Ischemic stroke (IS), accounting for 87 % of stroke incidences, constitutes a paramount health challenge owing to neurological impairments and irreversible tissue damage arising from cerebral ischemia. Chief among therapeutic obstacles are the restrictive penetration of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and insufficient targeting precision, hindering the accumulation of drugs in ischemic brain areas. Motivated by the remarkable capabilities of natural membrane-based delivery vehicles in achieving targeted delivery and traversing the BBB, thanks to their biocompatible architecture and bioactive components, numerous membrane-engineered systems such as cells, cell membranes and extracellular vesicles have emerged as promising platforms to augment IS treatment efficacy with the help of nanotechnology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) widely used in treating cancer. Our formerly investigations confirmed the anti-lung cancer efficacy of Fuzi, but systematic analysis of the ingredients of Fuzi absorbed into serum and the corresponding molecular mechanism in treating lung cancer remained unknown. In this work, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was applied to detect the ingredients of Fuzi in rat serum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi in Chinese) is widely used in the clinical treatment of tumors. This study aims to explore the active fractions and underlying mechanisms of Fuzi in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Fuzi alkaloids (FZA) is prepared and found to inhibit the growth of NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo significantly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe clinical treatment of glioma remains relatively immature. Commonly used clinical treatments for gliomas are surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but there is a problem of drug resistance. In addition, immunotherapy and targeted therapies also suffer from the problem of immune evasion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTumor immunotherapy has emerged as an efficacious therapeutic approach that mobilizes the patient's immune system to achieve durable tumor suppression. Here, we design a photodynamic therapy-motivated nanovaccine (Dex-HDL/ALA-FeO) co-delivering 5-aminolevulinic acid and FeO nanozyme that demonstrate a long-term durable immunotherapy strategy. After vaccination, the nanovaccine exhibits obvious tumor site accumulation, lymph node homing, and specific and memory antitumor immunity evocation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a highly prevalent and fatal form of lung cancer. In China, Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi in Chinese), derived from the lateral root of Aconitum carmichaeli Debx. (Ranunculaceae, Aconitum), is extensively prescribed to treat cancer in traditional medicine and clinical practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has achieved unprecedented progress in tumor immunotherapy by blocking specific immune checkpoint molecules. However, the high biodistribution of the drug prevents it from specifically targeting tumor tissues, leading to immune-related adverse events. Biomimetic nanodrug delivery systems (BNDSs) readily applicable to ICB therapy have been widely developed at the preclinical stage to avoid immune-related adverse events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlood-brain barrier (BBB) obstructing brain drug delivery severely hampers the therapeutic efficacy towards glioma. An efficient brain delivery strategy is of paramount importance for the treatment of glioma. Inspired by brain targeting exosome, biomimetic BBB penetrated hybrid (pHybrid) nanovesicles, engineered by membrane fusion between blood exosome and tLyp-1 peptide modified liposome, is explored for brain targeting drug delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiological nanotechnologies have provided considerable opportunities in the management of malignancies with delicate design and negligible toxicity, from preventive and diagnostic to therapeutic fields. Lipoproteins, because of their inherent blood-brain barrier permeability and lesion-homing capability, have been identified as promising strategies for high-performance theranostics of brain diseases. However, the application of natural lipoproteins remains limited owing to insufficient accumulation and complex purification processes, which can be critical for individual therapeutics and clinical translation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTriptolide (TP) is an epoxy diterpene lactone compound isolated and purified from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Hook. f., which has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne Chinese herbal combination consisting of Panax notoginseng, Bletilla striata and Dendrobium officinale (PBD) is an effective Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescription and is widely used in clinics to treat gastric ulcers due to their safety and effectiveness compared with chemical agents, such as aspirin and omeprazole. Herein, an in situ forming gel (ISFG) based on Gellan Gum (GG) and Sodium Alginate (SA) was designed to deliver extracts of PBD prescription (EPBDP). The central composite design optimized prescription dosage was 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor with high mortality. Knowledge of the stemness concept has developed recently, giving rising to a novel hallmark with therapeutic potential that can help in management of GBM recurrence and prognosis. However, limited blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration, non-discriminatory distribution, and deficiency of diagnosis remain three major obstacles need to be overcome for further facilitating therapeutic effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffective drug delivery and prevention of postoperative recurrence are significant challenges for current glioblastoma (GBM) treatment. Poor drug delivery is mainly due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and postoperative recurrence is primarily due to the resistance of GBM cells to chemotherapeutic drugs and the presence of an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Herein, a biomimetic nanodrug delivery platform based on endogenous exosomes that could efficiently target the brain without targeting modifications and co-deliver pure drug nanomicelles and immune adjuvants for safe and efficient chemo-immunotherapy against GBM is prepared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Increasing hepatic insulin signaling is found to be an important mechanism of Platycodon grandiflorus root to alleviate metabolic syndrome (MetS) symptoms such as insulin resistance, obesity, hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis, but the details are not yet clear. Since the main constituents of Platycodon grandiflorus root were hard to be absorbed by gastrointestinal tract, getting opportunity to interact with gut microbiota, we speculate the gut microorganisms may mediate its effect.
Purpose: Our work aimed to confirm the critical role of gut microbes in the intervention of Platycodon grandiflorus root extract (PRE) on MetS, and investigate the mechanism.
Glycyrrhizinic acid (GL) is clinically applied to treat liver injury, and the bioavailability of orally administered GL is closely related to the gut microbiota. Therefore, the dysbiosis of gut flora in liver injury could significantly influence GL bioavailability. Still, less is known about the impact of probiotic supplementation on the bio-absorption process of oral medication, especially under a pathological state.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi
September 2022
This study investigated the potential mechanism of Cordyceps militaris(CM) against non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) based on serum untargeted metabolomics. Specifically, Balb/c nude mice were used to generate the human lung cancer A549 xenograft mouse model. The tumor volume, tumor weight, and tumor inhibition rate in mice in the model, cisplatin, Cordyceps(low-, medium-, and high-dose), and CM(low-, medium-, and high-dose) groups were compared to evaluate the influence of CM on lung cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(Fuzi in Chinese) is a traditional herbal medicine widely used in China and other Asian countries. In clinical practice, it is often used to treat heart failure, rheumatoid arthritis, and different kinds of pains. Fuzi extract and its active ingredients exert considerable anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Many active peptides have been found in frog skin secretions. In this paper, our research focused on Pelophylax nigromaculatus and found a broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide Nigrocin-PN based on the molecular cloning technique. Thereafter, the "Rana box" function was briefly studied by two mutated peptides (Nigrocin-M1 and Nigrocin-M2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to the special physiological and pathological characteristics of gliomas, most therapeutic drugs are prevented from entering the brain. To improve the poor prognosis of existing therapies, researchers have been continuously developing non-invasive methods to overcome barriers to gliomas therapy. Although these strategies can be used clinically to overcome the blood‒brain barrier (BBB), the accurate delivery of drugs to the glioma lesions cannot be ensured.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColloids Surf B Biointerfaces
July 2022
Temozolomide (TMZ), as the first-line chemotherapeutic agent, relies on inducing DNA methylation of O-guanine for treating glioma. However, the survival time of patients are hardly exceeded 14.5 months, attributing to inevitable drug resistance and systematic toxicity after long-term administration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlioma is one of the most malignant primary tumors affecting the brain. The efficacy of therapeutics for glioma is seriously compromised by the restriction of blood-brain barrier (BBB), interstitial tumor pressure of resistance to chemotherapy/radiation, and the inevitable damage to normal brain tissues. Inspired by the natural structure and properties of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), a tumor-penetrating lipoprotein was prepared by the fusion tLyP-1 to apolipoprotein A-I-mimicking peptides (D4F), together with indocyanine green (ICG) incorporation and lipophilic small interfering RNA targeted HIF-1α (siHIF) surface anchor for site-specific photo-gene therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are kinds of two-layer vesicles secreted by cells. They play significant roles in mediating component exchange between cells, signal transduction, and pathological development. Among them, the tumor-derived EVs (TDEVs) are found related to the tumor microenvironment and cancer development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMineral drugs are an important constituent of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Taking minerals that contain heavy metals as drugs is a very national characteristic part of TCM. However, the safety and scientific nature of mineral drugs are controversial owing to their heavy metals and strong toxicity.
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