Mitracarpus frigidus (Rubiaceae) inhibits inflammatory and oxidative stress mediators in Salmonella sp. mouse infection

The Potential of Hydrogel Preparations Containing Plant Materials in Supporting the Treatment of Vaginal and Vulvar Infections-Current State of Knowledge

Vaginal hydrogels are a modern alternative to solid (tablets, globules) and other semi-solid forms of medication (ointments, creams) in the control of pathogenic microorganisms in diseases of the female reproductive tract. This review aims to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the efficacy of hydrogels containing plant materials in the treatment of vaginal and vulvar infections. New therapies are essential to address the growing antimicrobial resistance crisis. Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Medline (PubMed) databases were searched. Twenty-five studies were included in the review, including basic, pre-clinical, and clinical studies. The results obtained confirmed the therapeutic potential of plant raw materials embedded in the polymer matrix of hydrogels. However, due to the small number of clinical trials conducted, further research in this area is needed.

An Isofibrous Diet with Fiber Konjac Glucomannan Ameliorates Salmonella typhimurium-Induced Colonic Injury by Regulating TLR2-NF-κB Signaling and Intestinal Microbiota in Mice

This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that dietary konjac glucomannan (KGM) could alleviate Salmonella typhimurium-induced colitis by modulating intestinal microbiota. Mice were fed an isocaloric and isofibrous diet supplemented with either 7% KGM or cellulose and were treated with 5 × 108 CFU of S. typhimurium. The results showed that KGM had an average molecular weight of 936 kDa and predominantly consisted of mannose and glucose at a molar ratio of 1:1.22. In vivo studies demonstrated that dietary KGM effectively mitigated colonic lesions, oxidative stress, disruption of tight junction protein 2 and occludin, and the inflammatory response induced by S. typhimurium. Moreover, KGM administration alleviated the dramatic upregulation of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and phosphonuclear factor κB (NF-κB) protein abundance, induced by Salmonella treatment. Notably, dietary KGM restored the reduced Muribaculaceae and Lactobacillus abundance and increased the abundance of Blautia and Salmonella in S. typhimurium-infected mice. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the gut microbiota improved by KGM contribute to inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress. These results demonstrated the protective effects of dietary KGM against colitis by modulating the gut microbiota and the TLR2-NF-κB signaling pathway in response to Salmonella infection.