Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (BG), a medicinal mangrove, and its fruit (a food material) (BGF), have traditionally been used to treat diarrhea (also known as ulcerative colitis) in folk medicine. However, the mechanism of action against colitis remains ambiguous. This study aimed to investigate the potential efficacy and mechanism of BGF on experimental colitis. Colitis was induced by oral intake of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and treated with aqueous extract of BGF (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) for a week. The Disease Activity Index (DAI), colon length, and histological changes of colon were analyzed. The inflammatory and oxidative stress status was explored. The protein expression of Nrf2 and Keap1 in the colon was detected by Western blotting. The mRNA expression of Nrf2 downstream genes (GCLC, GCLM, HO-1 and NQO1) was determined by RT-PCR. Furthermore, the effect on intestinal flora was analyzed. Results indicated that BGF was rich in pinitol, and showed strong antioxidative activity in vitro. Compared with the DSS model, BGF effectively reduced the body weight loss and DAI, restored the colon length, repaired colonic pathological variations, and decreased the histological scores, which was superior to salicylazosulfapyridine (SASP) with smaller dosage. Moreover, BGF not only abated the levels of MDA and inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and IFN-γ), increased the level of IL-10, but also prevented the depletion of SOD and GSH. BGF upregulated the protein level of nuclear Nrf2 and mRNA levels of GCLC, GCLM, HO-1 and NQO1, while significantly inhibited the protein expression of Keap1 and cytosolic Nrf2. Besides, BGF promoted the growth of probiotics (Bifidobacterium, Anaerotruncus, and Lactobacillus) in the gut, and inhibited the colonization of pathogenic bacteria (Bacteroides and Streptococcus), which contributed to the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. BGF possessed protective effect against DSS-induced colitis. The potential mechanism of BGF may involve the amelioration of inflammatory and oxidative status, activation of Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway, and maintenance of micro-ecological balance of the host. This study provides experimental evidence for the traditional application of BGF in the treatment of diarrhea, and indicates that BGF may be a promising candidate against colitis.

Activity-guided isolation of the fermentation broth of the deep-sea derived fungus Acaromyces ingoldii FS121, which was obtained from the China South Sea, yielded a new naphtha-[2,3-b]pyrandione analogue, acaromycin A (1) and a new thiazole analogue, acaromyester A (2), as well as the known compound (+)-cryptosporin (3). Their structures, including absolute configurations, were determined by extensive spectroscopic analysis and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Compounds 1–3 were evaluated for in vitro growth inhibitory activities against four tumor cell lines (MCF-7, NCI-H460, SF-268 and HepG-2), wherein compounds 1 and 3 exhibited considerable growth inhibitory effects, with IC₅₀ values less than 10 µM.

Ulcerative colitis is a recrudescent intestinal inflammation coupled with diarrhea, weight loss, pus, and blood stool, which seriously impacts the quality of patient life. D-Pinitol, which can be a food supplement isolated from the food plant-like soybeans, Ceratonia siliqua Linn and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, has been proved to show anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the potential mechanism of D-pinitol still remains ill-defined contemporarily. In the current study, the therapeutic effect and potential mechanisms of D-pinitol against colitis were investigated. Oxidative stress and inflammation of experimental colitis were caused by 3% DSS treatment once daily for 7 days. During DSS treatment, the mice of the positive drug group and three other groups were orally administered SASP or D-pinitol once daily. Clinical symptoms were analyzed, and macroscopic scores were calculated. The levels of oxidative and inflammatory cytokines were measured using assay kits and RT-PCR. Additionally, the protein expression of the Nrf2/ARE pathway and PPAR-γ was measured by Western blot. Results showed that D-pinitol enormously alleviated DSS-induced bodyweight loss, colon shortening, and histological injuries, achieving a therapeutic efficacy superior to SASP. Moreover, the oxidative stress and colonic inflammatory response were mitigated. D-pinitol not only significantly activated the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway via facilitating the translocation of Nrf2 from sitoplazma to cytoblast, upregulating the protein expression levels of GCLC, GCLM, HO-1, and NQO1, but also improved the PPAR-γ level by binding to the active site of PPAR-γ, when suppressing NF-κB p65 and IκBα phosphorylation. In conclusion, D-pinitol exhibited a dramatic anti-colitis efficacy by activating the Nrf2/ARE pathway and PPAR-γ. Hence, D-pinitol may be a promising therapeutic drug against UC in the future.

Inflammation, a sophisticated and delicately balanced physiological mechanism, is paramount to the host’s immunological defense against pathogens. However, unfettered and excessive inflammation can be instrumental in engendering a plethora of chronic ailments and detrimental health repercussions, notably within the gastrointestinal tract. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from bacteria are potent endotoxins capable of instigating intestinal inflammation through the disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier and the stimulation of a pro-inflammatory immune response. In this study, we sought to investigate the influence of Litsea cubeba essential oil (LCEO) on LPS-induced intestinal inflammation and associated changes in the gut microbiota. We investigated the therapeutic potential of LCEO for gut health, with particular emphasis on its gut protective properties, anti-inflammatory properties and modulation of the gut microbiome. LCEO exhibited protective effects on colonic tissue by protecting crypts and maintaining epithelial integrity, and anti-inflammatory properties by reducing TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β levels in the liver and intestine. Citral, a major component of LCEO, showed robust binding to IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, exerting anti-inflammatory effects through hydrogen bonding interactions. Using community barplot and LEfSe analyses, we detected significant variation in microbial composition, identified discrete biomarkers, and highlighted the influence of essential oils on gut microbial communities. Our research suggests that LCEO may be a promising natural compound for ameliorating diarrhea and intestinal inflammation, with potential implications for modulating the gut microbiome. These observations provide invaluable insight into the potential therapeutic role of LCEO as a natural anti-inflammatory agent for treating intestinal inflammatory disorders, particularly in the setting of a dysregulated immune response and altered gut microbiota. Furthermore, our findings highlight the need to understand the complex interplay between the host, the gut microbiome and natural products in the context of inflammatory diseases.

Four new meroterpenoids, guignardones P–S (1–4), and three known analogues (5–7) were isolated from the endophytic fungal strain Guignardia mangiferae A348. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on SF-268, MCF-7, and NCI-H460 human cancer cell lines. Compounds 2 and 4 exhibited weak inhibitions of cell proliferation against MCF-7 cell line.