Polysaccharide of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) stalk pith inhibits cancer proliferation and metastases via TNF-α pathway.

The decoctions of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. HAL) stalk pith have been used to treat advanced cancer, and polysaccharide of sunflower stalk pith (HSPP) was key ingredient of the decoctions. To forage specially structured HSPP with anti-tumor effects and to uncover its mechanisms of anticancer activity, syngeneic mouse model of lung carcinoma metastasis was established and the HSPP was found to contain long-chain fatty acid.

Artemisinin hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex loaded with porous starch for enhanced bioavailability.

The current work aimed to enhance the oral bioavailability of water-insoluble drug Artemisinin (ART) by the inclusion of ART with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and then loaded with porous starch (PS). The preparation conditions of ART HP-β-CD inclusion complex loaded with PS (AHPS) were optimized according to drug loading (DL) and entrapment efficiency (EE). The properties of AHPS were characterized by optical and thermodynamic methods.

Enzyme-assisted Solvent Extraction of High-yield Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. Seed Oil and Fatty Acid Composition and Anti-Alzheimer's Disease Activity.

Enzyme-assisted solvent extraction (EASE) of Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. seed oil (PSO) was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The fatty acid composition and anti-Alzheimer's disease (AD) activity of PSO were analyzed.

Pickering emulsions stabilized by luteolin micro-nano particles to improve the oxidative stability of pine nut oil.

Background: Pine oil contains a high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which make it prone to oxidation. Luteolin (LUT) micro-nano particles with antioxidant properties can be used as stabilizers to form an edible oil-in-water Pickering emulsion to improve the oxidative stability of pine nut oil.

Results: Under optimal preparation conditions, the LUT micro-nano particles and pine nut oil account for about 0.

Solubility, Antioxidation, and Oral Bioavailability Improvement of Mangiferin Microparticles Prepared Using the Supercritical Antisolvent Method.

In view of the poor water solubility and low oral bioavailability of mangiferin (MG), in this study, the supercritical antisolvent (SAS) technology was used to prepare mangiferin microparticles (MG MPs) with ,-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent and carbon dioxide as antisolvent, so as to improve its water solubility, antioxidant capacity and oral bioavailability. Four factors affecting the solubility of the MG MPs were investigated by orthogonal design (OAD), including precipitation pressure, precipitation temperature, MG concentration and feeding speed, and the optimal preparation conditions were determined by range and variance analysis (ANOVA). Under the optimal conditions, the spherical MG MPs with an average diameter of 532.

Enhanced Solubility and Bioavailability of Apigenin via Preparation of Solid Dispersions of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles.

In this study, a novel mesoporous silica nanoparticles drug carrier contributes to improving the solubility, dissolution, and the oral bioavailability of apigenin (AP). The apigenin of solid dispersion of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (AP-MSN) was prepared by physical absorption method and also, drug release and bioavailability performance were evaluated. Based on its solubility, the AP-MSN solid dispersion was prepared at the weight ratio of 1:1 to obtain the optimum solubility.

Ellagic acid synergistically potentiates inhibitory activities of chemotherapeutic agents to human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with poor prognosis. Various chemotherapeutics are used in treatment of HCC, but most of them have significant toxicity to patients. Thus, it is urgently needed to develop new therapeutic strategies to achieve high specificity and tolerable adverse effects.

Antioxidant, immunomodulatory, oxidative stress inhibitory and iron supplementation effect of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide-iron (III) complex on iron-deficiency anemia mouse model.

As iron supplement, the antioxidant activities of APS-iron (III) complex were comprehensively evaluated by 5-axe cobweb charts, which indicated the APS-iron (III) complex had a certain antioxidant activity and been weaker than that of APS. The results of immunological activity experiments indicated the stimulation index increased with APS-iron (III) complex concentration increase. When the concentration of the APS-iron (III) complex was 50 μg/mL, the lymphocytes proliferation increased by 35.

Ursolic acid nanoparticles for oral delivery prepared by emulsion solvent evaporation method: characterization, in vitro evaluation of radical scavenging activity and bioavailability.

With the purpose of improving the water solubility and oral bioavailability, ursolic acid nanoparticles (UANs) were prepared by the emulsion solvent evaporation method, and the nanosuspension was freeze-dried into powder. The optimal conditions for preparing nanoparticles were screened out using single-factor experiment. Take advantage of the optimal conditions, UA nanoemulsion had mean particle size (MPS) of 69.

Preparation of honokiol nanoparticles by liquid antisolvent precipitation technique, characterization, pharmacokinetics, and evaluation of inhibitory effect on HepG2 cells.

Background: Honokiol is a bioactive lignanoid and has been utilized in traditional Chinese medicine for a long time. It exhibits several pharmacological properties, such as anticancer effects, anti-inflammatory effects, and antianxiety effects. However, the poor aqueous solubility of honokiol has impeded clinical applications.

Synthesis and evaluation of a novel water-soluble high Se-enriched Astragalus polysaccharide nanoparticles.

Selenium is an essential trace element in human body. Se-deficiency is common phenomenon in all over the world, which severely harms the health of organism and causes the etiology of many chronic, degenerative diseases, such as atherosclerosis, arthritis, cancers, hypoimmunity, hypothyroidism and viral diseases. So, the research on preparation of Se-supplementing with the effective, safe and high Se content was imperative.

Tumor targeting with docosahexaenoic acid-conjugated docetaxel for inhibiting lung cancer metastasis to bone.

Docetaxel (DTX) is currently used as a first- or second-line drug treatment for patients with lung cancer, however, it is less effective for the treatment of patients with bone metastasis of lung cancer. This is primarily due to the fact that docetaxel is nonspecific. In the present study, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was selected as a tumor-targeting ligand, and DHA-conjugated DTX (DTX-DHA) was prepared for inhibiting lung cancer metastasis to bone.

Transcriptomics comparison reveals the diversity of ethylene and methyl-jasmonate in roles of TIA metabolism in Catharanthus roseus.

Background: The medicinal plant, Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus), accumulates a wide range of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs). Ethylene (ET) and methyl-jasmonate (MeJA) were previously reported as effective elicitors for the production of various valuable secondary metabolites of C.

Comparison of the antioxidant effects of carnosic acid and synthetic antioxidants on tara seed oil.

Background: In the present study, tara seed oil was obtained by supercritical fluid extraction and used to investigate the antioxidant strength of carnosic acid (CA) compared with conventional synthetic antioxidants.

Methods: The antioxidants were added to the tara seed oil at 0.2 mg of antioxidant per gram of oil.

Preparation of Vitexin Nanoparticles by Combining the Antisolvent Precipitation and High Pressure Homogenization Approaches Followed by Lyophilization for Dissolution Rate Enhancement.

Vitexin, a natural flavonoid found in many medicinal plants, is well known for its rich pharmacological activities. However, the poor water solubility of vitexin has limited its therapeutic application. The aim of this study was to prepare the nanoparticles of vitexin by combining the antisolvent precipitation (ASP) and high pressure homogenization (HPH) approaches followed by lyophilization for improving the dissolution rate of this poorly water-soluble drug.

Preparation, characterization and antitumor activity evaluation of apigenin nanoparticles by the liquid antisolvent precipitation technique.

The present work aimed to apply the liquid antisolvent precipitation (LAP) method for preparing the apigenin nanoparticles and thereby improving the solubility and bioavailability of apigenin. The different experimental parameters on particle size were optimized through central composite design (CCD) using the Design-Expert software. Under the optimum conditions, the particle size of the apigenin nanosuspension was about 159.

Therapeutic Application of Natural Medicine Monomers in Cancer Treatment.

Background: Natural medicine monomers (NMMs) isolated from plants have been recognized for their roles in treating different human diseases including cancers. Many NMMs exhibit effective anti-cancer activities and can be used as drugs or adjuvant agents to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Some NMMs, such as paclitaxel and camptothecin, have been extensively studied for decades and are now used as anti-cancer medicines due to their remarkable curative effects, such as inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, and inducing cell death and differentiation.

Efficient approach for the extraction of proanthocyanidins from Cinnamomum longepaniculatum leaves using ultrasonic irradiation and an evaluation of their inhibition activity on digestive enzymes and antioxidant activity in vitro.

Proanthocyanidins were separated for the first time from Cinnamomum longepaniculatum leaves. An experiment-based extraction strategy was used to research the efficiency of an ultrasound-assisted method for proanthocyanidins extraction. The Plackett-Burman design results revealed that the ultrasonication time, ultrasonic power and liquid/solid ratio were the most significant parameters among the six variables in the extraction process.

Synthesis, characterization and antibacterial study on the chitosan-functionalized Ag nanoparticles.

This study provided a facile, one-step hydrothermal method to synthesize stable Ag colloid in aqueous solution by utilizing chitosan as both reductant and stabilizer. The formation of chitosan-functionalized Ag nanoparticles was verified by UV-Vis, FTIR, TEM, AFM and XRD measurements. FTIR results revealed that the primary amine groups and amide groups of chitosan have specific interactions with the surface of Ag nanoparticles.

Production of Laccase by a New Myrothecium verrucaria MD-R-16 Isolated from Pigeon Pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] and its Application on Dye Decolorization.

The present study was conducted to screen a laccase-producing fungal endophyte, optimize fermentation conditions, and evaluate the decolorization ability of the laccase. A new fungal endophyte capable of laccase-producing was firstly isolated from pigeon pea and identified as based on a ITS-rRNA sequences analysis. Meanwhile, various fermentation parameters on the laccase production were optimized via response surface methodology (RSM).

Solubility and dissolution rate improvement of the inclusion complex of apigenin with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin prepared using the liquid antisolvent precipitation and solvent removal combination methods.

Apigenin (AP) has many pharmacological activities. AP has poor solubility in some solvents. AP is insoluble in water and slightly soluble in ethanol (1.

GC-MS Metabolomic Analysis to Reveal the Metabolites and Biological Pathways Involved in the Developmental Stages and Tissue Response of Panax ginseng.

Ginsenosides, the major compounds present in ginseng, are known to have numerous physiological and pharmacological effects. The physiological processes, enzymes and genes involved in ginsenoside synthesis in have been well characterized. However, relatively little information is known about the dynamic metabolic changes that occur during ginsenoside accumulation in ginseng.

Antibacterial Activity of Fructus forsythia Essential Oil and the Application of EO-Loaded Nanoparticles to Food-Borne Pathogens.

essential oil (FEO) with excellent antibacterial activity was rarely reported. The objective of the present study was to investigate the antibacterial activity and the antibacterial mechanism of FEO against two food-borne pathogenic bacteria, () and () in vitro. When treated FEO, the zones of inhibition (ZOI) of (20.

A process to preserve valuable compounds and acquire essential oils from pomelo flavedo using a microwave irradiation treatment.

A microwave pretreatment method was developed to preserve pectin, naringin, and limonin contents in pomelo flavedo to allow for longer storage times and subsequent extraction of pomelo essential oil. In terms of the essential oil, microwave pretreatment performed better than hydrodistillation with respect to extraction efficiency (1.88±0.