The chronic infections related to biofilm and intracellular bacteria are always hard to be cured because of their inherent resistance to both antimicrobial agents and host defenses. Herein we develop a facile approach to overcome the above conundrum through phosphatidylcholine-decorated Au nanoparticles loaded with gentamicin (GPA NPs). The nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and ultraviolet−visible (UV−vis) absorption spectra which demonstrated that GPA NPs with a diameter of approximately 180 nm were uniform. The loading manner and release behaviors were also investigated. The generated GPA NPs maintained their antibiotic activities against planktonic bacteria, but more effective to damage established biofilms and inhibited biofilm formation of pathogens including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, GPA NPs were observed to be nontoxic to RAW 264.7 cells and readily engulfed by the macrophages, which facilitated the killing of intracellular bacteria in infected macrophages. These results suggested GPA NPs might be a promising antibacterial agent for effective treatment of chronic infections due to microbial biofilm and intracellular bacteria.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease in which oxidative stress and neuroinflammation were demonstrated to be associated with neuronal loss and cognitive deficits. However, there are still no specific treatments that can prevent the progression of AD. In this study, a screening of anti-inflammatory hits from 4207 natural compounds of two different molecular libraries indicated 1,6-O,O-diacetylbritannilactone (OABL), a 1,10-seco-eudesmane sesquiterpene lactone isolated from the herb Inula britannica L., exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activity in vitro as well as favorable BBB penetration property. OABL reduced LPS-induced neuroinflammation in BV-2 microglial cells as assessed by effects on the levels of inflammatory mediators including NO, PGE₂, TNF-α, iNOS, and COX-2, as well as the translocation of NF-κB. Besides, OABL also exhibited pronounced neuroprotective effects against oxytosis and ferroptosis in the rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cell line. For in vivo research, OABL (20 mg/kg B.W., i.p.) for 21 d attenuated the impairments in cognitive function observed in 6-month-old 5xFAD mice, as assessed with the Morris water maze test. OABL restored neuronal damage and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) expression in the hippocampus. OABL also significantly reduced the accumulation of amyloid plaques, the Aβ expression, the phosphorylation of Tau protein, and the expression of BACE1 in AD mice brain. In addition, OABL attenuated the overactivation of microglia and astrocytes by suppressing the expressions of inflammatory cytokines, and increased glutathione (GSH) and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) and super oxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the 5xFAD mice brain. In conclusion, these results highlight the beneficial effects of the natural product OABL as a novel treatment with potential application for drug discovery in AD due to its pharmacological profile.