Engineering Bioactive M2 Macrophage-Polarized Anti-Inflammatory,Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Scaffolds for Rapid Angiogenesis and Diabetic Wound Repair

Diabetic wound healing still faces great challenges due to the excessive inflammation, easy infection, and impaired angiogenesis in wound beds. The immunoregulation of macrophages polarization toward M2 phenotype that facilitates the transition from inflammation to proliferation phase has been proved to be an effective way to improve diabetic wound healing. Herein, an M2 phenotype-enabled anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial conductive hydrogel scaffolds (GDFE) for producing rapid angiogenesis and diabetic wound repair are reported. The GDFE scaffolds are fabricated facilely through the dynamic crosslinking between polypeptide and polydopamine and graphene oxide. The GDFE scaffolds possess thermosensitivity, self-healing behavior, injectability, broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ability, and electronic conductivity. GDFE effectively activates the polarization of macrophages toward M2 phenotype and significantly promotes the proliferation of dermal fibroblasts, the migration, and in vitro angiogenesis of endothelial cells through paracrine mechanisms. The in vivo results from a full-thickness diabetic wound model demonstrate that GDFE can rapidly promote the diabetic wound repair and skin regeneration, through fast anti-inflammation and angiogenesis and M2 macrophage polarization. This study provides highly efficient strategy for treating diabetic wound repair through designing the M2 polarization-enabled anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial bioactive materials.     

Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Evernic Acid in an MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s Disease Model

Oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation are strongly associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which suggests that anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory compounds might provide an alternative treatment for PD. Here, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects of evernic aid (EA), which was screened from a lichen library provided by the Korean Lichen Research Institute at Sunchon National University. EA is a secondary metabolite generated by lichens, including Ramalina, Evernia, and Hypogymnia, and several studies have described its anticancer, antifungal, and antimicrobial effects. However, the neuroprotective effects of EA have not been studied. We found that EA protected primary cultured neurons against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridium (MPP⁺)-induced cell death, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress, and effectively reduced MPP⁺-induced astroglial activation by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway. In vivo, EA ameliorated MPTP-induced motor dysfunction, dopaminergic neuronal loss, and neuroinflammation in the nigrostriatal pathway in C57BL/6 mice. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that EA has neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in PD models and suggest that EA is a potential therapeutic candidate for PD.     

Novel redox nanomedicine improves gene expression of polyion complex vector

Abstract

Gene therapy has generated worldwide attention as a new medical technology. While non-viral gene vectors are promising candidates as gene carriers, they have several issues such as toxicity and low transfection efficiency. We have hypothesized that the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) affects gene expression in polyplex supported gene delivery systems. The effect of ROS on the gene expression of polyplex was evaluated using a nitroxide radical-containing nanoparticle (RNP) as an ROS scavenger. When polyethyleneimine (PEI)/pGL3 or PEI alone was added to the HeLa cells, ROS levels increased significantly. In contrast, when (PEI)/pGL3 or PEI was added with RNP, the ROS levels were suppressed. The luciferase expression was increased by the treatment with RNP in a dose-dependent manner and the cellular uptake of pDNA was also increased. Inflammatory cytokines play an important role in ROS generation in vivo. In particular, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α caused intracellular ROS generation in HeLa cells and decreased gene expression. RNP treatment suppressed ROS production even in the presence of TNF-α and increased gene expression. This anti-inflammatory property of RNP suggests that it may be used as an effective adjuvant for non-viral gene delivery systems.     

Anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of usnic acid

The anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of Usnic acid (UA) were explored on lipopoly-saccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cell line.The effects of UA on pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-α),interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β),pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO),inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were studied by sandwich ELISA,real-time PCR and western blot analyses.Similarly,the effect of UA on anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) and anti-inflammatory mediator heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were also studied following the same methods.Furthermore,nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was assayed by immunocytochemistry.The results showed that UA has anti-inflammatory effect by down-regulatinng iNOS,COX-2,IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α,COX-2 gene expression through the suppression of NF-κB activation and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and anti-inflammatory mediator HO-1 production.     

女性护理液抗炎止痒作用的实验研究

女性护理液为中药苦参醇提液加三氯羟基二苯醚复配而成，根据药理方法学以实验动物建立模型，观察护理液的抗炎、止痒作用。结果，单独使用三氯羟基二苯醚，有较好的抗菌消炎作用，但是止痒作用不明显。以苦参醇提液和三氯羟基二苯醚复配，其抗炎、止痒作用均接近地塞米松磷酸钠注射液。     

蟹黄肤宁软膏的药效学研究

目的研究蟹黄肤宁软膏外敷给药的抗炎、止痒、治癣等作用。方法采用小鼠耳肿胀法和大鼠足肿胀法,观察蟹黄肤宁软膏抗炎作用;采用4-氨基吡啶诱发小鼠舔体反应,观察蟹黄肤宁软膏对小鼠的止痒作用;建立皮肤癣菌豚鼠感染模型,观察蟹黄肤宁软膏抗真菌作用,并体外研究蟹黄肤宁软膏对皮肤真菌的抑制作用。结果蟹黄肤宁软膏对急性渗出性炎症(小鼠耳肿胀)、大鼠足肿胀和小鼠舔体反应有明显的抑制作用;对豚鼠皮肤局部真菌感染病灶有明显的治疗作用;体外实验证实本品对皮肤真菌有明显的抑菌作用。结论蟹黄肤宁软膏外敷给药具有抗炎、止痒、抑菌和治疗皮肤癣的药效作用。     

鞣花酸和尿石素类代谢产物的生物活性及其对肠道健康的作用研究进展

鞣花酸（ellagicacid,EA）作为一种天然抗氧化剂,是一种广泛存在于众多蔬菜、水果及坚果中的多酚类化合物,可经过肠道微生物的代谢生成尿石素类物质。但EA在肠道中的利用度较低;而其代谢产物尿石素类较易被肠道吸收,故被认为是发挥EA抗氧化作用的物质基础。动物模型及临床试验研究表明,EA及其代谢产物尿石素可有效改善肠道微生物菌群、促进肠道健康、预防或抑制肠道疾病的发生发展。EA及尿石素的营养生理作用主要包括抗氧化、抗炎及微生物菌群调控等作用。本文综述了EA及尿石素的结构、代谢途径、生物活性及其在肠道疾病研究中的应用。