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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a worldwide problem. Currently, there are no effective drugs for AD treatment. Scrophularia buergeriana Miquel (SB) is a traditional herbal medicine used in Korea to treat various diseases. Our previous studies have shown that ethanol extract of SB roots (SBE, Brainon®) exhibits potent anti-amnesic effects in Aβ1-42- or scopolamine-treated memory impairment mice model and neuroprotective effects in a glutamate-induced SH-SY5Y cell model. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of Brainon® and its mechanism of action in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. Brainon® (30 or 100 mg/kg/day) was orally treated to six-month-old SAMP8 mice for 12 weeks. Results revealed that Brainon® administration effectually ameliorated cognitive deficits in Y-maze and passive avoidance tests. Following the completion of behavioral testing, western blotting was performed using the cerebral cortex. Results revealed that Brainon® suppressed Aβ1-42 accumulation, Tau hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress, and inflammation and alleviated apoptosis in SAMP8 mice. Brainon® also promoted synaptic function by downregulating the expression of AChE and upregulating the expression of p-CREB/CREB and BDNF. Furthermore, Brainon® restored SAMP8-reduced expression of ChAT and -dephosphorylated of ERK and also decreased AChE expression in the hippocampus. Furthermore, Brainon® alleviated AD progression by promoting mitophagy/autophagy to maintain normal cellular function as a novel finding of this study. Our data suggest that Brainon® can remarkably improve cognitive deficiency with the potential to be utilized in functional food for improving brain health.

Dyglomera® is an aqueous ethanol extract of the fruit pods of Dichrostachys glomerata, a Cameroonian spice. Several studies have shown its anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects. However, the underlying mechanisms for such effects remain unclear. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the anti-obesity effect of Dyglomera® and its underlying mechanisms in mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Our results revealed that Dyglomera® inhibited adipogenesis and lipogenesis by regulating AMPK phosphorylation in white adipose tissues (WATs) and 3T3-L1 adipocytes and promoted lipolysis by increasing the expression of lipolysis-related proteins. These results suggest that Dyglomera® can be used as an effective dietary supplement for treating obesity due to its modulating effect on adipogenesis/lipogenesis and lipolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of Citrus aurantium extract (CAE) and nobiletin against amyloid β 1–42 (Aβ 1–42)-induced spatial learning and memory impairment in mice. After injecting Aβ 1–42 (5 µl/2.5 min, intracerebroventricular injection), amnesic mice were orally administered CAE and nobiletin for 28 days. Memory, spatial and cognitive ability were measured using passive avoidance and a Morris water maze task. Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity was investigated in the hippocampus and cortex using commercial kits and the analysis of Bax, Bcl-2, and cleaved caspase-3 protein expression by western blot assays was used to confirm the anti-apoptotic mechanism of CAE and nobiletin. The present study confirmed impairments in learning and memory in the Aβ-induced neurodegenerative mice with increased AchE activity in the brain. However, the daily administration of CAE and nobiletin reduced the spatial learning deficits and increased the AchE activity in the cortex and hippocampus. Furthermore, CAE and nobiletin significantly downregulated the Bax and cleaved caspase-3 protein expression and upregulated the Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax expression in the cortex and hippocampus of Aβ-treated mice. These results suggest that CAE and nobiletin exert a neuroprotective effect by regulating anti-apoptotic mechanisms, including reduced AchE activity in the cortex and hippocampus of the cognitive deficit mouse model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the CoFe thin film was studied using an inductively coupled plasma system in CH4-based gas chemistries. The etch rate of the CoFe thin film was systemically studied by the process parameters including the gas mixing ratio, the rf power, the dc-bias power, and the process pressure. The best gas composition for etching was in CH4 (20%)/Ar (80%) ratio. As the rf power and the dc-bias voltage were increased, the etch rate of the CoFe thin film increased in a CH4/Ar inductively coupled plasma system. The best process pressure condition for etching was 10 mTorr in the CH4/Ar inductively coupled plasma system. The changes in the components on the surface of the CoFe thin film were investigated with energy dispersive x ray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the most frequent causes of respiratory infections in humans are influenza A virus H1N1 (H1N1), influenza B virus (IVB), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Echinacea is a perennial wildflower belonging to the Asteraceae family. Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench is a species belonging to the Echinacea genus. Its characteristic compound, chicoric acid (CA), is known for its physiological activities, including antiviral effects and immune enhancement. Activities of E. purpurea 60% ethanol extract (EPE) and CA in inhibiting infections caused by H1N1, IVB, and RSV subtype A (RSV-A) were evaluated through plaque inhibition tests, quantification of viral gene expression, and analysis of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. Additionally, inhibitory activities of EPE and CA for hemagglutination and neuraminidase (NA) of H1N1 and IVB were determined. In the plaque reduction assays, both EPE and CA reduced infectivity against H1N1, IVB, and RSV-A. Furthermore, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that EPE and CA reduced gene expression levels for H1N1, IVB, and RSV-A, whereas TEM image analysis confirmed their inhibitory effects on host cell infection by these viruses. Hemagglutination assays exhibited the ability of EPE and CA to hinder H1N1 and IVB attachment to host cell receptors. Furthermore, EPE and CA displayed inhibition activity against the NA of H1N1 and IVB. These findings suggest that EPE and CA can suppress the infection and propagation of H1N1, IVB, and RSV-A, demonstrating their potential as preventive and therapeutic agents for viral respiratory infections or as ingredients for health functional foods., Competing Interests: AUTHOR DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Author SKL, DRL, DEM, SHP, DGK, EJK, and BKC were employed by the company NUON Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition.)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a worldwide problem. Currently, there are no effective drugs for AD treatment. Scrophularia buergeriana Miquel (SB) is a traditional herbal medicine used in Korea to treat various diseases. Our previous studies have shown that ethanol extract of SB roots (SBE, Brainon ® ) exhibits potent anti-amnesic effects in Aβ 1-42 - or scopolamine-treated memory impairment mice model and neuroprotective effects in a glutamate-induced SH-SY5Y cell model. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of Brainon ® and its mechanism of action in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. Brainon ® (30 or 100 mg/kg/day) was orally treated to six-month-old SAMP8 mice for 12 weeks. Results revealed that Brainon ® administration effectually ameliorated cognitive deficits in Y-maze and passive avoidance tests. Following the completion of behavioral testing, western blotting was performed using the cerebral cortex. Results revealed that Brainon ® suppressed Aβ 1-42 accumulation, Tau hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress, and inflammation and alleviated apoptosis in SAMP8 mice. Brainon ® also promoted synaptic function by downregulating the expression of AChE and upregulating the expression of p-CREB/CREB and BDNF. Furthermore, Brainon ® restored SAMP8-reduced expression of ChAT and -dephosphorylated of ERK and also decreased AChE expression in the hippocampus. Furthermore, Brainon ® alleviated AD progression by promoting mitophagy/autophagy to maintain normal cellular function as a novel finding of this study. Our data suggest that Brainon ® can remarkably improve cognitive deficiency with the potential to be utilized in functional food for improving brain health.

The allyl moiety of the immunosuppressive agent FK506 is structurally unique among polyketides and critical for its potent biological activity. Here, we detail the biosynthetic pathway to allylmalonyl-coenzyme A (CoA), from which the FK506 allyl group is derived, based on a comprehensive chemical, biochemical, and genetic interrogation of three FK506 gene clusters. A discrete polyketide synthase (PKS) with noncanonical domain architecture presumably in coordination with the fatty acid synthase pathway of the host catalyzes a multistep enzymatic reaction to allylmalonyl-CoA via trans-2-pentenyl-acyl carrier protein. Characterization of this discrete pathway facilitated the engineered biosynthesis of novel allyl group-modified FK506 analogues, 36-fluoro-FK520 and 36-methyl-FK506, the latter of which exhibits improved neurite outgrowth activity. This unique feature of FK506 biosynthesis, in which a dedicated PKS provides an atypical extender unit for the main modular PKS, illuminates a new strategy for the combinatorial biosynthesis of designer macrolide scaffolds as well as FK506 analogues.