ABSTRACT
A typical amphiphilic star polymer adamantane-[poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-bis(2-carboxyethyl) sulfide-poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether)]4 with a specific hydrophilic/redox-sensitive/hydrophobic structure was designed and synthesized through ring opening and esterification reactions. The self-assembled nanomicelles were used as doxorubicin (DOX) delivery vehicles with suitable critical micelle concentrations (5.0 mg/L). After the drug being loaded, drug-loaded micelles showed good drug-loading efficiency (10.39%), encapsulation efficiency (58.1%), and drug release (up to 60%) under simulated biological environment conditions. In addition, the backbone structure of the biodegradable polymer was easily hydrolyzed by the action of biological enzymes. As expected, cell-based studies showed that the designed polymer micelles possessed good biocompatibility (a survival rate of 85% for NH-3T3 cells). Moreover, the drug (DOX) still maintained good anti-cancer effects after being loaded, which caused 40% of MCF-7 cells to survive. These redox-sensitive micelles showed anti-tumor therapeutic potential.
ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the effect of acupuncture therapy of She medicine on cerebral hemodynamics in migraine patients, and to further verify its therapeutic efficacy and preliminarily reveal the action mechanism in treating migraine. Method 120 Eligible subjects were randomized into two groups. The treatment group was intervened by acupuncture of She medicine, while the control group was intervened by Western medication, 10 d as a treatment course, for 2 courses in total at a 2-day interval. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) was adopted to observe the average blood flow velocity of cerebral arteries before and after the treatment. Result The total effective rate was 82.8% in the treatment group versus 71.4% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) by rank-sum test. Before the treatment, the abnormity rate of cerebral artery blood flow was 62.8% in the treatment group versus 61.9% in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically insignificant (P>0.05), indicating the comparability; after the treatment, the abnormity rate of cerebral artery blood flow was 25.9% in the treatment group versus 35.3% in the control group, and the between-group was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture of She medicine is effective in treating migraine, and it can significantly improve the cerebral hemodynamics.
