Although numerous studies highlight the health benefits of tea, excessive consumption has been linked to toxic conditions. Thus, understanding the optimal consumption of tea is essential to minimize toxicity while maximizing its benefits. In this study, we investigated the effects of eight green tea samples (G1-G8) and eight black tea samples (R1-R8) from Camellia sinensis, the most popular teas in Asian culture, on RSC96 Schwann neural cells and embryonic cardiomyocyte H9c2 cells. The results showed that the IC₅₀ (mg/ml, weight/volume) of both tea types were inversely proportional to their polyphenol content, suggesting a relationship between toxicity and polyphenol levels in both green and black tea. Interestingly, green teas generally have higher polyphenol content than black teas. We also assessed the protective effects of tea in vitro by pretreating cells with the teas at indicated doses of polyphenol and subsequently exposing them to H₂O₂. Both tea types significantly reduced the decline in cell viability for both cell lines, and there was no significant difference in protective polyphenol concentrations for green (G3 & G7) and black (R3 & R8) teas at effective concentrations (EC20 and EC40). To evaluate the preventative effects of tea in vivo, we examined the impact of two green (G3 & G7) and two black (R3 & R8) teas with varying polyphenol content on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced inflammatory colitis in mice. Tea-treated groups exhibited significantly lower inflammatory scores (DAI) than the control group. DSS treatment in the control group led to shortened colorectal lengths in mice, while tea co-treatment partially prevented this loss. Histological analysis revealed that G7 and R3 (with a moderate polyphenol content) treatment improved colorectal crypt structure, decreased the severity of inflammatory ulcerative colitis, and significantly reduced histological scores compared to the control group. However, G3 and R8 (with high and low doses of polyphenol content, respectively) did not show these effects, suggesting that a moderate polyphenol level in both tea types is optimal for preventative benefits.

Treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has exhibited a poor overall survival rate of only six to ten months, and the urgency of the development of more effective novel agents is ever present. In this line of research, we aimed to investigate the effects and inhibitive mechanisms of aqueous Ocimum gratissimum leaf extract (OGE), the extract of Ocimum gratissimum, which is commonly used as a therapeutic herb for its numerous pharmacological properties, on malignant HCC cells. Our results showed that OGE decreased the cell viability of HCC SK-Hep1 and HA22T cells in a dose-dependent manner (from 400 to 800 µg/mL), while there is little effect on Chang liver cells. Moreover, cell-cycle analysis shows increased Sub-G1 cell count in SK-Hep1 and HA22T cells which is not observed in Chang liver cells. These findings raise suspicion that the OGE-induced cell death may be mediated through proteins that regulate cell cycle and apoptosis in SK-Hep1 and HA22T cells, and further experimentation revealed that OGE treatment resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in caspase 3 and PARP expressions and in CDK4and p-ERK1/2expressions. Moreover, animal tests also exhibited decreased HCC tumor growth by OGE treatment. We therefore suggest that the inhibition of cell viability and tumor growth induced by OGE may be correlated to the alteration of apoptosis-related proteins.

Ultraviolet C (UVC) has been applied to treatment of infections in wounds for at least the last two decades, however, cells being treated can be damaged if exposure is prolonged, which calls for protective measures, such as drug or herbal pre-treatment, to minimize damage. Ocimum gratissimum contains plant polyphenols such as isoflavones and caffeic acid, which have antioxidant effects. We hypothesize that Ocimum gratissimum aqueous extracts (OGE) can inhibit UVC-induced oxidative damage on skin cells. In this study, HaCaT skin cells are used to test the protective effects of OGE on cell proliferation and migration after exposure to UVC radiation. Pretreatment with OGE (50~150μg/mL) before 40 J/m² UVC exposure was able to restore survival from 32.25% to between 46.77% and 68.00%, and 80 J/m² UVC exposure from 11.49% to between 19.07% and 43.04%. Morphological observation of primarily apoptotic cell death confirms the above findings. The flow cytometry analysis revealed that UVC increased the number of cells at the sub-G1 phase in a dose dependent manner, and when pre-treated with OGE the changes were partially reversed. Moreover, the wound healing test for observing migration showed that UVC 40-80 J/m² decreased cell migration to 47-28% activity and 100 μg/mL OGE was able to restore cell activity to81-69% at day 3. Based on the above results, we suggest that OGE has a protective effect on UVC-induced inhibition of cell proliferation and migration of skin cells and thus has potential application in wound care.

Our previous studies have shown that the plasminogen activator (PA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) proteinase systems were highly expressed in highly malignant liver cancer cells and regulated by PKCα. This study investigates whether the PKCα regulation of PA and MMPs systems is conducted through p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling and the pathway is responsible for promoting cell progression. We found that the expressions of p38 MAPK in both highly malignant HA22T/VGH and SK‐Hep‐1 liver cancer cells were higher than that in other lower malignancy liver cancer cells. Since PKCα activates p38 MAPK in progression of liver cancer, we suspected the PKCα/p38 MAPK signaling pathway to be involved in the regulation of MMPs and PA systems. When SK‐Hep‐1 cells were treated with SB203580 or DN‐p38, only MMP‐1 and u‐PA mRNA expressions decreased. The p38 MAPK inhibition also decreased the cell migration and invasion. In addition, the mRNA decay assays showed that the higher expressions of MMP‐1 and u‐PA mRNA in SK‐Hep‐1 cells were due to the alteration of mRNA stability by p38 MAPK inhibition. Zymography of SK‐Hep‐1 cells treated with siPKCα vector also showed the decrease of the activity of MMP‐1 and u‐PA and confirmed changes in mRNA level. Furthermore, only the transfection of MKK6 to the siPKCα‐treated SK‐Hep‐1 stable clone cell restored the attenuation of MMP‐1 and u‐PA expressions. The treatment of SK‐Hep‐1 cells with either inhibitor of MMP‐1 or u‐PA reduced migration, and the reduction was enhanced with both inhibitors. In addition, tumorigenesis was also reduced with both inhibitors. These data suggest a novel finding that MMP‐1 and u‐PA are critical components in PKCα/MKK6/p38 MAPK signaling pathway which mediates liver cancer cell progression, and that the targeting of both genes may be a viable approach in liver cancer treatment.

Ocimum gratissimum (OG) was found to have immunity boosting effect on Taiwan country chickens and broiler chickens raised in moderate ambient temperature in previous studies, and the current study investigates its potential on the growth performance, blood traits, intestinal traits, and immune responses in Ross 308 broilers raised in high ambient temperature which can induce mild heat-stress (26-33˚C, average 30˚C). Two hundred one day-old male/female chicks were randomly assigned to a control group, three OG (1 g/kg, 3 g/kg, and 5 g/kg)/basal diet groups, and one Amoxicillin group. Data collected during the experiment indicated that the weight gain increase of 1742 g/bird to 1815 g/bird comparing control to 5 g/kg OG supplementation was statistically significant. In addition, the production efficiency factor (PEF) was also noticeably increased by OG, particularly in the 5 g/kg group, and the uric acid levels were decreased in the 3 g/kg and 5 g/kg OG groups (from 4.26 mg/dL to 2.91 mg/dL and 2.90 mg/dL, respectively), indicating heat-stress alleviation was observed. Several areas of the carcass saw desirable growth changes, including the increase of breast muscle ratio observed in the 5 g/kg OG group, an overall decrease in abdominal fat in all OG groups, as well as dimensional changes in several areas of the digestive system. Lastly, the hemaglutination, hemaglutination inhibition, and phytohemaglutinin tests indicated elevated immuno-response in all OG groups. In conclusion, OG has exhibited the ability to alleviate symptoms of mild heat-stress, leading to improvement of the digestive organ development and increase of carcass mass and mean weight gain for birds, and we find OG to be a potentially beneficial feed supplement for poultry raising in high-ambient temperature conditions.

BACKGROUND: Physical therapy treatment has gradually become important in hospitals. This paper focused on elbow joint rehabilitation, as this form of rehabilitation is used most often. Moreover, most elbow joint rehabilitation programs could be conducted at home without going to a medical institution, which will economize medical manpower. OBJECTIVE: How to judge the correct rehabilitation motion becomes an issue for elbow joint rehabilitation at home. Therefore, this study proposed a residential elbow joint rehabilitation system (REJRS) by smartphone with a cloud database to address these issues. METHODS: REJRS has the ability to judge the correct motions and times of rehabilitation in real time. When the rehabilitation motions are incorrect, the number of rehabilitation repetitions is insufficient, or a timed rehabilitation session is insufficient, the patient will receive a warning text and light alert by REJRS. Then, the data of rehabilitation sessions are uploaded to the cloud database immediately. RESULTS: Patients can query their rehabilitation data at all times. Moreover, medical staff can track the status of each patient’s rehabilitation at any time and any place by downloading the data from the cloud database via the Internet. In our experimental results, the rate for detecting the correct elbow joint rehabilitation motion was up to 90%. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that REJRS could be applied for residential elbow joint rehabilitation. In the future, REJRS will be verified by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for application to clinical treatment.