Both Adaptability and Endophytic Bacteria Are Linked to the Functional Traits in the Invasive Clonal Plant Wedelia trilobata.

The role of the interactions between endophytes and host plants is unclear in invasive plants from different geographical latitudes. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between endophytic microbes and the functional traits of the invasive plant Wedelia trilobata. We explored the relationship between endophytes and the clonal growth traits of the invasive clonal plant Wedelia trilobata from different geographical latitudes using high-throughput sequencing technology and a common garden-planting experiment. We found that: (1) Different W. trilobata populations had similar endophytic fungi but different endophytic bacteria. However, no latitudinal variation pattern of the overall microbial community was found; (2) plant clonal growth performance (i.e., spacer length) was significantly correlated with endophytic bacterial diversity but not fungal diversity; and (3) the latitudinal variation pattern of the plant clonal growth performance of W. trilobata populations was found in pre-cultivated (i.e., wild) individuals but disappeared in post-cultivated W. trilobata. Our results suggest both environmental adaptability and the endophytic bacterial community are linked to the functional traits of the invasive clonal plant W. trilobata, and these functional traits tend to increase its invasiveness, which may enhance its invasion success.

Oridonin-loaded poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymer nanoparticles: preparation, characterization, and antitumor activity on mice with transplanted hepatoma.

The aim of the present study was to develop a polymeric delivery system for water-insoluble drug oridonin. Amphiphilic block copolymers, poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly (epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL-PEO-PCL), were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of caprolactone initiated by the hydroxyl groups of poly(ethylene glycol)6000 (PEG-6000) with stannous octoate as catalyzer. Oridonin-loaded PCL-PEO-PCL copolymer nanoparticles (ORI-PCL-PEO-PCL-NPs) were prepared by the interfacial deposition method. The mean particle size of the drug-loaded nanoparticles was 97.5 nm and the zeta potential was - 25 mV. The entrapment efficiency and actual drug loading of the nanoparticles were 87.52% +/- 1.86% and 8.63% +/- 0.49%, respectively. The antitumor activity of ORI-PCL-PEO-PCL-NPs was evaluated by measuring changes in tumor volumes, tumor weights, and survival rates of mice with grafted hepatoma (H22). The results indicated that ORI-PCL-PEO-PCL-NPs prolonged the survival time of mice and exhibited higher therapeutic efficacy compared with free oridonin. Thus, ORI-PCL-PEO-PCL-NPs may be used as a promising delivery system for liver cancer treatment.

An HPLC method for determination of oridonin in rabbits using isopsoralen as an internal standard and its application to pharmacokinetic studies for oridonin-loaded nanoparticles.

A simple and sensitive HPLC method has been developed and validated for the determination of oridonin (ORI) in rabbit plasma. A simple liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method was applied to extract ORI and the internal standard (IS), isopsoralen, from rabbit plasma. Chromatographic separation of ORI and the IS was achieved with a Kromasil C18 5-mum column (250 mm x 4.6 mm) using methanol-water (50:50, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The ultraviolet (UV) detection wavelength was set at 241 nm. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.02 microg/mL. The calibration curves were linear over a concentration range of 0.02-10 microg/mL. The assay accuracy and precision were within the range of 95.1-113.5% and 5.4-8.6%, respectively. This HPLC method was applied successfully to the pharmacokinetic study of ORI-loaded poly(caprolactone)-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(caprolactone) copolymer nanoparticles (ORI-PCL-PEO-PCL-NP) in rabbits, given as a single intravenous injection at the dose equivalent to 2mg of ORI/kg, and the pharmacokinetic parameters for ORI were compared with a single intravenous injection of a ORI solution at the same dose.