Polysaccharides, predominantly extracted from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs such as Lycium barbarum, Angelica sinensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Dendrobium officinale, Ganoderma lucidum, and Poria cocos, represent principal bioactive constituents extensively utilized in Chinese medicine. These compounds have demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory capabilities, especially anti-liver injury activities, while exhibiting minimal adverse effects. This review summarized recent studies to elucidate the hepatoprotective efficacy and underlying molecular mechanisms of these herbal polysaccharides. It underscored the role of these polysaccharides in regulating hepatic function, enhancing immunological responses, and improving antioxidant capacities, thus contributing to the attenuation of hepatocyte apoptosis and liver protection. Analyses of molecular pathways in these studies revealed the intricate and indispensable functions of traditional Chinese herbal polysaccharides in liver injury management. Therefore, this review provides a thorough examination of the hepatoprotective attributes and molecular mechanisms of these medicinal polysaccharides, thereby offering valuable insights for the advancement of polysaccharide-based therapeutic research and their potential clinical applications in liver disease treatment.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Liver Diseases/drug therapy* ; Antioxidants ; Polysaccharides/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

OBJECTIVE: To quantify phytochemicals using liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy (LCMS) analysis and explore the therapeutic effect of Aesculus hippocastanum L. (AH) seeds ethanolic extract against gastric ulcers in rats. METHODS: Preliminary phytochemical testing and LCMS analysis were performed according to standard methods. For treatment, the animals were divided into 7 groups including normal control, ulcer control, self-healing, AH seeds low and high doses, ranitidine and per se groups. Rats were orally administered with 10 mg/kg of indomethacin, excluding the normal control group (which received 1% carboxy methyl cellulose) and the per se group (received 200 mg/kg AH seeds extract). The test group rats were then given 2 doses of AH seeds extract (100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively), while the standard group was given ranitidine (50 mg/kg). On the 11th day, rats in all groups were sacrificed, and their stomach was isolated to calculate the ulcer index, and other parameters such as blood prostaglandin (PGE₂), tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malonyldialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH). All isolated stomach tissues were analyzed for histopathological findings. RESULTS: The phytochemical examination shows that the AH seeds contain alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, phenolic components, and glycosides. LCMS analysis confirms the presence of quercetin and rutin. The AH seeds extract showed significant improvement in gastric mucosa conditions after indomethacin-induced gastric lesions (P<0.01). Further marked improvement in blood PGE₂ and antioxidant enzymes, SOD, CAT, MDA and GSH, were observed compared with self-healing and untreated ulcer-induced groups (P<0.01). Histopathology results confirmed that AH seeds extract improved the mucosal layer and gastric epithelial membrane in treated groups compared to untreated ulcer-induced groups. CONCLUSIONS LCMS report confirms the presence of quercetin and rutin in AH seeds ethanolic extract. The therapeutic effect of AH seeds extract against indomethacin-induced ulcer in rat model indicated the regenerated membrane integrity, with improved cellular functions and mucus thickness. Further, improved antioxidant enzyme level would help to reduce PGE₂ biosynthesis.
Rats ; Animals ; Stomach Ulcer/pathology* ; Antioxidants/therapeutic use* ; Ranitidine/adverse effects* ; Aesculus ; Ulcer/drug therapy* ; Quercetin ; Plant Extracts/chemistry* ; Indomethacin/therapeutic use* ; Glutathione ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Rutin/adverse effects* ; Prostaglandins/adverse effects* ; Phytochemicals/therapeutic use*

Molecular hydrogen exerts biological effects on nearly all organs. It has anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging effects and contributes to the regulation of autophagy and cell death. As the primary organ for gas exchange, the lungs are constantly exposed to various harmful environmental irritants. Short- or long-term exposure to these harmful substances often results in lung injury, causing respiratory and lung diseases. Acute and chronic respiratory diseases have high rates of morbidity and mortality and have become a major public health concern worldwide. For example, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global pandemic. An increasing number of studies have revealed that hydrogen may protect the lungs from diverse diseases, including acute lung injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, lung cancer, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis. In this review, we highlight the multiple functions of hydrogen and the mechanisms underlying its protective effects in various lung diseases, with a focus on its roles in disease pathogenesis and clinical significance.
Acute Lung Injury ; Aging ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Antioxidants/chemistry* ; Asthma/therapy* ; Autophagy ; COVID-19/therapy* ; Humans ; Hydrogen/therapeutic use* ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/therapy* ; Inflammation ; Lung Diseases/therapy* ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Mice ; Oxidative Stress ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/therapy* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis/therapy* ; Pyroptosis ; Reactive Oxygen Species

Rhizoma phragmitis is a common Chinese herbal medicine whose effects are defined as 'clearing heat and fire, promoting fluid production to quench thirst, eliminating irritability, stopping vomiting, and disinhibiting urine'. During the Novel Coronavirus epidemic in 2020, the Weijing Decoction and Wuye Lugen Decoction, with Rhizoma phragmitis as the main herbal component, were included in The Pneumonia Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Infection (Trial Version 5) due to remarkable antiviral effects. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Rhizoma phragmitis has antiviral, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and hypoglycemic functions, lowers blood lipids and protects the liver and kidney. This review aims to provide a systematic summary of the botany, traditional applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Rhizoma phragmitis.
Humans ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology* ; Rhizome ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Antioxidants/therapeutic use* ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytochemicals/therapeutic use* ; Ethnopharmacology ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment

OBJECTIVE: Although the protective effects of Momordica charantia L. (MC) extract on chemical-induced testicular damage have been studied, the preventive effects of MC extract on functional proteins in the epididymis under chronic stress have never been reported. This study investigated the protective effects of MC fruit extract on protein secretion, especially tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, in the epididymis of rats exposed to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS). METHODS: Total phenolic compounds (TPC), total flavonoid compounds (TFC) and antioxidant capacities of MC extract were measured. Adult male rats were divided into 4 groups: control group, CUS group, and 2 groups of CUS that received different doses of MC extract (40 or 80 mg/kg). In treated groups, rats were given MC daily, followed by induction of CUS (1 stressor was randomly applied from a battery of 9 potential stressors) for 60 consecutive days. Plasma corticosterone and testosterone levels were analyzed after the end of experiment. Expressions of heat-shock protein 70 (HSP-70) and tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins present in the fluid of the head and tail of the epididymis were quantified using Western blot. RESULTS: MC extract contained TPC of (19.005 ± 0.270) mg gallic acid equivalents and TFC of (0.306 ± 0.012) mg catechin equivalents per gram, and had 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl antioxidant capacity of (4.985 ± 0.086) mg trolox equivalents per gram, radical 50% inhibitory concentration of (2.011 ± 0.008) mg/mL and ferric reducing antioxidant power of (23.697 ± 0.819) µmol Fe(II) per gram. Testosterone level in the epididymis was significantly increased, while the corticosterone level was significantly improved in groups treated with MC extract, compared to the CUS animals. Particularly, an 80 mg/kg dose of MC extract prevented the impairments of HSP-70 and tyrosine-phosphorylated protein expressions in the luminal fluid of the epididymis of CUS rats. CONCLUSION MC fruit extract had antioxidant activities and improved the functional proteins secreted from the head and tail of the epididymis. It is possible to develop the MC fruit extract as a male fertility supplement for enhancing functional sperm maturation in stressed men.
Male ; Rats ; Animals ; Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; Tyrosine/metabolism* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Corticosterone ; Seeds ; Testosterone ; Fruit/metabolism*

Animals ; Antioxidants/therapeutic use* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; Diabetic Nephropathies/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Hydrogen/therapeutic use* ; Kidney

Oxidative stress is caused by the imbalance between the generation of free radicals/reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant defense systems, which can activate various transcription factors and affect their transcriptional pathways. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the occurrence and development of leukemia and is closely related to the treatment and prognosis of leukemia. The standard chemotherapy strategies for the pre-treatment of leukemia have many drawbacks. Hence, the usage of antioxidants and oxidants in the treatment of leukemia is being explored and has been preliminarily applied. This article reviews the research progress of oxidative stress and leukemia. In addition, the application of antioxidants treatment in leukemia has been summarized.
Antioxidants/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Leukemia/drug therapy* ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species

Ginseng has been used to treat Qi-deficiency syndrome up to now, while the therapeutic mechanism is still unclear. In order to explore the mechanism of ginseng in the treatment of Qi-deficiency constitution, the untargeted metabonomics with blood was studied based on rapid resolution high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(RRLC-Q-TOF-MS). In the results, 13 potential biomarkers were found and identified, which mainly involved in the body's antioxidant and immune functions and energy, glycerol, fatty acid, sugar metabolism and bile acid metabolism. The results of blood biochemical analysis also indicated that ginseng could regulate the body's energy metabolism, immune functions and antioxidant capacity in spleen-Qi deficiency constitution. This study revealed the mechanism of ginseng in the treatment of spleen-Qi deficiency using the blood metabonomics, which could provide technological support and scientific basis for further research on ginseng treatment of Qi-deficiency.
Antioxidants ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Energy Metabolism ; Humans ; Immune System ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metabolomics ; Panax/chemistry* ; Qi ; Spleen

Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon, consisting of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. It is abundant in marsh gas, livestock rumination, and combustible ice. Little is known about the use of methane in human disease treatment. Current research indicates that methane is useful for treating several diseases including ischemia and reperfusion injury, and inflammatory diseases. The mechanisms underlying the protective effects of methane appear primarily to involve anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and anti-apoptosis. In this review, we describe the beneficial effects of methane on different diseases, summarize possible mechanisms by which methane may act in these conditions, and discuss the purpose of methane production in hypoxic conditions. Then we propose several promising directions for the future research.
Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Humans ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Ischemia/drug therapy* ; Methane/therapeutic use* ; Reperfusion Injury/drug therapy*

Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antioxidants ; therapeutic use ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Herbal Medicine ; methods ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; therapeutic use