OBJECTIVETo study the protective effects of lycopene (LP) on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury induced by focal cerebral ischemia and oxidative stress in rats.

METHODS48 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into five groups: A (20 mg/kg LP), B (5 mg/kg LP), C (salad oil), D (salad oil) and E (basic feed control). A, B and C groups were given LP or salad oil orally for 15 d, then cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and D group was used as fake surgery control. The contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), lactic acid (LD) and the activities of nitric oxide synthetase (NOS) in cortex were measured at 24 h after reperfusion. The levels of HIF-1alpha mRNA and Bcl-2 mRNA in hippocampi were determined by using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) technique.

RESULTSROS levels of A, B, C, D and E groups were (114.23 +/- 18.91), (135.89 +/- 14.17), (171.37 +/- 25.76), (94.24 +/- 2.23) and (92.06 +/- 5.59) fluorescence intensity value/g protein, respectively (F = 9.038, P < 0.01); levels of NO were (6.60 +/- 0.77), (7.13 +/- 0.47), (8.38 +/- 0.80), (5.52 +/- 0.16) and (5.23 +/- 0.51) micromol/g protein respectively (F = 10.197, P < 0.01); levels of NOS were (0.817 +/- 0.016), (0.875 +/- 0.095), (1.030 +/- 0.101), (0.557 +/- 0.094) and (0.595 +/- 0.066) U/mg protein respectively (F = 14.555, P < 0.01); levels of LD were (0.381 +/- 0.069), (0.446 +/- 0.012), (0.576 +/- 0.059), (0.359 +/- 0.021) and (0.310 +/- 0.036) mmol/g protein respectively (F = 10.043, P < 0.01); HIF-1alpha mRNA expression levels in hippocampi were 0.865 +/- 0.274, 0.635 +/- 0.069, 0.491 +/- 0.067, 0.375 +/- 0.052 and 0.361 +/- 0.087, respectively (F = 40.520, P < 0.01); and Bcl-2 mRNA expression levels in hippocampi were 0.263 +/- 0.033, 0.330 +/- 0.028, 0.198 +/- 0.034, 0.304 +/- 0.039 and 0.236 +/- 0.025, respectively (F = 11.003, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe protective effects of LP may be related with its abilities of decreasing ROS and LD cumulation, alleviating inflammation and up-regulating the expression of protective genes.

Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Brain Ischemia ; metabolism ; Carotenoids ; pharmacology ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; metabolism ; Lactic Acid ; metabolism ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism

After treating with chemotherapy or immunosuppressant, malignant diseases of hematopoietic system such as leukemia, malignant lymphoma and aplastic anemia usually induced severe infection such as sepsis. Sepsis which is hard to be diagnosed causes high death rate. This study was purposed to establish an experimental sepsis mouse model so as to provide a basis for pathogenesis and intervention study. A classic caecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was used to establish experimental sepsis model. ELISA was used to detect levels of C5a, IL-6, TNFalpha, and IFN-gamma. Flow Cytometry was applied to measure apoptosis of lymphocytes in thymus and mesentery. The pathologic changes of thymus and spleen were confirmed by HE staining. The results showed that almost 70%-80% mice died at 72 hours after CLP. Only approximate 20% animal survived during finite time, mice in CLP group had significant weight lose. Meanwhile large release of different inflammatory mediators which are related with sepsis (C5a, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma) was observed after CLP. Apoptosis of lymphocytes in thymus and mesentery lymphonodus was enhanced markedly after CLP. Significantly pathologic injury was also observed in thymus and spleen. It is concluded that a mouse model of experimental sepsis was successfully established by caecal ligation and puncture which can well mimic the clinical symptom of sepsis. The experimental sepsis mouse model provides an excellent tool for exploring the pathogenesis and intervention ways for sepsis accompanied with complicated malignant hematological diseases in vivo.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cecum ; injuries ; Complement C5a ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Sepsis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Spleen ; pathology ; Thymus Gland ; pathology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Xiao chengqitang is recorded in Treatise on Febrile Diseases written by ZHANG Zhong-jing in the Eastern Han dynasty. It is composed of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma， Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex and Aurantii Fructus Immaturus， which is mainly used to treat mild exogenous Yangming Fu-viscera excess syndrome. This formula has been included in the Catalogue of Ancient Classical Prescription （The First Batch）. However， the processing specifications and doses recorded in the original formula are different from the modern usage， which results in some difficulties in the research and development of Xiao Chengqitang granules. For clarifying the key information， such as historical evolution of prescription， dose conversion， the origin and processing specifications of each medicine in the prescription， the paper systematically analyzes the ancient medical books and related literature in the past dynasties and refers to the life experience of ZHANG Zhong-jing. Then the modern prescription and decocting methods of Xiao Chengqitang were determined as follows：composing 55.2 g of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma （Rheum officinale） washed with wine， 27.6 g of Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex （Magnolia officinalis） processed with ginger and 39.0 g of stir-fried Aurantii Fructus Immaturus （Citrus aurantium）， adding 800 mL of water， decocting to 240 mL and filtrating.

This paper introduces professor SUN Shen-tian's clinical thoughts and his characteristics of acupuncture techniques for the treatment of depression based on "psychosomatic medicine". Professor SUN, the master of traditional Chinese medicine, believes that depression refers to comorbidity of "heart mind" and "body", resulting from the "body-mind" disharmony, specially dominated by the emotional disorder. This disease is located in the brain, with the injury of mind and closely related to the heart and liver dysfunction. In pathogenesis, the dysfunction of brain mind and the unhealthy conditions of body and mind are involved. The treatment should focus on "regulating the mind, improving the intelligence, co-modulating the abdominal and brain functions and treating the physical and mental disorders". Baihui (GV 20), Ningshen (Extra) and emotional area on the head are selected as the main points to benefit the intelligence and calming down the mind; the abdominal region 1 and region 8 of "Sun's abdominal acupuncture" are used as the main points of the abdomen to regulate the brain functions. The point prescription is modified according to the symptoms and etiologies. The repeated transcranial acupuncture stimulation and electroacupuncture at low frequency (2 Hz) are crucial to the therapeutic effect. Reliving anxious emotions is specially considered before acupuncture, and the mind is protected and deqi is consolidated during acupuncture.
Humans ; Depression/therapy* ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Acupuncture

According to the polarity of different components in Sanpian Decoction, two fingerprints were established. Then the substance benchmark freeze-dried powder of 15 batches of Sanpian Decoction was prepared, followed by the determination of the fingerprints, index component content, and dry extract rates, the identification of attribution of characteristic peaks, and the calculation of similarities between these fingerprints and the reference(R), the content and transfer rate ranges of ferulic acid, sinapine thiocyanate, liquiritin, and glycyrrhizic acid, and the dry extract rate range. The results showed that the similarities of 15 batches of the substance benchmark fingerprints with R were all greater than 0.900.Further summarization of the characteristic peaks revealed that there were a total of 20 characteristic peaks in fingerprint 1, among which, eight were from Sinapis Semen, four from Paeoniae Radix Alba, six from Chuanxiong Rhizoma, and two from Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. A total of 16 characteristic peaks were observed in fingerprint 2, including one from Sinapis Semen, three from Paeoniae Radix Alba, eight from Chuanxiong Rhizoma, and four from Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. The average dry extract rate of 15 batches of substance benchmarks was 18.25%, with a dry extract rate range of 16.28%-20.76%. The index component content and transfer rate ranges were listed as follows: 0.15%-0.18% and 38.81%-58.05% for ferulic acid; 0.26%-0.42% and 36.51%-51.02% for sinapine thiocyanate; 0.09%-0.15% and 48.80%-76.61% for liquiritin; 0.13%-0.24% and 23.45%-35.61% for glycyrrhizic acid. The fingerprint, dry extract rate, and index component content determination was combined for analyzing the quality value transfer of substance benchmarks in the classic prescription Sanpian Decoction.The established quality evaluation method for the substance benchmarks was stable and feasible, which has provided a basis for the quality control of Sanpian Decoction and the follow-up development of related preparations.
Benchmarking ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Glycyrrhizic Acid/analysis* ; Paeonia ; Quality Control ; Thiocyanates

By preparing 15 batches of lyophilized powder samples of substance benchmark in Houpo Wenzhong Decoction,the fingerprint,index component content and extract rate were determined,and the characteristic peaks,the range of similarity with the reference map,the content range and transfer rate range of magnolol,hesperidin,glycyrrhizic acid and pinocembrin,the extract rate range and the change range were clarified. The results showed that the similarity between the fingerprint of substance benchmark and the reference map R generated from the 15 batches of substance benchmark samples was higher than 0. 90. The assignment of the characteristic peaks in the full prescription's fingerprint of the herbs except Poria cocos was clarified. Nineteen characteristic peaks were assigned,and 12 characteristic peaks were assigned by the reference substance,of which 4 were from Magnolia ocinalis Cortex,5 from Exocarpium Citri Rubrum,2 from Radix aucklandiae,3 from Glycyrrhiza Radix et Rhizoma,4 from Semen Alpiniae Katsumadai,and one from Rhizoma Zingiberis and Zingiber officinale Roscoe. The index component content range and transfer rate range were 0. 80%-1. 14% and 20. 25%-39. 61% for hesperidin,0. 49%-0. 79% and 23. 09%-33. 87%for glycyrrhizic acid,0. 03%-0. 07% and 3. 55%-10. 09% for pinocembrin,0. 15%-0. 38% and 8. 08%-24. 35% for magnolol. The extract rate range and the change range were22. 60%-25. 57% and 12. 67%-23. 68% respectively. In this study,we introduced the concepts of index component content,fingerprint,extract rate,explored the transfer relation of quality value transmitting of substance benchmark in Houpo Wenzhong Decoction,and initially established the quality standard of Houpo Wenzhong Decoction,all of which would provide ideas for the development and research of similar prescriptions.
Benchmarking ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Glycyrrhiza ; Quality Control

OBJECTIVE: Arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) are two of the most common elements contaminating groundwater resources. A growing number of studies have found that As and F can cause neurotoxicity in infants and children, leading to cognitive, learning, and memory impairments. However, early biomarkers of learning and memory impairment induced by As and/or F remain unclear. In the present study, the mechanisms by which As and/or F cause learning memory impairment are explored at the multi-omics level (microbiome and metabolome). METHODS: We stablished an SD rats model exposed to arsenic and/or fluoride from intrauterine to adult period. RESULTS: Arsenic and/fluoride exposed groups showed reduced neurobehavioral performance and lesions in the hippocampal CA1 region. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that As and/or F exposure significantly altered the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome，featuring the Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Ruminococcus_1, Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, [Eubacterium]_xylanophilum_group. Metabolome analysis showed that As and/or F-induced learning and memory impairment may be related to tryptophan, lipoic acid, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) synapse, and arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. The gut microbiota, metabolites, and learning memory indicators were significantly correlated. CONCLUSION Learning memory impairment triggered by As and/or F exposure may be mediated by different gut microbes and their associated metabolites.
Rats ; Animals ; Arsenic/toxicity* ; Fluorides ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Metabolome ; Microbiota