Jingjing Liu

Self-assembly of hydrogels for mechanical support and drug delivery has been extensively researched in traumatic brain injury (TBI), where treatment options are limited. The chief challenge is that most self-assembled hydrogels rely on high molecular carriers or the incorporation of exogenous inactive substances as mediators. It is difficult for these drug delivery systems to achieve clinical translation due to concerns regarding biological safety. Here we report a small molecule hydrogel (GBR-gel) loading small molecule drugs (glycyrrhizic acid, berberine, and rhein) that originated from popular Chinese medicines without additional drug loading or inactive components under physiological conditions. In the long run, GBR-gel possesses several advantages, including ease of preparation, cost-effectiveness, and high biocompatibility. As a proof-of-concept, GBR-gel allows for prompt administration at the site of brain injury to exert potent pharmacodynamic effects. Further single-cell RNA sequencing and experimental validation indicated that GBR-gel can effectively rescue the suppressed glutamatergic synapse pathway after TBI, thereby attenuating inflammatory responses and neural impairments. Our work provides an alternative strategy for timely intervention of TBI.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: SECs, a newly identified subset of SECs in liver regeneration. METHODS: or quantitative polymerase chain reaction injection. RESULTS: SEC infusion attenuates toxin-induced liver injuries in mice. CONCLUSIONS: SECs contributes to liver zonation and regeneration through Wnt2 and is regulated by Notch signaling, providing opportunities for novel therapeutic approaches to liver injury in the future. Transcript profiling: GEO (accession number: GSE134037).

Abstract The prognosis for traumatic brain injury (TBI) depends largely on prompt hemostasis and effective pharmacologic interventions. Natural all‐small‐molecule self‐gelling powder, integrating the advantages of self‐assembled small‐molecule hydrogels and powders, is expected to provide timely and effective prehospital management of TBI. However, the synthesis and application of natural all‐small‐molecule self‐gelling powder is still uncharted territory. In this study, an all‐small‐molecule co‐assembled MGF‐H 3 BO 3 ‐RUT (MBR) self‐gelling powder is fabricated through the co‐assembly of mangiferin (MGF) and rutin (RUT) in H 3 BO 3 /NaOH aqueous solution. Both compounds can bind with boric acid, leading to co‐assembling into hydrogels through hydrogen‐bonding interactions and π – π stacking. MBR self‐gelling powder is then obtained by drying the as‐prepared hydrogels, thus integrating hemostasis and pharmacodynamics into one. Remarkably, it displays robust regeneration capabilities, while retaining excellent self‐healing properties and injectability after drying‐hydration cycles. Moreover, MBR self‐gelling powder not only achieves rapid effective hemostasis but also attenuates conspicuously cerebral edema and inflammatory response after TBI by in situ spraying, exhibiting notable neuroprotective effects without discernible toxic side effects. This study provides a novel assembly strategy and application form for self‐assembled gel materials originating from natural small molecules, offering promising avenues for the treatment of TBI in the acute phase.