AIM: To observe the improvement effects of berberine on glycated brain damages in model rats induced by D-galactose. METHODS: The model rats of protein glycation were induced by intraperitoneal administration of D-galactose(150 mg/kg?d) for 8 weeks,and all rats were treated with berberine(high dose 300 mg/kg,middle dose 150 mg/kg,low dose 75 mg/kg) for 6 weeks.The activity of aldose reductase in red blood cells,the amount of glycated products(fructosamine in serum,glycohaemoglobin,advanced gtycation end-products),and the content of AGEs in brain tissue,calcium ion in brain cells were measured.Moreover,mitochondria in brain hippocampus cells were observed under electronic microscope. RESULTS: High dose and middle dose of berberine could decrease the activity of aldose reductase in red blood cells(P

Professor WEI Pin-kang believes that, as a complication of gastric cancer, malignant ascites and gastric cancer have the same pathogenesis: water and dampness retention is the external performance and phlegm resistance is the inner essence. Hence therapy of resolving phlegm and promoting diuresis is suggested for the fundamental treatment of gastric ascites. Using the method of the combination of internal and external treatment, this therapy includes resolving phlegm and draining water medicine both to dispel pathogen and to improve symptoms. Xiaotan LishuiDecoction based on this therapy is composed of Arisacma Cum Bile, processed Pinelliae Rhizome, Cremastrae Pseudobulbus Pleiones Pseudobulbus, old pericarp of bottle gourd, Polyporus, Natriee Sulfas, Phytolaccae Radix and Poria.

Objective To explore the medication rules of Professor WEI Pin-kang in treating gastric cancer; To provide references for clinical medication. Methods Gastric cancer cases treated by Professor WEI Pin-kang in TCM outpatient department of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital from January 2008 to December 2015 in WEI Pin-kang TCM Studio Outpatient Medical Cases (including electronic database and paper medical cases database). TCM Inheritance Support System V2.5 was used to build database. Frequency analysis, association rule analysis, complex system entropy clustering and other data mining methods were used to analyze frequency, medicine association rules and core medicine combination. Results Totally 305 clinical prescriptions including 185 kinds of Chinese materia medica were collected. The Chinese meteria medica with the high frequency were Pinellinae Rhizoma Praeparatum, Arisaematis Rhizoma Preparatum and Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum, etc. High frequency Chinese materia medica were with the properties of warm and cold, and with the flavors of bitter, spicy and sweet, to Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming, Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin, and Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin. The medicine combinations with high frequency were Pinellinae Rhizoma Praeparatum and Arisaematis Rhizoma Preparatum,Pinellinae Rhizoma Praeparatum and Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum, and Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum and Arisaematis Rhizoma Preparatum. The common medicine pairs were Aurantii Fructus and Aurantii Fructus Immaturum and Scorpio and Scolopendra. Analysis showed 36 association rules of the confidence > 0.99. 70 core medicine combinations and 11 new prescription were obtained. Conclusion Professor WEI Pin-kang treats gastric cancer based on phlegm theory. The dissolving phlegm and eliminating stagnation medicine, regulating qi-folwing for harmonizing stomach medicine and heat-clearing and detoxifying medicine are commonly used.

AIM: To observe the effects of puerarin on blood pressure(BP),serum lipid in a rat model of insulin resistance and the mechanism.METHODS: Adult SD rats were maintained on high-fat-sugar-salt diet for 12 weeks.Puerarin was administered to the rats from 9th week for 4 weeks by intramuscular injection.BP was measured at the end of 0,8th,12th week.The levels of serum glucose,serum lipid,fasting serum insulin and the levels of MDA,TNF-?,plasma rennin,angiotensinⅡ(AngⅡ) and the activity of SOD were measured and the insulin-sensitivity index was also calculated at the end of the experiment.RESULTS: High and middle dosage of puerarin significantly decreased blood pressure,reduced the levels of serum lipid and AngⅡ,and also increased insulin-sensitivity index.The levels of MDA and TNF-? were significantly decreased by high dosage of puerarin.The activity of SOD was increased significantly.CONCLUSIONS: Puerarin possesses the effects of decreasing the blood pressure and serum lipid in a rat model of insulin resistance,which may be concerned with the changes of rennin-angiotensin system,the levels of oxygen-derived free radicals and TNF-?.

Objective To observe the expression of toll like receptor 4(TLR4) Signaling and the release of inflammation factors in rat tubular epithelial cell(NRK-52E) under high glucose condition after TLR4-siRNA transfection.Methods Three TLR4-siRNA sequences were designed and synthesized.The transfection efficiency was observed by fluorescence microscope after transfection,and the expression of TLR4 mRNA was detected by real time PCR.The most effective siRNA was selected to be used for forward experiments.After transfection for 24 h,cells were stimulated with 25 mmol/L glucose and/or 10-7 mmol/L Angiotension Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ) for 12 h,24 h; cells without stimulation were as normal control.Real-time PCR was used to analyze TLR4 and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) mRNA expression; Western blot was used to observe TLR4/MyD88 and NF-κB protein expression.ELISA assay was used to detect the concentration of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1),interleukin-6(IL-6) in cell supernatant after cells were stimulated for 24 h.Results TLR4/ MyD88 mRNA and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB protein were highly expressed under high glucose or Ang Ⅱ co -incubated NRK-52E(P ＜ 0.01),the MCP-1 and IL-6 levels were also increased markedly compared with normal control group (P ＜ 0.01).TLR4/MyD88 mRNA and TLR4/MyD88/NF-kB protein expressions were obviously inhibited in cells that were transfected with TLR4-siRNA compared with high glucose group(P ＜ 0.01),MCP-1 and IL-6 production decreased remarkably compared with high glucose or Ang Ⅱ co-stimulated group(P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions High glucose can lead to the activation of TLR4/ MyD88/NF-kB signaling and the secretion of inflammation factors in NRK-52E,Ang Ⅱ further augments these effects.The effect can be blocked efficiently by specific siRNA gene silence.TLR4 signaling plays a pivotal role in the innate-immune inflammatory reaction in NRK-52E.

China ; epidemiology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Humans ; Listeria monocytogenes ; physiology ; Listeriosis ; epidemiology ; Serotyping

To study the effect of sodium aescinate in inducing human breast cancer MCF-7 cells apoptosis and its possible mechanism. MTT assay was used to detect the inhibitory effect of sodium aescinate on the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. The morphological changes were observed under inverted microscope. DAPI nuclear staining was used to detect the changes in cell nucleus. Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry was adopted to test the apoptosis rate. Changes in apoptosis-related proteins (PARP, cleaved caspase-8 and pro-caspase-3), cell survival-associated signal molecules (AKT and ERK) and their common upstream kinase SRC was detected by Western blotting. The result showed that after different concentrations of sodium aescinate were used to treat breast cancer MCF-7 cells, they inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner, induced cell apoptosis (typical morphological changes in nucleus, significant increase in cell apoptosis rate). The expressions of cleaved PARP and caspase-8 increased, while the expression of pro-caspase-3 decreased, which further verified sodium aescinate's effect in inducing cell apoptosis. Sodium aescinate significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of cell survival-related signal molecules (AKT, ERK) and down-regulate the activation of their common up-stream kinase SRC. The findings indicated that sodium aescinate can block signals transiting to downstream molecules AKT, ERK, inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cell MCF-7 cell apoptosis and induced cell apoptosis by suppressing the activation of SRC.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Down-Regulation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; MCF-7 Cells ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; genetics ; metabolism ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Triterpenes ; pharmacology ; src-Family Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To analyze the characteristics of auditory verbal memory impairment in mild Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).Methods Auditory verbal memory test was performed in 72 patients with MCI,45 patients with mild AD,and 62 normal controls.Results Significant intergroup differences were found in total former five free recall and learning scores,The MCI subjects( 16.4?5.5,2.6?1.7)performed significantly more poorly than the normal control subjects(NC) (30.2?5.6,3.4?1.9),and mild AD categories (9.8?4.1,2.0?1.2) showed lower results than the MCI subjects(t=2.26,P

Aim To study the effect of the total flavonoids of turpinia arguta seen (TFS) on immune function of rats with adjuvant arthritis. Methods Adjuvant arthritis (AA) was induced on d0 by intradermal injection of Complete Freund′s Adjuvant (FCA), containing 10 mg heat-inactive BCG in 1ml paraffin oil. On d 28 after immunization, AA rats were killed by cervical decollation. Immune cells (splenocytes and peritoneal macrophages) were obtained, then cultured in vitro with TFS. Some immune indexes were detected respectively such as the splenocytes proliferation and the productions of IL-1 and IL-2 were measured by the method of cell proliferation, the production of prostaglandin E2 was determined by radioimmunoassay. Results Compared with normal groups, the response of splenocytes to ConA and LPS was lowered, IL-2 syn-thesis was decreased, and IL-1 and PGE_2 released from PM? were elevated. TFS (10~ -8 ~10~ -4 mg?L~ -1 ) not only increased splenocytes proliferation, which induced by ConA and LPS, and IL-2 production of splenocytes, but also reduced the elevated productions of IL-1 and PGE_2 released from peritoned macrophate in AA rats in vitro. Conculsion TFS could adjust abnormal immune function in AA rats.

OBJECTIVETo explore the protection of high intensity microwave radiation on hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) activity and hippocampal CA1 structure in rats and the protectiveeffect of Qindan Granule (QG) on radiation injured rats.

METHODSTotally 48 Wistar rats were randomlydivided into 8 groups, i.e., the normal control group, post-radiation day 1, 7, and 10 groups, 7 and 10days prevention groups, day 7 and 10 treatment groups, 6 in each group. Rats in prevention groups wererespectively administered with QG liquid (1 mL/100 g, 4. 75 g crude drugs) for 7 days and 10 days bygastrogavage and then microwave radiation. Then preventive effect for radiation injury was statisticallycalculated with the normal control group and the post-radiation day 1 group. Rats in treatment groupswere firstly irradiated, and then administered with QG liquid (1 mL/100 g, 4.75 g crude drugs). Finally preventive effect for radiation injury was statistically calculated with the normal control group, post-radiation day 7 and 10 groups. Contents of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), beta endorphin (beta-EP), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) were detected. Morphological changes and structure of hippocampal CA1 region were observed under light microscope.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, contents of CRH and beta-EP significantly decreased in each radiation group. Serum contents of ACTH and beta-EP significantly increased in post-radiation day 1 and 7 groups (P < 0.05). Compared with radiation groups, beta-EP content in serum and pituitary significantly increased, and serum ACTH content significantly decreased in prevention groups (P < 0.05). Pituitary contents of CRH and beta-EP significantly increased in prevention groups. Serum contents of ACTH, beta-EP, and HSP70 were significantly lower in day 7 treatment group than post-radiation day 7 group (P < 0.05). Morphological results showed that pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region arranged in disorder, with swollen cells, shrunken and condensed nucleus, dark dyeing cytoplasm, unclear structure. Vessels in partial regions were dilated with static blood; tissues were swollen and sparse. In prevention and treatment groups pathological damage of hippocampal CA1 region was obviously attenuated; neurons were arranged more regularly; swollen, pycnotic, or deleted neuron number were decreased; vascular dilatation and congestion was lessened.

CONCLUSIONQG could affect HPAA function and activity of high intensity microwave radiated rats, showing certain preventive and therapeutic effects of microwave radiated rats by adjusting synthesis and release of partial bioactive peptides and hormones in HPAA, improving pathological injury in hippocampal CA1 region.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; blood ; Animals ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal ; drug effects ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; blood ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Microwaves ; adverse effects ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; beta-Endorphin ; blood ; metabolism