Aim To probe the effect of bambuterol on experimental asthma and its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic chracteristics,as well as its mechanism. Methods Experimental asthma model on guinea pigs was induced by histamine and ovalbumin in vivo and their trachea flake and pulmonary bar were emptied to the research in vitro respectively. Results Bambuterol inhibited asthma induced by histamine and ovalbumin in guinea pigs in a dose-dependent manner. Bambuterol gave no relaxation to all trachea flake,but the intragastric gavage(ig) of plasma of the bambuterol-treated guinea pigs relaxed trachea flake and pulmonary bar,and the effect on pulmonary bar was stronger than that on trachea flake. The peak value appeared about 4 h after administration,and the action continued for more than 24 h. Conclusion Bambuterol as pro-drug of terbutaline metabolized in body has a mild and permanent effect on the model of experimental asthma in guinea pigs.

Glucose ; Humans ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; Lycium ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; Resistance Training

Cordycepin(3′-deoxyadenosine),a derivative of the nucleoside adenosine,is a major functional component of Cordyceps militaris. It has been found that cordycepin possesses a variety of pharmacological activities,such as antibacterial,antivial, antiinflammatory,antitumor,immunoregulation,hypolipidemic,and hypoglycemic activities. In recent years,the effects of cordyce-pin on the central nervous system(CNS)have attracted great attention,and it has been found that cordycepin could not only affect the function of the CNS but also protect nerves from injuries. This paper reviews the effects of cordycepin on sedation and hypnosis ,the im-provement of learning and memory,and the protection of nerve injuries caused by cerebral ischemia/hemorrhage ,nerve toxin(gluta-mate,β-amyloid,rotenone and 6-hydroxydopamine,etc.),lipopolysaccharide and trauma,along with the in vitro toxicity as well as acute and subacute in vivo toxicity,so as to offer valuable references for future study and application of cordycepin.

AIMTo study the effects of human recombinant interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) on isolated trachea smooth muscle (TSM) of the guinea pig.

METHODSChanges of the tension of isolated trachea were measured by force-displacement transducer and MedLab recording system in vitro.

RESULTSIL-1ra showed direct relaxed effect on TSM in normal and ovalbumin sensitized guinea pig. The EC50 values were 8.06 x 10(-8) and 5.88 x 10(-7) mol.L-1 respectively. IL-1ra (1 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-5) mol.L-1) concentration-dependently inhibited the contraction of TSM induced by 1 x 10(-3) mol.L-1 histamine (His), 1 x 10(-3) mol.L-1 acetylcholine (ACh) and 1 x 10(-6) mol.L-1 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) (P < 0.05 or 0.01). When IL-1ra was given in advance, the contractile actions of His, ACh and 5-HT were antagonized by IL-1ra (1 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-5) mol.L-1), the pD'2 value for His was 6.6 +/- 0.3. However, the contractile action of ACh was enhanced by IL-1ra at low concentration of 1 x 10(-9)-1 x 10(-8) mol.L-1. IL-1ra significantly prevented and inhibited the contraction of sensitized TSM induced by antigen ovalbumin, the IC50 value was 4.48 x 10(-7) mol.L-1.

CONCLUSIONThe results indicate that IL-1ra, within certain concentration, can relax the normal, contracted and sensitized ISM of the guinea pig in vitro.

Animals ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein ; Male ; Muscle Contraction ; drug effects ; Muscle, Smooth ; drug effects ; Receptors, Interleukin-1 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Recombinant Proteins ; pharmacology ; Sialoglycoproteins ; pharmacology ; Trachea ; cytology

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of NGF, estrogens and minoxidil on the growth of human hair follicle in vitro.

METHODSIn a model of human hair follicle in vitro, the follicle was separately treated with the NGF, estrogens and minoxidil. The growth of the hair follicle was measured in length with an eyepiece micrometer. The effects of the NGF, estrogens and minoxidil were evaluated by measuring the rates of incorporation of 3H-TdR of DNA synthesis.

RESULTSThe growth of the human hair follicle was showing significantly faster in the 100 ng/ml NGF and 125 micrograms/ml minoxidil groups, compared with the control (P < 0.05), but the growth was significantly inhibited in the 0.5 microgram/ml 17 beta-E2 group (P < 0.05). There was no difference shown for the growth of the hair follicle in the group mixed with 100 ng/ml NGF and 0.5 microgram/ml 17 beta-E2 (P > 0.05). The rates of incorporation of 3H-TdR in the groups were shown that the results just correlated with the results of the above-mentioned method.

CONCLUSIONSThe 100 ng/ml NGF and 125 micrograms/ml minoxidil could increase the growth of human hair follicle while the 0.5 microgram/ml 17 beta-E2 could inhibit it. The 100 ng/ml NGF could neutralized the effect of the 0.5 microgram/ml 17 beta-E2.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Estrogens ; pharmacology ; Hair Follicle ; cytology ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Middle Aged ; Minoxidil ; pharmacology ; Nerve Growth Factor ; pharmacology ; Vasodilator Agents ; pharmacology

Objective:To methodologically establish the lentivirus granule packaging, concentration and infection against CD34~+ cells from umbilical blood. Methods:The lentivirus system of the 3~(rd) generation was used to produce the virus. Ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation were employed to concentrate virus. Several treatments were used to improve virus infection including in vitro amplification culture, facilitation of rest cells into cell cycle, promotion of cell adhesion and immobilization during infection, and repeat infection methods. Results:CD34~+ cells were not obviously changed by checking the expression level of CD34 marker on the cell surface after 48 h culture. After two-step concentration, virus titer was increased up to 5.06×10~7/ml, and the infection rate against CD34~+ cells from umbilical blood was increased up to 37.7%.Conclusion:Lentivirus supernatant with over 10~7/ml titer can be obtained using the above methods. Efficient infection against CD34~+ cells from umbilical blood can be achieved.

Objective To investigate the effect of Abro1 on acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)/acute lung injury(ALI)in mice.Methods Abro1 knock-out(KO)mice and wild type(WT)mice were both randomly divided into two groups for intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)or normal saline.At 6 or 24 hours after treatment, the pathological changes in lung tissue were observed by HE staining.At 6 hours after treatment,inflammatory immune cells and cytokines production(IL-6)in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were examined.Myeloperoxidase(MPO)and the mRNA level of IL-6 in the lung tissue were compared.Results At 24 hours after treatment, compared with WT mice treated with LPS,Abro1 KO mice showed a significantly lower lung injury score.At 6 hours after treatment,Abro1 depletion resulted in reduced levels of inflammatory immune cell infiltration and cytokines production(IL-6)in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(P<0.05).In addition,the MPO content and the mRNA level of IL-6 in the lung tissue were much lower than those in WT mice treated with LPS for 6 hours(P<0.05).Conclusion Abro1 deficiency can attenuate LPS-induced ARDS/ALI.

Aim To observe the protective effects of cordycepin ( Cor) on dopaminergic neurons in 1-meth-yl-4-phenyl-1 , 2 , 3 , 6-tetrahydropyridine ( MPTP )-in-duced mouse model of Parkinson's disease ( PD) and to explore its mechanism. Methods C57BL/6 mice were administered with MPTP to establish the PD mod-el. Mice in Cor groups were pretreated with Cor (2.5,5.0 and 10.0 mg·kg-1 ) by intragastric administra-tion, respectively. The motor functions of the mice were observed in the open-field test, rotarod test and pole test. The content of DA, the numbers of TH-im-munoreactive cells and apoptotic cells were measured respectively by HPLC-ECD, immunohistochemistry staining and TUNEL staining. The expression of apop-tosis related proteins and MAPK signaling pathway-re-lated proteins ( p38 , p-p38 , ERK1/2 , p-ERK1/2 JNK1/2 and p-JNK1/2 ) were determined by Western blot. Results Cor could significantly improve the mo-tor dysfunction in PD mice. The contents of DA, DOPAC and HVA in the striatum remarkably increased after administration of Cor in MPTP-induced mice. Mo-reover, Cor could obviously reduce both the loss of TH-immunoreactive neurons and the numbers of TUNEL-positive cells in substantia nigra pars compacta ( SNpc) of PD mice. The protein expressions of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were markedly down-regulated,whereas those of Bcl-2 and the ration of Bcl-2/Bax were significantly up-regulated by Cor pre-treatment followed by MPTP treatment. Furthermore, the protein expressions of p-p38 , p-ERK1/2 and p-JNK1/2 signif-icantly decreased in substantia nigra in Cor groups. Conclusions The results suggest that Cor can protect DA neurons against MPTP-induced injury by inhibiting apoptosis, which may be closely relevant to the inhibi-tion of MAPK signaling pathways.

OBJECTIVETo study the changes in pulmonary function and fractional exhaled nitric oxide in exhaled breath (FeNO) in asthmatic children who have different responses to regular treatment.

METHODSA total of 52 asthmatic children who had a good compliance with regular stepped control treatment were selected as subjects. They were followed up every three months to evaluate the asthma control level, pulmonary ventilation function, and FeNO for 9 months. Besides, medications for asthma control were recorded.

RESULTSAt three follow-up points (months 3, 6, and 9), the percentage of asthmatic children who used the first or the second level of control treatment in the stable group (with stable response to the treatment) was significantly higher than in the unstable group (with unstable response to the treatment) (P<0.05), while the percentage of asthmatic children who used the third level of control treatment in the stable group was significantly lower than in the unstable group (P<0.05). At the three follow-up points, the stable group had a significantly higher ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) than the unstable group (P<0.05); at the 3-month and 9-month follow-up points, the stable group had a significantly higher percentage of predicted maximum mid-expiratory flow (MMEF%) than the unstable group (P<0.05); at the initial evaluation and 3-month follow-up point, the stable group had a significantly higher FeNO than the unstable group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSContinuously monitoring FEV1/FVC, MMEF% and FeNO is useful in the early evaluation of the responses to treatment in children with asthma.

Adolescent ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Breath Tests ; Child ; Female ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; analysis ; Vital Capacity

OBJECTIVETo investigate the molecular mechanism of platycodin D showing the inhibitory effect on proliferation and induced apoptosis of humane long cancer cells A549.

METHODHumane long cancer cells A549 were cultured in vitro, with the final PD concentration of 5-20 micromol x L(-1). PD's inhibitory effect on cell proliferation was examined by MTT assay. Morphological changes in cells were observed with microscope. The cell apoptosis rate was detected by Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. The change of mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1. The protein expressing of leaved Caspase-3, cleaved Caspase-9, cleaved PARP, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, Bak and Bax were detected by Western blot analysis.

RESULTPD could inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells and show stronger effect with the increase of concentration and over time. Compared with the control group, PDs of different concentration showed significant increase in the cell apoptosis rate, decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential after 24 h. Protein electrophoresis inspection showed cut segments in both protein Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 and notable fractures with time. Further study found that PD decreased Bcl-2, Bcl-xl proteins and increased Bax, Bak proteins after processing A549 cells.

CONCLUSIONPD shows notable effect on cytotoxicity and can induce A549 cell apoptosis. It causes decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential by regulating Bax, Bak, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl expressions, and thus activating caspase and finally causing long cancer cell apoptosis.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; Triterpenes ; pharmacology