OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of antipyretic and purgative herbs on intestinal mucosal barrier and inflammatory response in the treatment of acute cholangitis. METHODS: Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into group A (untreated group, acute cholangitis was induced, n=20), group B (treatment group, acute cholangitis was induced and treated with antipyretic and purgative herbs, n=20) and group C (sham operation group, n=20). At the third or fifth day after operation, the rats were sacrificed and sampled. The serum endotoxin, cytokines and inflammatory mediators were tested and the numbers of labeled bacteria in the liver, spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes translocated from the gut were assayed. RESULTS: As compared with group A, the serum content of endotoxin, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, CRP and NO was significantly lower and that of IL-2 was significantly higher, and the translocated numbers of labeled bacteria from gut were reduced in both group B and group C (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Antipyretic and purgative herbs can play therapeutic roles in the treatment of acute biliary tract infections, including the protection of intestinal mucosal barrier from bacterial translocation, reduction of serum endotoxin content and regulation of inflammatory response.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Shengqing Capsule (SQC), a compound of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on biochemical parameters in C57BL/6J mice with cholesterol gallstone. METHODS: Thirty-eight C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal control group (n=10), untreated group (n=15) and SQC group (n=13). Cholesterol gallstone was induced in mice of the latter two groups by feeding high cholesterol diet. Mice in the SQC group were intragastricly administered SQC 0.22 g/(kg.d). After 8-week treatment, animals were sacrificed and sampled to calculate the incidences of stone formation. The contents of serum cholesterols and Ca(2+), and the malonaldehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in liver tissues were detected. RESULTS: The incidences of stone formation were 73.33% in untreated group, 0% in normal control group, and 23.08% in the SQC group. And the INCIDENCE in untreated group was significantly higher than those in the normal control group and the SQC group (P<0.01). Contents of serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the SQC group were lower than that in the untreated group (P<0.01), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the SQC group was higher than that in the untreated group (P<0.01). SQC could increase the SOD activity and decrease the MDA content in liver tissues, showing significant differences as compared with those in the untreated group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: SQC can decrease the incidence of stone formation and improve the biochemical parameters, which may be one of the mechanisms in the treatment and prevention of cholesterol gallstone disease.

To study the effect of essential MCU regulator (EMRE) on myocardial ischemia injury in experimental mice with underlining mechanism. Methods: Myocardial EMRE expression was up-regulated by EMRE adenovirus (Ad-EMRE) injection in mice myocardium tissue. Our research included in 3 groups: Sham operation group, sham mice received myocardium injection of eGFP adenovirus (Ad-eGFP); Myocardial infarction (MI) control group, the mice received Ad-eGFP injection and 48 hours later had coronary LAD ligation to establish MI model; MI treatment group, MI mice received Ad-EMRE injection. All animals were treated in 3 weeks. Mice cardiac function was examined by ultrasound; cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was evaluated by wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining, collagen fibrosis was measured by Masson staining, cell apoptosis was determined by TUNEL assay, protein expressions of EMRE, caspase-3 and caspase-9 were detected by Western blot analysis and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assayed by MitoSOX fluorescence probe. Results: Compared with MI control group, MI treatment group showed the worse cardiac function, aggravated cardiac hypertrophy and elevated collagen fibrosis; in addition, MI treatment group had obviously increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis and increased protein expressions of Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and more mitochondrial ROS production. Conclusion: Over expressed EMRE can increase mitochondrial ROS production, induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis and therefore, aggravate myocardial ischemia injury in experimental mice.

Carcinoma, Medullary ; pathology ; Duodenal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Humans