The paper investigated the preparation, amino acid composition, acute toxicity, and in vitro and in vivo antioxidant, coupled with in vivo antifatigue activities of protein-rich extract of Oviductus ranae (PEOR). The results indicated that PEOR possesses high-safety property with maximum tolerated dose (MTD) higher than 20 g/kg in mice, shows weak scavenging capacities against hydroxyl, superoxide anion, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, as well as ferric-reducing antioxidant power in vitro, but exerts strong antioxidant effect in ethanol-induced oxidative stress mice model; it can decrease malonaldehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO) formation and increase total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) synthesis. Besides the strong in vivo antioxidant activity, PEOR in a dose of 400 mg/kg also has antifatigue effect in mice, and it can prolong the exhaustive swimming time, reduce the elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and blood lactic acid (BLA) caused by intense exercise. The in vivo activity of PEOR may be contributed by its absorbed amino acids, due to the fact that eight antioxidant amino acids and twelve glucogenic ones were found in it. This study will provide an evidence for the clinical use of PEOR as a dietary supplement for antioxidant and antifatigue in the same oral dose (400 mg/kg).

Overcoming blood-brain barrier (BBB) to improve brain bioavailability of therapeutic drug remains an ongoing concern. Prodrug is one of the most reliable approaches for delivering agents with low-level BBB permeability into the brain. The well-known antioxidant capacities of cysteine (Cys) and its vital role in glutathione (GSH) synthesis indicate that Cys-based prodrug could potentiate therapeutic drugs against oxidative stress-related neurodegenerative disorders. Moreover, prodrug with Cys moiety could be recognized by the excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3) that is highly expressed at the BBB and transports drug into the brain. In this review, we summarized the strategies of crossing BBB, properties of EAAT3 and its natural substrates, Cys and its donors, and Cys donor-based brain-targeting prodrugs by referring to recent investigations. Moreover, the challenges that we are faced with and future research orientations were also addressed and proposed. It is hoped that present review will provide evidence for the pursuit of novel Cys donor-based brain-targeting prodrug.

Unconventional polysaccharides as representative active substances from stems of Trollius chinensis Bunge (TC) were studied. Crude polysaccharides from the stems of TC (TCSP) and the petals of TC (TCPP) were extracted, and the moisture retention and antioxidation activities of both TCSP and TCPP in vitro were studied. The weight-average molar masses (Mw) of TCSP (6.07 × 105 Da) were lower than those of TCPP (9.72 × 105 Da). Glucuronic acid and xylose only existed in TCSP, and the molar ratio of galacturonic acid and mannose in TCSP was significantly higher than that in TCPP. No significant differences in moisture retention ability were found between TCSP and TCPP. The reducing capacity and dphenyl picryl hydrazinyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity of TCSP were slightly weaker than those of TCPP. The 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline–6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging capacity of TCSP can be equivalent to that of TCPP. The moisture retention ability was not different between TCSP and TCPP, which are both highly homologous with traditional humectants. The antioxidation assays in vitro demonstrated that the antioxidant activity of TCSP is stronger compared to that of some plant-derived polysaccharides. The stems of TC can be a promising source of unconventional polysaccharides, which possess moisture retention and antioxidation capacities for the cosmetics industry.

Biopharmaceutical engineering is a newly established undergraduate degree in China, and a lot of issues regarding students' training remain to be explored and refined, particularly the curriculum reflecting the industrial needs for students with applied (hands-on) skills, which has been limited. To narrow the gap between industrial demands and students' training and to provide undergraduates with rational curriculum, in the present investigation, we proposed to reconstruct the curriculum system for applied (hands-on) training of undergraduates of biopharmaceutical engineering based on the life cycle of medicinal products for the first time. A total of 52 subjects on the curriculum were selected and included in different stages of the medicinal products life cycle. After surveying from a recruitment website and biopharmaceutical enterprises, eight applied positions, including drug screening engineer, cell culture engineer, molecular biology technician, fermentation engineer, microorganism engineer, protein purification engineer, protein analysis technician and bio-preparation engineer, were then selected. According to the requirements of each position, 31 subjects were finally chosen from the above-mentioned 52 subjects that are involved in the life cycle of medicinal products. These subjects belong to four clusters and constitute the basis of the curriculum system for applied training of undergraduates of biopharmaceutical engineering. The results obtained from this work are expected to provide evidence for the training of biopharmaceutical students as well as the implementation of collaborative education between university and industry.