The occurrence, progression and recurrence of psoriasis are thought to be related to mood and psychological disorders such as depression. Psoriasis can lead to depression, and depression, in turn, exacerbates psoriasis. No specific mechanism can explain the association between psoriasis and depression. The gut-brain-skin axis has been used to explain correlations among the gut microbiota, emotional states and systemic and skin inflammation, and this axis may be associated with overlapping mechanisms between psoriasis and depression. Therefore, in the context of the gut-brain-skin axis, we systematically summarized and comparatively analysed the inflammatory and immune mechanisms of psoriasis and depression and illustrated the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the gut microbiota. This review provides a theoretical basis and new targets for the treatment of psoriasis and depression.

Bacterial infections remain the leading cause of death in children, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients. Andrographolide (AG), the main active component of the herb Andrographis paniculata, has been used for many years for anti-inflammatory and antibacterial infections. AG has an antibacterial effect on a wide variety of bacteria, which is reflected in the inhibition of bacterial pathogenic factors and the regulation of immunity to downregulate infectious inflammation caused by bacteria. In the current climate of frequently occurring antibiotic resistance, AG might be considered a promising lead for new antibacterial drug development. This review outlines the therapeutic potential of AG and its analogs in combating various bacterial infections, focusing on the mechanisms of action.

Bacterial biofilms widely exist in nature and seriously threaten global public health. Biofilms always cause persistent infection and seriously aggravate the occurrence of antibiotic resistance, which makes the treatment of bacterial infection difficult. Current conventional therapies, such as antibiotics, bacteriophages and quorum sensing inhibitors, are widely used to combat biofilms. However, these therapies are inadequate for the safe and effective treatment of biofilms. Antibiotics often produce resistance in treated bacteria, and antibacterial peptides are easily decomposed by proteases, so their efficacy is reduced. These results indicate that the treatment of biofilms needs further improvement. Increasing evidence has shown that natural medicine therapies have significant inhibitory effects on biofilms. This review summarized and analyzed the efficacy characteristics and corresponding mechanisms of conventional and natural medicine therapies combatting biofilms. By comparison, the advantages and disadvantages of those therapies have been classified and interpreted, so we have inferred that combined medication with natural medicines will be a more effective strategy against biofilms. This review lays a promising foundation for the development of antibiofilm agents and provides novel thinking for the treatment of bacterial biofilm infections.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a drug-resistant pathogen threatening human health and safety. Biofilms are an important cause of its drug resistance and pathogenicity. Inhibition and elimination of biofilms is an important strategy for the treatment of MRSA infection. Andrographolide sulfonate (AS) is an active component of the traditional herbal medicine Andrographis paniculata. This study aims to explore the inhibitory effect and corresponding mechanisms of AS on MRSA and its biofilms. Three doses of AS (6.25, 12.5, and 25 mg/ml) were introduced to MRSA with biofilms. In vitro antibacterial testing and morphological observation were used to confirm the inhibitory effect of AS on MRSA with biofilms. Real-time PCR and metabonomics were used to explore the underlying mechanisms of the effect by studying the expression of biofilm-related genes and endogenous metabolites. AS displayed significant anti-MRSA activity, and its minimum inhibitory concentration was 50 μg/ml. Also, AS inhibited biofilms and improved biofilm permeability. The mechanisms are mediated by the inhibition of the expression of genes, such as quorum sensing system regulatory genes (agrD and sarA), microbial surface components–recognizing adhesion matrix genes (clfA and fnbB), intercellular adhesion genes (icaA, icaD, and PIA), and a gene related to cellular eDNA release (cidA), and the downregulation of five biofilm-related metabolites, including anthranilic acid, D-lactic acid, kynurenine, L-homocitrulline, and sebacic acid. This study provided valuable evidence for the activity of AS against MRSA and its biofilms and extended the methods to combat MRSA infection.

Li Li, Lin Lin, Bo Wen, Peng-cheng Zhao, Da-sheng Liu, Guo-ming Pang, Zi-rong Wang, Yong Tan, and Cheng Lu. Promising natural medicines for the treatment of high-altitude illness. High Alt Med Biol . 24:175–185, 2023.—High-altitude illness (HAI) is a dangerous disease characterized by oxidative stress, inflammatory damage and hemodynamic changes in the body that can lead to severe damage to the lungs, heart, and brain. Natural medicines are widely known for their multiple active ingredients and pharmacological effects, which may be important in the treatment of HAI. In this review, we outline the specific types of HAI and the underlying pathological mechanisms and summarize the currently documented natural medicines applied in the treatment of acute mountain sickness and high-altitude cerebral edema, high-altitude pulmonary edema, chronic mountain sickness, and high-altitude pulmonary hypertension. Their sources, types, and medicinal sites are summarized, and their active ingredients, pharmacological effects, related mechanisms, and potential toxicity are discussed. In conclusion, natural medicines, as an acceptable complementary and alternative strategy with fewer side effects and more long-term application, can provide a reference for developing more natural antialtitude sickness medicines in the future and have good application prospects in HAI treatment.

Pattern classification is a key approach in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and it is used to classify the patients for intervention selection accordingly. TCM cold and heat patterns, two main patterns of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had been explored with systems biology approaches. Different regulations of apoptosis were found to be involved in cold and heat classification in our previous works. For this study, the metabolic profiling of plasma was explored in RA patients with typical TCM cold or heat patterns by integrating liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) platforms in conjunction with the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software. Three main processes of metabolism, including amino acid, carbohydrate and lipid were focused on for function analysis. The results showed that 29 and 19 differential metabolites were found in cold and heat patterns respectively, compared with healthy controls. The perturbation of amino acid metabolism (increased essential amino acids), carbohydrate metabolism (galactose metabolism) and lipid metabolism, were found to be involved in both cold and heat pattern RA. In particular, more metabolic perturbations in protein and collagen breakdown, decreased glycolytic activity and aerobic oxidation, and increased energy utilization associated with RA cold pattern patients. These findings may be useful for obtaining a better understanding of RA pathogenesis and for achieving a better efficacy in RA clinical practice.