Anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory activity of sulodexide compared to aspirin in the rat model

Catechin Mediates Ferroptosis to Exert an Anti-Inflammatory Effect on RAW 264.7 Cells

Catechin possesses a potential anti-inflammatory activity, but its anti-inflammatory mechanism is still unclear. Herein, the analysis of network pharmacology showed that catechin might mediate ferroptosis on macrophages to exhibit a significant anti-inflammatory effect on RAW264.7. The metabolomics further indicated that catechin might influence ferroptosis by activating two pathways of cysteine and methionine metabolism and glutathione metabolism, and inhibiting the pathway of ferroptosis to promote the reduction of l-methionine-s-oxide and s-glutathionyl-l-cysteine, and the reduction and synthesis of γ-glutamylcysteine. Furthermore, related proteins (MSRA, CDR, GSR and GCL) in three metabolic pathways and ferroptosis-related proteins (GPX4 and SLC7A11) might be relevant to catechin through molecular docking. Thus, we speculate that catechin plays an anti-inflammatory effect through mediating ferroptosis on RAW264.7, which still needs further focus on the detailed molecular mechanism.

Solid lipid nanoparticles as an effective sodium aescinate delivery system: formulation and anti-inflammatory activity

Sodium aescinate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles were fabricated using a melt-emulsification and ultrasonication method. Based on mean particle size, polydispersity index, and encapsulation efficiency, orthogonal and Box-Behnken designs were applied to optimize solid lipid nanoparticles with single emulsification and double emulsification methods. The characterization of solid lipid nanoparticles was investigated by X-ray diffractometry, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. After optimization of sodium aescinate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles with single emulsification, the particle size was 90.7 nm and encapsulation efficiency was 76.5%. The sodium aescinate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles with double emulsification were negatively charged spherical particles with the size of 109.4 nm and encapsulation efficiency up to 86.6%. Both solid lipid nanoparticles with single emulsification and double emulsification exhibited sustained release for 12 h without an initial burst release. The results indicated that sodium aescinate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles by double emulsification showed more drug loading and stability after reconstitution. The sodium aescinate-solid lipid nanoparticles with double emulsification demonstrated stronger anti-inflammatory activity, including paw edema and ear swelling in mice than that of free sodium aescinate. Therefore, solid lipid nanoparticles have great potential as an effective sodium aescinate delivery system for application in medicine.

Current Insights into Treating Vertigo in Older Adults

The number of older people has been increasing over recent decades in Western populations. Dizziness, imbalance, and vertigo constitute some of the most common complaints in older patients, and risk of falling is the most frequent and worrying consequence. It has been reported that 15–20% of the adult population experiences these debilitating symptoms. Among the diseases that may be associated with vertigo, the three classes of otological, central, and functional (psychological) dizziness may be distinguished. Overall, vestibular disorders account for 48% of vertiginous complaints in the older population. The main focus of this article is to review the forms of pharmacotherapy for vertigo, especially with regard to older patients, who may be treated simultaneously with other drugs for different comorbidities. Interactions with other drugs should be considered in the choice of a particular course of treatment. Moreover, overuse of pharmacotherapy for the management of vertigo in the elderly may prevent the development of the central compensatory mechanism that sustains both static and dynamic imbalance after a vertiginous crisis. In the majority of patients, vestibular and physical rehabilitation are strongly advised and rarely contraindicated.

Evaluation of 3D Templated Synthetic Vascular Graft Compared with Standard Graft in a Rat Model: Potential Use as an Artificial Vascular Graft in Cardiovascular Disease

Although the number of vascular surgeries using vascular grafts is increasing, they are limited by vascular graft-related complications and size discrepancy. Current efforts to develop the ideal synthetic vascular graft for clinical application using tissue engineering or 3D printing are far from satisfactory. Therefore, we aimed to re-design the vascular graft with modified materials and 3D printing techniques and also demonstrated the improved applications of our new vascular graft clinically. We designed the 3D printed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) templates according to the vessel size and shape, and these were dip-coated with salt-suspended thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Next, the core template was removed to obtain a customized porous TPU graft. The mechanical testing and cytotoxicity studies of the new synthetic 3D templated vascular grafts (3DT) were more appropriate compared with commercially available polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts (ePTFE; standard graft, SG) for clinical use. Finally, we performed implantation of the 3DTs and SGs into the rat abdominal aorta as a patch technique. Four groups of the animal model (SG_7 days, SG_30 days, 3DT_7 days, and 3DT_30 days) were enrolled in this study. The abdominal aorta was surgically opened and sutured with SG or 3DT with 8/0 Prolene. The degree of endothelial cell activation, neovascularization, thrombus formation, calcification, inflammatory infiltrates, and fibrosis were analyzed histopathologically. There was significantly decreased thrombogenesis in the group treated with the 3DT for 30 days compared with the group treated with the SG for 7 and 30 days, and the 3DT for 7 days. In addition, the group treated with the 3DT for 30 days may also have shown increased postoperative endothelialization in the early stages. In conclusion, this study suggests the possibility of using the 3DT as an SG substitute in vascular surgery.