Objective To study the hypoglycemic effect of total flavonoids from stems and leaves of scatellaria baicalensis (SSTF)on diabetic mice and to explore the therapeutic mechanism.Methods Diabetic mice models were established by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan(200 mg/kg),and the changes of mice blood glucose ,superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdelyde content were observed after preventive or curative treatment with SSTF.Results Preventive treat- ment with SSTF can obviously inhibit the increase of mice blood glucose induced by alloxan ,and the therapeutic treat- ment with SSTF can lower the blood glucose levels of diabetic mice.Both preventive and therapeutic treatment groups can increase serum superoxide dismutase activity and decrease malondialdelyde content.Conclusion SSTF have significant preventive and therapeutic effects on diabetic mice,and the mechanism is related to the anti-oxidation activity.

Objective To investigate the effect of Scutellaria baicalensis stem-leaf total flavonoids(SSTF) on blood glucose,blood lipid levels and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic rats with hyperlipidemia,and to explore the possible therapeutic mechanism. Methods Experimental rat model was established by feeding high-fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of small-dose streptozotocin. The effects of SSTF on blood glucose,blood lipid,insulin sensitive index(ISI) and antioxidative capacity of experimental rat model were investigated. Results SSTF significantly reduced the serum fasting blood glucose(FBG),total cholesterol(TC),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) levels,increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C) level and ISI,and reduced triglyceride(TG) level to some extent. SSTF also had an effect on decreasing malondialdehyde(MDA) content in both serum and liver tissue,increasing serum superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity significantly and glutathione(GSH) content to some extent. Conclusion SSTF have significant effect on decreasing blood glucose and blood lipid and improving insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic rats with hyperlipidemia. Its therapeutic mechanism may be related to the antioxidation function.

Objective To investigate the effect of Scutellaria baicalensis stem-leaf total flavonoids(SSTF)on lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemia rats.Methods On the basis of establishing hyperlipidemia rat model,blood and liver lipids,lipid metabolic enzyme,and the amount of fecal bile acids were investigated after feeding of fatty emulsion for 30 days.Results Compared to the model group,SSTF significantly reduced the serum levels of total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),and increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),increased the activity of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase(LCAT).SSTF also showed the effect on decreasing liver TC,TG and increasing the amount of fecal bile acids.Conclusion SSTF have an effect on decreasing lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemia rats,and the possible mechanism is associated to the increase of LCAT activity and fecal bile acids excretion.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness and safety of high frequency electronic associating stents insertion and subsequent radiotherapy guided by fiberoptic bronchoscope in treating tracheobronchial stenosis caused by lung and esophagus carcinoma.MethodsFifty-two patients which were ascertained with serious stenosis in trachea or bronchi by fiberoptic bronchoscope were subjected to the study.Fiberoptic bronchoscope was used to investigate the location,extent,blood supply and the degree of tracheobronchial stenosis before the study.After the focus in the airways was cleared up with high frequency electronic,electrocoagulation and snare under the guide of the euthyphoria of fiberoptic bronchoscope,Ni-Ti memory alloy stents were placed into the stenosis airways.The 52 patients were divided into two groups with 26 cases each:the stent group and the stent associating radiotherapy group(radiotherapy group).The later group accepted subsequent radiotherapy after the therapy.The following indexes of the two groups were investigated:short-time clinical effect,dyspnea index class,rate and average time of airway restenosis,life span and survival rate.ResultsAfter therapy,the 52 patients had obvious improvements in dyspnea and the diameter of the stenosis airways.The short-time total effective rate was 100.0％ (52/52),but there was not significant difference between the two groups(P＞ 0.05 ).After therapy,there was significant difference in two groups in dyspnea index class(P ＜ 0.01 ).Although there was not significant difference in the rate of airway restenosis between the two groups(P＞0.05),the average time of airway restenosis in the radiotherapy group was obviously longer than that in the stent group(P＜ 0.01 ).The survival rate of the radiotherapy group in the 6th and 9th month after therapy was higher than that in the stent group (P ＜ 0.05),but there was no significantdifferenee in the 3rd and 12th month (P ＞0.05).ConclusionHigh frequency electronic associating stents insertion and subsequent radiotherapy guided by fiberoptic bronchoscope is an effective and safe treatment for the patients suffering tracheobronchial stenosis caused by lung and esophagus carcinoma.

OBJECTIVETo determine the effects and related mechanism of Scutellaria baicalensis stem-leaf total flavonoid (SSTF) on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation induced by high triglyceride blood serum (HTG).

METHODVSMCs isolated from rat aorta were cultured in vitro and proliferation was stimulated by HTG, SSTF was added to influence the proliferation of VSMCs. The proliferation and cell cycle of VSMCs were determined by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. CO released into the culture media was quantitated by measuring carbon monoxide hemoglobin (COHb). The protein expressions of HO-1 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK/p-ERK) were detected by Western blot analysis.

RESULT500 mg x L(-1) SSTF could obviously suppress the cell multiplication by HTG's induction, remarkably increase the production of COHb in VSMCs, obviously suppresse the mitotic cycle progress of VSMCs (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), in the time and dosage dependence. Furthermore, 500 mg x L(-1) SSTF remarkably declined the ERK/p-ERK protein expression (P < 0.01), but did not have the influence on the HO-1 protein's expression.

CONCLUSIONSSTF inhibited the proliferation of VSMCs directly by blocking cell cycle progression, and the ERK signal transduction way possibly participated in the cytoprotection of SSTF.

Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cricetinae ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Male ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Scutellaria baicalensis ; chemistry ; Triglycerides ; blood ; pharmacology

Objective To investigate the neuroproteetive effect of Rhubarb extract (RE) on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice and its mechanism.Methods Twenty-eight male ICR mice were randomly divided into sham operation,ischemia-reperfusion,low-dose RE (100 mg/kg),and high-dose RE (100 mg/kg) groups.A model of middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion in mice was induced by the suture method.The drug intervention groups were given intragastric RE administration (once a day) on the third day before model preparation,and the same volume of normal saline was injected into mice of the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion group.The volume of cerebral infarction was detected by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining.The neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN),glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP),and ionized calcium binding adapter 1 (IBA-1) were used as markers of the ischemic cortical neurons,astrocytes,and microglial cells,respectively,and detected by inmunohistochemistry.The expression levels ofsuperoxide dismutase (SOD)-1,SOD-2,and catalase (CAT) in ischemic cortex were detected by Western blot analysis.Results Compared with the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion group,the neurological function score of the high-dose RE group was significantly reduced,the infarct volume was significantly reduced,and the number of neurons in the ischemic cortex was increased significantly,and the activation degree of astrocytes and microglia was decreased significantly (all P ＜0.05),the expression levels of SOD-1,SOD-2,and CAT were increased significantly (all P＜ 0.05);in contrast,there was no significant difference between the low-dose RE group and the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion group.Conclusions High-dose RE may play a protective role for cerebral ischemia-reperfusion mice through anti-oxidative mechanism.

Objective? To?Study?the?changes?of?short-chain?acyl-CoA?dehydrogenase?(SCAD)?in?heart?failure?(HF)?after?myocardial?infarction?(MI),?and?the?effect?of?aerobic?exercise?on?SCAD.? Methods? Healthy?male?Sprague-Dawley?(SD)?rats?were?divided?into?sham?operation?group?(Sham?group),?sham?operation?swimming?group?(Sham+swim?group),?HF?model?group?(LAD?group)?and?HF?swimming?group?(LAD+swim?group)?by?random?number?table?method,?with?9?rats?in?each?group.?The?left?anterior?descending?branch?of?coronary?artery?(LAD)?was?ligated?to?establish?a?rat?model?of?HF?after?MI.?In?Sham?group,?only?one?loose?knot?was?threaded?under?the?left?coronary?artery,?and?the?rest?operations?were?the?same?as?those?in?LAD?group.?Rats?in?Sham+swim?group?and?LAD+swim?group?were?given?swimming?test?for?1?week?after?operation?(from?15?minutes?on?the?1st?day?to?60?minutes?on?the?5th?day).?Then?they?were?given?swimming?endurance?training?(from?the?2nd?week?onwards,?60?minutes?daily,?6?times?weekly,?10?weeks?in?a?row).?Tail?artery?systolic?pressure??(SBP)?was?measured?before?swimming?endurance?training?and?every?2?weeks?until?the?end?of?the?10th?week.?Ten?weeks?after?swimming?training,?echocardiography?was?performed?to?measure?cardiac?output?(CO),?stroke?volume?(SV),?left?ventricular?ejection?fraction?(LVEF),?shortening?fraction?(FS),?left?ventricular?end-systolic?diameter?(LVESD),?left?ventricular?end-diastolic?diameter?(LVEDD),?left?ventricular?end-systolic?volume?(LVESV),?and?left?ventricular?end-diastolic??volume?(LVEDV).?Morphological?changes?of?heart?were?observed?by?Masson?staining.?Apoptosis?of?myocardial?cells?was?detected?by?transferase-mediated?deoxyuridine?triphosphate-biotin?nick?end?labeling?stain?(TUNEL)?and?apoptosis?index?(AI)?was?calculated.?Reverse?transcription-polymerase?chain?reaction?(RT-PCR)?and?Western?Blot?were?used?to?detect?the?mRNA?and?protein?expression?of?myocardial?SCAD?respectively.?In?addition,?the?enzyme?activity?of?SCAD,?the?content?of?adenosine?triphosphate?(ATP)?and?free?fatty?acid?(FFA)?in?serum?and?myocardium?were?detected?according?to?the?kit?instruction?steps.? Results? Compared?with?Sham?group,?Sham+swim?group?showed?SBP?did?not?change?significantly,?with?obvious?eccentric?hypertrophy?and?increased?myocardial?contractility,?and?LAD?group?showed?persistent?hypotension,?obvious?MI,?thinning?of?left?ventricle,?and?decreased?myocardial?systolic/diastolic?function.?Compared?with?LAD?group,?SBP,?systolic/diastolic?function?and?MI?in?LAD+swim?group?were?significantly?improved?[SBP?(mmHg,?1?mmHg?=?0.133?kPa):?119.5±4.4?vs.?113.2±4.5?at?4?weeks,?120.3±4.0?vs.?106.5±3.7?at??6?weeks,?117.4±1.3?vs.?111.0±2.3?at?8?weeks,?126.1±1.6?vs.?119.4±1.9?at?10?weeks;?CO?(mL/min):?59.10±6.31?vs.?33.19±4.76,?SV?(μL):?139.42±17.32?vs.?84.02±14.26,?LVEF:?0.523±0.039?vs.?0.309±0.011,?FS:?(28.17±2.57)%?vs.?(15.93±3.64)%,?LVEDD?(mm):?8.80±0.19?vs.?9.35±0.30,?LVESD?(mm):?5.90±0.77?vs.?7.97±0.60,?LVEDV?(μL):?426.57±20.84?vs.?476.24±25.18,?LVESV?(μL):?209.50±25.18?vs.?318.60±16.10;?AI:?(20.4±1.4)%?vs.?(31.2±4.6)%;?all?P??0.05).? Conclusion? The?expression?of?SCAD?in?HF?was?significantly?down-regulated,?and?the?expression?was?significantly?up-regulated?after?aerobic?exercise?intervention,?indicating?that?swimming?may?improve?the?severity?of?HF?by?up-regulating?the?expression?of?SCAD.