Objective:To investigate the effect of Superfine Cordyceps militarisv Powder on the immune functions of the mice,and to provide basis for improving the utilizable ratio of Cordyceps militaris.Methods:A total of 40 mice were randomly divided into negative control group,low dose (0.166 5 g·kg-1),middle dose (0.333 3 g·kg-1),and high dose (0.999 9 g·kg-1) of Superfine Cordyceps militaris Powder groups,and there were 10 mice in each group.The mice in different doses of Superfine Cordyceps militaris Powder groups were administered with the Superfine Cordyceps militaris Powder for 30 d by intragastric infusion respectively,whereas,the mice in negative control group were administered with the same volume of water for 30 d by intragastric infusion.The body weights,the spleen indexes and thymus indexes of the mice in various groups were measured;the lymphocyte transformation abilities of the mice in various groups were observed by lymphocyte transformation experiment;the levels of delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction of the mice were examined with toe incrassation;the number of antibody forming cells,phagocytic rate and phagocytic index of chicken erythrocytes phagocytized by peritoneal macrophages of the mice were detected.Results:Compared with negative control group,the body weights,the spleen indexes a nd thymus indexes of the mice in different doses of Superfine Cordyceps militaris Powder groups had no significant differences (P>0.05).The lymphocyte transformation abilities of the mice in middle and high doses of Superfine Cordyceps militarisPowder groups were higher than that in negative control group(P<0.05).The levels of delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction of the mice in middle and high doses of Superfine Cordyceps militaris Powder groups were higher than those in low dose of Superfine Cordyceps militaris powder group and negative control group(P<0.05).The numbers of antibody forming cells of the mice in low,middle and high doses of Superfine Cordyceps militaris Powder groups were higher than that in negative control group(P<0.05).The phagocytic rates and phagocytic indexes of chicken erythrocytes phagocytized by peritoneal macrophage of the mice in low,middle and high doses of Superfine Cordyceps militaris Powder groups were higher than that in negative control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Superfine Cordyceps militaris Powder can strengthen the immune functions of the mice,and the recommended doses are 0.333 3 and 0.999 9 g·kg-1.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is often treated with drugs such as interferons and nucleoside (acid)/nucleotide (acid) analogs. While these drugs are effective in controlling the viral loads, they are not able to eliminate hepatitis B virus (HBV) from the body completely. Besides, side effects and drug resistance may by caused by the long-term use of these drugs. Several monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) against HBV, mostly against hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), have been demonstrated with viral neutralization capability and with effective inhibition of HBV replication in relevant animal models. The use of a McAb individually or in combination with another therapy has the potentials to achieve functional cure of CHB. In this review, we summarized the encouraging results from the research and development of anti-HBV McAbs in clinical or pre-clinical development stage, aiming to provide new idea for the treatment of CHB.

Thimerosal has been widely used as a preservative in drug and vaccine products for decades.Due to the strong propensity to modify thiols in proteins,conformational changes could occur due to covalent bond formation between ethylmercury(a degradant of thimerosal)and thiols.Such a conformational change could lead to partial or even complete loss of desirable protein function.This study aims to investigate the effects of thimerosal on the capsid stability and antigenicity of recombinant human papillomavirus(HPV)18 virus-like particles(VLPs).Dramatic destabilization of the recombinant viral capsid upon thimerosal treatment was observed.Such a negative effect on the thermal stability of VLPs preserved with thimerosal was shown to be dependent on the thimerosal concentration.Two highly neutralizing antibodies,13H12 and 3C3,were found to be the most sensitive to thimerosal treatment.The kinetics of antigenicity loss,when monitored with 13H12 or 3C3 as probes,yielded two distinctly different sets of kinetic parameters,while the data from both monoclonal antibodies(mAbs)followed a biphasic expo-nential decay model.The potential effect of thimerosal on protein function,particularly for thiol-containing proteinaceous active components,needs to be comprehensively characterized during formulation development when a preservative is necessary.