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Background and purpose: Russelioside B (RB) is a pregnane glycoside obtained from Caralluma quadrangula; a herb with antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antihyperlipidemic activities. The present experiment tested the possible role of RB in controlling weight gain in rats fed on high fat (HF) diet.Methods: RB was separated from the n-butanol fraction of the crude methanolic extract by chromatographic separation on a Si gel column according to the procedures described previously. The experiment of the biological assessment of RB used 32 male Wistar rats (4 groups, n = 8). Group 1 rats were fed with a palatable normal diet. Group 2, 3, and 4 were fed on HF diet for 16 weeks. Group 2 served as the HF diet control group while Group 3 and 4 received daily oral doses of RB (25 and 50 mg/kg) during the last four weeks. Animals’ parameters like weight gain, fasting level of blood sugar, serum lipids, and serum liver enzyme activities were measured. Liver or adipose tissue weight was divided by the rat’s body weight and multiplied by 100 to obtain the liver or adipose tissue index, respectively. Adipose tissues were processed for histopathological examination, measurement of mRNA expression of visfatin, leptin, adiponectin, uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1). Furthermore, serum levels of insulin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), leptin, resistin, and adiponectin were assessed using ELISA kits.Results: Rats fed with the HF diet exhibited significant body weight gain, abnormal liver function, disturbed lipid profile, and greater serum level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in addition to greater insulin resistance, adipose tissue and liver indices. Further, rats fed with the HF diet displayed upregulations in the expression of visfatin and leptin with downregulations in the expression of adiponectin, UCP-1, and CPT-1 compared to normal rats. Interestingly, RB (25 or 50 mg/kg) favorably modulated the measured parameters.Conclusion: Data from this study documented the beneficial role of RB in diminishing weight gain, improving the inflammatory perturbations and energy expenditure in HF diet fed rats. Therefore, RB might be a promising candidate for obesity.

Metabolic syndrome in Egyptian females is associated with the minor allele of chemerin rs17173608 polymorphism, whereas the minor allele of vaspin rs2236242 polymorphism plays a protective role against metabolic syndrome.

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The Red Sea marine fungus Penicillium chrysogenum (Family: Ascomycota) comprises a panel of chemically diverse natural metabolites. A meleagrin alkaloid was isolated from deep-sediment-derived P. chrysogenum Strain S003 and has been reported to exert antibacterial and cytotoxic activities. The present study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential of meleagrin on pulmonary fibrosis. Lung fibrosis was induced in mice by a single intratracheal instillation of 2.5 mg/kg bleomycin. Mice were given 5 mg/kg meleagrin daily either for 3 weeks after bleomycin administration in the treatment group or 2 weeks before and 3 weeks after bleomycin administration in the protection group. Bleomycin triggered excessive ROS production, inflammatory infiltration, collagen overproduction and fibrosis. Bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis was attenuated by meleagrin. Meleagrin was noted to restore the oxidant–antioxidant balance, as evidenced by lower MDA contents and higher levels of SOD and catalase activities and GSH content compared to the bleomycin group. Meleagrin also activated the Nrf2/HO-1 antioxidant signaling pathway and inhibited TLR4 and NF-κB gene expression, with a subsequent decreased release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-γ). Additionally, meleagrin inhibited bleomycin-induced apoptosis by abating the activities of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 while elevating Bcl2. Furthermore, it suppressed the gene expression of α-SMA, TGF-β1, Smad-2, type I collagen and MMP-9, with a concomitant decrease in the protein levels of TGF-β1, α-SMA, phosphorylated Smad-2, MMP-9, elastin and fibronectin. This study revealed that meleagrin’s protective effects against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis are attributed to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and antifibrotic properties. Notably, the use of meleagrin as a protective agent against bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis was more efficient than its use as a treatment agent.

Plicosepalus acacia (Fam. Loranthaceae) has been reported to possess hypoglycemic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects. Liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis revealed the presence of a high content of polyphenolic compounds that are attributed to the therapeutic effects of the crude extract. In addition, methyl gallate and quercetin were detected as major phytomedicinal agents at concentrations of 1.7% and 0.062 g%, respectively, using high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). The present study investigated the effect of the P. acacia extract and its isolated compounds, methyl gallate and quercetin, on hind limb ischemia induced in type 1 diabetic rats. Histopathological examination revealed that treatment with P. acacia extract, methyl gallate, and quercetin decreased degenerative changes and inflammation in the ischemic muscle. Further biochemical assessment of the hind limb tissue showed decreased oxidative stress, increased levels of nitric oxide and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and enhancement of the levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the groups treated with methyl gallate and quercetin. Expression levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α), VEGF, fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), and miR-146a were upregulated in the muscle tissue of methyl gallate- and quercetin-treated groups along with downregulation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). In conclusion, P. acacia extract and its isolated compounds, methyl gallate and quercetin, mediated therapeutic angiogenesis in diabetic hind limb ischemia.