Dual-ROS Sensitive Moieties Conjugate Inhibits Curcumin Oxidative Degradation for Colitis Precise Therapy.

Curcumin, a natural bioactive polyphenol with diverse molecular targets, is well known for its anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory potential. However, curcumin exhibits low solubility (<1 µg mL-1), poor tissue-targeting ability, and rapid oxidative degradation, resulting in poor bioavailability and stability for inflammatory therapy. Here, poly(diselenide-oxalate-curcumin) nanoparticle (SeOC-NP) with dual-reactive oxygen species (ROS) sensitive chemical moieties (diselenide and peroxalate ester bonds) is fabricated by a one-step synthetic strategy. The results confirmed that dual-ROS sensitive chemical moieties endowed SeOC-NP with the ability of targeted delivery of curcumin and significantly suppress oxidative degradation of curcumin for high-efficiency inflammatory therapy. In detail, the degradation amount of curcumin for SeOC is about 4-fold lower than that of free curcumin in an oxidative microenvironment. As a result, SeOC-NP significantly enhanced the antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory efficacy of curcumin in vitro analysis by scavenging intracellular ROS and suppressing the secretion of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In mouse colitis models, orally administered SeOC-NP can remarkably alleviate the symptoms of IBD and maintain the homeostasis of gut microbiota. This work provided a simple and effective strategy to fabricate ROS-responsive micellar and enhance the oxidation stability of medicine for precise therapeutic inflammation.

Exploring the pharmacological and adverse reaction mechanism of a drug by network pharmacology strategy: Using colchicine to treat Behcet syndrome as an example.

Colchicine (COLC) is a natural alkaloid used to treat Behcet syndrome (BS), but its adverse reactions limit its clinical application in treating BS. However, the adverse reaction mechanism of COLC in the treatment of BS remains unclear. Herein, a network pharmacology-based strategy was designed to analyze the pharmacological and adverse reaction mechanism of COLC in treating BS. The biological functions of COLC and BS pathogenesis were analyzed through a series of network construction and analysis. The data above predicted the pharmacological and adverse reaction mechanism of COLC in BS treatment. The pharmacological mechanism of COLC against BS was predicted to control inflammatory responses. Interleukin-8, interleukin-18, integrin alpha-4, integrin beta-2, and tubulin targets are crucial in treating BS. The adverse reactions of COLC in BS treatment were predicted as neurotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. The mechanism of hepatotoxicity may be related to the decrease of cytochrome P450 family 3 subfamily A activity caused by various factors, such as poor hepatic function, the dosage of COLC, and combination with inhibitors. The mechanism of neurotoxicity may be related to the disruption of microtubules in the nervous system by COLC transport across the blood-brain barrier. This study provided basic evidence for the medication safety management of COLC used in treating BS. Moreover, this study demonstrated that it is feasible to analyze the adverse reaction mechanisms of drugs using a network pharmacology strategy, which facilitates systematic drug safety management and evaluation.

Castor oil-based waterborne polyurethane/tunicate cellulose nanocrystals nanocomposites for wearable strain sensors.

In this study, tunicate cellulose nanocrystals (TCNCs) were introduced into castor oil-based waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to prepare bio-based nanocomposites through a simple solution blending method. The effect of TCNCs content on the particle size and stability of the composite dispersions, as well as the thermophysical and mechanical properties of the composite films were studied and discussed. The unique structure and properties of TCNCs, such as high crystallinity, large aspect ratio and high modulus, not only greatly improved the storage stability of WPU, but also showed significant reinforcing/toughening effects and excellent compatibility to WPU. By drip-coating silver nanowires (AgNWs) on the surface of the composite films, the flexible strain sensors were fabricated, which showed excellent sensitivity in monitoring human movement.

Scalable Production of Self-Toughening Plant Oil-Based Polyurethane Elastomers with Multistimuli-Responsive Functionalities.

Plant oils are becoming of high industrial importance due to the persisting challenges befalling with the utilization of fossil fuels. Thus, developing methodologies to produce multifunctional materials by taking advantage of the unique structure of plant oil is highly desired. In this study, castor oil served as a cross-linker and soft segments, by incorporating scalable rhodamine 6G derivatives, to systematically synthesize a series of smart polymers that possess self-toughening and multistimuli-responsive capabilities. The polyurethane elastomers showed 10 times and 60 times increases in tensile strength and toughness, respectively, in comparison with the unmodified polyurethane due to the existence of large amounts of hydrogen bonding, dynamic C-N spiro bonds, rigid benzene ring, and high cross-link densities. The novel polyurethane elastomers exhibited excellent reversible multichromic behaviors in response to light, pH, and mechanics. Notably, the resulting polyurethane elastomers exhibited ultrasensitive sustained photochromism with tunable white emission and rapid reversibility. This study provides a simple and effective strategy to utilize plant oil for multifunctional material preparation and paves the way to open access for application of plant oil-based products in a variety of industry applications, such as sensors, self-fitting tissue scaffolds, and switchable devices.

H2S responsive PEGylated poly (lipoic acid) with ciprofloxacin for targeted therapy of Salmonella.

Targeted antibiotic delivery system would be an ideal solution for the treatment of enteropathogenic infections since it avoids the excessive usage of antibiotics clinically, which may lead to threat on public health and food safety. Salmonella spp. are Enteropathogens, but they are also robust H2S producers in the intestinal tracts of hosts. To this end, the PEGylated poly (α lipoic acid) (PEG-PALA) copolymer nanoparticles with hydrophilic exterior and hydrophobic interior were designated in this study to encapsulate the antibiotics and release them in response to H2S produced by Salmonella spp. The PEG-PALA nanoparticles demonstrated excellent stability in vitro and biocompatibility toward mammalian Caco-2 and 293 T cells. The release of ciprofloxacin from PEG-PALA nanoparticle was only 25.44 ± 0.57% and 26.98 ± 1.93% (w/w) in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) solutions without H2S stimulation. However, the release amounts of ciprofloxacin were up to 73.68 ± 1.63% (w/w) in the presence of 1 mM Na2S as H2S source. In the mouse infection model, PEG-PALA nanoparticles encapsulated with ciprofloxacin (PEG-PALA@CIP) reduced the Salmonella colonization in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, cecum, and faeces, prolonged ciprofloxacin persistence in the intestine while reducing its absorption into the blood. More importantly, these nanoparticles reduced 3.4-fold of Enterobacteriaceae levels and increased 1.5-fold of the Lactobacillaceae levels compared with the drug administered in the free form. Moreover, these nanoparticles resulted in only minimal signs of intestinal tract inflammation. The H2S-responsive antibiotic delivery systems reported in this study demonstrating a variety of advantages including protected the drug from deactivation by gastric and intestinal fluids, maintained a high concentration in the intestinal tract and maximally kept the gut microbiota homeostasis. As such, this targeted antibiotic delivery systems are for the encapsulation of antibiotics to target specific enteropathogens.

Antibiotic-loaded calcium sulfate in clinical treatment of chronic osteomyelitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Present work was aimed to gather accessible evidence on the eradication rates and related postoperative complications of antibiotic-loaded calcium sulfate (CS) as an implant in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis (COM). METHODS: Databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, Ovid and Cochrane library were searched from their dates of initiation until November 2021. Two independent authors scrutinized the relevant studies based on the effectiveness of radical debridement combined with antibiotic-loaded CS for COM; data extraction and quality assessment of the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) criteria were also performed by the authors. In addition, clinical efficacy mainly depended on the evaluation of eradication rates and complications, and all the extracted data are pooled and analyzed by STATA 16.0. RESULTS: A total of 16 studies with 917 patients (920 locations) were recruited, with an overall eradication rate of 92%. Moreover, the overall reoperation rate, overall refracture rate, overall delayed wound healing rate, and the rate of aseptic wound leakage were 9.0%, 2.0%, 20.0%, and 12.0%, respectively. Moreover, the choice of tobramycin-loaded CS or vancomycin combined with gentamicin-loaded CS did not affect the eradication rate, and the incidence of postoperative complications in COM patients (all [Formula: see text]). The general quality of the included studies was fair. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicated that the overall eradication rate of COM treated with antibiotic-loaded CS was 92%. Delayed healing is the most common postoperative complication. The choice of tobramycin-loaded CS or vancomycin combined with gentamicin-loaded CS did not affect the eradication rate and the incidence of postoperative complications in COM patients.

Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks prepared from castor oil-based waterborne polyurethanes and carboxymethyl chitosan.

A series of vegetable oil-based waterborne polyurethane composites were prepared through construction of novel semi-interpenetrating polymers network using carboxymethyl chitosan (CA) as the secondary polymer phase. The effects of CA contents on storage stability, and particle size distribution of the composite dispersions and thermal stability, mechanical properties and surface wettability of composite films were investigated and discussed. The results showed that the composite dispersions displayed excellent storage stability and the biomass contents of resulting films were high up to 80 %. A significant increase in crosslinking density and glass transition temperature of the composite films were observed as the CA contents increased, which was attributed to the increasing hard segment of films and strong hydrogen bonding interaction between polyurethanes and CA. This work provided a simple method to tailor the performance of environmentally friendly vegetable oil-based waterborne polyurethane, which could find application in the field of coatings, adhesives, ink and so on.

Renewable Castor-Oil-based Waterborne Polyurethane Networks: Simultaneously Showing High Strength, Self-Healing, Processability and Tunable Multishape Memory.

Materials with multifunctionality or multiresponsiveness, especially polymers derived from green, renewable precursors, have recently attracted significant attention resulting from their technological impact. Nowadays, vegetable-oil-based waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) are widely used in various fields, while strategies for simultaneous realization of their self-healing, reprocessing, shape memory as well as high mechanical properties are still highly anticipated. We report development of a multifunctional castor-oil-based waterborne polyurethane with high strength using controlled amounts of dithiodiphenylamine. The polymer networks possessed high tensile strength up to 38 MPa as well as excellent self-healing efficiency. Moreover, the WPU film exhibited a maximum recovery of 100 % of the original mechanical properties after reprocessing four times. The broad glass-transition temperature of the samples endowed the films with a versatile shape-memory effect, including a dual-to-quadruple shape-memory effect.

Eco-Friendly Castor Oil-Based Delivery System with Sustained Pesticide Release and Enhanced Retention.

The deposition of pesticides and their retention on plant surfaces are critical challenges for modern precision agriculture, which directly affect phytosanitary treatment, bioavailability, efficacy, and the loss of pesticides. Herein, a novel and eco-friendly waterborne polyurethane delivery system was developed to enhance the spray deposition and pesticide retention on plant surfaces. More specifically, biobased cationic and anionic waterborne polyurethane dispersions were synthesized from castor oil. Both cationic and anionic polyurethane dispersions exhibited remarkable microstructural, amphiphilic, and nanoparticle morphologies with a core-shell structure that served to encapsulate a biopesticide (azadirachtin) in their hydrophobic cores (WPU-ACT). The results indicated that the cationic WPU-ACT carriers exhibited a better sustained release behavior and a better protective effect from light and heat for azadirachtin. In addition, the simultaneous spray of anionic and cationic WPU-ACT significantly enhanced the spray deposition and prolonged the retention of pesticides due to the reduced surface tension and surface precipitation induced by the electrostatic interaction when two droplets with opposite charges come into contact with each other. A field efficacy assessment also indicated that the simultaneous spray of anionic and cationic WPU-ACT could control the infestation of brown planthopper in rice crops. Castor oil-based waterborne polyurethanes in this study work as an efficient pesticide delivery system by exhibiting enhanced deposition, rainfastness, retention ability, protection, and sustained release behavior, holding great promise for spraying pesticide formulations in modern and environmentally friendly agricultural applications.

Meta-analysis of Chinese medicine in the treatment of adenoidal hypertrophy in children.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine in the treatment of adenoid hypertrophy in children. METHOD: Screening standard articles, extracting relevant data from meta-analysis, were analyzed by Revman5.1 software, by searching PubMed, Medline, VIP, Wan Fang and Chinese HowNet database 2006-2016 in traditional Chinese medicine treatment of children with adenoid literature. RESULTS: 206 articles met the inclusion criteria, of which ten were selected and included in the meta-analysis, and there were 803 patients. The results showed that the remission rate of the Chinese medicine treatment group was better than that of the Western medicine group. The combined effect of the amount of OR 2.06, 95% Cl (1.45, 2.96) and the combined effect of the amount of the test Z = 4.12, P < 0.00001 showed the recurrence of the disease was lower in traditional Chinese medicine treatment group than the Western medicine group. The combined effect of the amount of OR 3.05, 95% Cl (2.11, 4.56) and the combined effect of the amount of the test Z = 5.86, P < 0.00001 showed the total effective rate is high in the traditional Chinese medicine treatment group than the Western medicine group. The difference between the combined effect of the amount of OR 2.79, 95% Cl (1.78, 5.03) and the combined effect of the amount of the test of Z = 4.54, P < 0.00001 was statistically significant, which showed the treatment effect of Chinese medicine group is obviously better than the Western medicine group. CONCLUSION: The use of Chinese medicine for the treatment of children with adenoid hypertrophy has good clinical efficacy.

Biobased polyurethanes prepared from different vegetable oils.

In this study, a series of biobased polyols were prepared from olive, canola, grape seed, linseed, and castor oil using a novel, solvent/catalyst-free synthetic method. The biobased triglyceride oils were first oxidized into epoxidized vegetable oils with formic acid and hydrogen peroxide, followed by ring-opening reaction with castor oil fatty acid. The molecular structures of the polyols and the resulting polyurethane were characterized. The effects of cross-linking density and the structures of polyols on the thermal, mechanical, and shape memory properties of the polyurethanes were also investigated.

Reduction of epoxidized vegetable oils: a novel method to prepare bio-based polyols for polyurethanes.

A novel method, epoxidation/reduction of vegetable oils, is developed to prepare bio-based polyols for the manufacture of polyurethanes (PUs). These polyols are synthesized from castor oil (CO), epoxidized soybean oil, and epoxidized linseed oil and their molecular structures are characterized. They are used to prepare a variety of PUs, and their thermomechanical properties are compared to those of PU made with petroleum-based polyol (P-450). It is shown that PUs made with polyols from soybean and linseed oil exhibit higher glass transition temperatures, tensile strength, and Young's modulus and PU made with polyol from CO exhibits higher elongation at break and toughness than PU made with P-450. However, PU made with P-450 displays better thermal resistance because of tri-ester structure and terminal functional groups. The method provides a versatile way to prepare bio-polyols from vegetable oils, and it is expected to partially or completely replace petroleum-based polyols in PUs manufacture.

Effects of total glucosides of paeony on immune regulatory toll-like receptors TLR2 and 4 in the kidney from diabetic rats.

TLRs are a family of receptors that play a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. TGP have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and immuno-regulatory activities. However, the relation between TGP and TLRs on diabetic nephropathy remains unknown. In this study, we examined effects of TGP on immune regulatory TLR2 and 4 in the kidney from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. TGP decreased the levels of 24h urinary albumin excretion rate significantly in diabetic rats. Western blot analysis showed that TGP significantly inhibited the expression of TLR2 and 4, MyD88, p-IRAK1, NF-κB p65, p-IRF3, TNF-α and IL-1ß. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the significantly increased levels of TLR2 and 4, and MyD88mRNA in the kidneys of diabetic rats were significantly suppressed by TGP treatment. Macrophages infiltration were also markedly increased in the kidneys of the diabetic rats, but were significantly inhibited by TGP in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that TGP has protective effects on several pharmacological targets in the progress of diabetic nephropathy by selectively blocking TLRs activation in vivo.