Adult ; Brain Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Plasmacytoma ; diagnosis ; Temporal Bone ; pathology

Toxicity of different processed was evaluated Polygoni Multiflori Radix by determining the hepatotoxic potency for selecting processing technology. Process Polygoni Multiflori Radix using high pressure steamed, Black Bean high pressure steamed, atmospheric steamed for different time. Using normal human hepatocytes (L02) as evaluation model, hepatotoxic potency as index to evaluate hepatotoxic potency of different processed Polygoni Multiflori Radix. Analysis chemical composition of some processed products by UPLC-MS. Hepatotoxic bioassay method cloud evaluate the toxicity of different Polygoni Multiflori Radix samples. Different processing methods can reduce the toxicity of Polygoni Multiflori Radix, high pressure steamed three hours attenuated was better. Different processing methods have different effects on chemical constituents of Polygoni Multiflori Radix. Comparing with crude sample, the contents of gallic acid, 2,3,5,4-tetrahydroxyl diphenylethylene-2-O-glucoside, emodin-8-O-beta glucoside and emodin were decreased in processed products with 3 kinds of different methods. The change trend of 2,3,5,4-tetrahydroxyl diphenylethylene-2-O-glucoside content was similar with hepatotoxic potency. Different processing methods can reduce the toxicity of Polygoni Multiflori Radix. Processing methods and time attenuated obvious impact on toxicity. Recommended further research on the attehuated standard control of Polygoni Multiflori Radix concocted.
Biological Assay ; Cell Line ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Fallopia multiflora ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Hepatocytes ; drug effects ; Humans ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; toxicity

The dosage-efficacy/toxicity relationship of the 50% alcohol extracts of Polygonum multiflorum was comparatively investigated on either normal or CCl4-induced chronic liver injury rats, by determining the general condition, serum biochemical indices and liver histopathology, coupled with the factor analysis. The dosages were 10 and 20 g raw materials per kg body weight. Compared with the normal control group, the normal high dose group showed significant increases of the serum alanine transaminase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), as well the frequent incidences of inflammatory cell infiltration, hepatic sinus enlargement and fiber stripes formation in histopathological sections. Compared with the model control group, the model low dose group showed significant declines of serum ALT, aspartate transaminase (AST) and total bile acid (TBA) (P < 0.05), as well the alleviation of vacuoles of hepatocytes, but no amelioration of the inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrous tissue hyperplasia; moreover, the model high dose group showed significant degeneration declines of serum HMGB-1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-1β (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), as well the evident alleviation of vacuoles degeneration of hepatocytes, inflammatory cells infiltration and fibrosis degree. The factor analysis showed that the low dosage treatment had almost neither injuring effect on the normal rats nor protective effect on the model rats; while the high dosage treatment showed observable injuring effect on the normal rats, expressed by the significant increases of the factor-1 (HMGB-1, TNF-α and IL-1β as the main contributors) and factor-2 (TBIL, ALT and TBA as the main contributors) relative to the normal control group. The liver protective effect of the high dosage treatment could be observed with the significant reduction of the factor-1, indicating the effective alleviation of the expression of inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, it could illustrated the phenomenon of symptom-based prescription theory of Polygonum multiflorum on rat livers: the high dosage of the herb had either an injuring effect on normal rats, or a therapeutic effect on the rats with chronic liver injury.
Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Bile Acids and Salts ; metabolism ; Bilirubin ; blood ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fallopia multiflora ; chemistry ; HMGB1 Protein ; metabolism ; Hepatocytes ; drug effects ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; pathology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDRecent studies have demonstrated that dexamethasone (DEX) interferes with immune responses by targeting key functions of dendritic cells (DCs) at the earliest stage. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms are still incompletely understood. This study aimed to explore the possible mechanisms by investigating the roles of DEX on differentiation, maturation & function of murine DCs and the effects of DEX on DCs via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB mediated signal pathway.

METHODSImmature DCs (imDCs) were cultured from murine bone marrow (BM) cells. We added DEX into culture medium at different time. The expression of CD11c, CD86 and I-A(b) (mouse MHC class II molecule) was determined by flow cytometry. We determined the expression of NF-kappaB and its inhibitory protein I-kappaBalpha by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and Western blotting, respectively. The productions of interleukin (IL)-12p70 and IL-10 in cell culture supernatants were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSDEX impaired differentiation of DCs from murine bone marrow progenitors, and inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced maturation of DCs. DEX significantly inhibited NF-kappaB expression of normal DCs, the higher the DEX concentration or the longer the DEX treatment time, the more obvious the effect. However, DEX had little effect on LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation, and partially impaired LPS-induced I-kappaBalpha degradation. DEX significantly decreased LPS induced IL-12p70 production by DCs. Interestingly, our results showed a synergistic effect between DEX and LPS on the production of IL-10 by DCs.

CONCLUSIONSDEX inhibits the differentiation and maturation of murine DCs involved in TLR4-I-kappaB-NF-kappaB pathway, and also indirectly impairs Th1 development and interferes with the Th1-Th2 balance through IL-12 and/or IL-10 secretion by DCs.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dendritic Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Dexamethasone ; pharmacology ; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Male ; Mice ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the biological impact of pEGFP-shVEGF-shTERT-shBcl-xl expression in human laryngeal squamous carcinomas xenografted in nude mice and the related antitumor mechanism.

METHODSA recombinant plasmid vector containing 3 different short hairpin RNA (shRNA) segments including pEGFP-shVEGF-shTERT-shBcl-xl was constructed and directly injected into the grafted tumors of human laryngeal squamous carcinoma in nude mice. The mRNA and protein expressions were determined by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. Apoptosis was determined by TUNEL assay using a commercial kit. Intratumoral microvessel density (MVD) was assessed by immunhistochemistry.

RESULTSOn the 14th days after the final treatment, mRNA and protein expression of VEGF, TERT, and Bcl-xl were markedly suppressed. The tumor sizes were significantly smaller than those in the other two group, with an overall tumor inhibition ratio of 91.2%. MVD counts in the pEGFP-shVEGF-shTERT-shBcl-xl treated group were significantly lower than those of the other two groups, along with increased apoptotic cells.

CONCLUSIONSThe data showed that inhibition of VEGF, TERT, Bcl-xl expression by RNAi technique induces cellular apoptosis and suppresses the growth of laryngeal squamous carcinoma in vivo. VEGF, TERT and Bcl-xl may be involved in the development of laryngeal cancers. The findings suggest a synergistic tumor therapeutic effect through simultaneous inhibition of the three genes. Multi-target RNA interference may provide a powerful strategy against human laryngeal cancers.

Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; MicroRNAs ; pharmacology ; RNA Interference ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; methods ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; metabolism ; bcl-X Protein ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of RNA interference by targeting human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA in the larynx cancer cell line, Hep-2.

METHODSThe primary structures of hTERT cDNA were found in GenBank. Then the structure analysis were done according to RNAi strategy which determined the specific base sequences to design shRNA plasmid. Two types of plasmid, pshRNA1 and pshRNA2, involved in fluorescein gene were synthesized based on the specific base sequences. Control pshRNA3, a random sequence, and control pshRNA4, without additional specific sequence were also constructed. Cells were treated daily with pshRNA1-4 or normal culture medium respectively. The pshRNA1-3 was identified by electrophoresis. After administration of pshRNA1-4, fluorescence expression was detected by confocal microscopy, the expression of hTERT of the transfected cells was determined by Western blotting, telomerase activity was measured by TRAP-PCR ELISA, cell viability was determined by MTT assay, morphological changes and apoptosis were examined by inverted microscope and TUNEL respectively.

RESULTSThere was a 400 bp balteum in pshRNA1-3 after cut by SalI, which was identical with the size of the objective gene. Many cells presented green fluorescence after being treated by pshRNA1-4, but there are much more dead green fluorescent cells in the pshRNA1 and pshRNA2 group. hTERT protein and telomerase activity was significantly decreased after treated by pshRNA1 or pshRNA2. It was observed that treatment with pshRNA1 or pshRNA2 in the presence of a valid transfection reagent could reduce cell viability of Hep-2 cells within 96 h (P < 0.01). Under the same culture conditions, cells grew more sparsely and the number of apoptotic cell increased significantly.

CONCLUSIONSshRNA plasmid directed against human telomerase reverse transcriptase can effectively transfect Hep-2 cells. shRNA targeted hTERT gene can significantly inhibit the growth and proliferation of Hep-2 cells, which results in apoptotic cell death. RNA interference may be a promising strategy for the treatment of laryngeal cancer.

Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Plasmids ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Telomerase ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transfection

Objective To launch systematic research on long-term asymptomatic hyperuricemia (HUA) from hemorheological viewpoint,so as to provide references for clinical treatment of asymptomatic HUA.Methods Twenty rats were randomly and evenly divided into normal control group and model group.The rats were intraperitoneally injected with 250 mg/(kg · d) oxonate for 8 weeks to induce the model of asymptomatic HUA.The blood samples were obtained to measure the serum uric acid,hemorheological parameters,oxidative and anti-oxidative indices.Results The aggregation index,haemolysis rate,serum xanthine oxidase (XOD),plasma fibrinogen and blood viscosity significantly increased,while the orientation index,electrophoresis rate,serum superoxide dismutase (SOD),activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) significantly induced.Conclusions The asymptomatic HUA can lead to more serious oxidative stress,deteriorate the hemorheological parameters of red blood cells in rats,and induce higher blood viscosity and coagulation status.The research findings indicate that asymptomatic HUA should be correctly understood and timely intervened in clinical diagnosis.

Objective To establish the activation of NF-κB in middle ear cholesteatoma, discuss the relationship of NF-κB and the gene expression of IL-6 and explore the pathogenesis of middle ear cholesteatoma. Methods Ten cases of cholesteatoma and 6 cases of normal external meatal skin were obtained from middle ear surgery. The NF-κB DNA binding activity and the mRNA level of IL-6 in these two kinds of tissues were detected by electrophoretic motility shift assay (EMSA) and Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) respectively. The relationship of NF-κB DNA binding activity and the mRNA level of IL-6 were analyzed. Results The NF-κB DNA binding activities of cholesteatoma [(15.9±8.2) %] were higher than those in normal skin [(1.36 ± 0.94) %, t = 3.502, P < 0.05]. The expression of IL-6 mRNA was increased significantly in patients with cholesteatoma, as compared with that in the control specimens (t = 2.166 ,P < 0.05) and had a significant positive correlation with NF-κB DNA binding activity (r = 0.752, P < 0.05). Conclusions The II.,-6 mRNA expression in cholesteatoma is closely related with the activity of NF-κB. It is tempting to speculate that NF-κB play a key role in the activation of cytokine in cholesteatoma.

Objective To investigate the distribution of common allergens in patients with allergic rhinitis(AR) from 2006 to 2010 in Wuhan area,and provide the objective evidence for the prevention and treatment of AR.Methods The medical records of skin prick test (SPT) performed on 2707 AR patients from 2006 to 2010 were restrospectively analysed,and the positive rate of different allergens and changing trends in this time were compared.SPSS 17.0 software was used to analyse the data.Results There were significant differences among the Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus positive rate ( x2 =12.11,P ＜ 0.05 ) and Dermatophagoides farinae positive rate( x2 =11.11,P ＜0.05 ) in the past 5 years.Meanwhile,there was an upward trend in the positive rate of dust mite,which the positive rate of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus increased from 84.5％ in 2006 to 90.5％ in 2010 (x2 =6.88,P ＜ 0.05 ),positive rate of Dermatophagoides farinae increased from 81.5％ in 2006 to 89.0％ in 2010 ( x2 =9.68,P ＜ 0.05 ) ; There were significant differences among the Mugwort and Ragweed positive rate of 5 years ( x2 =194.10,P ＜0.05 ; x2 =67.06,P ＜ 0.05 ).There were significant differences among the mold Ⅰ and mold Ⅱ positive rate of 5 years between (x2 =18.95,P＜0.05; x2 =36.62,P＜0.05).Meanwhile,there was an upward trend in the positive rate of mold and fluctuant trend in the positive rate of spring-pollen.Conclusions Nearly five years,dust mites is still the most common allergens in AR patients,presenting upward trend ; the positive rate of mold presenting upward trend; the positive rate of wormwood and guineawood presenting downward trend ; the positive rate of pollen presenting fluctuant trend.

OBJECTIVETo compare the bidirectional effect of rhubarb total anthraquinone (TA) and total tannins (TT) on rats' liver.

METHODSOne hundred rats were randomly divided into 10 groups, i.e., the blank group, the model group, the blank + high dose TA group, the blank +low dose TA group, the blank + high dose TT group, the blank + low dose TT group, the model + high dose TA group, the model + low dose TA group, the model +high dose TT group, and the model + low dose TT group, 10 in each group. The carbon tetrachloride (CCI4) was used to prepare the acute liver injury rat model. TA and TT of rhubarb (at 5.40 g crude drugs/kg and 14.69 g crude drugs/kg) were intragastrically administrated to rats in all groups except the blank group and the model group, once daily for 6 successive days.The general state of rats, biochemical indices such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), laminin (LN), hyaluronic acid (HA), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), as well pathological results of rat liver tissues. Finally the protection laws of TA and TT for rats' liver were analyzed using factor analysis.

RESULTSCompared with the blank control group, all biochemical indices increased in the blank group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). HA also increased in the blank + high dose TA group; AST, ALT, and HA also increased in the blank +high dose TT group (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, AST, ALT, ALP, HA, and TGF-beta1 significantly decreased in the model + low dose TA group, the model + high dose TA group, the model + low dose TT group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Serum AST, ALT, and ALP also decreased in the model + high dose TT group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Pathological results showed that mild swollen liver cells in the model + high dose TA group. Fatty degeneration and fragmental necrosis around the central veins occurred in the blank + high dose TA group. The pathological injury was inproved in the model +low dose TA group. Two common factors, liver fibrosis and liver cell injury, were extracted by using factor analysis. TA showed stronger improvement of the two common factors than TT.

CONCLUSIONSRhubarb TA and TT showed protective and harmful effects on rats' liver. At an equivalent dosage, TA had better liver protection than TT. High dose TT played a role in liver injury to some extent.

Animals ; Anthraquinones ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; toxicity ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Liver ; drug effects ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rheum ; chemistry ; Tannins ; adverse effects ; pharmacology