Using PG-Liposome-Based System to Enhance Puerarin Liver-Targeted Therapy for Alcohol-Induced Liver Disease

Liposomal nano-carriers mediated targeting of liver disorders: mechanisms and applications

Liver disorders present a significant global health challenge, necessitating the exploration of innovative treatment modalities. Liposomal nanocarriers have emerged as promising candidates for targeted drug delivery to the liver. This review offers a comprehensive examination of the mechanisms and applications of liposomal nanocarriers in addressing various liver disorders. Firstly discussing the liver disorders and the conventional treatment approaches, the review delves into the liposomal structure and composition. Moreover, it tackles the different mechanisms of liposomal targeting including both passive and active strategies. After that, the review moves on to explore the therapeutic potentials of liposomal nanocarriers in treating liver cirrhosis, fibrosis, viral hepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Through discussing recent advancements and envisioning future perspectives, this review highlights the role of liposomal nanocarriers in enhancing the effectiveness and the safety of liver disorders and consequently improving patient outcomes and enhances life quality.

Nanoparticle delivery systems of functional substances for precision nutrition

Foodborne functional substances have received much attention for their functional benefits in health and disease. However, these substances are easily affected by the adverse environment during production, transportation, or storage. They will also be damaged by the gastric environment and limited by the mucosal barrier after entering the human body, thus affecting the bioavailability of functional substances in the body. The construction of nanoparticle delivery systems is helpful to protect the biological activity of functional substances and improve their solubility, stability, and absorption of substances. Responsive delivery systems help control the release of functional substances in specific environments and targeted sites to achieve nutritional intervention, disease prevention, and treatment. In this chapter, the main types of foodborne functional substances and their commonly used delivery systems were reviewed, and the application of delivery systems in precision nutrition was described from the aspects of environmental stimuli-responsive delivery systems, site-specific delivery systems, and disease-targeted delivery systems.

Liposomes delivery systems of functional substances for precision nutrition

Natural bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and other biological activities are vital for maintaining the body's physiological functions and enhancing immunity. These compounds have great potential as nutritional therapeutic agents, but they can be limited due to their poor flavor, color, unstable nature, and poor water solubility, and degradation by gastrointestinal enzymes. Liposomes, as ideal carriers, can encapsulate both water-soluble and fat-soluble nutrients, enhance the bioavailability of functional substances, promote the biological activity of functional substances, and control the release of nutrients. Despite their potential, liposomes still face obstacles in nutrient delivery. Therefore, the design of liposomes for special needs, optimization of the liposome preparation process, enhancement of liposome encapsulation efficiency, and industrial production are key issues that must be addressed in order to develop food-grade liposomes. Moreover, the research on surface-targeted modification and surface functionalization of liposomes is valuable for expanding the scope of application of liposomes and achieving the release of functional substances from liposomes at the appropriate time and site. The establishment of in vivo and in vitro digestion models of nutrient-loaded liposomes, in-depth study of gastrointestinal digestive behavior after liposome ingestion, targeted nutrient release, and deciphering the nutritional intervention of human diseases and positive health promotion are promising fields with broad development prospects.

Puerarin Modulates Hepatic Farnesoid X Receptor and Gut Microbiota in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Obesity is associated with alterations in lipid metabolism and gut microbiota dysbiosis. This study investigated the effects of puerarin, a bioactive isoflavone, on lipid metabolism disorders and gut microbiota in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Supplementation with puerarin reduced plasma alanine aminotransferase, liver triglyceride, liver free fatty acid (FFA), and improved gut microbiota dysbiosis in obese mice. Puerarin's beneficial metabolic effects were attenuated when farnesoid X receptor (FXR) was antagonized, suggesting FXR-mediated mechanisms. In hepatocytes, puerarin ameliorated high FFA-induced sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) 1 signaling, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction in an FXR-dependent manner. In obese mice, puerarin reduced liver damage, regulated hepatic lipogenesis, decreased inflammation, improved mitochondrial function, and modulated mitophagy and ubiquitin-proteasome pathways, but was less effective in FXR knockout mice. Puerarin upregulated hepatic expression of FXR, bile salt export pump (BSEP), and downregulated cytochrome P450 7A1 (CYP7A1) and sodium taurocholate transporter (NTCP), indicating modulation of bile acid synthesis and transport. Puerarin also restored gut microbial diversity, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, and the abundance of Clostridium celatum and Akkermansia muciniphila. This study demonstrates that puerarin effectively ameliorates metabolic disturbances and gut microbiota dysbiosis in obese mice, predominantly through FXR-dependent pathways. These findings underscore puerarin's potential as a therapeutic agent for managing obesity and enhancing gut health, highlighting its dual role in improving metabolic functions and modulating microbial communities.

The application strategy of liposomes in organ targeting therapy

Liposomes-microscopic phospholipid bubbles with bilayered membrane structure-have been a focal point in drug delivery research for the past 30 years. Current liposomes possess a blend of biocompatibility, drug loading efficiency, prolonged circulation and targeted delivery. Tailored liposomes, varying in size, charge, lipid composition, and ratio, have been developed to address diseases in specific organs, thereby enhancing drug circulation, accumulation at lesion sites, intracellular delivery, and treatment efficacy for various organ-specific diseases. For further successful development of this field, this review summarized liposomal strategies for targeting different organs in series of major human diseases, including widely studied cardiovascular diseases, liver and spleen immune diseases, chronic or acute kidney injury, neurodegenerative diseases, and organ-specific tumors. It highlights recent advances of liposome-mediated therapeutic agent delivery for disease intervention and organ rehabilitation, offering practical guidelines for designing organ-targeted liposomes. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Lipid-Based Structures.

Advances in Extraction, Purification, and Analysis Techniques of the Main Components of Kudzu Root: A Comprehensive Review

Kudzu root (Pueraria lobate (Willd.) Ohwi, KR) is an edible plant with rich nutritional and medicinal values. Over the past few decades, an ample variety of biological effects of Pueraria isoflavone have been evaluated. Evidence has shown that Pueraria isoflavone can play an active role in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, neuroprotection, and cardiovascular protection. Over 50 isoflavones in kudzu root have been identified, including puerarin, daidzein, daidzin, 3'-hydroxy puerarin, and genistein, each with unambiguous structures. However, the application of these isoflavones in the development of functional food and health food still depends on the extraction, purification and identification technology of Pueraria isoflavone. In recent years, many green and novel extraction, purification, and identification techniques have been developed for the preparation of Pueraria isoflavone. This review provides an updated overview of these techniques, specifically for isoflavones in KR since 2018, and also discusses and compares the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques in depth. The intention is to provide a research basis for the green and efficient extraction, purification, and identification of Pueraria isoflavone and offers investigators a valuable reference for future studies on the KR.

Changes in the content of Puerarin-PLGA nanoparticles in mice under the influence of alcohol and analysis of their antialcoholism

To observe the metabolic changes and antialcoholic effect of Puerarin-PLGA nanoparticles (PUE-NP) in mice. PUE-NP was prepared and characterized by particle size distribution and morphology. The mouse models with acute alcoholism were established to observe their behavioral changes after alcohol poisoning. The expressions of biologically active enzymes such as CRE, BUN, AST, ALT in serum and SOD and TLR4 in liver of mice in each group were detected, and the pathological changes in liver and kidney tissues were observed by HE staining. The PUE-NP metabolism in mice was determined by in vitro release assay and HPLC. PUE-NP nanoparticles had good morphology and structure, and the mouse models with alcohol poisoning were established successfully. Compared with alcohol group, puerarin and PUE-NP increased the disappearance latency time of righting reflex, and the recovery time of righting reflex was significantly shortened. Water maze results showed that Puerarin and PUE-NP had inhibitory effect on impaired memory. HPLC results showed that PUE-NP reached its peak in mice after 1 h, and the content percentage was twice that of puerarin preparation alone, and the distribution time of puerarin concentration in vivo was prolonged, indicating that PLGA nanoparticles had a loading and slow-release effect on puerarin and increased the bioavailability of puerarin in mice. In addition, compared with the alcohol group, Puerarin and PUE-NP improved serum ALT, AST, CRE, and BUN levels in mice, enhanced SOD activity in liver, and inhibited TLR4 expression. The effect was better in the PUE-NP group than in the Puerarin group. PUE-NP delayed the release and metabolism of Puerarin and had better effect in the treatment of the alcoholic liver and kidney injury.

Liver-specific drug delivery platforms: Applications for the treatment of alcohol-associated liver disease

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a common chronic liver disease and major contributor to liver disease-related deaths worldwide. Despite its pre-valence, there are few effective pharmacological options for the severe stages of this disease. While much pre-clinical research attention is paid to drug development in ALD, many of these experimental therapeutics have limitations such as poor pharmacokinetics, poor efficacy, or off-target side effects due to systemic administration. One means of addressing these limitations is through liver-targeted drug delivery, which can be accomplished with different platforms including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, exosomes, bacteria, and adeno-associated viruses, among others. These platforms allow drugs to target the liver passively or actively, thereby reducing systemic circulation and increasing the ‘effective dose’ in the liver. While many studies, some clinical, have applied targeted delivery systems to other liver diseases such as viral hepatitis or hepatocellular carcinoma, only few have investigated their efficacy in ALD. This review provides basic information on these liver-targeting drug delivery platforms, including their benefits and limitations, and summarizes the current research efforts to apply them to the treatment of ALD in rodent models. We also discuss gaps in knowledge in the field, which when addressed, may help to increase the efficacy of novel therapies and better translate them to humans.

Dual-spectrum online monitoring of puerarin and total flavonoids contents during the extraction process of Pueraria lobata

In the extraction process of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the rapid detection of the active components of TCM plays a vital role. We pioneered the choice of dual-spectrum technology based on near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectra and applied it to the quantitative monitoring of online extraction of puerarin and total flavonoids from Pueraria lobata. An online monitoring system was constructed to fulfill the dual-spectrum online monitoring. The extraction solution flows from a flask into a pipeline under the control of a peristaltic pump, removing the solid residues contained in the solution with filters. When the extraction solution flows into the cuvette, it will be measured with NIR and UV-Vis portable spectrometers. After finishing the spectra collection, the peristaltic pump will reverse to push the extraction solution back to the flask. The partial least squares (PLS) models were established to quantitatively analyze puerarin and total flavonoids by NIR, UV-Vis, and dual-spectrum data. As for NIR, UV-Vis and dual-spectrum, the RMSEP (mg/mL) of the puerarin models were 0.0803, 0.0500, and 0.0351, and those of the total flavonoids models were 0.4373, 0.2402, and 0.1795, respectively. The results show that the dual-spectrum online monitoring system is simple, stable and fast (a few seconds) in operation, and accurate in prediction. Compared with individual NIR or UV-Vis spectra, the dual-spectra contains more comprehensive information, and the prediction ability is stronger. This method is expected to become a promising tool for the quantitative analysis of other traditional Chinese medicines.

Modern Nanocarriers as a Factor in Increasing the Bioavailability and Pharmacological Activity of Flavonoids

This review is devoted to modern systems of nanocarriers that ensure the targeted delivery of flavonoids to various organs and systems. Flavonoids have wide range of effects on the human body due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antimicrobial, antiplatelet and other types of activity. However, the low bioavailability of flavonoids significantly limits their practical application. To overcome this disadvantage, serious efforts have been made in recent years to develop nanoscale carriers for flavonoids. This is particularly important in view of the known antitumor effect of these compounds, which allows them to target tumor cells without affecting surrounding healthy tissues. Nanocarriers provide increased penetration of biologicals into specific organs in combination with controlled and prolonged release, which markedly improves their effectiveness. This review summarizes data on the use of phytosomes, lipid-based nanoparticles, as well as polymeric and inorganic nanoparticles; their advantages and drawbacks are analyzed; the prospect of their use is discussed that opens new possibilities for the clinical application of flavonoids.

Toward a better understanding of metabolic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of low-solubility, low-permeability natural medicines

Today, it is very challenging to develop new active pharmaceutical ingredients. Developing good preparations of well-recognized natural medicines is certainly a practical and economic strategy. Low-solubility, low-permeability natural medicines (LLNMs) possess valuable advantages such as effectiveness, relative low cost and low toxicity, which is shown by the presence of popular products on the market. Understanding the in vivo metabolic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of LLNMs contributes to overcoming their associated problems, such as low absorption and low bioavailability. In this review, the structure-based metabolic reactions of LLNMs and related enzymatic systems, cellular and bodily pharmacological effects and metabolic influences, drug-drug interactions involved in metabolism and microenvironmental changes, and pharmacokinetics and dose-dependent/linear pharmacokinetic models are comprehensively evaluated. This review suggests that better pharmacological activity and pharmacokinetic behaviors may be achieved by modifying the metabolism through using nanotechnology and nanosystem in combination with the suitable administration route and dosage. It is noteworthy that novel nanosystems, such as triggered-release liposomes, nucleic acid polymer nanosystems and PEGylated dendrimers, in addition to prodrug and intestinal penetration enhancer, demonstrate encouraging performance. Insights into the metabolic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of LLNMs may help pharmacists to identify new LLNM formulations with high bioavailability and amazing efficacy and help physicians carry out LLNM-based precision medicine and individualized therapies.

Pharmacokinetics and drug delivery systems for puerarin, a bioactive flavone from traditional Chinese medicine

Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi is a medicinal and edible homologous plant with a long history in China. Puerarin, the main component isolated from the root of Pueraria lobata, possesses a wide range of pharmacological properties. Daidzein and glucuronides are the main metabolites of puerarin and are excreted in the urine and feces. As active substrates of P-gp, multidrug resistance-associated protein and multiple metabolic enzymes, the pharmacokinetics of puerarin can be influenced by different pathological conditions and drug-drug interactions. Due to the poor water-solubility and liposolubility, the applications of puerarin are limited. So far, only puerarin injections and eye drops are on the market. Recent years, researches on improving the bioavailability of puerarin are developing rapidly, various nanotechnologies and preparation technologies including microemulsions and SMEDDS, dendrimers, nanoparticles and nanocrystals have been researched to improve the bioavailability of puerarin. In order to achieve biocompatibility and desired activity, more effective quality evaluations of nanocarriers are required. In this review, we summarize the pharmacokinetics and drug delivery systems of puerarin up to date.

Traditional Chinese medicine combined with hepatic targeted drug delivery systems: A new strategy for the treatment of liver diseases

Liver diseases are clinically common and present a substantial public health issue. Many of the currently available drugs for the treatment of liver diseases suffer from limitations that include low hepatic distribution, lack of target effects, poor in vivo stability and adverse effects on other organs. Consequently, conventional treatment of hepatic diseases is ineffective. TCM is commonly used in the treatment of liver diseases worldwide, particularly in China, and has advantages over conventional therapy. HTDDS can be designed to enhance clinical efficacy in the treatment of liver diseases. We have conducted an extensive review of 335 studies reported since 1964. These included about 166 references involving the treatment of liver diseases with TCM (covering active components of TCM, single TCM and Chinese medicine formulas), 169 reports on HTDDS and background studies on liver-related diseases. Here we review the long history of TCM in the treatment of liver diseases.We have also reviewed the status of studies on active components of TCM using nanotechnology-based targeted delivery systems to provide support for further research and development of TCM-based targeted preparations for the treatment of liver disease.

Pathogenesis, Early Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Management of Alcoholic Liver Disease

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) refers to the damages to the liver and its functions due to alcohol overconsumption. It consists of fatty liver/steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, steatohepatitis, chronic hepatitis with liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the mechanisms behind the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease are extremely complicated due to the involvement of immune cells, adipose tissues, and genetic diversity. Clinically, the diagnosis of ALD is not yet well developed. Therefore, the number of patients in advanced stages has increased due to the failure of proper early detection and treatment. At present, abstinence and nutritional therapy remain the conventional therapeutic interventions for ALD. Moreover, the therapies which target the TNF receptor superfamily, hormones, antioxidant signals, and MicroRNAs are used as treatments for ALD. In particular, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are gaining attention as a potential therapeutic target of ALD. Therefore, in this review, we have summarized the current understandings of the pathogenesis and diagnosis of ALD. Moreover, we also discuss the various existing treatment strategies while focusing on promising therapeutic approaches for ALD.

Strategy for chemotherapeutic delivery using a nanosized porous metal-organic framework with a central composite design

BACKGROUND

Enhancing drug delivery is an ongoing endeavor in pharmaceutics, especially when the efficacy of chemotherapy for cancer is concerned. In this study, we prepared and evaluated nanosized HKUST-1 (nanoHKUST-1), nanosized metal-organic drug delivery framework, loaded with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for potential use in cancer treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

NanoHKUST-1 was prepared by reacting copper (II) acetate [Cu(OAc)₂] and benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (H₃BTC) with benzoic acid (C₆H₅COOH) at room temperature (23.7°C±2.4°C). A central composite design was used to optimize 5-FU-loaded nanoHKUST-1. Contact time, ethanol concentration, and 5-FU:material ratios were the independent variables, and the entrapment efficiency of 5-FU was the response parameter measured. Powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nitrogen adsorption were used to determine the morphology of nanoHKUST-1. In addition, 5-FU release studies were conducted, and the in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated.

RESULTS

Entrapment efficiency and drug loading were 9.96% and 40.22%, respectively, while the small-angle X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed a regular porous structure. The SEM and TEM images of the nanoHKUST-1 confirmed the presence of round particles (diameter: approximately 100 nm) and regular polygon arrays of mesoporous channels of approximately 2-5 nm. The half-maximal lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of the 5-FU-loaded nanoHKUST-1 was approximately 10 µg/mL.

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that nanoHKUST-1 is a potential vector worth developing as a cancer chemotherapeutic drug delivery system.