Utilization of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling in Pharmacokinetic Study of Natural Medicine: An Overview.

Natural medicine has been widely used for clinical treatment and health care in many countries and regions. Additionally, extracting active ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine and other natural plants, defining their chemical structure and pharmacological effects, and screening potential druggable candidates are also uprising directions in new drug research and development. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling is a mathematical modeling technique that simulates the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs in various tissues and organs in vivo based on physiological and anatomical characteristics and physicochemical properties. PBPK modeling in drug research and development has gradually been recognized by regulatory authorities in recent years, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This review summarizes the general situation and shortcomings of the current research on the pharmacokinetics of natural medicine and introduces the concept and the advantages of the PBPK model in the study of pharmacokinetics of natural medicine. Finally, the pharmacokinetic studies of natural medicine using the PBPK models are summed up, followed by discussions on the applications of PBPK modeling to the enzyme-mediated pharmacokinetic changes, special populations, new drug research and development, and new indication adding for natural medicine. This paper aims to provide a novel strategy for the preclinical research and clinical use of natural medicine.

Trichilemmal Carcinoma of the Scalp in a Young Female: A Case Report.

Trichilemmal carcinoma (TC) is a rare malignant cutaneous adnexal neoplasm originating from the outer root sheath of hair follicles, which occurs commonly in sun-exposed areas of the elderly. Here, we introduce a case of a 24-year-old woman with TC on her scalp.

Simultaneous Infection of the Skin Surface and Dermal Tissue with Two Different Fungus Mimicking Pyoderma Gangrenosum: A Case Report.

Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection driven by subphylum Mucormycotina. Cutaneous mucormycosis is the third most common presentation of mucormycosis, and its characterized presentation is an indurated plaque that rapidly evolves to necrosis. Trichophyton rubrum is one of the most common dermatophytes that mainly cause superficial infections and seldom induce deep infections. The present report presents a case of cutaneous fungal infection, in which two kinds of fungus were isolated, and the skin lesion mimicked pyoderma gangrenosum. Trichophyton rubrum was isolated from the crust and hyphae of subphylum Mucormycotina were found in dermal tissue. The irregular systemic and topical use of steroid therapy is the possible cause of the mixed fungal infection in this patient, suggesting the importance of regular steroid therapy.