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| Traditional medicinal plants are widely used as immunomodulatory medicines that help improve health. Fifty different plants used for the treatment of toxicity were screened for their in vivo anti-inflammatory effects. Flies were either fed a standard cornmeal-yeast medium (control group) or the standard medium containing medicinal plant extracts (experimental groups). Assessment of survival rate was performed by feeding flies a vial containing five layers of filter paper hydrated with toxic compounds. Gut epithelial cells were analyzed for cell proliferation and death by GFP antibodies and 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD) staining under the microscope. The expression of antimicrobial peptides was evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that after feeding the flies with toxic compounds, aqueous extracts from Codonopsis pilosula, Saussurea lappa, Imperata cylindrical var. major, and Melia toosendan increased fly survival rate, promoted the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes, reduced epithelial cell death, and improved gut morphology. However, we did not observe that these extracts increased SDS (Sodium dodecyl sulfate)-induced cell proliferation in vitro. These results indicate that strong anti-inflammatory effects in extracts of C. pilosula, S. lappa, I. cylindrical var. major, and M. toosendan on Drosophila intestinal cells among 50 medicinal plants. |
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| Keywords:raditional medicinal plant; Gut immunity; Drosophila melanogaster; Survival; Cell death |
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