Humans ; Mercury ; urine ; Microwaves ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spectrophotometry, Atomic ; methods

Objective To investigate whether catalpol is the active component responsible for the Yin tonic effect of Radix Rehmanniae.Methods Young NH mice were injected with triiodothyronine to produce the hyperthyroidism model,while old mice were used as the model of natural aging.The single point radioligand binding assay was carried out to determine the ?-adrenergic receptor density and M-cholinergic receptor density.The learning ability(short term memory) was determined by the Y-maze avoidance test. Results In the ?-adrenergic receptor experiment,the densities were(15.7?5.2) and(20.9?7.2) fmol/mg protein in normal control group and in T3 control group(P

OBJECTIVETo study the expression of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and the inhibitory effect of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) on testosterone production in rat Leydig cells.

METHODSRat Leydig cells were primarily cultured and the expression of RAGE in the Leydig cells was detected by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining. The Leydig cells were treated with AGEs at the concentrations of 25, 50, 100 and 200 microg/ml, respectively, and the testosterone content was determined by ELISA.

RESULTSRT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining exhibited the expression of RAGE in the rat Leydig cells. AGEs remarkably suppressed hCG-induced testosterone production in the Leydig cells in a concentration-dependent manner in the 50, 100 and 200 microg/ml groups as compared with the control (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONRAGE exists in rat Leydig cells and AGEs can significantly inhibit the secretion of testosterone in primarily cultured rat Leydig cells.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Glycation End Products, Advanced ; pharmacology ; Leydig Cells ; metabolism ; radiation effects ; Male ; Rats ; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products ; Receptors, Immunologic ; biosynthesis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Testosterone ; biosynthesis

C-Reactive Protein ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Osteomyelitis ; diagnosis ; therapy

Quite recently,among new emerging contaminants,pharmaceutical and personal care products(PPCPs)and their active metabolites are an emerging environmental issue,due to their presence in the aquatic environment and potential for impacts on wildlife and humans.Carbamazepine is one of the most frequently and at the relatively high concentration levels detected pharmaceuticals in surface water and even in drinking water.Moreover,this drug has displayed high chronic ecotoxicity.A strain of carbamazepine-degrading bacterium was isolated from activated sludge treating pharmaceutical wastewater in Suzhou,China.It was identified as Acinetobacter sp.HY-7,based on biochemical test,16S rRNA and gyrB gene se-quence analysis.Strain HY-7 could grow in liquid mineral salt medium with carbamazepine as sole source of carbon,nitrogen and energy.HPLC analysis revealed the carbamazepine degradation percentage by HY-7 after 10 days was 48% at pH 6.0 and 25?C.Among carbamazepine and the similar structure compounds,in-dole,catechol,naphthalene,anthracene could also be utilized by strain HY-7 for growth,which exhibited a very broad substrate profile.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of 6-gingerol, the main active component of ginger, on hair shaft elongation in vitro and hair growth in vivo.

METHODSFirstly, Hair follicles were co-cultured with 3 different concentration of 6-gingerol for 5 days and hair elongation in three groups was measured. Secondly, The proliferative effect of 6-gingerol on DPCs was measured using MTT assay. Thirdly, the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in DPCs were measured using Western blotting. In vivo study, the influence of 6-gingerol on hair growth in C57BL/6 rats was measured through topical application of 6-gingerol on the dorsal skin of each animal.

RESULTSThe length of hair shaft in 20 microg/ml 6-Gingerol group (0.50 +/- 0.08 mm) is less than 0 microg/ml (0.66 +/- 0.19) mm and 10 microg/ml (0.64 +/- 0.03) mm 6-Gingerol group (P < 0.05). In cell culture, compared to 0 microg/ml and 5 microg/ml 6-Gingerol, 10 microg/ml 6-Gingerol can significantly inhibited the proliferation of DPCs (P < 0.05). Along with the growth inhibition of DPCs by 6-gingerol, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio increased obviously. In vivo study, the hair length and density decreased a lot after using 1 mg/ml 6-gingerol.

CONCLUSIONS6-Gingerol can suppress human hair shaft elongation because it has pro-apoptotic effects on DPCs via increasing Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. It might inhibit hair growth by prolonging the telogen stage in vivo.

Animals ; Catechols ; pharmacology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cells, Cultured ; Fatty Alcohols ; pharmacology ; Hair ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Hair Follicle ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Rats ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

Microbial contamination, growth and reproduction have a great influence on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its preparation. TCM may be polluted by microbial in the production process due to ambient air, facilities and appliances and operating personnel, which affects the quality and efficacy of the final product. The GMP certification inspection standard of TCM manufacturing enterprises clearly established: "Sterilization methods of Chinese herbal medicine, intermediate products, finished products should follow the principle whether or not to change its quality", "TCM powder that used as medicine directly should follow the principle whether to do microbiological examinations". So it's particularly important for product quality, corporate energy consumption and its efficiency to choose the scientific and effective sterilization techniques and methods. Ozone is a kind of safe, environmentally friendly, efficient and no residue emerging sterilization technology. It has been widely applied in various fields of medical and health care and production and living. This paper mainly analyzed the ozone sterilization technology of TCM, aiming to explore the principle of ozone sterilization, the advantages, application status and existing problems and so on. The management regulations and implementation rules of ozone sterilization were summarized to make sterilization of Chinese medicine in the production, management, quality control and other aspects standardized, reasonable and scientific, and to provide the theoretical reference of the ozone sterilization technology for TCM and its preparation.
Bacteria ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Drug Contamination ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Humans ; Ozone ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; microbiology ; Sterilization ; methods

To study the protective effect of astragalus saponin extracts (AS) on kidneys of diabetic rats. Totally 32 diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ) were divided into AS high and low dose groups, the positive control group and the model group (DM group) and orally administered with 50 mg x- kg(-1) x d(-1) AS 200, 25 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) valsartan, 10 mL x kg(-1) x d(1) physiological saline, respectively. Another 8 healthy rats were collected in the normal control group (NC group, physiological saline 10 mL x kg(-1). d(-1)). All rats were treated for consecutively 6 weeks. After the administration, the body weight was measured every week, the concentration of blood glucose was monitored on week 2, 4 and 6. The total urine and total urinary protein (U-TP) in 24 h were measured by the metabolic cage method on week 6; At the end of week 6, blood samples were collected from hearts to detect blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), uric acid (UA) , total cholesterol (CH) triglyceride (TG) by biochemical methods. Kidneys were collect to calculate the kidney hypertrophy index and observe the pathological sections. The laboratory results show that in the DM group, the blood glucose, metabolic cost in 24 h, kidney hypertrophy index, U-TP, BUN, Scr, UA, TG were significantly higher than that in the NC group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) , with significant pathological changes; After the intervention with AS, the metabolic value in 24 h, kidney hypertrophy index, U-TP, BUN, Scr, UA, TG were significantly lower in the high dose group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), and the kidney hypertrophy index, BUN, Scr, UA, TG in the low dose group were also significantly lower (P < 0.05), with slight reduction in renal pathological changes in both groups. In conclusion, Astragalus saponin extracts have a certain protective effect on kidneys of diabetic rats.
Animals ; Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saponins ; administration & dosage ; Uric Acid ; metabolism

Based on the transcriptome database of Salvia miltiorrhiza, specific primers were designed to clone a full-length cDNA of ent-kaurene oxidase synthase (SmKOL) using the RACE strategy. ORF Finder was used to find the open reading frame of SmKOL cDNA, and ClustalW has been performed to analysis the multiple amino acid sequence alignment. Phylogenetic tree has been constructed using MEGA 5.1. The transcription level of SmKOL from the hairy roots induced by elicitor methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was qualifiedby real-time quantitative PCR. The full length of SmKOL cDNA was of 1 884 bp nucleotides encoding 519 amino acids. The molecular weight of the SmKOL protein was about 58.88 kDa with isoelectric point (pI) of 7.62. Results of real-time quantitative PCR analyses indicated that the level of SmKOL mRNA expression in hairy roots was increased by elicitor oMeJA, and reached maximum in 36 h. The full-length cDNA of SmKOL was cloned from S. miltiorrhiza hairy root, which provides a target gene for further studies of its function, gibberellin biosynthesis and regulation of secondary metabolites.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; Computational Biology ; methods ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; chemistry ; genetics ; Models, Molecular ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; enzymology

Oxidative stress is implicated in male infertility and significantly higher reactive oxygen species are detected in 25% of infertile males. Although different agents of various alternative medicines, including traditional Chinese medicine, have been tried with varying success, evidence remains limited on whether and how much herbs or supplements might help increase the anti-oxidant ability of the sperm. This study examined the anti-oxidative effects of icariin, a flavonoid isolated from Herba Epimedii, on the human sperm. We prepared the FeSO4/H2O2-damaged human sperms, which were co-cultured with icariin in vitro, and then observed the changes of the sperm by employing Raman micro-spectroscopy. The results showed that Raman mapping with a 514 nm excitation laser allowed clear differentiation of the nucleus, neck, and, in particular, the mitochondria-rich middle piece of a human sperm cell. The effect of icariin on different organelles of the sperm was quantified by localized spectral Raman signatures obtained within milli-seconds, and icariin could keep the "Raman fingerprint" of the human sperm the same as the control groups, suggesting that icariin could protect the human sperm from being damaged by FeSO4/H2O2. Icariin may serve as a tonifying and replenishing agent of herbal origin for enhancing reproductive functions.