Directed self-assembly of herbal small molecules into sustained release hydrogels for treating neural inflammation
Authors: Yang Wang
Honghui Yao
Yi Zhang
Pingping Gan
Jiamiao Liu
Lunzhao Yi
Yujie Yan
Piao Zheng
Zhifang Sun
Tilong Yang
Rong Fan
Jun Zheng
Li Dang
Huiqiong Wu
Lu Ran
Tao Tang
Journal: Nature Communications (2019)
Discipline: Multidisciplinary
Keywords: natural drug hydrogels; self-assembly; carriers; rhein; noncovalent interactions
Affiliations: Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Water Environment and Agriculture Product Safety, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, 410083, Changsha, China., Institute of Integrative Medicine, Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Liver Manifestation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 410008, Changsha, China., Key Laboratry of Materials Processing and Mold, Ministry of Education, Zhengzhou University, 450002, Zhengzhou, China., Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, 410013, Changsha, China., Yunnan Food Safety Research Institute, Kunming University of Science and Technology, 650500, Kunming, China., Department of Chemistry and Key Laboratory for Preparation and Application of Ordered Structural Materials of Guangdong Province, Shantou University, 515063, Shantou, China., Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 410008, Changsha, China., College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, 410208, Changsha, China., Southern University of Science and Technology, 518055, Shenzhen, China., Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Water Environment and Agriculture Product Safety, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, 410083, Changsha, China. ., Institute of Integrative Medicine, Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Liver Manifestation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 410008, Changsha, China. .

Abstract:  Self-assembling natural drug hydrogels formed without structural modification and able to act as carriers are of interest for biomedical applications. A lack of knowledge about natural drug gels limits there current application. Here, we report on rhein, a herbal natural product, which is directly self-assembled into hydrogels through noncovalent interactions. This hydrogel shows excellent stability, sustained release and reversible stimuli-responses. The hydrogel consists of a three-dimensional nanofiber network that prevents premature degradation. Moreover, it easily enters cells and binds to toll-like receptor 4. This enables rhein hydrogels to significantly dephosphorylate IκBα, inhibiting the nuclear translocation of p65 at the NFκB signalling pathway in lipopolysaccharide-induced BV2 microglia. Subsequently, rhein hydrogels alleviate neuroinflammation with a long-lasting effect and little cytotoxicity compared to the equivalent free-drug in vitro. This study highlights a direct self-assembly hydrogel from natural small molecule as a promising neuroinflammatory therapy. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 Figure 6C. Much more similar than expected. https: imgur.com yFOeIC8 , 
 Figure 1B seems to have been touched up in places. Could the authors comment about the seemingly cloned areas? *** ![file] , 
 As the [senior author] is an MD, not a PhD, itu2019s possible that he is unfamiliar with the concept of post publication review and how concerns like these should be addressed. Perhaps the coauthors could help. ,