Inhibitory effects of baicalein against herpes simplex virus type 1.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a ubiquitous and widespread human pathogen, which gives rise to a range of diseases, including cold sores, corneal blindness, and encephalitis. Currently, the use of nucleoside analogs, such as acyclovir and penciclovir, in treating HSV-1 infection often presents limitation due to their side effects and low efficacy for drug-resistance strains. Therefore, new anti-herpetic drugs and strategies should be urgently developed. Here, we reported that baicalein, a naturally derived compound widely used in Asian countries, strongly inhibited HSV-1 replication in several models. Baicalein was effective against the replication of both HSV-1/F and HSV-1/Blue (an acyclovir-resistant strain) in vitro. In the ocular inoculation mice model, baicalein markedly reduced in vivo HSV-1/F replication, receded inflammatory storm and attenuated histological changes in the cornea. Consistently, baicalein was found to reduce the mortality of mice, viral loads both in nose and trigeminal ganglia in HSV-1 intranasal infection model. Moreover, an ex vivo HSV-1-EGFP infection model established in isolated murine epidermal sheets confirmed that baicalein suppressed HSV-1 replication. Further investigations unraveled that dual mechanisms, inactivating viral particles and inhibiting IκB kinase beta (IKK-ß) phosphorylation, were involved in the anti-HSV-1 effect of baicalein. Collectively, our findings identified baicalein as a promising therapy candidate against the infection of HSV-1, especially acyclovir-resistant strain.

Multifunctional HNT@Fe3O4@PPy@DOX Nanoplatform for Effective Chemo-Photothermal Combination Therapy of Breast Cancer with MR Imaging.

Multifunctional nanoparticles for imaging and treatment in cancer are getting more and more attention recently. Herein, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), natural clay nanotubes, are designed as multifunctional nanoplatform for targeted delivering photothermal therapy agents and chemotherapeutic drugs. Fe3O4 was anchored on the outer surfaces of HNTs and then doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded on the nanotubes. Afterward, a layer of polypyrrole (PPy), as photothermal agent, was wrapped on the tubes. The nanoplatform of HNT@Fe3O4@PPy@DOX can be guided to tumor tissue by an external magnetic field, and then performs chemo-photothermal combined therapy by 808 nm laser irradiation. HNT@Fe3O4@PPy@DOX shows the ability of T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, which could be considered as a promising application in magnetic targeting tumor therapy. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that HNTs nanoplatform has good biocompatibility and produces a strong antitumor effect trigged by near-infrared laser irradiation. The novel chemo-photothermal therapy nanoplatform based on HNTs may be developed as a multifunctional nanoparticle for imaging and therapy in breast cancer.

Comparison of chemical constitution and bioactivity among different parts of Lonicera japonica Thunb.

BACKGROUND: Lonicera japonica Thunb is a common herb in East Asia. The flower buds are usually regarded as the traditional medicinal part, while leaves and stems are considered less valuable and receive little attention. This study compared the chemical constituents and anti-inflammatory effects of the different tissues in L. japonica Thunb for the first time. RESULTS: Thirty compounds were identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode detector-quadrupole / time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-PDA-Q/TOF-MS/MS) analysis. Hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonoids, and iridoids were identified as the major components. The flower buds (FLJ), leaves (LLJ), and stems (SLJ) of L. japonica Thunb showed strong similarities in chemical components. The LLJ contained higher levels of hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids than the FLJ and SLJ. Furthermore, FLJ, LLJ, and SLJ exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activity in croton oil-induced ear edema and carrageenan-induced paw edema assays in mice. Moreover, FLJ, LLJ, and SLJ showed a cytoprotective effect on lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Lipopolysaccharide-induced increases in nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were suppressed by treatments of FLJ, LLJ, and SLJ, respectively. The LLJ possessed a stronger anti-inflammatory effect than the FLJ. CONCLUSION: Leaves and stems of L. japonica Thunb have chemical components and anti-inflammatory properties similar to flower buds, and may become alternative or supplementary sources of flower buds. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.