OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of tanshinone II(A) on the expression of different components in the renin-angiotensin system of left ventricles of renal hypertensive rats.

METHODThe renal hypertension model was established in rats by the two-kidney-one-clip (2K1C) method. In the experiment, all of the rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 15 per group) before the operation: the sham-operated (Sham) group, the hypertensive model (Model) group, the low-dose tanshinone II(A) group and the high-dose tanshinone II(A) group. At 5 week after the renal artery narrowing, the third and fourth groups were administered with 35 mg kg(-1) x d(-1) and 70 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) of tanshinone II(A), respectively. The blood pressure in rats was determined by the standard tail-cuff method in each week after the operation. After the drug treatment for 8 weeks, all the rats were put to death, and their left ventricles were separated to determine the ratio of left ventricle weight to body weight (LVW/BW), the myocardial collagen content, and the expressions of different components in myocardial RAS, including angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), angiotensin 1-type receptor (AT1R), Mas receptor mRNA expression and angiotensin II (Ang II) and angiotensin (1-7) [Ang (1-7)] content.

RESULTCompared with the sham group, the hypertensive model group exhibited a markable increase in the content of Ang II and Ang (1-7) and the mRNA expressions of ACE, ACE2, AT1R and Mas (P < 0.01). However, the treatment with tanshinone II(A) showed the does dependence, inhibited left ventricle hypertrophy, decreased myocardial Ang II content and the mRNA expression of ACE and AT, R in renal hypertensive rats (P < 0. 01) , further increased the myocardial Ang (1-7) content and the mRNA expression of ACE2 and Mas (P < 0.01) , but without any change in the blood pressure of hypertensive rats.

CONCLUSIONThe treatment with tanshinone II(A) could inhibit left ventricle hypertrophy of renal hypertensive rats. Its mechanism may be partially related to the expression of different components in the renin-angiotensin system for regulating myocardial tissues.

Angiotensin I ; genetics ; metabolism ; Angiotensin II ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; administration & dosage ; Heart Ventricles ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Male ; Peptide Fragments ; genetics ; metabolism ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Renin ; genetics ; metabolism ; Renin-Angiotensin System ; drug effects

Adolescent ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Asthma ; blood ; drug therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Glucocorticoids ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infant ; Interleukin-23 ; blood ; Male

Carcinogenic test is an important part of non-clinical safety evaluation of new drugs, which aims to evaluate and predict the human carcinogenic risk in long-term drug use by examining the potential carcinogenic effects of drugs on animals. Historical control data may be vital in the interpretation of rare tumors and unexpected increases or decreases of tumors in treated animals compared to controls. Foreign institutions have accumulated a considerable amount of historical control data that can be attributed to the pathological working group and peer review. Such data is valuable and referable, and can be used as a reliable comparator for concurrent study-specific control data. Different experimental animal strains have evolved in history from the F344 rat and B6C3F1 mice, which were traditionally employed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), to the SD rats, CD-1 mice, and Wistar rats that were routinely used by industrial firms, and finally to the strains of the p53+/- and Tg.rasH2 transgenic mice. It is true that each strain of rodent animal used in carcinogenicity test has different characters in tumorigenesis. Carcinogenicity tests are increasing in China, but the background data that can be referred to is limited so that how to accumulate and use our own historical control data has become challenging. This article summarizes and compares the tumor lesion data of the collected rodent animals, and concludes that different strains have specific types of tumors with gender-related difference.

Objective: To investigate the antioxidative activity of compound Astragalus, Glycyrrhiza and Schisandra extract(CAGSE)and determine the content of related bioactive components. Methods: The CAGSE was prepared by the extraction of the Astragalus, Glycyrrhiza and Schisandra raw materials with ethanol. Experimental groups for the antioxidative activity test were set as the control group, vitamin C group(VC group, positive control)and the CAGSE 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 g/ml groups. The antioxidant effect of CAGSE was evaluated by the assay for the inhibition of linoleic acid autooxidation, the reducing power assay(the method of Oyaizu)and the assay for the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazine(DPPH)free radical scavenging activity. The content of schisandrae b was determined by the HPLC method, the total phenol content(TPC)was determined by the folin-ciocalteu method using gallic acid as the standard, and the total flavonoid content(TFC)was determined by the ultraviolet spectrophotometry with rutin as the standard. Results :Com- pared with the VC group, the inhibition rate on the linoleic acid autooxidation was significantly increased in all of the CAGSE 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 g/ml groups(P<0.05)and the reducing power was also significantly enhanced in all the CAGSE groups(P<0.05). The DPPH free radical scavenging activity was significantly higher in the CAGSE 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 g/ml groups than in the VC group(P<0.05). The TFC in the 0.1 g/ml concentration CAGSE was 54.39 mg/g, the TPC was 38.65 mg/g, and the content of schisandrin b was 0.76 mg/g. Conclusions: The CAGSE showed a significant antioxidant activity, and the content of total flavonoids, total phenolics and schisandrin b were 54.39, 38.65 and 0.76 mg/g, respectively.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Schisandra chinensis lignans (SCL) on neuronal apoptosis and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway of rats in the cerebral ischemia injury model, and study its possible mechanism.

METHODRats were orally administered SCL high, middle and low dose groups (100, 50, 25 mg x kg(-1)) for 14 days. The cerebral ischemia injury model was established by using the suture-occluded method to rate the neurological functions. The cerebral infarction area was observed by TTC staining. The pathological changes in brain tissues were determined by HE staining. Bcl-2 and Bax expressions were detected by immunohistochemical assay. The protein expressions of p-AKT and AKT were assayed by Western blotting.

RESULTCompared with the model group, SCL high, middle and low dose groups showed reduction in the cerebral infarction area to varying degrees, improve the pathological changes in brain tissues, promote the expression of apoptin Bcl-2 and p-AKT, and inhibit the expression of apoptin Bax.

CONCLUSIONSCL shows a protective effect on rats with cerebral ischemia injury. Its mechanism may be related to the increase in p-AKT ability and antiischemic brain injury capacity and the inhibition of nerve cells.

Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Blotting, Western ; Brain Ischemia ; metabolism ; pathology ; prevention & control ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lignans ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Male ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; metabolism ; Phosphorylation ; Phytotherapy ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Schisandra ; chemistry ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

Herpes simplex virus (HSV), a member of the Herpesviridae family, is a significant human pathogen that results in mucocutaneous lesions in the oral cavity or genital infections. Acyclovir (ACV) and related nucleoside analogues can successfully treat HSV infections, but the emergence of drug resistance to ACV has created a barrier for the treatment of HSV infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. There is an urgent need to explore new and effective tactics to circumvent drug resistance to HSV. This review summarises the current strategies in the development of new targets (the DNA helicase/primase (H/P) complex), new types of molecules (nature products) and new antiviral mechanisms (lethal mutagenesis of Janus-type nucleosides) to fight the drug resistance of HSV.

Objective To assess mucin gene expression in Barrett's esophagus.Methods Mucin core protein-MUC1,MUC2,MUC3,MUCSAC and MUC6 were detected by immunohistochemistry.The re- lationship between mucin expression and magnification-endoscopic characteristics,pathohistologic epithelial types of Barrett's esophagus was analyzed.Results Mild expression of MUC1 was predominantly found in the superficial epithelium of both gastric and specialised intestinal metaplasia.In a small number of specimens, mild expression of MUC1 was also noted in glands.Strong MUC2 expression was noted only in the goblet cells in Barrett's oesophagus.MUC3 was expressed in the superficial columnar cells of specialized intestinal metaplasia with or without globlet cells but not in gastric metaplasia of the oesophagus.In some specimens MUC3 was expressed in the vacuolus of the globlet cells and the lumen of gland.Strong staining of MUCSAC was noted in the columnar epithelium of both gastric metaplasia and specialized intestinal metaplasia in Barrett's oesophagus,as well as expressed in the cytoplasm and vacuolus of the globlet cells in some speci- mens.Expression of MUC6 protein was detected at the basement of the crypts in gastric metaplasia and spe- cialised Barrett's glands.Expression of MUC2 and MUC3 protein was found much higher in villous or irregu- lar pit pattern than that in dot or rod pit pattern(P

[Summary] According to urinary albumin excretion rates ( UAER) , 256 patients with type 2 diabete mellitus (T2DM) were divided into normal albuminuria (NA), microalbuminuria (MA), and clinical nephropathy (CN) groups while 108 healthy subjects as control group. The analysis of variance of single factor was applied to examine lipoprotein(a), triglyceride, total cholesterol(TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), cystatin C, and homocysteine. The correlations of lipoprotein ( a ) with urinary albumin excretion rate ( UAER ) and glomerular filtration rate ( eGFR ) were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. The sensitivities of lipoprotein ( a ) were evaluated in diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy ( DN) by receiver operating characteristic curve. The results showed that lipoprotein ( a) levels in NA, MA, and CN groups were gradually increased, with a significant increase in CN group(P<0. 05). Pearson correlation analysis revealed that lipoprotein (a) was positively correlated with systolic pressure, TC, cystatin C, and UAER(all P<0. 05) and negatively correlated with fasting blood glucose and eGFR (P<0. 05). The area under the ROC curve of lipoprotein(a) was 0. 639, with the sensitivity 66. 4% and specificity 55. 9% in the optimal cutoff value of 8. 41 mg/dl. These results suggest that lipoprotein(a) may serve as an index for monitoring DN based on its better correlation with UAER and eGFR.

AIM:To study the effect of berberin hydrochloride(Ber)on the elevation of blood concentra- tion of Cyclosporin A(CsA)and liver and renal functions in renal transplanted recipients.METHODS:138 cases with renal transplantation in experimental group were treated with CsA and Ber and 150 cases with renal trans- plantation in control group received CsA only.Blood lev- els of CsA,biochemistry indexes for liver and renal func- tion were determined.RESULTS:After 1,3,6 months combined with Ber,blood concentrations of CsA in pa- tients went up by 49.8%,81.4%,36.9% and the radios of blood concentration of CsA to CsA dosage increased 88.8%,102.0%,72.5% compared with those before taking Ber(P

AlM:To find better ways of treating ocular alkali burn, and to reduce the suffering of patients and social burden.METHODS:Totally 100 patients were graded according to the degree of chemical burns to four major groups, each half were randomly divided into the control group and the treatment group. Control group underwent conventional treatment. ln addition to conventional therapy, patients in each treatment group were also added a Breviscapine intravenous injection of 40mg daily. Corneal recovery time, changes in vision, degree of corneal opacity, number of corneal neovascularization and other complications were observed. Curative effects were analyzed statistically.
RESULTS:There was no significant difference in levelⅠgroup between control group and treatment group ( P>0. 05); There were significantly different in level Ⅱ, Ⅲand Ⅳ group ( P<0. 05 ). Compared to the degree of corneal opacity and the number of corneal neovascularization, the treatment group was obviously better than the control group(P<0. 05).
CONCLUSlON: Breviscapine in the treatment of ocular alkali burns can shorten the course of treatment, reduce corneal scarring, and improve vision.