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Immunomodulatory activity of bamboo biosilica from Dendrocalamus longispathus Kurz. - Metabolomics integrated network
Amit Kar1, Sayan Biswas1, Barun Das Gupta2
1Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council, Dept of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, Imphal-795001, Manipur, India.
Background:
Bamboo has been used in traditional Asian medicine since ancient times. Silica is formed in the shoot internodes of various bamboo species. This bamboo-derived silica, referred to as bamboo biosilica or "banslochan" (in Sanskrit), possesses multiple health benefits. In Ayurveda, this has been described to have immunomodulatory properties and is a significant component of "Chywanprash", a well-known Ayurvedic formulation.
Objectives:
This study aims to validate the therapeutic claim of the immunomodulatory effect of bamboo biosilica by metabolite profiling-based network pharmacology approach and luciferase reporter gene assay to elucidate the probable mechanism of action.
Methods:
Bamboo biosilica from internodes of Dendrocalamus longispathus Kurz. was collected from Aibawk region of Mizoram and subjected to various physicochemical tests. Hydroalcoholic extraction of bamboo biosilica and commercial food-grade silica was carried out, and different qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analyses were conducted. In-vitro, cytotoxicity of the biosilica was assessed in RAW 264.7 (murine macrophage) cells, followed by an immunomodulatory assay. The metabolite profiling-based network pharmacology of the bamboo biosilica hydroalcoholic extract was carried out to establish the probable mechanism of action, disease association and pathway analysis.
Results:
The results showed both bamboo biosilica hydroalcoholic extract exhibited significant immunostimulatory activity compared to commercial silica. UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS based characterization followed by network pharmacology approach confirmed the presence of flavones and acyclic monoterpenoids responsible for immunomodulatory potential via arachidonic acid metabolism, activation of NF-κβ, PI3K-Akt, and MAPK signaling pathway.
Conclusion:
This study provides the first comprehensive evidence of significant immunostimulatory effect of bamboo biosilica through multiple immune-metabolic pathways positioning it as a promising natural immunopotentiating agent.
