Fourteen flavonoids were isolated and purified from Epimedium sagittatum by various chromatography techniques such as macroporous adsorbent resin, silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20, HW-40C and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by analysis of physicochemical properties and spectral data, and determined as 3'-hydroxy-baohuoside-Ⅱ (1), huazhongilexone-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (3), baohuoside-Ⅱ (4), icariside-Ⅱ (5), kaempferol 3, 7-di-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (6), (+)-aromadendrin (7), kaempferol 3-O-(2-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (8), sagittatoside A (9), 2″-O-rhamnosyl icariside-Ⅱ (10), apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (11), quercetin 3-O-β-D-apiofuranoyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (12), kaempferol (13), icariin (14). Among them, compound 1 is a new compound, while compounds 2, 6-8, 11, and 12 were isolated from E.sagittatum for the first time.

Based on ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), a rapid and simultaneous quantitative method for the measurement of seven components (kinsenoside; rutin; kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside; quercimeritrin; narcissin; isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside; quercetin) of A. roxburghii was established. The separation was performed over 8.0 minutes on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH Shield RP18 (2.1 mm×100 mm; 1.7 μm) with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (A) and 0.1% formic acid water solution (B) with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.2 mL·min^-1; the column temperature was 30℃ and the injection volume was 2 μL. Electrospray spray ionization source (ESI source) was used for mass spectrometry, and positive and negative ion modes were detected at the same time. The results showed good linearity (R² ≥ 0.998 0), with good precision, repeatability and stability, and the average recovery was 97.71%-103.33%. Through cluster heat map and redundancy analysis, we found that kinsenoside was mainly distributed in stems, followed by leaves, and the lowest content in roots. The content of kinsenoside increased significantly in the stems of plants 6 months, but less change was evident in the roots and leaves. Flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides were mainly distributed in leaves. The UHPLC-MS/MS method established in this paper can be used for the quality control of A. roxburghii and provides a reference for establishing a more comprehensive quality detection method for this medicinal.

Molecular dynamics simulation technology relies on Newtonian mechanics to simulate the motion of molecular system of the real system by computer simulation. It has been used in the research of self-assembly processes illustration and macroscopic performance prediction of self-assembly nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) in recent years, which contributes to the facilitation and accurate design of preparations. In this review, the definitions, catalogues, and the modules of molecular dynamics simulation techniques are introduced, and the current status of their applications are summarized in the acquisition and analysis of microscale information, such as particle size, morphology, the formation of microdomains, and molecule distribution of the self-assembly NDDS and the prediction of their macroscale performances, including stability, drug loading capacity, drug release kinetics and transmembrane properties. Moreover, the existing applications of the molecular dynamic simulation technology in the formulation prediction of self-assembled NDDS were also summarized. It is expected that the new strategies will promote the prediction of NDDS formulation and lay a theoretical foundation for an appropriate approach in NDDS studies and a reference for the wider application of molecular dynamics simulation technology in pharmaceutics.

It is of great significance to apply the nanocrystals self-stabilized Pickering emulsion (NSSPE) to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compounds, and to study the effect of NSSPE on the oral absorption of various components with different solubility and permeability. In the study, NSSPE of Tongmai prescription was prepared by the high pressure homogenization method with nanocrystals of main active components (puerarin, ferulic acid, salvianolic acid B and tanshinone IIA) of Tongmai prescription as solid particle stabilizers and a mixture of Ligusticum chuanxiong essential oil and Labrafil M 1944 CS as oil phase. The NSSPE had better physical stability than nanocrystals suspension and blank emulsion. The adsorption of nanocrystals on the surface of oil droplets was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The surface adsorption rates of puerarin, ferulic acid, salvianolic acid B and tanshinone ⅡA in NSSPE were 15.40% ±3.19%, 15.39% ±5.07%, 10.97% ±3.70% and 31.51% ±1.60%, respectively. When solid active components were prepared into nanocrystals suspension, the cellular uptake and transport across Caco-2 cells were increased significantly for puerarin and tanshinone IIA. The uptake rates of ferulic acid, ligustilide and tanshinone IIA in NSSPE were further increased compared with the physical mixture of nanocrystals suspension and oil, and the transports of ligustilide and tanshinone IIA were also significantly improved. The main absorption mechanisms of NSSPE were passive diffusion and caveolin-mediated endocytosis, which were determined mainly by the microstructure of NSSPE. In conclusion, NSSPE could be applied to complicated TCM. The "micro" and "nano" synergistic microstructure with drug nanocrystals adsorbed on the surface of micron-sized oil droplets could not only improve the physical stability of NSSPE, but also promote the absorption of various components in NSSPE, which made NSSPE a promising oral drug delivery system for TCM.

Interleukin-1 receptor associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4), acting as a serine threonine kinase, is considered as a key signal node for the transduction of IL-1R family and TLRs signal pathway. Studies have found that IRAK-4 has a hand in many signal pathways, involving the inflammatory response of human joints, intestines, liver and nervous system, as well as other autoimmune diseases. It is also one of the causes of drug resistance of some cancer cells. Therefore, IRAK-4 tends to be an effective therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases and cancer. The prospects for the development of drugs in this pathway is to develop novel IRAK-4 small molecule inhibitors and investigate their safety and effectiveness, enrich the clinical treatment of inflammatory and cancer diseases finally. This paper classified and summarized the latest research progress on small molecule inhibitors of IRAK-4 signaling pathway according to structures of the compounds, in order to provide assistances and references for the research and development of related drugs.

Antibacterial therapy is a global health issue. The antibiotic resistance is becoming an increasingly serious threat, which caused by misuse and overuse of antibacterial agents combined with the emergence of new resistance mechanism. The resulting infection treatment risk and incidence of the spread of disease, severe cases and deaths are increased in different degrees. With the extensive application of biomaterials and nanotechnology to biomedicine, extensive research has been conducted on antibacterial infection. With the specific physicochemical properties like optical, electric and magnetic and high penetration, inorganic nanomaterials can produce natural antibacterial effect. Nanomedicine can be designed to allow controlled drug release and targeting effect, thus demonstrated better antibacterial efficiency. In this review, the mechanism of antibacterial resistance is described, and the antibacterial infection research on inorganic nanomaterials, as well as nano-drug delivery system including liposomes, nanoparticles, dendrimers and biomimetic nanocarriers are summarized. Nanomaterials and nanotechnology offer promising strategies for the development of new agents that can improve efficacy on antibacterial infections and overcome antibiotic resistance potentially.

Hair follicle (HF), one of the skin appendages, has received a lot of attention to be a new target and pathway for drug delivery. The development of hair follicle targeted drug delivery system (HFTDDS) through percutaneous permeation is particularly important for skin diseases derived from HF such as acne, hair loss, and folliculitis for their on-site action. This review describes the structure and physiological function of HF, the microenvironment of HF, and factors affecting HF permeation. Multiple nanoformulations used to improve the HF permeation and technologies to characterize the HF permeation were introduced. The latest advance of HFTDDS based on nanoformulations were systematically summarized and analyzed in the treatment of acne and hair loss. Finally, the challenges of formulating HFTDDS were discussed. The review is expected to provide some ideas and references for developing delivery systems for treating skin diseases derived from HF.

Ardisia crispa (Thunb.) A. DC. is a traditional Miao medicinal herb with significant therapeutic effects in the treatment of sore throat, tonsillitis, edema of nephritis and bruising and rheumatism, etc. Ardisia crispa var. amplifolia and Ardisia crispa var. dielsii are varieties of A. crispa. A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var. dielsii are controversial in terms of species evolutionary relationships and taxonomic identification. In this study, we sequenced the whole genome sequences of A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var. dielsii chloroplasts using Illumina platform, assembled, annotated and characterized them, compared the structural features and degree of variation among chloroplast genomes using bioinformatics methods, and also downloaded constructing phylogenetic trees to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of chloroplasts in Primulaceae and Myrsinaceae using whole genome sequence information. The results showed that the complete chloroplast genome sequences of A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var. dielsii were 156 749 bp and 156 748 bp in length, with 132 genes annotated, including 87 protein-coding genes; the codon preference of A/U was greater than that of G/C; The differences in the coding regions of rps15 and rpoB genes in the comparative genome analysis can be used as loci for molecular identification of the two species; the differences in the coding regions of ycf1, ycf2, rpoC1, ycf3, petD and rpl16 genes in the chloroplast genome compared with those of the same genus can be used as loci for identification of the genus. In the phylogenetic results, A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var. dielsii were clustered together with 100% support, indicating that they are closely related. In this research, we analyzed the chloroplast genome structure and phylogenetic relationships of A. crispa var. amplifolia and A. crispa var.dielsii, providing an important theoretical basis for their molecular identification, genetic variation, breeding and phylogenetic analysis.

Fourteen compounds were isolated from the n-butanol fraction of the 95% aqueous ethanol extract of the stems and twigs of Strychnos cathayensis by D101 macroporous resin, silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, and semipreparative RP-HPLC. Their structures were elucidated as ethyl 4-O-β-D-allopyranosyl-vanillate (1), n-butyl 4-O-β-D-allopyranosyl-vanillate (2), n-butyl 4-O-(6′-O-syringoyl)-β-D-allopyranosyl-vanillate (3), n-butyl 4-O-(6′-O-vanilloyl)-β-D-allopyranosyl-vanillate (4), n-butyl 4-O-(6′-O-syringoyl)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-vanillate (5), n-butyl 4-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-syringate (6), methyl 3-methoxy-4-(β-D-allopyranosyloxy) benzoate (7), pseudolaroside B (8), butyl syringate (9), glucosyringic acid (10), methyl syringate (11), methyl 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoate (12), clemochinenoside C (13), and clemoarmanoside A (14), respectively, on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation and by comparison with literature information. Compounds 1-6 are artificial products of phenolic acid esterified by ethanol or n-butanol. It is noted that the precursors (4-O-(6′-O-syringoyl)-β-D-allopyranosyl-vanillic acid and 4-O-(6′-O-vanilloyl)-β-D-allopyranosyl-vanillic acid) of compounds 3 and 4 are new compounds. The hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of compounds 1-13 were evaluated in vitro at a concentration of 10 μmol·L^-1. Compounds 1, 2 and 6-10 exhibited potential hepatic protection effects with cell survival rates ranging from 53.6% to 55.5% (acetaminophen, 45.4% at 8 mmol·L^-1). Compound 4 demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity with nitric oxide inhibitory rate of 74.6%. Compounds 3 and 5 showed potential antioxidant activities with malondialdehyde inhibitory rates of 53.2% and 56.1%, respectively.

Psoriasis is a non-infectious chronic inflammatory skin disease. It′s acknowledged that interleukin (IL)-17 signaling pathway dominantly drives the development of psoriasis. Recently, the role of neuro-immune axis in psoriasis has attracted widespread attention. Lidocaine, a local anesthetic, has ability to block the conduction of nerve impulses, while its therapeutic efficacy on psoriasis remains to be confirmed. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of topical application of compound lidocaine cream (LIDO) on imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mouse psoriasis model. Animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the regulations of the Ethics Committee of China Pharmaceutical University. The psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scoring was used to evaluate the severity of psoriasis-like symptoms. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to examine histopathological changes and epidermal thickness was measured. Ki67 immunofluorescence staining was used to evaluate the proliferation of keratinocytes. The relative mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines (including Il17, Il22, Il23 and Il36) in skin was measured by real-time quantitative PCR. Results show that IMQ-induced increases in the PASI score, epidermal thickness, number of Ki67⁺ cells and the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines are significantly alleviated by topical application of LIDO, whose therapeutic efficacy is also better than that of the positive control drug calcipotriol. Our study suggests that LIDO could be used for psoriasis treatment.