The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut microbiota imbalance. Although most researchers have demonstrated the antioxidant bioactivity of the phenolic compounds in plants, their UC-curing ability and underlying mechanisms still need to be further and adequately explored. Herein, we studied the antioxidation–structure relationship of several common polyphenols in plants including gallic acid, proanthocyanidin, ellagic acid, and tannic acid. Furthermore, the in vivo effects of the plant polyphenols on C57BL/6 mice with dextran-sulfate-sodium-induced UC were evaluated and the action mechanisms were explored. Moreover, the interplay of several mechanisms was determined. The higher the number of phenolic hydroxyl groups, the stronger the antioxidant activity. All polyphenols markedly ameliorated the symptoms and pathological progression of UC in mice. Furthermore, inflammatory cytokine levels were decreased and the intestinal barrier was repaired. The process was regulated by the antioxidant-signaling pathway of nuclear-erythroid 2-related factor 2. Moreover, the diversity of the intestinal microbiota, Firmicutes-to-Bacteroides ratio, and relative abundance of beneficial bacteria were increased. An interplay was observed between microbiota regulation and oxidative stress, immunity, and inflammatory response. Furthermore, intestinal barrier repair was found to be correlated with inflammatory responses. Our study results can form a basis for comprehensively developing plant-polyphenol-related medicinal products.

Long-term antibiotic use induces drug resistance in bacteria. This has given rise to the challenge of refractory infections, which have become a global health threat. Berberine (BBR) and tannic acid (TA) from plants exhibit promising antibacterial activities and may overcome antibiotic resistance. However, poor solubility and/or low penetration capability have limited their application. Carrier-free co-assembled nanocomposites composed entirely of BBR and TA exhibit improved or new properties and produce improved efficacy. Herein, we demonstrated that an ordered nanostructure could be spontaneously co-assembled by the solvent evaporation method using the two natural products. These co-assembled berberine–tannic acid nanoparticles (BBR-TA NPs) exhibited the best antibacterial effect compared with the corresponding physical mixture, pristine BBR, and some first-line antibiotics (benzylpenicillin potassium-BP and ciprofloxacin-Cip) against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Even if the concentration of BBR-TA NPs was as low as 15.63 μg/mL, the antibacterial rate against S. aureus and MRSA was more than 80%. In addition to the synergistic effect of the two compounds, the antibacterial mechanism underlying the nanostructures was that they strongly adhered to the surface of the bacterial cell wall, thereby inducing cell membrane damage and intracellular ATP leakage. Furthermore, the in vivo wound healing effect of BBR-TA NPs was verified using an MRSA wound infection mouse model. The BBR-TA NPs achieved the best efficacy compared with BP and Cip. Moreover, cytotoxic and histopathological evaluations of mice revealed that the nanodrug had good biological safety. This facile and green co-assembly strategy for preparing nanoparticles provides a feasible reference for the clinical treatment of bacterial infection.

Wound healing is one of the major challenges in the biomedical fields. The conventional single drug treatment has unsatisfactory efficacy, and the drug delivery effectiveness is restricted by the short retention on the wound. Herein, we develop a multifunctional adhesive hydrogel that can realize robust adhesion, transdermal delivery, and combination therapy for wound healing. Multifunctional hydrogels (CS-GA-S) are mixed with chitosan-gallic acid (CS-GA), sodium periodate, and centipede peptide-scolopin2, which slowly releases scolopin2 in the layer of the dermis. The released scolopin2 induces the pro-angiogenesis of skin wounds and enables excellent antibacterial effects. Separately, GA as a natural reactive-oxygen-species-scavenger promotes antioxidation, and further enables excellent antibacterial effects and wet tissue adhesion due to a Schiff base and Michael addition reaction for accelerating wound healing. Once adhered to the wound, the precursor solution becomes both a physically and covalently cross-linked network hydrogel, which has potential advantages for wound healing with ease of use, external environment-isolating, and minimal tissue damage. The therapeutic effects of CS-GA-S on wound healing are demonstrated with the full thickness cutaneous wounds of a mouse model. The significant improvement of wound healing is achieved for mice treated with CS-GA-S. This preparation reduces wound system exposure, prolongs local drug residence time, and improves efficacy. Accordingly, with the incorporation of scolopin2 into the shape-adaptive CS-GA hydrogel, the composite hydrogel possesses multi-functions of mechanical adhesion, drug therapy, and skin wound healing. Overall, such an injectable or sprayable hydrogel plays an effective role in emergency wound treatment with the advantage of convenience and portability.

Berberine (BBR) is used to treat cancer, inflammatory conditions, and so on. But the side effects of BBR causing constipation should not be ignored. In clinical application, the combination of Amomum villosum Lour. (AVL) and BBR can relieve it. However, the effective ingredients and molecular mechanism of AVL in relieving constipation are not clear. A small intestine propulsion experiment was conducted in constipated mice to screen active ingredients of AVL. We further confirmed the molecular mechanism of action of the active ingredient on BBR-induced constipation. Quercetin (QR) was found to be the effective ingredient of AVL in terms of relieving constipation. QR can efficiently regulate the microbiota in mice suffering from constipation. Moreover, QR significantly raised the levels of substance P and motilin while lowering those of 5-hydroxytryptamine and vasoactive intestinal peptide; furthermore, it also increased the protein expression levels of calmodulin, myosin light-chain kinase, and myosin light chain. The use of QR in combination with BBR has an adverse effect-reducing efficacy. The study provides new ideas and possibilities for the treatment of constipation induced by BBR.

In this study, a method using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array (UHPLC-PDA) was established and validated for the simultaneous quantification of 10 active components, including eight macamides and two glucosinolates, in Lepidium meyenii (maca). A gas chromatographic mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) method was used to determine the levels of three benzyl isothiocyanates and two sterols in maca. Liquid chromatographic separation was achieved on a Waters Acquity UHPLC HSS T3 column (2.1mm×100mm, 1.8μm) with gradient elution over 15min. The mobile phase was (B) acetonitrile-(A) 10mM aqueous ammonium phosphate, and the detection wavelength was 210nm. The gas chromatographic separation was performed on an SH-Rxi-1 MS column, and the ionization mode was electron ionization (EI). Two methods were confirmed to have desirable precision (RSD<1.58), repeatability (RSD<1.97), stability (RSD<1.76), and good linearity (R²0.999) within the test range. The recoveries were in the range of 96.79109.99, with an RSD below 2.39. We applied the established methods and successfully analyzed 15 compounds in maca processed under different drying conditions, providing a comprehensive reference for maca processing method of development. In summary, this study provided two rapid and effective methods for the quantification of 15 active components, which contributed to the in-depth maca quality control and provided a reference for the development of maca products.