Our results suggest that 2,3-dehydrosilymarin may be a promising and potent alternative for inhibition of free radical and prevention of oxidation.

Background The purpose of this study was to develop calcium phosphate nanocomposite particles encapsulating plasmid DNA (CP-pDNA) nanoparticles as a nonviral vector for gene delivery. Methods CP-pDNA nanoparticles employing plasmid transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) were prepared and characterized. The transfection efficiency and cell viability of the CP-pDNA nanoparticles were evaluated in mesenchymal stem cells, which were identified by immunofluorescence staining. Cytotoxicity of plasmid TGF-β1 and calcium phosphate to mesenchymal stem cells were evaluated by MTT assay. Results The integrity of TGF-β1 encapsulated in the CP-pDNA nanoparticles was maintained. The well dispersed CP-pDNA nanoparticles exhibited an ultralow particle size (20–50 nm) and significantly lower cytotoxicity than Lipofectamine™ 2000. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the cultured cells in this study were probably mesenchymal stem cells. The cellular uptake and transfection efficiency of the CP-pDNA nanoparticles into the mesenchymal stem cells were higher than that of needle-like calcium phosphate nanoparticles and a standard calcium phosphate transfection kit. Furthermore, live cell imaging and confocal laser microscopy vividly showed the transportation process of the CP-pDNA nanoparticles in mesenchymal stem cells. The results of a cytotoxicity assay found that both plasmid TGF-β1 and calcium phosphate were not toxic to mesenchymal stem cells. Conclusion CP-pDNA nanoparticles can be developed into an effective alternative as a nonviral gene delivery system that is highly efficient and has low cytotoxicity.

Background:The purpose of this study was to develop a sustained drug-release model for water-soluble drugs using silica nanoparticles. Methods: Hollow-type mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) were prepared using Na 2 CO 3 solution as the dissolution medium for the first time. The water-soluble compound, silybin meglumine, was used as the model drug. The Wagner-Nelson method was used to calculate the in vivo absorption fraction. Results:The results of transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption revealed that the empty HMSNs had uniformly distributed particles of size 50-100 nm, a spherical appearance, a large specific surface area (385.89 ± 1.12 m 2 /g), and ultralow mean pore size (2.74 nm). The highly porous structure allowed a large drug-loading rate (58.91% ± 0.39%). In 0.08 M Na 2 CO 3 solution, silybin meglumine-loaded HMSNs could achieve highly efficacious and long-term sustained release for 72 hours in vitro. The results of in vitro-in vivo correlation revealed that HMSNs in 0.08 M Na 2 CO 3 solution had a correlation coefficient R 2 value of 0.9931, while those of artificial gastric juice and artificial intestinal juice were only 0.9287 and 0.7689, respectively. Conclusion:The findings of in vitro-in vivo correlation indicate that HMSNs together with Na 2 CO 3 solution could achieve an excellent linear relationship between in vitro dissolution and in vivo absorption for 72 hours, leading to a promising model for sustained release of watersoluble drugs.

Novel lipid raft stationary phase chromatography (LRSC), with lipid rafts that contain abundant tropomyosin-related tyrosine kinase A receptors immobilized on the stationary phase, was developed for a high-throughput screening of potentially active antitumor agents. Lestaurtinib was used as a model compound to determine the operational parameters of the LRSC. Of all the factors considered, the particle size of column packing, the column temperature and the flow rate were of immense importance in determining the performance of the established LRSC system. In order to profoundly comprehend the binding interaction between the model drug and the receptors on the column, thermodynamic studies were employed. The results revealed that the interaction was spontaneous and exothermic, a typical enthalpy-driven process. Additionally, the primary forces were hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces. In evaluating the applicability of the method, active extracts from Albizziae Cortex were screened out using the LRSC system under the optimized conditions. The bioactive components were successfully confirmed by the MTT assay. In conclusion, it could be said that the LRSC is a good model for screening potential antitumor agents because of its viability, rapid response and scalable features.

Jiangnan Yu). Experimental Materials and chemicalsTSL was harvested on campus and authenticated to be the leaves of Toona sinensis Roemer by Professor Jun Chen, Jiangsu University, China. And, a voucher specimen (No. SP20180401) was deposited in Pharmacognosy Research Facility, School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu University, China. They were dried in a ventilate place under the shade to remove most of water prior to further lyophilization, and the fine powder was collected to be used for the experiments after smash and sieve. NKA-9, D101, HPD400, HPD100, AB-8, S-8 and X-5 macroporous resins were purchased from Zhengzhou Qinshi Keji Co., Ltd., China. Rutin reference material with a purity of 98.2% was purchased from Chengdu Pufei De Biotech Co., Ltd., China. HPLC-grade acetonitrile was purchased from J&K scientific Ltd., Shanghai, China. HPLC-grade formic acid was obtained from Aladdin Industrial Corporation, Shanghai, China. All the other reagents including acetic acid, MeOH and EtOH from Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China, were of analytical grade, and water was prepared by a Milli-Q water-purification system from Millipore, Bedford, MA,