Panax notoginseng saponins promote endothelial progenitor cell angiogenesis via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Panax notoginseng saponins loaded W/O microemulsion for alopecia therapy with panthenol as cosurfactant to reduce skin irritation

The etiology of alopecia is so complex that current therapies with single-mechanism and attendant side-effects during long-term usage, are insufficient for treatment. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) is supposed to treat alopecia with multiple mechanisms, but difficult to penetrate skin efficiently due to water-solubility. Here, we designed water-in-oil microemulsion (PNS ME) using jojoba oil, fractioned coconut oil, RH 40 + Span 80 and cosurfactant D-panthenol, to help PNS penetrating the skin. Particularly, D-panthenol not only enlarges the microemulsion area, reduces the usage amounts of surfactants thus relieves skin irritation, but stimulates the migration of dermal papilla cells (DPCs), displaying cooperative effects on anti-alopecia. PNS ME penetrates through sebum-rich corneum via high-affinity lipid fusion, targets to hair follicles (HFs), where it resides in skin for sustained drug release, accelerates angiogenesis to build well-nourished environment for HFs, and facilitates the proliferation and migration of DPCs in vitro. PNS ME markedly improved hair density, skin pigmentation, new hair weight, skin thickness, and collagen generation of telogen effluvium mice. Moreover, PNS also took outstanding curative effects on androgenetic alopecia mice. Upon further exploration, PNS ME caused dramatic upregulations of β-catenin, VEGF and Ki67, suggesting it might function by triggering Wnt/β-catenin pathway, accelerating vessels formation, and activating the hair follicle stem cells. Notably, PNS ME indicated longer-term safety than minoxidil tincture. Together, PNS ME provides a comprehensive strategy for alopecia, especially it avoids defects by high-proportioned surfactants in traditional microemulsion, exhibiting milder and safer, which shows bright prospect of applying microemulsion in hair growth promotion.

3D Printing of Naturally Derived Adhesive Hemostatic Sponge

Hydrogel hemostatic sponges have been recognized for its effectiveness in wound treatment due to its excellent biocompatibility, degradability, as well as multi-facet functionalities. Current research focuses on optimizing the composition and structure of the sponge to enhance its therapeutic effectiveness. Here, we propose an adhesive hydrogel made from purely natural substances extracted from okra and Panax notoginseng. We utilize 3-dimensional (3D) printing technology to fabricate the hemostatic hydrogel scaffold, incorporating gelatin into the hydrogel and refining the mixing ratio. The interaction between gelatin and okra polyphenols contributes to successful injectability as well as stability of the printed scaffold. The okra in the scaffold exhibits favorable adhesion and hemostatic effects, and the total saponins of Panax notoginseng facilitate angiogenesis. Through in vitro experiments, we have substantiated the scaffold's excellent stability, adhesion, biocompatibility, and angiogenesis-promoting ability. Furthermore, in vivo experiments have demonstrated its dual functionality in rapid hemostasis and wound repair. These features suggest that the 3D-printed, natural substance-derived hydrogel scaffolds have valuable potential in wound healing and related applications.

Osthole accelerates osteoporotic fracture healing by inducing the osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling of BMSCs via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Osthole, a natural coumarin derivative, has been shown to have multiple pharmacological activities. However, its effect on osteoporotic fracture has not yet been examined. This research was designed to explore the unknown role and potential mechanism of osthole on osteoporotic fracture healing. We first evaluated the osteogenic and angiogenic abilities of osthole. Then angiogenesis-related assays were conducted to investigate the relationship between osteogenesis and angiogenesis, and further explore its molecular mechanism. After that, we established osteoporotic fracture model in ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis rats and treated the rats with osthole or placebo. Radiography, histomorphometry, histology, and sequential fluorescent labeling were used to evaluate the effect of osthole on osteoporotic fracture healing. In vitro research revealed that osthole promoted osteogenesis and up-regulated the expression of angiogenic-related markers. Further research found that osthole couldn't facilitate the angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in a direct manner, but it possessed the ability to induce the osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Mechanistically, this was conducted through activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Subsequently, using ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis tibia fracture rat model, we observed that osthole facilitated bone formation and CD31hiEMCNhi type H-positive capillary formation. Sequential fluorescent labeling confirmed that osthole could effectively accelerate bone formation in the fractured region. The data above indicated that osthole could accelerate osteoporotic fracture healing by inducing the osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling of BMSCs via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which implied that osthole may be a potential drug for treating osteoporosis fracture.

Living Chinese Herbal Scaffolds from Microfluidic Bioprinting for Wound Healing

Biological scaffolds have been widely employed in wound healing applications, while their practical efficiency is compromised by insufficient oxygen delivery to the 3-dimensional constructs and inadequate nutrient supply for the long-term healing process. Here, we present an innovative living Chinese herbal scaffold to provide a sustainable oxygen and nutrient supply for promoting wound healing. Through a facile microfluidic bioprinting strategy, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine (Panax notoginseng saponins [PNS]) and a living autotrophic microorganism (microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidosa [MA]) were successfully encapsulated into the scaffolds. The encapsulated PNS could be gradually released from the scaffolds, which promoted cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and tube formation in vitro. In addition, benefiting from the photosynthetic oxygenation of the alive MA, the obtained scaffolds would produce sustainable oxygen under light illumination, exerting a protective effect against hypoxia-induced cell death. Based on these features, we have demonstrated through in vivo experiments that these living Chinese herbal scaffolds could efficiently alleviate local hypoxia, enhance angiogenesis, and thereby accelerate wound closure in diabetic mice, indicating their great potential in wound healing and other tissue repair applications.

Notoginseng Triterpenes Inhibited Autophagy in Random Flaps via the Beclin-1/VPS34/LC3 Signaling Pathway to Improve Tissue Survival

Random flaps are widely used in tissue reconstruction, attributed to the lack of vascular axial limitation. Nevertheless, the distal end of the flap is prone to necrosis due to the lack of blood supply. Notoginseng triterpenes (NTs) are the active components extracted from Panax notoginseng, reducing oxygen consumption and improving the body’s tolerance to hypoxia. However, their role in random flap survival has not been elucidated. In this study, we used a mouse random skin flap model to verify that NT can promote cell proliferation and migration and that increasing blood perfusion can effectively improve the survival area of a skin flap. Our study also showed that the autophagy of random flaps after NT treatment was activated through the Beclin-1/VPS34/LC3 signaling pathway, and the therapeutic effect of NT significantly decreased after VPS34 IN inhibited autophagy. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that NT can significantly improve the survival rate of random flaps through the Beclin-1/VPS34/LC3 signaling pathway, suggesting that it might be a promising clinical treatment option.

The RNA Methyltransferase METTL3 Promotes Endothelial Progenitor Cell Angiogenesis in Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis via the PI3K/AKT Pathway

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is used to treat large bone defects in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Successful DO-mediated bone regeneration is dependent upon angiogenesis, and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are key mediators of angiogenic processes. The N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) methyltransferase has been identified as an important regulator of diverse biological processes, but its role in EPC-mediated angiogenesis during DO remains to be clarified. In the present study, we found that the level of m⁶A modification was significantly elevated during the process of DO and that it was also increased in the context of EPC angiogenesis under hypoxic conditions, which was characterized by increased METTL3 levels. After knocking down METTL3 in EPCs, m⁶A RNA methylation, proliferation, tube formation, migration, and chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) angiogenic activity were inhibited, whereas the opposite was observed upon the overexpression of METTL3. Mechanistically, METTL3 silencing reduced the levels of VEGF and PI3Kp110 as well as the phosphorylation of AKT, whereas METTL3 overexpression reduced these levels. SC79-mediated AKT phosphorylation was also able to restore the angiogenic capabilities of METTL3-deficient EPCs in vitro and ex vivo. In vivo, METTL3-overexpressing EPCs were additionally transplanted into the DO callus, significantly enhancing bone regeneration as evidenced by improved radiological and histological manifestations in a canine mandibular DO model after consolidation over a 4-week period. Overall, these results indicate that METTL3 accelerates bone regeneration during DO by enhancing EPC angiogenesis via the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Panax notoginseng Saponin Promotes Bone Regeneration in Distraction Osteogenesis via the TGF-β1 Signaling Pathway

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is an efficient strategy that is employed for the treatment of large bone defects in craniomaxillofacial surgery. Despite its utility, however, DO is associated with a prolonged consolidation phase and a high complication rate that hinder its more widespread utilization. Panax notoginseng saponin (PNS) is a traditional Chinese medicine that is frequently administered for the treatment of a range of conditions. Herein, we explored the ability of PNS treatment to influence osteogenic differentiation using both rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal cells (BMSCs) and a model of mandibular DO. BMSC proliferation was assessed via CCK-8 assay, while osteogenic differentiation was monitored through ALP and alizarin red S staining. A PCR approach was used to evaluate the expression of genes associated with osteogenesis (ALP, Runx2, and OCN) and genes linked to the TGF pathway (TβR-II, SMAD2, SMAD3, and PPM1A). For in vivo experiments, treated BMSCs were locally injected into the DO gap, with PNS being injected into treated rabbits every other day throughout the experimental period. The quality of the regenerative process was assessed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray imaging, and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. These analyses revealed that PNS was able to promote BMSC osteogenesis and mandibular generation, driving the upregulation of osteogenesis-related genes at the mRNA levels through the modulation of the TGF-β1/Smad pathway. Consistently, the overexpression or silencing of TβR-II in PNS-treated BMSCs was sufficient to modulate their osteogenic potential. Analyses of in vivo mandibular DO outcomes revealed significantly augmented new bone growth in the PNS-treated group relative to control animals, with maximal osteogenesis in the group overexpressing rabbit TβR-II. Together, these results highlight the PNS as a promising and cost-effective therapeutic tool with the potential to enhance bone regeneration in clinical contexts through the modulation of the TGF-β1/Smad pathway.