A dissolving microneedle patch loaded with plumbagin/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex for infected wound healing.

Treating infected wounds is facing a serious challenge due to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance worldwide. In the search for novel antimicrobial drugs, natural products often serve as a crucial resource. Plumbagin (PLB) is the most important natural active ingredient in the root of Plumbago zeylanica L.

Ginkgo Biloba Bioactive Phytochemicals against Age-Related Diseases: Evidence from a Stepwise, High-Throughput Research Platform.

The seeds of ginkgo biloba L (GB) have been widely used worldwide. This study investigated the bioefficacies of whole GB seed powder (WGP) retaining the full nutrients of ginkgo against aging, atherosclerosis, and fatigue. The experimental results indicated that WGP lowered brain monoamine oxidase and serum malondialdehyde levels, enhanced thymus/spleen indexes, and improved learning ability, and delayed aging in senescent mice.

HDAC3 promotes Sertoli cell maturation and maintains the blood-testis barrier dynamics.

Germ cell development depends on the capacity of somatic Sertoli cells to undergo differentiation into a mature state and establish a germ cell-specific blood-testis barrier (BTB). The BTB structure confers an immunological barrier for meiotic and postmeiotic germ cells, and its dynamic permeability facilitates a transient movement of preleptotene spermatocytes through BTB to enter meiosis. However, the regulatory factors involved in Sertoli cell maturation and how BTB dynamics coordinate germ cell development remain unclear.

Better Bioactivity, Cerebral Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics of Natural Medicine and Its Advanced Version.

Currently, many people are afflicted by cerebral diseases that cause dysfunction in the brain and perturb normal daily life of people. Cerebral diseases are greatly affected by cerebral metabolism, including the anabolism and catabolism of neurotransmitters, hormones, neurotrophic molecules and other brain-specific chemicals. Natural medicines (NMs) have the advantages of low cost and low toxicity.

Oral supramolecular nanovectors for dual natural medicine codelivery to prevent gastric mucosal lesion.

The oral administration of a single formulation loaded with more than one natural medicine to treat chronic diseases has advantages such as convenience, effectiveness, and economy. Here, using biomaterials approved by the drug administration, we fabricated supramolecular nanovectors containing dual natural medicines to prevent gastric mucosal lesions. Nanovectors exhibited superior intestinal absorption and bioavailability, which might be due to their high dispersion, good muco-adhesiveness, blood-lymph circulation transport, lipid sensing, and protective effects.

Changes in Biological Activities after Olive Oil, Pomegranate Seed Oil, and Grape Seed Oil were Formulated into Self-Nanoemulsifying Systems.

Activity changes after olive oil (OO), pomegranate seed oil (PSO), and grape seed oil (GSO) were formulated into self-nanoemulsifying systems (SNES), were examined in this study. Only GSO SNES dramatically enhanced antioxidant activity of GSO. SNES from OO and PSO did not exert obvious impact on radical quenching ability of the oils.

Improved pharmacokinetic characteristics and bioactive effects of anticancer enzyme delivery systems.

Anticancer enzymes play important roles in cancer treatment. The anticancer enzyme has been in clinical use to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia for many years. Other types of anticancer enzymes have been investigated in laboratory studies and clinical trials.

Pomegranate Seed Oil Exerts Synergistic Effects with trans-Resveratrol in a Self-nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery System.

Pomegranate seed oil (PSO) has diverse bioactivities. It was hyphothesized that if PSO were employed to construct a trans-resveratrol-loaded self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (RES SNEDDS-PSO), not only could PSO serve as an oil phase but also exert synergistic effects with resveratrol to yield better therapeutic outcomes. In this study, we prepared RES SNEDDS-PSO for the first time to validate that hypothesis.

Rapid identification and quantitative analysis of the chemical constituents in Scutellaria indica L. by UHPLC-QTOF-MS and UHPLC-MS/MS.

Ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS) was used to separate and identify the compounds in Scutellaria indica L. Fragmentation patterns of these compounds were investigated by the UHPLC-QTOF-MS technique in both negative and positive ion modes. By using this strategy, both intact precursors and fragment ions information were obtained from a single injection.

Comparing and authenticating on anatomical aspects of Abrus cantoniensis and Abrus mollis by microscopy.

Background: Abrus cantoniensis is popularly used as traditional Chinese medicine and a cool tea in South of China. However, due to diminishing source of A. cantoniensis, it is usually interchanged or adulterated with other species of Abrus genus because of the limited knowledge in identification and differentiation.

Characterization and quantification of the chemical compositions of Scutellariae Barbatae herba and differentiation from its substitute by combining UHPLC-PDA-QTOF-MS/MS with UHPLC-MS/MS.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using the non-official species Scutellaria indica L. as the substitute for the official species Scutellaria barbata D. Don.

Hepatoprotective activity of Gentiana veitchiorum Hemsl. against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in mice.

Aim: To study the hepatoprotective effect of methanol extract of Gentiana veitchiorum (MGV) against CCl4-induced oxidative stress and liver injury in mice.

Method: The acute hepatic model was developed by injection of 20% CCl4 in mice. ICR mice were divided into six groups, including control, CCl4, CCl4(+) silymarin, and CCl4(+) MGV (100, 200, and 400 mg·kg(-1)) groups.

Comparing major alkaloids of Fritillariae Hupehensis Bulbs (FHB) and congeneric plants by HPLC-ELSD and HPLC-ESI-MS(n).

In the study, the major alkaloids from Fritillariae Hupehensis Bulbs (FHB) have been analysed for the first time by the combined use of the following two methods: the simultaneous quantitation of three alkaloids by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) and the simultaneous characterisation of seven alkaloids by using HPLC coupled with electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry analysers detection (HPLC-ESI-MS(n)). The other four congeneric species were compared by using the established method. Both correlation coefficients of similarity in chromatograms were calculated for quantitative expression of HPLC profiles.

Characterization of tibetan medicine zuota by multiple techniques.

Zuota is regarded as the king of Tibetan medicine. However, due to the confidentiality of this precious medicine, the scientific characterization of Zuota is very scarce, which limits the pharmacology and biosafety studies of Zuota. Herein, we collected four different Zuota samples from Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan and characterized them by multiple techniques.

Two new ursolic acid saponins from Morina nepalensis var. alba Hand-Mazz.

A saponin-enriched fraction was prepared from the EtOH extract of the whole plant of Morina nepalensis var. alba Hand-Mazz. It showed α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, from which two new triterpene saponins (1 and 2), along with one known saponin (3), were isolated.

Role of a novel pyridostigmine bromide-phospholipid nanocomplex in improving oral bioavailability.

A novel pyridostigmine bromide (PB)-phospholipid nanocomplex (PBPLC) was prepared to increase the bioavailability of PB. A central composite design approach was employed for process optimization. The physicochemical properties of PBPLC were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry, ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and the n-octano/water partition coefficient.

Analysis of Danshen and twelve related Salvia species.

Danshen is a commonly used traditional Chinese herb, but over twenty Salvia species are used as Danshen by local herbalists. In this study, twelve Salvia species from the plateau of Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces were collected, analyzed and compared with Danshen by HPLC. The results showed that most of the Salvia species were good sources of rosmarinic acid and tanshinones.

Isolation of salvianolic acid A, a minor phenolic carboxylic acid of Salvia miltiorrhiza.

Salvianolic acid A (Sal A), a caffeic acid derivative present in Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), has shown significant biological activities, some of which are more potent than those of salvianolic acid (Sal B), the most abundant and bioactive compound in Danshen. However, its low content in the raw material makes it difficult to be used in the clinic. In this study, a novel procedure was developed to isolate Sal A from Salvia miltiorrhiza.