Korean ginseng is a well-known medicinal herb that has been widely used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases, including asthma. Ginseng can be classified as white ginseng (WG) or red ginseng (RG), according to processing conditions. In this study, the authors compared the efficacies of these two ginseng types in a mouse model of acute asthma. To produce the acute asthma model, BALB/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminum hydroxide, and then challenged with OVA. WG and RG extracts were administered to mice orally. The influences of WG and RG on airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), immune cell distributions in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), IgG1, and IgG2a in serum were investigated. Cytokine production by lymphocytes isolated from peribronchial lymph nodes and histopathological changes was also examined. In OVA-sensitized mice, both WG and RG reduced AHR and suppressed immune cell infiltration in bronchoalveolar regions. BALF OVA-specific IgE levels were significantly lower in RG-treated OVA-sensitized mice than in the OVA-sensitized control group. WG and RG also suppressed inflammatory cytokine production by peribronchial lymphocytes. Histopathological findings showed reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and airway remodeling (e.g., epithelial hyperplasia) in WG- and RG-treated OVA mice compared with OVA controls. In this study, WG and RG showed antiasthmatic effects in an OVA-sensitized mouse model, and the efficacies of RG were found to be better than those of WG.

BACKGROUND: The current management of patients with stroke with intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy is effective only when it is timely performed on an appropriately selected but minor fraction of patients. The development of novel adjunctive therapy is highly desired to reduce morbidity and mortality with stroke. Since endothelial dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of stroke and is featured with suppressed endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) with concomitant nitric oxide deficiency, restoring endothelial nitric oxide represents a promising approach to treating stroke injury. METHODS: This is a preclinical proof-of-concept study to determine the therapeutic effect of transcranial treatment with a low-power near-infrared laser in a mouse model of ischemic stroke. The laser treatment was performed before the middle cerebral artery occlusion with a filament. To determine the involvement of eNOS phosphorylation, unphosphorylatable eNOS S1176A knock-in mice were used. Each measurement was analyzed by a 2-way ANOVA to assess the effect of the treatment on cerebral blood flow with laser Doppler flowmetry, eNOS phosphorylation by immunoblot analysis, and stroke outcomes by infarct volumes and neurological deficits. RESULTS: Pretreatment with a 1064-nm laser at an irradiance of 50 mW/cm ² improved cerebral blood flow, eNOS phosphorylation, and stroke outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Near-infrared II photobiomodulation could offer a noninvasive and low-risk adjunctive therapy for stroke injury. This new modality using a physical parameter merits further consideration to develop innovative therapies to prevent and treat a wide array of cardiovascular diseases.

Background: An aqueous extract of multi-hypoglycemic herbs of Panax ginseng C.A.Meyer, Pueraria lobata, Dioscorea batatas Decaisne, Rehmannia glutinosa, Amomum cadamomum Linné, Poncirus fructus and Evodia officinalis was investigated for its anti-diabetic effects in cell and animal models. Methods: Activities of PPARγ agonist, anti-inflammation, AMPK activator and anti-ER stress were measured in cell models and in db/db mice (a genetic animal model for type 2 diabetes). Results: While the extract stimulated PPARγ-dependent luciferase activity and activated AMPK in C2C12 cells, it inhibited TNF-α-stimulated IKKβ/NFkB signaling and attenuated ER stress in HepG2 cells. The db/db mice treated with the extract showed reduced fasting blood glucose and HbA_1c levels, improved postprandial glucose levels, enhanced insulin sensitivity and significantly decreased plasma free fatty acid, triglyceride and total cholesterol. Conclusion: The aqueous extract of these seven hypoglycemic herbs demonstrated many therapeutic effects for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in cell and animal models.

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (GR) is a traditional herbal medicine widely used in Asian countries. GR was the most frequently used medicine among stroke patients in Donguibogam, the most representative book in Korean medicine. In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of the GR methanolic extract (GRex) on an ischemic stroke mice model. Ischemic stroke was induced by a 90 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and GRex was administered to mice with oral gavage after reperfusion of MCA blood flow. The MCAO-induced edema and infarction volume was measured, and behavioral changes were evaluated by a novel object recognition test (NORT). Immunofluorescence stains and Western blotting identified underlying mechanisms of the protective effects of GRex. GRex post-treatment in mice with MCAO showed potent effects in reducing cerebral edema and infarction at 125 mg/kg but no effects when the dosage was much lower or higher than 125 mg/kg. GRex inhibited the decrease of spontaneous motor activity and novel object recognition functions. The neuroprotective effects of GRex on ischemic stroke were due to its regulation of inflammation-related neuronal cells, such as microglia and astrocytes.

Context: Ephedrae Herba (EH), the dried stems and leaves of Ephedra sinica Stapf., E. intermedia Schrenk et C. A. Mey., or E. equisetina Bge. (Ephedraceae [Ephedra]) is used to treat respiratory diseases. Recently, especially in the Republic of Korea, EH has also been used for weight reduction. Objective: We evaluated the effects and molecular targets of methanol EH extract (EHM) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic ICR mice. Materials and methods: EHM was orally administered (100 mg/kg body weight/day) for 3 weeks. We observed changes in body weight (BW), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein–cholesterol, and triglycerides to evaluate the physiological changes induced by HFD or EHM administration. To evaluate lipid peroxidation and liver toxicity, malondialdehyde and blood alanine aminotransferase levels were measured. In addition to analyzing liver gene expression profiles, EHM target proteins were identified using a protein interaction database. Results: EHM administration for 3 weeks significantly (p < 0.05) decreased TC and triglyceride levels without altering BW in mice, and gene expression levels in the livers of EHM-treated mice were restored at 34.0% and 48.4% of those up- or down-regulated by hyperlipidaemia, respectively. Proteins related to DNA repair and energy metabolism were identified via protein interaction network analysis as molecular targets of EHM that play key roles in ameliorating hyperlipidaemia. Discussion and conclusions: EHM regulated hyperlipidaemia by decreasing total blood lipid and triglyceride levels in hyperlipidaemic mice. EHM showed preventive effects against hyperlipidaemia in mice, possibly via the regulation of DNA repair and the expression of energy metabolism-related genes and proteins.