[Progress in application of Bletilla striata polysaccharide in novel drug delivery systems and biomaterials].

As the main active ingredient of the orchidaceous herb Bletilla striata, B. striata polysaccharide(BSP) has pharmacological activities such as promoting coagulation, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, promoting wound healing, anti-tumor, and immunomodulation, and is biodegradable and non-toxic. Additionally, it has the material properties of suspension thickening, film-forming adhesion, coating and solubilizing, targeting and slow releasing, effect-enhancing and toxicity-reducing, etc., playing the role of unification of medicines and excipients. Therefore, BSP has a wide application prospect in the fields of drug delivery system and trauma repair. This paper reviews the research progress of BSP application in new drug delivery systems and biomaterials based on the related li-terature in recent years, with the aim of providing reference for the further research and application of BSP.

Preparation of water-soluble chitosan/poly-gama-glutamic acid-tanshinone IIA encapsulation composite and its in vitro/in vivo drug release properties.

Some diseases could be treated by Tanshinone IIA (TA), which is an isolated component from the Chinese medicinal herb Tanshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza). However, the poor water solubility and low oral bioavailability of TA limited its clinical application. In this paper, TA was encapsulated by water - soluble chitosan/poly - γ - glutamic acid (WCS-γ-PGA) to improve its dissolution and oral bioavailability. The in vitro dissolution and in vivo metabolism of the encapsulated composite in rats were employed to evaluate the efficiency of the improvement. FTIR spectroscopy was applied to confirm the validity of encapsulation for TA by WCS-γ-PGA. The study's results showed that the optimal ratio of TA to drug carrier (WCS + Î³-PGA) was 1:5.5 in weight with a reaction time of 1 h at room temperature for the encapsulation. The proper concentrations for WCS and TA in preparing the encapsulated composite using γ-PGA 0.125 mg ml-1 were 6 mg ml-1 and 1 mg ml-1, respectively; The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading efficiency of WCS-γ-PGA-TA composite were (93.99 ± 2.20)% and (10.73 ± 0.75)%, respectively. The cumulative release of TA from the WCS-γ-PGA-TA encapsulated composite reached to 81% within 60 min, which was 5.56 times of that of the original TA in vitro dissolution. The peak concentration Cmax of TA from the encapsulated composite in rat blood as measured by an ultracentrifugation test of an intra - gastric administration was 4.43 times that of the original TA concentration, and the area under the drug-time curve AUC (0-t) and AUC (0-∞) (p<0.01) of the WCS-γ-PGA-TA encapsulated composite were 4.56 and 4.20 times that of the original TA, respectively. It indicated that the encapsulation of TA with WCS-γ-PGA improved its solubility and bioavailability significantly.

Magnetic Graphene Oxide-Fe3O4-PANI Nanoparticle Adsorbed Platinum Drugs as Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy.

Graphene-based magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using a simple and effective chemical precipitation method. To determine the biocompatibility of GO-Fe3O4-PANI NPs with MTT assay, cytotoxicity testing from a low concentration (1 µg/mL) to a high concentration (125 µg/mL) was conducted using various cancer and normal cell lines. Cytotoxicity testing for cancer cell lines (SMMC-7721, HepG-2, RAW264.7) and normal cell lines (HL-7702) showed almost no toxicity within the 1~125 µg/mL concentration range. Carboplatin (CBP) and oxaliplatin (OXP) were then used as drug models to study the drug release of CBP and OXP loaded on GO-Fe3O4-PANI NPs in vitro. Results indicated that the release of CBP and OXP from GO-Fe3O4-PANI NPs were affected by pH, dose, and temperature. The release of CBP was more sensitive to pH, and the amounts released in neutral and acidic environments (pH 6.0 and 7.4, respectively) were higher than those released in alkaline environments (pH 8.0). Meanwhile, at different pH levels, the release of OXP was not as large. In addition, at a low temperature (27 °C), the amount released is small when the energy level does not meet that required by C═N. At a considerably higher temperature (47 °C), the energy required for C═N fracture is met, allowing the slow release of the drug over a longer period. The results of our studies suggest that GO-Fe3O4-PANI NPs are biocompatible with MTT assay, and as drug delivery systems, these particular NPs can lead to advances in cancer treatment.

Structures, bioactivities and future prospective of polysaccharides from Morus alba (white mulberry): A review.

Morus alba L. (family Moreaceae), also known as white mulberry, is distinguished as a source of highly promising traditional medicines (including Mori Folium, Mori Fructus, Mori Ramulus and Mori Cortex) and also functional foods. Over the past two decades, the vast majority of the studies with regard to the isolation and bioactivities of M. alba polysaccharides have mainly focused on its leaves and fruits, which are both medicinal and edible. The tender M. alba leaf is edible and can be used to make tea, the mature M. alba fruit is sweet and juicy. M. alba fruits and leaves contain rich bioactive polysaccharides, which are shown to possess various promising bioactivities, mainly including antidiabetic, immunomodulation, anti-inflammation, antioxidation, anti-obesity, hepatoprotection and renoprotection. The main purpose of this review is to provide systematically reorganized information on structural characteristics and bioactivities of M. alba polysaccharides to support their further therapeutic potentials and sanitarian functions.

[Chemical constituents, biological activities and quality control of plants from genus Pyrola].

Plants from the genus Pyrola are widely distributed in North Temperate zone. The quinones, phenol glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids and volatile oil compounds have been identified from these plants. The in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that the genus Pyrola plants exhibit a wide range of pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antitumor, antibacterial, anti-ischemia and anti-inflammatory activities. Based on analysis of the literature of the genus Pyrola plant, this review summarized the research on chemical constituents, pharmacology and quality control in recent years which can provide evidences for further investigation on the genus Pyrola plants.

The Genus Patrinia: A Review of Traditional Uses, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Studies.

The aim of the present review is to comprehensively outline the botanical description, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Patrinia, and to discuss possible trends for the further study of medicinal plants from the genus Patrinia. The genus Patrinia plays an important role in Asian medicine for the treatment of erysipelas, conjunctival congestion with swelling and pain, peri-appendicular abscesses, lung carbuncle, dysentery, leucorrhea, and postpartum disease. More than 210 chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from Patrinia plants, especially P. scabiosaefolia Fisch., P. scabra Bunge, P. villosa Juss., P. heterophylla Bunge and P. rupestris(Pall.) Juss[Formula: see text] Of these compounds, triterpenoids and saponins, iridoids, flavonoids, and lignans are the major or active constituents. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that some monomer compounds and crude extracts from the genus Patrinia possess wide pharmacological activities, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral effects. In addition, they have been shown to have valuable and positive effects on the immune and nervous system in experimental animals. There are also some reports on the clinical uses and toxicity of these species. However, few reports have been published concerning the material identification or quality control of Patrinia species, and the clinical uses and toxic effects of these plants are relatively sparse. More attention must be given to these issues.

[Optimization of preparation procedures of tanshinone-â ¡A /ß-cyclodextrin inclusion complex and dissolution study of tanshinone-â ¡A in vitro].

In this paper, tanshinone-ⅡA (Tan-IIA)/ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) inclusion complexes were prepared by saturated aqueous solution method. Based on the single factor experiment, Box-Benhnken design and response surface method were utilized to optimize the preparation procedures of tanshinone-ⅡA/ß-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes. The ratio of ß-CD to Tan-ⅡA, experimental temperature and time were defined as independent variables, while the yield of the inclusion complexes, encapsulation efficiency and the generalized "normalized value" were set as the response value. In addition, the inclusion complexes were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results showed that optimum preparation conditions for Tan-ⅡA/ß-CD inclusion complex were as follows: Tan-ⅡA/ß-CD ratio of 1:7, the temperature of 48 ℃ and the time of 3 h. Under the optimized conditions, the encapsulation efficiency of Tan-ⅡA/ß-CD inclusion complex was 84.75%. The Tan-IIA and ß-CD inclusion complex can significantly improve the dissolution of Tan-ⅡA.

[Establishment of MDCK-pHaMDR cell model and standard operation procedure for assessing blood-brain barrier permeability of chemical components of traditional Chinese medicine].

To establish MDCK-pHaMDR cell model and standard operation procedure for assessing the blood-brain barrier permeability of chemical components of traditional Chinese medicine. MDCK-pHaMDR cell model was evaluated by determining the morphology features, transepithelial electrical resistance, bidirectional transport and intracellular accumulation of Rhodamine 123 and the apparent permeability of positive control drugs caffeine and atenolol. The MDCK-pHaMDR cell model had satisfactory integrity and tightness, and stable expression of P-gp. In addition, the transport results of the positive control drugs were consistent with the reported values in literature. All the parameters tested of the MDCK-pHaMDR cell model were consistent with the requirements, so the model can be used to study the blood-brain barrier permeability of chemical components of traditional Chinese medicine.

[Establishment of Caco-2 cell monolayer model with collagen coating 6-well plates for study of traditional Chinese medicine prescription].

Caco-2 cell monolayer model is widely utilized in drug absorption study and 12-well transwellTM plates were commonly used to study the absorption of different kinds of natural products. To establish a stable method for the study of traditional Chinese medicine prescription, 6-well plates were chosen because of the larger well volumes than 12-well plates. To study the impacts of collagen kinds, coating density as well as coating time on the cell culture, the transepithelial electrical resistance of Caco-2 cell monolayers grown on different collagen coating transwells was determined, and the permeations of propranolol and atenolol as standard markers were detected with HPLC. The results showed that the kinds of collagen, the different coating densities and coating time of rat tail collagen had no significant influences on the Caco-2 cell monolayer integrality and absorption capacity. 6-well plates coated with 2 micro g Scm-2 rat tail collagen for 1 hour were enough reliable and suitable for the study of traditional Chinese medicine prescription in vitro.

In vitro hypoglycemic effects of hot water extract from Auricularia polytricha (wood ear mushroom).

Viscous dietary fibers were shown to alleviate postprandial blood glucose. Auricularia polytricha (wood ear mushroom, WEM) contains rich amount fibers and water extract WEM was highly viscous. This study aimed to investigate whether WEM extract exhibited hypoglycemic effect in vitro. The effects of WEM extract on glucose adsorption, glucose diffusion, starch digestion and α-amylase activity were examined and compared to those of two high soluble fibers, psyllium and oat fiber and one insoluble fiber, cellulose. Our results showed that WEM extract and psyllium possessed similar ability to adsorb glucose which may thus decrease the level of dialysis glucose. The decrease of dialysis rate is dose-dependent. WEM extract can also suppress the activity of α-amylase which may thus inhibit the digestion of polysaccharides. Since WEM extract exhibited the ability to adsorb glucose and to suppress the activity of α-amylase; it might contribute a beneficial effect on postprandial levels of blood sugar.

[Production of peroxide hydrogen in Chattonella ovata Hong Kong strain].

The growth characteristics of Chattonellea ovata Hong Kong strain (COHK) under different salinity and nutrient conditions and production of peroxide hydrogen (H2O2) in different growth phase were investigated in laboratory unialgal culture experiment. The results showed that high concentration of H2O2 was reached during the logarithmic phase from 4th to 8th days, corresponding to the maximum value of 2.91 x 10(-4) nmo x cell(-1) on the 6th day. When the N: P ratios were 16: 1, 32:1 and 64: 1, COHK possessed the relatively high growth rate and cell concentration, however, growth rate of COHK was lower with the N: P ratios of 4: 1 and 8: 1. The H2O2 concentration reached the highest (1.26 x 10(-4) nmol x cell(-1)) with the N: P ratio of 4: 1, which suggested that production of H2O2 was reversely related to the growth of COHK. The optimum salinities for COHK were 20 and 25. When the salinities were 10, 15 and 30, the growth rate of COHK was lower, showing lower and higher salinities inhibited the growth of COHK. Salinity also influenced the production of H2O2. The highest concentration of H2O2 among the experiments, 2. 2 x 10(-4) nmol x cell(-1), was observed at the salinity of 10, while there was no significant difference of H2O2 concentration from the salinity range of 15 to 30. The optimal Fe(3+) concentration for the growth of COHK was from 0.2 x 10(-8) to 1 x 10(-8) mol x L(-1), where growth rate were relatively higher. Growth rate of COHK was depressed in absence (0 mol x L(-1)) and high concentration of Fe3+ (5 x 10(-8) mol x L(-1)), with which H2O2 concentration was 0.97 x 10(-4) and 0.95 x 10(-4) nmol x cell(-1), respectively.