To investigate the therapeutic effect of artesunate on mouse cytomegalovirus pneumonia, the BALB/c-nu mice were infected with murine cytomegalovirus-green fluorescent protein (MCMV-GFP) by nose dropping method. The experimental protocol was approved by the Medical Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Guangzhou Medical University. The BALB/c-nu mice were randomly divided into five groups: control group, MCMV pneumonia group, and artesunate (60, 120, and 240 mg·kg^-1) groups. The survival rate, weights, and virus loads in lungs among the groups were observed. The degree of histopathologic changes in lungs was assessed directly by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) assay. MCMV-GFP expression was assessed by immunofluorescence. In addition, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was performed to investigate the content of major immediate early 1 (Mie1) mRNA, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the changes of inflammatory factors, interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of the changes of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways in total proteins. Compared with MCMV group, artesunate (120 mg·kg^-1) significantly increased body weights of MCMV-infected nude mice over 30 days, and decreased the viral titer in lung homogenate, lung inflammation, and histological severity. Moreover, the administration of artesunate (120 mg·kg^-1) could downregulate the expression of phospho-NF-κB (p-NF-κB) p65 in the lungs of mice. The present study suggested that artesunate can protect the immunocompromised mice from MCMV-induced interstitial pneumonia via downregulating NF-κB signaling pathway, thus attenuating inflammation in the lungs.

Objective To study the different expressions of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligang(RANKL) mRNA in spleens of rats fed with diet of low calcium and high fluoride. Methods A 2× 2×2 factorial design was used and the factors were calcium, fluoride and action time. In the design, 40 Wistar rats [average body mass(118.9±13.5)g] were divided into four groups randomly by weight: control with normal diet (0.790%, calcium), low calcium group with low calcium intake(0.063%, calcium), high fluoride group with normal diet and high fluoride intake(100 mg/L, fluoride) and low calcium and high fluoride group with low calcium and high fluoride intake. After 4 and 8 months, 5 rats of each group were sacrificed and total RNA was extracted from spleen. And the expression levels of RANKL mRNA were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results At time of 4 months, the expression level of RANKL mRNA was 0.13± 0.05,0.13± 0.03,0.17±0.02,0.27± 0.05 and at time of 8 months, it was 0.11 ± 0.01,0.16 ± 0.02,0.16± 0.03,0.36 ± 0.07 in control group, low calcium group, high fluoride group, low calcium with high fluoride group, repectively. The factorial design AVONA showed that low calcium and high fluoride had significant effects on RANKL mRNA expression(F = 40.224,56.679, all P < 0.05) while action time had not(F = 2.850, P > 0.05 ). The interactions of low calcium with high fluoride or high fluoride with action time were signifieant(F = 7.247, 18.789, all P < 0.05) while the interaction of high fluoride with action time was not(F = 1.751, P > 0.05). Conclusions Low calcium alone or high fluoride alone or low calcium with high fluoride or low calcium with action time can increase the the RANKL mRNA expression level. High fluoride does not affect the RANKL mRNA level as the action time is prolonged.

OBJECTIVETo study the storage technique on artificial seeds of Pinellia ternata.

METHODMicrotubers were used as experiment materials. By using orthogonal experiment, the sodium alginate, added with GA3 badistan, chitosan and sodium benzoate, was used as seed vessel. The artificial seeds were stored respectively under 25 degrees C and 4 degrees C for 30 days, then, calculated the germination rate.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONThe sodium alginate(3%) added with GA3(0.1 mg x L(-1)), sodium benzoate(0.2%), badistan(1.0%), ClO2(0.1%) and chitosan(0.2%), were used as artificial seed vessel. Stored under (25 +/- 1) degrees C for 30 days, and the germination rate was over 65%. The sodium alginate(3%), added with GA3(0.1 mg x L(-1)), sodium benzoate(0.2%), badistan(1.0%), ClO2(0.2%) and chitosan(0.1%), were used as artificial seed vessel. Stored under 4 degrees C for 30 days, and the germination rate was over 80%.

Alginates ; Chitosan ; Drug Storage ; methods ; Germination ; physiology ; Gibberellins ; Glucuronic Acid ; Hexuronic Acids ; Pinellia ; growth & development ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; Seeds ; growth & development ; Sodium Benzoate ; Temperature

OBJECTIVETo determine the molecular weight and content of Ginkgo biloba exocarp polysaccharides.

METHODThe analysis was carried on a PL aquagel-OH MIXED (7.5 mm x 300 mm, 8 microm) chromatography column eluted with water as mobile phase at 1.0 mL x min(-1) of flow rate, the column temperature was 25 degrees C and the eluate was detected by RID.

RESULTThe average molecular weight of Ginkgo bilobaexocarp polysaccharides was 11 062.5 with RSD = 0.78% (n = 6); the content was 81.9% with RSD = 2.5% (n = 6), the standard curves of dextran (MW 12 000) were linear in the range of 1-20 microg, r = 0.999 9. The average recovery is 97.9%, RSD was 2.5%.

CONCLUSIONThis method was found to be sensitive and accurate for the measurement of Ginkgo biloba exocarp polysaccharides.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Ginkgo biloba ; chemistry ; Molecular Weight ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polysaccharides ; analysis ; chemistry ; Reproducibility of Results

0.05),the mean FA on the left was higher than the right(t=1.912,P

Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; drug effects ; Depressive Disorder ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Eleutherococcus ; Male ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stress, Psychological

AIMTo investigate the effects of exogenous NO donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) on automaticity of the rabbit sino-atrial node in vitro and the action mechanism.

METHODSThe intracellular microelectrode technique is used to record the action potentials of rabbit sino-atrial node and APA (amplitude of AP), V(max) (maximal rate of depolarization), VDD (velocity of diastolic depolarization), RPF (rate of pacemaker firing) are analyzed.

RESULTSSNP(10(-5) - 10(-2) mol/L) increased its RPF and VDD dose-dependently. 10(-3) mol/L SNP increased RPF (beats/min) from 163 +/- 10.8 to 195.0 +/- 13.1 increased VDD (mV/s) from 50.3 +/- 9.6 to 70.2 +/- 12.1 (P < 0.01). SIN-1(10(-3) - 10(-2) mol/L) also increased RPF and VDD (P < 0.01).10(-4) mo/L Methylene blue (MB), a blocker of GMP cyclase, prevented the positive chronotropic effect and increasement of VDD induced by 10(-3) mol/L SNP totally (P < 0.01). 2. CsCl (2 mmol/L), a blocker of I(f) prevented the increasement of RPF and VDD in part (P < 0.05). 3. NIF (0.46 micromol/L), a blocker of I(Ca-L, had no significant effects on chronotropic effect and increasement of VDD (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONExogenous NO can increase the automaticity of rabbit sino-atrial node in vitro. The chronotropic effect is involved in NO-cGMP pathway and results from increasement of I(f) in the sino-atrial node at least in part; I(ca-L) is unlikely to play a major role in this effect.

Action Potentials ; Animals ; Heart Rate ; Molsidomine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitroprusside ; pharmacology ; Rabbits ; Sinoatrial Node ; drug effects ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of different factors on direct induction of microtubers. These factors included plant growth substances, casein hydrolysate (CH), active carbon (AC), polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000), sucrose and glucose.

METHODUsing the orthogonal design method.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONThe optimal media to directly induce microtubers from leaves were MS + MET 0.5 mg x L(-1) + 6-BA 0.5 mg x L(-1) + sucrose 3% and MS+ 6-BA 0.5 mg x L(-1) + IAA 0.5 mg x L(-1) + sucrose 3%. Optimal media to directly induce microtubers from tubers were MS + 6-BA 1.0 mg x L(-1) + PEG 5% + sucrose 5% and MS+ CH 500 mg x L(-1) + MET 0.5 mg x L(-1) + 6-BA 0.5 mg x L(-1) + AC 0.5% + sucrose 5%. Media suitable for plantlet growth were MS + 6-BA 0.5 mg x L(-1) + IAA 0.5 mg x L(-1) + AC 0.5% + sucrose 5% and MS + MET 0.5 mg x L(-1) + 6-BA 0.5 mg x L(-1) + sucrose 3%.

Carbon ; pharmacology ; Caseins ; pharmacology ; Culture Media ; Culture Techniques ; Glucose ; pharmacology ; Pinellia ; growth & development ; Plant Growth Regulators ; pharmacology ; Plant Leaves ; growth & development ; Plant Tubers ; growth & development ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; Polyethylene Glycols ; pharmacology ; Sucrose ; pharmacology

Growth year is one of the important factors for the quality of Polygala tenufolia. In this study, primary metabolites and secondary metabolites were compared in 1, 2 and 3 years old P. tenufolia cultivated in Shaanxi Heyang. The samples were subjected to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, and the obtained data were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and other statistical analysis methods. In addition, content and correlation of different metabolites were also calculated. The results showed no significance between main component contents in 2 year-old and 3 year-old P. Tenufolia, but 1 year-old was statistically different. The contents of primary metabolites, such as fructose, sucrose, and choline increased as time goes on, while glycine and raffinose decreased. The contents of secondary metabolites, such as onjisaponin Fg, polygalasaponin XXVIII, polygalasaponin XXXII increased, while polygalaxanthone III and parts of oligosaccharide multi-ester including tenuifoliose A, tenuifoliose C, tenuifoliose C2 and tenuifoliose H decreased with the extension of the growth years. Growth years has important impact on the quality of P. tenuifolia and the existing growing years of commodity P. tenuifolia have its scientific evidence. This study supplied a new method for the quality evaluation of Chinese medicinal materials.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Mass Spectrometry ; Metabolomics ; Oligosaccharides ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polygala ; chemistry ; Quality Control

Objective: To observe the effects of manganese( Ⅲ ) meso-tetrakis (N, N'-diethylimidazolium-2-yl) porphyrin (MnTDM) in treatment of early Parkinson's disease(PD) mouse model induced by subcutaneous injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine(MPTP) and to discuss its possible mechanism. Methods:Forty male C57BL/6 mice were evenly randomized into 4 groups: MPTP model group(subcutaneous injection of 25 mg/kg MPTP for 3 days), MnTDM+ MPTP group (15 mg/kg MnTDM was subcutaneously injected 1 h before MPTP injection), MnTDM control group, and normal saline group. Performance of animals in the pole and swimming test was observed 3 days after the last injection. Levels of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites(3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid [DOPAC] and homovanillic acid [HVA]) in the striatum of animals were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with an electrochemical detector(HPLC-ECD). Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method was used to examine the levels of malondialdehyde(MDA). Results: Acute injection of MPTP could be used for establishment of PD model. The striatal levels of DA, DOPAC and HVA in MPTP group were significantly lower(P＜0.01)and the striatal level of MDA was significantly higher(P＜0.05) than those of the control group. MPTP had no obvious effect on the behavioral performance of the animals in a short term. MnTDM could partly inhibit the above effects of MPTP. Compared with MPTP group, MnTDM+ MPTP group had significantly higher DA, DOPAC, and HVA levels and significantly lower MDA level(all P＜0.05). There was no significant difference in the behavioral indices of animals between the 4 groups. Conclusion:MnTDM can inhibit lipid peroxidation and promote DA production; it has preventive and therapeutic effects on MPTP induced PD.