Chinese herbs-derived phytochemicals and musculoskeletal health
Man-Sau Wong
Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition
Director, Research Center for Chinese Medicine Innovation
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
11:00 a.m.
In-person: C2-361 (Reading Room)
Abstract: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used for management of bone health in China for thousands of years. However, the bioactive ingredients as well as the mechanism of actions contributing to their beneficial effects on bone health have not been systematically characterized. Using both in vivo and in vitro model, the osteoprotective effects of TCM formulations, several Chinese herbs (including Herba Epimedii (HEP), Drynariae fortunei (DF), Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) Erythrina Variegata (EV), Sambucus williamsii HANCE (SWH)) as well as their bioactive ingredients have been demonstrated. The bone protective phytochemicals identified in these herbs include flavonoids, lignans and saponins. Our study also demonstrated phytochemicals derived from Chinese herbs might exert estrogen-like and vitamin D-like activities. Many of the compounds isolated from these herbal sources could activate estrogen receptors (ERs) and are regarded as phytoestrogens. In this presentation, the molecular mechanisms that mediate the estrogenic actions of several Chinese medicine derived phytoestrogens will be reported. In addition, the beneficial effects of FLL and its major bioactive ingredients on bone and muscle will be reported as well as their modulating actions on calcium and vitamin D metabolism for protection against age-related bone loss will also be covered. Novel molecular targets of phytochemicals for achieving beneficial effects on musculoskeletal system recently identified in our laboratory by using omic technology (RNA sequencing, metabolomic as well as 16S sequencing) will also be reported.
Biography: Professor Man-Sau Wong is currently the Director of the Research Center for Chinese Medicine Innovation and Professor at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She is a Certified Food Scientist (IFT) and Registered Nutritionist (AfN). She received her B.S degree in Food Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and her Ph.D degree in Human Nutrition and Nutritional Biology at the University of Chicago. Her research interests include Chinese medicine and musculoskeletal health; molecular actions of bone protective phytochemicals and phytoestrogens, drug-herbs interactions between selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMSs) and Chinese herbs for management of menopausal syndromes, the role of gut microbiota in mediating the therapeutic actions of Chinese herbs as well as Chinese medicine-based drug discovery and delivery for vision health. She has published more than 160 refereed journal articles in the field of pharmacology, endocrinology, and nutrition. She was ranked Top 2% most cited Scientists in 2022 by Stanford University in the field of Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry and received Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (Science and Technology) in 2014 for her work in Traditional Chinese medicine and bone health from the Ministry of Education of PRC. She is currently appointed as members of Chinese Medicine Council, Committee on Research and Development of Chinese Medicines (Commission for Innovation and Technology), Committee on Reduction of Salt and Sugar in Food as well as Advisory Council on Food and Environmental Hygiene of the Food and Health Bureau (HKSAR).