Objective To examine the effects of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor on the behavioral response to zebrafish larvae after hypoxia/reoxygenation brain injury and to identify whether the protective effect is mediated by inhibiting apoptosis and protein,and mRNA related to apoptosis.Methods The 5-day post-fertilization zebrafish larvae were randomly assigned to 3 groups:control group,model group and intervention group.Fishes in the intervention group were separated into 3 subgroups according to p38 MAPK inhibitor concentration (5,10,20 μmol/L).The activity levels of the larvae were analyzed by using quantization mode of ZebraLab software,swimming distance and moving speed were recorded.Terminal transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays of brain assays were performed.The protein levels of phosphorylation of p38 MAPK,apoptosis related proteins of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2),Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax) and Caspase-3 were determined by Western blot.The mRNA expressions of Bcl-2,Bax,and caspase-3 were also analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).Results The activity movement analysis of the intervention group 2 and 3 demonstrated a significantly increase in the swimming distance compared with the model group(P ＜ 0.05).After irradiation under strong light,all groups showed dramatically increasing in the moving speed.After removal of strong light,a significant decrease in moving speed was found in the control group and intervention group 2 and intervention group 3.The TUNEL assay showed that apoptosis index decreased in the intervention group (21.7 ±2.0,12.8 ± 1.9,17.7 ±2.6) compared with model group (46.8 ±5.3) (all P ＜0.01).Western blot assays demonstrated a significant increase protein level of phosphorylation of p38 MAPK after hypoxia and reoxygenation,and the inhibitor reduced the p-p38 MAPK expression.Compared with the model group,p38 MAPK inhibitor increased the protein and mRNA expression level of Bcl-2,whereas reduced the Bax and caspase-3 expression in the brain.Conclusions Under the influences of p38 MAPK inhibitor,zebrafish larvae improved the behavioral changes after hypoxia-induced brain injury.The inhibitor (10 μmol/L) optimally reduces hypoxia-induced apoptosis in brain by up-regulating Bcl-2,down-regulating Bax/caspase-3 protein and their mRNA level.

Objective To investigate the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress - related factors, glucose - regulated protein 78(GRP78)and growth arrest and DNA damage - inducible protein 34( GADD34)and neuronal apoptosis in the brain of zebrafish larvae after hypoxia/ reoxygenation brain injury,and the neuroprotective role of Taurine. Methods The 5 day post - fertilization zebrafish larvae were randomly assigned to 3 groups:control group, hypoxia/ reoxygenation model group(model group)and Taurine treatment group(Taurine group). According to the dif-ferent time points for observation,each group was subdivided into 5 subgroups(1 h,3 h,6 h,24 h,48 h)with 100 ze-brafish larvae each. The pathological changes in the brain tissues and cell apoptosis were detected by fluorescence ter-minal deoxynucleotidyltransferase - mediated dUTP nick end - labeling( TUNEL). The expression of GRP78 and GADD34 mRNA in the brain of zebrafish larvae were detected by real - time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT - PCR). The changes in GRP78 and GADD34 protein were detected by Western blot. Results (1)TUNEL:apoptosis index(AI)was increased after hypoxia/ reoxygenation,and reached the peak at 3 h in model group,the AI in Taurine group was decreased compared with that in the model group at the same time point(1 h:22. 83 ± 1. 80 vs 30. 18 ± 1. 81,3 h:23. 22 ± 2. 46 vs 42. 97 ± 4. 01,6 h:16. 80 ± 1. 69 vs 22. 97 ± 1. 91,all P ﹤ 0. 05).(2)qRT -PCR:the expression of GRP78 and GADD34 mRNA was increased at 1 h after hypoxia/ reoxygenation,and reached the peak at 3 h in the model group,the expression in Taurine group was decreased compared with that in the model group at the same time point(GRP78 mRNA:1 h:2. 35 ± 0. 13 vs 5. 36 ± 0. 35,3 h:3. 08 ± 0. 33 vs 4. 27 ± 0. 52,6 h:1. 57 ± 0. 12 vs 3. 00 ± 0. 13,all P ﹤ 0. 05;GADD34 mRNA:1 h:5. 14 ± 0. 55 vs 7. 45 ± 0. 67,3 h:2. 79 ± 0. 58 vs 5. 83 ± 0. 51,6 h:1. 79 ± 0. 22 vs 3. 67 ± 0. 30,all P ﹤ 0. 05).(3)Western blot:the expression of GRP78 and GADD34 pro-tein was increased at 1 h,reached the peak at 6 h,but it was decreased in Taurine group(GRP78 protein:1 h:1. 12 ± 0. 11 vs 1. 37 ± 0. 13,3 h:0. 79 ± 0. 11 vs 1. 25 ± 0. 10,6 h:0. 55 ± 0. 10 vs 1. 52 ± 0. 14,all P ﹤ 0. 05;GADD34 pro-tein:1 h:0. 92 ± 0. 11 vs 1. 11 ± 0. 13,3 h:0. 96 ± 0. 11 vs 1. 52 ± 0. 09,6 h:0. 76 ± 0. 05 vs 1. 89 ± 0. 06,all P ﹤0. 05).(4)The expression of GRP78 and GADD34 protein was positively correlated with AI in the model group(r =0. 53,0. 56 respectively,all P ﹤ 0. 05). Conclusion One of neuroprotective mechanisms of Taurine against hypoxia/reoxygenation brain injury may down - regulate GRP78 and GADD34 expression.

Objective To explore the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on long-term learning and memory disorders and potential mechanism in rats after hypoxic ischemic brain damage. Methods Sixty neonatal 7-day-old SD rats were ramdonly divided into three groups: group S (sham operation+vehicle treatment), group C (hypoxic-ischemic brain damage [HIBD]+vehicle treatment) and group D (HIBD+DHA treatment). After left common carotid artery was isolated and ligated for 2.5 h, rats of group C and group D were put into a condition which oxygen concentration was about 8%for 2 h;rats in the group S were only isolated the left carotid artery, without ligation or hypoxia treatment;rats in the group D were intraperitoneally injected DHA of 15 mg/kg after modeling, and rats in the group S and group C were intraperitoneally injected equivalent volume of vehcle, once a day for 10 consecutive days. The pathomorphology changes of the hypocampal CA1 area, and marginal division of striatum were observed by Nissl staining 48 h after modling; the apoptosis cells were measured by TUNEL;immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expressions of Bax and Caspase-3 positive cells in the two brain areas. Morris water maza test was used to evaluate the long-term lerning and momory functions of 2-month-old rats, and the expressions of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR1) positive cells were detected by immunohistochemical method. Results The pathomorphology damage was significantly improved, the expressions of Bax and Caspase-3 positive cells and the neuron apoptosis in hypocampal CA1 areas and marginal division of striatum in group D were all signficantly decreased as compared with those in the group C (P<0.05). Rats in group D had significantly decreased escape latency as compared with those in group C in Morris water maze test (P<0.05), and the expression of NMDAR1 positive cells in the two brain areas of group D was significantly increased as compared with that in the group C (P<0.05). Conclusion DHA has the ameliorative effect on long-term learning and memory disorders after hypoxic ischemic brain damage in rats, which may be associated with inhibitory action of cell apoptosis at early phase and up-regulation of expression of NMDA1 at the late phase.

Gardeniae Fructus (GF) and Semen Sojae Praeparatum (SSP) are both medicine food homologies and widely used in Chinese clinical prescriptions together. The research investigated the pharmacokinetics of four iridoids in normal rats and isolfavones-fed rats, which were administered with isolfavones from SSP for 7, 14, 21 and 28 consecutive days. A validated LC-MS/MS method was developed for determining shanzhiside, genipin-1-gentiobioside, geniposide and their metabolite genipin in rat plasma. Plasma samples were pretreated by solid-phase extraction using paeoniflorin as the internal standard. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Waters Atlantis T3 (4.6 mm × 150 mm, 3μm) column using a gradient mobile phase consisting of acetonitril and water (containing 0.06％acetic acid). The mass detection was under the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode via polarity switching between negative and positive ionization modes. The calibration curves exhibited good linearity (r>0.997) for all components. The lower limit of quantitation was in the range of 1-10 ng/mL. The intra-day and inter-day precisions (RSD) at three different levels were both less than 12.2％ and the accuracies (RE) ranged from -10.1％ to 16.4％. The extraction recovery of them ranged from 53.8％ to 99.7％. Pharmacokinetic results indicated the bioavailability of three iridoid glycosides and the metabolite, genipin in normal rats was higher than that in rats exposed to isoflavones. With the longer time of administration of iso-flavones, plasma concentrations of iridoids decreased, while genipin sulfate, the phase II metabolite of genposide and genipin-1-gentiobioside, appeared the rising exposure. The pharmacokinetic profiles of main iridoids from GF were altered by isoflavones.