OBJECTIVETo clarify if programmed cell death mechanisms induced by seizures take part in the necrotic process of neurons.

METHODSSeizure was induced by pilocarpine (P) in Sprague-Dawley adult rats which were allowed to recover for 24 or 72 hours before perfusion-fixation. Neuronal death was assessed by light microscopy with the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and with in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). Bax and Bcl-2 protein expression were examined by histochemistry.

RESULTSTwenty-four and 72 hours after seizures, neuronal death in hippocampus CA1 region was morphologically necrotic. TUNEL-positive and morphologically necrotic cells increased in the hippocampal CA1 region at 72 hours after seizures, there was significant difference compared with controls (P < 0.001). Bax expression was also increased in the hippocampal CA1 region at 72 hours after seizures (P < 0.001), but Bcl-2 expression did not increase, while Bcl-2/Bax ratio decreased.

CONCLUSIONSeizures induced late-onset neuronal necrosis was accompanied by programmed cell death mechanisms.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Hippocampus ; chemistry ; pathology ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; analysis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Seizures ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein

Objective:To investigate the changing trends in cardiac function following xenogeneic heterotopic heart transplantation of multi-gene edited pig hearts and assess the impact of recipient immune responses on donor heart, laying experimental groundwork for the clinical application of gene editing technology.Methods:On December 16, 2023, xenogeneic heterotopic heart transplantation was performed between pigs and rhesus monkeys. Functional status of the graft under post-transplantation load conditions and recipient immune indicators were observed.Results:The recipient monkeys survived for 40 days with satisfactory functionality of both donor and recipient hearts, and no hyperacute or acute immune rejection reactions were observed.Conclusion:Multi-gene editing technology provides potential for xenotransplantation, yet further exploration is needed for its clinical application.

Thirty-three compounds were isolated from the root decoction of Isatis indigotica by using a combination of various chromatographic techniques including silica gel, macroporous adsorbent resin, Sephadex LH-20, and reversed-phase HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data as (+)-dehydrovomifoliol (1), (S)-(+)-abscisic acid (2), vomifoliol (3), cyclo (L-Phe-L-Leu) (4), cyclo(L-Phe-L-Tyr) (5), cyclo(L-Tyr-L-Leu) (6), cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr) (7), evofolin B (8), (+)-syringaresinol (9), (-)-(7R,7'R,8S,8'S)-4,4'-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-7,9';7',9-diepoxy-lignan (10), (-)-medioresinol (11), (+) -(7R,7'R,8S,8'S) -neo-olivil (12), (-) -5-methoxyisolariciresinol (13), 1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one (14), isalexin (15), dihydroneoascorbigen (16), indican (17), (-) -(S) -cyanomethyl-3-hydroxyoxindole (18), isoformononetein (19), calycosin (20), stigamast-5-ene-3beta-ol-7-one (21), acetovanillone (22), 3, 5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyacetophenone (23), dihydroconiferyl alcohol (24), dihyroferulic acid (25), 3-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propan-1-one (26), beta-hydroxypropiovanillone (27), 4-aminobenzoic acid (28), 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propan-1-ol (29), 4-(2-hydroxyethyl) phenol (30), 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (31), pyrocatechol (32), and 4-pentenamide (33). These compounds were isolated from the root of I. indigotica for the first time. In preliminary in vitro assays, compound 19 showed activity against the influenza virus A/Hanfang/359/95 (H3N2), the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), and Coxsackie virus B3 (Cox-B3), with IC50 values of 2.06, 6.84, and 8.70 micromol x L(-1), respectively, but other compounds were in-active at a concentration of 1.0 x 10 x (-5) mol x L(-1).
Animals ; Cell Line ; Humans ; Isatis ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; toxicity ; Plant Roots ; chemistry

Objective We aimed to compare the efficacy and prognosis of percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)in complex and high-risk patients with coronary heart disease(CHD)treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)combined with intra-aortic balloon pump(IABP)assistance,and explore the application value of combined use of mechanical circulatory support(MCS)devices in complex PCI.Methods A total of patients who met the inclusion criteria and underwent selective PCI supported by MCS at the Department of Cardiology,the First Affiliated Hospital of the Air Force Medical University from January 2018 to December 2022 were continuously enrolled.According to the mechanical circulatory support method,the patients were divided into ECMO+IABP group and IABP group.Clinical characteristics,angiographic features,in-hospital outcomes,and complications were collected.The intra-hospital outcomes and major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)at one month and one year after the procedure were observed.The differences and independent risk factors between the two groups in the above indicators were analyzed.Results A total of 218 patients undergoing elective PCI were included,of which 66 patients were in the ECMO+IABP group and 152 patients were in the IABP group.The baseline characteristics of the two groups of patients were generally comparable,but the ECMO+IABP group had more complex lesion characteristics.The proportion of patients with atrial fibrillation(6.1％vs.0.7％,P=0.030),left main disease(43.9％vs.27.0％,P=0.018),triple vessel disease(90.9％vs.75.5％,P=0.009),and RCA chronic total occlusion disease(60.6％vs.35.5％,P＜0.001)was higher in the ECMO+IABP group compared to the IABP group.The proportion of patients with previous PCI history was higher in the IABP group(32.9％vs.16.7％,P=0.014).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of in-hospital complications between the two groups(P=0.176),but the incidence of hypotension after PCI was higher in the ECMO+IABP group(19.7％vs.9.2％,P=0.031).The rates of 1-month MACE(4.5％vs.2.6％,P=0.435)and 1-year MACE(7.6％vs.7.9％,P=0.936)were comparable between the two groups.Multivariate analysis showed that in-hospital cardiac arrest(OR 7.17,95％CI 1.27-40.38,P=0.025)and after procedure hypotension(OR 3.60,95％CI 1.10-11.83,P=0.035)were independent risk factors for the occurrence of 1-year MACE.Conclusions Combination use of ECMO+IABP support can provide complex and high-risk coronary heart disease patients with an opportunity to achieve coronary artery revascularization through PCI,and achieve satisfactory long-term prognosis.

OBJECTIVETo establish a stable cell line overexpression heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mediated by a modified lentivirus system and identify its function.

METHODSThe HO-1 gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and cloned into the modified pLentiLox3.7 expression vectors. The recombinant plasmids were transfected into HEK293T cells and the HO-1 was detected by Western blot. The recombinant plasmids were transfected into HEK293T cells to produce the viruses, with the helping plasmids including plp1, plp2, and VSVG. HEK293T cells were infected by the viruses and the cells that can express HO-1 were identified by Western blot. The reactive oxygen species were detected in the HO-1-overexpression HEK293T cells and the normal cells after the adding of hydrogen peroxide. The same experiment was performed with human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

RESULTSThe stable cell line that can overexpress HO-1 was established, which was verified by Western blot. The reactive oxygen species in the HO-1-overexpression HEK293T cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells decreased obviously after exposure to hydrogen peroxide.

CONCLUSIONSThe lentivirus-carrying HO-1 was successfully packaged and the stable cell line overexpression HO-1 was established. HO-1 can play a protective role in the course of oxidative damage.

Cell Line ; HEK293 Cells ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; metabolism ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Plasmids ; Transfection

The Solanaceae plants distributed in China belong to 105 species and 35 varietas of 24 genera. Some medicinal plants of Solanaceae are rich in tropane alkaloids(TAs), which have significant pharmacological activities. In this paper, the geographical distribution, chemical components, traditional therapeutic effect, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic pathways of TAs in Solanaceous plants were summarized. Besides, the phylogeny of medicinal plants belonging to Solanaceae was visualized by network diagram. Fourteen genera of Solanaceae plants in China contain TAs and have medical records. TAs mainly exist in Datura, Anisodus, Atropa, Physochlaina, and Hyoscyamus. The TAs-containing species were mainly concentrated in Southwest China, and the content of TAs was closely related to plant distribution area and altitude. The Solanaceae plants containing TAs mainly have antispasmodic, analgesic, antiasthmatic, and antitussive effects. Modern pharmacological studies have proved the central sedative, pupil dilating, glandular secretion-inhibiting, and anti-asthma activities of TAs. These pharmacological activities provide a reasonable explanation for the traditional therapeutic efficacy of tropane drugs. In this paper, the geographical distribution, chemical components, traditional therapeutic effect, and modern pharmacological activities of TAs-containing species in Solanaceae were analyzed for the first time. Based on these data, the genetic relationship of TAs-containing Solanaceae species was preliminarily discussed, which provided a scientific basis for the basic research on TAs-containing solanaceous species and was of great significance for the development of natural medicinal plant resources containing TAs.
Biosynthetic Pathways ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; Solanaceae/genetics* ; Tropanes

The present study explored the effect of co-amorphous technology in improving the dissolution rate and stability of silybin based on the puerarin-silybin co-amorphous system prepared by the spray-drying method. Solid-state characterization was carried out by powder X-ray diffraction(PXRD), polarizing microscopy(PLM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), etc. Saturated powder dissolution, intrinsic dissolution rate, moisture absorption, and stability were further investigated. The results showed that puerarin and silybin formed a co-amorphous system at a single glass transition temperature which was higher than that of any crude drug. The intrinsic dissolution rate and supersaturated powder dissolution of silybin in the co-amorphous system were higher than those of the crude drug and amorphous system. The co-amorphous system kept stable for as long as three months under the condition of 40 ℃, 75% relative humidity, which was longer than that of the single amorphous silybin. Therefore, the co-amorphous technology could significantly improve the dissolution and stability of silybin.
Calorimetry, Differential Scanning ; Desiccation ; Drug Compounding/methods* ; Drug Stability ; Silybin ; Solubility ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Technology ; X-Ray Diffraction

Objective:To investigate the relationship between phase behavior of curcumin （CUR） from self-nanoemulsion drug delivery system （SNEDDS） and stability of the formed nanoemulsion in artificial gastrointestinal fluid. Method:The growth rate of precipitation after dispersion of CUR-SNEDDS was expressed by the change tendency of CUR supersaturation-time curve. The effect of drug loading on crystal nucleation and growth was investigated by ultraviolet-visible spectrometry and polarized light microscope， respectively. X-ray powder diffraction （XRD） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） were used to analyze the precipitation forms of CUR-SNEDDS with different drug loading in artificial gastrointestinal fluid. At the same time， the effect of drug loading on the quality stability of nanoemulsion formed by CUR-SNEDDS in artificial gastrointestinal fluid was investigated. Result:In the artificial gastrointestinal fluid， with the increase of drug loading， the area under the supersaturation-time curve of CUR was increased （100% drug loading≈90% drug loading>75% drug loading）， the crystallization nucleation and growth rate were accelerated （100% drug loading>90% drug loading>75% drug loading）， the amorphous proportion in the precipitation composition decreased， the nanoemulsion droplets adhered and distributed unevenly， the particle size and dispersivity were increased. Conclusion:High drug loading promotes the nucleation and growth of crystals， and increases the proportion of crystal forms in the precipitation composition， which leads to the decrease in the stability of the formed nanoemulsion. Therefore， it is suggested that the drug loading of CUR-SNEDDS needs to be controlled below 90%.