OBJECTIVE: Prunella vulgaris L. has long been used for liver protection according to traditional Chinese medicine theory and has been proven by modern pharmacological research to have multiple potential liver-protective effects. However, its effects on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are currently uncertain. Our study explores the effects of P. vulgaris polysaccharides on NASH and intestinal homeostasis. METHODS: An aqueous extract of the dried fruit spikes of P. vulgaris was precipitated in an 85% ethanol solution (PVE85) to extract crude polysaccharides from the herb. A choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet (CDAHFD) was administrated to male C57BL/6 mice to establish a NASH animal model. After 4 weeks, the PVE85 group was orally administered PVE85 (200 mg/[kg·d]), while the control group and CDAHFD group were orally administered vehicle for 6 weeks. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and other methods were used to assess the impact of PVE85 on the liver in mice with NASH. 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis was employed to evaluate the gut microbiota abundance and diversity in each group to examine alterations at various taxonomic levels. RESULTS: PVE85 significantly reversed the course of NASH in mice. mRNA levels of inflammatory mediators associated with NASH and protein expression of hepatic nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) were significantly reduced after PVE85 treatment. Moreover, PVE85 attenuated the thickening and cross-linking of collagen fibres and inhibited the expression of fibrosis-related mRNAs in the livers of NASH mice. Intriguingly, PVE85 restored changes in the gut microbiota and improved intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by NASH by increasing the abundance of Actinobacteria and reducing the abundance of Proteobacteria at the phylum level. PVE85 had significant activity in reducing the relative abundance of Clostridiaceae at the family levels. PVE85 markedly enhanced the abundance of some beneficial micro-organisms at various taxonomic levels as well. Additionally, the physicochemical environment of the intestine was effectively improved, involving an increase in the density of intestinal villi, normalization of the intestinal pH, and improvement of intestinal permeability. CONCLUSION PVE85 can reduce hepatic lipid overaccumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis in an animal model of CDAHFD-induced NASH and improve the intestinal microbial composition and intestinal structure. Please cite this article as: Zhu MJ, Song YJ, Rao PL, Gu WY, Xu Y, Xu HX. Therapeutic role of Prunella vulgaris L. polysaccharides in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and gut dysbiosis. J Integr Med. 2025; 2025; 23(3): 297-308.
Animals ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/drug therapy* ; Male ; Dysbiosis/drug therapy* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Polysaccharides/therapeutic use* ; Prunella/chemistry* ; Mice ; Liver/metabolism* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Diet, High-Fat

Prunellae Spica is the dried spica of Prunella vulgaris belonging to Labiatae and it is widely used in pharmaceutical and general health fields. As a traditional Chinese medicine cultivated on a large scale, it produces a large amount of non-medicinal parts, which are discarded because they are not effectively used. To analyze the chemical constituents in the different samples from spica, seed, stem, and leaf of P. vulgaris, and explore the application value and development prospect of these parts, this study used ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupoles time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) to detect chemical constituents in different parts of P. vulgaris. As a result, 117 compounds were detected. Among them, 87 compounds were identified, including 32 phenolic acids, 8 flavonoids, and 45 triterpenoid saponins. Some new triterpenoid saponins containing the sugar chain with 4-6 sugar units were found. Further, multivariate statistical analysis was conducted on BPI chromatographic peaks of multiple batches of different parts, and the results showed that spica had the most abundant chemical constituents, including salviaflaside and linolenic acid highly contained in the seed and phenolic acids, flavonoids, and triterpenoid saponins in the stem and leaf. In general, the constituents in the spica were composed of those in the seed, stem, and leaf. UPLC was used to determine the content of 6 phenolic acids(danshensu, protocatechuic acid, protocatechuic aldehyde, caffeic acid, salviaflaside, and rosmarinic acid) in different parts. The content of other phenolic acids in the seed was generally lower than that in the spica except that of salviaflaside. The content of salviaflaside in the spica was higher than that in the stem and leaf, but the content of other phenolic acids in the spica was not significantly different from that in the stem. The content of protocatechuic aldehyde and caffeic acid in the spica was lower than that in the leaf. DPPH free radical scavenging method was used to detect the antioxidant activity of four parts, and there was no significant difference in the antioxidant activity between the spica and the stem and leaf, but that was significantly higher than the seed. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of these parts was correlated with the content of total phenolic acids. Based on the above findings, the stem and leaf of P. vulgaris have potential application value. Considering the traditional medication rule, it is feasible to use the whole plant as a medicine. Alternatively, salviaflaside, occurring in the seed, can be used as a marker compound for the quality evaluation of Prunellae Spica, if only using spica as the medicinal part of P. vulgaris, as described in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition).
Antioxidants/chemistry* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Prunella/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Caffeic Acids ; Flavonoids/analysis* ; Triterpenes/analysis* ; Saponins ; Sugars

The present study was designed to analyze the major constituents in Prunellae Spica and establish a method for simultaneous determination of two constituents contained in Prunellae Spica. High performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) technique was used to identify the constituents in the extractive of Prunellae Spica. High performance liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD) was used to simultaneously quantify two kinds of constituents contained in Prunellae Spica. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to compare the similarity and difference among samples from different regions of China. In the present study, 22 compounds were identified and some new fragmental pathways of triterpenic acids were discovered. An accurate and reliable HPLC-ELSD method was developed and validated for the first time to simultaneously quantify multiple constituents, including rosmarinic acid, maslinic acid, corosolic acid, betulin, oleanolic acid, and ursolic acid in the extract of Prunellae Spica. (PCA) revealed some similarities and differences among different samples from different regions of China. In conclusion, our results from this study would be helpful in establishing a scientific and rational quality control method for Prunellae Spica.
China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Cinnamates ; chemistry ; Depsides ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Molecular Structure ; Prunella ; chemistry ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Triterpenes ; chemistry

Volatile oil components and the contents and types of amino acid in spica of Prunella vulgaris were analysed by GC-MS and amino acid analyzer. Esters, fatty acids, aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone and several alcohol compounds were identified by mass spectrum comparison. In these ingredients, beta-ionone smelled aroma of cedar, raspberry, nerolidol showed weak sweet soft orange blossom flavor, neroli tasted sweet and fresh, nerolidol tasted sweet with light aroma of wood, hexadecanal showed a weak aroma of flowers and wax, alpha-sinensal had rich and fresh sweet orange flavor. To some extent, these types of aromatic substances can affect the taste of herbal tea or decoction made of Spica Prunellae. Among amino acids detected, natural amino acids accounted for a larger proportion, and those natural amino acids showed bitterness, slight bitterness, sourness (freshness), sweetness, slight sweetness, sourness (slight freshness). The results indicated that bitter and slightly bitter amino acids have the greatest impacts on the sense of Spica Prunellae.
Amino Acids ; analysis ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Oils, Volatile ; analysis ; Prunella ; chemistry ; Taste

To separate and identify chemical signals which induce Thesium chinense haustorium formation, the components of T. chinense roots secretion collected with XAD-4 resin were detected by GC-MS. The effect of DMBQ as exogenous signals to induce haustorium formation in T. chinense was studied. Fifty-three compounds of 9 types had been detected, including hydrocarbons, esters, organic acids, ketones, alcohols, nitrogen containing compounds, phenolic acids, aldehyde and quinine. It is worth noting that the 2, 5-di-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone has the core structure of 1,4-benzoquinone, which may play an important role in the parasitic relationship of Prunella vulgaris and T. chinense: DMBQ worked effectively on inducing haustoria, but induction effects vary widely in different concentrations. DMBQ with the concentration of 1 μmol x L(-1) showed the best effect of the inducing ability with a ratio of 110.52 when treated to induce haustoria.
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Magnoliopsida ; chemistry ; physiology ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; physiology ; Prunella ; chemistry ; physiology

BACKGROUNDThe effects of triterpenic acid from Prunella vulgaris L. (TAP) on diabetes and its mechanism are uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of TAP on antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, and pancreas-protective in streptozotozin (STZ)-diabetic rats.

METHODSThe diabetic model was produced by injection of 60 mg/kg STZ. Blood was drawn from the tail vein of rats after 72 hours. Rats with blood glucose ≥ 16.7 mmol/L were considered diabetic. Diabetic rats were randomly divided into four groups: (1) Diabetes rat (STZ), (2) Diabetic rats treated with 50 mg/kg of triterpenic acid from Prunella vulgaris L (STZ + TAP50), (3) Diabetic rats treated with 100 mg/kg TAP (STZ + TAP100), and (4) Diabetic rats treated with 200 mg/kg TAP (STZ + TAP200). Normal rats (n = 10) acted as the control group (NC). TAP was administered by the intragastric route once each day for six weeks. Body weight and the concentration of blood glucose (BG) were measured after three and six weeks. Fructosamine (FMN), malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO), and the activities of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in serum were determined after six weeks using commercially available kits following the manufacturer's instructions. Pathologic changes in pancreatic β-cells were also investigated by microscopic examination after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The level of SOD mRNA in pancreatic β-cells was measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTSThe levels of BG, FMN, NO, and MDA and the activities of NOS in serum in the four diabetes groups were significantly increased compared with the control group (P < 0.01). The activity of SOD in serum and the body weight was significantly decreased compared with the control group (P < 0.01). After administration of TAP to diabetic rats for six weeks, the body weight and the levels of BG, FMN, MDA, NO and the activity of NOS in serum decreased significantly compared with the STZ group in a dose-dependent manner. The activity of SOD in serum and body weight increased significantly compared with the STZ group in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, diabetic rats showed a significant decrease in SOD mRNA expression in pancreatic β cells. However, these changes were reversed by TAP. Histopathological examination also showed the protective effect of TAP on pancreatic β cells.

CONCLUSIONSTriterpenic acid from Prunella vulgaris L. has an anti-diabetic effect, by controlling blood glucose and antioxidants, and has a protective effect on the pancreas.

Animals ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Prunella ; chemistry ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Streptozocin ; Superoxide Dismutase ; genetics ; Triterpenes ; therapeutic use

To study the effects of triterpenoid components from Prunella asiatica on phase II detoxifying enzymes and protein expression in vitro and in vivo. Normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cell model was used in vitro, and the mouse model of Kunming (KM) mice was used in vivo. CDNB assay was used to measure the activity of GST. NADPH and DCIP was used to detect the activity of NQO1. DTNB colorimetric assay was used to detect GSH. Western blot was use to detect the protein expression of NQO1. We found that triterpenoid components from P. asiatica could increase the activity of GST, NQO1 and GSH in NHBE cells and KM mice. NQO1 protein expression can also be increased in vitro. The study suggests that triterpenoid components from P. asiatica can prevent the lung cancer by regulating the body phase II detoxification enzyme activity and protein expression.
Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Glutathione ; metabolism ; Glutathione Transferase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Detoxication, Phase II ; Mice ; NAD(P)H Dehydrogenase (Quinone) ; genetics ; metabolism ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Prunella ; chemistry ; Triterpenes ; administration & dosage

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of storage period and grading standards on the quality of Prunella vulgaris in order to provide a theoretical basis for standardized cultivation.

METHODThe spices of P. vulgaris in different storage period (including current year, first-year and second-year) were collected from Lujiang base in Anhui Province. The samples were randomized, with the methods of morphologic characteristics and commercial size on P. vulgaris, the samples were graded into three grades; according to the methods from the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, water-soluble extracts, ethanol-soluble extracts, total ash and acid insoluble ash were measured, respectively, utilizing the UV spectrophotometry to detection the contents of total flavonoids and polysaccharides, the levels of ursolic acid, oleanolic acid and rosmarinic acid were adopted by HPLC.

RESULTThe total ash and acid insoluble ash of P. vulgaris showed significantly increase during prolonged storage; however, the content of water-soluble extracts, ethanol-soluble, total flavonoids, polysaccharides, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid,rosmarinic acid showed significantly decrease during prolonged storage. The spica of P. vulgaris exhibited no rules differences between the quality and grading standards, The second-degree belongs to high content of total flavonoids; the high content of polysaccharides was first-degree; the total ash and acid insoluble ash of spicas exhibited gradually decreased from first-degree to third-grade, and the content of water-soluble extracts, ethanol-soluble extracts,ursolic acid,oleanolic acid, rosmarinic acid showed gradually increased from first-degree to third-grade.

CONCLUSIONThe current year was a suitable storage time of spicas from P. vulgaris could be selected; and the main bioactive components highest level of P. vulgaris spicas was third-degree, second-grade next, first-degree minimum.

China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Cinnamates ; analysis ; Depsides ; analysis ; Drug Storage ; Flavonoids ; analysis ; Oleanolic Acid ; analysis ; Polysaccharides ; analysis ; Prunella ; chemistry ; Triterpenes ; analysis

OBJECTIVEThe contents of mineral elements in soil and each organ from cultivated and wild Prunella vulgaris were determined in order to provide a theoretical basis for exploitation and protection of wild resources and GAP study.

METHODThe contents of mineral elements (P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Al) in soil and each organ from cultivated and wild P. vulgaris were determined by ICP-AES, and the results were analyzed by correlation analysis.

RESULTThe contents of mineral elements in soil and different organs of P. vulgaris were significant different between cultivated and wild species; the contents of P and Cu ranked in the order of spica > leaf > stem, the order of Mg, Ca, Zn, Fe, Mn, Al from high to low was leaf > spica > stem, the concentrations of K, Na were mainly distributed in leaf and stem, less in spica. A distinctly positive correlation between soil and spica for Fe content, and the relationship between soil and leaf, stem were significant positive correlation, the concentrations of Zn in spica, leaf, stem were positively related to soil, K contents in soil and stem were significant positive correlation. The different organs of cultivated and wild P. vulgaris had a strong tendency to accumulate P.

CONCLUSIONThere was no direct relationship between the concentrations of mineral elements in P. vulgaris, and their corresponding soil P. vulgaris adjusts the concentration of mineral elements mainly by active absorption.

Minerals ; analysis ; Prunella ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Soil ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the original plant and dietotherapy history of Prunella vulgaris by textual researches, and provide a theoretical basis for clinical medication, exploitation and protection of wild resources.

METHODThe ancient literatures in the graphic, geographical distribution and morphological description of P. vulgaris were used in this studied.

RESULTThe varieties of P. vulgaris for therapeutic were no confusion. However, there has existed confusion between P. vulgaris and its confusable species (Ajuga ciliate, A. decumbens and Lagopsis supina) with appellations, morphological description and attached drawing of original plant.

CONCLUSIONThe original plant is originated from two species (P. vulgaris, P. asiatica). P. hispida was used as a certified medicinal material in Yunnan province from Ming Dynasty to modern time. The dietotherapy history of P. vulgaris in China can be traced back to Ming Dynasty or before.

China ; Drug Therapy ; history ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; history ; therapeutic use ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Medicine in Literature ; Prunella ; chemistry ; growth & development