The medicinal herb Centella asiatica (L.) Urban known as gotu kola has been reported to exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities. In particular, a significant body of scientific research exists on the therapeutic properties of preparations of C. asiatica or its triterpenes in the treatment of skin diseases. The present study is aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the beneficial effects of C. asiatica on skin diseases. Peer-reviewed articles on the potent dermatological effects of C. asiatica were acquired from PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and SciFinder. This review provides an understanding of pharmacological studies which confirm the potent dermatological effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of C. asiatica. This medicinal plant and its triterpenes include asiaticoside, madecassoside, and their aglycones, asiatic acid and madecassic acid. These compounds exert therapeutic effects on dermatological diseases such as acne, burns, atopic dermatitis, and wounds via NF-κB, TGF-β/Smad, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, and STAT signaling in in vitro and in vivo studies. However, additional rigorously controlled long-term clinical trials will be necessary to confirm the full potential of C. asiatica as a therapeutic agent.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, progressive joint disease associated with pain, functional impairment, and diminished quality of life in affected individuals. At a societal level, it also has a high economic burden. Boswellia serrata has been reported to have potent anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, and analgesic effects. The aim of this study was to explore the therapeutic potential and possible underlying mechanism of 5-Loxin®, a standardized Boswellia serrata extract, in a rat model of OA. The OA model was established by the intra-articular injection of 50 μL of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) (60 mg/mL). 5-Loxin® was administered orally, and efficacy was evaluated through serum analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), histologic staining, and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Results indicated that administration of 5-Loxin® can relieve OA joint pain through inhibition of both inflammatory processes and cartilage degeneration. In the group of rats treated with 5-Loxin®, the suppression of inflammatory enzymes such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and 5-lipoxygenase (LOX) resulted in a significant reduction in the prostaglandin (PG) E2 and leukotriene (LT) B4 levels. Moreover, 5-Loxin® ameliorated the deterioration of the main components of the articular extracellular matrix (ECM), such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and aggrecan, through the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). These findings suggest that 5-Loxin® may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of OA.

A variety of natural products have been explored for their antiobesity potential and widely used to develop dietary supplements for the prevention of weight gain from excess body fat. In an attempt to find a natural antiobesity agent, this study was designed to evaluate the antiobesity activity of a novel herbal formulation LI85008F composed of extracts from three medicinal plants in high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced obese mice. After the thirteen-week oral administration of the test materials to mice, the body weight gain, whole-body fat mass, adipose tissue weight, and the expression levels of obesity-related proteins were measured. Our results indicated that LI85008F can suppress body weight gain and lower whole-body fat mass in HFD-induced obese mice. Significant decreases in epididymal and retroperitoneal fat mass were observed in LI85008F-treated groups compared with the HFD-fed control group ( p < 0.05 ). Furthermore, the oral administration of LI85008F caused significant decreases in the expression level of adipogenic (C/EBPα and PPARγ) and lipogenic (ACC) markers and notable increases in the production level of thermogenetic (AMPKα, PGC1α and UCP1) and lipolytic (HSL) proteins. These findings suggest that LI85008F holds great promise for a novel herbal formulation with antiobesity activities, preventing body fat accumulation and altering lipid metabolism.