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It is critical to obtain an anti-inflammatory microenvironment when curing spinal cord injury (SCI). On the basis of this, we prepared Lycium barbarum oligosaccharide (LBO)-nasal mucosa-derived mesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) fibronectin hydrogel for SCI restoration via inflammatory license effect and M2 polarization of microglias. LBO exhibited remarkable M2 polarization potential for microglia. However, EMSCs primed by LBO generated enhanced paracrine effects through the inflammatory license-like process. The observed dual function is likely based on the TNFR2 pathway. In addition, LBO-EMSC hydrogel possesses a synergistic effect on M2 polarization of microglia through the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway. The obtained findings provide a simple approach for MSC-based therapies for SCI and shed more light on the role of TNFR2 on bidirectional regulation in tissue regeneration.

In this present study, we investigated the anti-hyperuricemic and anti-gouty arthritis effect of a puried water-soluble polysaccharide (LJP-1) obtained from Lonicera japonica. A series of characterization of the purified polysaccharide were carried out in this paper. Monosaccharide analysis showed that LJP-1 composed of glucuronic acid, glucose, galactose, arabinose, and xylose at the ratio of 2.43:1:2.09:1.95:1.96, respectively. The estimated molecular weight of LJP-1 was 17.5 kDa. LJP-1 belonged to pyranose and possessed α- and β -glycosidic configurations. Congo red test showed that LJP-1 had a spatial triple helix structure. In pharmacodynamic experiments, the anti-hyperuricemic activity of LJP-1 was studied using hyperuricemic SD rat model induced via potassium oxonate and hypoxanthine. The result showed that LJP-1 could obviously decrease the serum uric acid level and suppress xanthine oxidase (XOD) activity. Moreover, in the gouty arthritis model established by sodium urate crystals, the degree of swelling of the ankle joint, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and COX-2-related inflammatory factors levels in murine serum all declined. Taken together, these results demonstrated that LJP-1 has anti-gouty arthritis effect. Therefore, LJP-1 could serve as a promising candidate for developing novel natural anti-gouty agent., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In this study, two polysaccharide fractions (RRP1: Mw = 5.5 kDa, and RRP2: Mw = 425.7 kDa) were isolated from Rhodiola rosea to investigate their antioxidation and hepatoprotective effects. Physicochemical analysis showed that RRP1 was composed of mannose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose and arabinose with a relative molar ratio of 0.69:0.11:0.15:1:0.51:7.5 and RRP2 was consisted of mannose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose and arabinose (relative molar ratio = 0.15:0.19:1.01:0.18:0.47:1). Periodate oxidation and Smith degradation analysis revealed that, in RRP1, part of the arabinose and glucose residues were 1 → 3,6/1 → 3/1 → 2,3/1 → 3,4/1 → 2,4/1 → 2,3,4-linked, and the mannose, rhamnose and galactose residues were 1 → 2,6/1 → 6/1 → 2/1→/1 → 4,6/1 → 4-linked. In RRP2, the rhamnose, glucose and galactose residues were linked by 1 → 3,6/1 → 3/1 → 2,3/1 → 3,4/1 → 2,4/1 → 2,3,4 linkages, and the arabinose and mannose residues were 1 → 2/1 → 6/1 → 4-linked. The methylation analysis confirmed the structure information of the two fractions. Importantly, fraction RRP1 demonstrated stronger antioxidative activities than RRP2 by scavenging DPPH, hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals in vitro. Correspondently, RRP1 showed more significant effects than RRP2 on decreasing the levels of ALT, AST and MDA, and increasing the GSH, SOD and CAT levels in the CCl 4 -treated mice. These data demonstrated that the polysaccharide RRP1 could be developed as a promising candidate for preventing and treating liver damage induced by toxic chemicals., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)