Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold leaf extract enhanced immunostimulatory effects in a cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed rat model

Abstract

Background: Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold (EA) is a medicinal plant used in some Asian countries to treat various diseases, including cancer, hyperglycemia, diabetes, urticaria, dysmenorrhea, and arthritis. Owing to the wide range of pharmacological applications of EA, various roles of EA are being studied.
 Objective: We evaluated the immune-enhancing effect of EA treatment in a cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced immunosuppressed rat model.
 Design: We analyzed the immune enhancement effect of EA on macrophages by western blotting. In addition, cell viability and natural killer (NK) cell activity were analyzed in splenocytes following EA treatment. For in vivo studies, analysis of weekly body weight, spleen weight, immune cell count, cytokine levels, and spleen histological findings was performed following EA administration in Cy-induced immunocompromised rats.
 Results: EA significantly increased cell viability and phospho-nuclear factor-kappa B and phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase protein levels in the macrophages. EA significantly increased NK cell activity in splenocytes compared with the control group. In Cy-induced immunosuppressed rats, EA administration increased spleen tissue weight and the contents of leukocytes, lymphocytes, granulocytes, intermediate cells, and plasma cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ). In addition, improvement in the damaged spleen tissue was observed.
 Conclusions: These findings confirm that EA exerts an immune-enhancing effect, thereby suggesting its potential as an immunostimulatory agent or functional food.

Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold Prevents Osteoclast Differentiation and Osteoporosis

“…After one week of acclimatization, the mice underwent either a sham or OVX operation after being anesthetized. Previous studies have demonstrated that the oral administration of E. alatus extracts at doses ranging from 50 to 300 mg/kg/day resulted in neuroprotective and immunostimulatory effects in animal models [ 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Based on these findings, we established an EEEA oral dosage regimen, with 100 mg/kg/day as the low dose and 300 mg/kg/day as the high dose, to assess the impact of EEEA in an OVX-induced mouse bone loss model.…”

Euonymus alatus Extract Reduces Insulin Resistance in db/db Mice by Regulating the PI3K–AKT Pathway

“…Given the shortcomings of current medications, plant medicines can be used as an alternative to manage diabetes [13][14][15]. Euonymus alatus (EA) is a medicinal plant belonging to the family Celastraceae with a rich history of traditional use in various Asian countries, notably Korea and China, for addressing a range of health conditions [16][17][18]. More recently, EA has gained attention, primarily due to research into its bioactive properties related to cancer and diabetes [19][20][21].…”