Wound microenvironment-responsive peptide hydrogel with multifunctionalities for accelerating wound healing.

The fabrication of wound microenvironment-responsive peptide hydrogels with hemostatic ability, antibacterial activity, and wound healing potential remains a challenge. Herein, we constructed a multifunctional dressing by inducing the self-assembly of a peptide (Pep-1) and water-soluble new methylene blue (NMB) through electrostatic interaction. The self-assembly mechanism was demonstrated using a combination of transmission electron microscopy, circular dichroism spectrum, fluorescence spectrum, Zeta potential, and rheological analysis. The Pep-1/NMB hydrogel also exhibited a faster drug release rate in wound acidic environment. Furthermore, when Pep-1/NMB was exposed to a 635 nm laser, its antibacterial ratios increased sharply to 95.3%, indicating remarkably improved antibacterial effects. The findings from the blood coagulation and hemostasis assay indicated that Pep-1/NMB effectively enhanced the speed of blood clotting in vitro and efficiently controlled hemorrhage in a mouse liver hemorrhage model. Meanwhile, hemolytic and cytotoxicity evaluation revealed that the hydrogel had excellent hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. Finally, the findings from the wound healing studies and H&E staining indicated that the Pep-1/NMB hydrogel had a significant impact on cell migration and wound repair. The results indicated that wound microenvironment-responsive Pep-1/NMB hydrogel had significant potential as a highly effective wound dressing platform, offering rapid hemostasis, antibacterial, and wound healing acceleration properties.

Amorphous solid dispersions of cyclosporine A with improved bioavailability prepared via hot melt extrusion: Formulation, physicochemical characterization, and in vivo evaluation.

In this study, the amorphous solid dispersions of cyclosporine A (CsA-ASDs) were prepared by hot melt extrusion (HME) with PVP K12 as carrier to improve the oral bioavailability of CsA. The polymers were screened by solubilization and recrystallization inhibition experiments, then the CsA-ASDs were prepared with optimized technological parameters and characterized on thermodynamics and morphology. The results showed that CsA was dispersed among PVP K12 as amorphous form in CsA-ASDs, and the infrared spectrum testified that there was possible hydrogen bond interaction between CsA and PVP K12. The in vivo pharmacokinetics of CsA formulations in rats were analyzed via LC-MS. The AUC of CsA-ASD tablets increased by 7.3 times compared to CsA bulk powder and 3.1 times in contrast to CsA-PM tablets, respectively. The experiment proved that CsA-ASD tablets significantly improved the dissolution and absorption of the drug. This study had a reference value for the bioavailability improvement of oral CsA preparations.

Human paleodiet and animal utilization strategies during the Bronze Age in northwest Yunnan Province, southwest China.

Reconstructing ancient diets and the use of animals and plants augment our understanding of how humans adapted to different environments. Yunnan Province in southwest China is ecologically and environmentally diverse. During the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, this region was occupied by a variety of local culture groups with diverse subsistence systems and material culture. In this paper, we obtained carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic ratios from human and faunal remains in order to reconstruct human paleodiets and strategies for animal exploitation at the Bronze Age site of Shilinggang (ca. 2500 Cal BP) in northwest Yunnan Province. The δ13C results for human samples from Shilinggang demonstrate that people's diets were mainly dominated by C3-based foodstuffs, probably due to both direct consumption of C3 food and as a result of C3 foddering of consumed animals. Auxiliary C4 food signals can also be detected. High δ15N values indicate that meat was an important component of the diet. Analysis of faunal samples indicates that people primarily fed pigs and dogs with human food waste, while sheep/goats and cattle were foddered with other food sources. We compare stable isotope and archaeobotanical data from Shilinggang with data from other Bronze Age sites in Yunnan to explore potential regional variation in subsistence strategies. Our work suggests that people adopted different animal utilization and subsistence strategies in different parts of Yunnan during the Bronze Age period, probably as local adaptations to the highly diversified and isolated environments in the region.