Hot Natural Products & Bioactive Compounds

Coenzyme Q10, an essential cofactor of the electron transport chain, has neuroprotective effect in the cerebral ischemia via as a potent antioxidant and oxygen derived free radicals scavenger. Treatment with coenzyme Q10 in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) may be beneficial in patients with high risk of atherothrombosis. The coenzyme Q10 and alpha-lipoic acid supplementation can improve bladder function after outlet obstruction. The combination of Coenzyme Q10 and creatine may be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington's Diseases. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation improves endothelial function of conduit arteries of the peripheral circulation in dyslipidaemic patients with Type II diabetes, the mechanism could involve increased endothelial release and/or activity of nitric oxide due to improvement in vascular oxidative stress.

Tetrandrine is a calcium channel blocker, which shows antitumor, antifibrotic, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity. It suppressed Wnt/β-catenin signaling transduction, the migration of DU145 and PC-3 cells, EOMA cell growth through the ROS/Akt pathway and inhibited inward rectifying potassium current in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells.

Fangchinoline is a nonspecific Ca2+ channel blocker, which has neuroprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, vasodilating and hypotensive effects. It inhibited cell proliferation via Akt/GSK-3beta/ cyclin D1 signaling and induceed apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. It can inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication by interfering with gp160 proteolytic processing.

Podophyllotoxin(Podofilox ) is a potent inhibitor of microtubule assembly and DNA topoisomerase II. Podophyllotoxin has antitumor and antiviral properties, but it also shows cytotoxicity for normal cells and hence side effects derived from its lack of selectivity against tumoral cells.

Puerarin is a 5-HT2C receptor and benzodiazepine site antagonist, it exerts a regulatory effect on lipid accumulation by decreasing lipogenesis in hepatocytes, it may have therapeutic benefits in the treatment of fatty liver and lipid-related metabolic disorders, it also may act as an intracellular ROS scavenger, and its antioxidant properties may protect against Abeta25-35-induced cell injury,and apoptosis and could also promote the survival of PC12 cells.

1. Astragaloside may protect against brain contusion and neuronal apoptosis after TBI by attenuating microglia activation in male rats.
2. Astragaloside has several pharmacological actions on cardiovascular system, including positive inotropic, anti-arrhythmia and anti-oxidant activities; it also has anti-apoptotic activity, which may contribute to the improvement of clinical outcomes in treating myocarditis with pharmaceutics of Astragalus membranaceus.
3. Astragalosides-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells may be associated with down-regulation of the expression of BCL-2 and NF-κB, finally the relative activity of caspase-3 activated.

Astragaloside IV can protect the myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion injury, inhibit adenovirus replication and apoptosis in A549 cells in vitro, has anti-fibrotic effect against systemic sclerosis, and may be useful in ameliorating food-induced metabolic syndrome and membranous nephropathy. It suppresses the activation of ERK1/2 and JNK, and downregulates matrix metalloproteases (MMP)-2, (MMP)-9 in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Astragaloside Ι may protect the cerebral tissue against the free radical damage in ischemia and inhibit the activation of BV-2 cells induced by LPS through suppressing the activation of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway. It stimulates osteoblast differentiation through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which also activates the BMP pathway and RANK pathway.