Conventional wound dressings fail to satisfy the requirements and needs of wounds in various stages. It is challenging to develop a multifunctional dressing that is hemostatic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and promotes wound healing. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a multifunctional sponge dressing for the full-stage wound healing based on copper and two natural products, Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) and peony leaf extract (PLE). The developed BSP-Cu-PLE sponges were characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, and XPS to assess micromorphology and elemental composition. Their properties and bioactivities were also verified by the further experiments, whereby the findings revealed that the BSP-Cu-PLE sponges had improved water absorption and porosity while exhibiting excellent antioxidative, biocompatible, and biodegradable properties. Moreover, the antibacterial test revealed that BSP-Cu-PLE sponges had superior antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. Furthermore, the hemostatic activity of BSP-Cu-PLE sponges was significantly enhanced in a rat liver trauma model. Most notably, further studies have demonstrated that the BSP-Cu-PLE sponges could significantly (p < 0.05) accelerate the healing process of skin wounds by stimulating collagen deposition, promoting angiogenesis, and decreasing inflammatory cells. In summary, the BSP-Cu-PLE sponges could provide a new strategy for application in clinical setting for full-stage wound healing.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disorder caused by the progressive destruction of cartilage and inflammation in the articular cavity. Studies have proved that the inhibition of articular cartilage destruction and generation of inflammatory factors can be effective strategies for treating OA. Notopterol (NOT) is a quality control index of Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H. T. Chang (N. incisum) with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and analgesic activities. Moreover, NOT has been used for many years to treat joint diseases. A study using human C28/I2 cells suggested that NOT down-regulated the hypersecretion of inflammatory mediators and alleviated the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In addition, NOT decreased the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and chondrocyte apoptosis through the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway. NOT exerted a chondroprotective effect by partly inhibiting the Janus kinase 2/signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathways and regulating the nuclear factor Nrf2/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) signaling pathway. In vivo, NOT improved the destruction of articular cartilage in a rat OA model, which may be related to the inhibition of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-12 expressions in synovial fluid. In summary, these results showed that NOT alleviated the progression of OA and is expected to become a new therapy for treating OA clinically.

Background: Leukopenia is one of the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Diyushengbai tablet (DYT) is used to prevent and treat leukopenia caused by various reasons. A meta-analysis was performed to systematically analyze the therapeutic effects of DYT on preventing and treating leukopenia caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Objectives: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of DYT in preventing and treating leukopenia caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Methods: We performed a comprehensive literature search of electronic databases such as PubMed, The Cochrane Library, China Knowledge Network (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and VIP, through November of 2021. The scanning reports deadline is until November 2021. The bias risk evaluation criteria developed by the Cochrane collaborative organization were used to evaluate the literature quality of the included studies. The RevMan5.4 software was used to analyze the data, and the Stata16.0 was used to perform the Egger test. Results: After selecting all the databases, a total of 41 reports which involved 3,793 cases were analyzed. Meta-analysis showed that DYT could significantly reduce the white blood cell (WBC) suppression caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy and improve the patients’ WBC counts and neutrophils, compared with the efficacy of other oral WBC-elevating drugs such as Leucogen tablets and Batilol tablets and additional utilization of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). The results of meta-analysis showed that for preventive medication purpose, the overall incidence of leukocyte suppression was [RR = 0.74, 95%CI (0.59, 0.92), p = 0.006], and the white blood cell count was [MD = 1.12, 95%CI (0.95, 1.29), p < 0.00001]; while for therapeutic purpose, the incidence of overall leukocyte suppression was [RR = 0.61, 95%CI (0.38, 0.95), p = 0.03], and the white blood cell count was [MD = 1.20, 95%CI (0.77, 1.62), p < 0.00001]. More importantly, the additional use of DYT can reduce the application amount of G-CSF. The results showed that the application of G-CSF can be reduced by an average of 1.57 from the beginning of treatment to return normal white blood cells around 2.23 in two cycles of chemotherapy. Conclusion: DYT is more effective in preventing and treating leukopenia caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy than other oral WBC-elevating drugs, which have a high clinical value.

Plants of genus Eleutherococcus belong to Araliaceae family, which mainly distributed in Asia. Several Eleutherococcus species have been used as ancient medicinal plants for many years in different traditional medical systems. The secondary metabolites of plants of genus Eleutherococcus have been studied since 1960s. In recent years, with the boom of "return to nature" and "the renewed emphasis on natural medicine", the investigations of genus Eleutherococcus have made new progress. So far, 422 secondary metabolites have been isolated and identified from 17 species. There are various pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, anti-anxiety, anti-depression, anti-diabetes, anti-fatigue, neuroprotection, hepatoprotection, immunoregulation, anti-Parkinson's disease, anti-Alzheimer's disease, and anti-cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, most of which can be found internal connection with traditional medicine. Moreover, clinical researches have revealed the efficacy of drugs made from Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Harms in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which have been marketed in China for decades. Despite a large number of literature reports regarding to the phytochemistry and biological activity of various Eleutherococcus species have been issued, there is not a complete and comprehensive review. Therefore, we discuss knowledge on ethnopharmacology, secondary metabolites, pharmacological and biological activity, clinical trial, and quality control of drugs made from plants of genus Eleutherococcus. Furthermore, deficiencies on present studies have also been discussed so as to provide reference for further research and promote the contemporary development of Eleutherococcus genus.

BACKGROUND:This study aimed to investigate the anti-tumor effects of Huisheng Oral Solution (HSOS) on the promotion of blood circulation to dispel blood stasis, the inhibition of metastasis and inflammation, the pathogenesis of tumor progression, and to provide guidelines for using HSOS in clinical settings.METHODS:Eight-month-old Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC)-bearing C57BL/6 mice were orally administered HSOS (0.25 mL/d) for 21 d starting on day 2 of model generation. One hour after the final administration, their eyeballs were dissected out to collect serum to determine tissue factor (TF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels via ELISA. Blood was collected intracardially with an anticoagulant to determine fibrinogen levels, using an automated blood coagulation analyzer. The mice were euthanized via cervical dislocation and their thymi, spleens, and tumors were extracted for weight measurement and organ index calculation. CD44 and MMP2 expression and VEGF protein and mRNA expression in tumor tissues were detected using immunohistochemical (IHC) and RT-qPCR assays, respectively. Lastly, the effect of HSOS on the migration ability of A549 lung carcinoma cells was investigated using in vitro scratch assay.RESULTS:HSOS significantly downregulated TF and Fib in tumor-bearing mice. HSOS inhibited the overexpression of CD44, MMP2, and VEGF, and the migration ability of tumor cells. Moreover, the pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-6) was significantly downregulated, but the thymic and splenic indices increased.CONCLUSIONS:HSOS might exert anti-tumor effects by improving hypercoagulability in tumor-bearing mice, inhibiting tumor cell metastasis, alleviating inflammatory responses, and enhancing immune function.