Aim To investigate the synergistic effects and possible molecular mechanism of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and alcohol on liver injury in HBV transgenic mice(HBV-Tg mice).Methods 20 HBV-Tg mice and 20 wild-type mice were randomly divided into 4 groups:alcohol-fed Tg mice and alcohol-fed Wt mice, and they were given intragastric administration with alcohol. Control Tg mice and control Wt mice received intragastric administration with saline.All groups were rasied for 10 weeks.The levels of ALT and AST in serum, the degree of inflammation, the degree of fibrosis, the mRNA expression of TGF-β_1, Smad3, Smad7, CTGF and the protein expression of TGF-β_1, CTGF, α-SMA in liver tissue were detected.Results The serumlevel of ALT and AST, the mRNA expression of TGF-β_1, Smad3, Smad7, CTGF and the protein expression of TGF-β_1, CTGF, α-SMA in liver all increased markedly in alcohol-fed Tg mice. Alcohol consumption induced hepatocyte steatosis and hepatic inflammation in alcohol-fed Tg mice, but the change of liver fibrosis was not remarkable.Conclusion HBV and alcohol have synergistic effects on early liver injury, possibly by enhancing the expression of TGF-β_1, Smad3, CTGF, α-SMA and inducing unbalanced expression of Smads.

Objective:To observe the role of lamividine and silymarin preventing and curing liver fibrosisrelevant factors induced by alcohol drinking in hepatitis B virus (HBV) transgenic mice (Tg mice).Methods:Forty HBV-Tg BALB/C mice with 1.3 copy were randomly divided into 4 groups:a control group,a model group,a lamivudine group and a silymarin group.Tg mice in control group were treated with normal saline via intragastric administration;Tg-mice in the model group were treated with 50％ alcohol (5 mL/kg) once a day via intragastric administration;while Tg-mice in lamivudine group and silymarin group were treated with alcohol (5 mL/kg) plus laminvudine (100 mg/kg) and silymarin (200 mg/kg) once a day via intragastric administration respectively.All groups were raised for 10 weeks.The levels of HBV-DNA copy number,ALT,AST in serum,the degree of inflammation,the degree of fibrosis,the mRNA expression levels of TGF-β 1,Smad3,Smad7 and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF),and the protein expression levels of TGF-β1,CTGF and α-SMA in liver tissue were detected.All the images were scanned with electronic computer and the data were analyzed with SPSS13.0 software.Results:Compared with the control group,liver injury were significantly aggravated,while HBVDNA copies,mRNA levels ofTGF-β1,Smad3,Smad7 and CTGF as well as the protein levels of TGF-β1,CTGF and α-SMA were significantly increased (P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,liver injury were significantly attenuated in silymarine group and lamivudine group,while mRNA levels of TGF-β 1,Smad3 and CTGF as well as the protein levels of TGF-β1,CTGF and α-SMA were significantly decreased;mRNA level of Smad7 was further increased (P＜0.05);the levels of ALT and AST in serum were decreased in the silymarine group (P＜0.05).Conclusion:Lamivudine and silymarin relieve the histological damage in the liver of alcohol-fed Tg mice.The mechanisms for the beneficial effects of lamivudine or silymarin might be related to inhibiting the expression of TGF-β 1,Smad3 and CTGF,modulating the expression of Smads and suppressing the activation of HSC.

Treatment by way of pasting TCM on acupoints has a long history and the clinical efficacy is determined. In this article, based on the concept of TCM wholism and meridian theory, the mechanism of acupoint pasting therapy was expounded from the aspects of medicine effects on local stimulation of the body, meridian conduction, medicine transdermal absorption. Combining with the research hot spots of modern medicine transdermal delivery system, metabolomics, and efficacy material, this article proposed a new study mode of systems biology of TCM.

At present, TCM treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) is based on the combination of disease differentiation and syndrome differentiation. Therefore, the establishment of IBS-D of liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome combined with animal model as a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine innovation theory has become increasingly concerned about, and gradually become a new direction for the development of TCM experimental animal model. This article reviewed the research progress in IBS-D liver and spleen deficiency syndrome in recent years, discussed the establishment of IBS-D liver stagnation and spleen deficiency animal model and research ideas for the treatment of IBS-D, and provided references for mechanism research of TCM treatment for IBS-D and research and development of new medicine.

AIM: To explore the protective effect of fluorofenidone (AKF-PD) on diethylnitrosamine-induced liver injury in rats and its inhibition of the TGF-β1/Smads pathway in hepatocytes. METHODS: Fifty-five male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups: model group (DEN group, n=20) were gavaged with DEN (10 mg/kg), 5 times for 14 weeks; control group (n=20) were gavaged with saline with the same volume of the model group; treatment group (DEN+AKF-PD Group, n=15), after 4 weeks of modeling, they were gavaged with AKF-PD (500 mg/kg) daily, and stopped at 14 weeks. At the end of experiment, the rats were killed by anesthesia and spinal dislocation. Masson staining was used to observe collagen deposition; primary hepatocytes were extracted and identified, and the levels of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), TGF-β1, Smad3, and Smad7 mRNA, and the expression of Smad3 and Smad7 proteins in hepatocytes were detected. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, Masson staining showed that collagen deposition increased in the DEN group; AKF-PD treatment could significantly improve liver pathological damage and reduce collagen deposition. In addition, compared with the DEN group, the α-SMA, TGF-β1, and Smad3 mRNA levels of the AKF-PD group were significantly reduced, and the Smad7 mRNA level was increased. Moreover, AKF-PD treatment could dependably reduce the expression of Smad3 and increase Smad7. CONCLUSION: AKF-PD can significantly improve liver injury and fibrosis in rats caused by DEN. This effect may be related to the down-regulation of α-SMA, TGF-β1, and Smad3 mRNA levels in hepatocytes and the increase of Smad7 mRNA levels.