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Ethnopharmacological relevance . Medicinal importance and potential activity of Siddha herbal formulations have proved over several centuries against a wide range of causative agents as Influenza, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Tuberculosis. The traditional medicine system of Siddha is a valuable therapeutic approach for treating viral respiratory infections like Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and can be effectively employed to target the host response and preventive care to boost the immune system. Kaba Sura Kudineer (KSK), an official polyherbal formulation has been used in Siddha traditional medicine for centuries. However, the role of KSK in regulating inflammation and the underlying molecular mechanisms has remained elusive. Aim of the study . The goal of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of KSK using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. Materials and methods . Raw 264.7 murine macrophage cells were used for this study. The Inflammatory mediators and cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The NF-κB nulcear translocation and protein expression of iNOS, COX-2 was analyzed with westernblot. Results . KSK supplementation decreased LPS mediated TLR-4 production and secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines including IL-6, TNF-α, COX-2 and PGE-2. Moreover, it inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) and thereby inhibited the expression of iNOS in the cell. The Western blot analysis further confirmed that KSK strongly prevented the LPS-induced degradation of IκB which is normally required for the activation of NF-κB and hereby suppressed nuclear translocation of NF-κB. The protein expression of iNOS, COX-2 was significantly decreased with the presence of KSK treatment. Results suggested that KSK manipulates its anti-inflammatory effects mainly through blocking the TLR mediated NF-κB signal transduction pathways. Conclusions . Together, this study has proven that KSK could be a potential therapeutic drug for alleviating excessive inflammation in many inflammation-associated diseases like COVID-19.

The pathogenesis of alcoholic liver diseases progresses from fatty liver to hepatic inflammation and necrosis to fibrosis. Clove buds (Syzygium aromaticum L.) are one of the richest sources of dietary polyphenols with many traditional medicinal uses. Hence, the present work attempted to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of a standardized polyphenol-rich extract of clove buds (Clovinol). The experiment was conducted on Wistar rats designated into three groups. First group was vehicle control and hepatotoxicity was induced to the second group by the administration of ethanol at the fixed dose of 12.5 g/kg body wt., orally for 30 days. Clovinol (100 mg/kg body wt.) was co-administered with ethanol in the third group. The liver toxicity was assessed by the estimation of liver marker enzymes in addition to which, assays of antioxidant enzymes, inflammatory markers, and liver histopathology studies were also conducted. Ethanol treatment significantly increased (p<0.05) liver function markers (SGOT and SGPT) and reduced (p<0.05) the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPx) and GSH. It also increased the WBC count, inflammatory markers (nitrite, CRP, COX-2, IL-6 and TNF-α) and lipid peroxidation, significantly (p<0.05). Supplementation of Clovinol showed significant (p<0.05) reversal of all these biochemical and molecular variables indicating the efficacy of Clovinol in the downregulation of alcohol-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory changes, bringing about a significant reduction in the associated liver pathology. To summarize, we found that Clovinol could be a potential functional ingredient for liver health.

The prevalence of liver disease is increasing year by year and it is recognized as a main health burden across the world. Nowadays, dietary nutraceuticals are found to be very effective in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases. The virgin coconut oil and phosphatidylcholine are found to have a wide range of therapeutic efficacy and the most important among them is its hepatoprotective activity. In the present study, we had evaluated the hepatoprotective effect of the novel formulation with the combination of these two which is named as Phoscoliv. For the study, adult Wistar rats were grouped into Normal control, Paracetamol-treated, and Paracetamol along with Phoscoliv-treated group. In order to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of the drug, various parameters were analyzed. Data obtained from the study showed that Phoscoliv supplementation were found to significantly boost up the antioxidant status by enhancing the SOD, CAT, GPx, and GSH level and thereby inhibit the generation of ROS and also blocked lipid peroxidation, which was confirmed by the reduced level of TBARS. The release of pro-inflammatory cytokines was also decreased, which was eventually helped to maintain the normal architecture of the liver. Thus, from the overall result of this study reveals that Phoscoliv can be effectively used as a potent and safe hepatoprotective medicine. Practical applications The over or unwanted usage of synthetic medicine is a serious problem because it can cause so many adverse health effects. Liver-related disorders are the major side effects of these drugs. Food habits of ancient people dictate that there is no other better medicine than a good food. So, treating a disease with a food or compounds derived from a food item will be more effective. Virgin coconut oil is a type of natural and organic oil, which has the capability of maintaining the body in a healthy state. Likewise, phosphatidylcholines are very important phospholipid nutrients necessary to keep the cells healthy. Both these have the potential to protect and prevent the liver damages. Therefore, the combination of these two can exhibit profound hepatoprotective activity.