Sepsis is a manifestation of the immune and inflammatory response to infection, which may lead to multi‑organ failure. Health care advances have improved outcomes in critical illness, but it still remains the leading cause of death. Septic cardiomyopathy is heart dysfunction brought on by sepsis. Septic cardiomyopathy is a common consequence of sepsis and has a mortality rate of up to 70%. There is a lack of understanding of septic cardiomyopathy pathogenesis; knowledge of its pathogenesis and the identification of potential therapeutic targets may reduce the mortality rate of patients with sepsis and lead to clinical improvements. The present review aimed to summarize advances in the pathogenesis of cardiac dysfunction in sepsis, with a focus on mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic changes and cell death modalities and pathways. The present review summarized diagnostic criteria and outlook for sepsis treatment, with the goal of identifying appropriate treatment methods for this disease.

Xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibition has long been considered an effective anti-hyperuricemia strategy. To identify effective natural XOD inhibitors with little side effects, we performed a XOD inhibitory assay-coupled isolation of compounds from Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma (SGR), a traditional Chinese medicine frequently prescribed as anti-hyperuricemia agent for centuries. Through the in vitro XOD inhibitory assay, we obtained a novel XOD inhibitor, 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid (#1, 5OCSA) with IC₅₀ of 13.96 μM, as well as two known XOD inhibitors, quercetin (#3) and astilbin (#6). Meanwhile, we performed in silico molecular docking and found 5OCSA could interact with the active sites of XOD (PDB ID: 3NVY) with a binding energy of −8.6 kcal/mol, suggesting 5OCSA inhibits XOD by binding with its active site. To evaluate the in vivo effects on XOD, we generated a hyperuricemia mice model by intraperitoneal injection of potassium oxonate (300 mg/kg) and oral gavage of hypoxanthine (500 mg/kg) for 7 days. 5OCSA could inhibit both hepatic and serum XOD in vivo, together with an improvement of histological and multiple serological parameters in kidney injury and HUA. Collectively, our results suggested that 5OCSA may be developed into a safe and effective XOD inhibitor based on in vitro, in silico and in vivo evidence.

The effective components of Coptis chinensis were extracted by ultrasound-assisted technology, and the contents of palmatine and berberine were used as indexes by using Coptis chinensis as raw material and eutectic solvent as extractant. In addition, the effects of hydrogen bond donor type, molar ratio of hydrogen bond donor to acceptor, material-liquid ratio, water content of eutectic solvent system, sonication time, power, and ultrasonic temperature on the extraction rate of palmatine and berberine were studied. The optimum extraction technology of palmatine and berberine from Coptis chinensis was determined by single-factor experiment and response surface optimization test. As a result, it showed that the eutectic solvent system was constructed with choline chloride as hydrogen bond acceptor and phenol as hydrogen bond donor, with a molar ratio of 1:3. In addition, water content of the eutectic solvent system was 30, ratio of material to liquid was 30g/mL, ultrasonic time was 30min, ultrasonic power was 200W, and ultrasonic temperature was 60°C. At this time, the contents of palmatine and berberine in Coptis chinensis were 16.7145mg/g and 57.4013mg/g, respectively, which were predicted to be the same as the value, and the extraction effect was better than that of traditional extraction solvent method.

The SD was extracted with a new green eutectic solvent, and the extraction method of TCM decoction was developed. In the quantitative analysis by HPLC, choline chloride phenol was selected as the eutectic solvent, THF was used as the extractant, and investigation of DES type, DES molar ratio, DES-to-THF ratio, vortex time, and material-to-liquid ratio was carried out. The experimental results showed that the optimal extraction method was as follows: the molar ratio of DES was 1:3, and the material-liquid ratio was 5:1200 (mL/μL). The volume ratio of DES to THF was 1200:800 (μL), the vortex time was 3min, and the extraction was repeated two times. The eutectic solvent liquid phase microextraction method was adopted to optimize the extraction method of SD and reduce the complicated processing, long time, and low efficiency of traditional methods. At the same time, in the mouse ammonia water inducing cough and phenol red excretion and expectorant experiments, SD high- and medium-dose groups have a significant inhibitory effect on the frequency of antitussive in mice and both can increase the excretion of phenol red to varying degrees, indicating that SD has good cough-relieving and expectorant effect. The present study suggests a scientific basis and basis for the clinical research and quality standard formulation of SD.