Panax notoginseng saponins promotes cutaneous wound healing and suppresses scar formation in mice.

BACKGROUND & AIM: Panax notoginseng saponins are believed to promote wound healing due to its anti-proliferative effect on fibroblasts. The present work was therefore aimed to examine the beneficial effect of PNS on wound healing in vitro and in a murine model of cutaneous wound. METHODS: The in vitro effects of Panax notoginseng saponins on the proliferation of and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in human fibroblast 3T3 cells were studied. The in vivo effects of Panax notoginseng saponins were examined in C57 mice with dorsal cutaneous wound. The healing rate and scar formation were followed after treatment with Panax notoginseng saponins. The histology and fibroblast accumulation in the wounds were studied using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was examined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Panax notoginseng saponins inhibited the proliferation of human fibroblast 3T3 with an EC50 of 1.825 mM Panax notoginseng saponins (0.1 mM) significantly promoted NO production (P < 0.01) and NO synthase activity (P < 0.01) of 3T3. In C57 mice with dorsal cutaneous wounds, 0.1 mM Panax notoginseng saponins significant expedited wound healing by reducing the size of lesions and suppressing the formation of scar. H&E staining revealed that treatment with Panax notoginseng saponins suppressed fibroblast accumulation in wound areas, while immunohistochemistry showed a significant reduction in α-SMA expression by 0.1 mM Panax notoginseng saponins. CONCLUSION: Panax notoginseng saponins are a promising drug candidate that can accelerate wound healing and reduce scar formation.

A meta-analysis of safety and efficacy of regorafenib for refractory metastatic colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) often suffer from progressive disease despite previous therapy. It has been a great challenge for those patients. In 2012, regorafenib was approved for mCRC. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to collect and present existing data to explorethe clinical use of regorafenib. METHODS: The online electronic databases, such as PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library, updated to November 2017 were systematically searched. Trials on the effectiveness of regorafenib in patients who suffer from treatment-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer were included, of which the main outcomes included 3 parameters: overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and grade 3/4 AE. RESULTS: Totally, 4 trials were included in this meta-analysis. The OD was significantly better with the use of regorafenib (OR = 0.78, 95%CI = 0.65-0.94, I = 69%, P = .008), and PFS (OR = 0.52, 95%CI = 0.34-0.79, I = 97%, P = .002). However, the most common toxicities occurred more frequently in the regorafenib group than the control group (OR = 3.73, 95%CI = 1.68-8.28, I = 79%, P = .001). CONCLUSION: Regorafenib demonstrates better efficacy and has manageable adverse-event profile for treatment-refractory mCRC. Considering the safety feature of regorafenib, further studies and clinical trials are warranted to investigate the dosing of regorafenib and alternative approaches are needed to explore predictive biomarker fortherapy selection.