Hesperidin-3′-O-Methylether Is More Potent than Hesperidin in Phosphodiesterase Inhibition and Suppression of Ovalbumin-Induced Airway Hyperresponsiveness

Hesperidin is present in the traditional Chinese medicine, “Chen Pi,” and recently was reported to have anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, we were interested in comparing the effects of hesperidin and hesperidin-3′-O-methylether on phosphodiesterase inhibition and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in a murine model of asthma. In the present results, hesperidin-3′-O-methylether, but not hesperidin, at 30 μmol/kg (p.o.) significantly attenuated the enhanced pause (Penh) value, suppressed the increases in numbers of total inflammatory cells, macrophages, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils, suppressed total and OVA-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E levels in the serum and BALF, and enhanced the level of totalIgG2ain the serum of sensitized and challenged mice, suggesting that hesperidin-3′-O-methylether is more potent than hesperidin in suppression of AHR and immunoregulation. The different potency between them may be due to their aglycons, because these two flavanone glycosides should be hydrolyzed byβ-glucosidase after oral administration. Neither influenced xylazine/ketamine-induced anesthesia, suggesting that they may have few or no adverse effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and gastric hypersecretion. In conclusion, hesperidin-3′-O-methylether is more potent in phosphodiesterase inhibition and suppression of AHR and has higher therapeutic (PDE4H/PDE4L) ratio than hesperidin. Thus, hesperidin-3′-O-methylether may have more potential for use in treating allergic asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Short Bowel Syndrome: Surgical Therapy

Many surgical solutions to short bowel syndrome have been proposed; however, none has proven to be uniformly successful. Some of these solutions, combined with optimal medical management, may represent the patient's only hope for survival without parenteral nutrition. Most forms of surgical therapy are supportive and aim at controlling three basic pathophysiological defects: decreased intestinal transit time, gastric hypersecretion, and reduced functional mucosal surface area. Conservative resection and, thus, prevention of short bowel syndrome remains the best form of treatment at present. In the future, small bowel transplantation may prove to be an important advance in therapy; however, this remains largely experimental due to continued problems with rejection.