Objective To investigate the effects of Naoluoxintong which is representative prescription of supplementing Qi and activating blood therapy(Yiqihuoxue),the prescription of supplementing Qi therapy(Yiqi) and the prescription of activating blood therapy(Huoxue) on local cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury rats.To observe the changes of neural stem cells(NSCs) and correlated SVZ factors.Methods Models of local cerebral ischemia-reperfusion were established by thread-occluding the MCA.The time points were observed at 1,3,7 d after reperfusion following 2 h of MCAO respectively.The expression levels of Nestin were measured by immunohistochemical staining.Results The expression of Nestin of treatment groups increased significantly compared with model group at 7 d(P

BACKGROUND: Correlation between channel and viscera is a core of athemry on acupuncture and meridian, and is also a key entrance for mech anism of acupuncture. This study was designed to discuss theory onacupuncture and meridian through correlation between heart meridian andelectric discharge activities of sympathetic nerve. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture at differentsegments of heart meridian on the electric discharge activities of the supe rior sympathetic plexus in rabbits. DESIGN: Randomized controlled animal study. SETTING: Central Laboratory of Channel and Viscera Research, AnhuiCollege of Traditional Chinese Medicine. MATERIALS: The experiment was carried out at the Central Laboratoryof Channel and Viscera Research, Anhui College of Traditional ChineseMedicine in March 2004. A total of 36 healthy chinchilla rabbits weighing(2.8±0.3) kg were randomly divided into three groups with 12 in eachgroup, including multi-electro-acupuncturing the wrist (Shenmen region), elbow (Shaohai region) or axils (Jiquan region) sections of heart meridian. METHODS: One rabbit of the same sex whose body mass was less than10% was selected from each group. Superior sympathetic plexus was sepa rated under Olympus anatomic microscope (Japan), and multiple double electrodes materialized as stainless steel sil were embedded. Then, afterfixing with special gelatum (USA), thoracic cavity was closed, temperaturein anus was controlled at (39±0.5) ℃, and 50 mL/L glucose was drippedinto vein for 2 hours before acupuncture. The changes of heart rhythm vari ability (HRV) and electric discharge activities of superior sympatheticplexus were recorded and analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HRV, ratio between high frequency(HF) and low frequency (LF) of power spectrum. RESULTS: All rabbits were involved in the final analysis. After elec troacupuncture, the total HRV values and electroactivitic frequencies of thesuperior sympathetic plexus were increased, but LF/HF of power spectrumwas decreased. The decrease at the wrist section was superior to others; theaxils section was inferior to elbow section. CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture at different segments of heart meridi an can improve the electric discharge activities of the superior sympatheticplexus and the leaf-cardiac function. Among the three groups, the relation ship of functions was the closest between the wrist stem of heart meridianand left heart.

To investigate the effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms of curcumin on pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in rat model with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).A total of 75 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group (group CN), model group (group M), low-dose curcumin group (group CL), medium-dose curcumin group (group CM) and high-dose curcumin group (group CH). HE staining was used to observe the morphology of pulmonary artery. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), apoptosis-related protein Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by immunohistochemical staining. TUNEL kit was used to analyze the effects of curcumin on apoptosis of smooth muscle cells, and the protein expressions of SOCS-3/JAK2/STAT pathway in lung tissues were determined by western blot.Right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVMI) in group M were significantly higher than those in group CN, group CH and group CM (all<0.05). HE staining and TUNEL kit test showed that the number of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells had a significant increase in group M, while the pulmonary artery tube became thin, and the smooth muscle cells shrinked in group CM and group CH. Immunohistochemistry showed that PCNA and Bcl-2 in group M were significantly higher than those in group CN (all<0.05), while Bax expression was significantly lower than that in group CN (<0.05). PCNA in group CM and group CH were significantly lower than that in group M (all<0.05), while Bax expression was significantly higher than that in group M (<0.05). Western blot showed that SOCS-3 protein was significantly decreased in group M, while the p-JAK2, p-STAT1, p-STAT3 were significantly increased (all<0.05). Compared with group M, SOCS-3 protein in group CM and group CH were significantly increased (all<0.05), while the p-JAK2, p-STAT3 were significantly reduced (all<0.05).Curcumin could promote the apoptosis of smooth muscle cells in rats with COPD, and improve the mean pulmonary artery pressure and RVMI through stimulating SOCS-3/JAK2/STAT signaling pathway.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; physiology ; Arterial Pressure ; drug effects ; physiology ; Curcumin ; pharmacology ; Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Janus Kinase 2 ; drug effects ; physiology ; Lung ; chemistry ; drug effects ; Male ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; drug effects ; pathology ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Artery ; drug effects ; pathology ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; STAT Transcription Factors ; Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein ; drug effects ; physiology ; Ventricular Pressure ; drug effects ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; drug effects ; metabolism