Nanoparticle-Based Therapies for Neurotropic Viral Infections: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Future Prospects.

Neurotropic viral infections pose a significant challenge due to their ability to target the central nervous system and cause severe neurological complications. Traditional antiviral therapies face limitations in effectively treating these infections, primarily due to the blood-brain barrier, which restricts the delivery of therapeutic agents to the central nervous system. Nanoparticle-based therapies have emerged as a promising approach to overcome these challenges. Nanoparticles offer unique properties that facilitate drug delivery across biological barriers, such as the blood-brain barrier, and can be engineered to possess antiviral activities.

Advances in Electrospun Nanofiber Membranes for Dermatological Applications: A Review.

In recent years, a wide variety of high-performance and versatile nanofiber membranes have been successfully created using different electrospinning methods. As vehicles for medication, they have been receiving more attention because of their exceptional antibacterial characteristics and ability to heal wounds, resulting in improved drug delivery and release. This quality makes them an appealing choice for treating various skin conditions like wounds, fungal infections, skin discoloration disorders, dermatitis, and skin cancer. This article offers comprehensive information on the electrospinning procedure, the categorization of nanofiber membranes, and their use in dermatology. Additionally, it delves into successful case studies, showcasing the utilization of nanofiber membranes in the field of skin diseases to promote their substantial advancement.

Mechanism of Action of Dihydroquercetin in the Prevention and Therapy of Experimental Liver Injury.

Liver disease is a global health problem that affects the well-being of tens of thousands of people. Dihydroquercetin (DHQ) is a flavonoid compound derived from various plants. Furthermore, DHQ has shown excellent activity in the prevention and treatment of liver injury, such as the inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation after administration, the normalization of oxidative indices (like SOD, GSH) in this tissue, and the down-regulation of pro-inflammatory molecules (such as IL-6 and TNF-α). DHQ also exerts its therapeutic effects by affecting molecular pathways such as NF-κB and Nrf2. This paper discusses the latest research progress of DHQ in the treatment of various liver diseases (including viral liver injury, drug liver injury, alcoholic liver injury, non-alcoholic liver injury, fatty liver injury, and immune liver injury). It explores how to optimize the application of DHQ to improve its effectiveness in treating liver diseases, which is valuable for preparing potential therapeutic drugs for human liver diseases in conjunction with DHQ.

Synthesis of Taxifolin-Loaded Polydopamine for Chemo-Photothermal-Synergistic Therapy of Ovarian Cancer.

Chemotherapy is a well-established method for treating cancer, but it has limited effectiveness due to its high dosage and harmful side effects. To address this issue, researchers have explored the use of photothermal agent nanoparticles as carriers for precise drug release in vivo. In this study, three different sizes of polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA-1, PDA-2, and PDA-3) were synthesized and evaluated. PDA-2 was selected for its optimal size, encapsulation rate, and drug loading rate. The release of the drug from PDA-2@TAX was tested at different pH and NIR laser irradiation levels. The results showed that PDA-2@TAX released more readily in an acidic environment and exhibited a high photothermal conversion efficiency when exposed to an 808 nm laser. In vitro experiments on ovarian cancer cells demonstrated that PDA-2@TAX effectively inhibited cell proliferation, highlighting its potential for synergistic chemotherapy-photothermal treatment.

Phlorizin, an Important Glucoside: Research Progress on Its Biological Activity and Mechanism.

Phlorizin, as a flavonoid from a wide range of sources, is gradually becoming known for its biological activity. Phlorizin can exert antioxidant effects by regulating the IL-1ß/IKB-α/NF-KB signaling pathway. At the same time, it exerts its antibacterial activity by reducing intracellular DNA agglutination, reducing intracellular protein and energy synthesis, and destroying intracellular metabolism. In addition, phlorizin also has various pharmacological effects such as antiviral, antidiabetic, antitumor, and hepatoprotective effects. Based on domestic and foreign research reports, this article reviews the plant sources, extraction, and biological activities of phlorizin, providing a reference for improving the clinical application of phlorizin.

Pharmacological Effects of Shikonin and Its Potential in Skin Repair: A Review.

Currently, skin injuries have a serious impact on people's lives and socio-economic stress. Shikonin, a naphthoquinone compound derived from the root of the traditional Chinese medicine Shikonin, has favorable biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, immunomodulatory, anticancer, and wound-healing-promoting pharmacological activities. It has been reported that Shikonin can be used for repairing skin diseases due to its wide range of pharmacological effects. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of Shikonin can play a great role in food and can also reduce the number of pathogenic bacteria in food. This paper summarizes the research on the pharmacological effects of Shikonin in recent years, as well as research on the mechanism of action of Shikonin in the treatment of certain skin diseases, to provide certain theoretical references for the clinical application of Shikonin, and also to provides research ideas for the investigation of the mechanism of action of Shikonin in other skin diseases.

Polymer-Based Wound Dressings Loaded with Ginsenoside Rg3.

The skin, the largest organ in the human body, mainly plays a protective role. Once damaged, it can lead to acute or chronic wounds. Wound healing involves a series of complex physiological processes that require ideal wound dressings to promote it. The current wound dressings have characteristics such as high porosity and moderate water vapor permeability, but they are limited in antibacterial properties and cannot protect wounds from microbial infections, which can delay wound healing. In addition, several dressings contain antibiotics, which may have bad impacts on patients. Natural active substances have good biocompatibility; for example, ginsenoside Rg3 has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, and other biological activities, which can effectively promote wound healing. Some researchers have developed various polymer wound dressings loaded with ginsenoside Rg3 that have good biocompatibility and can effectively promote wound healing and reduce scar formation. This article will focus on the application and mechanism of ginsenoside Rg3-loaded dressings in wounds.

Hydrogel Tissue Bioengineered Scaffolds in Bone Repair: A Review.

Large bone defects due to trauma, infections, and tumors are difficult to heal spontaneously by the body's repair mechanisms and have become a major hindrance to people's daily lives and economic development. However, autologous and allogeneic bone grafts, with their lack of donors, more invasive surgery, immune rejection, and potential viral transmission, hinder the development of bone repair. Hydrogel tissue bioengineered scaffolds have gained widespread attention in the field of bone repair due to their good biocompatibility and three-dimensional network structure that facilitates cell adhesion and proliferation. In addition, loading natural products with nanoparticles and incorporating them into hydrogel tissue bioengineered scaffolds is one of the most effective strategies to promote bone repair due to the good bioactivity and limitations of natural products. Therefore, this paper presents a brief review of the application of hydrogels with different gel-forming properties, hydrogels with different matrices, and nanoparticle-loaded natural products loaded and incorporated into hydrogels for bone defect repair in recent years.

Flavonoid-Loaded Biomaterials in Bone Defect Repair.

Skeletons play an important role in the human body, and can form gaps of varying sizes once damaged. Bone defect healing involves a series of complex physiological processes and requires ideal bone defect implants to accelerate bone defect healing. Traditional grafts are often accompanied by issues such as insufficient donors and disease transmission, while some bone defect implants are made of natural and synthetic polymers, which have characteristics such as good porosity, mechanical properties, high drug loading efficiency, biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, their antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and bone repair promoting abilities are limited. Flavonoids are natural compounds with various biological activities, such as antitumor, anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Their good anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant activities make them beneficial for the treatment of bone defects. Several researchers have designed different types of flavonoid-loaded polymer implants for bone defects. These implants have good biocompatibility, and they can effectively promote the expression of angiogenesis factors such as VEGF and CD31, promote angiogenesis, regulate signaling pathways such as Wnt, p38, AKT, Erk and increase the levels of osteogenesis-related factors such as Runx-2, OCN, OPN significantly to accelerate the process of bone defect healing. This article reviews the effectiveness and mechanism of biomaterials loaded with flavonoids in the treatment of bone defects. Flavonoid-loaded biomaterials can effectively promote bone defect repair, but we still need to improve the overall performance of flavonoid-loaded bone repair biomaterials to improve the bioavailability of flavonoids and provide more possibilities for bone defect repair.

Research Progress of Dihydroquercetin in the Treatment of Skin Diseases.

Skin is a barrier to maintaining the stability of the human environment and preventing the invasion of pathogens. When skin tissue is exposed to the external environment, it will inevitably develop defects due to trauma, injury, burns, ulcers, surgery, and chronic diseases. Rapid skin repair is the key to reducing infection, relieving pain, and improving quality of life. Dihydroquercetin is a kind of flavonoid that has a wide range of pharmacological activities and can improve skin repair, skin inflammation, skin cancer, and so on. In this paper, the application of dihydroquercetin in medical dressings and the research progress in the treatment of skin-related diseases are reviewed, so as to provide reference for further developing dihydroquercetin as a drug for the treatment of skin diseases.

Research Progress on Extraction, Isolation, Structural Analysis and Biological Activity of Polysaccharides from Panax Genus.

The panax genus is a widely used medicinal plant with good biological activity. As one of the main active components of the Panax genus, polysaccharides have various pharmacological effects. This review summarizes the latest research reports on ginseng, American ginseng, and Panax notoginseng polysaccharides and compares the differences in extraction, isolation and purification, structural characteristics, and biological activities. The current research mainly focuses on ginseng polysaccharides, and the process of extraction, isolation, and structure analysis of each polysaccharide is roughly the same. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that these polysaccharides have antioxidants, antitumor, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, intestinal protection, skin repair, and other biological activities. This review provides new insights into the differences between the three kinds of ginseng polysaccharides which will help to further study the medicinal value of ginseng in traditional Chinese medicine.

Structural Modification and Biological Activity of Polysaccharides.

Natural polysaccharides are macromolecular substances with a wide range of biological activities. The structural modification of polysaccharides by chemical means can enhance their biological activity. This paper reviews the latest research reports on the chemical modification of natural polysaccharides. At present, the modification methods of polysaccharides mainly include sulfation, phosphorylation, carboxymethylation, socialization, methylation and acetylation. The chemical and physical structures of the modified polysaccharides were detected via ultraviolet spectroscopy, FT-IR, high-performance liquid chromatography, ultraviolet spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning electron microscopy. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that the modified polysaccharide has various biological activities, such as antioxidant, antitumor, immune regulation, antiviral, antibacterial and anticoagulant functions in vitro. This review provides fresh ideas for the research and application of polysaccharide structure modification.

Aronia melanocarpa polysaccharide ameliorates liver fibrosis through TGF-ß1-mediated the activation of PI3K/AKT pathway and modulating gut microbiota.

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the anti-hepatic fibrosis effect of Aronia melanocarpa polysaccharide (AMP) on TAA-induced liver fibrosis mice and its mechanism, as well as the changes in intestinal flora in vivo. This was established with a dose of 200 mg/kg TAA (i.p) once every three days, lasting for eight weeks. Colchicine with 0.4 mg/kg, and AMP (200 and 400 mg/kg) were given by intragastric administration (i.g) after 28 days of intraperitoneal injection of TAA. AMP treatment significantly inhibited the activities of liver injury markers ALT and AST in serum. Histopathological staining demonstrated that AMP significantly reversed TAA-induced hepatocyte necrosis and collagen deposition. In addition, AMP treatment block TGF- ß1/Smads pathway inhibited the production of ECM and alleviates liver fibrosis. Furthermore, AMP treatment enhanced the phosphorylation of PI3K/AKT and decreased the expression of its downstream apoptosis-related proteins in liver, thus effectively alleviating TAA-induced liver fibrosis. In addition, 16S rDNA gene sequencing analysis showed that AMP treatment helped restore the imbalanced ecosystem of gut microbes, increased the proportion of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, and increased species richness. Above findings clearly show that AMP is an effective method for treating liver fibrosis, possibly by improving the gut microbiota.

Taxifolin, a novel food, attenuates acute alcohol-induced liver injury in mice through regulating the NF-κB-mediated inflammation and PI3K/Akt signalling pathways.

CONTEXT: Taxifolin (TAX) has effective anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities, but its potential mechanism has not been revealed. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential protective effect of TAX on acute alcohol-induced liver injury in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Alcoholic liver injury model was established by oral alcohol in mice, and randomly distributed in five groups (n = 10): Normal group (oral saline only); Alcohol group (concentration of fermented alcohol: 56%, 6 mL/kg); TAX groups, mice were orally administered with alcohol, and then TAX with doses of 20, 40, 80 mg/kg, respectively. Oral administration was conducted for 6 weeks. RESULTS: TAX treatment illustrated that the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was reduced to 65.90 ± 2.26 U/L and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to 33.28 ± 5.62 U/L compared with alcohol group (ALT 124.51 ± 4.40 U/L, AST 61.70 ± 4.09 U/L), while superoxide dismutase (SOD) was increased to 49.81 ± 2.39 U/mg and glutathione (GSH) to 8.16 ± 0.44 µmol/g, but MDA was reversed to 2.53 ± 0.24 nmol/mg. Histopathological examination showed TAX treatment alleviated alcohol-induced hepatocyte necrosis and inflammatory infiltration. Meanwhile, Western blot and rt-PCR indicated TAX reduced IL-6 to 2.49 ± 0.25 pg/mL and TNF-α to 1.79 ± 0.20 pg/mL, and inhibiting NF-κB activation in liver. Moreover, TAX reversed alcohol-induced apoptosis by regulating the expression of PI3K/Akt and its downstream apoptotic factors. CONCLUSIONS: The research provides novel evidence of the hepatoprotective effect of TAX on alcohol-induced liver injury, while also providing the possibility for future treatment of alcoholic liver disease.

Abscisic acid ameliorates d-galactose -induced aging in mice by modulating AMPK-SIRT1-p53 pathway and intestinal flora.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone with various biological activities. Aging is a natural process accompanied by cognitive and physiological decline, and aging and its associated diseases pose a serious threat to public health, but its mechanisms remain insufficient. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the ameliorative effects of ABA on d-galactose (D-Gal)-induced aging in mice and to delve into its molecular mechanisms. Aging model was es-tablished by theintraperitoneal injection of D-Gal. We evaluated the oxidative stress by measuring superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT) levels in serum. Proteins content in brain were determined by Western blot. D-Gal-induced brain damage was monitored by measuring the levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) content and hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E). To evaluate the effects of ABA on aging, we measured the gut microbiota. The results demonstrated that ABA increased SOD, CAT and AChE, decreased MDA level. H&E staining showed that ABA could improve D-Gal-induced damage. In addition, ABA regulated the B-cell-lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) family and Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway, while further regulating the acetylation of p53 protein by modulating the AMPK pathway and activating SIRT1 protein, thereby inhibiting the apoptosis of brain neurons and thus regulating the aging process. Interestingly, ABA improved the ratio of intestinal bacteria involved in regulating multiple metabolic pathways in the aging process, such as Bacteroides, Firmicutes, Lactobacillus and Ak-kermansia. In conclusion, the present study suggests that ABA may be responsible for improving and delaying the aging process by enhancing antioxidant activity, anti-apoptosis and regulating intestinal flora.

Multifunctional biomaterial hydrogel loaded with antler blood peptide effectively promotes wound repair.

Diabetes is an epidemic in contemporary society, which seriously affects people's health. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a multifunctional wound dressing that can expedite the healing of diabetic wounds. In this study, quaternized oxidized sodium alginate (QOSA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) formed hydrogel through Schiff base reaction, and the composite hydrogel was prepared by adding the antioxidant activity of deer antler blood polypeptide (D). The hydrogel exhibits favorable attributes, including a high swelling ratio, biocompatibility, and noteworthy antioxidant, antibacterial, and hemostatic properties. Finally, it was used to evaluate its effectiveness in repairing diabetic wounds. Upon evaluation, this hydrogel can effectively promote diabetic wound healing. It facilitates cell proliferation at the wound site, mitigates inflammatory responses, and enhances the expression of growth factors at the wound site. This suggests that this hydrogel holds significant promise as an ideal candidate for advanced wound dressings.

Application of polysaccharide-based crosslinking agents based on schiff base linkages for biomedical scaffolds.

Chemical crosslinking is a method widely used to enhance the mechanical strength of biopolymer-based scaffolds. Polysaccharides are natural and biodegradable carbohydrate polymers that can act as crosslinking agents to promote the formation of scaffolds. Compared to synthetic crosslinking agents, Polysaccharide-based crosslinking agents have better biocompatibility for cell adhesion and growth. Traditional Chinese medicine has special therapeutic effects on various diseases and is rich in various bioactive ingredients. Among them, polysaccharides have immune regulatory, antioxidant, and anti-inflammation effects, which allow them to not only act as crosslinking agents but endow the scaffold with greater bioactivity. This article focuses on the latest developments of polysaccharide-based crosslinking agents for biomedical scaffolds, including hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, dextran, alginate, cellulose, gum polysaccharides, and traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides. Also, we provide a summary and prospects on the research of polysaccharide-based crosslinking agents.

The role of phlorizin liposome-embedded oxidized sodium alginate/carboxymethyl chitosan in diabetic wound healing.

Wound healing in diabetic patients is often complicated by issues like inflammation, infection, bleeding, and fluid retention. To tackle these challenges, it is essential to create hydrogel dressings with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidative properties. This study aimed to synthesize Phlorizin-Liposomes (PL) through the thin-film dispersion method and integrate them into an oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) hydrogel scaffold, resulting in an OSA/CMCS/PL (PLOCS) composite hydrogel via a Schiff base reaction. Characterization of the composite was performed using FTIR, TEM, and SEM techniques. The research assessed the swelling behavior, antibacterial effectiveness, and biocompatibility of the PLOCS composite hydrogel, while also investigating how PLOCS facilitates diabetic wound healing. The results demonstrated that PLOCS effectively controls drug release, possesses favorable swelling and degradation characteristics, and shows significant antioxidative properties along with in vitro biocompatibility. Histological analysis confirmed that PLOCS supports the proliferation of healthy epithelial tissue and collagen production. Western blotting indicated that PLOCS diminishes inflammation by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB/MyD88 pathway and activates Nrf2 to boost wound healing, increasing the levels of antioxidative enzymes such as HO-1, NQO1, and GCLC. In summary, PLOCS presents a promising new option for advanced wound dressings aimed at treating diabetic ulcers.

Preparation of sulfated arabinogalactan-loaded hydrogel for wound healing in mouse burn model.

Sulfation of polysaccharides can affect their biological activity by introducing sulfate groups. Skin burns occur regularly and have a great impact on normal survival. In this study, sulfated arabinogalactan (SAG) was prepared by sulfation, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used to prepare hydrogels for the treatment of scalded skin in mouse. The results show that the main chain of SAG consists of →3-ß-D-Galactose (Gal)-(1, →3, 6)-ß-D-Gal-(1 and →4)-ß-d-Glucose (Glc)-(1. The chain is a neutral polysaccharide composed of T-ß-L-Arabinose (Araf)-(1→, with a molecular weight of 17.9 kDa. At the same time, PVA + SAG hydrogel can promote the scald repair of mouse skin by promoting collagen deposition and angiogenesis, and regulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. Interestingly, the effect of SAG on promoting the repair of scald wounds is enhanced after AG is derivatized by sulfation. Therefore, the preparation of SAG by sulfation can promote scald repair, and has great application potential in the field of food and medicine.

Chitosan-modified dihydromyricetin liposomes promote the repair of liver injury in mice suffering from diabetes mellitus.

Liver injury caused by type-II diabetes mellitus (DM) is a significant public-health concern worldwide. We used chitosan (CS) to modify dihydromyricetin (DHM)-loaded liposomes (DL) through charge interaction. The effect of CS-modified DL (CDL) on liver injury in mice suffering from DM was investigated in vivo and in vitro. CDL exhibited superior antioxidant capacity and stability. Pharmacokinetic analyses revealed a 3.23- and 1.92-fold increase in the drug concentration-time curve (953.60 ± 122.55 ng/mL/h) in the CDL-treated group as opposed to the DHM-treated group (295.15 ± 25.53 ng/mL/h) and DL-treated group (495.31 ± 65.21 ng/mL/h). The maximum drug concentration in blood (Tmax) of the CDL group saw a 2.26- and 1.21-fold increase compared with that in DHM and DL groups. We observed a 1.49- and 1.31-fold increase in the maximum drug concentration in blood (Cmax) in the CDL group compared with that in DHM and DL groups. Western blotting suggested that CDL could alleviate liver injury in mice suffering from DM by modulating inflammatory factors and the transforming growth factor-ß1/Smad2/Smad3 signaling pathway. In conclusion, modification of liposomes using CS is a viable approach to address the limitations of conventional liposomes and insoluble drugs.