Chrysanthemum indicum (CI) is widely distributed in China and many parts of the tropical world, and has been reported to have antibacterial, antiviral, anti-oxidant and immunomodulatory effects, but no information is available on its effects on high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. This was undertaken to investigate the mechanism responsible for the effect of ethyl acetate fraction of CI (CIEA) on adipogenesis, in vitro and in vivo models of obesity. In the in vitro study, differentiating 3T3-L1 cells were treated with media to initiate differentiation (MDI) in the presence or absence of CIEA with different concentrations, and in the in vivo study, C57BL/6 mice were fed with HFD and administered CIEA daily for six weeks. Garcinia cambogia (GC) was used as the positive control, and was administered in the same manner as CIEA. Results showed CIEA reduced HFD-induced body weight gain, epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), and liver weight. In addition, CIEA significantly decreased serum lipid profiles, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) and increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) levels. Furthermore, CIEA also reduced leptin levels and increased adiponectin levels in serum, and significantly decreased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor [Formula: see text] (PPAR[Formula: see text]) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EPBs) levels, but increased PPAR[Formula: see text] level and the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in eWATs and in the liver tissues of HFD fed obese mice. Taken together, these results indicate CIEA might be beneficial for preventing obesity.

Hepatic injury occurs frequently during sepsis, and polysaccharides isolated from plants have been reported to have antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects in various models. However, the effect of wheatgrass-derived polysaccharide (WGP) has not been previously studied. In the present study, we investigated the effect of WGP on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hepatic injury in mice. Mice were pre-treated with WGP (100 or 200 mg/kg daily for 2 days) and then challenged with LPS (1 mg/kg, intraperitoneal), and sacrificed after 12 h. Wheatgrass-derived polysaccharide decreased serum aminotransferase levels and histological changes as compared with LPS-challenged mice. Wheatgrass-derived polysaccharide also significantly inhibited LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine up-regulation and improved the oxidative status of liver tissues. Furthermore, these effects were found to be mediated by the suppression of the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), due to inhibitions of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)-activated kinase (TAK)-1 phosphorylation and inhibition of kappa B (IκB)-α degradation. In addition, WGP inhibited the activations of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Wheatgrass-derived polysaccharide also attenuated hepatic cell death by modulating caspase-3 and apoptosis associated mitochondrial proteins, such as, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X (Bax). Taken together, WGP possesses antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic activity and ameliorates LPS-induced liver injury in mice. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ultraviolet (UV) exposure triggers the abnormal production of reactive oxygen (ROS) species and the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that are responsible for photoaging. Probiotics are widely used in healthcare and for immune enhancement. One probiotic, Lactobacillus buchneri is found in Kimchi. This study was aimed at assessing the anti-photoaging effect of plant extracts fermented with L. buchneri (PELB) to develop functional cosmetics. We investigated the anti-photoaging effect of PELB in a UVB-induced photoaging in vitro model and selected effective extracts using the elastase inhibition assay, ELISA for Type I procollagen and collagenase-1, and quantitative real time PCR. Normal human dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes were pre-treated with PELB and exposed to UVB. We found that PELB decreased elastase activity and increased type I collagen expression in a UVB-induced photoaging in vitro model. In addition, PELB greatly reduced collagenase activity and MMP mRNA levels in a UVB-induced photoaging in vitro model. Furthermore, PELB promoted the expression of moisture factor and anti-oxidant enzymes in a UVB-induced photoaging in vitro model. These results indicated that the PELB could be potential candidates for the protective effects against UVB-induced photoaging. Overall, these results suggest that PELB might be useful natural components of cosmetic products.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the mechanism behind the anti-obesity effect of the 50% ethanol extract of L. flowers (CIEE) in a mouse model of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. Male C57BL/6J mice (six mice in each group) were administered CIEE (8, 40 and 200 mg/kg) for 6 weeks while being fed with a HFD. (GC) was used as the positive control and was administered in the same manner as CIEE. Results demonstrated that oral administration of CIEE significantly reduced body weight, epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT), liver weight and serum levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride (P<0.05). In addition, CIEE reduced serum leptin and increased adiponectin levels. CIEE significantly downregulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α and fatty acid synthase expression levels in EWAT, and upregulated the protein expression of PPARα in liver tissue of HFD-fed obese mice (P<0.05). These results suggested that L. flowers may be a potentially effective therapeutic agent for obesity and its associated complications.

Vitis labrusca is a grapevine that has antioxidant, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, and anticarcinogenic activity. However, the antithrombotic effect of Vitis labrusca leaves on platelets is yet to be ascertained. We investigated the inhibitory effect of V. labrusca leaf extract (VLE) on platelet aggregation in vitro and ex vivo. The thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and serotonin concentrations were measured by ELISA. The flavonoids content was measured by ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC). The antithrombotic activity of VLE was evaluated using various agonists in vitro. VLE strongly inhibited adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation. In rats, VLE treatment (100 mg/kg) reduced ADP-stimulated platelet aggregation, without affecting tail bleeding and coagulation time. Moreover, VLE significantly suppressed TXB2 and serotonin secretion. UPLC analysis indicated that VLE contains quercetin, isorhamnetin, and rutin. Our results indicate that VLE possesses antiplatelet activity via the suppression of TXB2 and serotonin, without affecting bleeding. Further, we identified the flavonoids present in VLE. Thus, VLE may be a potential agent for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.