Objective To establish an ultraviolet-irradiation damage model in cultured fibroblasts derived from human skin and to explore the potential protective effects and mechanisms of amyloid precursor protein 17-met peptide (APP17-mer peptide) on the oxidative damage and collagen metabolism in cultured fibroblasts after ultraviolet irradiation. Methods Human dermal fibroblast cultures were established by outgrowth from foreskin biopsies of a healthy donor and were irradiated by a single exposure to ultraviolet rays and cultured in a series of concentrations of APP17-mer peptide (0, 20, 40, 80 μmol/L).The activity of fibroblasts was detected by the assay of MTT. The intracellular ROS level was measured with a confocal microscope. The expression of MMP-1 mRNA was analyzed real-time quantitatively following RT-PCR. Results Primary cultures of human skin fibroblasts were established from human foreskin in DMEM supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum. UV irradiation depressed cellular activity and increased intracellular level of ROS (P<0.05). 40μmol/L and 80μmol/L APP17-mer peptide increased the cellular activity in both UV irradiated fibroblasts and unirradiated fibroblasts (P<0.05), however,20 μmol/L did not show such protective effects (P>0. 05). 40μmol/L APP17-mer peptide could depress the level of ROS in irradiated libroblasts. A single exposure of fibroblasts to UV irradiation resulted in 1.78 foldup-regulation of MMP-1 mRNA compared with unirradiated sample, 40μmol/L and 80μmol/L APP17-mer peptide decreased the expression of MMP-1 mRNA (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively).Conclusion APP17-mer peptide can enhance cellular activity under UV-induced oxidative stress and in-hibit collagen degradation in fibroblasts irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Inhibition of ROS production may be involved in the protective mechanism of APP17 peptide.

In this paper, based on the special influence of supramolecular chemistry on the basic theory of Chinese medicines ( CM) , the authors further analyzed the history of meridian tropism and natural origins of CM organisms and explained CM ingredients and the universal regularity of the automatic action of the supramolecular "imprinting templates" hole channel structure. After entering human bodies, CMs, as the aggregation of supramolecular "imprinting templates" , automatically seek supramolecular subjects that are matched with their "imprinting templates" in human meridians and organs for the purpose of self-recognition, self-organization, self-assembly and self-replication, so as to generate specific efficacy in meridians and organs, which is reflected as the meridian tropism phenomena at macro level. This regularity can be studied by in vitro and in vivo experimental studies. In vitro methods are mostly supra molecular structure analysis and kinetic and thermodynamic parameter calculation; Whereas in vivo methods are dominated by the analysis on object component distribution, chromatopharmacodynamic parameters and network chromatopharmacodynamic parameters; Particularly, the acupoint-medicine method can simplify to study the supramolecular subject-object relations. Consequently, CM's'meridian tropism reveals the universal regularity for interactions of macromolecular and micromolecular "imprinting templates" of subjects and objects in natural organisms. As the first barrier for the material base of the CM theory and breakthrough in the modernization of the basic CM theory, meridian tropism plays an important role in studies on basic theories of the basic CM theory.
Acupuncture Points ; Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Meridians

This paper introduced an experimental study of polylacticacid (PLA) nanoparticles of lipophilic anti-cancer herb drug using a precipitation method. Cucurbitacins (Cu) and Curcuminoids (Cur) were selected to be model drugs. They had similar solubility but their incorporation effects were significantly different: the average drug entrapment ratio, the average drug loading and the average drug recovery were 38.53%, 2.21% and 27.02% respectively; while those of Cur-PLA-NP were 94.36%, 14.35% and 91.23% respectively. To analyse the reason, drug incorporation process was investigated. By measuring solvent evaporation rate, ratio of drug PLA precipitates, drug distribution in system and entrapping ratio at different time of preparation, we found the difference of precipitation velocity of drug was the main reason. We also concluded that not all lipophilic drug can be well entrapped into PLA nanoparticle by nanoprecipitation method. The drug incorporation depended on the interations among drug, PLA and organic solvents, in addition to the solubility of the drug.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; chemistry ; Chemical Precipitation ; Cucurbitacins ; chemistry ; Curcumin ; chemistry ; Drug Compounding ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Lactic Acid ; chemistry ; Nanoparticles ; Nanotechnology ; methods ; Particle Size ; Polyesters ; Polymers ; chemistry

Objective:To evaluate the effect of paclitaxel on the mast cell-CCL2-macrophage axis in rats with pulmonary hypertension.Methods:Thirty SPF-grade healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 8-10 weeks, weighing 180-220 g, were divided into 3 groups ( n=10 each) using a random number table method: control group (group C), pulmonary hypertension group (group PH), and paclitaxel group (group PTX). The model of pulmonary hypertension was established by subcutaneous injection of monocrotaline 60 mg/kg in rats.At 25 days after establishing the models, paclitaxel 2 mg/kg was injected via the tail vein once every four days, for 4 times in total in group PTX.The equal volume of normal saline was injected in the remaining 2 groups.The mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) was performed at 40 days after establishing the model.The heart was removed and dried, the right ventricle (RV) and left ventricle plus ventricular septum (LV+ S) was weighed, and the Fulton index [RV/(LV+ S)] was calculated.The inferior lobe of left lung was taken, the ratio of media wall thickness of pulmonary vessels was calculated by HE staining, the number of Tryptase + , CD68 + , CD163 + , and Ki67 + cells was recorded by immunohistochemistry, the mean value was calculated, the percentage of Ki67-positive cells in blood vessels was recorded, and the proportion of muscularized blood vessels was calculated.The content of CCL2 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Cyclin D1 was detected by Western blot. Results:Compared with group C, the mPAP, Fulton index, ratio of media wall thickness, proportion of muscularized blood vessels, the number of Tryptase + , CD68 + and CD163 + cells and percentage of Ki67 + cells were significantly increased, and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 was down-regulated in PH and PTX groups ( P<0.05), the expression of Cyclin D1 was significantly up-regulated in group PH ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in group PTX ( P>0.05). Compared with group PH, the mPAP, Fulton index, ratio of media wall thickness, percentage of muscularized blood vessels, the number of Tryptase + , CD68 + and CD163 + cells and percentage of Ki67 + cells were significantly decreased, the expression of CCL2 and Cyclin D1 was down-regulated, and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 was up-regulated in group PTX ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The mechanism by which paclitaxel alleviates pulmonary hypertension is related to inhibiting the mast cell-CCL2-macrophage axis in rats.

PBL teaching method is a new mode of teaching which is originated from the West and implemented into China in recent years with an expectation that it would mainly develop the students’ self-learning ability,and enhance their skills of comprehensive thinking and solving actual problems.The author summarizes the practical experience of using PBL teaching methods in the theory teaching in Department of Medical Microbiology and Human Parasitology,China Medical University in the past three years,and then proved this method is very helpful to improving the students’integrated thinking by analysis of sample.At the same time the results also suggested that the students showed high enthusiasm in discussing the cases.By this way,the students showed great subjective intiative in their studies.

The paper aimed to elucidate the specific impact of supramolecular chemistry on the Chinese medicine theories (CMT) in their modernization, after had summarized up the research status of supramolecular chemistry and analyzed the possible supramolecular forms of Chinese medicine (CM), as well as considered the problems in modernization of CM theories. On comparison of the classical chemistry that delt with chemical bonds among atoms, the supramolecular chemistry was rather concerned with varietes of weak noncovalent bonds intermolecules, and reflected the macro-apparent chemical properties of each molecules, and was the most appropriate chemical theories to explain the CMT and microcosmic materials. The molecules in the human body and Chinese material medica (CMM) formed supramolecules by way of self-assembly, self-organization, self-recognition and self-replication, with themselves or with complexation, composition, chelation, inclusion, neutralization etc. Meridian and Zang-fu viscera in CMT might be a space channel structure continuously consisted of unique molecules cavity that was imprinted with the supramolecularly template inside and outside of cells, through which the molecules in CMM interacted with the meridian and Zang-fu viscera. When small molecules in human body imprinted with macromolecules in meridian and Zang-fu viscera, in other words, they migrated along within imprinting channels of meridian and Zang-fu viscera on behavior of "Qi chromatography" impulsed by the heart beat, finally showed up on macroscopic the anisotropy of tissue and organ, as described namely as visceral manifestation in Chinese medical science. When small molecules in CMM interacted with imprinting channel on meridian and Zang-fu viscera, the natural properties and efficacy regularities of CMM was reflected on macroscopic. Therefore, the special representation forms of basic CMT is based on the macroscopic expression of "Qi chromatography" abided by imprinting effect regularities, and on whether the imprinted template of small molecules matched with cavity template of macromolecules in meridian and Zang-fu viscera, only is the adequate representation of supramolecular chemistry for them. The CMM materials is the mixture including single molecules and supramolecules. The compatibility for CM prescriptions can significantly change the function rules. Therefore in the study of basic CMT, we should pay special attention to the laws of supramolecular chemistry. It is the most essential differences of the CMT from the modern medicine which established by the laws of single molecular theories.
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Drug Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Meridians ; Nanotechnology

This paper introduced an experimental study of the preparation of polylacticacid (PLA) nanoparticles of cucurbitacin (CuC) using a precipitation method. The residual acetone, ratio of CuC PLA precipitates, and the relationships between the ratios of two precipitates and drug incorporation rates were measured. It appeared that the nanoparticles with 60% of PLA incorporated with 5.5% of CuC were formed when acetone was injected into the aqueous phase. As the acetone gradually evaporated, drug incorporation/encapsulation continued, with most of CuC (about 70%) formed new crystalline cores and suspended in the form of microcrystals in the medium, resulting a suspension containing both nanoparticles and microcrystals. We also concluded that this system may not necessarily be suitable for all lipophilic drugs to be prepared to PLA nanoparticles with good incorporation rate. The drug incorporation depended on the interactions among drug, PLA, and organic solvents, in addition to the solubility of the drug.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; Chemical Precipitation ; Cucurbitaceae ; chemistry ; Cucurbitacins ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; Drug Compounding ; methods ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Lactic Acid ; Microspheres ; Nanotechnology ; Particle Size ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polyesters ; Polymers ; Triterpenes ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification

The paper, based on the previous publication as special impact of Chinese medicine theories on supramolcular chemistry, aims to analyze the natural origination for the Chinese medicine and to explain the special impact of "Qi chromatography" reaction on "imprinting templates" in supramolcular host of human being with Chinese medicine, in order to reveal the CM's properties of "medical element" with "imprinting templates" autonomisation generally took place in natural supramolecules, and also to discover that the CM's pharmacology are satisfied with its own approaches different form western pharmacology. It was decided, for CM's pharmacology guided by CM's theories, to "Qi chromatography" relations between the CM's ingredient groups and the meridian zang-fu viscera. The supramolcular chemistry played an all-through role in procession of making macro-regularities and special presentation on behavior of "Qi chromatography" impulse owning to the matching action of all kinds of ingredients on the meridian zang-fu viscera with similar "imprinting templates". The CM's pharmacology were guided by CM's theories, owing to its interpretation of supramolecular chemistry. The pharmacology was achieved to construct up completely on base of classical chemical single molecular bonds whereas the CM's pharmacology be configured to big building by way of "imprinting templates" as multi-weak bonds among "supramolecular society". CM's pharmacology was supramolcular pharmacology dealt with "molecular society" on the base of western pharmacology, and employed to double research approaches both math-physical quantitative representation on macroscope and qualitative analyses in microscope.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Meridians ; Molecular Imprinting ; Qi

OBJECTIVEFour single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in HOXD10, HOXD12 and HOXD13 genes were chosen to investigate SNP and haplotypes distribution in idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus nuclear pedigrees.

METHODSGenotypes of 4 SNPs in 84 idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus nuclear pedigrees were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing. Analysis of association between SNP locus and idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus was performed using ETDT software. Haplotypes and their frequencies in 84 nuclear pedigrees were established and analyzed by TRANSMIT software.

RESULTSrs847151 polymorphism was not detected; the rs847154 located in 5' flanking sequence of HOXD12 gene and the rs13392701 located in exon 1 of HOXD13 gene were noted to have transmission disequilibrium in 84 nuclear pedigrees (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONrs847154 located in 5' flanking sequence of HOXD12 gene and rs13392701 located in exon 1 of HOXD13 gene are associated with idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus; HOXD12 andHOXD13 are important susceptible genes of idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Clubfoot ; genetics ; Exons ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; genetics ; Genotype ; Homeodomain Proteins ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pedigree ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of the ethanol extract isolated from Weiqi Decoction (WQD-EE) on AGS cell proliferation and apoptosis.

METHODSBy using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detectors (HPLC-UV) assay and MTT method, the main compounds in WQD-EE and cell viability were detected. And cell cycle distributions were determined by flow cytometry with propidium iodine (PI) staining while apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry with annexin V/PI double staining. Finally, caspase-3 activities were measured by colorimetric method and protein expression was determined by Western blotting.

RESULTSHPLC analysis showed that naringin (35.92 μg/mg), nobiletin (21.98 μg/mg), neohesperidin (17.98 μg/mg) and tangeretin (0.756 μg/mg) may be the main compounds in WQD-EE. WQD-EE not only inhibited AGS and MCF 7 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, but also blocked cell cycle progression at G2/M stage as well as inducing cell apoptosis at concentrations triggering significant inhibition of proliferation and cell cycle arrest in AGS cells. While at 0.5 mg/mL, WQD-EE significantly increased caspase-3 activity by 2.75 and 7.47 times at 24 h and 48 h, respectively. Moreover, WQD-EE in one hand reduced protein expressions of p53 and cyclin B1, and in other hand enhanced protein expressions of cytochrome c and Bax. Protein levels of Bcl-2, Fas L and Fas were not significantly affected by WQD-EE.

CONCLUSIONSWQD-EE inhibits AGS cell proliferation through G2/M arrest due to down-regulation of cyclin B1 protein expression, and promotes apoptosis by caspase-3 and mitochondria-dependent pathways, but not by p53-dependent pathway.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Ethanol ; chemistry ; G2 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; drug effects ; Humans ; M Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; drug effects ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; isolation & purification