Objective To observe the effect of saikosaponin-d on transcriptional activation of estrogen receptor in rat hepatic stellate cells(HSC-T6), and to explore its pharmacological mechanism. Methods The rat HSC-T6 were cultured in vitro for the study. After transient transfection of HSC-T6 with the ER-specific reporter gene ERE-tk-Luc by liposome, the effect of saikosaponin-d and estradiol on luciferase activity was observed by Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay System under the conditions of various drug concentrations, various treatment time and addition of estrogen receptor inhibitor ICI182. 780. Results When the concentrations of saikosaponin-d and estradiol were in the range of 0.01-5 μmol/L, 0.01-1 μmol/L respectively, luciferase activity was increased in a dose-dependent manner . Luciferase activity arrived the highest when saikosaponin-d concentration was 5 μmol/L and estradiol concentration was 1 μmol/L, but the effect was weakening when estradiol concentration reached 5μmol/L. In respect of the effect of treatment time, when HSC-T6 were separately treated with 5μmol/L of saikosaponin-d and 1 μmol/L of estradiol for 24 h, the luciferase activity was the highest. And ICI182.780 could significantly inhibit the induction of saikosaponin-d and estradiol for luciferase activity. Conclusion Saikosaponin-d has an effect on promoting the transcriptional activation of estrogen receptor in HSC-T6.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of Dachengqi decoction combined with octreotide in the treatment of patients with acute pancreatitis (AP).Methods:From March 2018 to February 2021, a total of 68 patients with mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) and moderately severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP) admitted to Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine-Integrated Hospital were included, and they were randomly divided into western medicine treatment group and Dachengqi decoction group. The patients in the western medicine treatment group received conventional western medicine (octreotide+symptomatic treatment); in the Dachengqi decoction group, 100 mL of Dachengqi decoction was taken orally on the basis of conventional western medicine, twice a day; the observation time for both groups was 7 days. The levels of inflammation parameters [white blood cell count (WBC), interleukin-6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP)] and serum amylase (Amy) before and after treatment of patients between the two groups, as well as the occurrence of clinical efficacy indicators and adverse reactions were compared.Results:Among the 68 included patients, 4 were excluded because the specimen was not obtained or the patient gave up the treatment. A total of 64 patients were finally enrolled in the analysis, including 32 cases in the Dachengqi decoction group and 32 cases in the western medicine treatment group respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in inflammation parameters or serum Amy levels before treatment between the two groups. At 7 days of treatment, the inflammatory parameters and serum Amy levels of the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment [western medicine treatment group: WBC (×10 9/L) was 5.94±2.08 vs. 11.81±3.66, IL-6 (ng/L) was 7.22 (5.72, 14.23) vs. 30.13 (15.77, 85.37), PCT (μg/L) was 0.068 (0.052, 0.128) vs. 0.290 (0.231, 0.428), CRP (mg/L) was 26.0 (18.3, 35.8) vs. 112.0 (62.0, 126.0), Amy (U/L) was 77 (57, 116) vs. 352 (162, 1 576); Dachengqi decoction group: WBC (×10 9/L) was 5.56±2.04 vs. 12.22±2.85, IL-6 (ng/L) was 5.70 (3.26, 11.06) was 50.30 (23.99, 88.32), PCT (μg/L) was 0.038 (0.028, 0.808) vs. 0.308 (0.129, 0.462), CRP (mg/L) was 11.0 (3.5, 24.0) vs. 150.0 (75.0. 193.0), Amy (U/L) was 78 (57, 104) vs. 447 (336, 718); all P < 0.05], and the levels of IL-6, PCT, and CRP decreased more significantly after treatment in the Dachengqi decoction group (all P < 0.05). The total clinical effective rate of patients in the Dachengqi decoction group was significantly higher than that of the western medicine treatment group [93.75% (30/32) vs. 71.88% (23/32), P < 0.05]. There was no obvious adverse event during the treatment and observation period in the two groups. Conclusion:Dachengqi decoction combined with octreotide therapy could improve the clinical efficacy of AP patients, and its mechanism might be related to reducing the level of inflammatory factors, thereby inhibiting the inflammatory response, and regulating the level of serum Amy.

Objective To investigate the expression of NLRP3 inflammatory body in the process of liver fibrosis in a rat model of common bile duct ligation (BDL) and the association of NLRP3 inflammatory body with liver fibrosis. Methods A total of 65 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group with 15 rats and BDL model group with 50 rats. On days 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28, 10 rats in the model group and 3 rats in the sham-operation group were sacrificed. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), direct bilirubin (DBil), total bilirubin (TBil), total bile acid (TBA), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured, and HE staining, Masson staining, and sirius red-picric acid staining were performed for liver tissue to evaluate liver fibrosis degree. Immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in liver tissue, Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to measure the expression level of NLRP3 inflammatory body, and ELISA was used to measure the level of the inflammatory factor interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in liver tissue. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between groups, and the least significant difference t -test was used for further comparison between two groups. Results Compared with the sham-operation group, the BDL model group had significant increases in the serum levels of ALT, AST, DBil, TBil, TBA, and ALP (all P < 0.05) and the level of IL-1β in liver tissue ( P < 0.05), which reached the highest level on day 3 and then decreased. Compared with the sham-operation group over time, the BDL group had a significant increase in liver fibrosis score ( P < 0.05); immunohistochemistry showed gradual increases in the expression of SMA-α and TGF-β1 ( P < 0.05), and Western blot and qRT-PCR showed a gradual increase in the protein expression of NLRP3 inflammatory body in liver tissue ( P < 0.05), which remained stable after day 14. Conclusion Liver injury exists persistently in a rat model of BDL, and liver histopathology shows the dynamic evolution of hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and liver cirrhosis. NLRP3 inflammatory body is in a state of continuous activation and may play an important role in the process of liver fibrosis.