Woo Jung Park

Xanthorrhizol and curcumin are bioactive compounds derived from plants, including Curcuma xanthorrhiza , a member of the ginger family. However, their limited solubility leads to low oral bioavailability and poses significant constraints for industrial applications. Therefore, we developed nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) loaded with standardized ethanolic Curcuma xanthorrhiza extract (CXE). The CXE-NLCs were optimized by varying the initial concentration of CXE, resulting in homogeneous particles with a size of 130.0 ± 1.0 nm and a high encapsulation efficiency of approximately 83%. CXE-NLCs exhibited enhanced biostability under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, and in vitro release studies demonstrated the sustained release of CXE. Additionally, CXE-NLCs demonstrated significantly improved permeability across the Caco-2/HT-29 cell monolayer (P _app = 4.2 × 10 ^− 5 cm/s), which is favorable for the oral delivery of bioactive compounds. In vivo studies confirmed that CXE-NLCs inhibited carrageenan-induced inflammation in the paw, prostaglandins E ₁ and E ₂ , as well as the eicosanoid and MAPK pathways in a dose-dependent manner. This study highlights the enhanced oral delivery and bioactivity of synthesized CXE-NLCs containing both xanthorrhizol and curcumin in the treatment of acute inflammation. This indicates a useful application and suggests their potential as a nano delivery system for nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.

Starfish (Asterias amurensis) are important predators in the marine benthic environment, preying on mollusks and echinoderms. Their waste also causes significant environmental harm. However, starfish contain a variety of nutrients and biologically active compounds that require further investigation. To maintain marine ecosystems and address environmental waste, lipids were extracted from A. amurensis skin, and their immune-enhancing effects were evaluated in cyclophosphamide (CY)- induced immunosuppressive mice. A. amurensis lipids were combined with PEG 6000 (AA-PEG), which contains a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs, 49.44%), primarily C20:5n3. Mice were administered various dosages of AA-PEG, ranging from 50 to 200 mg/kg body weight (BW) via oral delivery and CY injection. Results revealed that AA-PEG at 150 mg/kg BW promoted the recovery of cellular immune function in both splenocytes from the spleen and peritoneal macrophages, similar to the normal group. Administration of AA-PEG (50–150 mg/kg BW) gradually raised the spleen index (2.2–2.5 mg/g) and natural killer (NK) cell activity (91–102%), and enhanced ConA- or LPS-stimulated splenocyte proliferation. Subsets of T -lymphocytes (CD4 + and CD8+) does-dependently increased by AA-PEG. The phagocytic capacity (58–82%) and proliferation (69–98%) of peritoneal macrophages, which had been reduced by CY, were restored with AA-PEG. AA-PEG boosts immunity by promoting nitric oxide (NO) generation (84–103%). Furthermore, AA-PEG has been shown to increase immune-related cytokines in splenocytes and peritoneal macrophages, indicating a potential enhancement of Th1 and Th2 activity. These results suggest that AA-PEG restored the immune function of immunosuppressed mice and could be used as an effective immunomodulatory agent, which may play a crucial role in maintaining environmental sustainability.

In this study, a mixture of Platycodon grandiflorum, Pyrus serotina, Chaenomeles sinensis, and Raphanus sativus (PPCRE) was investigated for their immuno-enhancing effects, as well as the molecular mechanism of PPCRE in RAW264.7 cells. PPCRE dramatically increased nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) generation depending on the concentration while exhibiting no cytotoxicity. PPCRE markedly upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of immune-related cytotoxic factors such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-1, COX-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), as well as the mRNA level of IL-4. PPCRE increased the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway by upregulating the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), stress-activated protein kinase/Jun N-terminal-kinase (SAPK/JNK), and p38. Furthermore, PPCRE considerably activated the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway by increasing phosphorylation of NF-κB-p65. PPCRE-stimulated RAW264.7 cells increased macrophage phagocytic capacity. In conclusion, our study found that PPCRE improved immune function by modulating inflammatory mediators and regulating the MAPK and NF-κB pathway of signaling in macrophages.

This study was conducted to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancement properties of lipids derived from Aptocyclus ventricosus eggs on RAW264.7 cells. Firstly, we determined the fatty acid compositions of A. ventricosus lipids by performing gas chromatography analysis. The results showed that A. ventricosus lipids contained saturated fatty acids (24.37%), monounsaturated fatty acids (20.90%), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (54.73%). They also contained notably high levels of DHA (25.91%) and EPA (22.05%) among the total fatty acids. Our results for the immune-associated biomarkers showed that A. ventricosus lipids had immune-enhancing effects on RAW264.7 cells. At the maximum dose of 300 µg/mL, A. ventricosus lipids generated NO (119.53%) and showed greater phagocytosis (63.69%) ability as compared with untreated cells. A. ventricosus lipids also upregulated the expression of iNOS, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α genes and effectively upregulated the phosphorylation of MAPK (JNK, p38, and ERK) and NF-κB p65, indicating that these lipids could activate the MAPK and NF-κB pathways to stimulate macrophages in the immune system. Besides their immune-enhancing abilities, A. ventricosus lipids significantly inhibited LPS-induced RAW264.7 inflammatory responses via the NF-κB and MAPK pathways. The results indicated that these lipids significantly reduced LPS-induced NO production, showing a decrease from 86.95% to 38.89%. Additionally, these lipids downregulated the expression of genes associated with the immune response and strongly suppressed the CD86 molecule on the cell surface, which reduced from 39.25% to 33.80%. Collectively, these findings imply that lipids extracted from A. ventricosus eggs might have biological immunoregulatory effects. Thus, they might be considered promising immunomodulatory drugs and functional foods.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory-allergic skin disorder that causes pruritic and eczematous skin lesions. Effect of Codium fragile extract (CFE) on AD has not been reported yet. In this study, inhibitory effects of CFE against skin severity scores, skin lesions, AD characteristics, and histological features of BALB/c mice with AD caused by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) were investigated. Results indicated that AD effects of CFE reduced body, skin, ear, spleen, thymus, and lymph node weights. Histopathological changes in skin reactions on the back and ears showed that CFE inhibited thickening of the epidermis and ear. Moreover, CFE reduced epidermal swelling and ear thickness compared with the DNCB group. These results suggest that CFE might be effective in alleviating AD with potential as a promising candidate for therapeutic and cosmetic treatment of inflammatory dermatitis. CFE may be useful in alleviating AD and could be a potential treatment for inflammatory dermatitis.

The immune-enhancing activity of the combination of Platycodon grandiflorum and Salvia plebeian extracts (PGSP) was evaluated through macrophage activation using RAW264.7 cells. PGSP (250–1000 μg/mL) showed a higher release of NO in a dose-dependent manner. The results showed that PGSP could significantly stimulate the production of PGE₂, COX-2, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells and promote iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-4, and IL-6 mRNA expression. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the protein expression of iNOS and COX-2 and the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, p38, and NF-κB p65 were greatly increased in PGSP-treated cells. PGSP also promoted the phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 cells. All these results indicated that PGSP might activate macrophages through MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Taken together, PGSP may be considered to have immune-enhancing activity and might be used as a potential immune-enhancing agent.

A-yeong Jang, JeongUn Choi, Weerawan Rod-in, Ki Young Choi, Dae-Hee Lee, and Woo Jung Park. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2024;34:940-8. https://doi.org/10.4014/jmb.2312.12002