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Root rot disease poses a devastating threat to Coptis chinensis Franch , a medicinal plant prized for its bioactive alkaloids. To dissect its defense mechanisms, we conducted integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses on resistant (R), early-stage infected (S-ES), and late-stage infected (S-LS) plants Our findings reveal a disease severity-dependent escalation in flavonoid metabolism. Key metabolites, such as kaempferol and quercetin derivatives, were significantly increased compared to R, paralleled by progressive upregulation of biosynthetic genes ( PAL , CHS , CHI , FLS ). Strikingly, salicylic acid (SA)-associated metabolites and pathway genes ( NPR1 , NPR3 / NPR4 ) showed no differential expression across groups, contrasting with typical SA-mediated defenses in other species. This study uncovers flavonoid biosynthesis as the primary defense strategy in C. chinensis during root rot progression, while SA signaling may not be the main defense mechanism. These results provide actionable targets for enhancing disease resistance in medicinal plants through metabolic engineering.

The medicinal plant Coptis chinensis is highly susceptible to root rot caused predominantly by Fusarium spp., threatening yield and medicinal quality. Biological control agents (BCAs) from the genus Bacillus are promising, yet their host mechanisms remain incompletely defined. We evaluated a four-strain Bacillus consortium as BCAs in field-grown C. chinensis and profiled host roots using transcriptomics and metabolomics. Pre-inoculation with the BCA mixture resulted in a modest, albeit statistically non-significant, reduction in disease index following Fusarium solani challenge. Multi-omics analyses showed that BCA treatment reprogrammed genes and metabolites associated with amino acid metabolism, accompanied by increased glutamine (Gln) accumulation. Supplementing culture medium with exogenous Gln inhibited F. solani growth in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro. Notably, F. solani or BCAs alone elicited modest regulation of canonical defense genes, whereas BCA pre-inoculation followed by F. solani robustly up-regulated defense modules across MAPK signaling, plant–pathogen interaction, and hormone signaling (JA, ET, SA), consistent with molecular immune priming. These results suggest that the BCA consortium induces resistance- and priming-related molecular markers in C. chinensis by modulating amino acid metabolism and host immunity. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for the potential application of BCAs in the sustainable management of C. chinensis root rot.

As a part of the investigation of the safety and efficacy of the cultivated Coptis japonica rhizome extracts using an artificial hydroponic cultivation system, the mutagenetic and anti-allergic activities were evaluated. Some extracts of commercial crude drugs of Coptis sp . were also evaluated for the comparison. None of the extracts showed a significant mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium TA102 by the Ames tests, but all the extracts showed in S. typhimurium TA98. The extracts of the hydroponically cultivated rhizomes showed anti-allergic activities against contact hypersensitivity as well as those of commercial crude drugs of Coptis sp . These results suggested the potential of the hydroponically cultivated rhizomes as one of the alternative sources for the medicinal usage.

Background The sustained monoculture and irregular planting practices rendered the cultivated Coptis chinensis more prone to various diseases compared to its wild counterparts. Rewilding the rhizomicrobiome of cultivated plants has emerged as a promising strategy to promote plant growth, but ancestral microbiota suitable for C . chinensis remain largely uncharted. Results The amplicon data analyses revealed that habitat transition strongly influenced the rhizosphere microbial communities. The rhizomicrobiomes of wild C . chinensis encompassed a more diverse array of ecological groups and exhibited a greater functional diversity compared to their cultivated counterparts. A higher proportion of beneficial fungi was observed in the rhizosphere of wild C . chinensis , while the cultivated plants had a higher population of pathogenic fungi. Furthermore, a well-documented plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium genus, Paraburkholderia , was found to play an essential role in the resistance of the wild C . chinensis to potential disease caused by Ilyonectria . Two strains of Paraburkholderia ( Paraburkholderia nemoris and Paraburkholderia phytofirmans ) were isolated, and in vitro experiments confirmed that these isolates possess various growth-promoting properties and antagonistic activities against known pathogens for C . chinensis root rot. Both of the Paraburkholderia isolates could markedly promote the plant immune response and enhance the overall health of the cultivated C . chinensis . Conclusions By a comprehensive comparison of the rhizosphere microbiome between wild and cultivated C . chinensis , the promising bacterial genus Paraburkholderia was identified as a beneficial microbe significantly promoting the growth of C . chinensis , providing pivotal insights for future endeavors aimed at engineering the rhizosphere microbiome of C . chinensis , as well as other medicinal herbs. 2yo9cdbZM8-eAP_KeBLbZB Video Abstract

Berberine is an alkaloid extracted from medicinal plants such as and . It possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour and anti-oxidation properties, and regulates Glc and lipid metabolism. This study explored the mechanisms of the protective effects of berberine on barrier function and inflammatory damage in porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) induced by LPS. We first evaluated the effects of berberine and LPS on cell viability. IPEC-J2 cells were treated with 5 μg/ml LPS for 1 h to establish an inflammatory model, and 75, 150 and 250 μg/ml berberine were used in further experiments. The expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α was measured by RT-PCR. The key proteins of the NF-κB/MAPK signalling pathway (IκBα, p-IκBα, p65, p-p65, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p-JNK, p38, p-p38, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2) were detected by Western blot. Upon exposure to LPS, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA levels and p-IκBα p-p65 protein levels were significantly enhanced. Pre-treatment with berberine reduced the expression of inflammatory factors and was positively correlated with its concentration, and dose dependently inhibited the expression of IκBα, p-IκBα, p-p65, p-p38 and JNK. These results demonstrated that pre-treating intestinal epithelial cells with berberine was useful in preventing and treating diarrhoea induced by in weaned pigs.

This study aimed at investigating the diversity of endophytic fungi from Coptis chinensis and their activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Seventy-nine fungal isolates obtained from C. chinensis were identified to belong to 27 species based on morphological features and internal transcript spacer (ITS) gene sequencing analysis. Comparing relative frequency values, the most frequent genera were Colletotrichum and Fusarium, while most frequent species were C. gloeosporioides and F. avenaceum. Analysis of diversity indices indicated that C. chinensis harbored abundant fungal resources. Methanol extracts of fungal endophyte cultures were evaluated for antibacterial activity against S. aureus ATCC 25923 and two other MRSA clinical strains. Nine of 27 endophytic fungi exhibited inhibitory activities against S. aureus ATCC 25923. Among them, Paraboeremia litseae HL-17, Fusarium sp. HL-23, and Fusarium sp. HL-27 exhibited obvious inhibition against the three S. aureus strains. Our findings suggest that the endophytic fungi in C. chinensis have a high diversity and an obvious tissue specificity, and could be of potential interest in screening anti-MRSA agents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the diversity and anti-MRSA activity of fungal endophytes from C. chinensis.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was focused on the mechanisms of the cross-resistance to tetracycline (TET), piperacillin Sodium (PIP), and gentamicin (GEN) in Staphylococcus aureus (SA) mediated by Rhizoma Coptidis extracts (RCE). The selected strains were exposed continuously to RCE at the sublethal concentrations for 12 days, respectively. The susceptibility change of the drug-exposed strains was determined by analysis of the minimum inhibitory concentration. The 16S rDNA sequencing method was used to identify the RCE-exposed strain. Then the expression of resistant genes in the selected isolates was analyzed by transcriptome sequencing. The results indicated that RCE could trigger the preferential cross-resistance to TET, PIP, and GEN in SA. The correlative resistant genes to the three kinds of antibiotics were upregulated in the RCE-exposed strain, and the mRNA levels of the resistant genes determined by RT-qPCR were consistent with those from the transcriptome analysis. It was suggested from these results that the antibacterial Traditional Chinese Medicines might be a significant factor of causing the bacterial antibiotic-resistance.

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible heterogeneous disease of lung interstitial tissue. To combat progression of PF, new drugs are required to be developed. Rhizoma coptidis (COP), one of the main alkaloids of Coptis chinensis, is a traditional herbal medicine used to treat various inflammatory diseases. Objective: To investigate the possible effects of Coptisine (Cop) on the growth, inflammation, as well as FMT of TNF-β1-induced HFL1 cells and uncover the mechanism. Material and Methods: Human fetal lung fibroblast 1 (HFL1) was induced using 6ng/mL TGF-β1 as a model of pulmonary fibrosis. CCK-8, Brdu, and transwell assays indicated the effects on cell growth as well as motility. qPCR and the corresponding kits indicted the effects on cell inflammation. Immunoblot showed the effects on FMT and further confirmed the mechanism. Results: Coptisine inhibits excessive growth as well as motility of TNF-β1-induced HFL1 cells. It further inhibits inflammation and ROS levels in TNF-β1-induced HFL1 cells. Coptisine inhibits the FMT process of TNF-β1-induced HFL1 cells. Mechanically, coptisine promotes the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Conclusion: Coptisine can inhibit the excessive growth, inflammation as well as FMT of lung fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. It could serve as a promising drug of PF.

This study aimed to investigate the immunoprotective effect of Coptis chinensis (CC) on Streptococcus agalactiae (SA) infection in tilapia. Experimental fish were randomly divided into two groups feeding on a normal diet (ND) and a CC-supplemented diet (CCD) for 2 weeks and then injected with SA. After the inoculation experiment, the ND and CCD groups were named PI_ND and PI_CCD, respectively. CCD increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) activity significantly before and after infection. Immunological assays revealed that the serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β), complement 3 (C3), immunoglobulin M (IgM), Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in the CCD group were significantly higher than in the ND group both before and after infection. In addition, proteomics analysis of liver tissue identified 62 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in CCD vs. ND, and 36 DEPs in the PI_CCD vs. the PI_ND groups. Furthermore, 80 specific upregulated proteins and 49 specific downregulated proteins were screened in the CCD group. The specific upregulated proteins included important antimicrobial enzymes such as lysozymes and cathepsin D, and antimicrobial peptides such as septins, granulin, and grancalcin, involving multiple KEGG brite categories such as enzymes, exosomes, membrane transport, and proteolipid proteins. Furthermore, specific downregulated proteins were enriched in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and TCA cycle pathways. In conclusion, CC supplementation effectively enhances the ability of tilapia to resist SA infection by modulating various antioxidant enzymes, immune factors, antimicrobial enzymes, and antimicrobial peptides, and by moderately inhibiting central carbon metabolism. These findings provide a basis for replacing antibiotics with environmentally-friendly functional aquatic feeds to control bacterial diseases.