Friday Hope: TCM: Schisandra chinensis: Anti-inflammatory, Anti-oxidative, Alleviates LPS-Induced Lung Injury

A tamer of the cytokine storm, the Five Flavor Fruit offers a cornucopia of therapeutic benefits beyond just Acute COVID.

SSH significantly inhibited NF-κB signaling pathway activation.

THP-1/NF-κB cells were treated with PMA (50 ng/mL) for 36 h to convert them into macrophages and treated with LPS (100 ng/mL) for the indicated times, followed by treatment with the indicated concentrations of SSH. (a) Two-dimensional structure of SSH. (b) Effect of SSH on the proliferation of THP-1 macrophages. (c) Assay of NF-кB transcriptional activity using a luciferase chemiluminescence signal. Values are means ± standard deviation of three independent experiments. **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. Ctrl, control; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; NF-κB, nuclear factor-κB; PMA, phorbol myristate acetate; SSH, Schisanhenol; THP-1, Human myeloid leukemia mononuclear cell.

As I continue to research safe, effective and natural therapeutics to treat COVID and Spike Protein-related pathologies and injuries, I am unceasingly amazed at the embarrassment of riches which Nature provides. The Five Flavor Fruit of Traditional Chinese Medicine is not only a great attenuator of the COVID cytokine storm, it is also beneficial in treating and preventing many conditions and diseases related to – yes – aging.

The Five Flavor Fruit is known scientifically as Schisandra chinensis (SC).  Here is a brief primer:

Schisandra chinensis is a perennial, deciduous woody vine plant found at high latitudes and in cool climatic conditions. It commonly grows in natural coniferous or mixed forests or along streams and climbs up other trees or shrubs to reach optimal light conditions. In Russia, Schisandra chinensis is also called Limonnik or Maximowich's red grape. The name Limonnik comes from the lemony smell of different plant organs, especially the leaves. The prostrate woody stems usually grow 8–9 metres (26–30 ft) tall, but can reach a length of up to 25m. They are dark brown in colour and can reach 1.5–2 cm in thickness.

New shoots are typically short, but they continue their growth after flowering until late in the season. The leaves are simple, oval-shaped (5–11 cm long and 3–7 cm wide) and alternating and the petioles have a slight red colouring. Multicellular trichomes are located on the abaxial leaf lamina. Stomata show a irregular, random distribution.

The roots of Schisandra chinensis are branched and stay close to the soil surface. Nodes located on the stems can also produce roots.

Schisandra chinensis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schisandra_chinensis

Those with Acute COVID infection would seem to benefit from treatment with SC, at least a murine study strongly suggests so.

The fruit extract of Schisandra chinensis is an active ingredient extracted from the saffron Schisandra plant of the Magnolia family. Schisandra chinensis fruit extract lignan is an important secondary metabolite with a wide range of pharmacological effects. This study showed that SSH reduced inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, regulated inflammation-related signaling pathways such as the NF-κB signaling pathway, and affected the production and action of inflammatory cytokines.

SSH significantly inhibited NF-κB pathway activity and suppressed macrophage and systemic inflammatory responses in mice. SSH also effectively alleviated lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury. The network pharmacology results showed that estimated glomerular filtration rate, matrix metalloproteinase 9, proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Src, and mammalian target of rapamycin are potential key target proteins of SSH.

Schisanhenol: A Potential Drug for the Treatment of Cytokine Storm
https://www.xiahepublishing.com/2472-0712/ERHM-2023-00054

And, in 2023, further evidence was found.

Clinical evidences have revealed that the innate immune response plays crucial role in driving the COVID-19 pathology (Jalloh et al., 2022). The overreactive immune system releases inflammatory cytokines (such as IL-6 and CCL2) which can result in lung damage and multiple organ failure (Hsu et al., 2022). Thus, modulating and alleviating the immune response can be a vital strategy to fight COVID-19 (You et al., 2022). Extensive studies have demonstrated that schisandra lignans possess a wide range of bioactivities, including antiviral, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities (Li et al., 2022; Szopa et al., 2017; Yang et al., 2022). Macrophages are important innate immune cells that contribute to host defense (Gauthier and Chen, 2022). Here, we used a classical macrophage model of PMA-induced THP1 cells to further assess the anti-inflammatory effects of compounds 63, 64, and 65 in vitro. PMA-induced THP1 were simulated by LPS for 24 h to induce gene overexpression of IL6 and CCL2. As shown in Fig. 3 , gene expressions of IL6 and CCL2 were significantly increased after LPS induction. Compounds 63, 64, and 65 (10 μM) treatment resulted in a significant decrease in IL-6 expression. Furthermore, the expression of CCL2 was markedly decreased by compound 63. These results suggest that compounds 63, 64, and 65 possess good anti-inflammatory effects, and could down-regulate inflammatory cytokines.

Effects of diarylbutane lignans from Schisandra chinensis fruit on SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and PLpro and their in vitro anti-inflammatory properties
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10005971/

Furthermore, Schisandra chinensis also appears to be extremely beneficial in treating and preventing most diseases of aging.

S. chinensis contains a variety of bioactive ingredients including rich amount of natural plant nutrients, that provide a variety of nutritional and therapeutic benefits. S. chinensis primarily exerts its effects on antioxidation. Antioxidative process involves the removal of excess ROS in the body in order to prevent oxidative stress from damaging cells and secondary apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. ROS are closely associated with aging and the progression of various diseases, including cancer (8, 26, 81, 126). The antioxidant is therefore one of the most important research and development directions in the health category, as well as one of the most important functional demands on the market. Polyphenols, also known as “the seventh category of nutrients,” are composed primarily of flavonoids, phenolic acids, and anthocyanins, which are responsible for the antioxidant function of S. chinensis. Polyphenols are often used as a dietary ingredient and nutritional supplement in the manufacture of foods that are considered as functional foods. Polyphenols are abundant in S. chinensis leaves, thus fully extracting polyphenol compounds from S. chinensis leaves will increase the beneficial for improving the utilization value of the plant. In addition to polyphenols, various components of Schisandra lignans, such as schisandrol A, schisandrin A, B and C, gomisin D, schisandrol B, schisanterin A, schisanterin C, kadsuranin, and kadlongilactone F, and gomisin L1, as well as organic acids and polysaccharides, all exhibit strong antioxidant effects and are closely associated with anti-inflammatory effects. Due to the above-mentioned efficacy, S. chinensis represents an excellent antioxidant with broad application potential. The bioactive nutrients in S. chinensis can help prevent, manage, and treat neurological conditions. A major role of S. chinensis is to function as antidepressant, an anti-anxiety, sedative and hypnotic agent, to improve learning and memory, and to improve cognitive dysfunction by regulating the relevant signal pathways in the hippocampus. A variety of active ingredients, including schisandrin A, B and C, schisanterin A, gomisin A, triterpenoids, and water-soluble polysaccharide (SSPW1), are also capable of improving a variety of metabolic diseases, including NAFLD, alcoholic liver disease, obesity, diabetes and related complications, through their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis. In addition, organic acids, one of the S. chinensis extracts, are the natural food preservative that maintain the nutrients and appearance of fruits and vegetables. As natural antibacterial agents, organic acids, quercetin, schisandrin A, B and C, mannose, galactose, arabinose and glucose are also beneficial to boost immunity. While cyanidin 3-Rutinoside has the potential as a therapeutic agent for allergic diseases.

An analysis of the nutritional effects of Schisandra chinensis components based on mass spectrometry technology
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1227027/full

Once again, Nature fills me with awe and wonder. It also appears to be well tolerated. Please remember that the above is a work of medical research and not medical advice Please consult your Primary Care Provider before using any supplement or medicine.

It is now a beautiful Friday afternoon here in Northern Vermont. I wish you all an equally beautiful Friday afternoon and weekend. Thank you. Immensely. For your readership, support and dialog.