Aim To investigate the antioxidant capacity of crocetin and crocin in an in vivo system.Methods Column chromatography was applied to the seperation of crocetin and crocin-1 from gardenia.Crocetin(6.25,12.5 and 25.0 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)) and crocin (18.7,37.5 and 75.0 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)) were orally administered to kunming mice.Then,superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),total antioxidant capacity(TAOC)and malondialdehyde(MDA)in mice were determined for the comparison of antioxidant activity of crocetin and crocin-1.Results Oral administration of crocetin and crocin for six weeks could enhance SOD of liver and kidney,GSH-Px of liver and TAOC of heart and kidney.In addition,it could decrease MDA of serum in mice.Conclusions The comparison of results suggests the evidence supporting the comparable antioxidant activity of crocetin and crocin.The results of the research also indicate that liver and kidney are two organs targeted for protection concerning endogenous antioxidant among various tissues.

Aim To explore the effects of chrysin on endothelial dysfunction induced by acute high glucose.Methods ① The effects of chrysin on normal isolated aortic at contraction induced by PE and on endothelial dysfunction induced by high glucose were tested in the following medium: normal group,chrysin group;normal-glucose group: glucose 11mmol·L-1 in Krebs' solution;high-glucose group: glucose 44 mmol·L-1 in Krebs' solution;mannitol group: mannitol 33 mmol·L-1 in Krebs' solution and chrysin group: 44 mmol·L-1 Glu+chrysin 1.0 μmol·L-1 in Krebs' solution.② The effects of chrysin on HUVEC cell viability after incubated in high glucose were observed in the following groups: normal-glucose group: glucose 5.5 mmol·L-1 in culture solution;high-glucose group: glucose 33.3 mmol·L-1 in culture solution;mannitol group: mannitol 27.8 mmol·L-1 in culture solution and chrysin group: chrysin(25,50 μmol·L-1)in culture solution.And the NO release was also testd in these groups.Results ① Chrysin could induce vaso-dilation in a dose-dependent manner at normal glucose.The Emax was(58.94±9.61)％,and the EC50 value was 51.9 μmol·L-1.After incubating the aortic rings with high glucose(44 mmol·L-1)for 4 h,there were significant differences in ACh-induced vascular relaxation between the normal glucose group and the high glucose group.The Emax was(32.12±3.92)％and the EC50 value was 78.0 μmol·L-1 of high glucose group(P<0.01).The endothelium-independent relaxation induced by SNP was not significantly different between the two groups.And chrysin(1.0 μmol·L-1)could reverse the decline of ACh-induced vasorelaxation response induced by high glucose(44 mmol·L-1).The Emax was(70.7±3.87)％and the EC50 value was 0.852 μmol·L-1.② The cell viability of HUVEC was depressed after incubated in high glucose,and chrysin could reverse the decline in a concentration-dependent way.And chrysin in defferent concentrations could increase the cell NO release.Conclusion Chrysin could prevent the acute high glucose-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction and could increase the NO release.

Objective To establish and compare HPLC fingerprint chromatograms of Dipsaci Radix decoction pieces, aqueous decoction and formula granules.Methods The HPLC analysis was carried out in Wondasil C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm) with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid by gradient elution. The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min; the detection wavelength was set at 212 nm; the column temperature was kept at 30℃. Results The fingerprint chromatograms from 12 batches of Dipsaci Radix decoction pieces, aqueous decoction and formula granules were established respectively. 14 common peaks in the fingerprint chromatogram in the formula granules could be tracked in the aqueous decoction, and 13 common peaks in the fingerprint chromatogram could be tracked in the decoction pieces. 2 chemical compounds were identified, such as asperosaponinⅥ and chlorogenic acid.ConclusionThe method of HPLC fingerprint chromatograms is stable and with good repeatability. Dipsaci Radix decoction pieces, aqueous decoction and formula granules are basically the same chemical composition.

Natural products are important sources for the discovery of anti-tumor drugs. Evodiamine is the main alkaloid component of the traditional Chinese herb Wu-Chu-Yu, and it has weak antitumor activity. In recent years, a number of highly active antitumor candidates have been discovered with a significant progress. This article reviews the research progress of evodiamine-based antitumor drug design strategies, in order to provide reference for the development of new drugs with natural products as leads.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the mechanism of diabetic erectile dysfunction (ED) and find new methods for its treatment by detecting the changes in nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms and erectile function of diabetic rats and observing the effects of insulin and alpha-lipoic acid (LA) on it.

METHODSFifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into Groups A (normal control, n=10), B (non-intervention diabetes mellitus, n=13), C (insulin intervention diabetes mellitus, n=12), and D (insulin + LA intervention, n=15). And the diabetic models were made by intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (STZ). Eight weeks later, the erectile function of the rats was assessed following apomorphine injection and the contents of NOS isoforms in the erectile tissues measured by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTSAll the rats of Group A showed a normal erectile function (100%). In comparison, those in Groups B, C and D exhibited a significantly decreased rate, 28.6% in Group B, 62.5% in Group C and 80.9% in Group D. The numbers of positive nNOS fibers and eNOS in the penile tissues per visual field were 86.7 and 9.6 in Group A, but only 36.5 and 3.3 in Group B, 52.7 and 5.7 in Group C, and 71.4 and 7.4 in Group D (P < 0.05). However, the expression of iNOS was significantly lower in Group A (6.9) than in Groups B (43.6), C (36.2) and D (19.3) (P < 0.05). Compared with Groups B and C, the erectile function and the expressions of nNOS and eNOS were markedly increased, while the expression of iNOS significantly decreased in Group D (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONDiabetes mellitus severely affects penile erectile function and the expressions of NOS isoforms in the cavernous tissues, for which hyperglycemia is mainly responsible. LA is proved obviously efficacious for diabetic ED, which might be related to its antioxidant effect.

Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Erectile Dysfunction ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Insulin ; pharmacology ; Male ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; metabolism ; Penile Erection ; Penis ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Protein Isoforms ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Thioctic Acid ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR) in children with subglottic stenosis (SGS), and to discuss the indications and the risks of intraoperative and postoperative treatment of LTR.

METHODSFrom September 2008 to February 2010, 5 children (4 girls and 1 boy, aged 4 to 6 years) were treated by LTR. Among the 5 children, there were 2 congenital SGS and 3 acquired SGS. One had mild grade III SGS, 3 had severe grade III SGS, and one had grade IV SGS. One child with mild III SGS was treated by single-stage LTR, and the rest four children were treated by double-stage LTR. The surgical technique consisted of cricoid lamina midline vertical incision, rib cartilage graft interposition and endotracheal tube (ETT) stenting for 2 to 3 weeks.

RESULTSFour children with grade III SGS were de-cannulated 3 months after operation, and the child with grade IV SGS got de-cannulated 6 months after operation. Of all children, rib cartilage graft grower well, and the size of subglottis were amplified by grade III SGS to grade I SGS, and grade IV SGS to grade II SGS. All children obtained stable airway. One child with grade IV SGS who had hoarseness got effective phonation during follow-up 2 years after operation.

CONCLUSIONSLTR is a safe and effective treatment for pediatric subglottic stenosis. The important factors of successful operation are correct assessment and evaluation of the severity and overall medical status and selection of suitable surgical techniques.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Laryngostenosis ; surgery ; Larynx ; surgery ; Male ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Trachea ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

BackgroundThe relationship between lipids and coronary artery disease has been well established. However, this is not the case between lipids and heart failure. Ironically, high lipid levels are associated with better outcomes in heart failure, but the mechan-isms underlying the phenomenon are not fully understood. This study was performed to test the hypothesis that reduced intestinal lipid absorption due to venous congestion may lead to low lipid levels.MethodsWe collected data of clinical characteristics, echocardio-graph, and lipid profile in 442 unselected patients with congestive heart failure. Correlations between lipid levels[including total cho-lesterol(TCL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), and triglycerides(TG)]and right ventricle end diastolic diameter (RVEDD), left ventricle end diastolic diameter (LVEDD), right atrium diameter (RA), left atrium diameter (LA), or left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) were analyzed using Pearson correlation and partial correlation. RVEDD, LVEDD, RA, and LA were indexed to the body surface area.ResultsThere was a significantly inverse correlation between TCL le-vels and RVEDD (r=-0.34,P<0.001) and RA (r=-0.36,P<0.001). Other lipids such as LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG had asimilar inverse correlation with RVEDD and RA. All these correlations remained unchanged after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, physical activity levels, comorbidities, and medication use.ConclusionsLipid levels were inversely correlated to RVEDD in patients with congestive heart failure; however, because this was an observational study, further investigation is needed to verify our results as wellas identify a causal relationship, if any.

Background Hyperuricemia is frequently present in patients with heart failure. Many pathological conditions, such as tissue ischemia, renal function impairment, cardiac function impairment, metabolic syndrome, and inflammatory status, may impact uric acid (UA) metabolism. This study was to assess their potential relations to UA metabolism in heart failure. Methods We retrospectively assessed clinical characteristics, echocardiological, renal, metabolic and inflammatory variables selected on the basis of previous evidence of their involvement in cardiovascular diseases and UA metabolism in a large cohort of randomly selected adults with congestive heart failure (n = 553). By clustering of indices, those variables were explored using factor analysis. Results In factor analysis, serum uric acid (SUA) formed part of a principal cluster of renal functional variables which included serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Univariate correlation coefficients between variables of patients with congestive heart failure showed that the strongest correlations for SUA were with BUN (r = 0.48, P < 0.001) and SCr (r = 0.47, P < 0.001). Conclusions There was an inverse relationship between SUA levels and measures of renal function in patients with congestive heart failure. The strong correlation between SUA and SCr and BUN levels suggests that elevated SUA concentrations reflect an impairment of renal function in heart failure.

OBJECTIVETo assess the clinical efficacy and safety of surrounding needle, moxibustion and hot compress of TCM herbs for localized scleroderma.

METHODSForty-two cases of localized scleroderma were randomly divided into an acupuncture + herb group (23 cases, group A) and a heparin sodium group (19 cases, group B). Both the two groups were orally administrated with centella triterpenes tablets and vitamin E, group A was additionally treated with surrounding needle at local area, moxibustion at affected site and Hegu (LI 4), Zu sanli (ST 36) as well as hot external application of "hot compress herbs" at local location, while group B was treated with external application of heparin sodium cream. Both the two groups were treated for consecutive 6 months, and scores of skin sclerosis, joint pain and function were compared before and after the treatment. Also the efficacy and safety of TCM syndrome were assessed.

RESULTSCompared with that before the treatment, the scores of skin sclerosis, joint pain and joint function in the group A after treatment were significantly decreased (all P < 0.01), the score of skin sclerosis in the group B was improved (P < 0.05), and the three types of score in the group A was obviously lower than those in the group B (both P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 86.4% (19/22) in the group A, which was superior to 52.6% (10/19) in the group B (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe surrounding needle, moxibustion and external application of "hot compress herbs" could improve skin sclerosis in patients with localized scleroderma, which has obvious efficacy and relative safety.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Scleroderma, Systemic ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Young Adult

Ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder of herbal medicine lack of the morphological characters and microscopic identification features. This makes it hard to identify herb's authenticity with traditional methods. We tested ITS2 sequence as DNA barcode in identification of herbal medicine in ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder in this study. We extracted genomic DNAs of 93 samples of 31 representative herbal medicines (28 species), which include whole plant, roots and bulbs, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. The ITS2 sequences were amplified and sequenced bidirectionally. The ITS2 sequences were identified using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) method in the GenBank database and DNA barcoding system to identify the herbal medicine. The genetic distance was analyzed using the Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) model and the Neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA 6.0. The results showed that DNA can be extracted successfully from 93 samples and high quality ITS2 sequences can be amplified. All 31 herbal medicines can get correct identification via BLAST method. The ITS2 sequences of raw material medicines, ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder have same sequence in 26 herbal medicines, while the ITS2 sequences in other 5 herbal medicines exhibited variation. The maximum intraspecific genetic-distances of each species were all less than the minimum interspecific genetic distances. ITS2 sequences of each species are all converged to their standard DNA barcodes using NJ method. Therefore, using ITS2 barcode can accurately and effectively distinguish ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder of herbal medicine. It provides a new molecular method to identify ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder of herbal medicine in the quality control and market supervision.
Cell Wall ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; classification ; genetics ; Powders ; Quality Control