Animals ; Calcineurin ; metabolism ; Diet, High-Fat ; Dietary Fats ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Physical Conditioning, Animal ; physiology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxides ; antagonists & inhibitors

This study aims to investigate the effect of total flavones of Fructus Chorspondiatis (TFFC) on the mRNA and protein expression of collagen type I and III of rat cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) induced by angiotensin II (Ang II), and explore its anti-myocardial fibrosis molecular mechanism. Neonatal rat CFs were prepared from Sprague-Dawley rats (1-3 d after birth). The expression of collagen type I and III mRNA and protein were measured by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The study showed that stimulation of neonatal rat CFs with 100 nmol.L-1 of Ang II for 72 h resulted in a significant increase of the expression of collagen type I and III mRNA and protein. The changes on the expression level were blocked by TFFC. The results demonstrated that TFFC can inhibit myocardial fibrosis induced by Ang II in rats, which is probably associated with the collagen type I and III mRNA and protein levels up-regulated by Ang II, and TFFC was shown to decrease the expression levels of collagen type I and III mRNA and protein.
Anacardiaceae ; chemistry ; Angiotensin II ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cells, Cultured ; Collagen Type I ; genetics ; metabolism ; Collagen Type III ; genetics ; metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; metabolism ; Flavones ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Myocardium ; cytology ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Steroidal saponins have a wide range of pharmacological effects and biological activities, such as anti-tumor, antifungal, hypoglycemic, immune regulation, insecticides, etc. In the last ten years, some new structures of steroidal saponins compounds were found from natural plants, they have some new and different activities. In order to accelerate the research on the drug innovation of steroidal saponins, we summarized the new progress of the research on such compounds.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Antifungal Agents ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; Steroids ; pharmacology

Objective To analyze the causes of misdiagnosis and mistreatment of Dravet syndrome. Methods Patients with Dravet syndrome diagnosed according to clinical features and SCN1A gene mutation detection were recruited within recent 3 years. The patients were grouped into correct diagnosis-treatment group and misdiagnosis-mistreatment group according to whether the patients had ever been misdiagnosed and mistreated by sodium channel blockers. The clinical features were compared between two groups. Results Thirty-five cases with Dravet syndrome were collected and the rate of misdiagnosis reached 40%, Nine cases were misdiagnosed as symptomatic focal epilepsy, 4 as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and 1 as Doose syndrome. The average age of onset in misdiagnosis-mistreatment group was (5.50 ± 3.56) months,and the age of confirmed diagnosis was (83.57 ± 105.62) months. The percentage of abnormal EEG, onset seizure with partial seizure, the seizure frequency within the first year from onset, onset with afebrile seizure, patients with status epilepticus or cluster seizures was higher in misdiagnosis-mistreatment group but it showed no significant statistical significance when compared with that of correct diagnosis-treatment group. The percentage of patients with mental retardation and focal neurological signs was significantly higher in misdiagnosis-mistreatment group (P=0.005 and 0.002, respectively). Conclusions Dravet syndrome is frequently misdiagnosed as symptomatic focal epilepsy. The appearance of focal neurological signs and mental retardation before confirmed diagnosis are important factors for misdiagnosis. Gene mutation screening will be helpful for differential diagnosis of Dravet syndrome.

To obtain the key genes for chlorogenic acid biosynthesis of Lonicera hypoglauca, four new genes ware obtained from the our dataset of L. hypoglauca. And we also predicted the structure and function of LHPAL4, LHHCT1 , LHHCT2 and LHHCT3 proteins. The phylogenetic tree showed that LHPAL4 was closely related with LHPAL1, LHHCT1 was closely related with LHHCT3, LHHCT2 clustered into a single group. By Real-time PCR to detect the gene expressed level in different organs of L. hypoglauca, we found that the transcripted level of LHPAL4, LHHCT1 and LHHCT3 was the highest in defeat flowers, and the transcripted level of LHHCT2 was the highest in leaves. These result provided a basis to further analysis the mechanism of active ingredients in different organs, as well as the element for in vitro biosynthesis of active ingredients.
Chlorogenic Acid ; metabolism ; Cloning, Molecular ; Computational Biology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Lonicera ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein Structure, Secondary

OBJECTIVETo study the population structure and ecological distribution of the rhizosperic microorganisms of Angelica sinensis.

METHODThe isolation, culture and identification of microorganisms were studied by the biological methods, and the achieved data were analyzed by the statistical methods for analysis of species diversity.

RESULTWith the growing stages of A. sinensis from Min county of Gansu province, Heqing of Yunnan province and Baoxing of Sichuan province, the quantity of rhizosperic microorganisms increased; and it had reduced since October. In the area of Min county Gansu province, the number ratio of bacteria and fungi was higher than that in the other two areas. In addition, the population diversity and dynamic change were different in three areas. In the area of Min county Gansu province, the number of dominant microbial populations and the population diversities of bacteria, actinomyces and fungi in the rhizosphere were greater than those in the other two areas.

CONCLUSIONThe microecological system and microbial population structure in the rhizosphere of Min county Gansu province were stable. And it was suitable for the growth of A. sinensis in this area.

Angelica sinensis ; microbiology ; Bacteria ; classification ; isolation & purification ; Biodiversity ; Fungi ; classification ; isolation & purification ; Plant Roots ; microbiology ; Soil Microbiology

It is the objective of this paper to study pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) characteristics of ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 on the effect of inducing nitric oxide (NO) release after intravenous administration of Shengmai injection to rats with myocardial ischemia. The model of myocardial ischemia rats was produced by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol. The serum samples were collected at different time points after intravenous administration of Shengmai injection to rats with the dose of 10.8 mL x kg(-1). The concentrations of ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 in serum were determined, and then the concentration-time curves were drawn. Pharmacokinetic parameters of ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 were calculated after the construction of pharmacokinetic models. Meanwhile, NO2- and NO3-, the metabolites of NO, in serum were determined, and then the effect-time curve was drawn. The combined PK-PD model was established based on the theory of effect compartment by Sheiner et al. Then pharmacodynamic parameters were calculated. The results indicated that the pharmacokinetics of ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 conformed to a two-compartment model. Ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 exhibited quick and slow elimination in rats respectively. The effect of Shengmai injection on inducing NO release did not relate directly with and lagged behind the concentrations of ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 in serum. The effect exhibited good correlation with ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 levels in effect compartment. The relationship between effect and serum concentration fits Sigmoid-E(max) model. This study successfully established the combined PK-PD model of ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 after intravenous administration of Shengmai injection to rats. The model can efficiently predict the concentration and effect of Shengmai injection in vivo.
Administration, Intravenous ; Animals ; Ginsenosides ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neuroma, Acoustic ; pathology ; surgery