Latest ArticlesDendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in both innate and adaptive immunity, particularly in regulating antitumor immune responses. However, immunosuppressive cytokines in the tumor microenvironment and lipid peroxidation imbalance within DCs limit their ability to activate tumor-specific T cells effectively. To address this, we developed a novel biomimetic nanodrug delivery platform using artificial intelligence (AI). This platform encapsulates curcumin nanoparticles in bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) to enhance DCs function through a dual approach: targeted drug delivery and immune activation. In vitro experiments demonstrated that curcumin reduced lipid peroxidation stress in DCs by modulating the IRE1α-XBP1 signaling pathway, thereby restoring their antigen-presenting function. Additionally, OMVs not only acted as efficient drug carriers but also as immune activators, promoting DCs maturation and enhancing tumor-specific immune responses. This study presents a promising strategy for improving antitumor immunotherapy and offers new insights into the application of AI in drug delivery systems.
Depression disorder is a prevalent psychiatric disorder characterized by high incidence, recurrence and disability rates, which imposes significant social and economic burdens globally. The etiology of depression is still unclear, and treatment options remain limited. Various animal models have been developed for screening and evaluation of antidepressants. This paper reviewed the current trends in depression research and typical non-clinical animal models, summarized the important issues in standardized non-clinical research of depression disorders and proposed criteria for the selection of appropriate R&D models.
Six compounds including three new compounds were obtained from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum in Baoshan area. These structures were identified as baosacid A (1), baosside A (2), ethyl 2,5-dihydroxy-γ-oxobenzenebutanoate (3), australins A (4), 2,5-dihydroxy-γ-oxobenzenebutanoic acid (5), and methyl 2,5-dihydroxy-γ-oxobenzenebut anoate (6) on the basis of spectroscopic methods. In addition, compound 5 is a newly occurring natural product.
Lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) is an important inhibitory receptor on T cells, which plays a crucial role in tumor immune evasion. LAG-3 is primarily expressed on activated T cells, natural killer (NK) cells and B cells, et al. By binding to its ligands, LAG-3 inhibits T cell proliferation, activation, and effector functions. LAG-3 has emerged as the third immune checkpoint protein (ICP) used in clinical practice, following programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4). Currently, there has been at least 20 LAG-3-targeted drugs undergoing clinical trials. This article mainly reviews the structure, expression regulation, ligands, co-expressed ICP of LAG-3, as well as its application in tumor immunotherapy, and discusses the current challenges of targeting LAG-3 research.
The study aims to provide an important basis for IMH020 production process and quality control and develop an HPLC method for the determination of related substances in IMH020. The analysis was performed on a Waters Symmetry C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm). The mobile phase A was acetonitrile and the mobile phase B was water-0.2% glacial acetic acid solution with isocratic elution. The flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1 and the column temperature was maintained at 30 ℃. The wavelength was 270 and 300 nm. The injection volume was 10 μL. The results show that all the related substances gained a completely chromatographic separation. Good linear relationships of all the related substances (I-1, I-2, I-3a, I-3b, I-4 and I-5) were obtained (r ≥ 0.998 9) and recoveries were in the range of 93.1%-97.8% (RSD ≤ 2%, n = 9). Only I-3a and I-3b were detected below the limit for specified impurities in the three batches of samples, and the largest unspecified single impurity and the total impurities were within the limit. The HPLC method established in this paper is simple, sensitive and accurate, and can be used for the determination of related substances of IMH020.
Four previously undescribed lanostane tetracyclic triterpenoids baoslingzhines T-W (1-4) were isolated from Ganoderma lucidum. Their structures including relative and absolute configurations were assigned by spectroscopic methods and ECD calculations.
In recent years, a large number of peptide compounds have been obtained from natural sources or synthesized chemically, which have attracted significant interest due to their high biological activity and low side effects. However, linear peptides encounter many challenges in the field of drug development because they are easily broken down by enzymes and do not pass through cell membranes well. Cyclic peptides, on the other hand, have a stable structure, strong binding to targets, and lower toxicity. They combine the advantages of natural peptides and small molecule drugs in terms of biological activity and drug metabolism, addressing the shortcomings of linear peptides and becoming increasingly important in drug research. This article focuses on the development history of cyclic peptides, discusses the sources, acquisition methods, and specific applications in the field of pharmacology in recent years, and prospects for their future development potential, aiming to provide a theoretical and practical basis for the clinical application of cyclic peptides.
The methanol extract of Pteris wallichiana was separated and purified by MCI gel, sephadex LH 20, flash C18 and silica gel column chromatography combined with semi-pre HPLC. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were identified by MS, IR, NMR, etc. Five sesquiterpene compounds were isolated from Pteris wallichiana and identified as 6,7-tetrahydrofuran-(2S, 3S)-pterosin C-3-O-β-D-(6′-acetyl)-Glu (1), (2S, 3S)-pterosin C-3-O-β-D-Glu (2), (2S)-pterosin A (3) and (2S)-13-hydroxyl-pterosin A (4), (2R, 3S)-2-hydroxyl-pterosin C (5). Compound 1 is a new sesquiterpene, compounds 3-5 were isolated for the first time. In vitro bioactivity assay showed that compound 1 was able to inhibit the proliferation of 4T1 and EMT6 cells, and possessed significant anti-triple-negative breast cancer bioactivity.
The genus Gynostemma, with abundant plant resources, is widely distributed in China. Gynostemma plants have gathered widespread attention both domestically and internationally due to their abundant contents of diverse dammarane triterpenoid saponins and various promising pharmacological activities. At present, the studies on the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Gynostemma plants mainly focus on G. pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino and G. longipes C. Y. Wu ex C. Y. Wu & S. K. Chen, with less attention given to other species within genus. In this study, the chemical constituents of G. burmanicum King ex Chakrav were systematically identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Firstly, the LC-MS analysis of G. burmanicum from different sources was carried out to evaluate the consistency. According to the mass spectrometry fragmentation pattern of dammarane triterpenoid saponins from Gynostemma, the fragmentation characteristics of malonylated and acetylated saponins, combined with the self-built database and online database such as ChemSipder, SciFinder, PubChem, the chemical components of G. burmanicum were identified. The similarities and differences in the components between G. burmanicum and G. longipes were further assessed by comparing their base peak chromatogram. The experimental results indicated a good consistency in the composition of G. burmanicum samples from different sources. A total of 47 chemical components were identified from G. burmanicum, including 12 flavonoids and 35 triterpenoid saponins, among which 6 were new compounds. Saponins in G. burmanicum generally exhibited malonylation and acetylation, appearing after the corresponding prototypical saponins on a reversed phase chromatography. The base peak ion (BPI) chromatograms showed that the saponins of G. burmanicum were highly consistent with those of G. longipes, with comparable contents of the main components gypenoside XLIX and gypenoside A and their malonylated derivatives. In summary, this study comprehensively clarified the chemical composition and characteristics of G. burmanicum, which provided an experimental basis for the development and utilization of G. burmanicum.
Bacterial infectious diseases persistently pose severe threats to human health, development of livestock and aquaculture industries, and ecological stability. The extensive use of conventional antibiotics has led to increasingly critical issues of bacterial resistance, making the development of novel and effective strategies for preventing and treating bacterial infections an urgent priority. Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, as a genus of parasitic bacteria that prey on other bacteria, exhibits lytic activity against various pathogenic species and demonstrates potential for combating bacterial infections. However, the direct application of B. bacteriovorus suspensions or powders faces challenges including rapid clearance, susceptibility to immune system elimination, difficulty in maintaining their vitality, and poor user compliance. Recent advancements in engineered B. bacteriovorus technology have created new opportunities for more precise and efficient utilization of these predators in infection control. This paper reviews recent advances in engineered B. bacteriovorus for bacterial infection control, with particular emphasis on engineering strategies based on formulation design, surface modification, and genetic editing, along with their therapeutic applications. The review aims to provide valuable insights for advancing research on engineered B. bacteriovorus technologies.
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