Tissue lipidomics, network pharmacology, and molecular docking to explore the therapeutic mechanism of anthocyanins from Lycium ruthenicum Murr. against gouty arthritis.

Lycium ruthenicum Murr. (LR) has long been used as a unique nutritional and medicinal food to treat various diseases such as gouty arthritis. However, although recently the literature has focused on the protective roles of LR anthocyanins on gouty arthritis, there is no relevant research from a holistic perspective of lipid metabolism to study their anti-gout effects. In this study, a combined tissue lipidomics, network pharmacology, and molecular docking approach was performed to investigate the intervention mechanism of LR anthocyanins against a monosodium urate (MSU)-induced gout mouse model. 54 gout-related lipid markers were identified via lipidomic profiling of the mouse knee joint, including glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, glycerolipids, and plasmalogens. Integrating with pathway analysis, network pharmacology, and molecular docking, the potential targets of LR anthocyanins for treating gouty arthritis were predicted, while pathways in cancer, prostate cancer, sphingolipid signaling, choline metabolism in cancer, arachidonic acid metabolism, and ovarian steroidogenesis were involved as shared critical pathways of lipidomic analysis and network pharmacology. Furthermore, the binding sites and patterns of 3 active components and 4 core targets with the lowest binding energies were explored. Western blotting was finally used to verify the expression levels of 4 core proteins: MMP2, MMP9, MAP2K1, and MAPK14. These results provide new insights into our understanding of gouty arthritis and the anti-gout mechanism of LR anthocyanins.

Recent progress of functionalised graphene oxide in cancer therapy.

In recent years, graphene oxide (GO) nanomaterials have attracted wide attention due to their large surface area, strong light sensitivity and good biocompatibility in cancer treatment. The rich oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface provide it with the opportunity to be modified by many functional molecules to expand biological applications and reduce toxicity. In this review, the properties of GO and the methods of surface modification are presented, and the toxicity of GO is analysed. In addition, the current applications of GO in cancer diagnoses and treatments including biological imaging, drug and gene delivery, phototherapy and imaging-mediated combination therapy are summarised. Finally, the prospects and challenges of GO in cancer treatment are discussed.