Volume 17, August 2015, Pages 283–292
Short communications
- a Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
- b Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
- c Department of Diabetes, Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, 50588 Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- d Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
- Received 8 January 2015, Revised 11 March 2015, Accepted 17 March 2015, Available online 11 June 2015
Highlights
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- Orally taken Gynostemma pentaphyllum acts as an anti-inflammatory in the urinary bladder.
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- Gynostemma pentaphyllum reduces IL-8 and IL-6 levels in bladder epithelial cells.
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- Gynostemma pentaphyllum modulates the expression of antimicrobial peptides.
Abstract
Gynostemma pentaphyllum
(GP) is a traditional Chinese medicine but is also consumed as tea by
healthy people for its many beneficial effects. The herb is known for
its anti-diabetic effect and immuno-modulatory properties. In patients
with diabetes, the incidence of infections, including urinary tract
infections, is increased and a common cause for antibiotic treatment. We
hypothesized that GP could exhibit a beneficial impact on innate
immunity in the urinary tract, thereby fighting such bacterial
infections. Our aim was therefore to investigate whether orally taken GP
would act on the urinary tract and modulate immune reactions in bladder
epithelial cells. The extract was analyzed by NMR and was found to
consist almost exclusively of a mixture of several saponins present in
different concentrations. Ex vivo infection experiments demonstrated that the pro-inflammatory response to Escherichia coli was attenuated in bladder tissue from diabetic rats receiving GP compared to diabetic animals without treatment. In vitro assays using uroepithelial cells challenged with E. coli
corroborated these results. Moreover, GP treatment modulated the
expression of antimicrobial peptides. With these properties, GP might be
a beneficial supplement for diabetic patients with history of urinary
tract infections.
Abbreviations
- GP, Gynostemma pentaphyllum;
- UTIs, urinary tract infections;
- GK, Goto-Kakizaki;
- CFU, colony forming units;
- NF, nuclear factor;
- IL, interleukin;
- HBD, human beta defensin;
- HSQC, heteronuclear single-quantum coherence spectroscopy;
- TOCSY, total correlation spectroscopy
Keywords
- Diabetes mellitus;
- Urinary tract infection;
- Innate immune response;
- Medicinal herb;
- Antimicrobial peptides
- Corresponding
author. Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Division
of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska
University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.:
+46 8 517 73914; fax: +46 8 308099.
- 1
- These authors contributed equally to the study.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
