Search Results (16)

Background/Objectives: Muscle atrophy, defined by diminished muscle mass and function, is a notable concern associated with aging, disease, and glucocorticoid treatment. Pueraria montana var. lobata extract (PMLE) demonstrates multiple bioactive properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic regulatory activities; however, its role in muscle atrophy has not been extensively investigated to date. This study examined how PMLE influences both muscle cell differentiation and dexamethasone (DEX)-induced muscle degeneration by focusing on the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: This study examined the effects of PMLE on myogenic differentiation and DEX-induced muscle atrophy. C2C12 myoblasts were treated with PMLE (10–100 ng/mL) and assessed for changes in the expression of myogenesis-related genes and activation of Akt/mTOR and AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling cascades. In vivo, a DEX-induced muscle atrophy model was used to assess muscle mass, fiber morphology, and molecular changes. Results: PMLE PMLE promoted muscle cell development by increasing the expression of MyHC, MyoD, and myogenin while activating protein synthesis and mitochondrial biogenesis pathways. PMLE counteracted DEX-induced myotube atrophy, restoring myotube diameter and promoting cellular fusion in vitro. In vivo, PMLE mitigated muscle degradation in fast-twitch muscle groups and reversed DEX-induced suppression of key anabolic and mitochondrial pathways. Conclusions: These findings suggest that PMLE promotes myogenic differentiation and protects against muscle atrophy by regulating critical molecular pathways, indicating its promise as a treatment candidate for conditions involving muscle wasting. Further studies are required to assess its clinical application and long-term safety efficacy. Full article

Pueraria montana var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen & S.M.Almeida ex Sanjappa & Predeep (P. lobata) is a medicinal herb widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries, and studies have shown that P. lobata possesses significant anti-inflammatory pharmacological activities. In this paper, a total of 16 compounds were isolated and identified from P. lobata, among which compounds 1–3, 7, 14, and 16 were isolated from P. lobata for the first time. The results of an in vitro anti-inflammatory activity screening assay showed that compounds 1, 4, 6, 8, and 15 were able to significantly reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages, with the most obvious effect produced by compound 6 (formononetin), while formononetin was able to significantly reduce the number of macrophages at the site of inflammation in transgenic zebrafish. In addition, network pharmacological analysis revealed that the anti-inflammatory activity of formononetin is closely related to autophagy and polarization targets such as TNF, EGFR, PTGS2, and ESR1. In vitro validation experiments showed that formononetin could enhance the expression of LCII/LCI and reduce the expression of P62 protein, reduce the expression of CD86, and enhance the expression of CD206, which further indicated that formononetin could reduce inflammation by regulating macrophage autophagy and polarization processes. Full article

Kudzu, scientifically known as Pueraria montana var. lobata (Willd.) Maesen & S.M.Almeida ex Sanjappa & Predeep (P. lobata), is a perennial vine belonging to the family Leguminosae. Puerarin, a unique constituent and primary active ingredient of this genus, exhibits a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities. This study started with several practical questions: Why is the root the main medicinal part? Why is it not peeled for medicinal purposes? Why is the harvest period usually from December to February? Although the puerarin biosynthesis pathway has been investigated, the stage at which the 8-C glycosylation reaction occurs remains controversial. In this study, metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses were performed on P. lobata organs and tissues, including leaves, young stems, mature stems, tuberous cortices, and cortex-excised tubers of roots. Two modules containing genes associated with puerarin biosynthesis were identified by WGCNA. The final selection of important candidate UDP-glucosyltransferases (UGTs) that may be involved in the puerarin biosynthesis pathway included two 8-C-GTs, three 7-O-GTs, and key transcription factors. On this basis, the regulatory network of puerarin biosynthesis was constructed and laid the foundation for the cultivation of high-quality medicinal kudzu with high puerarin content. Full article

Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata), a plant native to Southeastern Asia, has become a major noxious weed covering millions of hectares in the Southern United States. A kudzu patch displaying virus-like symptoms located in Ackerman, northeastern Mississippi (MS), was used as a source for virus isolation and characterization involving mechanical and vector transmission, ultrastructural observation, surveys, Sanger and high-throughput genome sequencing, and sequence analyses. The results revealed the presence of a new potyvirus in infected kudzu, closely related to wisteria vein mosaic virus (WVMV) and provisionally named kudzu chlorotic ring blotch virus (KudCRBV). Genome features and pairwise comparison with six WVMV genomes currently available in GenBank and three additional isolates from MS sequenced in this work suggest that KudCRBV is likely a member of a new species in the genus Potyvirus. Furthermore, under experimental conditions, KudCRBV was successfully transmitted by cotton and potato aphids and mechanically to soybean and beans. A state-wide survey revealed several kudzu patches infected by the virus in northern MS. Full article

Pueraria montana var. lobata is native to East Asia, and was introduced to many countries due to its potential for multiple uses. This species escaped under the management conditions soon after its introduction, and became a harmful weed species. This species has been listed in the top 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species. P. montana stands expand quickly and threaten the native flora and fauna including microbiota. This species affects the concentration of carbon and nitrogen in soil and aquatic environments, and increases the amount of pollutants in the local atmosphere. Its infestation also causes serious economic losses on forestry and agriculture. Its characteristics of fast growth, thick canopy structure, enormous vegetative reproduction, and adaptative ability to the various environmental conditions may contribute to the invasiveness and naturalization of this species. The characteristics of P. montana regarding their defense functions against their natural enemies and pathogens, and allelopathy may also contribute to the invasiveness of this species. Potential allelochemicals such as xanthoxins, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, methyl caffeate and daidzein, and two isoflavones with anti-virus activity were identified in this species. In addition, fewer herbivore insects were found in the introduced ranges. These characteristics of P. montana may be involved in the invasive mechanisms of the species. This is the first review article focusing on the invasive mechanisms of this species. Full article

Increasing prospective phytochemical investigations and biological activities on Pueraria lobata and Trifolium pratense flowers exhibited their nutritional (food industry) pharmaceutical (anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, etc.) potentials. Previous studies paid great attention to the screening of isoflavones profile from phytochemicals. This study, in contrast, aimed at identifying the flavonoids from Pueraria lobata flowers or kudzu flower (KF) and Trifolium pratense flowers or red clover (RC) flowers and determining their cytotoxic activities on normal; (HEK-293) and cancer cell lines; human glioblastoma (A-172), osteosarcoma (HOS), embryonic rhabdomyosarcoma (Rd), lung carcinoma (A-549) and liver carcinoma (HepG2). The phytochemical screening using a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-Q-TOF/MS) showed that 15 flavonoids, including isoflavones, flavones, flavonols, and flavanones, were identified in KF and 8 flavonoids, including isoflavones and flavonols, were found in RC. Nevertheless, the majority of flavonoid chemical constituents in KF or RC were found to be isoflavones (66.6%) and (62.5%), respectively. HPLC-DAD analysis following eco-friendly extraction of phytochemicals showed that KF contains mainly daidzein and genistein, while RC contains primarily formononetin and biochanin A. Cytotoxic activities evaluated according to IC₅₀ values exhibited the most pronounced dose-dependent antiproliferative effect of KF and RC extracts were against HOS and Rd cancer cell lines, respectively. Accordingly, the morphological observation carried out using acridine orange/ethidium bromide and Giemsa stains revealed apoptotic activities and cell death in HOS and Rd cell lines when subjected to KF or RC extracts. Cytotoxic activities and apoptotic changes were pronounced among all cancer cell lines except for the control cells (HEK-293). Additionally, various polyphenols and flavonoids were identified and quantified in KF and RC extracts and exhibited potent radical scavenging activities. Overall, this study suggests that KF and RC could be valuable edible sources of flavonoids. The comprehensive flavonoid profiles for KF and RC may explain their remarkable biological activities and contribution to inducing antioxidant and cytotoxic activities against cancer cell lines. Full article

Kudzu (Pueraria montana [Lour.] Merr. var. lobata [Willd.] Maesen & S.M. Almeida ex Sanjappa & Predeep) is an invasive woody vine widespread throughout much of the southeastern United States. New occurrences and recent studies using climatic parameters suggest that the Midwestern region of the United States is at the greatest risk of kudzu invasion. As there are already multiple reports of kudzu within the Great Lakes basin and no previous landscape models exist specifically for the basin, we developed probability models from existing spatial data (forest type, geology, land cover, precipitation, temperature, and known kudzu locations) by using maximum entropy methods at the national, regional, and basin scales. All three models had relatively high accuracy and strong positive correlation between predicted and observed values. Based on evaluation of the models using a testing data set, we determined a presence threshold and categorized areas within each model as suitable or unsuitable habitat. We pooled the models and calculated mean habitat suitability within the Great Lakes basin. Much of the southern half of the basin was suitable for kudzu. Continuing management and further monitoring of kudzu spread are likely necessary to limit further introduction and mitigate spread of kudzu within the Great Lakes region. Full article

Hydrocolloids are naturally occurring polysaccharides or proteins, which are used to gelatinize, modify texture, and thicken food products, and are also utilized in edible films and drug capsule production. Moreover, several hydrocolloids are known to have a positive impact on human health, including prebiotics rich in bioactive compounds. In this paper, plant-derived hydrocolloids from arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea), kuzu (Pueraria montana var lobata), Sassafras tree (Sassafras albidum) leaves, sugarcane, acorn, and animal-derived gelatin have been reviewed. Hydrocolloid processing, utilization, physicochemical activities, composition, and health benefits have been described. The food industry generates waste such as plant parts, fibers, residue, scales, bones, fins, feathers, or skin, which are often discarded back into the environment, polluting it or into landfills, where they provide no use and generate transport and storage costs. Food industry waste frequently contains useful compounds, which can yield additional income if acquired, thus decreasing the environmental pollution. Despite conventional manufacturing, the aforementioned hydrocolloids can be recycled as byproducts, which not only minimizes waste, lowers transportation and storage expenses, and boosts revenue, but also enables the production of novel, functional, and healthy food additives for the food industry worldwide. Full article

Pueraria lobata and its variety P. lobata var. thomsonii are both traditional Chinese medicines that have high nutritional and medical value; whereas another variety, P. lobata var. montana has low nutritional and medicinal value and can cause ecological disasters. The material basis of different nutritional and medicinal values, which are caused by metabolite differences among these varieties, remains to be further clarified. Here, we performed ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based widely targeted metabolome analysis on Pueraria lobata, P. lobata var. thomsonii, and P. lobata var. montana. Among them, a total of 614 metabolites were identified, and distinguished from each other using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Our results suggest that the nutritional differences between P. lobata and its varieties can be explained by variations in the abundance of amino acids, nucleotides, saccharides, and lipids; differences in flavonoids, isoflavones, phenolic acids, organic acids, and coumarins contents caused the differences in the medicinal quality of P. lobata and its varieties. Additionally, the key metabolites responsible for the classification of the three Pueraria varieties were identified. This study provides new insights into the underlying metabolic causes of nutritional and medicinal variation in P. lobata and its varieties. Full article

The delayed and impaired wound healing caused by dexamethasone (DEX) is commonly reported. Puerarin, the major isoflavone found in Pueraria montana var. lobata (Willd.) Sanjappa & Pradeep promoted the wound healing process in diabetic rats. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms of puerarin on DEX-impaired wound healing have not been investigated. This study examined the potential uses of puerarin in upregulating keratinocyte proliferation and migration in dexamethasone (DEX)-suppressed wound healing model. The effects of puerarin on wound healing in vivo were investigated by taking full-thickness 5 mm punch biopsies from the dorsal skin of BALB/c mice and then treating them topically with 0.1% DEX. For the in vitro study, DEX-treated HaCaT cells were used to examine the effects of puerarin on DEX-induced keratinocyte proliferation and migration and the mechanisms of its action. Puerarin, when applied topically, accelerated the wound closure rate, increased the density of the capillaries, and upregulated the level of collagen fibers and TGF-β in the wound sites compared to the DEX-treated mice. Puerarin promoted the proliferation and migration of keratinocytes by activating the ERK and Akt signaling pathways in DEX-treated HaCaT cells. In conclusion, puerarin could be effective in reversing delayed and disrupted wound healing associated with DEX treatments. Full article

The invasive kudzu vine Pueraria montana var. lobata is an agricultural nuisance that disturbs the field cultivation of crop plants. We developed a simple electrostatic method of suppressing the invasive growth of kudzu vines as an alternative to the use of herbicides for weed control. Exposure of the vine apex to a high-voltage arc discharge was the focal point of the study. To achieve this, we constructed a ladder-shaped apparatus by arranging several parallel copper rods at specific intervals in an insulating frame. The top rod was linked to a direct current voltage generator and pulse-charged at −10 kV, and the remaining rods were linked to a grounded line. Because of the conductive nature of the grounded vine body, the vine climbing along the grounded rods was subjected to a pulsed arc discharge from the charged rod when its apex entered the electric field produced around the charged rod. The part of the vine exposed to the discharge was heated, which promoted vaporisation of body water. This destroyed the tip growing point and prevented vine elongation. A simplified weed control apparatus was developed, which can be fabricated for practical use from inexpensive, ready-made materials. Full article

Fungal endophytes play important roles in plant fitness and plant–microbe interactions. Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) is a dominant, abundant, and highly aggressive invasive plant in the Southeast United States. Kudzu serves as a pathogen reservoir that impacts economically important leguminous crops. We conducted the first investigations on kudzu fungal endophytes (Illumina MiSeq—ITS2) to elucidate drivers of endophytic communities across the heart of the invasive range in the Southeast United States (TN, MS, AL, GA). We tested the impacts of multiple environmental parameters (Chlorophyll, NO₃⁻, K⁺, soil pH, leaf area, host genotype, traffic intensity, and geographic location) on foliar endophyte communities. Endophytic communities were diverse and structured by many factors in our PerMANOVA analyses, but location, genotype, and traffic (proxy for pollution) were the strongest drivers of community composition (R² = 0.152, p < 0.001, R² = 0.129, p < 0.001, and R² = 0.126, p < 0.001, respectively). Further, we examined the putative ecological interactions between endophytic fungi and plant pathogens. We identify numerous OTUs that are positively and strongly associated with pathogen occurrence, largely within the families Montagnulaceae and Tremellales incertae sedis. Taken together, these data suggest location, host genetics and local pollution play instrumental roles in structuring communities, and integrative plant management must consider these factors when developing management strategies. Full article

Pueraria montana var. lobata is widely known as kudzu especially in Japan, China, Korea, and other Asian countries. This plant is an ingredient for traditional food and an herbal ingredient for traditional medicines, particular in Japan and China. There are a few reports on its cosmetic uses. Interestingly, many phytochemical compounds from this plant have been continuously reported, particularly flavonoid compounds, which are well-known as potential bioactive ingredients for cosmetics. This work aims to illustrate promising views of kudzu plant, focusing on the diversity of flavonoid phytochemical compounds, taxonomic data, traditional uses, and potential biological activities for future cosmetic applications, i.e., antioxidant, antiglycation, skin regeneration, and melanogenesis inhibitory activities. Full article

This research study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of kudzu leaf meal (KLM) and alfalfa meal (AM) on broiler performance, carcass characteristics, and organ parameters. Kudzu leaf meal and AM were added at rates of 6% and 7.3%, respectively, to a complete broiler starter diet. Three treatments (control (complete broiler starter diet), KLM supplementation; and AM supplementation) with four replicates were fed to 217 male broilers over a 21 d battery cage grow out. Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design with battery cage representing the experimental unit. Birds on KLM and AM had a lower average body weight, lower cumulative feed consumption, and a higher adjusted feed conversion than control (p < 0.05). Additionally, there were observed treatment effects on whole breast weight (p = 0.0010), with control being higher than both treated diets. Minimal treatment effects were observed for organ parameters. Furthermore, there were no observed treatment differences for mortality (p > 0.05). Although broilers on KLM did not perform as well as those in the control group, these results are indicative that kudzu is safe to use in poultry production and has a high potential as a protein supplement in tropical regions with a low availability of commercial protein feedstuffs. Full article

This review assesses the potential use of kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) as a feedstock for livestock. Kudzu in the United States is a recognized invasive plant species that has continued to cause problems for the environment and land owners. In kudzu’s native countries, it has continued to have beneficial uses beyond being an adequate form of soil erosion control. Never the less, kudzu is a rampant weed that causes harm to many environments. In the United States, local farm owners have used ruminant species as a form of biological control to prevent the spread of kudzu and provide their animals with a high nutrition feed supplement. However, there are few reports that assess ruminal degradability in ruminants and kudzu quality. There is great potential for kudzu as a feed supplement for livestock species. Furthermore, using kudzu as a feed supplement for livestock species serves a dual-purpose of biologically controlling the spread of kudzu while providing those animals with a high-quality feedstuff. Full article