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Toxic Chinese materia medica (CMM) has both pharmacological activities and toxic effects. Based on thousands of years of experience in the application of CMMs, people have explored many practical processing methods of CMMs, also known as "Pao Zhi", to reduce/control toxicity and preserve/enhance efficacy. Toxic CMMs have been used throughout China's hospitals. Yet, the production and use of toxic CMM should be carried out in accordance with the Chinese pharmacopoeia (ChP) and the processing regulations formulated by the health administrative departments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government. This paper summarizes the current understanding and awareness of toxicity and 45 toxic CMMs, the commonly used processing methods of toxic CMMs recorded in the 2020 edition of ChP, and the changes in the chemical component, toxicity, or efficacy profiles after processing. This review may provide useful information for the processing methods of toxic CMMs worldwide. We believe that with an in-depth study and understanding of toxic CMMs combined with a standardized application, the toxicity of CMMs will be predictable and controllable in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a member of the IL-17 cytokine family, IL-25 (also called IL-17E) induces and sustains type 2 immunity. IL-25, which is mainly produced by intestinal epithelial cells, has been gradually investigated in recent years for its function in intestinal inflammation but is not yet fully understood. This review summarizes the expression and function of IL-25 in the intestine, especially the progression of its regulatory role on type 2 immunity-related cells. Finally, we discuss the dual role of IL-25 based on inflammatory bowel disease to inform research on targeting IL-25 for the treatment of intestinal inflammatory diseases. [Display omitted] • IL-25 is predominantly expressed by tuft cells in the intestine and its expression is increased by parasitic stimulation. • IL-25 regulates ILC and Th2 cells to trigger type-2 immunity. • IL-25 has a dual role in inflammatory bowel diseases and therefore may be a therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient method for the preparative separation of four structurally similar caged xanthones from the crude extracts of gamboge was established, which involves the combination of pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography and conventional high-speed counter-current chromatography for the first time. pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography was performed with the solvent system composed of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (7:3:8:2, v/v/v/v), where 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid was added to the upper organic stationary phase as a retainer and 0.03% triethylamine was added to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. From 3.157 g of the crude extract, 1.134 g of gambogic acid, 180.5 mg of gambogenic acid and 572.9 mg of a mixture of two other caged polyprenylated xanthones were obtained. The mixture was further separated by conventional high-speed counter-current chromatography with a solvent system composed of n-hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (5:5:10:5, v/v/v/v) and n-hexane/methyl tert-butyl ether/acetonitrile/water (8:2:6:4,v/v/v/v), yielding 11.6 mg of isogambogenic acid and 10.4 mg of β-morellic acid from 218.0 mg of the mixture, respectively. The purities of all four of the compounds were over 95%, as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the chemical structures of the four compounds were confirmed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The combinative application of pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography and conventional high-speed counter-current chromatography shows great advantages in isolating and enriching the caged polyprenylated xanthones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor microenvironment (TME) closely affects cancer progression by promoting cancer cell survival and proliferation, drug resistance, metastasis, and immunosuppression as well. Remodeling TME is a promising therapeutic strategy for anticancer. mTOR signaling is an essential regulator for cellular metabolism and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) repolarization. There is an integrated crosstalk among mTOR/metabolism/immunity. Angiogenesis can also regulate metabolism and immunity. Based on these, a potential therapeutic avenue was developed by targeting mTOR and angiogenesis to remodel tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). A dual-targeting delivery liposomal system was designed with dual-modification of PD-L1 nanobody and mannose ligands for co-delivering an mTOR inhibitor (rapamycin) and an anti-angiogenic drug (regorafenib). The liposomes were able to target both TAMs and cancer cells that overexpressed PD-L1 and mannose receptors. The liposomes efficiently reduced glycolysis, repolarized TAMs, inhibited angiogenesis, reprogrammed immune cells, and consequently arrested tumor growth. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]