AIMTo investigate the effect of musk soluble components on the growth, the differentiation and the transfection efficiency of rat neural stem cell (NSC) in vitro.

METHODSThe growth and the differentiation of rat NSC were observed when musk soluble components were added into the culture medium of NSC. Meanwhile, the pEGFP-C1, which expressed the enhanced GFP protein, was transfected into the NSC by method of electro- transfection.

RESULTSWhen NSC was treated with musk soluble components, the neurites were outgrowth around NSC and attached to the plate, and the neural spheres were disassociated. The glia-like cells appeared at the concentration of 0.3 per thousand. When the concentration of musk soluble components was lower than 3 per thousand, the transformative cells could recover. Furthermore, the efficiency of transfection pEGFP into NSC was remarkably increased after the treatment with musk.

CONCLUSIONAfter the treatment of NSC with musk soluble components, the neural spheres were disassociated, and then attached to the plate. Musk soluble components could induce NSC differentiation into glia-like cells and improve the transfection efficiency of pEGFP-C1 in vitro.

Animals ; Brain ; cytology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated ; chemistry ; Female ; Fetus ; Male ; Materia Medica ; pharmacology ; Neural Stem Cells ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transfection

To approach the effect of CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs) on un-terminal differentiation of HL-60 cells after treatment with Arsenic Trioxide ( As_2O_3) . Methods The changes of cell morphology were observed by Wright staining, the alteration in the cell proliferation was determined by WST1 experiment and the NBT reduction assay was used to detect the differentiation condition of cells, determination and analysis cell cycle. The expressions of C/EBP? and C/EBP? mRNA in HL-60 cells exposed to ATRA and As_2O_3 were assayed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Results It was found that ATRA could up- regulate the mRNA expression of C/EBP? obviously, but down-regulate the mRNA expression of C/EBP?. As_2O_3 could up-regulate the mRNA expression of C/EBP? lightly, down-regulate the expression of C/EBP?. Conclusion Both of ATRA and As_2O_3 can down-regulate the mRNA expression of C/EBP?,but there is no significant difference between these two groups,ATRA and As2O3 can up- regulate the mRNA expression of C/EBP?, with significant differences (P

In order to identify the species and biological characteristics of the pathogen of southern blight from three kinds of Chinese medicine of Iridaceae(Belamcanda chinensis, Iris tectorum and I. japonica) in Dabie Mountains, the isolation, identification, pathogenicity and biological characteristics of the pathogens were studied according to Koch's postulates. In addition, 9 chemical fungicides, 3 botanical fungicides and 5 microbial fungicides were used to evaluate their inhibition to the isolates in vitro. The results showed that all the strains(SG-Q, YW-Q, and HDH-Q) isolated and purified from the diseased plants of B. chinensis, I. tectorum and I. japonica, respectively, were identified as Sclerotium rolfsii through morphological observation and sequence aligement of 18 S rDNA, rDNA-ITS and TEF. Field observations showed that the intensity of the disease incidence of three Iridaceae plants was B. chinensis>I. japonica> I. tectorum, and the pathogenicity of the strains was SG-Q>YW-Q>HDH-Q. For biological characteristics, SG-Q strain was suitable for growth under the 12 h light/12 h dark cycle, with the optimal growth temperature of 30 ℃ and pH of 5. Among the 9 tested chemical fungicides, 29% lime sulphure and 10% flusilazole had stronger inhibitory effect on mycelia growth of SG-Q. For 3 botanical fungicides, 1% osthol, 20% eugenol and 0.5% berberine could effectively inhibt the mycelial growth of SG-Q and cause the morphological variation of the pathogen. For 5 microbial fungicides, Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtilis had better inhibition on the mycelium growth of SG-Q.
Basidiomycota ; Hypocreales ; Iridaceae ; Medicine

Male infertility has evolved from a common reproductive system disease to a major social issue. Youjing granule (YG) is a Chinese medicinal material used as a therapy method for tonifying the kidneys and removing dampness due to its pathogenic characteristics. YG has been shown to regulate sperm quality in clinical trials, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The present study was aimed to explore the protective effects and mechanism of action of YG on male reproductive system damage caused by methyl methane sulfonate (MMS). We first established an infertility model of rats through oral administration of MMS and then treated with YG. To determine the effect of YG, spermatogenesis, microvascular density, and secretory function of Leydig cells and Sertoli cells in rats were assessed. Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) were co-cultured with mouse embryo fibroblast (MEF) cells as an in vitro cell model before exposure to serum containing YG. Furthermore, the proliferation and apoptosis of SSCs were measured. Results indicated that YG increased the expression of self-renewal and proliferation-related molecules such as glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), and improved the quality of sperm and the proliferation of SSCs. In conclusion, YG may protect spermatogenetic function of rats through regulating the proliferation and self-renewal of SSCs.
Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Male ; Mice ; Rats ; Semen ; Spermatogenesis ; Spermatogonia ; Stem Cells

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a 48-week course of adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) plus Chinese medicine (CM) therapy, namely Tiaogan Jianpi Hexue () and Tiaogan Jiedu Huashi () fomulae, in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive Chinese patients. METHODS: A total of 605 HBeAg-positive Chinese CHB patients were screened and 590 eligible participants were randomly assigned to 2 groups in 1:1 ratio including experimental group (EG, received ADV plus CM) and control group (CG, received ADV plus CM-placebo) for 48 weeks. The major study outcomes were the rates of HBeAg and HBV-DNA loss on week 12, 24, 36, 48, respectively. Secondary endpoints including liver functions (enzymes and bilirubin readings) were evaluated every 4 weeks at the beginning of week 24, 36, and 48. Routine blood, urine, and stool analyses in addition to electrocardiogram and abdominal B scan were monitored as safety evaluations. Adverse events (AEs) were documented. RESULTS: The combination therapy demonstrated superior HBeAg loss at 48 weeks, without additional AEs. The full analysis population was 560 and 280 in each group. In the EG, population achieved HBeAg loss on week 12, 24, 36, and 48 were 25 (8.90%), 34 (12.14%), 52 (18.57%), and 83 (29.64%), respectively; the equivalent numbers in the CG were 20 (7.14%), 41 (14.64%), 54 (19.29%), and 50 (17.86%), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between these group values on week 48 (P<0.01). No additional AEs were found in EG. Subgroup analysis suggested different outcomes among treatment patterns. CONCLUSION Combination of CM and ADV therapy demonstrated superior HBeAg clearance compared with ADV monotherapy. The finding indicates that this combination therapy may provide an improved therapeutic effect and safety profile (ChiCTR-TRC-11001263).
Adenine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Double-Blind Method ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; immunology ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Organophosphonates ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult