Fragrant Solomon’s seal — a woodland plant for diabetes and joint problems?

Aim of the study: Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce (P. odoratum) is a perennial plant found in regions of Eurasia.

Results: Its activities include antioxidant, antitumor, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antifungal, and antiviral effects. Its applications cover two areas: food and medicine. This paper is expected to provide ideas for future scientific research and literature support for further research, development, and use of P. odoratum.

Aim of the study: Polygonatum odoratum polysaccharides (POPs) are the key bioactive components of Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce, a medicinal and edible plant with over two millennia of documented use in traditional Chinese medicine. POPs exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as hypoglycemic, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, and gut microbiota-modulation effects.

Results: Polygonatum odoratum polysaccharides (POPs) are the key bioactive components of Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce, a medicinal and edible plant with over two millennia of documented use in traditional Chinese medicine. POPs exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as hypoglycemic, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, and gut microbiota-modulation effects. A comprehensive review was conducted on the bioaccumulation, extraction, purification, structural characterization, biological activities, structure-activity relationships and applications of POPs, aiming to provide valuable insights for basic research and their development as health foods and therapeutic agents. Furthermore, we highlight current challenges in the fundamental research and practical application of POPs, discuss potential solutions in depth, and outline future research directions and product development prospects.

Aim of the study: Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce (Angular Solomon's seal) is a medicinal and edible plant belonging to the Asparagaceae family. Phytochemical investigations have revealed its diverse chemical constituents.

Results: P. odoratum exhibits potential pharmacological activities, including antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial, organ-protective, anti-obesity, and other effects. Based on chemical specificity, pharmacological relevance, and measurability, potential Q-markers, including steroidal saponins, homoisoflavonoids, polysaccharides, and other characteristic components, are proposed for further investigation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the traditional uses, phytochemical constituents, fragmentation characteristics, pharmacological properties, toxicology, and Q-marker prediction of P. odoratum, offering scientific insights for quality evaluation and further development of this medicinal and edible plant.

Aim of the study: This paper aims to provide the links among traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological effects and toxicity to support their therapeutic potential and uncover opportunities for future research.

Results: At least 37 species and 1 variety of Polygonatum plants have been used as traditional medicine and functional food. The major chemical constituents of Polygonatum plants are steroidal saponins, triterpenoid saponins, homoisoflavanones, polysaccharides and lectins. A putative biosynthetic pathway of steroidal saponins and triterpenoid saponins has been established based on the compounds isolated from Polygonatum plants. The crude extracts and certain pure compounds from Polygonatum plants have shown a wide range of pharmacological effects such as anti-aging, anti-diabetic, anti-fatigue, and anticancer effects. The rhizomes of Polygonatum plants have a low degree of toxicity after processing. Based on this review, some traditional uses of Polygonatum species have been confirmed by pharmacological studies, such as its anti-osteoporosis, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-diabetic and anti-fatigue effects.

Aim of the study: Polygonatum odoratum is appreciated for its edible and medicinal benefits especially for lung protection. However, the contained active components have been understudied, and further research is required to fully exploit its potential application.

Results: POP treatment could ameliorate the survival rate, pulmonary function, lung pathological lesions, and immune inflammatory response. POP treatment could repair intestinal barrier, and modulate the composition of gut microbiota, especially reducing the abundance of Klebsiella, which were closely associated with the therapeutic effects of POP. Investigation of the underlying anti-inflammatory mechanism showed that POP suppressed the generation of pro-inflammatory molecules in lung by inhibiting iNOS+ M1 macrophages. Collectively, POP is a promising multi-target microecological regulator to prevent and treat the immuno-inflammation and lung injury by modulating gut microbiota.

Aim of the study: Polygonatum odoratum is a traditional medicinal food used for diabetes management, yet most studies have focused on its polysaccharides and largely overlooked its protein fraction. Here, we investigated the antidiabetic activity and potential mechanisms of a Polygonatum odoratum protein hydrolysate (POP) for the first time.

Results: Consistently, immunofluorescence indicated activation of the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway, with enhanced Nrf2 nuclear translocation and increased HO-1 expression. Therefore, POP improves glucose and lipid homeostasis and tissue damage in diabetic mice by enhancing Nrf2-dependent antioxidant defense mechanisms. These findings highlight the underexplored value of the P. odoratum protein fraction and support POP as a promising functional food ingredient for T2DM management.

Aim of the study: Drug-induced liver injury remains a major clinical challenge due to the lack of effective therapeutic options. Polygonatum odoratum extract (PO), derived from the traditional medicinal and edible plant Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce, has long been used in folk practices in forms such as herbal soups and tea infusions. However, its protective effect against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury has not yet been investigated.

Results: PO significantly alleviated hepatic histopathological damage and oxidative stress, and reduced serum ALT, AST, and LDH. PO remodeled gut microbiota, mitigated colonic inflammation and oxidative stress, and improved intestinal morphology; these effects were abolished by microbiota depletion. Mechanistically, PO may have inhibited hepatic ferroptosis via the gut microbiota-ceramide axis, as shown by upregulation of GPX4 and FSP1, activation of the NRF2/KEAP1 pathway, downregulation of ACSL4, TFRC/TFR2, and DUOX2, restoration of iron homeostasis, and decreased lipid peroxidation and ROS. In vitro, PO demonstrated anti-ferroptotic effects in APAP- or RSL3-treated AML12 cells. PO provides liver protection via the gut-liver axis, an effect associated with changes in ceramide metabolism and ferroptosis-related markers.

Results: Network pharmacology identified a total of 107 potential targets associated with POD and PCOS, and suggested that POD could treat PCOS through mechanisms involving inflammation, the response to LPS, and metabolic pathways. Experiments demonstrated that LPS reduced the number of corpora lutea and increased the number of cystic follicles while also impairing glucose regulation in PCOS rats. Moreover, LPS increased the expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α. Treatment with POD mitigated these changes. Our findings indicate that LPS exacerbates ovarian dysfunction and inflammation in PCOS rats, while POD effectively reverses these changes, suggesting a promising avenue for research into the therapeutic potential of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of PCOS.

Aim of the study: Polygonatum odoratum, a medicinal and edible plant widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and daily diets, has potential in managing various disorders, but its anti-pruritic mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to explore its multi-target anti-pruritic effects by integrating network pharmacology, molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, GeneMANIA functional association analysis (GMFA), and GEO dataset validation.

Results: GMFA supported these findings. Molecular docking showed strong binding energy (<-5 kcal/mol), and MD simulations confirmed stable ligand-target complexes. GEO dataset validation reinforced key results. This study suggests that Polygonatum odoratum may exert anti-pruritic effects through the combined actions of inflammation suppression, skin barrier repair, and neural modulation, revealing a novel multi-target mechanism for pruritus therapy and potential synergy with levocetirizine.

Aim of the study: Two pectic polysaccharides (WLBP-A3-c and WPOP-A-c) were isolated from traditional Chinese medicines Lilium brownii and Polygonatum odoratum, respectively.

Results: Two RG-I domains, WLBP-A3-c-DE1 and WPOP-A-c-DE1, obtained from WLBP-A3-c and WPOP-A-c, respectively, by enzymatic hydrolysis, consisted of repeating units of [→2)-α-L-Rhap-(1 → 4)-α-D-GalpA-(1→] with highly branched neutral sugar side chains at the O-4 position of Rhap. These side chains contained arabinan, galactan, arabinogalactan I and II (AG-I and AG-II) in different proportions. Compared with WLBP-A3-c, WPOP-A-c showed greater scavenging effects against DPPH, ABTS and hydroxyl radicals, probably because it had higher contents of GalA residues and HG domains and a lower molecular weight. Among the three domains of WPOP-A-c, the HG domain had the strongest activity in reducing ROS production and promoting SOD activity, effectively protecting HepG2 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative stress.