Porphyra Species: A Mini-Review of Its Pharmacological and Nutritional Properties

Jin Cao,Jianping Wang,Shicheng Wang,Ximing Xu 한국식품영양과학회 2016 Journal of medicinal food Vol.19 No.2

Porphyra sensu lato belongs to Bangiales, the most genetically diverse order of red algae. Porphyra or Pyropia is widely cultivated in East Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and Korea. Dried Porphyra contains numerous nutritional and biofunctional compounds, including proteins, minerals, dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, saccharides, and mycosporine-like amino acids. In addition, the compound is most abundant in Porphyra, such as polysaccharides and phycobiliproteins, and demonstrates various immunomodulating, anticancer, antihyperlipidemic, and antioxidative activities. This review summarizes our current knowledge concerning the pharmacologically active substances found in Porphyra species. The biological activities and potential applications of certain carbohydrates, proteins, peptides, and other small molecules purified from Porphyra are also described, and possible areas for future studies are discussed.

Preparation and In Vitro Evaluation of Povidone-Sodium Cholate- Phospholipid Mixed Micelles for the Solubilization of Poorly Soluble Drugs

Yuan Zhu,Shanshan Tong,Li Wang,Min Peng,Xia Cao,Ximing Xu,Jiangnan Yu 대한약학회 2010 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.33 No.6

Mixed micelles made of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), sodium cholate, and phospholipids were prepared to improve the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. Sylibin, a drug used in treating liver diseases, was incorporated into the mixed micelles. The formulation of sylibin containing PVP-sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles with an optimized composition (PVP/sodium cholate/phospholipid/silybin = 3:3:4:1~2 by weight) was obtained based on the study of pseudoternary phase diagrams. The critical micelle concentration was used to evaluate the micellar stability towards dilution. The results showed that addition of PVP to sodium-cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles increased stability. The solubility of sylibin in PVP-sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles was higher than that in pure water or in sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles. In a stability study, we found that PVP-sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles showed good stability. After 3 months storage at 40oC, just 2.6% sylibin was lost with only minor changes of the particle size when compared to a reference formulation containing sodium cholate and phospholipid mixed micelles. In addition, the developed formulation significantly improved in vitro drug release. The time required to release 50% sylibin (t50%) from sodium cholate and phospholipid mixed micelles was 326 h, while the t50% from PVP-sodium cholate-phospholipid mixed micelles was only 51.1 h. Our results suggest that these mixed micelles might have significant potential application to the biomedical field.

Assessing Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Progression by Using Perivascular Adipose Tissue Attenuation on Computed Tomography Angiography

Zhang Shuai,Gu Hui,Chang Na,Li Sha,Xu Tianqi,Liu Menghan,Wang Ximing 대한영상의학회 2023 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.24 No.10

Objective: Recent studies have highlighted the active and potential role of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in atherosclerosis and aneurysm progression, respectively. This study explored the link between PVAT attenuation and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression using computed tomography angiography (CTA). Materials and Methods: This multicenter retrospective study analyzed patients with AAA who underwent CTA at baseline and follow-up between March 2015 and July 2022. The following parameters were obtained: maximum diameter and total volume of the AAA, presence or absence of intraluminal thrombus (ILT), maximum diameter and volume of the ILT, and PVAT attenuation of the aortic aneurysm at baseline CTA. PVAT attenuation was divided into high (> -73.4 Hounsfield units [HU]) and low (≤ -73.4 HU). Patients who had or did not have AAA progression during the follow-up, defined as an increase in the aneurysm volume > 10 mL from baseline, were identified. Kaplan–Meier and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to investigate the association between PVAT attenuation and AAA progression. Results: Our study included 167 participants (148 males; median age: 70.0 years; interquartile range: 63.0–76.0 years), of which 145 (86.8%) were diagnosed with AAA accompanied by ILT. Over a median period of 11.3 months (range: 6.0–85.0 months), AAA progression was observed in 67 patients (40.1%). Multivariable Cox regression analysis indicated that high baseline PVAT attenuation (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 2.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16–4.32; P = 0.017) was independently associated with AAA progression. This association was demonstrated within the patients of AAA with ILT subcohort, where a high baseline PVAT attenuation (aHR = 2.23; 95% CI, 1.08–4.60; P = 0.030) was consistently independently associated with AAA progression. Conclusion: Elevated PVAT attenuation is independently associated with AAA progression, including patients of AAA with ILT, suggesting the potential of PVAT attenuation as a predictive imaging marker for AAA expansion.

Phase transition, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of NaNbO3-Bi0.5Li0.5TiO3 lead-free ceramics

Lingling Fu,Dunmin Lin,Qiaoji Zheng,Xiaochun Wu,Lang Wu,Hailing Sun,Yang Wan,Ximing Fan,Chenggang Xu 한국물리학회 2012 Current Applied Physics Vol.12 No.6

Lead-free ceramics (1-x)NaNbO3-xBi0.5Li0.5TiO3 have been fabricated by an ordinary sintering technique,and their electric properties and temperature characteristics have been studied. All the ceramics possess a perovskite structure with orthorhombic symmetry, indicating that (Bi0.5Li0.5)TiO3 diffuses into NaNbO3 lattices to form a new solid solution. A low (Bi0.5Li0.5)TiO3 doping level transforms the NaNbO3ceramics from antiferroelectric to ferroelectric. The ceramics with x ≤ 0.075 are normal ferroelectric, and the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase become diffusives with the doping level of Bi0.5Li0.5TiO3 increasing. As x increases, the Curie temperature of the ceramics decreases linearly, while the relative permittivity εr increases. 0.925NaNbO3e0.075(Bi0.5Li0.5)TiO3 ceramic exhibits the relatively large piezoelectric constant (d33 = 58 pC/N), high Curie temperature (TC = 228 ℃) and good temperature stability, suggesting that the ceramics are one of new possible candidates for lead-free piezoelectric materials. Lead-free ceramics (1-x)NaNbO3-xBi0.5Li0.5TiO3 have been fabricated by an ordinary sintering technique,and their electric properties and temperature characteristics have been studied. All the ceramics possess a perovskite structure with orthorhombic symmetry, indicating that (Bi0.5Li0.5)TiO3 diffuses into NaNbO3 lattices to form a new solid solution. A low (Bi0.5Li0.5)TiO3 doping level transforms the NaNbO3ceramics from antiferroelectric to ferroelectric. The ceramics with x ≤ 0.075 are normal ferroelectric, and the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase become diffusives with the doping level of Bi0.5Li0.5TiO3 increasing. As x increases, the Curie temperature of the ceramics decreases linearly, while the relative permittivity εr increases. 0.925NaNbO3e0.075(Bi0.5Li0.5)TiO3 ceramic exhibits the relatively large piezoelectric constant (d33 = 58 pC/N), high Curie temperature (TC = 228 ℃) and good temperature stability, suggesting that the ceramics are one of new possible candidates for lead-free piezoelectric materials.

Improved oral bioavailability of capsaicin via liposomal nanoformulation: preparation, in vitro drug release and pharmacokinetics in rats

Yuan Zhu,Miaomiao Wang,Jiajia Zhang,Wei Peng,Caleb Kesse Firempong,Wenwen Deng,Qilong Wang,Shicheng Wang,Feng Shi,Jiangnan Yu,Ximing Xu,Weiming Zhang 대한약학회 2015 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.38 No.4

This study innovatively prepared an effectivecapsaicin-loaded liposome, a nanoformulation with fewerirritants, for oral administration. The in vitro and in vivoproperties of the liposomal encapsulation were investigatedand the potential possibility of oral administration evaluated. The liposomal agent composed of phospholipid, cholesterol,sodium cholate and isopropyl myristate was prepared usingfilm-dispersion method. A level A in vitro–in vivo correlation(IVIVC) was established for the first time, which demonstratedan excellent IVIVC of both formulated and freecapsaicin in oral administration. Physicochemical characterizationsincluding mean particle size, zeta (f) potentialand average encapsulation efficiency of capsaicin-loadedliposome were found to be 52.2 ± 1.3 nm, -41.5 ±2.71 mv and 81.9 ± 2.43 %, respectively. In vivo, liposomalencapsulation allowed a 3.34-fold increase in relativebioavailability compared to free capsaicin. The gastricmucosa irritation studies indicated that the liposomal systemwas a safe carrier for oral administration. These resultssupport the fact that capsaicin, an effective drug for thetreatment of neuropathic pain, could be encapsulated inliposome for improved oral bioavailability. The excellentIVIVC of capsaicin-loaded liposome could also be a promisingtool in liposomal formulation development with anadded advantage of reduced animal testing.