Drought restricts plant growth and agricultural production. As an important medicinal plant, Blumea balsamifera is sensitive to water, but there is still a lack of systematic research on its drought response mechanism. In this study, four-month-old B. balsamifera seedlings were used as materials, and three groups were set up: normal irrigation (CK), drought stress (DS), and rewatering recovery (RW). The results showed that drought significantly inhibited the growth and photosynthesis of B. balsamifera. With the prolongation of stress time (day 12), the limiting factor of photosynthesis changed from initial stomatal limitation to non - stomatal limitation. In terms of physiology and biochemistry, B. balsamifera increased MDA content by actively reducing SPAD value and relative water content of leaves; and activates the antioxidant enzyme system to remove ROS, synergistically accumulates lignin, soluble sugar, proline and other osmotic adjustment substances, and jointly maintains cell water balance and membrane system stability. Through transcriptome and proteome analysis, 20,874 DEGs and 2770 DEPs were screened out, which were significantly enriched in terms related to ribosome, oxidoreductase activity, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and other pathways. A total of 55 drought - related DEGs - DEPs were identified by two - omics, and 18 key regulatory genes were screened. In summary, B. balsamifera formed a comprehensive drought resistance mechanism through photosynthesis, physiology and DEGs - DEPs network. This study provides theoretical support for the breeding and resource development of B. balsamifera, and also provides reference for the study of stress resistance of other medicinal plants.

Introduction: Soil salinization is a key limiting factor for global agricultural production and plant growth. However, the salt tolerance response mechanism of the medicinal plant Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC. has not been systematically investigated. Methods: Fivemonthold seedlings of B. balsamifera were used as experimental materials, and five salt treatments were designed: control (CK), low salt (LS), moderate salt (MS), high salt (HS), and extremely high salt (EHS). Growth, photosynthetic, and physiological indices were measured. According to physiological changes, the HS and EHS groups at 12 d of treatment (when plants entered the core stress response stage) were selected for integrated multiomics analysis. Results: With increasing salt stress, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), and stomatal conductance (Gs) of B. balsamifera decreased continuously. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) increased first and then decreased, synergistically removing reactive oxygen species (ROS) with peroxidase (POD). Changes in osmotic adjustment substances and elevated lignin (LIG) content implied enhanced cell wall–related processes. Metabolomic analysis identified 677 and 692 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) in HS vs CK and EHS vs CK, respectively, both enriched in flavone and flavonol biosynthesis. Transcriptomic analysis detected 30,213 and 13,644 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HS vs CK and EHS vs CK, respectively, both enriched in oxidative phosphorylation. Integrated analysis demonstrated that oxidative phosphorylation, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and cutin, suberine, and wax biosynthesis were the core response pathways, which mediated salt tolerance by regulating key DAMs (e.g., fumaric acid, kaempferol3Orutinoside, luteolin) and DEGs (e.g., flavonoid 3’monooxygenase, peroxygenaselike isoform X2). Discussion: This study systematically clarifies the salt tolerance mechanism of B. balsamifera , providing a theoretical basis for its salttolerant breeding and the utilization of medicinal plant resources in salinized regions.

Diabetic wound healing presents significant challenges due to impaired angiogenesis, chronic inflammation, and cellular dysfunction. Building on previous research, this study further explores the potential of a plant-derived glucosyloxybenzyl 2-isobutylmalates (B-CGT) hydrogel in promoting diabetic wound healing. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses suggest that B-CGT may regulate key mechanisms, such as apoptosis, inflammation, and matrix remodeling, through core targets including SIRT1, CASP8, and MMP8. In vivo studies further demonstrated that B-CGT hydrogel significantly accelerated wound closure in diabetic mice, enhanced angiogenesis, promoted collagen deposition, and achieved immune balance by modulating macrophage polarization, thereby shifting the inflammatory environment toward a repair state. Moreover, B-CGT hydrogel significantly improved the wound microenvironment by upregulating VEGF expression and exerting antioxidant effects. By combining theoretical predictions with experimental validation, this study elucidates the multi-target synergistic regulatory mechanisms of B-CGT hydrogel. These findings provide new research directions for addressing immune imbalance and angiogenesis defects in diabetic wound healing and lay a scientific foundation for the optimization and application of chronic wound treatment strategies.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease in which persistent synovitis drives interconnected cartilage degradation, bone erosion, and functional decline. Conventional synthetic, biologic, and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) remain the foundation of RA management. Hydrogel-based local therapy should therefore be positioned as an adjunct for selected joints rather than as a substitute for systemic disease control. Hydrogels provide a versatile local materials platform because their injectability, tunable crosslinking, tissue retention, stimulus-responsive release, interfacial adhesion, lubrication, and extracellular matrix-mimetic properties can be tailored to the inflamed joint microenvironment. This narrative, evidence-graded review evaluates local hydrogel therapies using two complementary frameworks: the synovium–cartilage–bone pathological axis and a materials-science chain linking composition and crosslinking to structure and properties, release and degradation, and tissue-level outcomes. Evidence is classified as direct RA evidence, transferable evidence from related disease or tissue-engineering models, or conceptual evidence from mechanistic and materials-science studies. Therapeutic outcomes are separately graded as local immunomodulation, structural protection, tissue repair, or functionally validated structural disease modification. Current preclinical evidence supports the use of hydrogels for sustained local delivery and synovial immunomodulation, while selected systems demonstrate cartilage-protective or anti-erosive effects. However, durable multitissue restoration accompanied by functional recovery remains insufficiently demonstrated. Future studies should prioritize RA-relevant long-term models, in vivo intra-articular pharmacokinetics and biodistribution, standardized structural and functional endpoints, repeat-dose safety, and evaluation as add-on therapy to systemic DMARDs.

Drought severely restricts the growth and secondary metabolism of medicinal plants. Blumea balsamifera is a water-sensitive and economically important medicinal species, yet its molecular regulatory mechanisms in response to drought remain largely unclear, which is worthy of in-depth investigation. In this study, four-month-old B. balsamifera seedlings were subjected to three treatments; normal irrigation (CK), drought stress (DS), and rehydration recovery (RW). Leaf photosynthetic parameters, L-Borneol content, and root physiological indices were determined, and transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were integrated to explore its drought response mechanism. Under drought stress, leaf net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance decreased sharply, while intercellular CO₂ concentration increased; L-Borneol content showed a biphasic change, and root malondialdehyde content accumulated continuously, accompanied by significant increases in antioxidant enzyme activities and osmotic regulator contents. A total of 9917 differentially expressed genes and 736 differentially expressed proteins were identified, which were mainly enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, photosynthesis and other pathways, with photosynthesis-related genes and proteins coordinately downregulated. B. balsamifera adapts to drought stress by activating the antioxidant defense system, regulating osmotic substances, and reprogramming photosynthetic networks. The key candidate genes obtained provide important targets for drought-tolerant breeding of this species, and their reliability was verified by RT-qPCR.