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Background: The intestinal epithelial barrier is the first line of defense against pathogens and noxious substances entering the body from the outside world. Through proliferation and differentiation, intestinal stem cells play vital roles in tissue regeneration, repair, and the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is caused by the disruption of intestinal homeostasis through the invasion of toxic compounds and pathogenic microorganisms. Hylotelephium erythrostictum (Miq.) H. Ohba (H. erythrostictum) is a plant with diverse pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antirheumatic properties. However, the roles of H. erythrostictum and its bioactive compounds in the treatment of intestinal injury are unknown., Methods: We examined the protective effects of H. erythrostictum water extract (HEWE) and H. erythrostictum butanol extract (HEBE) on Drosophila intestinal injury caused by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) or Erwinia carotovoracarotovora 15 (Ecc15)., Results: Our findings demonstrated that both HEWE and HEBE significantly prolonged the lifespan of flies fed toxic compounds, reduced cell mortality, and maintained intestinal integrity and gut acid‒base homeostasis. Furthermore, both HEWE and HEBE eliminated DSS-induced ROS accumulation, alleviated the increases in antimicrobial peptides(AMPs) and intestinal lipid droplets caused by Ecc15 infection, and prevented excessive ISC proliferation and differentiation by inhibiting the JNK, EGFR, and JAK/STAT pathways. In addition, they reversed the significant changes in the proportions of the gut microbiota induced by DSS. The bioactive compounds contained in H. erythrostictum extracts have sufficient potential for use as natural therapeutic agents for the treatment of IBD in humans., Conclusion: Our results suggest that HEWE and HEBE are highly effective in reducing intestinal inflammation and thus have the potential to be viable therapeutic agents for the treatment of gut inflammation., Clinical Trial Number: Not applicable., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing interest The authors declare that this work was conducted without any commercial or financial affiliations that could be perceived as possible conflicts of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Orostachys malacophylla (Pall.) Fisch (O. malacophylla) is a succulent herbaceous plant that is the Orostachys genus of Crassulaceae family. O. malacophylla has been widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-febrile, antidote, anti-Toxoplasma gondii properties. However, the biological function of alleviating intestinal inflammation and key bioactive compounds were still unknown., Aim of the Study: We used a Drosophila model to study the protective effects and bioactive compounds of O. malacophylla water extract (OMWE) and butanol extract (OMBE) on intestinal inflammation., Materials and Methods: Drosophila intestinal inflammation was induced by oral invasion of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) or Erwinia carotovora carotovora 15 (Ecc15). We revealed the protective effects of two extracts by determining intestinal reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) levels and intestinal integrity, and using network pharmacology analysis to identify bioactive compounds., Results: We demonstrated that both OMWE and OMBE could ameliorate the detrimental effects of DSS, including a decreased survival rate, elevated ROS levels, increased cell death, excessive proliferation of ISCs, acid-base imbalance, and disruption of intestinal integrity. Moreover, the overabundance of lipid droplets (LDs) and AMPs by Ecc15 infection is mitigated by these extracts, thereby enhancing the flies' resistance to adverse stimuli. In addition, we used widely targeted metabolomics and network pharmacology analysis to identify bioactive compounds associated with IBD healing that are present in OMWE and OMBE., Conclusions: In summary, our research indicates that OMWE and OMBE significantly mitigate intestinal inflammation and have the potential to be effective therapeutic agents for IBD in humans., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Medicinal plants are important sources of potentially therapeutic biochemical drugs. Crocus sativus L. has been used to treat various diseases in China, the Republic of Korea and Japan. The present study investigated the protective effect of C. sativus L. extract in Drosophila melanogaster intestinal immunity. Wild‑type flies were fed standard cornmeal‑yeast medium and used as controls, and flies supplemented with 1% C. sativus L. aqueous extract in standard medium were used as the experimental group. Following the ingestion of the various toxic compounds, the survival rate of the flies was determined. Cell viability and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected using 7‑amino‑actinomycin D and dihydroethidium staining, respectively. The present study demonstrated that aqueous extracts of C. sativus L. may significantly increase the lifespan and survival rate of adult flies. Additionally, C. sativus L. may decrease epithelial cell death and ROS levels, resulting in improved intestinal morphology. These findings indicated that C. sativus L. had a protective effect against intestinal injury and may extend the lifespan of Drosophila. Therefore, the findings of the present study may improve the understanding of clinical researchers on the complex effects of C. sativus L. in intestinal disorders.

The aim of this study was to observe the effect of the Rhodiola crenulata extracts on gut immunity of Drosophila melanogaster. Wild-type flies fed standard cornmeal-yeast medium were used as controls. Experimental groups were supplemented with 2.5% R. crenulata aqueous extracts in standard medium. Survival rate was determined by feeding pathogenic microorganisms and toxic compounds. The levels of reactive oxygen species and dead cells were detected by dihydroethidium and 7-amino-actinomycin D staining, respectively. The expression of antimicrobial peptides was evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and morphological change of the intestine was imaged by an Axioskop 2 plus microscope. The results demonstrate that R. crenulata increased the survival rates of adult flies and expression of antimicrobial peptide genes after pathogen or toxic compound ingestion. Moreover, decreased levels of reactive oxygen species and epithelial cell death were associated with results in improved intestinal morphology. The pharmacological action of R. crenulata from Tibet was greater than that from Sichuan. These results indicate that the R. crenulata extracts from Tibet had better pharmacological effect on D. melanogaster gut immunity after ingestion of pathogens and toxic compounds. These results may provide the pharmacological basis for prevention of inflammatory diseases of the intestine., (Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Aanthopanax senticosus (A. senticosus) Harms is a classical adaptogenic agent used in China. It has been applied as an analeptic aid to improve weakened physical status. However, little is known about the effects of A. senticosus on inflammatory disease processes., Materials and Methods: Flies fed with standard cornmeal-yeast medium were used as controls, and the treatment groups contained 10% of A. senticosus aqueous extracts (root or fruit) in standard medium. Survival rate was performed by feeding a vial containing five layers of filter paper hydrated with 5% sucrose solution contaminated with pathogenic or toxic compounds. Imaging of the guts was viewed under the microscope. Death cells were detected by 7-AAD staining., Results: The A. senticosus extract improved the survival rate, attenuated the death of intestinal epithelial cells, promoted the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes, and decreased the formation of melanotic masses. Moreover, our results indicated that the protective effect of fruit is much higher than that of root extracts., Conclusions: A. senticosus extracts have a protective effect on Drosophila gut immunity and stress response, and may contribute to the prevention of inflammatory diseases induced by pathogenic and toxic compounds., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The current study targets the chemical constituents of Caesalpinia decapetala (Roth) Alston and investigates the bioactivities of the isolated compounds. Fourteen known compounds were isolated using column chromatography, and structural identification was performed by physical and spectral analyses. The biological activities of the compounds were also evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and 2,2-diphenlyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Emodin (6), baicalein (9), and apigenin (12) displayed antitumor activities against the MGC-803 cell line, while quercetin (2), rutin (5), baicalein (9), and epicatechin (13) showed stronger DPPH scavenging activities compared with ascorbic acid. Andrographolide (1), quercetin (2), bergenin (4), rutin (5), emodin (6), betulin (7), baicalein (9), polydatin (10), salicin (11), and apigenin (12), were obtained from C. decapetala (Roth) Alston for the first time.