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Andrographolide is a labdane diterpenoid herb, which is isolated from the leaves of Andrographis paniculata, and widely used for its potential medical properties. However, there are no reports on the effects of andrographolide on the human suprapatellar fat pad of osteoarthritis patients. In the present study, our goal was to evaluate the innovative effects of andrographolide on viability and Tri-lineage differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells from suprapatellar fat pad tissues. The results revealed that andrographolide had no cytotoxic effects when the concentration was less than 12.5 µM. Interestingly, andrographolide had significantly enhanced, dose dependent, osteogenesis and chondrogenesis as evidenced by a significantly intensified stain for Alizarin Red S, Toluidine Blue and Alcian Blue. Moreover, andrographolide can upregulate the expression of genes related to osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation, including Runx2, OPN, Sox9, and Aggrecan in mesenchymal stem cells from human suprapatellar fat pad tissues. In contrast, andrographolide suppressed adipogenic differentiation as evidenced by significantly diminished Oil Red O staining and expression levels for adipogenic-specific genes for PPAR-γ2 and LPL. These findings confirm that andrographolide can specifically enhance osteogenesis and chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells from human suprapatellar fat pad tissues. It has potential as a therapeutic agent derived from natural sources for regenerative medicine.

Thunbergia laurifolia (TL) has been traditionally used as an antidote and an antipyretic drug by folk healers for centuries in Thailand. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is major compound in TL extract and has attracted great interest due to its potential broad pharmacological effects. Herein, the permeability of RA was investigated in TL extract and as a pure compound in a Caco-2 cell model by using high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA). The results reveal that the apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) values of RA in TL extracts and pure RA significantly increased after deconjugation by β-glucuronidase/sulfatase enzymes. Our findings exhibit possible saturable biotransformation of RA and/or membrane transport while penetrated through Caco-2 cells. The cumulative amounts of RA as pure compounds and in TL extracts increased with the exposure time, and the efflux ratio (ER) was 0.27–1.14. RA in the TL extract has a similar absorption in the conjugated form and in the pure compound. The intestinal absorption of them is through passive diffusion. Therefore, our findings conclude that the intestinal transport of RA in TL extracts was mainly penetrated as conjugated forms with glucuronic acid and/or sulfate across Caco-2 cells and transported via passive diffusion.

The capacity of α-mangostin (α-MG) and β-mangostin (β-MG) from mangosteen pericarp on P-glycoprotein (Pgp) in silico, in vitro, and ex vivo was investigated in this study. Screening with the ADMET Predictor™ program predicted the two compounds to be both a Pgp inhibitor and Pgp substrate. The compounds tended to interact with Pgp and inhibit Pgp ATPase activity. Additionally, bidirectional transport on Caco-2 cell monolayers demonstrated a significantly lower efflux ratio than that of the control (α-(44.68) and β-(46.08) MG versus the control (66.26); p < 0.05) indicating an inhibitory effect on Pgp activity. Test compounds additionally revealed a downregulation of MDR1 mRNA expression. Moreover, an ex vivo absorptive transport in everted mouse ileum confirmed the previous results that α-MG had a Pgp affinity inhibitor, leading to an increase in absorption of the Pgp substrate in the serosal side. In conclusion, α- and β-MG have the capability to inhibit Pgp and they also alter Pgp expression, which makes them possible candidates for reducing multidrug resistance. Additionally, they influence the bioavailability and transport of Pgp substrate drugs.

Background Mangosteen, Garciniam angostana L., is a juicy fruit commonly found in Thailand. The rinds of Garciniam angostana L.have been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of trauma, diarrhea and skin infection. It is also used in dermatological product such as in cosmetics. The mangosteen pericarp can be used to extract valuable bioactive xanthone compounds such as α-mangostin and gartanin. This study is aimed to predict the metabolism of α-mangostin and gartanin using in silico and in vitro skin permeation strategies. Methods Based on their 2D molecular structures, metabolites of those compounds were predicted in silico using ADMET Predictor™. The Km and Vmax, for 5 important recombinant CYP isozymes 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 3A4 were predicted. Moreover, the in vitro investigation of metabolites produced during skin permeation using human epidermal keratinocyte cells, neonatal (HEKn cells) was performed by LC-MS/MS. Results It was found that the results derived from in silico were in excellent alignment with those obtained from in vitro studies for both compounds. The prediction referred that gartanin and α-mangostin were the substrate of CYP1A2, 2C9, 2C19 and 3A. In the investigation of α-mangostin metabolites by LC-MS/MS system, the MW of the parent compound was increased from 411.200 to 459.185 Da. Therefore, α-mangostin might be metabolized via tri-oxidation process. The increased molecular weight of parent compound (397.200 to 477.157 Da) illustrated that gartanin might be conjugated to sulfated derivatives. Conclusions In all the studies, α-mangostin and gartanin were predicted to be. metabolized via phase I and phase II metabolism (sulfation), respectively.