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This study was to develop a combination of zedoary turmeric oil (ZTO) and tretinoin (TRE)-loaded liposomal gel as a topical drug delivery system. We used a combination of single-factor experiment and orthogonal experiment to systematically optimize encapsulation process of the compound liposomes. The optimized liposome vesicles were incorporated into Carbopol gel matrix and studied by continuous

This study aims to predict the active ingredients, potential targets, signaling pathways and investigate the “ingredient-target-pathway” mechanisms involved in the pharmacological action of Danshiliuhao Granule (DSLHG) on liver fibrosis. Pharmacodynamics studies on rats with liver fibrosis showed that DSLHG generated an obvious anti-liver fibrosis action. On this basis, we explored the possible mechanisms underlying its antifibrosis effect using network pharmacology approach. Information about compounds of herbs in DSLHG was collected from TCMSP public database and literature. Furthermore, the oral bioavailability (OB) and drug-likeness (DL) were screened according to ADME features. Compounds with OB≥30% and DL≥0.18 were selected as active ingredients. Then, the potential targets of the active compounds were predicted by pharmacophore mapping approach and mapped with the target genes of the specific disease. The compound-target network and Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network were built by Cytoscape software. The core targets were selected by degree values. Furthermore, GO biological process analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were carried out to investigate the possible mechanisms involved in the anti-hepatic fibrosis effect of DSLHG. The predicted results showed that there were 108 main active components in the DSLHG formula. Moreover, there were 192 potential targets regulated by DSLHG, of which 86 were related to liver fibrosis, including AKT1, EGFR, and IGF1R. Mechanistically, the anti-liver fibrosis effect of DSLHG was exerted by interfering with 47 signaling pathways, such as PI3K-Akt, FoxO signaling pathway, and Ras signaling pathway. Network analysis showed that DSLHG could generate the antifibrosis action by affecting multiple targets and multiple pathways, which reflects the multicomponent, multitarget, and multichannel characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine and provides novel basis to clarify the mechanisms of anti-liver fibrosis of DSLHG.

Biofilms significantly enhance antibiotic resistance by inhibiting penetration of antibiotics and are shielded from the immune system via the formation of an extracellular polymeric matrix. Innovative and novel approaches are required for the inhibition of biofilm formation and treatment of biofilm-associated infectious diseases. In the current study, a biofilm model of Staphylococcus aureus was established in vitro to explore inhibitory effects of brazilin (BN) on biofilm formation and to evaluate damaging effects of BN in the presence and absence of vancomycin (VCM) on the biofilm. Antibiofilm-infection mechanisms of BN were observed. In these experiments, the clinical strain of S. aureus C-4-4 was isolated for biofilm formation. Crystal violet staining and fluorescence microscopy revealed that BN inhibited biofilm formation in vitro and the best effect was observed with two times the minimum inhibitory concentration of BN following 48 h incubation. Additionally, the results demonstrated that BN in combination with VCM enhanced the damage to biofilms, whereas VCM alone did not. The results of the reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses demonstrated that BN downregulated gene expression of intercellular adhesion (ica)A and upregulated icaR and the quorum-sensing (QS) system regulator accessory gene regulator A. In summary, BN inhibited S. aureus biofilm formation and destroyed biofilms, while simultaneously increasing permeability to VCM. BN was able to reduce production of the extracellular polymeric matrix and inhibited the QS system. These results support the use of BN as a novel drug and treatment strategy for S. aureus biofilm-associated infections.

Biofilms significantly enhance antibiotic resistance by inhibiting penetration of antibiotics and are shielded from the immune system via the formation of an extracellular polymeric matrix. Innovative and novel approaches are required for the inhibition of biofilm formation and treatment of biofilm-associated infectious diseases. In the current study, a biofilm model of Staphylococcus aureus was established in vitro to explore inhibitory effects of brazilin (BN) on biofilm formation and to evaluate damaging effects of BN in the presence and absence of vancomycin (VCM) on the biofilm. Antibiofilm-infection mechanisms of BN were observed. In these experiments, the clinical strain of S. aureus C-4-4 was isolated for biofilm formation. Crystal violet staining and fluorescence microscopy revealed that BN inhibited biofilm formation in vitro and the best effect was observed with two times the minimum inhibitory concentration of BN following 48 h incubation. Additionally, the results demonstrated that BN in combination with VCM enhanced the damage to biofilms, whereas VCM alone did not. The results of the reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses demonstrated that BN downregulated gene expression of intercellular adhesion (ica)A and upregulated icaR and the quorum-sensing (QS) system regulator accessory gene regulator A. In summary, BN inhibited S. aureus biofilm formation and destroyed biofilms, while simultaneously increasing permeability to VCM. BN was able to reduce production of the extracellular polymeric matrix and inhibited the QS system. These results support the use of BN as a novel drug and treatment strategy for S. aureus biofilm-associated infections.

In this study, aioxidant and anticancer activities of the extracts were evaluated from various habitats of Selaginella doederleinii. The evaluation on antioxidative capacity revealed that the extracts were the highest from Guizhou province using DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging, ferric reducing and FRAP methods, while those of the extracts from Sichuan province were the lowest from different habitats. The evaluation on antitumous effect showed that the extracts from Guizhou province were the highest against A549 cell line and 7721 cell line, while those of the extracts from Sichuan province were the lowest in different habitats. Results obtained revealed that the extracts of S. doederleinii were found to be potentially as a readily valuable bioactive source of natural products. Ethyl acetate extraction of S. doederleinii exhibited as the most potent fraction will be further in-depth study.