Detoxification and Inflammation Control—“Hanshi Zufei Decoction”, a Possible Effective Phytotherapy for Mild Cases by Coronavirus Disease 19

Object: This work explains the theoretical basis of “Hanshi Zufei Decoction” for the treatment of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) through Western medical theories. Methods: We analyze the guideline of the “Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia” (Version I to Version VII) made by China, “Clinical Management of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection When Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Infection is Suspected—Interim Guidance” made by WHO, “Therapeutic Guidelines: Gastroenteropathy Section (Version V of Original)” and “Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotics Section (Version XV of Original)” published by Australia, and the origin of classical prescription of “Hanshi Zufei Decoction”: “Shanghan Lun (Treatise on Febrile Diseases)”, “Jinkui Yaolue (Synopsis of Golden Chamber)” and “Wenyi Lun (Treatise on Plague). We search the dictionary of traditional Chinese medicine (Version II) manually. Literature is searched from 2001 to 2020 on the Wiley online library. We conduct a comparative study on the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes of “Hanshi Zufei Decoction”, the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of respiratory system diseases and acute gastrointestinal inflammation by COVID-19. And we conduct the pharmacological inquiry of “Hanshi Zufei Decoction”. Results: The respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms of COVID-19 and the basis of the “Hanshi Zufei Decoction” are basically considered to be consistent. “Hanshi Zufei Decoction” can relieve respiratory symptoms, protect gastrointestinal mucosa, promote intestinal emptying, and have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects in the form of clusters. The dosage form and dosage used are in line with the range of pharmacological activity of the drug. Conclusions: “Hanshi Zufei Decoction” may have a good performance in reducing toxicity and controlling inflammation through intestinal emptying, and may play an active role in the treatment of COVID-19.

Bioactive fibrous scaffolds with programmable release of polypeptides regulate inflammation and extracellular matrix remodeling

Inflammation manipulation and extracellular matrix(ECM)remodeling for healthy tissue regeneration are critical requirements for tissue engineering scaffolds.To this end,the bioactive polycaprolactone(PCL)-based scaffolds are fabricated to release aprotinin and thymosinβ4(Tβ4)in a programmable manner.The core part of the fiber is composed of hyaluronic acid and Tβ4,and the shell is PCL,which is further coated with heparin/gelatin/aprotinin to enhance biocompatibility.The in vitro assay demonstrates that the controlled release of aprotinin prevents initial excessive inflammation.The subsequent release of Tβ4 after 3 days induces the transition of macrophages from M1 into M2 polarization.The manipulation of inflammatory response further controls the expression of transforming growth factor-βand fibroblast activation,which oversee the quantity and quality of ECM remodeling.In addition,the gradual degradation of the scaffold allows cells to proliferate within the platform.In vivo implant evaluation convinces that PCL-based scaffolds possess the high capability to control the inflammatory response and restore the ECM to normal conditions.Hence,our work paves a new way to develop tissue engineering scaffolds for inflammation manipulation and ECM remodeling with peptide-mediated reactions.

Bile acids control inflammation and metabolic disorder through inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,the research team led by Prof.Wang Di(王迪)at the Immuno metabolism Lab,Institute of Immunology,Zhejiang University School of Medicine,uncovered the mystery of Bile Acids control inflammation and metabolic disorder,which was published in Immunity(2016,45:802—816)).