Effect and mechanism of Prunella vulgaris L. extract on alleviating lipopolysaccharide-induced acute mastitis in protecting the blood-milk barrier and reducing inflammation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

According to ancient literature, Prunella vulgaris L. (P vulgaris) alleviates mastitis and has been used in China for many years; however, there are no relevant reports that confirm this or the mechanism of its efficacy.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To explore the anti-acute mastitis effect and potential mechanism of P vulgaris extract.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

First, the active ingredients and targets of P vulgaris against mastitis were predicted using network pharmacology. Next, the relevant active ingredients were enriched using macroporous resins and verified using UV and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Lastly, a mouse model of acute mastitis was established by injecting lipopolysaccharides into the mammary gland and administering P vulgaris extract by oral gavage. The pathological changes in mammary tissue were observed by HE staining. Serum and tissue inflammatory factors were measured by ELISA method. MPO activity in mammary tissue was measured using colorimetry and MPO expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of tight junction proteins (ZO-1, claudin-3, and occludin) in mammary tissue was detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot. iNOS and COX-2 in mammary tissue were detected by Western blot. MAPK pathway and NF-κB pathway related proteins were also detected by Western blot.

RESULTS

Network pharmacology predicted that phenolic acids and flavonoids in P vulgaris had anti-mastitis effects. The contents of total flavonoids and total phenolic acids in P vulgaris extract were 64.5% and 29.4%, respectively. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS confirmed that P vulgaris extract contained phenolic acids and flavonoids. The results of animal experiments showed that P vulgaris extract reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory edema, inflammatory cell infiltration, and interstitial congestion of mammary tissue. It also reduced the levels of serum and tissue inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, and inhibited the activation of MPO. Furthermore, it downregulated the expression of MAPK and NF-κB pathway-related proteins. The expressions of ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-3 in mammary gland tissues were upregulated.

CONCLUSIONS

P vulgaris extract can maintain the integrity of mammary connective tissue and reduce its inflammatory response to prevent acute mastitis. Its mechanism probably involves regulating NF-κB and MAPK pathways.

Antibacterial and self-healing sepiolite-based hybrid hydrogel for hemostasis and wound healing

The process of wound healing necessitates a specific environment, thus prompting extensive research into the utilization of hydrogels for this purpose. While numerous hydrogel structures have been investigated, the discovery of a self-healing hydrogel possessing favorable biocompatibility, exceptional mechanical properties, and effective hemostatic and antibacterial performance remains uncommon. In this work, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hybrid hydrogel was meticulously designed through a simple reaction, wherein CuxO anchored sepiolite was incorporated into the hydrogel. The results indicate that introduction of sepiolite greatly improves the toughness, self-healing and adhesion properties of the PVA hydrogels. CuxO nanoparticles endow the hydrogels with excellent antibacterial performance towards Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The application of hybrid hydrogels for fast hemostasis and wound healing are verified in vitro and in vivo with rat experiments. This work thereby demonstrates an effective strategy for designing biodegradable hemostatic and wound healing materials.

Modeling the influence of bacteria concentration on the mechanical properties of self-healing concrete (SHC) for sustainable bio-concrete structures

In this research paper, the intelligent learning abilities of the gray wolf optimization (GWO), multi-verse optimization (MVO), moth fly optimization, particle swarm optimization (PSO), and whale optimization algorithm (WOA) metaheuristic techniques and the response surface methodology (RSM) has been studied in the prediction of the mechanical properties of self-healing concrete. Bio-concrete technology stimulated by the concentration of bacteria has been utilized as a sustainable structural concrete for the future of the built environment. This is due to the recovery tendency of the concrete structures after noticeable structural failures. However, it requires a somewhat expensive exercise and technology to create the medium for the growth of the bacteria needed for this self-healing ability. The method of data gathering, analysis and intelligent prediction has been adopted to propose parametric relationships between the bacteria usage and the concrete performance in terms of strength and durability. This makes is cheaper to design self-healing concrete structures based on the optimized mathematical relationships and models proposed from this exercise. The performance of the models was tested by using the coefficient of determination (R2), root mean squared errors, mean absolute errors, mean squared errors, variance accounted for and the coefficient of error. At the end of the prediction protocol and model performance evaluation, it was found that the classified metaheuristic techniques outclassed the RSM due their ability to mimic human and animal genetics of mutation. Furthermore, it can be finally remarked that the GWO outclassed the other methods in predicting the concrete slump (Sl) with R2 of 0.998 and 0.989 for the train and test, respectively, the PSO outclassed the rest in predicting the flexural strength with R2 of 0.989 and 0.937 for train and test, respectively and the MVO outclassed the others in predicting the compressive strength with R2 of 0.998 and 0.958 for train and test, respectively.

Self-healing and adhesive MXene-polypyrrole/silk fibroin/polyvinyl alcohol conductive hydrogels as wearable sensor

Conductive hydrogels become increasing attractive for flexible electronic devices and biosensors. However, challenges still remain in fabrication of flexible hydrogels with high electrical conductivity, self-healing capability and adhesion property. Herein, a conductive hydrogel (PSDM) was prepared by solution-gel method using MXene and dopamine modified polypyrrole as conductive enhanced materials, polyvinyl alcohol and silk fibroin as gel networks, and borax as cross-linking agent. Notably, the PSDM hydrogels not only showed high permeability (13.82 mg∙cm-2∙h-1), excellent stretch ability (1235 %), high electrical conductivity (11.3 S/m) and long-term stability, but also exhibited high adhesion performance and self-healing properties. PSDM hydrogels displayed outstanding sensing performance and durability for monitoring human activities including writing, finger bending and wrist bending. The PSDM hydrogel was made into wearable flexible electrodes and realized accurate, sensitive and reliable detection of human electromyographic and electrocardiographic signals. The sensor was also applied in human-computer interaction by collecting electromyography signals of different gestures for machine learning and gesture recognition. According to 480 groups of data collected, the recognition accuracy of gestures by the electrodes was close to 100 %, indicating that the PSDM hydrogel electrodes possessed excellent sensing performance for high precision data acquisition and human-computer interaction interface.

Facile fabrication of a novel, photodetachable salecan-based hydrogel dressing with self-healing, injectable, and antibacterial properties based on metal coordination

Achieving the controllable detachment of polysaccharide-based wound dressings is challenging. In this study, a novel, photodetachable salecan-based hydrogel dressing with injectable, self-healing, antibacterial, and wound healing properties was developed using a green and facile approach. A salecan hydrogel with a uniform porous structure and water content of 90.4 % was prepared by simply mixing salecan and an Fe3+-citric acid complexing solution in an acidic D-(+)-glucono-1,5-lactone environment. Metal coordinate interactions were formed between the released Fe3+ ions and carboxyl groups on the salecan polysaccharide, inducing homogeneous gelation. Benefiting from this dynamic and reversible crosslinking, the salecan hydrogel exhibited self-healing and injectable behavior, facilitating the formation of the desired shapes in situ. The exposure of Fe3+-citric acid to UV light (365 nm) resulted in the reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ through photochemical reactions, enabling phototriggered detachment. Moreover, the hydrogel exhibited excellent biocompatibility and satisfactory antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus of 72.5 % and 85.3 %, respectively. The adhesive strength of the salecan hydrogel to porcine skin was 1.06 ± 0.12 kPa. In vivo wound healing experiments further highlighted the advantages of the prepared hydrogel in alleviating the degree of wound inflammation and promoting tissue regeneration within 12 days.

Nanosphere-reinforced polysaccharide self-healing hydrogels for infected wound healing

Bacterial infection remarkably impedes wound healing, with antibiotics traditionally serving as the primary therapeutic intervention. However, the escalating misuse of antibiotics and the emergence of bacterial resistance present substantial treatment challenges for infected wounds. Consequently, the development of antibiotic-free antimicrobial dressings holds pertinent research and clinical relevance. To this end, this study aimed to introduce an all-natural hydrogel dressing, amalgamating polyphenols and polysaccharides, exhibiting pronounced antibacterial and antioxidant properties without relying on antibiotics. First, we constructed curcumin-tannic acid‑zinc ion nanospheres (CTZN) through self-assembly. Our experimental results showed that the nanospheres had excellent biocompatibility, antioxidant, and antimicrobial abilities. Subsequently, we prepared carboxymethylated chitosan/oxidized sodium alginate hydrogels via Schiff base reactions. Incorporation of CTZN into the hydrogel system not only improves the inherent qualities of the hydrogel but also confers multifunctional properties, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory abilities. In this study, we enhanced the physicochemical properties and biological activity of hydrogels by introducing natural material nanospheres, offering a novel approach that could pave the way for the development of purely natural biomaterial dressings.

Multifunctional chitosan-based lanthanide luminescent hydrogel with stretchability, adhesion, self-healing, color tunability and antibacterial ability

Lanthanide luminescent hydrogels have broad application prospects in various fields. However, most of lanthanide hydrogels possess relatively simple functions, which is not conducive to practical applications. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly urgent to develop multifunctional hydrogels. Herein, a multifunctional chitosan-based lanthanide luminescent hydrogel with ultra-stretchability, multi-adhesion, excellent self-healing, emission color tunability, and good antibacterial ability was prepared by a simple one-step free radical polymerization. In this work, our designed lanthanide complexes [Ln(4-VDPA)3] contain three reaction sites, which can be copolymerized with N-[tris(hydroxymethyl) methyl] acrylamide (THMA), acrylamide (AM), and diacryloyl poly(ethylene glycol) (DPEG) to form the first chemical crosslinking network, while hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan (HACC) interacts with the hydroxyl and amino groups derived from the chemical crosslinking network through hydrogen bonds to form the second physical crosslinking network. The structure of the double network as well as the dynamic hydrogen bond and lanthanide coordination endow the hydrogel with excellent stretchability, adhesion and self-healing properties. Moreover, the introduction of lanthanide complexes and chitosan makes the hydrogel exhibit outstanding luminescence and antibacterial performances. This research not only realizes the simple synthesis of multifunctional luminescent hydrogels, but also provides a new idea for the fabrication of biomass-based hydrogels as intelligent and sustainable materials.

Study on crack resistance of self-healing microcapsules in asphalt pavement by multi-scale method

Self-healing microcapsules in the asphalt pavement must be kept intact under vehicle load to ensure there is enough rejuvenator in capsules when cracks appear in asphalt pavement. In this paper, the crack resistance of self-healing microcapsules in asphalt pavement was evaluated. Firstly, an expanding multi-scale analysis was conducted based on proposed mesoscopic mechanical models with the aim to determine the mechanical parameters for the following contracting multi-scale analysis. Secondly, the periodic boundary condition was introduced for the contracting multi-scale analysis and the stress field of the capsule wall was obtained. Finally, the effects of the design parameters of the microcapsule on its crack resistance in asphalt pavement were investigated. The results showed that the incorporation of microcapsules has almost no effect on the elastic constants of the asphalt mixture. The core could be simplified as an approximately incompressible solid with the elastic constants determined by the proposed mesoscopic mechanical model. With the increase of the modulus of the capsule wall, the mean maximum tensile stress of the capsule wall increased from 0.372 MPa to 0.465 MPa, while with the decrease of the relative radius of the capsule core, the mean maximum tensile stress of the capsule wall increased from 0.349 MPa to 0.461 MPa. The change in the mean maximum tensile stress of the capsule wall caused by the change of capsule diameter was within 5%. The relative radius of the capsule core and the elastic modulus of capsule wall were two key parameters in capsule design. Besides, the microcapsules with the wall made of resin would not crack under the vehicle load before microcracks occurred in asphalt pavement.

Doping proanthocyanidins into gel/zirconium hybrid hydrogel to reshape the microenvironment of diabetic wounds for healing acceleration

Infection and chronic inflammation caused by oxidative stress are major challenges in chronic wound healing. Preparing a simple, efficient hydrogel with reactive oxygen-scavenging properties for chronic wound repair is a promising strategy. Herein, we report an injectable, self-repairing hydrogel with antioxidant and antibacterial properties that can be used to regenerate diabetic wounds. Hydrogels are prepared by coordination crosslinking of gelatin (Gel), a natural biopolymer derived from collagen, with Zr4+. Because of the dynamic properties of metal ion coordination bonds and the bactericidal effect of Zr4+, the obtained coordination hydrogels exhibit self-healing, injectable, and antibacterial properties. The plant polyphenol "proanthocyanidins," which has reactive oxygen-scavenging and anti-inflammatory effects, was simultaneously loaded into the coordination hydrogel during cross-linking. We obtained a versatile hydrogel that is easy to prepare, resistant to mechanical irritation, and antioxidant, and antibacterial in vitro. We further demonstrated that the injectable self-healing hydrogels could effectively repair diabetic skin wounds and accelerate collagen deposition and wound healing. This study shows that the multifunctional antioxidant hydrogel has great potential in developing multifunctional biomaterials for chronic wound healing.

Schiff base and coordinate bonds cross-linked chitosan-based eutectogels with ultrafast self-healing, self-adhesive, and anti-freezing capabilities for motion detection

Ion conductors offer great potential for diverse electric applications. However, most of the ion conductors were fabricated from non - degradable petroleum-based polymers with non or low biodegradability, which inevitably leads to resource depletion and waste accumulation. Fabricating ion conductors based on renewable, and sustainable materials is highly desirable and valuable. Herein, a series of eutectogels were designed through dual-dynamic-bond cross-linking among ferric iron (Fe3+), protocatechualdehyde (PA), and chitosan (CS) in 1 - allyl-3 - methylimidazole chloride ionic liquid/urea (AmimCl/urea) eutectic-based ionic liquid. Due to the presence of AmimCl/urea eutectic-based ionic liquid, the obtained CS - PA@Fe eutectogels showed excellent ionic conductivity, superior anti-freezing properties that could maintain flexibility and high electrical properties at -20 °C. Dual-dynamic-bond cross-linking of catechol-Fe coordinate and dynamic Schiff base bonds equip CS - PA@Fe eutectogels with excellent injectable, and self-healing abilities. Additionally, due to the presence of phenolic hydroxyl groups of PA, the obtained CS - PA@Fe eutectogels present good adhesiveness. Based on the CS - PA@Fe eutectogels, multifunctional flexible strain sensors with high sensitivity, stability, as well as rapid response speed at wide operating temperature ranges were successfully fabricated. Thus, this study offers a promising strategy for fabricating naturally occurring biopolymers based eutectogels, which show great potential as high-performance flexible strain sensors for next-generation wearable electronic devices.

An injectable collagen peptide-based hydrogel with desirable antibacterial, self-healing and wound-healing properties based on multiple-dynamic crosslinking

Conventional collagen-based hydrogels as wound dressing materials are usually lack of antibacterial activity and easily broken when encountering external forces. In this work, we developed a collagen peptide-based hydrogel as a wound dressing, which was composed of adipic acid dihydrazide functionalized collagen peptide (Col-ADH), oxidized dextran (ODex), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and borax via multiple-dynamic reversible bonds (acylhydrazone, amine, borate ester and hydrogen bonds). The injectable hydrogel exhibited satisfactory self-healing ability, antibacterial activity, mechanical strength, as well as good biocompatibility and biodegradability. In vivo experiments demonstrated the rapid hemostasis, accelerated cell migration, and promoted wound healing capacities of the hydrogel. These results indicate that the multifunctional collagen peptide-based hydrogel has great potentials in the field of wound dressings.

Prunella vulgaris L. attenuates gut dysbiosis and endotoxin leakage against alcoholic liver disease

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Prunella vulgaris L. (PVL) is a perennial herb belonging to the Labiate family, first recorded in the "Shen Nong's Classic of the Materia Medica". PVL can enter the liver and gallbladder channel to show its function in clearing the liver fire, dispersing nodules, dissolving swelling, and improving vision. The traditional use of PVL is to protect liver function and has clinical applications in liver diseases therapy. The modern pharmacological studies have been shown to possess potential hepatoprotection, but its underlying mechanisms against alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in mice remains to be elucidated.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to explore the protective effect and potential mechanism of PVL on alcohol induced liver injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used Lieber-DeCarli ethanol liquid diet fed Male C57BL/6 mice for four weeks plus a single binge (NIAAA modified model) to establish an ALD model and explored the protective effects of PVL extract against ALD. Western blot, Flow cytometry and RT-qPCR methods were used to detect lipid metabolism disorders and the inflammatory response induced by macrophages in ALD mice, and the gut microbiota composition changes were detected by 16s rRNA to reveal the potential mechanism of PVL against ALD.

RESULTS

In ALD mice, PVL can ameliorate excessive alcohol intake-induced liver injury and lipid metabolism disorders associated with improvement of gut microbiota dysbiosis and intestinal barrier damage. PVL reduced the translocation of endotoxin, which subsequently inhibits hepatic inflammation mediated by the TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrated the protective potential of PVL against gut dysbiosis and endotoxin leakage in ALD mice, which provides a theoretical basis for PVL against liver diseases.

Exploring the mechanism of bioactive components of Prunella vulgaris L. in treating hepatocellular carcinoma based on network pharmacology

In traditional Chinese Medicine, Prunella vulgaris L. (PVL) is potentially effective in the treatment of some human malignancies including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the detailed mechanism of action remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to decipher the constitutes of the bioactive ingredients of PVL, and its mechanism against HCC using network pharmacology and in vitro experiments. The bioactive components of PVL were obtained by Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis platform database, and the targets of bioactive components of PVL was investigated by Swiss Target Prediction database. HCC related targets were obtained from GEO database, GeneCards database and DisGeNET database, and the gene ontology function annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were conducted for annotating the biological function of gene targets. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using STRING database. Molecular docking of key bioactive ingredients was performed using AutoDock Vina. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry, respectively. The expression level of the target genes of PI3K/Akt pathway were detected by qPCR. In the present work, 11 bioactive components of PVL were screened out, which acted on 177 potential targets. In addition, 13,517 genes were strongly associated with HCC pathogenesis, of which 158 targets are overlapped with PVL's targets. KEGG results identified 39 signaling pathways closely associated with the 158 targets. Molecular docking showed that the main bioactive components of PVL, kaempferol, morin, quercetin, luteolin, and spinasterol, had good binding activity with the core proteins in cancer biology such as AKT1, EGFR, SRC, ESR1, and PPARG. In vitro assays showed that quercetin, one of the main components of PVL extracts effectively inhibited HCC cell proliferation, and promoted apoptosis, which may be associated with PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In summary, PVL may regulate HCC progression by regulating core targets such as AKT1, EGFR, SRC, ESR1, and PPARG, and acting on PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

Tung oil-based waterborne UV-curable coatings via cellulose nanofibril stabilized Pickering emulsions for self-healing and anticorrosion application

In this study, waterborne UV-curable coatings with self-healing properties based on transesterification were prepared using renewable biomass resources for anti-corrosion application. Tung oil (TO)-based oligomer (TMHT) was synthesized through Diels-Alder reaction of TO with maleic anhydride, subsequent ring opening reaction with hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), and final neutralize reaction with triethylamine. A series of waterborne UV-curable coatings were prepared from cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) stabilized TMHT-based Pickering emulsions after drying and UV light-curing processes. It is suggested that CNF significantly improved the storage stability of Pickering emulsions. The obtained waterborne UV-curable coatings with CNF of 1-3 wt% exhibited remarking coating and mechanical performance (pencil hardness up to 5 H, adhesion up to 2 grade, flexibility of 2 mm, tensile strength up to 11.6 MPa, etc.), great transmittance (82.3 %-80.8 %) and great corrosion resistance (|Z|0.01Hz up to 5.4 × 106 Ω·cm2). Because of the presence of the dynamic ester bonds in TMHT, the coatings exhibited excellent self-healing performance (78.05 %-56.34 %) at 150 °C without catalyst and external force. More importantly, the |Z|0.01Hz of the self-healing coating was higher than that of the scratched coating, indicating that the self-healing performance could extend the service life of the coating in corrosion resistant application.

Tannic acid-coated cellulose nanocrystal-reinforced transparent multifunctional hydrogels with UV-filtering for wearable flexible sensors

Ionically conductive hydrogels are an ideal alternative material for applications in wearable flexible sensors to monitor human health. However, producing hydrogels with both high sensitivity and excellent versatility is difficult, and their transparency and UV-blocking properties are significantly limited. Here, with mussel- and gecko-inspired biomimicry, all-biomass-based hydrogels (OGTCGs) with self-adhesive, self-healing, transparent, UV-filtering, frost-resistant, environmentally stable, antibacterial, and biocompatible properties were designed and constructed via a simple one-step approach with a water/glycerol system and borax added without any crosslinker using synergistic dynamic covalent and noncovalent chemistry. The transparency of the OGTCG hydrogel reached 81.06 %, while the added tannic acid-coated cellulose nanocrystal (TA@CNC) induced a UV-blocking effect. The OGTCG hydrogel exhibited a high toughness (218.67 kPa) and modulus (100.32 kPa) reinforced by TA@CNC. The OGTCG hydrogel showed good self-healing abilities with an efficiency of over 90 % after 6 h. In a binary solvent system, the OGTCG hydrogel had environmental stability, as illustrated by density functional theory (DFT), greatly broadening its application range. Moreover, it had an electrical conductivity of 2.3 mS cm-1 and a sensitivity of 3.97. Therefore, with its rapid response and real-time monitoring capabilities, the OGTCG hydrogel shows great potential for applications in monitoring human health.

Analysis of the phytochemical components of Prunella vulgaris using high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with molecular networking and assessment of their antioxidant and anti-α-glucosidase activities

Prunella vulgaris has long been used in traditional medicine and is consumed as a tea in China. Here, the total phenolic and flavonoid concentrations of plants from different geographical regions were measured. It was found that the total phenolic acid concentration ranged from 4.15 to 8.82 g of gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of dry weight (DW), and the total flavonoid concentration was 4.67-7.33 g of rutin equivalent per 100 g DW. Antioxidant activities were measured using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt, and the results ranged from 73.47% to 94.43% and 74.54% to 93.39%, respectively, whereas α-glucosidase inhibition was between 75.31% and 95.49%. Correlation analysis showed that the total flavonoids in P. vulgaris had superior antioxidant and anti-α-glucosidase activities compared to the total phenolic compounds. The active components of P. vulgaris were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with both classical molecular networking and feature-based molecular networking on the Global Natural Products Social platform, identifying 32 compounds, namely 14 flavonoids, 12 phenolic compounds, and 6 other chemical components. These results could provide useful information on the use of P. vulgaris as a functional tea.

Optimization of rapid self-healing and self-adhesive gluten/guar gum crosslinked gel for strain sensors and electronic devices

In this study, a smart strain sensor based on gluten/guar gum (GG) copolymer containing a combination of additives was developed. The mix proportions of strain sensors were designed using Taguchi method coupled with Grey relational analysis. L16 orthogonal array with three factors, viz. tannic acid (TA), glycerol and sodium chloride (NaCl) at four-levels each was optimized. The addition of TA substantially enhanced tensile strength, self-adhesion ability and conductivity. The self-adhesion ability could also be improved by adding NaCl in range of 0-5 wt%. The presence of glycerol in strain sensors could reduce the self-healing time which was found in the range of 28.75-150 s. In addition, the incorporation of glycerol into gel also improved stretchability of strain sensors. The best mix proportion of strain sensor was found to be 3.75 wt% TA, 30 vol% glycerol and 5 wt% NaCl. The best mixture of stain sensor showed the highest gauge factor (GF) of 0.61 % at a stretchability of 665 % and rapid self-healing at 70 s. This strain sensor could be applied to monitor human limb movements in a wide temperature range from -20 °C to 50 °C. Furthermore, the obtained gel was successfully used as electronic devices and self-powered sensors.

Self-healing hydrogels based on biological macromolecules in wound healing: A review

The complete healing of skin wounds has been a challenge in clinical treatment. Self-healing hydrogels are special hydrogels formed by distinctive physicochemically reversible bonds, and they are considered promising biomaterials in the biomedical field owing to their inherently good drug-carrying capacity as well as self-healing and repair abilities. Moreover, natural polymeric materials have received considerable attention in skin tissue engineering owing to their low cytotoxicity, low immunogenicity, and excellent biodegradation rates. In this paper, we review recent advances in the design of self-healing hydrogels based on natural polymers for skin-wound healing applications. First, we outline a variety of natural polymers that can be used to construct self-healing hydrogel systems and highlight the advantages and disadvantages of different natural polymers. We then describe the principle of self-healing hydrogels in terms of two different crosslinking mechanisms-physical and chemical-and dissect their performance characteristics based on the practical needs of skin-trauma applications. Next, we outline the biological mechanisms involved in the healing of skin wounds and describe the current application strategies for self-healing hydrogels based on these mechanisms. Finally, we analyze and summarize the challenges and prospects of natural-material-based self-healing hydrogels for skin applications.

Self-healing, ultra-stretchable, and highly sensitive conductive hydrogel reinforced by sulfate polysaccharide from Enteromorpha prolifera for human motion sensing

The synthesis of multifunctional conductive hydrogel has attracted extensive attention worldwide due to their integrated properties of stretchability, self-adhesion, self-healing, and high sensitivity, while it is still a challenge. Although various kinds of polysaccharides and their derivatives are used to achieve the aforementioned objective, there are few researches about hydrogel design introducing sulfated polysaccharide from Enteromorpha prolifera (SPE), which is rich in hydroxyl, sulfate, and carboxyl groups providing amounts of reaction sites for hydrogel synthesis. Herein, conductive hydrogel (PAA-Al3+-SPE3) reinforced by SPE was designed by simple one pot hot polymerization method. This hydrogel demonstrated charming extension ratio (up to 4027.40 %), strain stress (up to 59.94 kPa), compressive strength (19.71 Mpa), and high conductivity sensibility (GF 6.76, 300 % - 700 %). Additionally, PAA-Al3+-SPE3 showed good self-healing property (repaired autonomously after 60 s) and satisfied self-adhesion (31.11 kPa) due to the reversible hydrogen bonds and metal coordination interactions. Furthermore, the PAA-Al3+-SPE3 hydrogel showed great real-time sensing performance to monitor various motions. These findings suggest the potential of PAA-Al3+-SPE3 hydrogel as an affordable and reliable conductive sensing material. Meantime, the first utilization of SPE to construct flexible wearable sensors offers new route for the high-value application of Enteromorpha prolifera.

Low-temperature strain-sensitive sensor based on cellulose-based ionic conductive hydrogels with moldable and self-healing properties

Bioelectronics based on high-performance conductive ionic hydrogels, which can create novel technological interfaces with the human body, have attracted significant interest from both academia and industry. However, it is still a challenge to fabricate hydrogel sensor with integration of good mechanical properties, fast self-healing ability and flexible strain sensitivity below 0 °C. In this paper, we present a moldable, self-healing and adhesive cellulose-based ionic conductive hydrogel with strain-sensitivity, which was prepared by forming dual-crosslinked networks using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with borax, calcium chloride (CaCl2), zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl oxidized cellulose nanofibril (TCNF). The hydrogel exhibited fast self-healing within 10 s, moderate modulus of 5.13 kPa, high elongation rate of 1500 % and excellent adhesion behavior on various substrates. Due to multiple hydrogen bonding and the presence of CaCl2 and ZnCl2, the hydrogel presented a reduced freezing point as low as -41.1 °C, which enabled its application as a low-temperature strain sensor. The proposed hydrogel provides a simple and facile method for fabricating multi-functional hydrogels that can be used as suitable strain sensors for applications such as wearable electronic sensor, soft robotics and electronic skins in a wide temperature range.

Gold@mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles modified self-healing hydrogel for sport-injuring therapy

Sports-related damage is a prevalent issue, which a combination therapy including photothermal irradiation, self-healing dressing and antibacterial treatment is an effective way to rehabilitate it. In the study, a multifunctional hydrogel was developed to meet the requirement. Firstly, mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA) was prepared, where gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were formed in its mesoporous structure, to construct Au@MPDA NPs with nanosize about 200 nm. Synergetic and efficient photothermal effect was achieved by the combination of the two photothermal agents. The Au@MPDA NPs were then added to modify polyvinyl alcohol-carboxymethyl chitosan-borax (PCB) hydrogel. Via rheological property characterization, cell experiments and antibacterial evaluation, high photothermal efficiency and effective antibacterial activity of Au@MPDA@PCB hydrogel was obtained with the aid of Au@MPDA NPs, together with self-healing property. When treated in motion-related tissue, the modified hydrogel showed excellent adaptive property and photothermal effect in situ. This study is beneficial for developing a novel rehabilitation treatment strategy for sports-related injuries.

Cancer chemoprevention with PV-1, a novel Prunella vulgaris-containing herbal mixture that remodels the tumor immune microenvironment in mice

The herb Prunella vulgaris has shown significant immune-stimulatory and anti-inflammatory effects in mouse models. Here, the effects of a novel Prunella vulgaris-containing herbal mixture, PV-1, were examined in several mouse models for cancer, including chemically induced models of lung and oral cancers as well as syngraft models for lung cancer and melanoma. PV-1, consisting of extracts from Prunella vulgaris, Polygonum bistorta, Sonchus brachyotus and Dictamnus dasycarpus, exhibited no toxicity in a dose escalation study in A/J mice. PV-1 significantly inhibited mouse lung tumor development induced by the lung carcinogens vinyl carbamate and benzo[a]pyrene. PV-1 also hindered the induction of oral squamous cell carcinomas in C57BL/6 mice caused by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide. Flow cytometry analysis showed that PV-1 increased the numbers of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and increased the production of granzyme B, TNF-α, and IFN-γ by CD8+ TILs. PV-1 also suppressed granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cell numbers (g-MDSCs) and improved the anti-cancer activity of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. These results indicate that PV-1 remodels the tumor immune microenvironment by selectively inhibiting g-MDSCs and increasing CD8+ TILs within tumors, resulting in decreased immune suppression and enhanced cancer chemopreventive efficacy.

An injectable, self-healing, and antioxidant collagen- and hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel mediated with gallic acid and dopamine for wound repair

Injectable self-healing hydrogels with antioxidation are required in wound dressings. Because oxidative damage caused by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a common issue associated with chronic non-healing wounds. Here, collagen (COL) - and hyaluronic acid (HA)-based hydrogel with antioxidant and injectable self-healing mediated with gallic acid (GA) and dopamine (DA) offers unique advantages for wound repair. The hydrogel is constructed by COL-grafted GA (CG), HA-grafted DA (HD) and γ-poly(glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) coupled with 3-aminophenylboric acid (APBA) via the dynamic boronic ester bonds. Rheological measurements and direct visual observation demonstrated the hydrogel's desirable injectability and self-healing properties. Additionally, the hydrogel exhibits tissue adhesion properties. Biocompatibility and cell migration tests showed that the hydrogel promotes cell proliferation and migration. In vitro, antioxidant and intracellular free radical scavenging assays confirmed the hydrogel's antioxidant property and ability to scavenge excess ROS. In vivo wound healing studies have demonstrated that hydrogel can promote angiogenesis, inhibit inflammation, and promote collagen fiber deposition to accelerate wound healing.

Network pharmacology to explore the molecular mechanisms of Prunella vulgaris for treating thyroid cancer

BACKGROUND

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine malignancy that has rapidly increased in global incidence. Prunella vulgaris (PV) has manifested therapeutic effects in patients with TC. We aimed to investigate its molecular mechanisms against TC and provide potential drug targets by using network pharmacology and molecular docking.

METHODS

The ingredients of PV were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systematic Pharmacology Database. TC-related gene sets were established using the GeneCard and OMIM databases. The establishment of the TC-PV target gene interaction network was accomplished using the STRING database. Cytoscape constructed networks for visualization. Protein-protein interaction, gene ontology and the biological pathway Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses were performed to discover the potential mechanism. Molecular docking technology was used to analyze the effective compounds from PV for treating TC.

RESULTS

11 active compounds and 192 target genes were screened from PV. 177 potential targets were obtained by intersecting PV and TC gene sets. Network pharmacological analysis showed that the PV active ingredients including Vulgaxanthin-I, quercetin, Morin, Stigmasterol, poriferasterol monoglucoside, Spinasterol, kaempferol, delphinidin, stigmast-7-enol, beta-sitosterol and luteolin showed better correlation with TC target genes such as JUN, AKT1, mitogen-activated protein kinase 1, IL-6 and RELA. The gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes indicated that PV can act by regulating the host defense and response to oxidative stress immune response and several signaling pathways are closely associated with TC, such as the TNF and IL-17. Protein-protein interaction network identified 8 hub genes. The molecular docking was conducted on the most significant gene MYC. Eleven active compounds of PV can enter the active pocket of MYC, namely poriferasterol monoglucoside, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, vulgaxanthin-I, spinasterol, stigmast-7-enol, luteolin, delphinidin, morin, quercetin and kaempferol. Further analysis showed that oriferasterol monoglucoside, followed by tigmasterol, were the potential therapeutic compound identified in PV for the treatment of TC.

CONCLUSION

The network pharmacological strategy integrates molecular docking to unravel the molecular mechanism of PV. MYC is a promising drug target to reduce oxidative stress damage and potential anti-tumor effect. Oriferasterol monoglucoside and kaempferol were 2 bioactive compounds of PV to treat TC. This provides a basis to understand the mechanism of the anti-TC activity of PV.

A Skin-Inspired Multifunctional Conductive Hydrogel with High Stretchable, Adhesive, Healable, and Decomposable Properties for Highly Sensitive Dual-Sensing of Temperature and Strain

Developing smart hydrogels with excellent physicochemical properties and multi-sensing capabilities for various simulation of human skin's functions still remains a great challenge. Here, based on simple and convenient one-step covalent cross-linking method enhanced by dynamic RS-Ag interactions, a skin-inspired multifunctional conductive hydrogel with desirable physicochemical properties (including high stretchability, self-adhesion, self-healing, decomposition and removability) is developed for highly sensitive dual-sensing of temperature and strain. Benefiting from the synergistic action of multiple hydrogen bonds, RS-Ag bonds and S-S bonds, the gel exhibited a novel thermosensitive mechanism. The prepared hydrogels exhibited extremely high mechanical properties (maximum tensile strength of 0.35 MPa, elongation at break nearly 1800%, compressive stress over 4.43 MPa), excellent self-healing (96.82% (stress), 88.45% (temperature), 73.89% (mechanical property)), decomposition (the molecular weight after decomposition is below 700) and self-adhesion (enhanced contact with the material interface). In addition, this conductive hydrogel could also simultaneously achieve highly sensitive temperature-sensing (TCR: 10.89) and stress-sensing (GF: 1.469). As a proof-to-concept, the hydrogel displayed superior capability for simulation of human skin to perception of touch, pressure and ambient temperature simultaneously, indicating promising applications in the fields of wearable devices, personal health care, and human-machine interfaces.

Construction and mechanism study of lignin-based polyurethane with high strength and high self-healing properties

Lignin is a natural polymer with abundant functional groups with great application prospects in lignin-based polyurethane elastomers with self-healing abilities. In this study, a lignin self-healing polyurethane (PUDA-L) was specially designed using lignin as the raw material of polyurethane, combining lignin with Diels-Alder (DA) bond and hydrogen bonds. The experimental results showed that PUDA-L was prepared with good thermal stability, fatigue resistance, shape memory effect, excellent mechanical strength, and self-healing ability by partially replacing the crosslinking agents with bio-based lignin and hydroxylated modified lignin to increase the hydroxyl content. Polyurethane has a tensile strength of up to 29 MPa and an elongation at break of up to 500 %. The excellent self-healing ability of PUDA-L originates from the internal DA bonds and cross-linked hydrogen bonds. After the dumbbell sample was fused and heated at 130 °C for 4 h, the elastomer could be completely healed, the tensile strength was restored to 29 MPa, and the self-healing efficiency was up to 100 %. The developed PUDA-L elastomer has promising applications in sensors and smart skins.

Tremella polysaccharide-based conductive hydrogel with anti-freezing and self-healing ability for motion monitoring and intelligent interaction

The application of conductive hydrogels in flexible wearable devices has garnered significant attention. In this study, a self-healing, anti-freezing, and fire-resistant hydrogel strain sensor is successfully synthesized by incorporating sustainable natural biological materials, viz. Tremella polysaccharide and silk fiber, into a polyvinyl alcohol matrix with borax cross-linking. The resulting hydrogel exhibits excellent transparency, thermoplasticity, and remarkable mechanical properties, including a notable elongation (1107.3 %) and high self-healing rate (91.11 %) within 5 min, attributed to the dynamic cross-linking effect of hydrogen bonds and borax. A strain sensor based on the prepared hydrogel sensor can be used to accurately monitor diverse human movements, while maintaining exceptional sensing stability and durability under repeated strain cycles. Additionally, a hydrogel touch component is designed that can successfully interact with intelligent electronic devices, encompassing functions like clicking, writing, and drawing. These inherent advantages make the prepared hydrogel a promising candidate for applications in human health monitoring and intelligent electronic device interaction.

Injectable, pore-forming, self-healing, and adhesive hyaluronan hydrogels for soft tissue engineering applications

Most existing injectable hydrogels are non-porous, thereby lacking a microporous structure to promote cell ingrowth. Also, most hydrogels do not effectively adhere to the host tissue. The present study describes an injectable double network hydrogel formed by combining two hyaluronic acid (HA) derivatives, namely dopamine grafted HA (DAHA) and methacrylated HA (HAMA). These constituents instantly form a physically crosslinked network through Fe3+-dopamine coordination, and confer fast gelation, pore formation, and self-healing properties to the hydrogel. Photocroslinked upon UV exposure, HAMA forms a chemically crosslinked network, thereby improving mechanical and degradation properties. The adhesive properties of this hydrogel are attributed to the presence of dopamine groups, inspired by mussel creatures. Proper modification of HA chains was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. The physical, mechanical, rheological, and biological properties of the new hydrogels were quantified in wet laboratory conditions. The results revealed that the DAHA/HAMA hydrogel rapidly forms a self-healing microporous adhesive scaffold with a 26.9 µm pore size, 29.4 kPa compressive modulus, and 12.8 kPa adhesion strength in under 6 s. These findings suggest that the new hydrogel is a promising candidate for in situ repair of soft tissues, particularly mechanically dynamic ones such as the vocal folds, cartilage, and dermis.

Mussel-inspired self-healing hydrogel form pectin and cellulose for hemostasis and diabetic wound repairing

Diabetic wound is considered as a kind of chronic wound prone to infection and difficult to repair due to high glucose level in the blood of patients. In this research, a biodegradable self-healing hydrogel with mussel inspired bioadhesion and anti-oxidation properties is fabricated based on Schiff-base cross-linking. The hydrogel was designed from dopamine coupled pectin hydrazide (Pec-DH) and oxidized carboxymethyl cellulose (DCMC) for mEGF loading as a diabetic wound repair dressing. The Pectin and CMC as natural feedstock endowed the hydrogel with biodegradability to avoid possible side effects, while the coupled catechol structure could enhance the tissue adhesion of the hydrogel for hemostasis. The results showed the Pec-DH/DCMC hydrogel formed fast and can cover irregular wounds with good sealing effect. The catechol structure also improved the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability of the hydrogel, which can eliminate the negative effect of ROS during wound healing. The in vivo diabetic wound healing experiment revealed the hydrogel as mEGF loading vehicle greatly enhanced the diabetic wound repairing rate in mice model. As a result, the Pec-DH/DCMC hydrogel could show advantages as EGF carrier in wound healing applications.

Highly stretchable, fast self-healing nanocellulose hydrogel combining borate ester bonds and acylhydrazone bonds

Self-healing hydrogels have received considerable attention as a promising material for flexible electronic devices given their mechanical durability and structurally tunable properties. In this study, a highly stretchable self-healing hydrogel with dual cross-linking network was developed via borate ester bonds generated by polyvinyl alcohol and borax, and acylhydrazone bonds formed by aldehyde nanocellulose with adipic acid dihydrazide-modified alginate. Compared with the single network hydrogel composed of polyvinyl alcohol and borax, the introduction of dynamic acylhydrazone bonds greatly increases the flexibility of the hydrogel. The elongation rate increased from 480 % to approximately 1440 %, and the self-healing efficiency increased from 84.6 % to 92.7 % after healing for 60 min at ambient temperature without any stimulus. Moreover, the longer the self-healing time, the more evident the self-healing effect of the acylhydrazone bonds. In addition, electrical measurements confirmed a wide working strain range (ca.1000 %), durability, and reliability. Once assembled as a strain sensor, the hydrogel is able to monitor both large and subtle human motions. Besides, this hydrogel exhibited desirable biocompatibility, as demonstrated by in vitro cytotoxicity towards NIH 3T3 cells. These integrated properties make this nanocomposite hydrogel a promising candidate for future applications as green, flexible, and smart sensors.

Investigation of the mechanism of Prunella vulgaris in treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma based on network pharmacology integrated molecular docking and experimental verification

To analyze the molecular mechanism of Prunella vulgaris L. (PV) in the treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) by using network pharmacology combined with molecular docking verification. Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform database was used to predict the main active components of PV, Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform, PubChem, and Swiss Target Prediction databases were used to obtain the corresponding targets of all active components. Targets collected for PTC treatment through Gene Cards, Digest and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man databases respectively. The Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interaction Gene/Protein database was used to obtain the interaction information between proteins, and the topology analysis and visualization were carried out through Cytoscape 3.7.2 software (https://cytoscape.org/). The R package cluster profiler was used for gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes analysis. The "active ingredient-target-disease" network was constructed by using Cyto scape 3.7.2, and topological analysis was carried out to obtain the core compound. The molecular docking was processed by using Discovery Studio 2019 software, and the core target and active ingredient were verified. The inhibition rate was detected by CCK8 method. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of kaempferol anti-PTC related pathway proteins. A total of 11 components and 83 corresponding targets in the component target network of PV, of which 6 were the core targets of PV in the treatment of PTC. It was showed that quercetin, luteolin, beta (β)-sitosterol, kaempferol may be the core components of PV in the treatment of PTC. vascular endothelial growth factor A, tumor protein p53, transcription factor AP-1, prostaglandin endoperoxidase 2, interleukin 6, and IL-1B may be important targets for the treatment of PTC. The main biological processes mainly including response to nutrient levels, response to xenobiotic stimulus, response to extracellular stimulus, external side of plasma membrane, membrane raft, membrane microdomain, serine hydrolase activity, serine-type endopeptidase activity, antioxidant activity, etc IL-17 signaling pathway, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway may affect the recurrence and metastasis of PTC. Kaempferol may significantly reduce the activity of Papillary cells of human thyroid carcinoma bcpap cell lines cells compared with quercetin, luteolin, β-sitosterol. Kaempferol may reduce the protein expression levels of interleukin 6, vascular endothelial growth factor A, transcription factor AP-1, tumor protein p53, 1L-1B and prostaglandin endoperoxidase 2, respectively. PV has the characteristics of multi-components, multi-targets and multi- pathways in the treatment of PTC, which network pharmacology help to provides a theoretical basis for the screening of effective components of PV and further research.

Sex Specific Effects of Prunella vulgaris on Longevity Regulation

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in over 200 countries globally, brought serious effects on our daily lives. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in combination with regional characteristics has achieved remarkable results in China. Prunella vulgaris is one of the ingredients of commercially available canned Chinese herbal tea which demonstrated lifespan extending effect on Drosophila in our previous study, whereas it is unknown which ingredients contribute to it. This study used Drosophila as the model to explore whether Prunella vulgaris is the component taking effect on Drosophila longevity. Results showed that Prunella vulgaris can extend the lifespan of female flies by 10.42%, and improve their endurance under heat stress by 18.46%.

Time Depletion Effects on the Volatile Compounds from the Distillation Extracts of Prunella vulgaris and the Dynamics of their Extraction

BACKGROUND

Prunella vulgaris (PV) is a low-growing perennial herb, which can be found in different parts of the world as Asia, Europe and North America. It is traditionally used for medicinal treatment in various cultures in India, China, Japan, Korea, Russia, and Eastern Europe for treating different ailments, such as fever, and healing wounds. In our previous article, we showed the anti-tumorous effect of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of PV and characterized the steam distillation process in the extraction of VOCs from PV. This has never been done before as we are aware of. To use the VOCs as drugs, there is a question of how much of the VOCs are lost before the prepared drugs reach the patients. Thus, the first aim of the present article is to try to explore the time depletion effect on the VOCs in the PV extracts. Then, the second aim is to extend the work in the previous paper and further understand the dynamics of the distillation process of PV by changing the steam flow rate in the extraction process.

METHODS

To achieve the first aim to explore the aging effect of how much VOCs are depleted after they are extracted, the VOCs were first extracted by the same method as before, i.e., using steam distillation. Then, tubes of the aqueous solution containing the VOCs were then stored in a 5°C refrigerator. They were then taken out for GC-MS analysis according to a preplanned schedule up to 8 weeks after the VOCs were extracted. The chemical composition of the distillate could then be evaluated. This revealed the changes in the abundance of VOCs with aging. At the same time, the cell viability of SCC154 oral squamous cells treated by these herbal solutions, which were at different aging stages, was evaluated using a tetrazolium-based colorimetric reagent, Cell Counting Kit-8. To achieve the second aim of exploring the dynamics of the steam distillation process, the steam flow rate was adjusted by changing the temperature setting of the hot plate. GC-MS was again used to quantify the chemical constituents of the distillates.

RESULTS

By using GC-MS to measure the abundance of volatile compounds at different time points after the distillation process, it was found that the volatile compounds persist for a very long time, or over 8 weeks, which was the longest period of our experiment. The aging of the distillates also did not depreciate much the cell cytotoxicity of the PV distillate on the cancer cells. With respect to the dynamics of the steam distillation process, it was found that, at a low steam flow rate, volatile compounds of lower molecular weight are more efficient to be extracted, while at a high steam flow rate, volatile compounds of higher molecular weight are more efficiently extracted.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate that the VOC compounds extracted and present in aqueous form do not deplete much for at least 2 months after the extraction process, neither they exhibit cell cytotoxicity. The experiments on the dynamics of the steam distillation process demonstrate that the mass of herb present in the flow path of the steam has significant effects on the relative amounts of VOCs extracted.

Metabolomics and pharmacodynamic analysis reveal the therapeutic role of Prunella vulgaris oil on intrauterine adhesion rats

Metabolomics is applied to explore the curative effect of complex systems, such as Chinese medicine. Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) harms the reproductive system and affects fertility, and hence is a significant public health concern. Prunella vulgaris oil (PVO) protects the reproductive system and exerts anti-inflammatory effects, but its effect on IUA and the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we established a serum metabolomics method based on GC-TOF-MS to evaluate the mechanism of PVO in the IUA rat model established by mechanical injury and infection. Animal experiments showed that PVO improves the inflammatory response in the uterus of IUA model rats and reduces the content of inflammatory factors to improve the microenvironment of the reproductive system. It also regulates the expression of TGF-β1 and Smad-related mRNA and protein to inhibit fibrosis. Metabolomics indicated a significant abnormality in serum metabolism in IUA rats, and a total of 51 differential markers were screened and identified. After PVO treatment, these metabolic abnormalities improved significantly. The metabolic pathway analysis revealed that PVO affects glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, and β-alanine metabolism pathways. This study showed that PVO significantly improves inflammation and fibrosis in IUA rats combined with the pharmacological results. The primary mechanism is related to regulating the metabolism of amino acids and their derivatives to balance the associated disorders and control energy metabolism.

Protective Effect of Ursolic Acid in Prunella vulgaris L. on LPS-Induced Asthenozoospermia via Bcl-2/Bax Apoptosis Signaling Pathway

BACKGROUND

Asthenozoospermia, also known as lack of sperm motility, accounts for about 27.8% of male infertility as a separate factor, and is often associated with abnormal quantity and morphology of spermatozoa. Therefore, oligozoospermia has become one of the most important factors affecting male infertility.

METHODS

Ursolic Acid (UA), also known as wusu acid, is the main active component isolated from Prunella vulgaris L. and has a variety of pharmacological effects. However, the protective effect of UA on asthenozoospermia disease has not been reported. In the current study, the purpose of this study was to investigate the regulatory effect of UA in rats with LPS-induced asthenozoospermia disease. SD rats were treated with 5 mg/kg LPS, respectively.

RESULTS

After different concentrations of UA were infused into the stomach of SD rats, microscopy, flow cytometry, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), qRT-PCR and western blot were used to detect sperm motility, apoptosis, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, and Bcl-2/Bax apoptosis pathway related proteins in rat serum and epididymis tissues.

DISCUSSION

Compared with the normal group, the sperm motility and Bcl-2 level in LPS group decreased significantly, while the expression of inflammatory factors and Bax proteins increased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with LPS group, UA intervention group has the opposite result and dose dependence.

CONCLUSION

This study shows that UA can protect LPS-induced asthenozoospermia of rats by increasing sperm density and motility, regulating Bcl-2/Bax apoptosis pathway and reducing inflammatory apoptosis response. This experiment provides ideas for improving the clinical treatment of infertile patients with oligoasthenospermia.

The therapeutic effects of Prunella vulgaris against fluoride-induced oxidative damage by using the metabolomics method

Fluoride is considered as one of the most ubiquitous environmental pollutants. Numerous studies have linked reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent oxidative damage with fluoride intoxication, which could be prevented by antioxidants. However, the metabolomic changes induced by ROS disruptions in fluoride intoxication are yet unknown. The present study aimed to provide novel mechanistic insights into the fluoride-induced oxidative damage and to investigate the potential protective effects of ethanolic extract of Prunella vulgaris (natural antioxidant, PV) against fluoride-induced oxidative damage. The serum biochemical indicators related to fluoride-induced oxidative damage, such as lipid peroxidation parameter, inflammation and marker enzymes in the liver increased significantly in the fluoride-treated group, while antioxidant enzymes were decreased. However, PV treatment restored the level of these biochemical indicators, indicating satisfactory antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective potential of PV. The metabolomics analysis in the serum was performed by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy, whereas the fluoride treatment caused severe metabolic disorders in rats, which could be improved by PV. The differential metabolites screened by multivariate analysis after fluoride and PV treatment, were organic acids, fatty acids, and lipids. These differential metabolites represented disorders of glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism and the citrate cycle (TCA) according to metabolic pathway analysis in fluoride treatment rats. Interestingly, the result of metabolic pathway analysis of post-treatment with PV was consistent with that of fluoride treatment, indicating that the energy metabolism plays a major role in the progress of fluoride-induced oxidative damage, as well as the therapeutic effect of PV. These findings provided a theoretical basis for understanding the mechanism underlying metabolic disorders of fluoride toxicity and the effect of PV.

Study on the Mechanism of Prunella Vulgaris L on Diabetes Mellitus Complicated with Hypertension Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Analyses

The role of traditional Chinese medicine Prunella vulagaris L in the treatment of tumors and inflammation has been widely confirmed. We found that some signaling pathways of Prunella vulgaris L action can also regulate diabetes and hypertension, so we decided to study the active ingredients, potential targets and signaling pathway of Prunrlla vulgaris L, and explore the "multi-target, multi-pathway" molecular mechanism of Prunella vulgaris L on diabetes mellitus complicated with hypertension(DH). Methods. Based on TCMSP(Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform) and CNKI(China National Knowledge Infrastructure), the components and action targets related to Prunella vulgaris L were screened. The OMIM(Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man) and GeneCards (The human gene database) were used to search for targets related to DH. The "gene - drug - disease" relationship map was drawn by Cytoscape_v3.7.2 plug-in. The target was amplified by the STRING platform, and the "protein - protein" interaction relationship (PPI) network of the interacting target was obtained by the STRING online analysis platform and the Cytoscape_v3.7.2 plug-in. Finally, GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted on David and Metascape platform to study the co-acting targets. Results. 11 active components, 41 key targets and 16 significant signaling pathways were identified from Prunella vulgaris L. The main active components of Prunella vulgaris L against DH were quercetin and kaumferol, etc, and potential action targets were IL-6 and INS, etc and signaling pathways were AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, etc. It involves in biological processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis and inflammatory response. Conclusions. The main molecular mechanism of Prunella vulgaris L against DH is that sterols and flavonoids play an active role by affecting TNF signaling pathway, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, MAPK pathway, PI3K-Akt pathway related targets such as IL-6 and INS.

Effect of large dosage of Prunella on Hashimoto's thyroiditis: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

INTRODUCTION

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (HT) is one of the common autoimmune diseases, which can lead to thyroid reduction, increase the risk of tumor, and seriously affect women's reproductive health. Many other autoimmune diseases are easy to occur, seriously harming people's health.large dose herb Prunella or compound prescription contain large dose Prunella for treatment of HT has already been confirmed. However, due to the lack of evidence, there is no specific method or suggestion, it is necessary to carry out a systematic evaluation on Prunella and provide effective evidence for further research.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The following databases will be searched from their inception to October 2020: Electronic database includes PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Nature, Science online, Chinese Biomedical Database WangFang, VIP medicine information, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure.

MAIN RESULTS

serum thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), thyroid globulin antibody (TGAb), other results: serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), serum free triiodothyronine (FT3), serum free thyroid hormone (FT4). Data will be extracted by 2 researchers independently, risk of bias of the meta-analysis will be evaluated based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews (SR)of Interventions. All data analysis will be conducted by data statistics software Review Manager V.5.3. and Stata V.12.0.

RESULTS

The results of this study will systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of large dose prunella salicorrhizae in the intervention of people with HT.

CONCLUSION

The systematic review of this study will summarize the current published evidence of large dose prunella for the treatment of HT, which can further guide the promotion and application of it.

ETHICS AND COMMUNICATION

This study is a systematic review, the outcomes are based on the published evidence, so examination and agreement by the ethics committee are not required in this study. We intend to publish the study results in a journal or conference presentations.Open Science Fra mework (OSF) registration number:October 21, 2020.osf.io/fcyqp. (https://osf.io/fcyqp).

Pygenic Acid A (PA) Sensitizes Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells to Anoikis and Inhibits Metastasis In Vivo

Metastasis is the main cause of cancer-related deaths. Anoikis is a type of apoptosis caused by cell detachment, and cancer cells become anoikis resistant such that they survive during circulation and can successfully metastasize. Therefore, sensitization of cancer cells to anoikis could prevent metastasis. Here, by screening for anoikis sensitizer using natural compounds, we found that pygenic acid A (PA), a natural compound from Prunella vulgaris, not only induced apoptosis but also sensitized the metastatic triple-negative breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 cells (human) and 4T1 cells (mouse), to anoikis. Apoptosis protein array and immunoblotting analysis revealed that PA downregulated the pro-survival proteins, including cIAP1, cIAP2, and survivin, leading to cell death of both attached and suspended cells. Interestingly, PA decreased the levels of proteins associated with anoikis resistance, including p21, cyclin D1, p-STAT3, and HO-1. Ectopic expression of active STAT3 attenuated PA-induced anoikis sensitivity. Although PA activated ER stress and autophagy, as determined by increases in the levels of characteristic markers, such as IRE1α, p-elF2α, LC3B I, and LC3B II, PA treatment resulted in p62 accumulation, which could be due to PA-induced defects in autophagy flux. PA also decreased metastatic characteristics, such as cell invasion, migration, wound closure, and 3D growth. Finally, lung metastasis of luciferase-labeled 4T1 cells decreased following PA treatment in a syngeneic mouse model when compared with the control. These data suggest that PA sensitizes metastatic breast cancer cells to anoikis via multiple pathways, such as inhibition of pro-survival pathways and activation of ER stress and autophagy, leading to the inhibition of metastasis. These findings suggest that sensitization to anoikis by PA could be used as a new therapeutic strategy to control the metastasis of breast cancer.

[Molecular mechanism of Prunella vulgaris in alleviating autoimmune hepatitis in mice]

Objective To observe the therapeutic effects of Prunella vulgaris on autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) in mice and explore its mechanism. Methods Forty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal group, AIH model group and 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg Prunella vulgaris-treated AIH groups with 8 mice each. AIH mice were established with mouse liver antigen S100 mixed with Freund's complete adjuvant (S100/FCA) by intraperitoneal injection. One week after modeling, the normal group and AIH model group were gavaged with 0.2 mL normal saline per day, and Prunella vulgaris-treated AIH groups with 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of Prunella vulgaris instead per day. After 30 days of intervention, we detected the levels of serum aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) by Rate method, hepatic histopathological changes by HE staining, the protein expression of IFN-γ, IL-17A and TGF-β by immunohistochemistry, and the protein levels of BAX and caspase-3 by Western blot analysis. Results Compared with the AIH model group, the decrease of ALT and AST was found in the Prunella vulgaris-treated AIH groups. In addition, tissue necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in the Prunella vulgaris-treated AIH groups were less than those in the AIH model group. The lower expression of IFN-γ, IL-17A, BAX and caspase-3 were shown in the Prunella vulgaris-treated AIH groups in comparison with the AIH model group. However, anti-inflammatory factor TGF-β increased in the Prunella vulgaris-treated AIH groups compared with the AIH model group. All results were dose-dependent. Conclusion Prunella vulgaris can remarkably lessen the symptoms of AIH mice through its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects.

Protective effect of Prunella vulgaris var. L extract against blue light induced damages in ARPE-19 cells and mouse retina

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of leading causes that induce severe visual impairment and loss in the elderly. Previous studies have suggested that blue light (BL) could induce retinal degeneration, which is a major cause of the onset and development of severe AMD. In the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, A2E, a lipofuscin fluorophore, is accumulated with aging. When A2E is exposed to BL, it is easily oxidized to A2E-epoxides, leading to oxidative stress and inflammatory response in retina. The aim of this study was to investigate protective effect of Prunella vulagris (P.V) extract against oxidative stress and inflammation caused by BL, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms in the cultured RPE cells and balb-c mice. In both model studies, P.V extract activated NF-E2 related factor 2 (Nrf-2)/hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathway, followed by inhibition of ROS/MDA production, GSH depletion and reduction in SOD activity. Furthermore, P.V extract inhibited upregulation of inflammatory related genes (interlukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF A)) and BL induced RPE cell death, determined by cell viability and histological analyses. The mechanism of protection against inflammation by P.V extract involves inhibition of nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-kB) along with degradation of NF-kB inhibitor alpha (IkB alpha). The results suggest that P.V extract could be a potential intervention to prevent the onset and development of severe AMD.

Shuangxia decoction alleviates p-chlorophenylalanine induced insomnia through the modification of serotonergic and immune system

As a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Shuangxia Decoction (SXD) has been used to treat insomnia in oriental countries for more than thousands of years and it presents remarkable clinical effects. However, its active pharmacological fraction and the mechanism of sedative-hypnotic effects have not been explored. In this paper, we investigated active pharmacological fraction and revealed the detailed mechanisms underlying the sedative-hypnotic effects of SXD. It showed that SXD water extract compared to ethanol extract possessed better sedative effects on locomotion activity in normal mice and increased sleep duration in subhypnotic dose of sodium pentobarbital-treated mice. SXD alleviated p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) -induced insomnia by increasing the content of 5-HT in cortex [F (4, 55) = 12.67], decreasing the content of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). Furthermore, SXD enhanced the expression of 5-HT_1A and 5-HT_2A receptors in hypothalamic and reduced serum levels of IL-1,TNF-α [F (5, 36) = 15.58]. In conclusion, these results indicated that SXD produced beneficial sedative and hypnotic bioactivities mediated by regulating the serotonergic and immune system.

An evaluation of the anti-angiogenic effect of the Korean medicinal formula "Sa-mi-yeon-geon-tang" in vitro and in ovo

BACKGROUND

Angiogenesis is a general hallmark of cancer; therefore, the inhibition of tumor-derived angiogenesis is considered to be an attractive target in the development of anti-cancer agents. Sa-mi-yeon-geon-tang (SMYGT), a decoction that consists of four natural medicinal products, has been traditionally prescribed in Oriental medicine to treat diverse diseases, including cancer. In the present study, we investigated the anti-angiogenic potential of SMYGT in vitro and in ovo.

METHODS

The anti-angiogenic potential of SMYGT was evaluated using conventional in vitro assays with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays with fertilized eggs. The expression changes of pro-angiogenic proteins and intracellular signaling in HUVECs following SMYGT treatment were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, gelatinase zymography, and western blot analysis.

RESULTS

SMYGT efficiently inhibited three-dimensional capillary-like tube formation by HUVECs on extracellular matrix supports, as well as new vessel formation on CAMs. SMYGT inhibited cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix and HUVEC cell invasion through Matrigel without affecting cell proliferation, viability, and motility. These anti-angiogenic effects of SMYGT in HUVECs were related to decreases in the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and the expression of matrix metallopeptidase-2 activity.

CONCLUSIONS

SMYGT exhibited an anti-angiogenic potential in both in vitro and in ovo experiments, which may partially contribute to its anti-tumor effect in clinical conditions. We suggest that SMYGT may be a promising source material for the development of anti-cancer chemotherapeutics that target angiogenesis.

Anti-diabetic effects of the ethanol extract of a functional formula diet in mice fed with a fructose/fat-rich combination diet

BACKGROUND

Rhizoma dioscorea, Lycium barbarum, Prunella vulgaris and hawthorn are well known in both traditional food and folk medicine. Each of these plants reportedly possesses beneficial effects in the treatment of diabetes. In this study an anti-diabetic health-promoting diet was formulated by mixing the herbs in a ratio of 6:4:2:3, and the anti-diabetic effect and underlying mechanism were elucidated in vivo.

RESULTS

Compared with the model control group, the formula, especially its ethanol extract (EF), could improve glucose intolerance and normalize the lipid profile. The mechanisms responsible for the amelioration of glucose and lipid metabolism in mice were an increase in peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity, a decrease in serum free fatty acid level, enhanced hepatic glucokinase activity and glycogen content and improved serum antioxidant activity. Hepatic histopathological examination also showed that EF administration markedly decreased fatty deposits in the liver of mice.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study demonstrated that the prepared functional formula diet is a potent alternative as an anti-diabetic health-promoting diet.

A study on inhibitory effect of Spica prunellae extract on T lymphoma cell EL-4 tumour

The objective of the study was to investigate the in-vivo anti-tumour activity of Spica prunellae extract, and to preliminarily explore the possible mechanism of in-vivo anti-tumour effect of Spica prunellae extract. Tumour inhibition rate and tumour apoptosis-related protein status were determined using the mice model of transplanted T lymphoma cell EL-4 tumour, and by immunohistochemical method. The results revealed that Spica prunellae extract showed certain tumour inhibitory effect, and compared with the model group. Tumour weight in Spica prunellae high-dose group was highly significantly different (P<0.01). Tumour weight in Spica prunellae medium-dose group was also significantly different (P<0.05) compared with the model group. Spica prunellae high-dose group enabled the high expression of Bcl-2 protein (47.54%) and low expression of Bax protein (13.14%). The study concluded that Spica prunellae extract has certain in vivo anti-tumour effect, which may be achieved through regulation of apoptosis related proteins.

The effects of glyphosate and aminopyralid on a multi-species plant field trial

In the United States, the US EPA has the responsibility for the registration of pesticides. For the protection of nontarget terrestrial plants this requires two simple greenhouse tests (seedling emergence and vegetative vigor), each done with ten species grown individually. Indications of unacceptable effects levels equivalent to environmental exposure can lead to field testing which is not well-defined. Our objective was to develop a regional field test that is simple, economical, geographically flexible and with endpoints of ecological significance and compare the results with the standard greenhouse tests. Three native Oregon plant species were grown together with an introduced species. The experiment was replicated at two locations and repeated for 3 years with glyphosate applied at 0, 0.01 (8.3 g/ha), 0.1 (83.2 g/ha), and 0.2 (166.4 g/ha) × FAR (Field Application Rate of 832 gm/ha acid equivalent) and 2 years with aminopyralid applied at 0, 0.037 (4.6 g/ha), 0.136 (16.7 g/ha), and 0.5 (61.5 g/ha) × FAR (123 g/ha acid equivalent). With glyphosate, plant height and volume decreased with increasing herbicide concentration for all species, and for nearly all farm × year combinations. With aminopyralid, one species died at nearly all concentrations, sites and years, while the effects on the other three species were less pronounced and variable. The relative rank in glyphosate sensitivity among species in the field studies differed from the ranking from greenhouse studies, with Cynososurs echinatus the most sensitive in the field but Prunella vulgaris the most sensitive in the greenhouse. With aminopyralid, sensitivity generally was similar for all species in the greenhouse as in the field. The results suggest that a simple field test can be successfully designed to investigate the ecological effects of herbicides on plant communities and supplement information gained from greenhouse tests performed in controlled environments.

Apoptogenic activity of 2α,3α-dihydroxyurs-12-ene-28-oic acid from Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina is mediated via mitochondria-dependent activation of caspase cascade regulated by Bcl-2 in human acute leukemia Jurkat T cells

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The dried spikes of Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina (Labiatae) have been used for traditional herbal medicine to treat fever, inflammation, dropsy, gonorrhea and cancer in Korea, Japan and China. The present study evaluated the apoptotic effect of 2α,3α-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (DHURS), purified from the dried spikes on human acute leukemia Jurkat T cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) loss, apoptotic change of the cell cycle, and apoptotic cells were measured by flow cytometric analysis. Mitochondrial cytochrome c release and activation of caspase cascade were determined by Western blot analysis. Caspase-12 activity and caspase-3 activity were assayed using the Fluorometric Assay Kit and the Colorimetric Assay Kit, respectively.

RESULTS

Treatment of Jurkat T cells with DHURS (20-25 μg/ml) caused cytotoxicity and apoptotic DNA fragmentation along with Δψm loss, mitochondrial cytochrome c release, activation of caspase-9, -7, -3, and -8, and PARP degradation. However, these apoptotic events were abrogated by overexpression of Bcl-2. Pretreatment of the cells with the pan-caspase inhibitor (z-VAD-fmk), the caspase-9 inhibitor (z-LEHD-fmk) or the caspase-3 inhibitor (z-DEVD-fmk) to prevent DHURS-induced apoptosis could block the activation of caspase-7 and -8, and PARP degradation, but not the Δψm loss, activation of caspase-9 and -3. Both FADD- and caspase-8-positive wild-type Jurkat clone A3, FADD-deficient Jurkat clone I2.1, and caspase-8-deficient Jurkat clone I9.2 exhibited similar susceptibilities to the cytotoxicity of DHURS, excluding an involvement of Fas/FasL system in triggering the apoptosis. The IC(50) value for Jurkat T cells was ∼22 μg/ml, whereas that for human peripheral T cells was 25 μg/ml.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that DHURS-induced apoptogenic activity in Jurkat T cells, which was less potent in normal peripheral T cells, was mediated by Δψm loss, mitochondrial cytochrome c release, and subsequent activation of caspase-9 and -3, leading to activation of caspase-7 and -8, which could be regulated by Bcl-2.

Prunella vulgaris extract and rosmarinic acid prevent UVB-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress in HaCaT keratinocytes

Solar radiation is a very important exogenous factor in skin pathogenesis and can lead to the development of a number of skin disorders. UVB irradiation is known to induce oxidative stress, inflammation and especially DNA lesions in exposed cells. It is important, therefore, to identify agents that can offer protection against UVB-caused skin damage. Natural compounds have been studied for their possible ability to control/modulate various lifestyle-related diseases. The application of plant compounds/extracts with screening, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities may also successfully protect the skin against UV-caused injury. We assessed the potency of Prunella vulgaris extract (PVE) and its main phenolic acid component, rosmarinic acid (RA), to suppress UVB-induced (295-315 nm) alterations to human keratinocytes HaCaT using a solar simulator. Pre- and post-treatment of HaCaT cells with PVE (5-50 mg/l) and RA (0.18-1.8 mg/l) reduced breakage together with the apoptotic process. PVE and RA also significantly eliminated ROS production and diminished IL-6 release. Taken together, both PVE and RA prevent UVB-caused injury to keratinocytes. However their efficacy needs to be demonstrated in vivo.

[Involvement of JNK and caspase-3 in human lymphoma cell apoptosis induced by Prunella vulgaris]

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the effect of Prunella vulgaris upon lymphoma cells and its possible mechanisms.

METHODS

Raji cells were subjected to different therapeutic schemes: Prunella vulgaris (50 g/L) group, P. vulgaris (50 g/L)+SP600125 (20 micromol/L, JNK inhibitor) (SP600125 group); Raji cells in physiological saline served as the control. MTT assay was used to measure the cellular proliferation. Phosphorylation of JNK, c-Jun and the expressions of Caspase-3 were determined by Western blot. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by FCM.

RESULTS

The proliferation rate of cells in the P. vulgaris group (67.32 +/- 1.96)% was significantly lower than that in the other groups (P < 0.05). The phosphorylation of JNK (0.48 +/- 0.03) and the phosphorylation of c-Jun (0.46 +/- 0.04) significantly increased in the P. vulgaris group (P < 0.05) and SP600125 inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Jun (0.43 +/- 0.01). The expression of Caspase-3 in the P. vulgaris group (1.35 +/- 0.07) was higher than that in the other groups. And such an effect could be blocked by SP600125 (0.79 +/- 0.06) (P < 0.05). The rate of cellular apoptosis was the highest in the P. vulgaris group (25.32 +/- 5.27)% (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

P.vulgaris shows a strong inhibitory effect upon the growth of lymphoma cell line Raji probably through the activation of JNK pathway and caspase channel and then apoptosis.

Chemoprevention by Prunella vulgaris L. extract of non-small cell lung cancer via promoting apoptosis and regulating the cell cycle

Chemoprevention is one feasible approach to decreasing morbidity and mortality of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study aimed to explore the mechanisms of chemoprevention of NSCLC by Prunella vulgaris L. (PV) using a PV extract of 60% ethanol (P-60). In an A/J mouse model benzo[a]pyrene induction of lung tumors was significantly reduced difference by P-60 group. In addition, P-60 was found to have the ability to regulate cell cycle and induce apoptosis in SPC-A-1 cells. Therefore, we propose that P-60 has potential as a lung cancer chemopreventive agent.