OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the photothermal and antibacterial activities of polydopamine-modified phycocyanin nanoparticles (PDA@PC NPs) and their capacity for promoting wound healing. METHODS: PDA@PC NPs were synthesized from phycocyanin (C-PC) and dopamine hydrochloride using a one-pot method. The photothermal activity of the nanoparticles was assessed in vitro by 808 nm laser irradiation, their biocompatibility was evaluated using CCK-8 assay, and their photothermal antibacterial activity by plate colony counting. In adult male BALB/c mice, two symmetrical full-thickness skin wounds (1.0 cm ×1.0 cm) were created on both sides of the spine, and 200 μL of Staphylococcus aureus suspension was inoculated into the wounds. The mice were divided into control group, PDA@PC NPs group, and PDA@PC NPs with laser irradiation group, and wound healing rates and histomorphological changes in the wound tissues were evaluated on days 0, 7 and 14 after modeling. RESULTS: The synthesized PDA@PC NPs exhibited no obvious cytotoxicity up to a concentration of 500 μg/mL and showed strong photothermal and antibacterial activities in response to 808 nm laser irradiation. In the mouse models, the size of the infected skin wounds showed substantial reduction at 7 and 14 days in PDA@PC NPs group and PDA@PC NPs with laser irradiation group, and the mean wound healing rate was faster in the latter group. HE staining and Masson's trichrome staining revealed extensive granulation tissue formation and collagen deposition on the wound surfaces in both of the treatment groups, and these changes were more obvious in the PDA@PC NPs with laser irradiation group. CONCLUSIONS PDA@PC NPs possess excellent photothermal and antibacterial activities and can effectively promote wound healing in mice.
Animals ; Indoles/chemistry* ; Wound Healing/drug effects* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Male ; Nanoparticles ; Polymers/chemistry* ; Phycocyanin/chemistry* ; Skin/injuries* ; Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology*

The CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated proteins) system was first identified in bacteria and archaea and can degrade exogenous substrates. It was developed as a gene editing technology in 2013. Over the subsequent years, it has received extensive attention owing to its easy manipulation, high efficiency, and wide application in gene mutation and transcriptional regulation in mammals and plants. The process of CRISPR/Cas is optimized constantly and its application has also expanded dramatically. Therefore, CRISPR/Cas is considered a revolutionary technology in plant biology. Here, we introduce the mechanism of the type II CRISPR/Cas called CRISPR/Cas9, update its recent advances in various applications in plants, and discuss its future prospects to provide an argument for its use in the study of medicinal plants.

This study was aimed to establish the method of identifying bupleurum cultivated germplasm using simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers and to initially establish dataset of characteristic SSR bands to the bred cultivars or strains. From the bupleurum SSR primer pairs which were designed in previous work, 50 primer pairs were selected. Two bred strains and 4 other bupleurum cultivated germplasms were used as test materials. Primers pairs were screened with effective PCR amplification and high polymorphism. Meanwhile, conditions for PCR amplification and electrophoresis were optimized. Then, obtained SSR bands were analyzed and a clustering tree on the basis of genetic distance was constructed. The results showed that 9 SSR primer pairs can be used for identification. The suitable assay conditions were established and characteristic SSR bands were obtained for tested materials. The tested samples can be divided into 4 categories in the genetic similarity coefficient of 0.73. TheB. scorzonerifolium cultivated inHeilongjiang andChuanhongchaiNo. 1 strains were clustered as one category. ChuanbeichaiNo. 1 strain andZhongchai No. 1 cultivar clustered as another category. Cultivated germplasms fromSichuan Fengshunand Rongxian clustered as a unique category. It was concluded that the primer pairs and assay method established in the present study can be used as reference in identification of bupleurum cultivars or cultivated germplasms.