AIM To identify the active anti-chronic nephrotic substance of Rostellularia procunbens (L.) Nees,and to study its mechanism.METHODS Rat glomerular mesangial cells (HBZY-1) were developed into nephrotic cell models by LPS.The activities of extract of petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and water were screened by MTT and ELISA kit,after which isolation and purification of the various compounds were achieved,and their effects on the expression of TLR4/NF-κB pathway were determined by Western blot.RESULTS Both extracts of petroleum ether and ethyl acetate exhibited anti-nephrotic activity,and Justicidin A was determined to be the active compound inhibiting both the proliferation of mesangial cells and the release of cytokines to some extent.CONCLUSION Rostellularia procunbens (L.) Nees may inhibit the expression of inflammatory proteins through TLR4/NF-κB signalling pathway to prevent chronic nephritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the levels of cytokines in the plasma of patients with multiple myeloma(MM), and explore its clinical significance. METHODS: The levels of 6 cytokines(IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-γ) in the plasma of 59 newly diagnosed MM patients and 30 healthy controls were retrospectively analyzed, and the immunophenotypes were also analyzed. The plasma levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ were quantitatively detected by flow microsphere technology, and the differences of cytokines levels in each group were tested by Wilcoxon. RESULTS: The plasma concentration of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in MM patients were all significantly higher than those in healthy controls (P<0.05). According to the ISS staging, there were no statistically significant difference in cytokines levels of patients at each stage (P>0.05). MM patients with high CD56 expression had higher plasma levels of IL-6 than the CD56 low expression group (41.74±62.73 vs 6.31±5.60 pg/ml) (P<0.05). The plasma level of IL-6 in MM patients with high CD117 expression was higher than that in the CD56 low expression group, but there was no statistically difference (P>0.05). The plasma level of IL-6 in MM patients was significantly decreased after chemotherapy (P<0.05). CONCLUSION IL-6 is significantly increased in newly diagnosed MM patients, and is associated with the CD56 expression of abnormal plasma cells, which could provide important auxiliary effect on diagnosis of MM; at the same time, it is significantly decreased after chemotherapy, which may be suitable as a monitoring indicator in treatment of MM patients.
Cytokines ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-6 ; Multiple Myeloma/diagnosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Objective: To identify two different growth types vertical growth (V-class) and lateral growth (L-class)) of Justicia procumbens, and compare the contents of chemical compounds between upper part and different organs. Method: DNA was extracted from the leaves of two growth forms of J. procumbens. Internal transcriptional spacer 2 (ITS2) and psbA-trnH sequences were obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and bidirectional sequencing. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the contents of justicidin B (JB) and chinensinaphthol methyl ether (CME) from the above-ground parts of V-class and L-class J. procumbens and their inflorescence,leaves,and stems. Independent sample T-test and Paired-sample T-test were used to compare the contents of JB and CME from two different growth forms of J. procumbens and their different organs. Result: The DNA sequences after shearing were shown to be identical between the V-class and L-class samples. Independent sample T-test showed no difference on the content of JB between the above-ground parts of V-class and L-class samples,but the content of CME was higher in V-class J. procumbens than L-class (P<0.05). Paired-sample T-test showed that the content of JB and CME were different in the inflorescence,leaves,and stems of J. procumbens (P<0.05),and the contents in inflorescence and leaves were much higher than those in stems. At the same time,we found the content of CME in inflorescence and leaves of V-class J. procumbens was higher than that in L-class. Conclusion: DNA barcoding and comparison of JB and CME content indicated that the two different growth forms of J. procumbens belong to the same species. The contents of CME were different in J. procumbens between different growth forms,and was higher in V-class. Meanwhile,due to the little content of JB and CME in stems,the best picking time of J. procumbens is the flowering and fruiting period with more inflorescence and leaves.