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Updated: Jun 28, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Antidiarrheal Research with the Drosophila Model
Published on: November 17, 2023
Orostachys malacophylla (pall.) fisch extracts alleviate intestinal inflammation in Drosophila
Hyonil Kim1, Hongmei Xue2, Xiao Li3
1College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China; College of Life Science, Kim Il Sung University, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Ethnopharmacological Relevance:
Orostachys malacophylla (Pall.) Fisch (O. malacophylla) is a succulent herbaceous plant that is the Orostachys genus of Crassulaceae family. O. malacophylla has been widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-febrile, antidote, anti-Toxoplasma gondii properties. However, the biological function of alleviating intestinal inflammation and key bioactive compounds were still unknown.
Aim Of The Study:
We used a Drosophila model to study the protective effects and bioactive compounds of O. malacophylla water extract (OMWE) and butanol extract (OMBE) on intestinal inflammation.
Materials And Methods:
Drosophila intestinal inflammation was induced by oral invasion of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) or Erwinia carotovora carotovora 15 (Ecc15). We revealed the protective effects of two extracts by determining intestinal reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) levels and intestinal integrity, and using network pharmacology analysis to identify bioactive compounds.
Results:
We demonstrated that both OMWE and OMBE could ameliorate the detrimental effects of DSS, including a decreased survival rate, elevated ROS levels, increased cell death, excessive proliferation of ISCs, acid-base imbalance, and disruption of intestinal integrity. Moreover, the overabundance of lipid droplets (LDs) and AMPs by Ecc15 infection is mitigated by these extracts, thereby enhancing the flies' resistance to adverse stimuli. In addition, we used widely targeted metabolomics and network pharmacology analysis to identify bioactive compounds associated with IBD healing that are present in OMWE and OMBE.
Conclusions:
In summary, our research indicates that OMWE and OMBE significantly mitigate intestinal inflammation and have the potential to be effective therapeutic agents for IBD in humans.
