Antidepressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Depression ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Electroacupuncture ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Phytotherapy

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia ; diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo study the short- and long-term effects of multi-glycosides of tripterygium wilfordii (GTWon) the histological structures of testes in pubertal rats and possible mechanisms.

METHODSForty-eight 5-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly intragastrically administered with low-does GTW(6 g/kg daily)and high-does GTW (12 mg/kg daily) or 1% sodium carboxymethylcellulose (6 mL/kg, control group) for four weeks. The testes were sampled for detecting histological structures and c-kit expression by immunohistochemistry 24 hrs and four weeks after drug discontinuance.

RESULTSThe number of spermatogenic cells and the expression of c-kit in testes were reduced in the two GTW treatment groups 24 hrs and 4 weeks after drug discontinuance compared with those in the control group(P<0.05). Four weeks after drug discontinuance atrophy and interstitial edema of seminiferous epitheliumin in testes were observed, and the testis weight and the expression of c-kit in testes were reduced in the high-does GTW group compared with those in the control group (P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the parameters observed between the low-dose GTW and the control group 4 weeks after drug discontinuance.

CONCLUSIONSGTW has adverse effects on testes in a dose-dependent manner in puberty rats. Low-dose GTW may cause reversible short-term injuries to testis tissues. The damage of the interstitial tissue of testes induced by high-dose GTW may be one of the causes of long-term injuries of testes.

Animals ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Glycosides ; pharmacology ; Male ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sperm Count ; Testis ; chemistry ; drug effects ; pathology ; Tripterygium ; chemistry

The pharmacokinetic research of Chinese drugs is still in the exploratory stage so far, a great progress has achieved in the researches on active components of them since the 1980s. The progresses in pharmacokinetic research of active components of some commonly used Chinese drugs were reviewed in this paper, and the problems to be solved in future were pointed out.
Animals ; Biomedical Research ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; pharmacokinetics ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

OBJECTIVETo study comparatively the effect of Guanxin II and its constituents, including Salvia, Red Peony root, Chuanxiong, Safflower and Dalbergia wood, in scavenging active oxygen free radical (OFR) to explore their mechanism in overcoming the experimental acute ischemic myocardial injury and protecting myocardial tissue.

METHODSThe experimental acute myocardial ischemic model was established by intraperitoneal injection of pituitrin to rats. OFR level in animal heart tissue was directly measured with low-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer.

RESULTSThe pathological examination of HE stained slide of myocardial tissue and electrocardiography of model animal showed that typical changes of acute myocardial ischemia occurred in myocardial tissue, EPR showed that OFR level in myocardial tissue increased abnormally. The ethanol extract of Guanxin II and its constituents could lower the increased OFR level close to normal, thus to alleviate the myocardial damage.

CONCLUSIONOverproduction of OFR could induce damage of heart tissue, its level could be measured directly using low temperature EPR. One of the molecular mechanisms of Guanxin II and its constituents in antagonizing and repairing myocardial damage is to scavenge the abnormal increased active OFR in tissue. This study has provided a basis for further studying the mechanism of Chinese composite recipes and their constituents.

Animals ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy ; Free Radical Scavengers ; pharmacology ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Pituitary Hormones, Posterior ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Sanjie Zhentong capsules were scanned by using a near infrared spectra probe with different drug mass fraction and the spectral information of capsule shells and contents in it were obtained. Then partial least squares (PLS) models were developed for the prediction of mass fraction of Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus and Resine draconis in Sanjie Zhentong capsules. The correlation coefficient (r9c)) and root mean standard error( RMSEC) of 0.949 5, 0.958 2 and 4.742 4, 4.135 7. The models obtained correlation coefficient (r(v)) of 0.919 2, 0.936 7 and root mean square error (RMSECV) of 6.158 9, 5.037 3 respectively in the training set. The paired T test analysis of statistics showed that there were no significant difference between predictive values and measure values. The established models reflected a strong prediction performance and can meet the needs of the production.
Capsules ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared ; methods

By observations of the features of ultrastructure changes in the tissue engineered artificial tendon of vitreous cryopreservation, we investigated the repairing effect of tendon after an in-vivo implantation and hence we provided an important theoretical and experimental basis for the vitreous cryopreservation and application of tissue engineered artificial tendon. After vitreous cryopreservation, the implantation materials of tissue engineered artificial tendon dynamically constructed in vitro were implanted in rats for reparation of the tendon defect. A scanning electron microscope was used. At the 2nd week, the materials presented a reticular formation and there were juvenile tendon cells among materials. At the 6th week, materials were already degraded and absorbed, and then were substituted by neonatal tendon cells and collagen fibers. At the 8th week, dense tendon tissues containing uniform tendon cells and collagen fibers were found already formed; the density of collagen fibers significantly increased with time. Using a transmission electron microscope at the 2nd week, we found active proliferation of tendon cells; most of them were immature cells with a complete nuclear membrane, clear nucleolus and little collagen fibers. At the 6th week, tendon cells were more mature with a little-sized, deep-stained nucleolus surrounded by plenty of collagen fibers with complete fiber structure and clear cross striation. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Using an electron microscope, we found a very good agreement in observation of the tissue engineered artificial tendon after the in-vivo implantation in two groups. Neonatal tendon cells and collagen fiber tissues grew well and are in a similar form and order when compared versus normal tendon tissues. This proved that vitreous cryopreservation has no significant influence on the function of tendon cells. The neonatal tissue-engineered tendon exerts good function of growth and repair.
Achilles Tendon ; injuries ; surgery ; ultrastructure ; Animals ; Cryopreservation ; Female ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tendons ; cytology ; transplantation ; Tissue Engineering ; methods ; Tissue Preservation ; methods ; Tissue Scaffolds ; Vitrification

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Danzhi Xiaoyao Powder (DXP) on neuro-immuno-endocrine system in patients with depression.

METHODSA randomized double-blinded and controlled study was conducted in 63 cases of depression. They were assigned to the DXP group (32 cases, treated with DXP) and the control group (31 cases, treated with maprotiline). The curative effect was evaluated with Hamilton's depressive scale (HAMD) before and at the end of the 2nd, 4th and 6th week of the treatment. Serum levels of serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cortisol (CORT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) were detected before and at the 6th week of the treatment.

RESULTSAfter 2 weeks of treatment, the total score of HAMD decreased remarkably in both groups (P < 0.01), and the total score, as well as the scores of the three factors, i. e. anxiety/somatization, cognitive impairment and feeling of despair, were lower in the DXP group than that in the control group respectively (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). After 4 and 6 weeks of treatment the total score and score of the three factors all reduced significantly in both groups (P < 0.01), with insignificant difference between the groups. After 6 weeks of treatment, the serum levels of 5-HT and BDNF increased (P < 0.01), and the serum IL-6 level decreased in both groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), the serum CORT level reduced in the DXP group (P < 0.01), while the serum NE level elevated in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONDXP is effective in improving symptoms of depression by regulating the levels of 5-HT, BDNF, CORT and IL-6.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; blood ; Depressive Disorder ; blood ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Norepinephrine ; blood ; Phytotherapy ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Serotonin ; blood

China ; epidemiology ; Circoviridae ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Circoviridae Infections ; epidemiology ; virology ; DNA Virus Infections ; epidemiology ; transmission ; virology ; DNA Viruses ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Hepatitis Viruses ; genetics ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Probes ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid ; Transfusion Reaction

Cell Adhesion ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase ; genetics ; Transfection