Wogonin is a kind of natural flavonoid compound. According to findings in the latest studies, wogonin shows a wide range of antitumor effects, with the characteristics of multi-pathway, multi-link and multi-target, such as promoting tumor cell apoptosis through ROS or Ca(2+)-mediated signal paths, enhancing tumor cytotoxicity by TNF-α and TRAIL, blocking tumor cell cycle, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis and resisting cancer synergistically with chemotherapeutic drugs. Moreover, Wogonin could enhance body immune function by enhancing immune cell infiltration, regulating the immune cell phenotype and promoting relevant cytokine secretion. In this paper, the authors summarized the advance in studies on wogonin's antitumor and immunomodulatory effects.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Flavanones ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; therapeutic use ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; immunology ; physiopathology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; immunology

Objective To investigate the protein expression of cyclooxygenase(COX)-2 and matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-2 and their correlation in human gastric carcinoma.Methods The protein expression of COX-2 and MMP-2 was determined by immunohistochemistry in tumor tissues and adjacent cancerous tissues (3 cm and 6 cm away from tumor margin) of 30 patients with gastric cancer,and in gastric mucosa of 10 healthy individuals.Results Expression of COX-2 was found in cancer cells of 26 out of 30 cases (86.67%),which was significantly higher than that in normal control (0 of 10,P

Adult ; Carcinogens ; Epoxy Compounds ; poisoning ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Mutation ; drug effects ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis ; Regression Analysis ; Sister Chromatid Exchange ; drug effects

AlM:To study the treatment effect of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of high myopia macular hemorrhage, using Chinese medicine etiology and pathogenesis, syndrome differentiation treatment, and provide the basis for the clinical treatment. METHODS: Eighty patients ( 135 eyes ) with high myopia macular hemorrhage were selected in the hospital from January 2012 to september 2014 as treatment group, and applied traditional Chinese medicine treatment. Forty-five patients (64 eyes) with the same period, as the control group, received routine western medicine treatment. After 1mo treatement, the treatment effect and vision improvement situation of two groups were observed, and after 6mo follow-up, the relapse was observed.RESULTS: The total effective rate of treatment group was 85. 19% (115/135), higher than the control group 78. 13% (50/64) (P<0. 05). The average corrected visual acuity of treatment group was 0. 48±0. 11, higher than the control group 0. 36 ± 0. 09, the difference was statistically significant (P<0. 05). The average diopter and macular bleeding scope of the treatment group were -9. 81±0. 85D and 0. 51 ± 0. 27PD, lower than the control group -10. 76 ± 0. 91D and 0. 78 ± 0. 23PD, the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0. 05 ). The eye ground hemorrhage absorption time of treatment group was 25. 34±2. 28d, less than the control group 29. 72 ± 2. 13d, the difference was statistically significant (P<0. 05). The bleeding again of the control group 7. 81% ( 5/64 ), higher than the treatment group was 5. 19% (7/135), the difference was statistically significant (P<0. 05).CONCLUSlON: Evidence-based treatment of traditional Chinese medicine for high myopia macular hemorrhage has good clinical effect, can shorten the treatment time, and is beneficial to the recovery of postoperative vision, worthy of clinical popularization and application.

There has been thousands of years' history that traditional Chinese medicines were used in the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine plays a unique role in the control of variety of new infectious diseases. This article provides a summary on our knowledge of the traditional Chinese medicine theory in the explanation of infectious disease, application of Chinese medicines and the pharmacological mechanism in the successful management on the Ebola virus disease.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola ; therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Objective To investigate the effects of Mycobacterium vaccae vaccine on immunological function and clinical character in elderly patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MethodsA total of 100 elderly patients with stable COPD were randomly divided into immunotherapy group (group A, n= 50) and non-immunotherapy group (group B, n= 50), and normal control group (group C, n = 50). The levels of peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets (CD3+ , CD4+, CD8+ , CD4+/CD8+ ratio), natural killer cells (NK cells), immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) and cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNF-a) were measured respectively before and after therapy. Group A and B were followed up for 1 year, then the times of acute outbreak and hospitalization of patients in the two groups were also compared. Results The levels of CD4 + ,CD4+/CD8+ ratio and NK cells in group A, B were significantly lower before therapy (P＜0. 05～0. 01＝, and the levels of IL-6, IL -8, TNF-a and IgA were significantly higher than in group C (P＜0. 01＝. After treatment with Mycobacterium vaccae vaccine in group A, the levels of CD4+ , CD4+/CD8+ ratio and NK cells were significantly higher (P＜0. 05-0. 01＝ and IL-6, IL-8, TNF-a and IgA were significantly lower than before treatment (all P＜0. 01＝. These levels showed no significant changes in group B after treatment (P＞0. 05). After 1-year follow-up, the times of acute outbreak and hospitalization on patients were statistically lower in group A than in group B (P＜ 0. 01 ).ConclusionsMycobacterium vaccae vaccine can improve cellular immunity function and reduce the times of acute outbreak and hospitalization in patients with stable COPD, so it has a higher clinical application value.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical application of 64-slice spiral computer tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA)in diagnosis of pulmonary embolism(PE).Methods:Sixty-two patients suspected of PE were examined by 64-slice spiral CTPA.The image findings combined with their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Twenty-four of the 62 patients were confirmed to have PE by clinical data,laboratory examination and follow-up examination.64-slice spiral CTPA discovered 152 involved branches in the 24 PE patients,including 4 branches in left and right pulmonary trunk,52 in lobar pulmonary arteries,82 in segmental pulmonary arteries,and 14 in subsegmental arteries.Four types of PE were detected in our group,including eccentric filling defect in 58 branches,central filling defect in 49 branches,total occlusion of the pulmonary arteries in 21 branches,and mural embolism of host artery in 24 branches.The diagnosis accuracy of 64-slice spiral CTPA in the present group of patients was 100%,with no missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis.Besides,64-slice spiral CTPA could reflect the location,morphology,involvement and degrees of PE.Conclusion:64-slice spiral CTPA is a rapid,accurate and non-invasive diagnostic approach for PE.It is the first choice in clinical screening of PE and may serve as a gold standard for diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

DNA damage response (DDR) in different cell cycle status of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and the role of H2AX in DDR were investigated. The PBLs were stimulated into cell cycle with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). The apoptotic ratio and the phosphorylation H2AX (S139) were flow cytometrically measured in resting and proliferating PBLs after treatment with camptothecin (CPT) or X-ray. The expressions of γH2AX, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and caspase-9 were detected by Western blotting. DDR in 293T cells was detected after H2AX was silenced by RNAi method. Our results showed that DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) were both induced in quiescent and proliferating PBLs after CPT or X-ray treatment. The phosphorylation of H2AX and apoptosis were more sensitive in proliferating PBLs compared with quiescent lymphocytes (P<0.05). The expression levels of anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 were reduced and cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9 were increased. No significant changes were observed in CPT-induced apoptosis in 293T cells between H2AX knocking down group and controls. It was concluded that proliferating PBLs were more vulnerable to DNA damage compared to non-stimulated lymphocytes and had higher apoptosis rates. γH2AX may only serve as a marker of DNA damage but exert no effect on apoptosis regulation.

OBJECTIVEThe study aimed to test if Paridis Rhizoma total saponins (PRTS) could induce apoptosis of human gastric cancer cell MKN-45.

METHODBased on the previous researches, PRTS was set by different concentrations to treat human gastric cancer cell for 12 h (5, 10, 20 mg x L(-1)). Fluorescent staining methods were adopted to observe apoptotic morphological changes of MKN-45. The apoptosis rates were analyzed by flow cytometry with Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The enzymatic activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8 were measured by ELISA. The protein levels of Fas and FasL were detected by Western blotting.

RESULTUnder a fluorescence microscope, MKN-45 treated by PRTS was seen typical apoptotic morphological features. PRTS significantly increased the rate of apoptosis. Compared with the control group, there exsited significant differences in apoptosis rate of PRTS concentration of 20 mg x L(-1) (P < 0.01); besides, the enzymatic activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8 were promoted obviously after the effect of PRTS on MKN-45 cells for 12 h (P < 0.01). The protein levels of Fas and FasL in the MKN-45 were upgraded significantly.

CONCLUSIONPRTS can induce apoptosis of human gastric cancer cell MKN-45 , which is concerned with caspase-3 and caspase-8 and upgraded Fas and FasL.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Caspase 8 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fas Ligand Protein ; metabolism ; Humans ; Magnoliopsida ; chemistry ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; fas Receptor ; metabolism

Objective: To investigate the effect of UGT2B7 A268G and UGT2B7 G211T genetic polymorphism on serum drug concentration of valproic acid (VPA).
Methods:Genetic polymorphisms of UGT2B7 A268G and UGT2B7 G211T were tested in 248 epileptic patients by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Data including basic information, epilepsy type, times and doses of drug, treatment response and liver and kidney functions were collected. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 13.0 through multivariate linear regression, one-way ANOVA,χ2 test, and paired T-test.
Results:Based on multivariate linear regression, there was no significant difference between gender, age, or body mass index and VPA, but concentration-to-dose ratios (CDRs) were positively correlated with VPA. hTe genetic polymorphisms of UGT2B7 A268G and UGT2B7 G211T were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. UGT2B7-268A>G allele frequency distribution A was 30.05%, and G was 69.95%. Variance analysis showed that serum drug concentration was significantly different in the genotype of AA, AG, or GG (F=5.477, P=0.005). Further analysis of paired T test showed that AA type was significantly different from GG type (P=0.048), and that serum concentration of AA type was much higher than that of GG type, while no signiifcant difference between AA type and AG type, GG type and AG type. UGT2B7 G211T allele frequency distribution G was 77.24%, and T was 22.58%. hTere was no signiifcant difference in standardized serum concentration among genotypes of GG, GT, and TT.
Conclusion:hTis study reveals UGT2B7 A268G genetic polymorphism distribution in Chinese epilepsy population. UGT2B7 A268G plays an important role in VPA’s metabolism, and has certain effect on VPA’s serum concentration. Epilepsy patient with this genotype should be adjusted the dose of VPA to make a therapeutic effect.