Self-assembled nanodrug delivery systems for anti-cancer drugs from traditional Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a combination of raw herbs and herbal extracts with a plethora of documented beneficial bioactivities, which has unique advantages in anti-tumor therapy, and many of its major bioactive molecules have been identified in recent years due to advances in chemical separation and structural analysis. However, the major chemical classes of plant-derived bioactive compounds frequently possess chemical properties, including poor water solubility, stability, and bioavailability, that limit their therapeutic application. Alternatively, natural small molecules (NSMs) containing these components possess modifiable groups, multiple action sites, hydrophobic side chains, and a rigid skeleton with self-assembly properties that can be exploited to construct self-assembled nanoparticles with therapeutic effects superior to their individual constituents. For instance, the construction of a self-assembled nanodrug delivery system can effectively overcome the strong hydrophobicity and poor in vivo stability of NSMs, thereby greatly improving their bioavailability and enhancing their anti-tumor efficacy. This review summarizes the self-assembly methods, mechanisms, and applications of a variety of NSMs, including terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, polyphenols, and saponins, providing a theoretical basis for the subsequent research on NSMs and the development of SANDDS.

Protective effect and mechanism of hyperbaric oxygen on delayed encephalopathy after carbon monoxide poisoning via the mitochondrial pathway in mice / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To explore the protective effect and underlying mechanism of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on delayed encephalopathy after carbon monoxide poisoning (DEACMP) in mice.Methods:Totally 225 adult male Kunming mice were selected to establish CO poisoning model via intraperitoneal injection carbon monoxide (CO), and were randomly divided into the air control group, CO poisoning group, and HBO group. Each group was further divided into five time points group, that was 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 d. The mice in the air control group were injected intraperitoneally with the same amount of air, and the HBO group received HBO treatment at the same time every day. DEACMP mice model was screened by behaviors using the open field test, new object recognition test and nesting test, and the content of myelin basic protein (MBP) were assayed. The mouse brain tissue and mitochondrial were prepared and malonialdehyde (MDA) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content were measured with ultraviolet spectrophotometer. MBP content in brain tissue and cytochrome C (CytC) content in the mitochondrial were measured by ELISA. The mitochondria membrane potential (MMP) was measured by flow cytometry.Results:Compared with the air control group, the content of carboxyhemoglobin (COHB) in blood increased significantly and the content of MBP in brain tissue decreased significantly in CO poisoning mice. CO poisoning mice showed motor ability and cognitive dysfunction. Compared with the air control group, the contents of MMP, CytC and ATP were significantly decreased ( P<0.01) in the CO poisoning group; while the MDA content was significantly increased ( P<0.01). Compared with the CO poisoning group, mice behaviors were improved significantly ( P<0.05), the content of MBP, MMP, CytC and ATP were increased ( P<0.05), while the MDA content decreased significantly ( P<0.01) in the HBO group. Conclusions:The abnormal mitochondrial function might be closely related to the occurrence and development of DEACMP, and HBO therapy plays an effective role in preventing and treating the DEACMP mice model via the mitochondrial pathway.

Methyl rosmarinate induces cell apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells via inhibiting the Akt/mTOR signaling pathways / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To investigate the cell death-inducing effect of methyl rosmarinate (MR) on human hepatoma Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 cells and their potential mechanisms. 【Methods】 The effects of MR on the viability of Hep-3B, SK-Hep1 and MIHA cells were determined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The morphological changes of three kinds of cells treated with different concentrations of MR were observed by optical microscopy. EdU assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the proliferation and apoptosis of Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 cells. Transwell assay was used to study the effects of MR on the migration and invasion of Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 cells. Western blotting was used to evaluate the protein expression levels of apoptosis, EMT and Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. 【Results】 After treated with different concentrations of MR (0~200 μmol/L) for 48 h, Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 cells activities were significantly decreased in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.01), while there was no significant effect on MIHA cell activity (P>0.05), and the IC50 of Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 cells were 102.5 and 99.3 μmol/L, respectively. MR treatment (0-150 μmol/L) significantly inhibited the proliferation of Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 cells (P<0.05), while cell detachment and shrinkage were observed by optical microscopy on the Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 cells, while the morphology of MIHA cells was not changed. Compared with the control group, MR (100, 150 μmol/L) induced apoptosis in Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 cells, the expression levels of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cleaved PARP were significantly increased (P<0.05), while the expression level of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 was significantly decreased (P<0.05). MR (100, 150 μmol/L) also inhibited the migration and invasion of HCC cells, significantly increased the expression of E-cadherin and decreased the expression of N-cadherin and Vimentin compared with the control group (P<0.05). Finally, Western blotting results showed that the expressions of p-Akt and p-mTOR in Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 treated by MR were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that MR may play an anti-cancer role by inhibiting Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. 【Conclusion】 MR can promote apoptosis in Hep-3B and SK-Hep1 cells, which may be closely related to the inhibition of Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.