어성초 추출물 (약모밀 · 두피/탈모)

INTRODUCTION: Dermatophytes are a group of common pathogenic fungi that infect the skin, nails, and hair of humans and other animals, affecting approximately 25% of the global human population. Their antifungal resistance has intensified, underscoring the urgent need for novel antifungal agents. Sodium new houttuyfonate (SNH), a derivative of the Houttuynia cordata Thunb., a plant native to Southeast Asian, shows broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, but its effects on dermatophytes are unclear. METHODS: The in vitro activity of SNH against Trichophyton mentagrophytes standard strain ATCC MYA-4439 and Trichophyton rubrum clinical strain S136 was evaluated through broth dilution assays, growth assays on solid medium, conidia germination rate assessments, biomass quantification, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production assay, with its mechanism further investigated by RNA-seq and qPCR. RESULTS: SNH exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration of 100 μg/ml against both strains, significantly suppressing colony expansion, conidia germination, biomass and promoting the production of ROS. Transcriptome analysis revealed SNH upregulated peroxisome biogenesis gene (PEX5) while downregulating superoxide dismutase (SOD), and dysregulated key energy metabolism genes (ICL, HK, GLU). DISCUSSION: These findings demonstrate that SNH possesses potent antifungal activity against dermatophytes, primarily by disrupting redox homeostasis and interfering with energy metabolism. This provides a theoret

Houttuynia cordata (HC) is a traditional oriental herbal medicinal plant widely used as a component of complex prescriptions in Asia for alopecia treatment. The effect of HC on hair growth and its underlying mechanism, however, have not been demonstrated or clarified. In this study, we investigated the hair growth promoting effect of HC in cultured human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs). HC extract was found to stimulate the proliferation of hDPCs and this stimulation might be in part a consequence of activated cellular energy metabolism, because treatment of HC extract increased the generation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and ATP through increasing the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ). In the context of cell cycle, HC extract increased the expression of CDK4 and decreased the expression of CCNA2 and CCNB1, implying that HC extract might induce G1 phase progression of DPCs which resulted in enhanced proliferation. HC extract increased the expression of Bcl2 essential for maintaining hair follicle anagen stage and cell survival. On the contrary, the expression of p16 and p21 was down-regulated by HC extract. In addition, HC extract enhanced the secretion of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-aa and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and AKT. Furthermore, HC extract prolonged anagen stage in organ cultured human hair follicles. Our data strongly suggest that HC extract could support hair growth by stimulating proliferation of DPCs and elongating anagen stage, resulted from enhanced cellular energy metabolism and modulation of gene expression related to cell cycle, apoptosis, and growth factors.

BACKGROUND: Houttuynia cordata Thunb (HC) is a traditional herbal medicine widely used in Asia for the treatment of patients with alopecia, usually in combination with other two herbal medicines (Perilla frutescens var. acuta (PFVA) and green tea (GT)). However, the effect of this herbal complex has not been clearly demonstrated. We sought to determine the hair growth-promoting effect of this herbal complex (HC, PFVA, and GT) in the animal model. METHODS: Six-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups (negative control, finasteride (1 mg/kg) as a positive control, and two (200 and 400 mg/kg) concentrations of the herbal complex as experimental groups) and were fed its corresponding medications orally for 25 days. Hair growth was evaluated visually and microscopically. Western blot analysis for insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and transf

Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) features oxidative stress, macrophage dysfunction, and barrier disruption, with limited safe therapies. Plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (PENs) delivered noninvasively to the lung are promising but understudied. Methods: In vitro, HELNs were evaluated for their ability to scavenge ROS, restore mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) modulate M1/M2 polarization, and suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines. RNA-seq was also used to evaluate the TNF/NOD-like pathway and mitochondrial-related gene expression. In vivo, the evaluated parameters included biodistribution, therapeutic outcomes (lung wet/dry weight ratio, BALF protein concentration, MPO and MDA levels, histology), immune cell profiles, and cytokines. Biosafety was assessed via hematology, serum biochemistry, and histology. Results: In vitro, HELNs acted dose-dependently by scavenging ROS, recovering MMP, promoting M2 and suppressing M1 polarization, and reducing TNF-α, IL-6 release. Additionally, RNA-seq confirmed downregulation of TNF/NOD-like signals and regulated mitochond

Clean-label natural antioxidants are increasingly important for limiting meat quality deterioration caused by protein oxidation. However, the effects of lactic acid bacteria fermentation on plant-derived antioxidants remain unclear. This study investigated Lactiplantibacillus paraplantarum L-ZS9 fermentation on phenolic transformation of Houttuynia cordata and its protection against myofibrillar protein oxidation. Fermentation increased total polyphenols 2.45-fold, with flavonoids peaking on day 5, and increased isoquercitrin, rutin, and quercitrin while reducing hyperoside; isoquercitrin and rutin showed the strongest correlations with antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activity increased 61-100% in DPPH, ABTS, hydroxyl radical, and superoxide scavenging assays. FHC6 dose-dependently suppressed carbonylation, maintained solubility, reduced surface hydrophobicity, and restored intrinsic fluorescence. Protective effects may involve reactive oxygen species scavenging, interactions between oxidized phenolics and protein thiols, and inhibition of aggregation by glycosylated flavonols. These indicated L-ZS9 fermentation enhanced the antioxidant and protein-protective properties of H. cordata, highlighting its potential as a clean-label antioxidant for muscle foods. © 2026 The Authors.

polyglutamic acid-functionalized carbon dots improve Cadmium tolerance in Houttuynia cordata by reducing Cadmium accumulation, restoring physiological functions, and reshaping rhizosphere microbial communities. Cadmium (Cd) pollution significantly inhibits the growth and development of H. cordata and poses a serious threat to the safe production of this medicinal plant. In this study, polyglutamic acid-functionalized carbon dots (PGA-CDs) were synthesized by the hydrothermal method, and the mechanism of their role in alleviating Cd stress in H. cordata was systematically investigated. The results showed that compared with the Cd group, the biomass of H. cordata in the Cd+PGA-CDs group significantly increased, and the Cd2+ concentration in the plant decreased. At the same time, PGA-CDs effectively removed reactive oxygen species and regulated the activity of related antioxidant enzymes to alleviate oxidative damage. Moreover, PGA-CDs significantly alleviated the damage to the ultrastructure of chloroplasts caused by Cd stress and enhanced the photosynthetic capacity of the plants. Transcriptome analysis indicated that PGA-CDs treatment significantly changed the expression patterns of genes related to photosynthesis, secondary metabolism, lipid metabolism, and signal response, and regulated the expression of multiple transcription facto

Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) and vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) are immune-mediated ocular surface diseases in which itching, conjunctival hyperemia, tearing, mucus secretion, epithelial injury and recurrence may substantially affect comfort and quality of life. Standard care is based on allergen avoidance, lubricants, topical antihistamines, mast-cell stabilizers, corticosteroids and topical immunomodulators when clinically indicated. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) modalities are used in some clinical settings as adjunctive strategies, but their evidence base is heterogeneous and should not be interpreted as a substitute for established ophthalmic therapy. This structured narrative review synthesizes ocular clinical evidence, indirect mechanistic evidence and ocular surface safety considerations for TCM modalities in AC and VKC. Five bibliographic databases-PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP Database-were searched for literature published from 1 January 2010 to 31 May 2026. The database searches were supplemented by targeted Google Scholar searches, reference-list screening and citation tracking, while earlier landmark sources were retained when clinically or mechanistically relevant. The retrieved clinical evidence was concentrated in AC/SAC/PAC and VKC. No eligible AKC- or GPC-specific TCM clinical studies were identified within the search scope; these conditions are therefore discussed only for contextual and safety relevance. Oral herbal formulas and integrated TCM-

Bovine Mycoplasma bovis pneumonia (MBP) is an important component of bovine respiratory disease, and its management is complicated by persistent infection and antimicrobial stewardship concerns. Houttuynia cordata Thunb. has reported anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities, but its potential host-directed mechanisms in MBP remain unclear. This in silico study used network pharmacology and molecular docking to identify candidate compounds, common drug-disease targets, enriched biological functions, and predicted ligand-target interactions. A total of 145 putative targets of H. cordata and 474 MBP-associated disease targets were obtained from TCMSP, GeneCards, OMIM, and CTD, yielding 43 common drug-disease targets. Dual-confidence STRING analysis, cytoHubba ranking, and MCODE module analysis prioritized TNF, IL6, IL1B, PTGS2, PPARG, IFNG, CASP3, and MMP9 as candidate core targets. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment indicated convergence on cytokine-mediated signaling, inflammatory response, immune regulation, oxidative stress, IL-17 signaling, and TNF signaling. Molecular docking suggested favorable predicted interactions for quercitrin-PTGS2, quercetin-TNF, quercetin-IL6, and quercitrin-CASP3. These computational findings suggest that H. cordata may be associated with host inflammatory and immune-response modulation in MBP, mainly through flavonoid-related interactions with inflammation- and apoptosis-related targets. Further bovine-specific experimental validatio

Effective healing of diabetic wounds requires comprehensive management of bacterial infection, modulation of excessive inflammation, and promotion of cellular proliferation. Current clinical strategies include systemic blood glucose control combined with localized interventions such as debridement, antibiotic regimens, and advanced wound dressings. However, the efficacy of these strategies is often limited by challenges like antibiotic resistance. To overcome these challenges, we developed an anti-infection and immunoregulatory hydrogel loaded with two bioactive nanopreparations derived from Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (H. cordata). The one component, comprising carbon dots (CDs) synthesized via hydrothermal method using H. cordata and then modified with polyethylenimine (PEI) to form PEI-modified CDs (PCDs), demonstrates potent antibacterial activity. The other consists of plant-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) that exhibit strong antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, effectively reducing reactive oxygen species levels, attenuating inflammatory responses, and promoting fibroblast proliferation and migration. These two components were co-incorporated into methylacrylated gelatin (GelMA) to form composite termed Gel@P&E. This system enables the sustained release of both PCDs and EVs, thereby coordinately regulating inflammation and facilitating tissue regeneration. In summary, this study successfully constructs multifunctional hydrogel platform that integrates anti-infective and immunoregulatory functions, presenting an alternative therapeutic strategy for diabetic wounds management. © 2026 American Chemical Society.

The gut-skin axis plays a crucial role in mediating systemic immune and metabolic responses, particularly in allergic disorders. This study investigated the protective effects of three natural extracts-Heartleaf Houttuynia P.E. (HH), green tea polyphenols (GTP), and Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE)-against ovalbumin (OVA)-induced intestinal and cutaneous damage in feline cells via the gut-skin axis. Feline intestinal epithelial cells (FIECs) were exposed to OVA to establish an injury model, and their conditioned medium was transferred to feline skin cells (FSCs) to simulate inter-organ crosstalk. Among the tested compounds, all three extracts alleviated OVA-induced barrier dysfunction in both tissues, with HH exhibiting the strongest protective effects. HH significantly attenuated OVA-induced inflammation (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), oxidative stress (SOD, CAT, GSH, MDA), and disruption of barrier integrity (mucins, tight junction proteins, filaggrin, loricrin) in both FIECs and FSCs. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that OVA disrupted core metabolic pathways-including pyrimidine metabolism, carbon metabolism, and quorum sensing-and activated inflammatory signaling networks such as TNF and IL-17. HH intervention effectively reversed these alterations by restoring folate biosynthesis, nicotinate metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and nucleocytoplasmic transport, while suppressing pro-inflammatory lipid mediators and bacterial quorum signals. Notably, HH modulated gut-skin communication by reprogramming both metabolic and transcriptional landscapes, thereby promoting cellular repair and homeostasis. These findings demonstrate that HH exerts multi-target protective effects on the feline gut-skin axis, highlighting its potential