Search Results (7)

Background/Objectives: Indigo naturalis (IN) is a traditional Chinese medicine concocted from medicinal plants such as Baphicacanthus cusia (Nees) Bremek. IN has multifaceted pharmacological activities. Recent research highlights the remarkable efficacy of IN in treating ulcerative colitis (UC). This study investigates the efficacy of Indigo Naturalis prepared using a novel method (NIN) in ameliorating UC. Methods: We have developed a new IN processing technology without the use of lime. Correspondingly, the content of active ingredients has relatively increased in NIN. In this study, dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS) induced UC models among male KM mice, and the protective effects of NIN on UC were verified. Results: NIN could significantly improve weight loss, diarrhea and prolapse, bloody stools, elevated Disease Activity Index (DAI) and alleviate the colitis symptoms of mice; it could also improve the shortening of colon, disappearance of intestinal crypts, epithelial cell destruction and inflammatory infiltration caused by UC; and it could also significantly reduce the Histological Index (HI). In addition, NIN relieved the inflammatory response by decreasing the content of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β and elevating the content of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-22. It also restored the intestinal mucosal barrier by increasing the level of MUC2 protein expression at the site of colonic injury. Conclusions: The significant effects of NIN on UC were verified for the first time, suggesting that NIN was worth further developing into a novel therapeutic drug and, necessarily, further safety evaluations and comparisons with traditional IN will help in the application of NIN. Full article

Herbal medicines are used by patients with IBD despite limited evidence. We present a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating treatment with herbal medicines in active ulcerative colitis (UC). A search query designed by a library informationist was used to identify potential articles for inclusion. Articles were screened and data were extracted by at least two investigators. Outcomes of interest included clinical response, clinical remission, endoscopic response, endoscopic remission, and safety. We identified 28 RCTs for 18 herbs. In pooled analyses, when compared with placebo, clinical response rates were significantly higher for Indigo naturalis (IN) (RR 3.70, 95% CI 1.97–6.95), but not for Curcuma longa (CL) (RR 1.60, 95% CI 0.99–2.58) or Andrographis paniculata (AP) (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.71–1.26). There was a significantly higher rate of clinical remission for CL (RR 2.58, 95% CI 1.18–5.63), but not for AP (RR 1.31, 95% CI 0.86–2.01). Higher rates of endoscopic response (RR 1.56, 95% CI 1.08–2.26) and remission (RR 19.37, 95% CI 2.71–138.42) were significant for CL. CL has evidence supporting its use as an adjuvant therapy in active UC. Research with larger scale and well-designed RCTs, manufacturing regulations, and education are needed. Full article

Indigo naturalis, which is extracted from the leaves and branches of Baphicacanthus cusia (Nees) Bremek, has traditionally been used to treat psoriasis. The current study aimed to examine a new mechanism of the components of indigo naturalis, including indirubin, indigo, and tryptanthrin. The anti-psoriatic effects were assessed by the proliferation biomarkers (Ki67, K16), cell cycle progression, ROS production, and interleukin profiling (ICAM-1, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8) in IL-22-treated HaCaT cells. Among the components, indirubin significantly decreased intracellular ROS production and lowered the production of ICAM-1, TNF-α, and IL-6 in IL-22-treated HaCaT cells. Indirubin, indigo, and tryptanthrin could decrease the proportion of Ki67-positive cells, but only indirubin decreased the proportion of cells entering the S phase and suppressed the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E1 in IL-22-treated HaCaT cells. Indirubin significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of STAT3 and ERK. In vivo, IL-22 was intradermally injected into mouse ears for six days and topically treated with 0.1% or 1% indirubin. In the IL-22-injected mice, treatment with indirubin inhibited epidermal hyperplasia. Immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis demonstrated the downregulation of K16 expression in psoriatic lesions. These results suggest that indirubin, which is a major component of indigo naturalis, may have therapeutic potential in an IL-22-induced psoriasis model. Full article

Indigo naturalis (IN) is a traditional Chinese medicine, named Qing-Dai, which is extracted from indigo plants and has been used to treat patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in China and Japan. Though there are notable effects of IN on colitis, the mechanisms remain elusive. Regarding the significance of alterations of intestinal flora related to IBD and the poor water solubility of the blue IN powder, we predicted that the protective action of IN on colitis may occur through modifying gut microbiota. To investigate the relationships of IN, colitis, and gut microbiomes, a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mice colitis model was tested to explore the protective effects of IN on macroscopic colitis symptoms, the histopathological structure, inflammation cytokines, and gut microbiota, and their potential functions. Sulfasalazine (SASP) was used as the positive control. Firstly, because it was a mixture, the main chemical compositions of indigo and indirubin in IN were detected by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). The clinical activity score (CAS), hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining results, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results in this study showed that IN greatly improved the health conditions of the tested colitis mice, ameliorated the histopathological structure of the colon tissue, down-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines, and up-regulated anti-inflammatory cytokines. The results of 16S rDNA sequences analysis with the Illumina MiSeq platform showed that IN could modulate the balance of gut microbiota, especially by down-regulating the relative quantity of Turicibacter and up-regulating the relative quantity of Peptococcus. The therapeutic effect of IN may be closely related to the anaerobic gram-positive bacteria of Turicibacter and Peptococcus. The inferred metagenomes from 16S data using PICRUSt demonstrated that decreased metabolic genes, such as through biosynthesis of siderophore group nonribosomal peptides, non-homologous end-joining, and glycosphingolipid biosynthesis of lacto and neolacto series, may maintain microbiota homeostasis during inflammation from IN treatment in DSS-induced colitis. Full article

This research aimed to develop an FTIR-based method for rapid and low-cost integrated quality assessment of organic-inorganic composite herbs, which are kinds of herbs composed of both organic and inorganic active ingredients or matrix components. A two-step quality assessment route was designed and verified using the example of Indigo Naturalis (Qing Dai). First, the FTIR spectra were used as global chemical fingerprints to identify the true and fake samples. Next, the contents of the organic and inorganic marker components were estimated by FTIR quantification models to assess the quality of the true samples. Using the above approaches, all the 56 true samples and five fake samples of Indigo Naturalis could be identified correctly by the correlation threshold of the FTIR chemical fingerprints. Furthermore, the FTIR calibration models provided an accurate estimation of the contents of marker components with respect to HPLC and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The coefficients of determination (R²) for the independent validation of indigo, indirubin, and calcium were 0.977, 0.983, and 0.971, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean relative errors (MRE) for the independent validation of indigo, indirubin, and calcium were 2.2%, 2.4%, and 1.8%, respectively. In conclusion, this research shows the potential of FTIR spectroscopy for the rapid and integrated quality assessment of organic-inorganic composite herbs in both chemical fingerprints identification and marker components quantification. Full article

Indigo naturalis is effective in treating nail psoriasis coexisting with microorganism infections. This study examines the antimicrobial effects of indigo naturalis prepared from Strobilanthes formosanus Moore. Eight bacterial and seven fungal strains were assayed using the agar diffusion method to examine the effects of indigo naturalis and its bioactive compounds. The bioactive compounds of indigo naturalis were purified sequentially using GFC, TLC, and HPLC. Their structures were identified using mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. UPLC-MS/MS was applied to compare the metabolome profiles of indigo naturalis ethyl-acetate (EA) extract and its source plant, Strobilanthes formosanus Moore. The results of in vitro antimicrobial assays showed that indigo naturalis EA-extract significantly (≥1 mg/disc) inhibits Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermis and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)) and mildly inhibits non-dermatophytic onychomycosis pathogens (Aspergillus fumigates and Candida albicans), but has little effect on dermatophyes. Isatin and tryptanthrin were identified as the bioactive compounds of indigo naturalis using S. aureus and S. epidermis as the bioassay model. Both bioactive ingredients had no effect on all tested fungi. In summary, indigo naturalis prepared from Strobilanthes formosanus Moore exhibits antimicrobial effects on Staphylococcus and non-dermatophytic onychomycosis pathogens. Tryptanthrin and isatin may be its major bioactive ingredients against Staphylococcus and the inhibitory effect on MRSA may be due to other unidentified ingredients. Full article

The use of indigo naturalis to treat psoriasis has proved effective in our previous clinical studies. The present study was designed to examine the anti-inflammatory effect of indigo naturalis in primary cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Pretreatment of cells with indigo naturalis extract attenuated TNF-α-induced increase in Jurkat T cell adhesion to HUVECs as well as decreased the protein and messenger (m)RNA expression levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) on HUVECs. Indigo naturalis extract also inhibited the protein expression of activator protein-1 (AP-1)/c-Jun, a critical transcription factor for the activation of VCAM-1 gene expression. Since the reduction of lymphocyte adhesion to vascular cells by indigo naturalis extract could subsequently reduce the inflammatory reactions caused by lymphocyte infiltration in the epidermal layer and help to improve psoriasis, this study provides a potential mechanism for the anti-inflammatory therapeutic effect of indigo naturalis extract in psoriasis. Full article