Animals ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cells, Cultured ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; omega-Conotoxins ; pharmacology

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cell Lineage ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Oligodendroglia ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To establish a method for culturing neonatal mice cardiomyocytes, and construct an in vitro model of cardiomyocytes for assessing the cardiac toxicity of chemicals. Methods Hearts of neonatal mice of 1 day old were digested with enzyme mixture of trypsin/collagenase type Ⅱ/dispase and the cell suspensions were pre-plated to flask for a short time and then seeded on coated dishes. The cultured cells were treated with 5-fiuorine-deoxy-uridine(15 μg/ml)and uridine(35 μg/ml)to enrich cardiomyocytes that were identified according to the morphology and immunocytochemistry of α-actin antigen. Cardiac myocytes were incubated with 0-64 μg/ml of a fusarium mycotoxin butenolide(BUT) for 12 h. Cell viability was then evaluated by MTT assay. Microscopic observation showed that BUT induced significant morphological changes including cellular swelling, vacuolation and breakage of muscle fibers. Results It was found that 96% of the cultured cells were cardiomyocytes and the myocytes kept beating after 90 days of culture. Concentration-dependent decreases in cell viability following exposure of cardiac myocytes to BUT were observed. Conclusion The results indicated that relatively pure primary culture of neonatal mice cardiomyocytes is successfully established. BUT possesses the potential to induce myocardial toxicity.

Objective To investigate the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on early and mid-term knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods 70 patients were randomly assigned to ESWT group (n=34) or control group (n=36). The ESWT group was given shock wave on unilateral knee, while the control group accepted shock wave with the energy density of 0. They were evaluated with Visual Analog Scale (VAS) on movement, Lequesne Index and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index before and 12 weeks after the intervention. Results The scores of VAS, Lequesne Index and WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index improved more in the ESWT group than in the control group after intervention (P<0.01). Conclusion ESWT is effective on KOA as a non-surgical treatment.

Hypoxic preconditioning with different simulated altitudes (3?000 m and 5?000 m) was performed on Wistar rats and the evoked population spikes were recorded from the hippocampal slices of these rats. The results showed that the appearance of hypoxic injury potential (HIP) and the disappearance of presynaptic volley (PV) were significantly delayed in response to acute lethal hypoxia. HIP and PV delay became more apparent when the hypoxic preconditioning altitude was increased from 3?000 m to 5?000 m. After reoxygenation, the recovery rate of PV in hypoxic preconditioning groups at 3?000 m and 5?000 m was apparently higher than that of control. The above results suggest that hypoxic preconditioning of animals in vivo increases hypoxic tolerance of hippocampal neurons.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of recombinant human interleukin-6 (rhIL-6) on the Bcl-2 and Bax expression and apoptosis after anoxia-reoxygenation in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. The control and rhIL-6 treated hippocampal neurons cultured for 12 d were exposed to anoxia environment (90% N2+10% CO2) for 2 and 4 h and then were reoxygenated for 24 and 72 h. The expression of Bcl-2 and Bax was revealed immunocytochemically using the antiserum against Bcl-2 and Bax. The apoptosis was examined by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated deoxyuridine triphosphate nickel end labeling (TUNEL) method and flow cytometric analysis. The results showed that in cultured hippocampal neurons the Bcl-2 expression decreased while Bax expression and the percentage of apoptotic neurons increased after anoxia-reoxygenation compared with those before anoxia. In comparison with the control, after anoxia-reoxygenation the Bcl-2 expression in hippocampal neurons was higher than that in rhIL-6 group; however the Bax expression and the percentage of the apoptosis were decreased in rhIL-6 group. It is suggested that rhIL-6 may play a role in protecting neurons from the damage induced by anoxia-reoxygenation.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Hypoxia ; drug effects ; physiology ; Cells, Cultured ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; Interleukin-6 ; pharmacology ; Neurons ; drug effects ; physiology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; biosynthesis ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Recombinant Proteins ; pharmacology ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein

AIMTo investigate protective effects of ginkgolide B (GB) in different administration modes on glutamate-induced neuronal damage.

METHODSEssential GB were obtained by supercritical CO2 fluid extraction. Glutamate excitotoxicity were examined in primary cultures from neonatal Wistar rat, by using of Trypan blue dye staining, testing the lactate dehydrogenase leakage from cultured neurons and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. The protective effects of GB in different administration modes (pre-treatment and post-treatment) were adopted and compared with the NMDA receptor uncompetitive antagonist-MK-801 in acute-treatment.

RESULTSTreatment with GB in two administration modes both could increase ratio of surviving neuron, decrease LDH efflux and reduce ratio of neuron apoptosis in different degree, depended on dose in certain range. The protective effect of pre-treatment was superior to post-treatment, but inferior to MK-801.

CONCLUSIONGB can protect neurons against glutamate damage, and preventive using has more efficiency. The potential mechanism of its neural protection may be not only related to PAF receptor. If the predominant protection effect of GB in pretreatment is considered, precautionary intervention to high-risk population could have more value.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Dizocilpine Maleate ; pharmacology ; Ginkgolides ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Glutamic Acid ; adverse effects ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Lactones ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; virology ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; blood ; virology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Viral Load

OBJECTIVETo explore the effectiveness related indicators which might help identify the indications of Tongxinluo Capsule () and Kangxin Capsule () targeting on qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern in Chinese medicine (CM) in the treatment of angina pectoris.

METHODSThe data from a multicenter, randomized and double-blinded study conducted at 5 centers in China were obtained for the analysis. A total of 239 patients with angina pectoris and CM syndrome of qi deficiency and blood stasis were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to Tongxinluo Capsule group (119 cases) and Kangxin Capsule group (120 cases). Angina effectiveness and electrocardiogram (ECG) improvement were selected as the therapeutic outcomes.

RESULTSAfter a 4-week treatment, the effective rates of Tongxinluo Capsule and Kangxin Capsule were 43.70% and 25.00%, respectively (P <0.05). Serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level was found to influence the effectiveness of Tongxinluo Capsule which had higher effective rate in the patients with lower level of LDL. Heart rate was found to influence the effectiveness in the patients treated with Kangxin Capsule which had higher effective rate in the patients with heart rate [Symbol: see text]80 beats/min.

CONCLUSIONLDL level and heart rate were the indicators which help indentify the indications of Tongxinluo Capsule and Kangxin Capsule, respectively, in the treatment of angina pectoris with CM syndrome of qi deficiency and blood stasis.

Adult ; Aged ; Angina Pectoris ; blood ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Heart Rate ; drug effects ; physiology ; Humans ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Dropouts ; Platelet Count ; Treatment Outcome

AIMTo study the protective effect of Quinacrine(QA) on rat striatum neurons from the injury caused by heat environment treatment, to probe the relationship between cell membrane injury and cellular injury protection, and to seek the possibility of QA as a preventive agent to heat injury.

METHODSPrimary cultured striatum neurons from newborn rats were pretreated with QA at different concentration for 1 h, and then heat-treated at 43 degrees C for another 1 h. Cell necrosis was detected by Trypan blue staining, and apoptosis was evaluated through Activated Caspase-3 dye and TdT dye.

RESULTSHeat treatment effected the survival of striatum neurons and resulted in great number of cell death, which was mainly mediated by cell necrosis process. It was shown that treatment of QA itself had little effect on the survival of striatum neurons, while QA pretreatment decreased cellular necrosis caused by following heat treatment.

CONCLUSIONQA protects striatum neurons from heat environment injury at about 20 pmol/L, and the protection may mediated by reduction of necrosis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Death ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Corpus Striatum ; cytology ; Heat-Shock Response ; Neurons ; drug effects ; Quinacrine ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar