Natural product-based upconversion photosensitizers (PSs) have emerged as innovative agents in photodynamic therapy (PDT). Lanthanide ions such as Yb3+, Er3+, Nd3+, Gd3+, and Tm3+ have unique photophysical properties and biocompatibility, exhibiting sharp 4f-4f transitions and long-lived excited states involving the dual luminescence processes, upconversion and downshifting. Natural product photosensitizers (PSs), including coumarin, riboflavin, curcumin, chlorophyll derivatives, and hypocrellin, offer superior safety profiles compared with synthetic PSs. Recent advances in upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and upconversion-downshifting nanoparticles (UDNPs) for the generation of ROS in PDT have been evaluated. This narrative review surveyed the literature published between 1995 and 2026 across multiple electronic databases, including WanFang Data, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer Link, SciFinder, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), without language restrictions. The search focused on studies related to photodynamic therapy, lanthanide photophysics, and natural product photosensitizers such as coumarin, riboflavin, curcumin, chlorophyll derivatives, and hypocrellin, as well as nanoplatforms involving upconversion (UCNPs) and upconversion-downshifting nanoparticles (UDNPs). Relevant publications were identified and synthesized to integrate advances in lanthanide photophysics, natural product PSs, and nanoplatform design into a conceptual framework. Natural product-based upconversion PSs for PDT have the advantages of low dark toxicity, biocompatibility, and multimodal actions. Lanthanide-enhanced systems overcome these issues, including shallow tissue penetration, photobleaching, and relatively low singlet oxygen quantum yields. Thus, natural product-based upconversion PSs in PDT are an innovative strategy, but bridging preclinical promise with clinical translation remains a critical future challenge.
The journal retracts the article titled, “A Flavonoid-Rich Extract from Bergamot Juice, Alone or in Association with Curcumin and Resveratrol, Shows Protective Effects in a Murine Model of Cadmium-Induced Testicular Injury” [...]
Background: Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have expanded the therapeutic landscape for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), yet real-world comparative data on upadacitinib and abrocitinib remain limited. Objective: We aimed to compare the 24-week real-world effectiveness and safety of upadacitinib 30 mg and abrocitinib 200 mg in adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD, using EASI-75 as the primary efficacy endpoint, and to explore potential clinical factors associated with treatment response. Methods: This retrospective single-center study included adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD treated with upadacitinib 30 mg or abrocitinib 200 mg and followed for 24 weeks in routine clinical practice. A small pediatric subgroup (n = 3) receiving abrocitinib 100 mg was analyzed separately for descriptive purposes only. Clinical outcomes included Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (PP-NRS), EASI-50/75/90 response rates, and NRS-4 response. Safety was assessed using routinely documented adverse events. Exploratory analyses evaluated the possible influence of body mass index (BMI), baseline immunoglobulin E (IgE), and psychological stress on treatment response. Results: Both upadacitinib and abrocitinib were associated with rapid and sustained clinical improvement over 24 weeks. At month 6, EASI-75 response was 83.3% in the upadacitinib group versus 70.8% in the abrocitinib group (p = 0.27). EASI-50 response was significantly higher in the upadacitinib group (100% vs. 83.3%; p = 0.05). Exploratory findings suggested that higher BMI, elevated baseline IgE levels, and psychological stress may be associated with less favorable response trajectories. Both treatments demonstrated a generally favorable safety profile; however, one serious cerebrovascular thrombotic event occurred in a patient with pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors, highlighting the importance of individualized risk assessment when prescribing JAK inhibitors. Conclusions: In routine clinical practice, both upadacitinib and abrocitinib appeared effective for the management of moderate-to-severe AD over 24 weeks. Although upadacitinib 30 mg showed a numerically higher month-6 EASI-50 response, this finding should be interpreted cautiously given the modest sample size and the absence of broader between-group differences across other key efficacy outcomes. Larger prospective studies are needed to confirm comparative effectiveness and to clarify predictors of response and safety in real-world settings.
Background/Objectives: Anshen Bunao Oral Liquid (ABOL) is a traditional medicinal formula comprising Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum, Radix Polygoni Multiflori Preparata and other ingredients. It replenishes essence, nourishes qi and blood, and soothes the spirit. It is used in clinical practice to treat neurasthenia and insomnia (emotion-related symptoms), and its key component, glycyrrhizin, exhibits anxiolytic properties. This aligns with the holistic approach of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to regulating neuropsychiatric disorders. The aim of this study is to evaluate the anxiolytic efficacy of ABOL in rats with anxiety induced by chronic restraint stress (CRS), and to clarify its mechanism by focusing on modulation of the gut-brain axis (microbiota and metabolism). Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats underwent three hours of restraint per day for 28 days to induce anxiety. ABOL was administered intragastrically in three doses. Anxiety-like behaviours were assessed using OFT, EPM and SPT. Serum, tissue and faecal samples were analysed using ELISA, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, non-targeted metabolomics, 16S rRNA sequencing and RT-qPCR. Results: CRS induced anxiety-like behaviours, impaired weight gain and perturbed the balance of neurotransmitters (decreasing 5-HT, GABA, NE and DA, while increasing CORT), inducing inflammation/oxidative stress, hippocampal neuronal injury, intestinal barrier dysfunction and gut microbiota/metabolic dysregulation. ABOL effectively reversed these abnormalities by restoring the balance of neurotransmitters and the HPA axis, suppressing inflammation and oxidation, protecting neurons and the intestinal barrier, remodelling the gut microbiota (enriching Akkermansia and balancing Firmicutes/Bacteroidota) and regulating sphingolipid and glycerophospholipid pathways. The interaction between the gut microbiota and metabolites may contribute to this pharmacological effect. Conclusions: ABOL exerts anxiolytic effects by modulating the gut-brain axis at multiple targets, involving microbiota remodelling, regulation of lipid metabolism and improvement of pathology. This validates its ethnopharmacological value, linking traditional Chinese medicine to the development of modern anxiolytics.
Background/Objectives: Carvedilol is an adrenergic blocker FDA-approved to improve outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Clinical trials examining whether carvedilol may be cardioprotective in the setting of cancer therapy-induced heart failure have generated mixed results that may depend on the cancer regimen, tumor, or comorbidities. Methods: To investigate the therapeutic potential of carvedilol to mitigate doxorubicin cardiotoxicity in cardiomyocytes, myocardial tissue, and in vivo, independent of confounding factors in clinical studies, we utilized disease-free cardiac slices and cardiomyocytes from mice, dogs, and human in vitro, and in wildtype mice injected with doxorubicin in vivo. We further evaluated the impact of carvedilol in dogs with cancer receiving doxorubicin. Results: In primary canine and murine cardiac slices, carvedilol treatment restored autophagy and prevented apoptosis from doxorubicin. Carvedilol restored mitochondrial energetics in human, canine, and murine models. In wildtype mice challenged with doxorubicin, carvedilol prevented declines in cardiac function and alterations in cardiac structure. In pet dogs with cancer and undergoing doxorubicin treatment, carvedilol was beneficial in preserving cardiac function and structure. Conclusions: Carvedilol activates cardioprotective autophagy, arrests doxorubicin-induced cell death, and improves energetics and cardiac structure and function across species.
