Silkworm dropping extract ameliorate trimellitic anhydride-induced allergic contact dermatitis by regulating Th1/Th2 immune response

Conductive Microneedle Patch with Electricity-Triggered Drug Release Performance for Atopic Dermatitis Treatment

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that seriously affects the life quality of patients. Topical administration of glucocorticoids is considered to be the most effective anti-inflammatory treatment. However, due to the barrier function of skin, only less than 20% of topical drug molecules could diffuse into the skin. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop an effective strategy to improve AD therapy. In this study, we reported a two-electrode microneedle patch (t-EMNP) composed of a polylactic acid-platinum (PLA-Pt) MN array and polylactic acid-platinum-polypyrrole (PLA-Pt-PPy) MN array for improving the transdermal drug delivery efficacy. The drug loading capability of MNs could be altered by employing different polymerization times and drug concentrations. The drug release rate of MNs could be changed by applying different voltages. We further developed a controlled transdermal drug delivery system (c-TDDS) based on this two-electrode microneedle patch (t-EMNP), exhibiting the remarkable performance of the electricity-triggered drug release profile. The drugs could be released with electrical stimulation, while there was almost no drug release without electrical stimulation. For AD treatment in vivo, this MN patch with electricity-triggered drug release performance could effectively deliver more drugs into the skin compared with other controls such as dexamethasone cream, which efficiently alleviate AD. In sum, this work not only developed a smart patch for improving AD treatment but also provided a promising approach of transdermal drug delivery on demand.

Differential Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology Analysis of Silkworm Biotransformation between Mulberry Leaves and Silkworm Droppings

Silkworm droppings are the product of mulberry leaves digested by silkworm intestines, which are an important medicinal resource in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The contents of total fat, fat acids, crude protein, amino acids, and secondary metabolites of obtained mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings were analyzed by HPLC, GC-MS, and UHPLC-Q-TOF MS. The target genes and enriched pathways related to significantly changed compositions between mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings were analyzed by network pharmacology. High unsaturated C18 : 3 fatty acids were transformed to low unsaturated C18 : 1 from mulberry leaves to silkworm droppings. Only lysine and 17 mini-peptides had significantly higher content in silkworm droppings than in mulberry leaves. There were 36 common target genes or the different compounds between mulberry leaves and silkworm droppings. The main pathways of mulberry leaf were enriched in antivirus and anticancer properties, while the pathways of silkworm droppings were enriched in hormone regulation and signal transduction.

Identification of potential allergens in larva, pupa, moth, silk, slough and feces of domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori)

The silkworm (Bombyx mori) is an important economic insect that can be used as food in many countries in Asia. However, silkworms and their metabolites are an important source of allergens, which can induce severe allergic reactions. So far, there are no systematic studies on the potential allergens in silkworm and its metabolites. These studies have important guiding significance for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of silkworm allergy. The aim of this study was to identify the potential allergens from larva, pupa, moth, silk, slough and feces of silkworm and analyze the sequence homology of silkworm allergens with other allergens identified in the Allergenonline database. We have found 45 potential allergens in silkworm. The results of the homology comparison suggested that silkworm allergens likely cross-react with those of Dermatophagoides farinae, Aedes aegypti, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Triticum aestivum and Malassezia furfur.

Effect of heat, enzymatic hydrolysis and acid-alkali treatment on the allergenicity of silkworm pupa protein extract

Silkworm pupae are edible insects with high-quality nutrition in many Asian countries, but consumption of silkworm pupae can cause severe IgE-mediated allergic disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of heat, enzymatic hydrolysis and acid-alkali treatment on the allergenicity of silkworm pupa protein extract (SPPE). Heating reduced the allergenicity of SPPE when the temperature was higher than 60 °C. Spectroscopy studies suggested an unfolded conformation of SPPE with heating, dependent on temperature and time. Enzymatic hydrolysis revealed that SPPE at 25 to 33 kDa contained pepsin- and trypsin-resistant allergens. The results of acid-alkali treatment suggested that low pH can promote hydrolysis of SPPE and decrease its allergenicity. Thus, heat, enzymatic hydrolysis and acid-alkali treatment can significantly decrease the allergenicity of SPPE, with heat-, enzyme- and acid-alkali-resistant allergens at 25 to 33 kDa SPPE. This study can help in the development of methods to prepare silkworm pupa protein.

Silkworm dropping extract regulates food allergy symptoms via inhibition of Th2-related responses in an ovalbumin-induced food allergy model

BACKGROUND

Silkworm droppings have long been used in traditional medicine to remedy allergic itching, palsy, blood circulation problems, and arthritis in Asian countries. To investigate the anti-allergic effect of silkworm dropping extract (SDE) and its mechanism, we used a mouse model of food allergy induced by ovalbumin (OVA).

RESULTS

SDE ameliorated the symptoms of OVA-induced food allergies, and the levels of T helper 2 (Th2)-related cytokines [such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13] were found to be significantly decreased in both the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes by SDE. Furthermore, SDE treatment directly inhibited OVA permeation, IL-4 production, and degranulation of mast cells; in contrast, immunoglobulin E (IgE) production from B cells was not affected.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that SDE has potential anti-allergic activities, and SDE may be useful in the treatment/prevention of allergic disorders such as food allergies, serving as therapeutic agents. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.