Coenzyme Q0 From Antrodia cinnamomea Exhibits Drug-Resistant Bacteria Eradication and Keratinocyte Inflammation Mitigation to Ameliorate Infected Atopic Dermatitis in Mouse

From gut to skin: exploring the potential of natural products targeting microorganisms for atopic dermatitis treatment

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease. Recent studies have revealed that interactions between pathogenic microorganisms, which have a tendency to parasitize the skin of AD patients, play a significant role in the progression of the disease. Furthermore, specific species of commensal bacteria in the human intestinal tract can have a profound impact on the immune system by promoting inflammation and pruritogenesis in AD, while also regulating adaptive immunity. Natural products (NPs) have emerged as promising agents for the treatment of various diseases. Consequently, there is growing interest in utilizing natural products as a novel therapeutic approach for managing AD, with a focus on modulating both skin and gut microbiota. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms and interplay between the skin and gut microbiota in relation to AD. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive overview of recent clinical and fundamental research on NPs targeting the skin and gut microbiota for AD treatment. We anticipate that our work will contribute to the future development of NPs and facilitate research on microbial mechanisms, based on the efficacy of NPs in treating AD.

Antimicrobial potentials of natural products against multidrug resistance pathogens: a comprehensive review

Antibiotic resistance is one of the critical issues, describing a significant social health complication globally. Hence, the discovery of novel antibiotics has acquired an increased attention particularly against drug-resistant pathogens. Natural products have served as potent therapeutics against pathogenic bacteria since the glorious age of antibiotics of the mid 20th century. This review outlines the various mechanistic candidates for dealing with multi-drug resistant pathogens and explores the terrestrial phytochemicals isolated from plants, lichens, insects, animals, fungi, bacteria, mushrooms, and minerals with reported antimicrobial activity, either alone or in combination with conventional antibiotics. Moreover, newly established tools are presented, including prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, bacteriophages, nanoparticles, and bacteriocins, supporting the progress of effective antibiotics to address the emergence of antibiotic-resistant infectious bacteria. Therefore, the current article may uncover promising drug candidates that can be used in drug discovery in the future.

Review of Bioactivity, Isolation, and Identification of Active Compounds from Antrodia cinnamomea

Antrodia cinnamomea is a precious and popular edible and medicinal mushroom. It has attracted increasing attention due to its various and excellent bioactivities, such as hepatoprotection, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, antitumor, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, and gut microbiota regulation properties. To elucidate its bioactivities and develop novel functional foods or medicines, numerous studies have focused on the isolation and identification of the bioactive compounds of A. cinnamomea. In this review, the recent advances in bioactivity, isolation, purification, and identification methods of active compounds from A. cinnamomea were summarized. The present work is beneficial to the further isolation and discovery of new active compounds from A. cinnamomea.

New Insight into Drugs to Alleviate Atopic March via Network Pharmacology-Based Analysis

In the present study, a subject of atopic dermatitis (AD) is exposed progressively to allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma (AS), which is defined as atopic march (AM). However, both the targets and compounds against AM are still largely unknown. Hence, we investigated the overlapping targets related directly to the occurrence and development of AD, AR, and AS through public databases (DisGeNET, and OMIM). The final overlapping targets were considered as key targets of AM, which were visualized by a Venn diagram. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using R package software. We retrieved the association between targets and ligands via scientific journals, and the ligands were filtered by physicochemical properties. Lastly, we performed a molecular docking test (MDT) to identify the significant ligand on each target. A total of 229 overlapping targets were considered as AM causal elements, and 210 out of them were interconnected with each other. We adopted 65 targets representing the top 30% highest in degree centrality among 210 targets. Then, we obtained 20 targets representing the top 30% greatest in betweenness centrality among 65 targets. The network analysis unveiled key targets against AM, and the MDT confirmed the affinity between significant compounds and targets. In this study, we described the significance of the eight uppermost targets (CCL2, CTLA4, CXCL8, ICAM1, IL10, IL17A, IL1B, and IL2) and eight ligands (Bindarit, CTLA-4 inhibitor, Danirixin, A-205804, AX-24 HCl, Y-320, T-5224, and Apilimod) against AM, providing a scientific basis for further experiments.

Cutaneous Delivery of Cosmeceutical Peptides Enhanced by Picosecond- and Nanosecond-Domain Nd:YAG Lasers with Quick Recovery of the Skin Barrier Function: Comparison with Microsecond-Domain Ablative Lasers

Picosecond or nanosecond-domain non-ablative lasers generate faster photothermal effects and cause less injury than microsecond lasers. In this study, we investigated the enhancing effect of 1064 nm picosecond- and nanosecond-domain neodymium (Nd):yttrium–aluminum–garnet (YAG) lasers on the cutaneous delivery of cosmeceutical peptides. Microsecond-domain fractional ablative CO2 and fully ablative erbium (Er):YAG lasers were also used for comparison. In the Franz diffusion cell study, pig or mouse skin was treated with a laser before exposure to palmitoyl tripeptide (PT)-1, PT-38, and copper tripeptide (CT)-1 at a concentration of 150 μM. Psoriasiform, atopic dermatitis (AD)-like, and photoaged skins were also developed as permeation barriers. The non-ablative laser elicited the ultrastructural disruption of the stratum corneum and epidermal vacuolation. All laser modalities significantly increased the skin permeation of peptides in vitro. The non-ablative laser chiefly enhanced peptide delivery to the receptor compartment, whereas the ablative laser mainly increased the intracutaneous peptide deposition. The picosecond- and nanosecond-domain Nd:YAG lasers elevated the amount of PT-1 in the receptor up to 40- and 22-fold compared with untreated skin, respectively. Laser treatment promoted peptide delivery in barrier-deficient and inflamed skins, although this enhancement effect was less than that observed in healthy skin. Fluorescence microscopy indicated the capability of the non-ablative laser to deliver peptides to deeper skin strata. The ablative laser confined the peptide distribution in the epidermis. Confocal microscopy showed that peptides penetrated the skin along the microdots created by the fractional Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers. The skin barrier function determined by transepidermal water loss suggested quick recovery when using a nanosecond-domain laser (within 4 h). A longer period was needed for the skin treated with the fully ablative Er:YAG laser (76–84 h). Nanosecond non-ablative laser-facilitated peptide delivery may become an efficient and safe approach for cosmeceutical applications.

Antrodia cinnamomea exerts an anti-hepatoma effect by targeting PI3K/AKT-mediated cell cycle progression in vitro and in vivo

Antrodia cinnamomea is extensively used as a traditional medicine to prevention and treatment of liver cancer. However, its comprehensive chemical fingerprint is uncertain, and the mechanisms, especially the potential therapeutic target for anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are still unclear. Using UPLC‒Q-TOF/MS, 139 chemical components were identified in A. cinnamomea dropping pills (ACDPs). Based on these chemical components, network pharmacology demonstrated that the targets of active components were significantly enriched in the pathways in cancer, which were closely related with cell proliferation regulation. Next, HCC data was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and DisGeNET were analyzed by bioinformatics, and 79 biomarkers were obtained. Furtherly, nine targets of ACDP active components were revealed, and they were significantly enriched in PI3K/AKT and cell cycle signaling pathways. The affinity between these targets and their corresponding active ingredients was predicted by molecular docking. Finally, in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that ACDPs could reduce the activity of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and downregulate the expression of cell cycle-related proteins, contributing to the decreased growth of liver cancer. Altogether, PI3K/AKT-cell cycle appears as the significant central node in anti-liver cancer of A. Cinnamomea.

Coenzyme Q0 Inhibits NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation through Mitophagy Induction in LPS/ATP-Stimulated Macrophages

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) analogs with a variable number of isoprenoid units have exhibited as anti-inflammatory as well as antioxidant molecules. Using novel quinone derivative CoQ₀ (2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, zero side chain isoprenoid), we studied its molecular activities against LPS/ATP-induced inflammation and redox imbalance in murine RAW264.7 macrophages. CoQ₀'s non- or subcytotoxic concentration suppressed the NLRP3 inflammasome and procaspase-1 activation, followed by downregulation of IL1β expression in LPS/ATP-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Similarly, treatment of CoQ₀ led to LC3-I/II accumulation and p62/SQSTM1 activation. An increase in the Beclin-1/Bcl-2 ratio and a decrease in the expression of phosphorylated PI3K/AKT, p70 S6 kinase, and mTOR showed that autophagy was activated. Besides, CoQ₀ increased Parkin protein to recruit damaged mitochondria and induced mitophagy in LPS/ATP-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. CoQ₀ inhibited LPS/ATP-stimulated ROS generation in RAW264.7 macrophages. Notably, when LPS/ATP-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with CoQ₀, Mito-TEMPO (a mitochondrial ROS inhibitor), or N-acetylcysteine (NAC, a ROS inhibitor), there was a significant reduction of LPS/ATP-stimulated NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL1β expression. Interestingly, treatment with CoQ₀ or Mito-TEMPO, but not NAC, significantly increased LPS/ATP-induced LC3-II accumulation indicating that mitophagy plays a key role in the regulation of CoQ₀-inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Nrf2 knockdown significantly decreased IL1β expression in LPS/ATP-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages suggesting that CoQ₀ inhibited ROS-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL1β expression was suppressed due to the Nrf2 activation. Hence, this study showed that CoQ₀ might be a promising candidate for the therapeutics of inflammatory disorders due to its effective anti-inflammatory as well as antioxidant properties.

Effect of cefoperazone sulbactam sodium combined with meropenem on the immune function in the treatment of neonatal pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of cefoperazone sulbactam sodium combined with meropenem on the immune function in the treatment of neonatal multi-drug resistant pneumonia.

METHODS

Altogether 130 children with pneumonia caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria admitted to our hospital from January 2016 to January 2019 were recruited as the study cohort. The children were randomly divided into a combined group (n=80, combined therapy) and a control group (n=50, cefoperazone sulbactam sodium therapy). Their clinical indexes and their pulmonary function indexes, their serum heparin-binding protein (HBP) 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] levels, and their inflammatory factors and immune indexes were observed. The bacterial eradication rates, total effective rates, and adverse reaction rates of the two groups were investigated.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the cough disappearance times, the antipyretic times, the pulmonary rales disappearance times, and the hospital stay lengths in the combination group were shorter, the FEV1% Pred (the percentage of forced expiratory volume in one second compared to the predicted value) and the FEV1/Fvc% (the percentage of forced expiratory volume in one second compared to the forced vital capacity) were higher, the HBP levels and the inflammatory factor CRP and IL-6 levels were lower, the 1,25-(OH)2D3, and the immune index gA, IgG, and C4 levels were higher, and the bacterial eradication rates and the total effective rates were higher, and the incidence of adverse reactions was lower.

CONCLUSION

Cefoperazone sulbactam sodium combined with meropenem can improve the immune function of newborn children with multi-drug resistant pneumonia.

A comprehensive review of natural products against atopic dermatitis: Flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenes, glycosides and other compounds

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is considered a great challenge for human communities and imposes both physiological and mental burdens on patients. Natural products have widely been used to treat a wide range of diseases, including cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, asthma, neurological disorders, and infections. To seek potential natural products against AD, in the current review, we searched the terms "atopic dermatitis" and "natural product" in Pubmed, Medline, Web of Science，Science Direct, Embase, EBSCO, CINAHL, ACS. The results show that many natural products, especially puerarin, ferulic acid and ginsenosides, cound protect against AD. Meanwhile, we discussed the therapeutic mechanisms and showed that the natural products exert their anti-inflammatory effects by suppressing the quantity and activity of many inflammatory cell types and cytokines, including neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, Langerhans cells, interleukins (ILs, including IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-4), TNF-α, and TSLP, IgE. via inhibition of JAK/STAT, MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathways, thereby, halting the inflammatory cascade. Future investigations should focus on studies with more reflective of the clinical characteristics and demographics, so as to develop natural products that will be hopefully available for the treatment of human AD disease.

Low-fluence laser-facilitated platelet-rich plasma permeation for treating MRSA-infected wound and photoaging of the skin

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is rich in cytokines and growth factors and is a novel approach for tissue regeneration. It can be used for skin rejuvenation but the large molecular size of the actives limits its topical application. In this study, low-fluence laser-facilitated PRP was delivered to evaluate its effect on absorption through the skin, infection-induced wound, and photoaging. The PRP permeation enhancement was compared for two ablative lasers: fractional (CO₂) laser and fully-ablative (Er:YAG) laser. In the Franz cell experiment, pig skin was treated with lasers with superficial ablation followed by the application of recombinant cytokines, growth factors, or PRP. The transport of interferon (IFN)-γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α was negligible in intact skin and stratum corneum (SC)-stripped skin. Both lasers significantly elevated skin deposition of IFN-γ and TNF-α from PRP, and fully-ablative laser showed a higher penetration enhancement. A similar tendency was found for vascular endothelial growth factor and epidermal growth factor. Er:YAG laser-exposed skin displayed 1.8- and 3.9-fold higher skin deposition of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 from PRP, respectively. According to the confocal images, both laser interventions led to an extensive and deep distribution of IFN-γ and PDGF-BB in the skin. In the in vivo methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection model, CO₂ laser- and Er:YAG laser-assisted PRP delivery reduced bacterial load from 1.8 × 10⁶ to 5.9 × 10⁵ and 1.4 × 10⁴ colony-forming units, respectively. The open wound induced by MRSA was closed by the laser-assisted PRP penetration. In the mouse photoaging model, elastin and collagen deposition were fully restored by combined PRP and full-ablative laser but not by PRP alone and PRP combined with fractional laser. Laser-facilitated PRP delivery even with a low fluence setting can be considered a promising strategy for treating some dermatological disorders.

Antrodia cinnamomea Extraction Waste Supplementation Promotes Thermal Stress Tolerance and Tissue Regeneration Ability of Zebrafish

Antrodia cinnamomea (AC) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and immunomodulation activities. It is estimated that hundreds of metric tons of AC extraction waste (ACEW) are produced per year in Taiwan. This study aims to assess the feasibility of applying ACEW as feed supplement in the aquaculture industry. ACEW significantly inhibited the growth of microorganisms in the water tank, by around 39.4% reduction on the fifth day with feed supplemented of 10% ACEW. The feed conversion efficiency of zebrafish with 10% ACEW supplementation for 30 days was 1.22-fold compared to that of the control. ACEW dramatically improved the tolerances of zebrafish under the heat and cold stresses. When at water temperature extremes of 38 °C or 11 °C, compared to the 100% mortality rate in the control group, the 10% ACEW diet group still had 91.7% and 83.3% survival rates, respectively. In a caudal fin amputation test, the fin recovery of zebrafish was increased from 68.4% to 93% with 10% ACEW diet after 3-week regeneration. ACEW effectively down-regulated the gene expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10, and up-regulated the gene expression of IL-4/13A. Additionally, the supplement of ACEW in the feed can maintain and prevent the fish’s body weight from dropping too much under enteritis. Taken together, ACEW has beneficial potential in aquaculture.

Synthetic Naphthofuranquinone Derivatives Are Effective in Eliminating Drug-Resistant Candida albicans in Hyphal, Biofilm, and Intracellular Forms: An Application for Skin-Infection Treatment

Candida albicans is the most common cause of fungal infection. The emergence of drug resistance leads to the need for novel antifungal agents. We aimed to design naphthofuranquinone analogs to treat drug-resistant C. albicans for topical application on cutaneous candidiasis. The time-killing response, agar diffusion, and live/dead assay of the antifungal activity were estimated against 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC)- or fluconazole-resistant strains. A total of 14 naphthofuranquinones were compared for their antifungal potency. The lead compounds with hydroxyimino (TCH-1140) or O-acetyl oxime (TCH-1142) moieties were the most active agents identified, showing a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1.5 and 1.2 μM, respectively. Both compounds were superior to 5-FC and fluconazole for killing planktonic fungi. Naphthofuranquinones efficiently diminished the microbes inside and outside the biofilm. TCH-1140 and TCH-1142 were delivered into C. albicans-infected keratinocytes to eradicate intracellular fungi. The compounds did not reduce the C. albicans burden inside the macrophages, but the naphthofuranquinones promoted the transition of fungi from the virulent hypha form to the yeast form. In the in vivo skin mycosis mouse model, topically applied 5-FC and TCH-1140 reduced the C. albicans load from 1.5 × 10⁶ to 5.4 × 10⁵ and 1.4 × 10⁵ CFU, respectively. The infected abscess diameter was significantly decreased by TCH-1140 (3-4 mm) as compared to the control (8 mm). The disintegrated skin-barrier function induced by the fungi was recovered to the baseline by the compound. The data support the potential of TCH-1140 as a topical agent for treating drug-resistant C. albicans infection without causing skin irritation.