution across East Asia, including Korea, Asia, and Russia. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the effects of AD on PM-induced lung inflammation in both PM-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and PM-exposed mice. Considering that the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway plays a role in PM-induced inflammatory responses, we focused on determining whether AD exerts its anti-inflammatory effects through modulation of this signaling pathway. The anti-inflammatory properties of the methanolic extract of AD were evaluated using PM-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and PM-exposed mice. PM was administered intranasally to mice for 7 days, whereas AD or dexamethasone was orally administered for the same duration. AD treatment significantly attenuated pulmonary inflammation, as evidenced by reduced inflammatory cell counts and decreased cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In addition, AD decreased oxidative stress marker (ROS and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) while increasing glutathione content, leading to suppression of TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome expression. Histopathological analysis revealed a marked alleviation of inflammatory responses in lung tissue, characterized by diminished inflammatory cell infiltration and reduced alveolar wall thickening. Collectively, these findings suggest ROS-mediated TXNIP serves as a key regulatory factor, and AD may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for pulmonary inflammation.

A reproducible analytical method using reverse-phase high liquid performance chromatography combined with UV detecting was developed for the quantitative determination of four compounds isolated from the ethanol extract of Phaseolus angularis seeds (PASE): oleanolic acid (1), oleanolic acid acetate (2), stigmasterol (3) and β-sitosterol (4). This method was fully validated in terms of linearity (r2 > 0.999), accuracy (98.5%–100.8%), precision (<0.92%), LOD (<0.0035 mg/mL), and LOQ (<0.0115 mg/mL). The effects of the PASE and isolated compounds 1–4 on TLR4 activation were tested in THP1-Blue cells. Among the tested substances, compound 2 showed potent inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 3.89 ± 0.17 µM.

δ-Viniferin is a resveratrol dimer that possesses potent antioxidant properties and has attracted attention as an ingredient for cosmetic and nutraceutical products. Enzymatic bioconversion and plant callus and cell suspension cultures can be used to produce stilbenes such as resveratrol and viniferin. Here, δ-viniferin was produced by bioconversion from trans-resveratrol using conditioned medium (CM) of grapevine (Vitis labruscana) callus suspension cultures. The CM converted trans-resveratrol to δ-viniferin immediately after addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Peroxidase activity and bioconversion efficiency in CM increased with increasing culture time. Optimized δ-viniferin production conditions were determined regarding H2O2 concentration, incubation time, temperature, and pH. Maximum bioconversion efficiency reached 64% under the optimized conditions (pH 6.0, 60 °C, 30 min incubation time, 6.8 mM H2O2). In addition, in vitro bioconversion of trans-resveratrol was investigated using CM of different callus suspension cultures, showing that addition of trans-resveratrol and H2O2 to the CM led to production of δ-viniferin via extracellular peroxidase-mediated oxidative coupling of two molecules of trans-resveratrol. We thus propose a simple and low-cost method of δ-viniferin production from trans-resveratrol using CM of plant callus suspension cultures, which may constitute an alternative approach for in vitro bioconversion of valuable molecules.

The biosynthesis of flavonoids such as anthocyanin and stilbenes has attracted increasing attention because of their potential health benefits. Anthocyanins and stilbenes share common phenylpropanoid precursor pathways. We previously reported that the overexpression of sweetpotato IbMYB1a induced anthocyanin pigmentation in transgenic tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum ) plants. In the present study, transgenic tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum SR1) plants ( STS- OX and ROST -OX) expressing the RpSTS gene encoding stilbene synthase from rhubarb ( Rheum palmatum L. cv. Jangyeop) and the RpSTS and VrROMT genes encoding resveratrol O -methyltransferase from frost grape ( Vitis riparia ) were generated under the control of 35S promoter. Phenotypic alterations in floral organs, such as a reduction in floral pigments and male sterility, were observed in STS -OX transgenic tobacco plants. However, we failed to obtain STS -OX and ROST -OX plants with high levels of resveratrol compounds. Therefore, to improve the production of resveratrol derivatives in plants, we cross-pollinated flowers of STS -OX or ROST -OX and IbMYB1a -OX transgenic lines (SM and RSM). Phenotypic changes in vegetative and reproductive development of SM and RSM plants were observed. Furthermore, by HPLC and LC-MS analyses, we found enhanced production of resveratrol derivatives such as piceid, piceid methyl ether, resveratrol methyl ether O -hexoside, and 5-methyl resveratrol-3,4′- O -β- d -diglucopyranoside in SM and RSM cross-pollinated lines. Here, total contents of trans - and cis -piceids ranged from approximately 104–240 µg/g fresh weight in SM (F 2 ). Collectively, we suggest that coexpression of RpSTS and IbMYB1a via cross-pollination can induce enhanced production of resveratrol compounds in plants by increasing metabolic flux into stilbenoid biosynthesis.

Influenza A virus (IAV) remains a major global health threat despite available vaccines and antiviral agents, while current therapies are limited by drug resistance and safety concerns. Curcuminoids exhibit antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities but are constrained by poor water solubility and low bioavailability. To address these limitations, we investigated the antiviral and immunomodulatory properties of a water-solubilized curcuminoid nanoparticle formulation (C–S/M) in both in vitro and in vivo models of IAV infection. To evaluate the potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects of C–S/M, we performed a cytopathic effect (CPE) reduction assay in triplicate at 0.001 MOI and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) targeting viral NS1 transcripts in MDCK cells. C–S/M suppressed viral NS1 vRNA levels in MDCK cells at lower curcuminoid-equivalent concentrations than native curcuminoids and attenuated IAV-induced TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 production. Furthermore, in vivo antiviral efficacy was evaluated in female C57BL/6 mice intranasally infected with IAV and treated orally with C–S/M. Survival, lung viral loads, pulmonary cytokine levels, and splenic immune cell phenotypes were analyzed. In IAV-infected mice, oral administration of C–S/M modestly improved survival and significantly reduced lung viral burden and pulmonary proinflammatory cytokine levels. In addition, in vivo C–S/M treatment was associated with recovery of virus-suppressed T-cell immune responses, including increased Th1 and activated CD8+ T cells, reduced regulatory T-cell expansion, and restoration of multifunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. These findings suggest that C–S/M exerts antiviral and immunomodulatory effects in experimental IAV infection and may serve as a potential adjunctive candidate for further investigation against influenza-associated inflammation.

This study aimed to develop an economically viable enzyme for the optimal production of steviol (S) from stevioside (ST). Of 9 commercially available glycosidases tested, S-producing β-glucosidase (SPGase) was selected and purified 74-fold from Penicillium decumbens naringinase by a three-step column chromatography procedure. The 121-kDa protein was stable at pH 2.3–6.0 and at 40–60 °C. Hydrolysis of ST by SPGase produced rubusoside (R), steviolbioside (SteB), steviol mono-glucoside (SMG), and S, as determined by HPLC, HPLC-MS, and 1 H- and 13 C-nuclear magnetic resonance. SPGase showed higher activity toward steviol mono-glucosyl ester, ST, R, and SMG than other β-linked glucobioses. The optimal conditions for S production (30 mM, 64 % yield) were 47 mM ST and 43 μl of SPGase at pH 4.0 and 55 °C. This is the first report detailing the production of S from ST hydrolysis by a novel β-glucosidase, which may be useful for the pharmaceutical and agricultural areas.

Background： DNA methylation has been suggested as a biomarker for early cancer detection and treatment. Varieties of technologies for detecting DNA methylation have been developed, but they are not sufficiently sensitive for use in diagnostic devices. The aim of this study was to determine the suitability of Raman spectroscopy for label-free detection of methylated DNA. Methods： The methylated promoter regions of cancer-related genes cadherin 1 （CDH1） and retinoic acid receptor beta （RARB） served as target DNA sequences. Based on bisulfite conversion, oligonucleotides ofmethylated or nonmethylated probes and targets were synthesized for the DNA methylation assay. Principal component analysis with linear discriminant analysis （PCA-DA） was used to discriminate the hybridization between probes and targets （methylated probe and methylated target or nonmethylated probe and nonmethylated target） of CDH! and RARB from nonhybridization between the probe and targets （methylated probe and nonmethylated target or nonmethylated probe and methylated target）. Results： This study revealed that the CDH1 and RARB oligo sets and their hybridization data could be classified using PCA-DA. The classification results for CDH1 methylated probe ＋ CDH1 methylated target versus CDH! methylated probe ＋ CDHI unmethylated target showed sensitivity, specificity, and error rates of 92%, 100%, and 8%, respectively. The classification results for the RARB methylated probe ＋ RARB methylated target versus RARB methylated probe ＋ RARB unmethylated target showed sensitivity, specificity, and error rates of 92%, 93%, and 11%, respectively. Conclusions： Label-free detection ofDNA methylation could be achieved using Raman spectroscopy with discriminant analysis.

The EtOAc fraction of Rhodiola rosea ethanolic extracts showed a strong antioxidant activity. Through activity-guided fractionation and purification, we isolated two flavonol glycosides, which were identified as the well known flavonoids, rhodionin (1) and rhodiosin (2). To compare their antioxidant activities, we used an authentic aglycone compound, herbacetin (3). Among the compounds tested, rhodiosin (2) exhibited strong antioxidant activity, with IC50 values of 0.21 and 0.15 μM against •OH and •O-2, respectively. Rhodiosin (2) (100 mg/kg) reduced MDA content in the liver induced by irradiation when given prior to exposure of γ-radiation.