This article contains findings obtained from research on animals:
- The results from animal research studies should not be directly applied to humans and the results may not generalise to the human population.
- There may be significant differences between species in terms of physiology, physiology, and pharmacology, as well as differences in the way diseases and treatments are modelled in animals.
- Any conclusions drawn from animal research should be considered with caution and in the context of other types of research studies such as observational studies, clinical trials, and reviews of the literature.
Insights & Discussion
Shen Ling Bai Zhu San was found to inhibit inflammatory damage in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, thus offering potential as a preventive and therapeutic treatment.
In the study, rats were put on a high-fat diet, with or without the addition of Shenling Baizhu powder or probiotics. Assessments were made at week 16, using an echo magnetic resonance imaging analyser to examine body composition, a micro-computed tomography imaging system to measure whole body and liver fat, and a laser perfusion imager to study liver microcirculation. After this, the rats were sacrificed and biochemical markers in the blood as well as liver ultrastructure were evaluated. The expression of proteins associated with liver inflammatory signaling pathways were scrutinized via Western blot analysis alongside a high-throughput screening of 29 relevant inflammatory factors in liver tissue.
The results indicated that supplementing with Shenling Baizhu powder reduced body weight, serum free fatty acid, and insulin resistance. It also improved liver microcirculation and ultrastructural abnormalities. Quantitative analyses manifested that the treatment lowered fat mass and visceral fat. Moreover, the powder reduced the expression of certain inflammatory signaling pathway-related proteins and modified the expression levels of some inflammatory cytokines found in liver tissues. Thus, indicating that Shenling Baizhu powder could inhibit the activation of inflammatory agents and suppress related expressions, making it potentially beneficial for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory damage and associated diseases.
Discover Related Insights
Jin Si Huang Ju tea, a traditional Chinese beverage, contains compounds that potentially reduce lipids, mitigate insulin resistance and reduce liver inflammation in vitro.
2023 European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry Effects and mechanism of action of Chrysanthemum morifolium (Jinsi Huangju) on hyperlipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Li X, Li R, Wang X, Zhang X, Xiao Z, Wang H, et al.
Animal Study Cholesterol Chrysanthemum NAFLD
The researchers identified 14 compounds in the Jinsi Huangju tea using different spectroscopic techniques, 11 of which had not been previously identified in this plant. Two of these compounds, apigenin-7-O-6″-malonylglucoside and luteolin-7-O-6″-malonylglucoside, were synthesized for the first time with a yield of 1.2% over 5 steps.
In the findings, the natural compound apigenin-7-O-6″-malonylglucoside was found to inhibit the function of pancreatic lipase, reduce cellular lipid contents, and attenuate insulin resistance when tested in vitro. It was also observed to restore lipid and inflammatory profiles in plasma and the liver, as well as reduce hepatic steatosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mouse models. Thus, Jinsi Huangju and its active components are strong candidates for the development of drugs or functional foods that could provide a therapeutic strategy for hyperlipidaemia and NAFLD.
Pomegranate peel extract, along with a calorie deficit diet, could improve risk factors of metabolic syndrome and reduce fatty liver in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
2023 Nutrition Journal Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel extract ameliorates metabolic syndrome risk factors in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized double-blind clinical trial Barghchi H, Milkarizi N, Belyani S, Norouzian Ostad A, Askari VR, Rajabzadeh F, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial NAFLD Pomegranate Peel
In the first phase, the research involved the hydro-alcoholic extraction of the peel of 750 kilograms of pomegranate using the soaking method. The second phase saw patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease divided into two groups - a placebo group and a pomegranate peel capsule group. Both groups followed a diet with a 500 kcal deficit for eight weeks. Aspects like intolerance to the treatment, participants' dietary intake, their lipid and glycemic profiles, blood pressure, body composition, insulin resistance indexes and changes in fatty liver disease evaluated through elastography were monitored.
Further, the study reported substantial decreases in multiple indicators such as body weight, waist circumference, body mass index, body fat index, trunk fat, blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol, fat free mass, and fasting blood sugar in the group that took pomegranate peel capsules compared to the placebo group. Meanwhile, HDL cholesterol and liver steatosis and stiffness saw improvement. No significant differences, however, were found in the insulin and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance between the two groups.
Walnut seed skin extract demonstrates potential hepato-renal protective effects, inhibiting inflammatory responses, oxidative stress and apoptosis, in kidney-damaged Sprague-Dawley rats.
2022 Cytokine The hepato-renal protective potential of walnut seed skin extract against acute renal ischemia/reperfusion damage Askin S, Askin H, Dursun E, Palabiyik E, Uguz H, Cakmak , et al.
Animal Study Acute Kidney Injury Acute Renal Ischemia Anti-Inflammatory
In the methodology, Sprague-Dawley rats in acute kidney injury state were divided into three groups: a healthy control, a group induced with renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR), and another group induced with renal IR and treated with walnut seed skin (WSS) extract. Blood, liver and kidney tissues were collected for serum evaluations of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, urea, and creatinine. Histopathological studies were performed on liver and kidney tissues, and gene markers related to anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and apoptotic effects were measured.
The results showed an improvement in deteriorated serum parameters in rats with renal ischemia pre-treated with WSS extract. Histopathological analysis revealed a protective effect of WSS on kidney and liver tissues. Though gene expression studies yielded diverse results for liver and kidney tissues, the consensus was that WSS had a pronounced protective impact on the liver. It was inferred that WSS's healing potential in renal and hepatic tissues seems to work via inhibiting inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and apoptosis.
The primary ingredient of Shenling Baizhu powder, Rutin, can improve polycystic ovary syndrome and postmenopausal osteoporosis by binding to the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor, thus inhibiting cell apoptosis.
2022 PeerJ Prevention of polycystic ovary syndrome and postmenopausal osteoporosis by inhibiting apoptosis with Shenling Baizhu powder compound Liang J, Bao A, Ma H, Dong W, Li W, Wu X, et al.
Network Pharmacology Osteoporosis PCOS Postmenopausal
In this study, the active ingredients of Shenling Baizhu powder were identified using a Chinese medicine database, and Rutin emerged as having the highest binding affinity to the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor. This was determined through molecular dynamics simulation, eliminating any ambiguity. Then, to assess the efficacy of Rutin, it was used therapeutically on ovarian granulosa and osteoblast cell lines, with varying concentrations to determine the optimum dosage.
Analyzing the results showed that the introduction of Rutin to both ovarian granulosa and osteoblast cell lines resulted in modified protein expressions, indicative of cellular adjustments. Specifically, expressions of the apoptosis-associated protein and the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor, among others, were decreased while the expression of protein Bcl-2 was increased. Moreover, cell proliferation was seen to significantly accelerate in both cell lines after treatment with Rutin.
Shenling Baizhu San (SBS), combined with mesalamine, can treat ulcerative colitis effectively by changing gut microbiota structures and increasing tryptophan metabolite levels.
2022 Journal of Ethnopharmacology Shenling Baizhu San ameliorates ulcerative colitis by regulating the gut microbiota and its tryptophan metabolites: A complementary medicine to mesalamine Jiao C, Zhang Q, Yang M, Ma J, Zhao X, Tang N, et al.
Cohort Study Shen Ling Bai Zhu San Ulcerative Colitis
The methodology involved conducting a prospective cohort study to explore the potential therapeutic effects of SBS, used as a complementary medicine with mesalamine, on ulcerative colitis patients. There were 48 patients included in the study, out of which 24 were a part of the control group and given just mesalamine, while the remaining patients in the experimental group were administered mesalamine along with SBS. The efficacy of these treatments was evaluated after an elapsed period of 8 weeks. The study utilized procedures like 16S rRNA sequencing to observe the structures of gut microbiota (GMB), and UPLC-MS/MS to analyze microbial tryptophan metabolites.
In terms of results discussion, the study noticed that the combination of SBS and mesalamine significantly enhanced the clinical symptoms of ulcerative colitis. This was observed through mucosal healing and reduced damage to the colon that the medicinal combination induced. The research also highlighted a novel discovery, the alteration of gut microbiota structures, and an observable increase in microbial levels of tryptophan metabolites when both SBS and mesalamine were used. This led to the conclusion that SBS acted as an effective supplementary therapy to the standard treatment, easing ulcerative colitis through an identified GMB-tryptophan metabolite axis.
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