De novo engineering of nanoformulation from traditional Chinese medicine mixtures for psoriasis

Nanotechnology has been widely applied in the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Interestingly, we found that nanostructures intrinsically existed in 12 clinically applied TCM mixtures (TCMMs). However, the role of these nanostructures in TCMMs and their potential value in improving the development of TCMMs remain unknown. Taking Qingxuechushi mixture as an example, we demonstrated that nanoparticles could be the most efficient part through the pharmacodynamics study on psoriasis model. By imitating the physical properties and chemical composition of isolated nanoparticles in Qingxuechushi mixture, a novel nanoformulation with definite components and good therapeutic effect was developed, which not only mimicked the prescription composition rules in the original TCMMs but also possessed the advantage of nanotechnology. This novel nanoformulation could notably alleviate the psoriasis-like manifestations and reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors in serum in the psoriasis mouse model. This work organically integrates the advantages of TCMMs and nanotechnology, which may provide a new approach and inspiration for the development of TCM.