Althaea officinalis (Malvaceae), mainly distributed in Europe and China, is an ornamental, edible and medicinal plant, which is effective in reducing cough and phlegm. To better develop and utilize A. officinalis, 46 kinds of compounds including flavonoids, phenolic acids, steroids, coumarins and other types isolated from this plant are summarized, and their pharmacological effects such as anti-tussive, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities are discussed in this review.

There are about 1000 species in the genus Ficus and many can be used for medicinal purpose. The medicinal plants of this genus mainly contain terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and coumarins. In this paper, we summarized flavonoids isolated from the genus Ficus and their pharmacological effects including anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, antiviral, protective activities on the cardiovascular system and other activities.

Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt is an annual herb of the genus Perilla in the labiaceae. Its leaves, stalks and fruits can be used as folk medicine. The chemical components in Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt can be divided into volatile oil, terpenoids, triterpenoids, steroids, glycosides, phenylpropanoids and phenolic acids, flavonoids and pigments, which have anti-allergy, antibacterial, hypolipidemia, antioxidation, antitumor, antitussive and antipyretic activities. In this paper, we reviewed research progress of chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Perilla frutescens to provide new ideas for subsequent development of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt.

Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein with a variety of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antitumor, antiviral, whitening, repairing skin damage caused by inflammation, immune regulation, and osteogenic activity. As a protein with great development potential, lactoferrin is widely used in the fields of food, medicine and cosmetics. The effect of lactoferrin on the skin is particularly prominent, and it has the potential to be used as a new raw material for skin care products. Researchers have reviewed biological activities of lactoferrin and its microbial mechanism of action. Therefore, this article focuses on the skin care efficacy of lactoferrin. This article reviews the latest research results of lactoferrin in skin care efficacy.

Genus Daldinia is a unique source of natural products, which possess many pharmacological effects such as antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, and so on. Recently, most studies of genus Daldinia were focused on D.eschscholzii, D.concentrica and D.sp. This paper covers nearly a decade of research on Daldinia, focusing on the chemical structures and related biological activities of the secondary metabolites produced.

Skin is the largest human organ, which always suffered from environmental stresses, as well as extrinsic and intrinsic noxious agents. Although skin can take different protective mechanisms to maintain balance, excessive stresses can disrupt these systems, resulting in the formation of skin cancers, including both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Phytochemicals are biologically active compounds derived from plants and herbal products, which appear to be beneficial in the battle against cancer as they exhibit anti-cancer effects and are inexpensive, widely available, and well tolerated. Studies have demonstrated that phytochemicals can act on various cellular processes including cell cycle, apoptosis and redox metastasis to inhibit the development and progression of skin cancer. This article mainly focuses on the progress in anti-skin cancer activity of phytochemicals and underlying molecular mechanisms, which will hopefully provide valuable insights into clinical applications of phytochemicals for treatment of skin cancers.

Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) is a new platinum anticancer drug, which is used for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer or the adjuvant treatment of stage III colon cancer. T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (T-ALLs) are invasive thymocytic malignant tumors with poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of L-OHP on human T-ALL cell lines MOLT-4, Jurkat, CCRF-CEM, and CEM/C1 cells. The CCK-8 method results showed that L-OHP significantly inhibited T-ALL cells proliferation. The inhibition of these T-ALL cells prolife by L-OHP seems to be related to the induction of cell cycle arrest. The effect of L-OHP on the cell cycle distribution of T-ALL cells varies with cell types. As to cells apoptosis, Annexin V/Propidium iodide assay disclosed that L-OHP prominently induced T-ALL cells apoptosis by activating the pathways of mitochondrial biogenesis and is more sensitive to MOLT-4 cells. Western blot analysis showed that L-OHP treatment could promote apoptosis through down-regulated Bcl-2 protein level, up-regulated Bax and caspase-9 proteins levels and cell cycle arrest by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in MOLT-4 cells. Our results indicate that L-OHP, as a new type of platinum anticancer drug, may attract more attention in the future treatment of T-ALL.

Eucalyptus globulus ( E. globulus) is a tall timber tree of genus Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae), and it is mainly distributed in the southern and southwestern China. The dry fruits of E. globulus, called as ‘Yi-Kou-Zhong’ in Chinese, have been commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat in flammation, eczema, and influenza. Herein, we summarized the chemical constituents and bioactivities of the Eucalyptus globulus.

Areca catechu L is a genus of plants whose leaves and fruits can be used as folk medicine. The chemical composition of A. catechu can be divided into alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, sterols, fatty acids, etc. It has pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antidepressant, hypotensive, etc., while having toxic side effects such as oral toxicity, hepatotoxicity and addiction. This paper reviews the progress of research on chemical composition and pharmacological effects and toxic side effects of A. catechu, and provides new ideas for subsequent development of A. catechu.

Paeonia is the single genus of ca. 35 known species in the family Paeoniaceae. Up to now, more than 185 terpenes have been isolated from root/root cortex, flowers and seeds of the genus Paeonia. Researches had focused on the following species, such as P. lactiflora, P. suffruticosa Andr, P. veitchii, P. labiflora, P. delavayi, P. rockii, P. emodi, P. peregrina, and P. japonica. In this paper, the terpenes of Paeonia were reviewed, which may provide more useful information for further development on this genus.

Cancer has become a serious public health concern that affects millions of individuals annually in the world. Surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been considered as the standard treatment strategies for different kinds of cancers. Among them, chemotherapeutic agents are usually used for the treatment of malignancies but toxic side effects and drug resistance limit their clinical efficacy. Natural compounds isolated from medicinal plants are excellent and reliable sources of new anticancer drugs. Maslinic acid is a naturally occurred pentacyclic triterpenoid with anticancer activities. This review mainly focuses on recent advances on anticancer effects and molecular mechanisms of maslinic acid and will hopefully provide valuable insights into clinical application of maslinic acid to the treatment of cancers.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disorder caused by persistent activation of immune system. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most prevalent form of inflammatory arthritis and always has critical consequences to the joints. Reducing pain, decreasing inflammation and blocking immune response are the main ideas for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. There are several therapeutic drugs are available for rheumatoid arthritis: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, and biologic anti-rheumatic drugs. All these drugs are used alone or in combination with methotrexate, which have produced a remarkable impact on the occurrence and development of rheumatoid arthritis. Herein, we summarized the treatment options and some new drugs.

Lindera obtusiloba Bl belongs to the genus Lindera, which has a long history of medicinal use and a wide range of uses. It has many significant physiological activities such as improving blood circulation, treating inflammation and preventing liver injury. Investigations about the chemical compounds of L. obtusiloba have shown that its main compounds include butyrolactones, lignans, flavonoids, phytosterols, volatile oils and phenolic glycosides, with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxicity, anti-oxidation and anti-fibrosis activities. At present, there are few reports on its chemical constituents and physiological activities. Herein, we summarized the reported chemical constituents and physiological activities of L. obtusiloba and laid a foundation for further research.

Aconitum episcopale Levl., known as a characteristic Aconitum specie in China, is a perennial herbaceous plant classified into Aconitum L. (Ranunculaceae), which mainly distributes in northwest Yunnan and southwestern Sichuan. As a commonly traditional Chinese medicine, the root of A. episcopale has been used to treat anemofrigid-damp arthralgia, arthralgia, cold hernia and anesthesia analgesia with the effects of expelling wind and removing damness, warming menstruation and relieving pain. It also is used for solving other Aconitums poisoning in folk. In order to obtain more information for research and development of A. episcopale, the chemical components and pharmacological research on A. episcopale were reviewed. It is beneficial for future research, development and utilization of Aconitum and search for traditional herbal resources.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global health concern with over 100 million confirmed cases. Considering the pandemic emergency, new safety strategies must be found against SARS-CoV-2 virus. In present study, a persulfate-enhanced silver ion is obtained against SARS-CoV-2, evidencing its potential as an efficient and rapid alternative for controlling viral spread. The synergistic interacting between Ag ⁺ and K ₂S ₂O ₈ is proposed, which means that K ₂S ₂O ₈ can oxidize +1 of silver ions to a higher valance state and can produce highly oxidative sulfate radical anions (SO ^4-) for a kind of compound disinfectant with silver ions. The persulfate-enhanced silver ion has 99.54% of Anti-SARS- CoV-2 viral activity at a low concentration of 100 ppm and 99.999%, 99.999% and 99.99% of the killing effect on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans at a lower concentration of 30 ppm and a short time of 0.5 min. Thus, the obtained materials may be made available for hand hygiene and for disinfection of surfaces, washing equipment of individual protection in hospitals and laboratories, as well as for household use.

Loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is the main cause of glaucoma and traumatic optic neuropathy, which can eventually lead to optic nerve atrophy and vision loss. Acteoside is a natural phenylpropanoid glycoside compound with many pharmacological activities, including neuroprotective effects. Studies have shown that acteoside can protect RGCs from damage; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this paper, we investigated whether acteoside attenuates RGC damage in acute high intraocular pressure-induced rats via the Bax/Bcl-xL axis. H & E staining showed that acteoside treatment significantly attenuated RGC damage in acute high intraocular pressure-induced rats. Additionally, immunohistochemical staining and immunoblotting analysis demonstrated that acteoside treatment significantly inhibited the expression of Bax and increased the expression of Bcl-xL in retina tissues. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that acteoside attenuates RGC damage in acute high intraocular pressure-induced rats via the Bax/Bcl-xL axis, suggesting that acteoside has a promising potential in glaucoma treatment.

Qualified prescribing is fundamental for appropriate use of medicine. Pharmacist interventions potentially remind physicians to cope with this issue. This study aimed to report interventions implemented by pharmacists with real-time computer-based alert system and evaluate the prescription errors for outpatients in a Chinese tertiary hospital. This retrospective, non-comparative study was implemented with an analysis of data collected from October to December in 2018 involved all clinical specialty departments in the hospital. Alerts were generated and displayed on pharmacist screen while prescribing inappropriately, then pharmacists chose certain operation and offered recommendations according to the alerts. Outcomes such as category and acceptance rate of pharmacist recommendations, prescription error types, prevalence rate, severity level and monthly tendency were documented, categorized and analyzed. In our study, 2.3% of prescriptions generated alerts, and incidence of pharmacist interventions was 0.19%. 431 prescription errors were prevented, with the overall acceptance rate of interventions accounted for 29.7%. Dosage or frequency problems ( n = 170, 39.5%), contraindications ( n = 79, 18.3%) and improper duration of pharmacotherapy ( n = 53, 12.3%) were the top three types of prescription errors. Monthly rate of errors decreased from 0.98 to 0.43 per 1000 prescriptions in the monitoring period. Pharmacist interventions with computer-based alert system were available for filtering part of invalid alerts and preventing prescription errors in our study.

To develop an effective deodorant and antibacterial agent, we prepare a Ti doped nano-ZnO through a low temperature hydrothermal route. The shape and size of these as-prepared samples can be tuned effectively by controlling the reaction conditions, such as the molar ratio of Ti/Zn. Furthermore, the sample with an appropriate portion of Ti and Zn is selected to obtain dispersion for improving sample activity and avoiding sample agglomeration. XRD, SEM, EDX and DLS are performed to characterize the structure and morphology of samples. Furthermore, the typical dispersion is used to remove odorous molecules and kill bacteria. The results show that polycarboxylic acid can be used to improve the dispersibility and stability of nanoparticles, and the well-dispersed dispersion is high effective for deodorization and antibiosis. Moreover, CCK-8 assays are performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of dispersions with different size. The result reveals that dispersion with a smaller particle size displayed more serious toxicity. Thus, we suggest that the obtained dispersion can be used as a deodorant and antibacterial agent, but it is necessary to take precautions when handling the dispersion because the nanoparticles, special smaller nanoparticles is more likely to cause serious cytotoxicity.

As the characteristic components from the fruits of Melia toosendan, limonoids attract continuous research interest for their chemistry and biodiversity, and their analogues are continuously obtained from this plant. Thus, limonoids isolated from the fruits of M. toosendan were investigated, classified and the biogenic metabolic pathway were supposed to provide more information for further research on the title plant.

The basic structure of coumarins contain a benzene ring and a pyrone ring, which drive their values on biological research and potential therapeutic properties. In recent years, the synthesis of coumarins and their derivatives have drawn much attention from organic chemists and medicinal chemists. Herein, we summarized recent advances on synthetic methodologies of coumarins from 2011 to 2021.

This paper introduces research background of polysaccharide-based composite hydrogel materials, discusses definition, classification and preparation of hydrogels, and summarizes research progress of chitosan-based hydrogels, hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels, alginate-based hydrogels, starch-based hydrogels and cellulose-based hydrogels according to different types of polysaccharides. In addition, we summarize the applications of polysaccharide-based complex hydrogels in wound healing, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. Finally, the development opportunities and challenges faced by polysaccharide-based complex hydrogels are summarized, and the future research directions are prospected, hoping to broaden their potential application fields.

In the past decades, many polyethylene glycol (PEG)-containing polymers were developed and widely utilized to prepare functionalized nano delivery systems with hydrophilic shielding feature and high body fluid/environmental stability. Notably, some surface physicochemical properties of the PEG-containing polymers largely determined their solution properties and interactions with other biomolecules, which thus subsequently influenced their biological behaviors. In this paper, we summarized recent advances on the surface physicochemical properties of PEG-containing polymer nano systems and their impacts on self-assembly, solution stability, biomolecular interactions, as well as drug delivery. Future research outlooks in this area were also stated and discussed.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, affecting nearly 10% of individuals over the age of 65 and nearly 50% of those over the age of 85. It is responsible for incapacitation of the individual by degrading cognitive functions, and its evolution leads the individual to death after a few years. It is characterized by brain degeneration triggered by several factors. One of the triggering factors is in the acetylcholine system. There is a decrease in the count of this neurotransmitter in individuals with this disease. The involvement of endogenous metal ions such as iron, copper, and zinc has also been involved in neurodegeneration mechanisms, in which there is the formation of radical species that cause oxidative stress, with important contribution of the neutrophil-derived enzyme myeloperoxidase, forming lesions in the neuronal cytoplasm and functional deficiency of neurons. In the present work, we report the evaluation of seventeen Camphor hydrazone derivatives 3a—3q, prepared in accordance with our previous work, as probable inhibitors of myeloperoxidase (MPO), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and free radical-scavenging, to be used as potential agents against AD. Nine compounds showed significant activity against MPO. Among them, 3j and 3k had 78.4 and 53.9 μM (IC ₅₀), respectively. Three compounds showed stronger activity, 3d, 3k, and 3l with EC ₅₀ of 15.2, 21.3, and 14.4 µM, respectively, for free radical-scavenging activity, being similar to the standard quercetin (12.8 µM). All the final compounds were analyzed for drug-likeness. With exception for 3e and 3p, all were suitable on all filters evaluated. These results show that the compounds of hydrazone class are promising in the search for potential candidates for new agents against AD.

Vaginal microorganisms, dominated by Lactobacillus spp., are an important defense against infections including pathogenic sexually transmitted infections. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are recognized and endocytosed by tissue cells through specific interactions between membrane surface proteins, and thereafter deliver their molecular cargo. Bacteria can use their EVs to interact with neighboring bacteria and play an important role in the physiology and pathogenesis of cells. Herein, we investigated whether the bacteriostatic effect of Lactobacillus was mediated by extracellular vesicles released by these bacteria. L. gasseri-derived EVs were isolated by ultracentrifugation and loaded with metronidazole to observe their antibacterial activity. Our results showed that L. gasseri-derived EVs could effectively encapsulate drug, enhanced drug retardation, and had good biosafety. EVs and EVs-metronidazole have inhibitory effects on E. coli, S. aureus, and L. monocytogenes, with the best inhibitory effect on L. monocytogenes. Together, our work provides a new potential strategy for vaginitis treatment.

Auricularia auricula polysaccharide (AAP) was extracted with ethanol of different concentrations (50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%). Taking the yield, total sugar content, and uronic acid content as the indexes, the optimal alcohol precipitation concentration of AAP was 50%, and the polysaccharide content was 58.89%. In vitro digestion experiment showed that the content of reducing sugar in AAP was almost unchanged in the saliva and gastric juice digestion phase. However, the reducing sugar content of AAP increased from 0.062 mg/mL at 0.5 h to 1.162 mg/mL at 3 h during the intestinal juice digestion phase. In addition, in vitro antioxidant results showed that AAP still maintained high 2,2’-azido bis (3-ethyl benzothiazole line-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging activity after digestion.

Chemo-sensitization therapy has gained importance in the field of anti-cancer treatment in recent years. The combination of both chemotherapy and chemosensitization has unique advantages. However, there has been relatively limited research on combination treatment using metal complexes and chemosensitizers. Herein, we reports a two-drug synergistic delivery system combining a copper complex and a chemosensitizer Olaparib in a certain ratio of safety and efficiency is the key. Polyethylenimine (PEI) was chemically-linked to activated chemosensitizer Olaparib, which was connected to a bifunctional peptide, T15, for facilitation and nuclear targeting, resulting in Ola-PEI-T15. Then, a novel metal complex Cu/Ola-PEI-T15 was obtained by Cu ²⁺ coordination to Ola-PEI-T15. The two therapeutic agents can be transported into the cells at the same time, giving full play to the synergistic anti-tumor effect.

Sesquiterpenoids have a wide range of physiological activities, and have potent effects against various diseases. In recent years, many sesquiterpenoids have been reported to show significant bioactivities on diabetes mellitus that is an increasingly severe metabolic disease. In this paper, the bioactivities of sesquiterpenoids on diabetes mellitus in the past twenty years are reviewed.

Glucokinase (GK), as a key enzyme regulating carbohydrate metabolism, has been widely researched as a therapeutic target for diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the influence of magnesium ion concentration, ATP concentration, and enzyme concentration on the catalytic activity of GK by response surface. A cellular model of insulin resistance (IR) was established to observe the ameliorating effect of magnesium ion on IR by screening the concentration and duration of insulin action. The results indicated that the optimal concentrations for enzyme activity were found to be 1.1 mM for magnesium ion, 1.4 mM for ATP, and 0.5 U/mL for glucokinase. In the presence of taurine, the IR model was treated with magnesium ion (1.1 mM) can promote glucose consumption, GK activity and intracellular magnesium concentration in IR cells. Magnesium ion, as a key factor in GK-catalyzed glycolysis, showed a positive correlation between intracellular magnesium ions and the catalytic activity of GK within a certain concentration range. Therefore, magnesium ion could effectively promote carbohydrate metabolism and alleviate the progression of IR.