Acanthopanax henryi (Oliv.) Harms (Araliaceae), also known as Eleutherococcus henryi and Caoyewujia (Hengliwujia) in Chinese, is a widely used traditional Chinese herb with the effects of expelling wind and removing dampness, relaxing the muscles and stimulating the blood circulation, and regulating the flow of qi to alleviate pain in the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acanthopanax henryi (AH, thereafter) possesses ginseng-like activities and is known as ginseng-like herb. In the past decade, a great number of phytochemical and pharmacological studies on AH have been carried out. Several kinds of chemical compositions have been reported, including terpenoids (monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, and triterpenoid saponins), phenylpropanoids, caffeoyl quinic acid derivatives, flavonoids, lignans, sterols, fatty acids, etc., among which, triterpenoid saponins were considered to be the most active components. Considerable pharmacological experiments in vitro have demonstrated that AH possessed anti-neuroinflammatory, anti-adipogenic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-cancer, anti-oxidation, anti-AChE, anti-BuChE, and antihyaluronidase activities. The present review is an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of the botany, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of AH.

The traditional herb Eleutherococcus henryi Oliv. is commonly used to treat inflammatory conditions including rheumatism, arthritis, and hepatitis, as well as mental fatigue and amnesia, according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory. Savinin is a natural lignan obtained from the roots of E. henryi. The present study was undertaken to determine whether savinin can relieve LPS-induced neuroinflammation and if so, what the mechanism is. Groups of male C57BL/6 mice were administered savinin (5, 10, 20 mg/kg) and DEX (10 mg/kg) by gavage once daily for a continuous 7 days. On the 5th day of continuous pre-administration, LPS (2.5 mg/kg) was injected into the lateral ventricles of the mice for modeling 48 h. We found that treatment with savinin decreased the levels of neuroinflammatory cytokines and histopathological alterations dramatically. Consequently, it improved the LPS-induced neuroinflammatory response in mice. Furthermore, savinin inhibited the up-regulated expression of related proteins in the activated MAPK/NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathways caused by LPS. Docking studies demonstrated the binding of savinin to three receptors (MAPK, NF-κB and NLRP3) using a well-fitting mode. These findings suggest that savinin may suppress neuroinflammation induced by LPS in vivo via modulating MAPK/NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling pathways.

Antioxidant activity and flavonoid content are important characteristics of colored rice grains. Previously, we obtained a preliminary understanding of the metabolic markers of antioxidant activity, namely, phlorizin and trilobatin, in different colored rice varieties and purple rice grains at different growth stages, but the mechanisms associated with these markers have not yet been confirmed. In this study, purple rice was selected as the experimental material, and clover extract was applied during the grain-filling stage to explore the impact of clover extract on the total antioxidant capacity and flavonoid biosynthesis in purple rice grains. The results indicated that the total flavonoid content, total phenolic content, oligomeric proanthocyanidin content, and total antioxidant capacity of purple rice grains treated with an exogenous application of trilobatin (T30) were significantly greater than those of the control (CK). The flavonoids in the T30 and CK groups accounted for 29.81% of the total flavonoids. The phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and flavonoid biosynthesis metabolic pathways were constructed on the basis of the differentially abundant metabolites between the T30 and CK groups. Additionally, 1-O-sinapoyl-beta-D-glucose, coniferaldehyde, 6″-acetylapiin, and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside were determined to be essential metabolites for trilobatin-mediated flavonoid biosynthesis in purple rice. The correlation network diagram between biochemical indexes and metabolites revealed that 1-O-sinapoyl-beta-D-glucose, coniferaldehyde, 6″-acetylapiin, and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside were important metabolites. This study provides a scientific basis for improving the nutritional quality of rice grains and understanding the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway.