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Laminaria japonica (LJ) is a common seaweed, which has been widely used as functional food and medicine, but its pharmaceutical activities in angiogenic regulation are unclear. Here, different lines of studies provide evidence to the suppressive effects of LJ extract in VEGF-medicated angiogenic function. In cellular level, LJ extract significantly inhibited VEGF-mediated endothelial cell proliferation, migration, invasion and tube formation. For in vivo verification, LJ extract suppressed the VEGF-induced formation of sub-intestinal vessels in zebrafish embryo model. In signalling cascades, LJ extract decreased the amount of phosphorylated VEGF receptor-2, as triggered by VEGF, and subsequently some key related downstream elements were obviously inactivated. In parallel, NO production and ROS formation, as induced by VEGF, were significantly attenuated. Thus, these preclinical findings promoted the possible development of LJ extract as a potential therapeutic agent for prevention and clinical treatment of angiogenesis-related diseases. © 2024 The Authors

The combination therapy of strengthening inflammation regression and mucosal repair may overcome the “therapeutic ceiling” of ulcerative colitis (UC). However, poor targeting is an outstanding challenge in the preparation of drug delivery systems for UC treatment. Here, we developed anti-inflammatory drug (patchouli alcohol, PA)-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) derived from natural silk fibroin (SF) and subjected to surface functionalization with cyclo RGD peptide (cRGD). Self-assembled SF NPs realized sustained drug release. Meanwhile, cRGD functionalization yielded notably targeted drug delivery to inflamed colon, and thereby enhanced the anti-inflammatory and barrier repair capabilities of NPs. Moreover, cRGD–PASFNs regulated innate immune responses and exerted a potent therapeutic efficacy against acute colitis. Surprisingly, the cRGD–PASFNs also modulated the abnormal level of amino acids which are crucial to the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Additionally, oral delivery of this nanomedicine displayed an excellent safety profile in the mouse model. This study confers confidence for the further development of targeted precision therapy for UC and other inflammatory diseases. © 2022