Fabrication of yeast ß-glucan/sodium alginate/γ-polyglutamic acid composite particles for hemostasis and wound healing.

Particles with a porous structure can lead to quick hemostasis and provide a good matrix for cell proliferation during wound healing. Recently, many particle-based wound healing materials have been clinically applied. However, these products show good hemostatic ability but with poor wound healing ability. To solve this problem, this study fabricated APGG composite particles using yeast ß-glucan (obtained from Saccharomyces cerevisiae), sodium alginate, and γ-polyglutamic acid as the starting materials. The structure of yeast ß-glucan was modified with many carboxymethyl groups to obtain carboxymethylated ß-glucan, which could coordinate with Ca2+ ions to form a crosslinked structure. A morphology study indicated that the APGG particles showed an irregular spheroidal structure with a low density (<0.1 g cm-3) and high porosity (>40%). An in vitro study revealed that the particles exhibited a low BCI value, low hemolysis ratio, and good cytocompatibility against L929 cells. The APGG particles could quickly stop bleeding in a mouse liver injury model and exhibited better hemostatic ability than the commercially available product Celox. Furthermore, the APGG particles could accelerate the healing of non-infected wounds, and the expression levels of CD31, α-SMA, and VEGF related to angiogenesis were significantly enhanced.

Active compounds from Calendula officinalis flowers act via PI3K and ERK signaling pathways to offer neuroprotective effects against Parkinson's disease.

Calendula officinalis flowers, associated with diverse biological effects, could be utilized as functional food ingredients to play a crucial role in human health. In this study, we examined the anti-PD activity of C. officinalis flower extracts and investigated their bioactive compounds and molecular mechanisms based on LC-MS/MS assay, bioinformatic exploration and in vitro treatment of SH-SY5Y cells. C. officinalis extracts exhibited significant positive effects on the length and fluorescence density of the dopaminergic neuron region in zebrafish larvae. At 10 µg/mL, the extract restored the length to 96.54% and fluorescence density to 87.77% of the control values, which was equivalent to the effect of a positive drug, indicating the extract's powerful potential to alleviate PD symptoms. Five active compounds, including chlorogenic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid (DA), rutin, isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside (IG) and calenduloside E (CE) were identified in extracts by LC-QTOF-MS/MS. Hsp90α, PI3K and ERK were revealed as core targets of DA, IG and CE in relation to anti-PD activity. The compounds docked deeply within the pocket region of Hsp90α protein, and their binding energies (∆G b) were -6.93 kcal/mol (DA), -6.51 kcal/mol (IG) and -3.03 kcal/mol (CE), respectively. Subsequently, they concurrently activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and inhibited the ERK signaling pathway, thereby preventing neuronal death and alleviating neuronal degeneration. These compounds from C. officinalis could be potent nutraceutical agents with protective properties that may shield dopaminergic neurons against the damage caused by PD. Our findings provide a basis for utilizing the C. officinalis flowers in functional foods.