Rhamnose synthase (RHM) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of uridine diphosphate rhamnose (UDP-Rha), reversibly converting uridine diphosphate-glucose (UDP-Glc) into UDP-Rha in the presence of NADH or NADPH. In this research, yeast extract (YE) was used to stimulate Sorbus aucuparia suspension cells. Based on a previous study of the transcriptome database of S. aucuparia suspension cells, two RHMs were cloned from S. aucuparia and named SaRHM1 (GenBank No.: MK213340) and SaRHM2 (GenBank No.: MK213341). The SaRHM1 gene contained a 2 007 bpopen reading frame (ORF) encoding a polypeptide of 668 amino acids with a molecular weight of 75.25 kD, and a theoretical isoelectric point (pI) of 7.24. The SaRHM2 gene contained a 2 040 bpORF encoding a polypeptide of 679 amino acids with a molecular weight of 76.26 kD and pI of 6.41. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that SaRHM1 and SaRHM2 contained two special sequences of GxxGxxG/A and YxxxK. Multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees show that SaRHM1 and SaRHM2 have high sequence similarity with other plant species of RHMs. The results of enzyme activity assays in vitro revealed that both recombinant SaRHM1 and SaRHM2 are able to convert UDP-Glc into UDP-Rha. SaRHMs displayed maximum activity at 40 ℃ and a pH of 8 and 9, respectively. The K_m values of SaRHM1 and SaRHM2 for UDP-Glc were 212.4 ± 56.70 and 361.0 ± 63.74 μmol·L^-1, respectively, with V_max values of 235.5 ± 18.98 and 516.5 ± 22.30 nmol·min^-1·μg^-1, respectively. This study reports the cloning and sequencing of RHMs from S. aucuparia and verifies their function, which likely provide rhamnose donors for the subsequent biosynthesis of rhamnosides.

Natural deep eutectic solvent(NDES) is a kind of deep eutectic solvents(DESs) which is composed of natural substances with good biocompatibility. Those substances can function as hydrogen bond donor and acceptor, such as choline, amino acids, sugars, etc. NDES have been widely used in many fields due to their advantages of low cost, easy preparation and environmental friendliness. It is especially suitable for the pharmaceutical industry because of its good biocompatibility and safety for use. In this paper, we firstly review the molecular simulation methods for current design of DESs from the formation principle. And then, the materials and preparation of NDES are reviewed and the physicochemical properties are further described. Finally, we review the current application of NDES in pharmaceutics including increasing drug solubility, promoting drug permeability and enhancing oral drug absorption, and meanwhile their future applications in pharmaceutics were also prospected.

The function of circulatory system, nervous system and endocrine system is significantly changed in hypoxic environments. These changes affect the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs in the body. Drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters are the main factors affecting drug metabolism; microRNA(miRNA) can act directly on drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters and can regulate their genes through hypoxia-inducible factor, inflammatory cytokines, and nuclear receptors. This article reviews the effect of hypoxia on drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters and the mechanisms by which miRNA modulates these proteins and their expression during hypoxia.

Prostate cancer is one of the common malignant tumors of male urogenital system, and the incidence of prostate cancer in China has increased significantly in the past decade. At present, endocrine therapy based on androgen blockade is the main method of clinical treatment except radical surgery and radiotherapy/chemotherapy for prostate cancer. However, the clinical benefit can only be obtained in the early stage of treatment, and nearly90% of patients will develop to the castration resistance, and among them, nearly 90% of patients will have bone metastasis. The quality of life decreases sharply with the progression of disease for patients. In addition to the androgen signal pathway, studies have shown that many other oncogenic signal pathways have involved in the development of castration resistance, including classic cancer signaling pathways, immune and inflammatory signaling pathways, etc. Understanding the mechanism of androgen independent signal pathway in the formation of castration resistance will help to understand the off-target effect of androgen blocking therapy and introduce new treatment targets or strategies to get rid of the "no drug available" dilemma for clinical treatment of castration resistance.

Seventy-nine injectable herb extractions have been approved by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration(CFDA) and are frequently administered intravenously for various diseases. Unfortunately, herb-drug interactions are under-investigated and sometimes overlooked in the clinic. In the present investigation the in vitro inhibition of 9 drug metabolizing enzymes including CYP1A, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and CYP3A was assessed using an appropriate probe substrate for each enzyme with human liver microsomes. Metabolite formation was quantified using a validated and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) assay. The IC₅₀ of each herb extract was estimated using a concentration range from 5% to 0.5%, and the time-dependent inhibition of the nine CYP450 isoenzymes was also determined. Of the 79 approved iv herb injectables, 37 inhibited CYP1A, 24 inhibited CYP2A6, 41 inhibited CYP2B6, 36 inhibited CYP2C8, 31 inhibited CYP2C9, 41 inhibited CYP2C19, 13 inhibited CYP2D6, 25 inhibited CYP2E1, and 42 inhibited CYP3A with 50% or greater inhibition at a test concentration of 5%(v/v). IC₅₀ differences were noted between pre-incubation or co-incubation assays with HLM for 30 min, with the time-dependent inhibitory(TDI) effects were observed with 2 injectables on CYP1A, 5 injectables on CYP2A6, 5 injectables on CYP2B6, 6 injectables on CYP2C8, 1 injectable on CYP2D6 and 6 injectables on CYP3A. Collectively, the results demonstrate that potential herb-drug interactions(HDIs) can occur with the concomitant use of herb injectables and prescription drugs that are cleared by CYP450 enzymes, and further investigation is warrant for the clinical relevance of these interactions.

As a depot drug delivery system, injectable polylactide-polyglycolide(PLGA) sustained-release microspheres have been successfully used to treat many diseases since the first microsphere product Lupron depot was approved for marketing in the United States in 1989. It has the ability of long-term release in the body for several days to several months, which can not only reduce the times of administration, but also reduce the drug blood concentration fluctuations, significantly improve the safety and patient compliance. In vitro-in vivo correlation(IVIVC) makes the development of microspheres more possible. It can describe the dynamic information of drug release in vivo through the in vitro release behavior of microspheres, and can reduce the workload of each stage and shorten the time span while characterizing the performance of microspheres. IVIVC can provide guidance or support for drug development, production changes, supervision and management. This article summarizes the release mechanism of injectable PLGA sustained-release microspheres, common measurement methods and theories of in vitro and in vivo release. And we also focus on the establishment and application of IVIVC, especially A level IVIVC in the field of microsphere preparations, to provide a reference for further study on in vitro-in vivo correlation of microspheres.

To improve the efficacy of 5-aminolevulinic acid(5-ALA)-mediated photodynamic therapy(PDT), a fluorocarbon microemulsion-based gel(FMBG) loaded with both 5-ALA and carbon dioxide(CO₂) was prepared in this study. Its physical and chemical properties such as particle size, zeta potential, morphology, pH value and viscosity were characterized. Acid-base titration experiment was used to determine the CO₂ loading, a fluorescence derivatization method was established to determine the content of 5-ALA, and the confocal laser scanning microscope and Franz diffusion cell method were carried out to investigate its transdermal ability. Through the laser speckle contrast imaging, the CO₂-affected blood flow perfusion of skin was measured. Finally, the skin irritation test was tested by hematoxylin-eosin staining(H & E) method. These results showed that the prepared FMBG was a milky white gel, with an average particle size of 202.4 nm, a zeta potential of-25.3 mV, a pH of 6.0, and a viscosity of 1 062.0 mPa·s. It can be stored stably for seven days at room temperature. The 5-ALA content of FMBG was measured to be approximately equal to 20%(w/w). At room temperature and normal pressure, the CO₂ loading content of FMBG was 5.016 mg·L^-1, which was 1.5 times as much as that of water. The transdermal absorption experiment and blood perfusion results showed that the FMBG can effectively enable the transdermal delivery of 5-ALA and CO₂, and significantly increased the blood perfusion of skin. H & E staining results indicated that FMBG had negligible skin irritation(all animal tests were approved by the Ethics Committee of 900 Hospital of the Joint Logistics Team). In this study, a safe and stable FMBG loaded with both 5-ALA and CO₂ was successfully prepared. It was suitable for transdermal application, having the potential of enhancing the efficacy of 5-ALAmediated PDT.

Cardiovascular disease is a principal cause of morbidity and death in the world. Although drug therapy has made great progress in the past few decades, there are still many deficiencies in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Dyslipidemia is still a common risk feature and is not sufficiently controlled. A growing body of evidence suggests that the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease is associated with many associated risk factors, such as higher low-density lipoprotein levels, lower high-density lipoprotein levels and high triglyceride levels. A number of clinical trials in patients with dyslipidemia have shown that actively decreasing low density lipoprotein cholesterol can significantly decrease cardiovascular events. ATP citrate lyase(ACLY) is a cytoplasmic homo-tetrameric enzyme. In the presence of adenosine triphosphate(ATP), ACLY catalyzes the conversion of citric acid and coenzyme A to acetyl-CoA and oxalyl acetate. ACLY is the main enzyme for the production of cytoplasmic acetyl-CoA, and cytoplasmic acetyl-CoA is the precursor required for de novo synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the production of acetyl-CoA and reduce the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides by inhibiting ACLY. ACLY can be used as a molecular target for reducing blood lipids, and there are an increasing number of studies on ACLY inhibitors. In this paper, the structure and mechanism of ACLY and its relationship with lipid metabolism are briefly introduced, and we review some current ACLY inhibitors.

The α4β2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor(nAChR) is a ligand-gated ion channel that is distributed throughout the nervous system. It is involved in the regulation of various neurotransmitters including acetylcholine, dopamine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and norepinephrine. α4β2-nAChR plays an important role in learning, memory, cognition, attention, inflammation, and pain. A large number of studies have shown that α4β2-nAChR is an important therapeutic target for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, depression, nicotine dependence, pain, etc. It is an important target in the early diagnosis and curative effect detection of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. This review summarizes the role, mechanisms and related drug research advances on α4β2-nAChR ligand drugs in neurological diseases, as well as providing a theoretical basis for identifying and developing more suitable α4β2-nAChR-related compounds.

The incidence of malignant melanoma, a highly fatal skin tumor, is on the rise worldwide. Melanomas are highly aggressive and have strong metastatic capability that leads to lethality. Recurrence occurs in patients with distant metastases, even with the latest treatments, and median survival is only a few months. At present, the prevention and treatment of melanoma includes surgical resection, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. However, these strategies can lead to drug resistance and adverse effects. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have found that natural products have effective anti-melanoma activities, including inhibition of tumor growth, induction of cell apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis and metastasis and toxicity to tumor stem cells.In addition, several studies have reported that the combination of natural products and traditional anti-melanoma drugs can enhance the therapeutic efficacy. In this review we summarize the prevention and treatment of melanoma with natural products.