Objective:To observe the effect of CD40 siRNA on the changes in kidney,urinary protein and complement C3 of MRL/Lpr mice and explore its therapy on lupus nephritis.Methods: 16 female MRL/Lpr mice were randomly divided into control group,empty vector group,CD40-siRNA1 group and CD40-siRNA2 group.The vectors expressing siRNA against CD40 were injected by tail veil into MRL/Lpr mice,while MRL/Lpr mice in control group and empty vector group were injected with the same dose of PBS and pGFP-V-RS vector respectively.There were six times injection and every one day.The 24 hours urine output was gathered 24 hours before mice were killed.Fourteen days following administration,these mice were killed,tissue sections of kidney were observed if the signal of siRNA were expressed in kidney.The expression levels of CD40 mRNA and protein in kidney tissue of MRL/Lpr mice were detected by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry methods respectively.At the same time,the pathological changes of the kidney were observed by haematoxylin-eosin ( HE) staining method.The 24 h urinary protein content was detected using the method of coomassie brilliant blue and the expression levels of complement C3 in serum were detected by Immunoturbidimetric assays.Results:The vector of CD40-siRNA was expressed in kidney of MRL/Lpr.The expression levels of CD40 mRNA and protein in kidney were lower in CD40-siRNA1 group and CD40-siRNA2 group than control group and empty vector group on the 14th day after last injection ( P<0.05).The inflammatory cells infiltration of kidney and some glomerular volume were significantly reduced in CD40-siRNA1 group and CD40-siRNA2 group than control group and empty vector group.The renal tubular swelling was alleviated in CD40-siRNA1 group and CD40-siRNA2 group than control group and empty vector group.The levels of 24 hours urinary protein were lower and the levels of complement C3 were higher in CD40-siRNA1 group and CD40-siRNA2 group than control group and empty vector group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:CD-40 siRNA can suppress the expression levels of CD40 mRNA and protein and decrease inflammatory cells infiltration in kidney of MRL/Lpr.Meanwhile after suppressing expression of CD40 mRNA and protein, it can reduce the content of 24 hours urinary protein and elevate the level of complement C3 in serum,which CD-40 siRNA can delay progress of the disease and protect kidney,so that it has therapy effect on lupus nephritis.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-αsiRNA on typeⅡcolla-gen induced arthritis (CIA) in rats. Methods The expression vectors of siRNA against TNF-αgene were constructed suc-cessfully and were injected by tail veil into CIA rats. Twenty-four CIA rats were randomly divided into 4 groups including model group, empty vector group, TNF-α-siRNA1 group and TNF-α-siRNA2 group. CIA rats were injected with the same dose of phosphate buffered sodium (PBS) and pGFP-V-RS vector respectively in model group and empty vector group, while TNF-α-siRNA1 group and TNF-α-siRNA2 group were injected with TNF-α-siRNA1 eukaryotic expression vector and TNF-α-siRNA2 eukaryotic expression vector respectively. Another 6 rats, which were not established CIA model, were in-jected with PBS (blank control group). The serum expression levels of IL-1 were detected by ELISA on day 1, 5, 9 and 13 af-ter injection. The expression level of TNF-αmRNA was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on day 13. Results The expression level of IL-1 was significantly higher on day 1, 5, 9 and 13 in model group than that of blank group (P＜0.05). The expression levels of IL-1 were significantly lower on day 1, 5 and 9 in TNF-α-siRNA1 group and TNF-α-siRNA2 group than that of model group and blank group (P ＜ 0.05). The expression level of TNF-αmRNA was significantly higher on day 13 in model group than that of blank group (P＜0.05). The expression levels of TNF-αmRNA were significantly lower in TNF-α-siRNA1 group and TNF-α-siRNA2 group than those of model group and emp-ty vector group (P＜0.05). Conclusion TNF-αspecific siRNA can suppress the levels of TNF-αmRNA and IL-1, which provides experimental basis for gene therapy of rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To construct a decellularized matrix of human fatty liver as the scaffold for three-dimensional (3D) culture of hepatocarcinoma cells. METHODS: Human fatty liver decellularized matrix (hFLM) was prepared by repeated freezingthawing, perfusion with gradient SDS and 1% Triton X-100 through the portal vein and hepatic artery, and repeated agitation with Triton X-100. HepG2 cells were cultured in the prepared hFLM, and the cell survival, morphology, proliferation and cellular expressions of the adhesion molecules were detected. RESULTS: The decellularization procedure shortened the time for scaffold preparation and preserved the 3D ultrastructure and the composition of the extracellular matrix. HepG2 cells cultured in hFLM scaffold maintained proliferation for up to 15 days and showed a growth pattern with a long lag phase and a slow growth rate, which was similar to the growth pattern . The cultured HepG2 exhibited a low expression of E-cadherin and a high expression of vimentin, which was consistent with the xenograft but opposite to 2D cultured cells. However, the lack of adequate nutrient transport in this hepatocarcinoma cell model led to a slowdown of cell proliferation in the later stage. The PCNA index of HepG2 cells cultured in hFLM was lowered by 29.3% on day 12 as compared with that on day 6. CONCLUSIONS We established a new protocol for preparing hFLM and confirmed the feasibility of constructing hepatocarcinoma cell models using the hFLM scaffold.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fatty Liver ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; Tissue Engineering ; Tissue Scaffolds