Phetcharat Boonruamkaew

Huperzine A (HupA), a sesquiterpene alkaloid isolated from Huperzia serrata, is clinically applied in China for Alzheimer’s disease and in the United States as a dietary supplement. In Thailand, Huperzia carinata (H. carinata) is an alternative and the richest natural source of HupA. However, poor solubility and low oral bioavailability restrict its therapeutic application. This study aimed to develop a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) to improve the solubility, dissolution, and efficacy of HupA from H. carinata extract in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The optimized SEDDS consisted of oleic acid (20%), polyethylene glycol-40 hydrogenated castor oil (70%), and propylene glycol (10%), containing 10% H. carinata extract. The HupA-loaded SEDDS displayed efficient self-emulsification, producing droplet sizes of 175.2 ± 8.3 nm to 253.4 ± 2.8 nm upon dilution in water. The SEDDS promoted rapid dissolution, achieving approximately 70% HupA release within 5 min and near-complete dissolution (100%) by 120 min in both gastric and intestinal media. In vitro, the SEDDS displayed significantly superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities compared with the unformulated extract (p < 0.001). In vivo, MPTP-induced Parkinsonian mice receiving SEDDS containing HupA (0.75 and 1.00 μmol/kg body weight) showed significant improvements in locomotor function and motor coordination compared with both vehicle- and blank-SEDDS-treated groups (p < 0.001) at days 3 and 7 after MPTP induction. Biochemical assessments revealed declined malondialdehyde and nitrite levels in cortical and striatal brain tissues compared with the vehicle- and blank-SEDDS-treated groups (p < 0.05). Molecular studies confirmed that HupA-loaded SEDDS increased tyrosine hydroxylase and decreased tumor necrosis factor-α expression compared with the vehicle-treated group (p < 0.001) while protecting dopaminergic neurons in immunohistochemistry, indicating neuroprotective and antineuroinflammatory effects. The SEDDS formulation may represent a promising drug delivery system for the clinical application of HupA in PD and potentially other neurodegenerative disorders. This study contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 3 (good health and well-being) by developing neuroprotective formulations for neurodegenerative diseases.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health threat, with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) being one of the major resistant pathogens. This study reports the isolation of a novel mangrove-derived bacterium, Virgibacillus chiguensis FN33, as identified through genome analysis and the discovery of a new anionic antimicrobial peptide (AMP) exhibiting anti-MRSA activity. The AMP was composed of 23 amino acids, which were elucidated as NH₃-Glu-Gly-Gly-Cys-Gly-Val-Asp-Thr-Trp-Gly-Cys-Leu-Thr-Pro-Cys-His-Cys-Asp-Leu-Phe-Cys-Thr-Thr-COOH. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for MRSA were 8 µg/mL and 16 µg/mL, respectively. FN33 AMP induced cell membrane permeabilization, suggesting a membrane-disrupting mechanism. The AMP remained stable at 30–40 °C but lost activity at higher temperatures and following exposure to proteases, surfactants, and extreme pH. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations showed that the AMP adopts a β-sheet structure upon membrane interaction. These findings suggest that Virgibacillus chiguensis FN33 is a promising source of novel antibacterial agents against MRSA, supporting alternative strategies for drug-resistant infections.

Apium graveolens L. is a traditional Chinese medicine prescribed as a treatment for hypertension, gout, and diabetes. This study aimed to determine the neuroprotective effects of A. graveolens extract against a Parkinson’s disease (PD) model induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in C57BL/6 mice. Male C57BL/6 mice treated with MPTP were orally dosed with A. graveolens extract daily for 21 days. Behavioral tests, including a rotarod apparatus, a narrow beam test, a drag test, a grid walk test, a swimming test, and a resting tremor evaluation, were performed. Thereafter, the mice were sacrificed, and monoamine oxidase A and B activity, lipid peroxidation activity, and superoxide anion levels were measured. Immunohistochemical staining of tyrosine hydroxylase was performed to identify dopaminergic neurons. We found that treatment with A. graveolens at dose of 375 mg/kg demonstrated the highest effect and led to significant improvements in behavioral performance, oxidative stress parameters, and monoamine oxidase A and B activity compared with the untreated group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the extract increased the number of neurons immunopositive for tyrosine hydroxylase expression compared with MPTP alone or MPTP with a positive control drug (p < 0.05). We speculated that A. graveolens ameliorated behavioral performance by mediating neuroprotection against MPTP-induced PD via antioxidant effects, related neurotransmitter pathways and an increase in the number of dopaminergic neurons.

The present study aimed to assess whether our newly developed redox nanoparticle (RNP^N) that has antioxidant potential decreases Aβ levels or prevents Aβ aggregation associated with oxidative stress. The transgenic Tg2576 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mice were used to investigate the effect of chronic ad libitum drinking of RNP^N solution for 6 months, including memory and learning functions, antioxidant activity, and amyloid plaque aggregation. The results showed that RNP^N-treated mice had significantly attenuated cognitive deficits of both spatial and non-spatial memories, reduced oxidative stress of lipid peroxide, and DNA oxidation. RNP^N treatment increased the percent inhibition of superoxide anion and glutathione peroxidase activity, neuronal densities in the cortex and hippocampus, decreased Aβ(1-40), Aβ(1-42) and gamma (γ)-secretase levels, and reduced Aβ plaque observed using immunohistochemistry analysis and thioflavin S staining. Our results suggest that RNP^N may be a promising candidate for AD therapy because of its antioxidant properties and reduction in Aβ aggregation, thereby suppressing its adverse side effect.

Apium graveolens is a food flavoring which possesses various health promoting effects. This study investigates the effect of a sub-acute administration of A. graveolens on cognition and anti-depression behaviors via antioxidant and related neurotransmitter systems in mice brains. Cognition and depression was assessed by various models of behavior. The antioxidant system of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), % inhibition of superoxide anion (O₂ ⁻), and lipid peroxidation were studied. In addition, neurochemical parameters including acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and monoamine oxidase-type A (MAO-A) were also evaluated. Nine groups of male mice were fed for 30 days with different substances—a control, vehicle, A. graveolens extract (65–500 mg/kg), and reference drugs (donepezil and fluoxetine). The results indicated that the effect of the intake of A. graveolens extract (125–500 mg/kg) was similar to the reference drugs, as it improved both spatial and non-spatial memories. Moreover, there was a decrease in immobility time in both the forced swimming and tail suspension tests. In addition, the A. graveolens extract reduced lipid peroxidation of the brain and increased GPx activity and the % inhibition of O₂ ⁻, whereas the activities of AChE and MAO-A were decreased. Thus, our data have shown that the consumption of A. graveolens extract improved cognitive function and anti-depression activities as well as modulating the endogenous antioxidant and neurotransmitter systems in the brain, resulting in increased neuronal density. This result indicated an important role for A. graveolens extract in preventing age-associated decline in cognitive function associated with depression.

ObjectiveTo elucidate the anxiolytic and free radical scavenging effect of methanolic extract of Apium graveolens (A. graveolens) in adult C57BL/6 mice.MethodsSixty male mice were divided into 6 groups: control, vehicle, positive control and A. graveolens (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg). Different behavioral models of elevated plus maze, open field, light/dark, hole-board and pentobarbital-induced sleep were used to assess anxiety-like behavior. Biochemical parameters including monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) activity, lipid peroxidation, % inhibition of superoxide anion and glutathione peroxidase activity were measured. Histologic studies were also examined.ResultsMice receiving various doses of A. graveolens (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) showed an alleviation of anxiety-like behavior as evidenced by the battery of behavioral tests. Likewise, A. graveolens treatment was found to significantly decrease MAO-A activity, lipid peroxidation as well as cause a significant increase of % inhibition of superoxide anion and glutathione peroxidase activity in both cortex and striatum. The total number of survival neurons found in the frontal cortex and striatum was significantly higher than that of the vehicle-treated group.ConclusionsTaken together, we showed that A. graveolens improve the behavioral changes which might be related to the inhibition of free radicals and modulation of MAO-A activity resulting in an increased number of survival neurons. Our findings suggest the therapeutic potential of A. graveolens in the treatment of anxiety

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of an antioxidative nanoparticle (RNP^N) recently developed against APAP‐induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The effects of oral administration of RNP^Nto APAP‐treated mice were assessed for various biochemical liver function parameters: alanine transaminase (ALT) activity, aspartate transaminase (AST) activity, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, prothrombin time, and serum albumin (ALB) level. The treatment effects were assessed in terms of free radical parameters: malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, % inhibition of superoxide anion (), and histopathological examination. TheN‐acetylcysteine (NAC)‐treated group exhibited an enhanced prothrombin time relative to the control group, while RNP^Ndid not prolong prothrombin time. The RNP^N‐treated animals exhibited lower levels of ALT, AST, and ALP, while increased ALB levels were measured in these animals compared to those in the other groups. The RNP^N‐treated animals furthermore exhibited improved MDA levels, GPx activity, and % inhibition of , which relate to oxidative damage. Histological staining of liver tissues from RNP^N‐treated animals did not reveal any microscopic changes relative to the other groups. The findings of this study suggest that RNP^Npossesses effective hepatoprotective properties and does not exhibit the notable adverse effects associated with NAC treatment.