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Background: With a growing global population affected by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the traditional Chinese herbal formula Houpo Mahuang Decoction (HPMHD) has been used for centuries to address respiratory ailments. While studies have demonstrated the therapeutic benefits of HPMHD in COPD, the effective active ingredients, potential targets, and molecular mechanisms underlying its effectiveness remained unclear. Methods: The mechanisms of action of certain HPMHD components, targets, and pathways for the treatment of COPD were predicted using a network pharmacology method. We induced a COPD mouse model using porcine pancreatic elastase and evaluated the pathological changes and healing processes through HE and Masson staining. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the levels of IL-6 and TNF-ɑ. RNA-Seq analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the lungs of normal, control, and treated mice, revealing the biological pathways enriched by HPMHD in COPD treatment. Finally, the expression of DEGs was verified using Western blotting and RT-qPCR. Results: HPMHD effectively alleviated pathological symptoms and improved COPD in mice by modulating the IL-17 signaling pathway. Treatment with HPMHD improved lung morphology and structure, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, and inhibited IL-6 and TNF-ɑ levels. Network pharmacology and transcriptomics further revealed the mechanism, indicating that the IL-17 signaling pathway might been instrumental in the inhibitory effect of HPMHD on mouse model of COPD. Subsequent experiments, including protein blotting and RT-qPCR analysis, confirmed the activation of the IL-17 signaling pathway by HPMHD in the COPD mouse model, further supporting the initial findings. Conclusion: HPMHD was shown to alleviate COPD and reduce lung inflammation in mice, potentially through the activation of the IL-17 signaling pathway. This study provides a novel direction for the development of COPD drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gastrointestinal tract is where the majority of gut microbiota settles; therefore, the composition of the gut microbiota and the changes in metabolites, as well as their modulatory effects on the immune system, have a very important impact on the development of gastrointestinal diseases. The purpose of this article was to review the role of the gut microbiota in the host environment and immunometabolic system and to summarize the beneficial effects of botanical active ingredients on gastrointestinal cancer, so as to provide prospective insights for the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. A literature search was performed on the PubMed database with the keywords "gastrointestinal cancer", "gut microbiota", "immunometabolism", "SCFAs", "bile acids", "polyamines", "tryptophan", "bacteriocins", "immune cells", "energy metabolism", "polyphenols", "polysaccharides", "alkaloids", and "triterpenes". The changes in the composition of the gut microbiota influenced gastrointestinal disorders, whereas their metabolites, such as SCFAs, bacteriocins, and botanical metabolites, could impede gastrointestinal cancers and polyamine-, tryptophan-, and bile acid-induced carcinogenic mechanisms. GPRCs, HDACs, FXRs, and AHRs were important receptor signals for the gut microbial metabolites in influencing the development of gastrointestinal cancer. Botanical active ingredients exerted positive effects on gastrointestinal cancer by influencing the composition of gut microbes and modulating immune metabolism. Gastrointestinal cancer could be ameliorated by altering the gut microbial environment, administering botanical active ingredients for treatment, and stimulating or blocking the immune metabolism signaling molecules. Despite extensive and growing research on the microbiota, it appeared to represent more of an indicator of the gut health status associated with adequate fiber intake than an autonomous causative factor in the prevention of gastrointestinal diseases. This study detailed the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal cancers and the botanical active ingredients used for their treatment in the hope of providing inspiration for research into simpler, safer, and more effective treatment pathways or therapeutic agents in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self‐assembly of phytochemicals with multiple chiral centers is receiving significant attention for its potential in biomedical applications. However, the impact of single chiral center epimerization on molecular self‐assembly remains unexplored. Herein, the self‐assembly behavior and bioactivities of 1,2,3,4,6‐penta‐O‐galloyl‐α‐D‐glucose (α‐D‐PGG) and 1,2,3,4,6‐penta‐O‐galloyl‐β‐D‐glucose (β‐D‐PGG) is examined, a pair of natural ellagitannins abundant in plants. Interestingly, β‐D‐PGG formed a hydrogel without modification, while α‐D‐PGG does not. This occurred due to the balanced distribution of aromatic rings and phenolic hydroxyl groups in β‐D‐PGG, facilitating self‐assembly via hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking into nanofibers. In contrast, α‐D‐PGG's self‐assembly is inhibited by steric hindrance. Notably, β‐D‐PGG hydrogel demonstrated exceptional antibacterial activity and by regulating macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype, thereby reducing inflammation. This study not only reveals the distinct self‐assembly behaviors of glucose derivatives but also offers new insights into their potential in biomedical applications, such as wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mild, green, and convenient synthesis of nervonic acid was developed through a one-pot carbon-chain extension with the assistance of microwaves and lithium chloride (55% total yield); this is preferable to a previous six-step method (10% total yield). Compared with the previous lengthy refluxing process (>80 hours) with corrosive reagents, which furnished a mixture of cis - and trans -isomers, this efficient microwave protocol was more than a hundred times faster and was free of configurational isomerization. Notably, LiCl played a dual role in a Krapcho decarboxylation and subsequent ester hydrolysis under neutral conditions that replace the corrosive saponification in the previously reported one-pot method. Finally, this mild and efficient protocol was successfully applied to various carboxylic acids, including natural products, verifying its wide utility, easy operations, and attractive properties in organic synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]