AIM To study lipid-lowering effects of gallic acid on glutamate-induced obesity mice.METHODS The obese model was established through subcutaneous injection of 3mg/(g · d)sodium glutamate into neonatal mice.After the model was established,the mice were divided into normal control group,model group,positive control group [simvastatin 30 mg/(kg · d)],high-,and low-dose group of gallic acid [400,200 mg/(kg · d)],and were intragastrically administered for ten weeks.Mice in each group after the last administration were fasted for 12 h except water.Blood was sampled from mouse eyes.The organs and adipose were obtained to determine the organ index and fat index.The levels of HDL-C,TG,LDL-C and TC in serum and liver were determined by using the corresponding reagent kit,and the serum leptin level was determined by ELISA kit and simultaneous determination of SOD,GSH-Px and MDA levels in liver.RESULTS Compared with the normal control group,the body weight and fat weight significantly increased in the model group;the levels of TC,TG and LDL-C in serum and liver significantly increased;the serum leptin level significantly reduced;the activity levels of SOD and GSH-Px in the liver significantly reduced;and the level of MDA significantly increased.Compared with the model control group,the body weight and fat weight significantly reduced in the gallic acid group mice and the levels of TC and TG significantly reduced in the serum and liver;SOD and GSH-Px levels significantly increased,MDA level significantly decreased in the liver.CONCLUSION Gallic acid can significantly reduce the blood lipid level of glutamate-induced obese mice.

OBJECTIVETo study anti-HIV activity and mechanism of Cynanchum otophyllum glucan sulfate in vitro.

METHODAnti-HIV-1 activity was detected with syncytial formation assay and quantitative P24 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); cytotoxicity was tested with MTT colorimetric assay. Antiviral mechanism was investigated by fusion inhibition, time of addition and pre-treatment experiments.

RESULTThe 50% inhibition concentrations (IC50) of PS20 for HIV-1(IIIB), HIV-1(Ada-M), and HIV-1(Bal), were 0.26, 0.46, 0.90 micromol x L(-1), respectively. Studies on antiviral mechanism of PS20 showed that target molecule may be viral envelope protein.

CONCLUSIONThe results suggested that PS20 had high anti-HIV activity and was worth to be studied further.

Anti-HIV Agents ; pharmacology ; Cell Fusion ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cynanchum ; chemistry ; Glucans ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; HIV-1 ; drug effects ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; drug effects

cFos is one of the most widely-studied genes in the field of neuroscience. Currently, there is no systematic database focusing on cFos in neuroscience. We developed a curated database-cFos-ANAB-a cFos-based web tool for exploring activated neurons and associated behaviors in rats and mice, comprising 398 brain nuclei and sub-nuclei, and five associated behaviors: pain, fear, feeding, aggression, and sexual behavior. Direct relationships among behaviors and nuclei (even cell types) under specific stimulating conditions were constructed based on cFos expression profiles extracted from original publications. Moreover, overlapping nuclei and sub-nuclei with potentially complex functions among different associated behaviors were emphasized, leading to results serving as important clues to the development of valid hypotheses for exploring as yet unknown circuits. Using the analysis function of cFos-ANAB, multi-layered pictures of networks and their relationships can quickly be explored depending on users' purposes. These features provide a useful tool and good reference for early exploration in neuroscience. The cFos-ANAB database is available at www.cfos-db.net .
Animals ; Fear ; Mice ; Neurons ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos ; Rats

cFos is one of the most widely-studied genes in the field of neuroscience. Currently, there is no systematic database focusing on cFos in neuroscience. We developed a curated database—cFos-ANAB—a cFos-based web tool for exploring activated neurons and associated behaviors in rats and mice, comprising 398 brain nuclei and sub-nuclei, and five associated behaviors: pain, fear, feeding, aggression, and sexual behavior. Direct relationships among behaviors and nuclei (even cell types) under specific stimulating conditions were constructed based on cFos expression profiles extracted from original publications. Moreover, overlapping nuclei and sub-nuclei with potentially complex functions among different associated behaviors were emphasized, leading to results serving as important clues to the development of valid hypotheses for exploring as yet unknown circuits. Using the analysis function of cFos-ANAB, multi-layered pictures of networks and their relationships can quickly be explored depending on users’ purposes. These features provide a useful tool and good reference for early exploration in neuroscience. The cFos-ANAB database is available at www.cfos-db.net.