Recently, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (CSU), the construction unit of the national “flagship” hospital pilot project of Chinese and Western medicine collaboration, published reviews of basic research on the application of Chinese medicine self-assembled hydrogel and controlled drug release based on precision medicine in international high-level journals. An original research paper titled “A self-assembled hydrogel dressing as multi-target therapeutics to promote wound healing” was published in Chemical Engineering Journal. Wu Yao, a doctoral student from the Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of Xiangya Hospital, is the first author. Professor Tang Tao and Professor Wang Yang are the co-corresponding authors. Xiangya Hospital is the affiliation of the first author and corresponding authors. A review paper titled “Self-Powered Electrically Controlled Drug Release Systems Based on Nanogenerator” was published in Advanced Functional Materials. Luo Weikang, a doctoral student from the Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of Xiangya Hospital, and Luo Ruizeng, a doctoral student from Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, are the co-first authors. Li Zhou, a lecturer and professor of Xiangya Hospital and researcher from Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, and Wang Yang, a researcher from the Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine are the co-corresponding authors. Xiangya Hospital is the affiliation of the first authors and corresponding authors.
Cinnamaldehyde is the main active component extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine cinnamon and has been widely studied in the field of wound healing. However, cinnamaldehyde is easily degraded, has poor solubility and suboptimal stability, resulting in low bioavailability and efficacy and difficult to achieve clinical translation.
In order to solve this problem, the team led by Tang Tao and Wang Yang invented a new traditional Chinese medicine formulation by designing a multifunctional cinnamaldehyde-folic acid direct self-assembly hydrogel based on the interaction principle of cinnamaldehyde and folic acid with the help of Schiff base bond. The hydrogel is prepared through two dynamic cross-linking networks of Schiff base bond and zinc ion coordination, without the synergy of excipients and gel factors, and has good physical properties such as injectability, slow release, tissue adhesion and self-healing. In its basic application to skin wounds, the hydrogel significantly promotes wound repair, and reconstructs the wound microenvironment mainly through multiple pharmacological approaches such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, promoting angiogenesis, and transforming macrophages from pro-inflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2. In addition, the hydrogel has no significant toxic side effects, is not hemocompatible, and has good biosafety in effective dose. In summary, the hydrogel is a green, safe and efficient new wound dressing. A national invention patent has been awarded for the research, and a translational cooperation agreement has been signed with a domestic biotechnology company.
Precision medicine requires precise regulation of drugs in terms of time, space and dosage. Great progress has been made in exogenous control systems, such as electrical responsiveness. However, due to limitations such as limited battery life, large size and fixed power supply, wearable or implantable controlled drug release devices still face significant challenges. Therefore, as a promising strategy that converts the body's mechanical energy into electrical energy to power controlled drug release in a sustained way, nanogenerators have become a thriving field.
In this context, the team led by Li Zhou and Wang Yang wrote the review of the latest research progress on self-powered electrically controlled drug release systems based on nanogenerator (NG-based CDRs). The review systematically analyzed the current research status of drug delivery systems, outlined the advantages and important points of self-powered controlled drug release systems, explained the main types and working mechanisms of nanogenerators, and summarized the basic research and application progress of NG-based CDRs. The review also discussed the challenges and future development direction of the combination of Chinese medicine self-assembled hydrogels with NG-based CDRs from the perspective of clinical needs and practical translation in particular.
(First Reviewer: Zhang Xu, Second Reviewer: Wang Xuan, Third Reviewer: Li Yin)
Source: Xiangya Hospital Author: Shen Liying
Original article link: https://news.csu.edu.cn/info/1003/157544.htm
