Introduction: Apigenin, a natural flavone, is widely distributed in plants such as celery, parsley and chamomile. It is present principally as glycosylated in nature. Higher intake of apigenin could reduce the risk of chronic diseases. It has gained particular interest in recent years as a beneficial, health-promoting agent with low intrinsic toxicity. Areas covered: This review summarizes and the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) properties of apigenin, and drug-drug interaction of apigenin. Expert opinion: Since apigenin is a bioactive plant flavone and is widely distributed in common food, its consumption through the diet is recommended. Apigenin-enriched drugs are better for some chronic diseases, but may affect animal and human health if present in the daily diet. Dietary or therapeutic apigenin has value as a good cellular regulator in cancer, especially cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Due to apigenin’s limitations on absorption and bioavailability, novel carriers would need to be developed to enhance the oral bioavailability of apigenin. Further research about its ADME properties and drug-drug interactions are needed before apigenin can be brought to clinical trials.

A comparative study of anti-aging properties and mechanism: resveratrol and caloric restriction A comparative study of anti-aging properties and mechanism: resveratrol and caloric restriction

Background: Weight loss by lifestyle modification is the cornerstone therapy of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Intermittent fasting has shown favorable effects on body weight (BW) and relevant indicators of NAFLD in several reports.Objective: To estimate the effects of intermittent fasting on adults with NAFLD.Materials and methods: Literature searches were conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to May 10, 2021.Results: A total of six studies involving 417 patients with NAFLD were included. In the meta-analysis, there were significant differences in BW, body mass index (BMI), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) between the control and fasting group. Up to now, there is no significant difference in triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and other metabolic parameters between the two groups.Conclusions: Intermittent fasting is beneficial for weight management and liver enzyme improvement, but long-term feasibility and safety of intermittent fasting should be conducted in further studies.

The antiviral activity of total flavonoid extracts from Selaginella moellendorffii Hieron and its main constituents amentoflavone were investigated against coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3). When added during or after viral infection, the extracts and amentoflavone prevented the cytopathic effect (CPE) of CVB3, as demonstrated in a 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) from 19 ± 1.6 to 41 ± 1.2 μg/mL and 25 ± 1.2 to 52 ± 0.8 μg/mL, respectively. KM mice were used as animal models to test the extracts′ activity in vivo. Oral administration of the total flavonoid extracts at 300 mg/kg/day significantly reduced mean viral titers in the heart and kidneys as well as mortality after infection for 15 days. The experimental results demonstrate that in vitro and in vivo the model mice infected with CVB3 can be effectively treated by the total flavonoid extracts from Selaginella moellendorffii Hieron.

Background: Activation of nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays a crucial role in gout. Selaginella moellendorffii has been confirmed effective for the treatment of gout in hospital preparations. Flavonoids, such as amentoflavone (AM), are the main active components of this medicine.Purpose: We aimed to investigate the flavonoid extract (TF) and AM's effects on NLRP3 inflammasome in vitro and their preventive effects on gout in vivo.Methods: LC-MS method was employed to investigate the chemical profile of TF. The cellular inflammation model was established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or monosodium urate (MSU) stimulation. The cell membrane integrality and morphological characteristics were determined by using Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay kits, propidium iodide (PI) stain, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The inflammatory cytokines and NLRP3 inflammasome activation were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunofluorescence staining, and western blotting. The acute gout mouse model was induced by MSU injection into footpads, and then the paw edema, inflammatory mediators, and histological examination (HE) were analyzed.Results: The main constituents in TF are AM and robustaflavone. In the cellular inflammation model, TF down-regulated the levels of nitric oxide (NO), TNF-α, and LDH, suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome-derived interleukin-1β (IL-1β) secretion, decreased caspase-1 activation, repressed mature IL-1β expression, inhibited ASC speck formation and NLRP3 protein expression. In an acute gout mouse model, oral administration of TF to mice effectively alleviated paw edema, reduced inflammatory features, and decreased the levels of IL-1β in mouse foot tissue. Similarly, the characteristic constituent AM was also able to down-regulated the levels of NO, TNF-α, and LDH, down-regulate the mRNA expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, caspase-1, and NLRP3. Besides, the foot thickness, lymphocyte infiltration, and IL-1β level were also prevented by AM.Conclusion: The results indicated that TF and its main constituent AM alleviate gout arthritis via NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1 axis suppression.