Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Phytotherapy ; methods ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; therapy

Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Long QT Syndrome ; genetics ; Mutation, Missense ; Pedigree

Adolescent ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Thalassemia ; surgery ; Transplantation Chimera

BACKGROUND:Previous studies have shown that apoptosis, a central feature of articular chondrocytes, plays a dominant role in cartilage damage, which is one of the pathological factors of articular cartilage degeneration. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of meditcated serum containingDuhuojisheng Decoction on the expression of cytochrome C, proCaspase-9 and proCaspase-3 in rat degenerative chondrocytes in vitro and to investigate the possible molecular biological mechanism ofDuhuojisheng Decoction in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. METHODS:A cultivation system of degenerative chondrocytes in vitro was established. After treatment with meditcated serum containingDuhuojisheng Decoction or blank serum for 24 and 48 hours, the protein expression of cytochrome C, proCaspase-9 and proCaspase-3 was measured by western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the cytoplasm, the release of cytochrome C was reduced gradualy in both groups in a time-dependent manner, and the release amount of cytochrome C was significantly lower in the medicated serum group than the blank serum group (P < 0.05). In mitochondria, cytochrome C leakage was gradualy decreased in both groups, and it was decreased significantly in the medicated serum group compared with the blank serum group (P < 0.05). The protein expression of proCaspase-9 and proCaspase-3 was gradualy increased in both groups, especialy in the medicated serum group; the medicated serum containingDuhuojisheng Decoction could promote the protein expression of proCaspase-9 and proCaspase-3 in a time-dependent manner, and there was a significant difference at 24 and 48 hours (P< 0.01). These findings indicate that the medicated serum containingDuhuojisheng Decoction can inhibit the apoptosis of osteoarthritis chondrocytes through inhibiting the release of cytochrome C and the activation of Caspase-9 and Caspase-3.

Object To investigate the berberine in Coptis chinensis Franch. processed with various quantity of Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth. and the components absorbed from E. rutaecarpa. Methods Taking berberine, evodiamine and rutaecarpine as targets, HPLC method was used to determine the components of C. chinensis, E. rutaecarpa, C. chinensis processed with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% E. rutaecarpa. Results The content of berberine in C. chinensis processed with E. rutaecarpa decreased, and that of C. chinensis processed with 20% and 30% E. rutaecarpa was higher than the rest. C. chinensis processed with E. rutaecarpa absorbed the components of E. rutaecarpa really. Conclusion The suitable quantity of E. rutaecarpa is 20% when processing for C. chinensis.

AIM: To study compatibility rationality of combination of Paeonia lacliflora and Glycyrrhiza uralensis. METHODS: The effective combination of paeoniflorin(44% purity),glycyrrhizic acid(50% purity) and liquorice flavones(52% purity),glycyrrhizic acid(50% purity) and liquorice flavones(52% purity) were respectively administered to rats.Pharmacokinetic change of these constituents in rat blood was studied. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetic parameters of these constituents in rat blood showed that the increases in AUC and C_(max) of effective combination group were more than that of glycyrrhizic acid group or that of liquorice flavones group.T_(max) of the former was extended with respect to the latters.Clearance of effective combination markedly slowed down. CONCLUSION: The effective combination of paeonia lacliflora and Glycyrrhiza uralensis have the advantage of either Paeonia lacliflora or Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

Oral sustained- and controlled-release drug delivery systems of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are a research hotspot in the development of drug-delivery systems for TCM. The quality evaluation system is an important guarantee for the safety and efficiency of these drug-delivery systems. In this paper the methods to construct such quality evaluation system were discussed.

The drug release characteristics ofDa Chuanxiong Fang multiunit drug delivery system (DCXFMDDS) in vivo and in vitro were evaluated. Ferulic acid (FA) and senkyunolide I (SI) were used as marker components, which were two of the effective components of Da Chuanxiong Fang. And their contents were determined by HPLC. Drug release characteristics in vitro of DCXFMDDS and Da Chuanxiong pills and pharmacokinetics characteristics of DCXFMDDS and Da Chuanxiong Fang active fraction (DCXFAF) in rats were compared. It was obvious that FA released from the DCXFMDDS in a sustained fashion but SI in a fast fashion both in vitro and in vivo. The releasing process and the releasing mechanism of FA and SI from DCXFMDDS were different, but the AUC value indicated that compared with DCXFAF the extent of absorption of FA and SI from DCXFMDDS was increased. Though from the same multiunit drug delivery system, FA an SI had different drug release characteristics both in vitro and in vivo, and that may be one of the reason why DCXFMDDS has the good properties such as rapid and long-lasting effect and high efficiency.