1.Inhibitory effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on renal inflammation in diabetic nephropathy model mice and its mechanism
Jing CHEN ; Xiaoyi YANG ; Jing CHEN ; Xin SHAN ; Jie WANG ; Huiqin XU ; Zhiyang LYU
China Pharmacy 2024;35(2):186-191
OBJECTIVE To investigate the inhibitory effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) on renal inflammation in diabetic nephropathy (DN) model mice, and its potential mechanism. METHODS KK/Ay mice were fed with high fat and high sugar to induce DN model. They were divided into model group, positive control group [metformin 200 mg/(kg·d)], GBE low-dose and high-dose groups [100, 200 mg/(kg·d)], with 6 mice in each group. Six C57BL/6J mice were fed with a regular diet as the control group. Administration groups were given relevant liquid intragastrically, control group and model group were given constant volume of normal saline intragastrically, once a day, for 8 consecutive weeks. The body weight, fasting blood glucose, 24-hour food intake, 24-hour urine output, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-10, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr) of mice were measured, and the ratio of bilateral kidneys to body weight was also calculated. The pathological injury and fibrotic changes of the renal cortex were observed, and the expressions of macrophage polarization marker proteins [type M1: inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS); type M2: arginase-1 (Arg-1)] and AGEs-the receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE)/Ras homolog gene pharm_chenjing@163.com family member A (RhoA)/Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway-related proteins were determined in renal cortex. RESULTS Compared with the model group, the symptoms such as renal cortical hyperplasia, vacuoles, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and renal cortical fibrosis had been improved in GBE low-dose and high-dose groups; body weight, serum level of IL-10, the expression of Arg-1 in the renal cortex were significantly higher than model group (P< 0.01); fasting blood glucose, 24-hour food intake, 24-hour urine output, serum levels of MCP-1, IL-12, BUN, Scr and AGEs, the ratio of bilateral kidneys to body weight, renal injury score, the proportion of renal interstitial fibrosis, the protein expressions of iNOS, RAGE, RhoA and ROCK1 (except for GBE low-dose group) in renal cortex were significantly lower than model group (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS GBE could improve kidney damage and alleviate inflammatory response in DN model mice, the mechanism of which may be related to inhibiting the AGEs-RAGE/RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway and regulating macrophage polarization.
2.Correlation analysis of immune antibodies with pelvic inflammatory diseases
Fang LIANG ; Hanlin XIE ; Yanxing LIU ; Peiqi WEI ; Zhenghe SHENG ; Yinghong WENG ; Jingchun QIN ; Jian ZENG ; Chuchu WEI ; Dan SONG ; Suzhang LIU ; Yuanyue ZHU ; Ziyu LYU
Immunological Journal 2024;40(5):480-484
This study was designed to evaluate the correlation between immune antibodies and pelvic inflammatory disease(PID)using retrospective analysis.Cases were selected from 171 patients who met the diagnosis of PID in Liuzhou People's Hospital of Guangxi Province from January 2022 to March 2023,and the PID patients were further divided into simple PID group(53 cases)and in PID combined with reproductive tract infection group(118 cases)according to the presence or absence of reproductive tract infections,while 83 cases of women who did not meet the specific diagnostic criteria of PID and did not have reproductive tract infections were selected as the control group during the same period.The positive rate of immune antibodies in the three groups were observed and compared to explore the relationship between immune antibodies and PID.Data showed that the positive rates of immune antibodies were significantly higher in the PID alone group and the PID combined with reproductive tract infection group than that in the control group.Furthermore,the positive rate of immune antibody TPOAb was significant difference in the PID combined with reproductive tract infection group and the PID alone group(P<0.05).In conclusion,TPOAb is closely associated with reproductive tract infections.
3.Huanglian Jiedutang Regulates HIF-1α/VEGF Signaling Pathway to Improve Learning and Memory Abilities of APP/PS1 Transgenic Mice
Yinghua ZHANG ; Hanlin LYU ; Jianwen ZHOU ; Li FAN ; Yang LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(7):59-65
ObjectiveTo reveal the effects of Huanglian Jiedutang (HLJDT) on the learning and memory abilities of APP/PS1 transgenic mice via hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway. MethodForty 5-month-old β-amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin 1(PS1) mice were randomized into the model, donepezil (0.001 g·kg-1·d-1), and low-, medium-, and high-dose (1.5, 3, 6 g·kg-1·d-1, respectively) HLJDT groups, and 8 C57BL/6 mice were taken as the normal group. After 45 days of continuous administration, Morris water maze test was conducted, and the organ indexes were calculated. The morphological structure of cerebral vascular endothelial cells in mice was observed under a transmission electron microscope. Western blot was employed to measure the protein levels of APP, HIF-1α, VEGF,VEGFA, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus. The mRNA levels of APP, HIF-1α, and VEGF were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR). ResultCompared with the normal group, the model group showed prolonged escape latency (P<0.05), reduced distance and time around the target platform (P<0.05), decrease brain and spleen indexes (P<0.05), vascular endothelial cells with karyopyknosis and not abundant cytoplasm, up-regulated protein levels of APP, HIF-1α, VEGF, and VEGFA (P<0.05), down-regulated protein level of BDNF (P<0.05), and up-regulated mRNA levels of APP, HIF-1α, and VEGF (P<0.05) in the hippocampus. Compared with the model group, high-dose HLJDT shortened the escape latency (P<0.05), increased the distance and time around the target platform (P<0.05), raised the brain and spleen indexes (P<0.05), repaired the organelles of vascular endothelial cells, down-regulated the protein levels of APP, HIF-1α, VEGF, and VEGFA (P<0.05), up-regulated the protein level of BDNF (P<0.05), and down-regulated the mRNA levels of APP, HIF-1α, and VEGF (P<0.05) in the hippocampus. ConclusionHLJDT can improve the learning and memory abilities of mice by reducing the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF, thus protecting the nerves.