Objective To investigate the hepatoprotective effect of Propolis alcohol-extract (PAE) against acetaminophen (APAP)-induced acute hepatic damage in mice and to explore the possible mechanism.Methods Sixty-three C57BL/6 MT(-/-)mice were equally randomized into 9 groups.The normal control group and the model group received gastric gavage of normal saline (20 mL?kg-1),four PAE groups were given PAE in the dose of 12.5,25,50 and 100 mg?kg-1 respectively,alcohol +APAP group and alcohol control group received 20 %alcohol 20 mL?kg-1 and PAE control group was given PAE in the dose of 100 mg?kg-1 qd,for 4 consective days.Thirty miniutes after last administration,the mice in the normal control group,PAE control group and alcohol control group received saline 10 mL?kg-1,and the mice in other groups received APAP 380 mg?kg-1 to induce acute hepatic injury.The activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT),aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined,and the liver tissues were collected for histopathological assessment by HE staining under light microscope.The ratio of glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG),and the content of GSH,GSSG and malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver homogenate were also measured.Results Compared with the model group,PAE could markedly decrease serum ALT,AST and LDH activity,reduce the MDA level in liver homogenate,and increase hepatic GSH content and the ratio of GSH/GSSG in the liver homogenate.The hepatic histopathological changes in liver were also significantly ameliorated.In PAE control group,GSH content and the ratio of GSH/GSSG were also increased.However,the above indexes remained unchanged in alcohol control group.Conclusion The propolis alcohol-extract can prevent the liver from PAP-induced acute hepatic injury.

The choice of females to accept or reject male courtship is a critical decision for animal reproduction. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) has been found to regulate sexual behavior in many species, but it is unclear how 5-HT and its receptors function to regulate different aspects of sexual behavior. Here we used Drosophila melanogaster as the model animal to investigate how 5-HT and its receptors modulate female sexual receptivity. We found that knockout of tryptophan hydroxylase (Trh), which is involved in the biosynthesis of 5-HT, severely reduced virgin female receptivity without affecting post-mating behaviors. We identified a subset of sexually dimorphic Trh neurons that co-expressed fruitless (fru), in which the activity was correlated with sexual receptivity in females. We also found that 5-HT_1A and 5-HT₇ receptors regulate virgin female receptivity. Our findings demonstrate how 5-HT functions in sexually dimorphic neurons to promote virgin female receptivity through two of its receptors.
Animals ; Male ; Female ; Drosophila/physiology* ; Drosophila melanogaster/physiology* ; Serotonin ; Drosophila Proteins/physiology* ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology* ; Transcription Factors ; Nerve Tissue Proteins