Investigating the industrial origin of terpenoids in a coastal city in northern France: A source apportionment combining anthropogenic, biogenic, and oxygenated VOC.

Terpenoids have long been known to originate from natural sources. However, there is growing evidence for emissions from anthropogenic activities in cities, in particular from the production, manufacturing, and use of household solvents. Here, as part of the DATAbASE (Do Anthropogenic Terpenoids mAtter in AtmoSpheric chEmistry?) project, we investigate for the first time the potential role of industrial activities on the terpenoid burden in the urban atmosphere. This study is based on continuous VOC observations from an intensive field campaign conducted in July 2014 at an industrial-urban background site located in Dunkirk, Northern France. More than 80 VOCs including oxygenated and terpenoid compounds were measured by on-line Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography with a Flame Ionization Detection (TD-GC-FID) and Proton Transfer Reaction-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToFMS). Isoprene, α-pinene, limonene and the sum of monoterpenes were the terpenoids detected at average mixing ratios of 0.02 ± 0.02 ppbv, 0.02 ± 0.02 ppbv, 0.01 ± 0.01 ppbv and 0.03 ± 0.05 ppbv, respectively. Like other anthropogenic VOCs, the mixing ratios of terpenoids significantly increase downwind the industrial plumes by one order of magnitude. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was performed to identify the different emission sources of VOCs and their contribution. Six factors out of the eight factors extracted (r2 = 0.95) are related to industrial emissions such as solvent use, chemical and agrochemical storage, metallurgy, petrochemical, and coal-fired industrial activities. From the correlations between the industrial-type PMF factors, sulfur dioxide, and terpenoids, we determined their emissions ratios and we quantified for the first time their industrial emissions. The highest emission ratio is related to the alkene-dominated factor and is related to petrochemical, metallurgical and coal-fired industrial activities. The industrial emissions of monoterpenes equal 8.1 ± 4.3 tons/year. Those emissions are as significant as the non-industrialized anthropogenic ones estimated for the Paris megacity.

A new labdane diterpenoid from Scoparia dulcis improving pancreatic function against islets cell apoptotic by Bax/Bcl-2/Caspase-3 pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Scoparia dulcis has been identified as a significant ethnopharmacological substance in the Li, Zhuang, and Dai ethnic groups of China. Traditional medicine use S. dulcis to treat numerous illnesses, most notably diabetes. The considerable antidiabetic properties of this herbal remedy have been established by several clinical investigations and animal experiments. The islet is the intended target of S. dulcis, although the cause of its activity and mechanism for diabetes treatment is unclear. The diterpenoids from S. dulcis have been shown in the literature to have significant hypoglycemic efficacy and to protect islet cells in vitro. Diterpenoids may be the components of this herbal remedy that preserve islets, but further research is needed. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study was projected to investigate the new diterpenoid scoparicol E from S. dulcis and examined its islet-protective effect and the potential mechanism both in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: The structure of the novel diterpenoid scoparicol E was clarified by employing a wide range of spectroscopic methods. Using CCK-8 tests, cytotoxicity and antiapoptotic activity of scoparicol E were detected. Serum biochemical analysis and pathologic examination were performed to study the protective effect of scoparicol E against islet damage. The specific mechanism of action of scoparicol E was investigated through the mitochondrial membrane potential, Annexin V-FITC flow cytometry, and western blotting. RESULTS: Scoparicol E reduced MLD-STZ-induced hyperglycemia in mice and increased insulin and islet apoptosis. Scoparicol E effectively suppressed the Bax/Bcl-2/Caspase-3 pathway, according to the in vivo western blot investigation. Scoparicol E showed significant antiapoptotic action in vitro. We also showed that scoparicol E might prevent islet cells from dying by inhibiting the Bax/Bcl-2/Caspase-3 pathway. The Annexin V-FITC flow cytometry results revealed that MIN6 cell apoptosis was considerably decreased following scoparicol E intervention, showing anti-islet cell apoptosis action. Furthermore, the Caspase-3-mediated apoptosis pathway depends on cytochrome c and the potential of the mitochondrial membrane. Scoparicol E prevented the release of cytochrome c, restored the mitochondrial membrane potential, and prevented MIN6 cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated the new diterpenoid scoparicol E could protect islet cells apoptosis by modulating the Bax/Bcl-2/Caspase-3 pathway.

[Metabolomic study on urine of chronic inflammation rats treated with Buyang Huanwu Decoction based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS].

The study investigated the effect of Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD) on endogenous biomarkers in the urine of rats with chronic inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), aiming to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of BYHWD on chronic inflammation from a metabolomics perspective. Male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose BYHWD groups(7.5, 15, and 30 g·kg~(-1)). The model group and BYHWD groups received tail intravenous injection of LPS(200 µg·kg~(-1)) on the first day of each week, followed by oral administration of BYHWD once a day for four consecutive weeks. Urine samples were collected at the end of the administration period, and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was used to analyze the metabolic profiles of the rat urine in each group. Multivariate statistical analysis methods such as principal component analysis(PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were used to analyze the effect of BYHWD on endogenous metabolites. One-way ANOVA and variable importance for the projection(VIP) were used to screen for potential biomarkers related to chronic inflammation. The identified biomarkers were subjected to pathway and enrichment analysis using MetaboAnalyst 5.0. A total of 25 potential biomarkers were screened and identified in the rat urine in this experiment. Compared with the normal group, the model group showed significant increases in the levels of 14 substances(P<0.05) and significant decreases in the levels of 11 substances(P<0.05). BYHWD was able to effectively reverse the trend of most endogenous biomarkers. Compared with the model group, BYHWD significantly down-regulated 13 biomarkers(P<0.05) and up-regulated 10 biomarkers(P<0.05). The metabolic products were mainly related to the biosynthesis of pantothenic acid and coenzyme A, tryptophan metabolism, retinol metabolism, and propionate metabolism. BYHWD has therapeutic effect on chronic inflammation induced by LPS, which may be related to its ability to improve the levels of endogenous metabolites, enhance the body's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities, and restore normal metabolic activity.

Chloroplast Genome Structure and Phylogenetic Analysis of 13 Lamiaceae Plants in Tibet.

BACKGROUND: The chloroplast (cp) genome has unique and highly conserved characteristics and is therefore widely used in species identification and classification, as well as to improve the in-depth understanding of plant evolution. METHODS: In this study, the cp genomes of 13 Lamiaceae plants in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China were sequenced, assembled and annotated using bioinformatics methods. Phylogenetic trees were constructed to reveal the phylogenetic relationship of related species in the Lamiaceae. RESULTS: The results showed that all 13 cp genomes had a typical four-segment structure, including one large single-copy (LSC) region, one pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions and one small single-copy (SSC) region. The sequence lengths of the 13 cp genomes were between 149,081 bp and 152,312 bp, and the average GC content was 37.6%. These genomes contained 131-133 annotated genes, including 86-88 protein-coding genes, 37-38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. A total of 542 SSR loci were detected using MISA software. The repeat types were mostly single-nucleotide repeats, accounting for 61% of simple repeats. A total of 26,328-26,887 codons were detected in 13 cp genomes. According to the RSCU value analysis, the codons mostly ended with A/T. Analysis of IR boundaries showed that the other species were relatively conserved, except for Nepeta laevigata (D. Don) Hand.-Mazz., which differed in gene type and location on both sides of the boundary. By analysing nucleotide diversity, two highly mutated regions located in the LSC and SSC regions were identified in the 13 cp genomes. CONCLUSIONS: Using the cp genome of Lycium ruthenicum Murray as the outgroup, 97 cp genomes of the Lamiaceae were used to construct an Maximum Likehood (ML) phylogenetic tree, in which these species were divided into eight major clades, corresponding to eight subfamilies based on morphological classification. The phylogenetic results based on monophyletic relationships were consistent with the morphological classification status at the tribe level.

The activities and mechanisms of intestinal microbiota metabolites of TCM herbal ingredients could be illustrated by a strategy integrating spectrum-effects, network pharmacology, metabolomics and molecular docking analysis: Platycodin D as an example.

BACKGROUND: The intestinal microbiota plays a key role in understanding the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as it could transform the herbal ingredients to metabolites with higher bioavailability and activity comparing to their prototypes. Nevertheless, the study of the activity and mechanism of microbiota metabolites reported by the published literature still lacks viable ways. Hence a new strategy is proposed to solve this issue. PURPOSE: A new strategy to study the activity and mechanism of intestinal microbiota metabolites of TCM herbal ingredients by integrating spectrum-effect relationship, network pharmacology, metabolomics analysis and molecular docking together was developed and proposed. METHOD: Platycodin D (PD) and its microbiota metabolites with antitussive and expectorant effect were selected as an example for demonstration. First, the PD and its microbiota metabolites with important contribution to antitussive and/or expectorant effects were screened through spectrum-effect relationship analysis. Second, network pharmacology and metabolomics analysis were integrated to identify the upstream key targets of PD and its microbiota metabolites as well as the downstream endogenous metabolites. Finally, the active forms of PD were further confirmed by molecular docking. RESULTS: Results showed that PD was an active ingredient with antitussive and/or expectorant effects, and the active forms of PD were its microbiota metabolites: 3-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl platycodigenin, 3-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl isoplatycodigenin, 7­hydroxyl-3-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl platycodigenin, platycodigenin and isoplatycodigenin. In addition, those microbiota metabolites could bind the key targets of PAH, PLA2G2A, ALOX5, CYP2C9 and CYP2D6 to exert antitussive effects by regulating four metabolic pathways of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism. Similarly, they could also bind the key targets of PLA2G1B, ALOX5, CYP2C9 and CYP2D6 to exert expectorant effect by regulating two pathways of glycerophospholipid metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism. CONCLUSION: The proposed strategy paves a new way for the illustration of the activities and mechanisms of TCM herbal ingredients, which is very important to reconcile the conundrums of TCM herbal ingredients with low oral bioavailability but high activity.

Environmental DNA sequencing reveals the regional difference in diversity and community assembly mechanisms of eukaryotic plankton in coastal waters.

The diversity and community assembly mechanisms of eukaryotic plankton in coastal waters is so far not clear. In this study, we selected the coastal waters of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which is a highly developed region in China, as the research area. By use of high-throughput sequencing technologies, the diversity and community assembly mechanisms of eukaryotic marine plankton were studied in which a total of 7,295 OTUs were obtained, and 2,307 species were annotated by doing environmental DNA survey of 17 sites consist of surface and bottom layer. Ultimately, the analysis reveals that the species abundance of bottom layer is, by and large, higher than that in the surface layer. In the bottom, Arthropoda is the first largest group, accounting for more than 20% while Arthropoda and Bacillariophyta are dominant groups in surface waters accounting for more than 40%. It is significant of the variance in alpha-diversity between sampling sites, and the difference of alpha-diversity between bottom sites is greater than that of surface sites. The result suggests that the environmental factors that have significant influence on alpha-diversity are total alkalinity and offshore distance for surface sites, and water depth and turbidity for bottom sites. Likewise, the plankton communities obey the typical distance-decay pattern. Analysis about community assembly mechanisms reveals that, overall, dispersal limitation is the major pattern of community formation, which accounts for more than 83% of the community formation processes, suggesting that stochastic processes are the crucial assembly mechanism of the eukaryotic plankton community in the study area.

New aphidicolane diterpenoids with glucose consumption promoting and cell viability enhancing activities from Scoparia dulcis.

Two new aphidicolane diterpenoids, termed Scopadulinol A (1) and B (2), were obtained from whole plants of Scoparia dulcis. Their structures were elucidated by applying various spectroscopic techniques, including 1D- and 2D-NMR and HR-ESI-MS. The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined by applying the calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). In addition, both compounds were tested for their effects on glucose consumption in HL-7702 cells and on palmitic acid (PA) induced viability in MIN6 cells at different concentrations. The results showed that they significantly promoted glucose consumption and attenuated the PA-induced decrease of cell viability. Additionally, 2 was tested to determine whether it could activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), but it showed no such effect at the tested dosage. These results indicated that the new compounds might promote glucose consumption through other pathways but not by activating AMPK. Collectively, we highlighted the isolation of two new aphidicolane diterpenoids from S. dulcis and found that they could promote glucose consumption and attenuate PA-induced decrease of cell viability.

Effective materials and mechanisms study of Tibetan herbal medicine Lagotis integra W. W. Smith treating DSS-induced ulcerative colitis based on network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental validation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Lagotis integra W. W. Smith (L. integra W. W. Smith) is an important origin plant of the famous Tibetan medicine HERBA LAGOTIS. It was documented to treat "Chi Ba" disease clinically, the symptoms of which are similar to ulcerative colitis (UC). AIMS OF THIS STUDY: To screen out the active components and study the mechanisms of L. integra W. W. Smith treating UC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The components of L. integra W. W. Smith were comprehensively analyzed using UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS method. The mechanisms were investigated using network pharmacology method including target prediction, protein-protein interaction network analysis and gene enrichment analysis. Then, the mechanisms were verified using Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced UC model. Finally, the core active components were further screened out through molecular docking. RESULTS: The results showed that 32 major components were identified including 8 flavonoids, 9 phenylpropanoid glycosides, 13 iridoid glycosides and 1 phenolic acid. 76 potential core therapeutic targets and top 5 key targets, which were AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and caspase-3 (CASP3), were screened out according to network pharmacology analysis. Animal experiments confirmed that those compounds could downregulate the expression levels of the 5 key target proteins in colonic tissue of mice to exert excellent anti-UC effect. Molecular docking results showed that the main active components were echinacoside, hemiphroside B, plantamajoside, plantainoside D, 10-O-trans-isoferuloyl catalpol and scutellarioside II. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, our study provides insights into the effective materials and molecular mechanisms of L. integra W. W. Smith treating UC, which contributes to the understanding of its pharmacodynamics.

Sequence Analysis of the Plastomes of Two Tibetan Medicinal Plants of the Family Papaveraceae.

BACKGROUND: With the rapid development of next-generation sequencing technology, more plants plastomes have been sequenced, further advancing species identification and phylogenetic studies. However, there are a few studies on the genetic and phylogenetic analysis of the plastomes of Dicranostigma lactucoides Hook. f. et Thoms. and Hypecoum leptocarpum Hook. f. et Thoms. METHODS: In this study, we sequenced and analyzed the plastomes of Dicranostigma lactucoides Hook. f. et Thoms. and Hypecoum leptocarpum Hook. f. et Thoms., and conducted a phylogenetic analysis using 13 related species. RESULTS: The results showed that the plastomes of both D. lactucoides and H. leptocarpum had a typical tetrad structure, with sizes of 166,819 bp and 163,282 bp, respectively. We annotated 133 genes for D. lactucoides and 120 genes for H. leptocarpum. A total of 72 and 43 simple repetitive sequences were detected in D. lactucoides and H. leptocarpum, respectively. Codon preference analysis showed that the relative usage frequency of codons and the relative abundance of synonymous codons used were the same for both plastomes. Nucleotide polymorphism analysis identified seven variant loci with high nucleotide diversity (Pi) values, all located in the large single copy (LSC) region. Inverted repeat (IR) boundary analysis revealed differences in gene types and locations on both sides of the boundary, except for the small single copy/inverted repeat a (SSC/IRa) boundary. The phylogenetic analysis showed the species clustered into two major groups, one with five genera (Hypecoum, Corydalis, Papaver, Meconopsis, and Dicranostigma) and the other with two genera (Coreanomecon; and Hylomecon). CONCLUSIONS: Comparative analysis of the plastome genomic characteristics and phylogeny of D. lactucoides and H. leptocarpum laid the foundation for identifying the above two species and the phylogenetic study and comprehensive exploitation of the Papaveraceae.

Anthocyanins from Opuntia ficus-indica Modulate Gut Microbiota Composition and Improve Short-Chain Fatty Acid Production.

Opuntia ficus-indica is rich in a variety of active substances, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. Some studies have shown that anthocyanins extracted from natural plants can regulate intestinal flora. The fruit was used as raw material, and anthocyanins were extracted from it. In vivo experiments were used to study the effect of Opuntia ficus-indica anthocyanins on the mouse intestine by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing (NovaSeq 6000 platform) and gas chromatography (hydrogen flame ionization detector (FID)) methods. Microbiota and effects of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The results showed that after feeding anthocyanins, the diversity of intestinal microorganisms in mice was significantly increased (p < 0.05), the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B value) was significantly decreased (p < 0.05), the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Prevotella, and Akkermansia in the intestinal tract of mice were significantly increased (p < 0.05), and the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria Escherichia-Shigella and Desulfovibrio decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Furthermore, anthocyanins significantly increased the content of short-chain fatty acids in the cecum of mice, among which the content of acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid increased the most. Opuntia ficus-indica anthocyanins can change the microbial diversity and flora composition of the mouse gut and promote the production of short-chain fatty acids. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the use of Opuntia ficus-indica anthocyanins as dietary supplements to regulate human intestinal flora.

[Suitable harvest period of Aurantii Fructus based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS metabolomics].

The types of secondary metabolites of Aurantii Fructus samples from GAP base in different harvest periods were detected by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS metabolomics, and the differential metabolites were screened out by multivariate statistical analysis. The variation of the content of differential metabolites with different harvest periods was analyzed, and the correlation analysis was carried out on the differential metabolites to determine the suitable harvest period for different components. Sixteen differential metabolites were obtained. With the delay of harvest time, the content of flavonoid glycosides, including naringin, neohesperidin, poncirin, narirutin, and hesperidin, gradually decreased. It is suggested that the suitable harvest period for raw materials of Aurantii Fructus with flavonoids as active components is from July 18 to July 25(within one week before and after the Great heat). The content of nobiletin, tangeretin, natsudaidain, 7-hydroxyl-4',3,5,6,8-pentamethoxyflavone, sinensetin, isosinensetin, 5,6,7,4'-tetramethoxyflavone, and isomeranzin decreased first, then increased, and finally decreased. It is suggested that the suitable harvest time for raw materials of Aurantii Fructus with these components as the active components is July 18. The content changes of meranzin, limonin, and 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone have their characteristics. According to the conditions of actual production, it is suggested that the suitable harvest time is June 27, July 11, and July 25, respectively. The results showed that there were differences in the content of chemical components of Aurantii Fructus in different harvest periods, and the suitable harvest period should be determined according to the differences in chemical component content. This study is expected to provide a scientific basis for the purchase of raw materials of Aurantii Fructus for Chinese patent medicines with different effects.

Red-Light-Responsive Metallopolymer Nanocarriers with Conjugated and Encapsulated Drugs for Phototherapy Against Multidrug-Resistant Tumors.

It is challenging to treat multidrug-resistant tumors because such tumors are resistant to a broad spectrum of structurally and functionally unrelated drugs. Herein, treatment of multidrug-resistant tumors using red-light-responsive metallopolymer nanocarriers that are conjugated with the anticancer drug chlorambucil (CHL) and encapsulated with the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) is reported. An amphiphilic metallopolymer PolyRuCHL that contains a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block and a red-light-responsive ruthenium (Ru)-containing block is synthesized. Chlorambucil is covalently conjugated to the Ru moieties of PolyRuCHL. Encapsulation of DOX into PolyRuCHL in an aqueous solution results in DOX@PolyRuCHL micelles. The DOX@PolyRuCHL micelles are efficiently taken up by the multidrug-resistant breast cancer cell line MCF-7R and which carries DOX into the cells. Free DOX, without the nanocarriers, is not taken up by MCF-7R or pumped out of MCF-7R via P-glycoproteins. Red light irradiation of DOX@PolyRuCHL micelles triggers the release of chlorambucil-conjugated Ru moieties and DOX. Both act synergistically to inhibit the growth of multidrug-resistant cancer cells. Furthermore, the inhibition of the growth of multidrug-resistant tumors in a mouse model using DOX@PolyRuCHL micelles is demonstrated. The design of red-light-responsive metallopolymer nanocarriers with both conjugated and encapsulated drugs opens up an avenue for photoactivated chemotherapy against multidrug-resistant tumors.

Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed the molecular mechanism of terpenoid formation for salicylic acid resistance in Pulsatilla chinensis callus.

As a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel is well known for its anti-inflammation and anti-cancer activities, which are attributed to its active components including total saponins and monomers. To clarify the synthesis and metabolism mechanisms of class components in callus terpenes of P. chinensis, a certain concentration of salicylic acid (SA) hormone elicitor was added to the callus before being analysed by transcriptomic and metabolomic techniques. Results showed that the content of Pulsatilla saponin B4 in the callus suspension culture was significantly increased up to 1.99% with the addition of SA. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in 122 metabolic pathways, such as terpenoid metabolism-related pathways: terpenoid skeleton synthesis pathway, monoterpenoid biosynthesis pathways, diterpenoid biosynthesis pathways, and ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis pathways. A total of 31 differentially accumulated metabolites were obtained from four differential groups. Amongst 21 kinds of known chemical components in P. chinensis, deoxyloganic acid was the only monoterpenoid; the others are triterpenoids. In summary, this study found that SA elicitors can affect the metabolic changes of terpenoids in P. chinensis callus, which provided a basis for analysing the genetic regulation of terpenoid components of leucons.

Acute myocardial infarction therapy: in vitro and in vivo evaluation of atrial natriuretic peptide and triphenylphosphonium dual ligands modified, baicalin-loaded nanoparticulate system.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most common ischemic heart diseases. It is very essential to explore new types of cardioprotective drugs delivery systems in this area. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of baicalin (BA) and puerarin (PU) against acute MI rat models. BA and PU co-loaded nanoparticulate system were developed to improve bioavailability of the drugs, to prolong retention time in vivo and to enhance the protective effect. METHODS: In the present study, ANP and TPP contained ligands were synthesized. ANP/TPP-BN-LPNs were prepared and its physico-chemical properties were evaluated. The MI therapy efficiency of ANP/TPP-BN-LPNs was assessed in rats after intravenous injection. Single ligand contained LPNs, no ligand contained LPNs, and BN solution formulations were also prepared and used for the comparison. RESULTS: ANP/TPP-BN-LPNs were uniform and spheroidal particles. The size of ANP/TPP-BN-LPNs was 98.5 ± 2.9 nm, with a zeta potential of -19.5 ± 1.9 mV. The dual ligands modified LPNs exhibited significantly improved therapeutic efficiency compared with the single ligand modified LPNs and other systems. In vivo infarct therapy studies in rats proved that ANP/TPP-BN-LPNs were a promising system for efficient delivery of cardiovascular drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. CONCLUSIONS: ANP/TPP-BN-LPNs could be used as a long-circulating and heart-targeting drug delivery system.

Two new scopadulane diterpenoids from Scoparia dulcis attenuated palmitate-induced viability in MIN6 cells.

Two new scopadulane diterpenoids, termed Scopadulcic acids D (1, SDD) and E (2, SDE), together with two known analogues (3 and 4) were isolated from Scoparia dulcis. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined by calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Meanwhile, X-ray crystallographic analysis was applied to determine the absolute configuration of 1. All compounds were tested for their effect on attenuating palmitate-induced viability at the concentrations of 25 and 50 µM. The results showed that they significantly attenuated the palmitate-induced viability in MIN6 cells.

Innovative nanochemotherapy for overcoming cancer multidrug resistance.

Tumor multidrug resistance (MDR) is a phenomenon in which drug-resistant tumor cells are resistant to multiple other unexposed antitumor drugs with different structures and targets. MDR of cancer is a primary cause of clinical chemotherapy failure. With the progress of nanotechnology in the medical field, more and more research works have developed many nanotechnology-based strategies to challenge drug resistance. This review details the recent studies at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology utilizing various nanochemotherapy strategies for overcoming chemotherapy resistance of tumor. We discuss the benefits and limitations of the diverse strategies, as well as possible ways to overcome these limitations. Importantly, in order to combat cancer chemotherapy resistance with nanomedicine, the mechanisms of drug endocytosis and subsequent fate need to be explored and focused on. In the meanwhile, due to the complexity and diversity of chemotherapy resistance mechanisms, the development of more intelligent and controllable nanodrugs may have greater scope for clinical application.

High-quality milk exosomes as oral drug delivery system.

Many drugs must be administered intravenously instead of oral administration due to their poor oral bioavailability. The cost of repeated infusion treatment for 6 weeks every year is as high as tens of billions of dollars worldwide. Exosomes are nano-sized (30-150 nm) extracellular vesicles secreted by mammalian cells due to environmental stimulation or self-activation. Milk contains abundant exosomes originated from multiple cellular sources. It has been proved that milk exosomes (MEs) could survive with the strongly acidic conditions in the stomach and degradative conditions in the gut. Furthermore, they can cross biological barriers to reach targeted tissues. The ability of MEs to cross the gastrointestinal barrier makes them as a promising drug delivery tool for oral delivery. This review is devoted to the purification of MEs, their biocompatibility and immunogenicity, and prospects for their use as natural drug carriers for oral administration.

Brain preparedness: The proactive role of the cortisol awakening response in hippocampal-prefrontal functional interactions.

Upon awakening from nighttime sleep, the stress hormone cortisol in humans exhibits a robust rise within thirty to forty-five minutes. This cortisol awakening response (CAR), a crucial point of reference within the healthy cortisol circadian rhythm, has been linked to various psychological, psychiatric and health-related conditions. The CAR is thought to prepare the brain for anticipated challenges of the upcoming day to maintain one's homeostasis and promote adaptive responses. Using brain imaging with a prospective design and pharmacological manipulation, we investigate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this preparation function of the CAR across two studies. In Study 1, a robust CAR is predictive of less hippocampal and prefrontal activity, though enhanced functional coupling between those regions during a demanding task hours later in the afternoon. Reduced prefrontal activity is in turn linked to better working memory performance, implicating that the CAR proactively promotes brain preparedness based on improved neurocognitive efficiency. In Study 2, pharmacologically suppressed CAR using Dexamethasone mirrors this proactive effect, which further causes a selective reduction of prefrontal top-down functional modulation over hippocampal activity. These findings establish a causal link between the CAR and its proactive role in optimizing functional brain networks involved in neuroendocrine control, executive function and memory.

Discovery of quality markers in Rubus Chingii Hu using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS.

Raspberry, the fruit of Rubus Chingii Hu, has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to nourish kidney and strengthen Yang-qi. In order to determine the quality of raspberry, the quality markers (Q-markers) of raspberry that can improve renal function were investigated using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS in this study. The results of serum pharmacochemistry indicated that six components rutin, ellagic acid, kaempferol-3-rutinoside, astragalin, tiliroside, and goshonoside F5 in raspberry were absorbed into rat blood. The HEK293 cells treated with cisplatin were used to evaluate the kidney-protecting activity of these absorbed components. All these components could markedly inhibit cell damage induced by cisplatin and restore the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) in the cells, suggesting that these components may be the Q-markers of raspberry. More importantly, except for ellagic acid, other five Q-markers in raspberries from Dexing of Jiangxi province were higher than those from most of other areas. It is well known that Dexing raspberry is the Dao-di herbs raspberry used in the clinic of Chinese Medicine, demonstrating that these components could be used as Q-markers of raspberry. This study provides a reliable and valuable method for quality evaluation of raspberry.

Recent progress in mitochondria-targeting-based nanotechnology for cancer treatment.

Mitochondria play critical roles in the regulation of the proliferation and apoptosis of cancerous cells. Nanosystems for targeted delivery of cargos to mitochondria for cancer treatment have attracted increasing attention in the past few years. This review will summarize the state of the art of design and construction of nanosystems used for mitochondria-targeted delivery. The use of nanotechnology for cancer treatment through various pathways such as energy metabolism interference, reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulation, mitochondrial protein targeting, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) interference, mitophagy inducing, and combination therapy will be discussed. Finally, the major challenges and an outlook in this field will also be provided.