Pollen Typhae Carbonisata (PTC) is a type of calcined herb drug that has been used as a hemostatic medicine to promote hemostasis for thousands of years. In this study, we discovered and separated novel water-soluble carbon quantum dots (CQDs, named PTC-CQDs) from aqueous extracts of PTC. These PTC-CDs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM, as well as Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet–visible, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Then, we assessed the anti-hemorrhagic effects and related hemostatic mechanisms of the obtained PTC-CQDs. The PTC-CQDs separated from PTC are spherical, monodisperse, and have a narrow size distribution between 2 and 8 nm. In the pharmacology experiment, remarkable anti-hemorrhage effects of PTC-CQDs were revealed. Additionally, the rats showed a profound decrease in activated partial thromboplastin time and increase in fibrinogen and PLT after PTC-CQDs treatment. These results indicated the explicit hemostasis effect of PTC-CQDs, which not only provided a new idea for the material research of PTC, but have also provided new insights into potential biomedical and healthcare applications of CQDs in the field of haemorrhage control and laid a solid foundation for future drug discovery.
Puerarin (PUE) is a compound isolated from the roots of Pueraria lobata. We studied the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution kinetics of PUE in Sprague-Dawley rats following intraperitoneal administration of three concentrations. Indirect competitive ELISA based on an anti-PUE monoclonal antibody was used to determine the concentration of PUE in the blood, heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and striatum. The plasma and tissue distribution kinetic characteristics following a single injection of PUE (20, 40 and 80 mg/kg) were calculated using a non-compartment model. In the high-dose (80 mg/kg) and medium-dose (40 mg/kg) groups, the kinetic profile of PUE in blood and kidney samples showed two absorption peaks, while that of the other tissues showed only one peak. In the low-dose (20 mg/kg) group, there was only one peak, irrespective of the sample type. Pharmacokinetic parameters, such as the area under the curve, Cmax, and Tmax varied according to the administered dose. AUC and Cmax values increased dose-dependently. PUE was widely distributed in areas of the brain such as the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and striatum, providing a foundation for guiding the use of PUE in the treatment of cerebral ischaemic stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.