OBJECTIVETo study the effect on anti-respiratory syncytial virus of an active compound (AP3) from a Chinese medicinal herb-Herba patriniae in vitro.

METHODSActive component of herba patriniae (AP3) was extracted and its anti-respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) effect was tested. A water soluble substance (AP3) was isolated from a Chinese herb Herba patriniae, by hot water extraction, ethol precipitation and gel permeation column chromatography. The cytotoxicity of AP3 was tested by adding it to HeLa cells directly. Its effect against RSV was estimated by CPEI assay while ribavirin was used as positive control.

RESULTSChemical test showed that the nature of substance AP3 was polysaccharide. The median cytotoxic concentration (TC(50)) of AP3 was 11.45 mg/ml by morphological observation and the median effective concentration (50% effective concentration, EC(50)) of it against replication of the long strain of RSV in HeLa cells was 0.0986 mg/ml. The Therapeutic index (TI = TC(50)/EC(50)) of AP3 was 116.12, much higher than the TI of herba patriniae (AP1) (TI = 59.26) and ribavirin (TI = 53.45). Moreover, AP3 gave a dose-dependent response in inhibiting RSV. In the assay, the effect of AP3 against RSV growth was also tested. In addition, the effect of AP3 on virus growth, AP3 inhibited replication of RSV in HeLa cells, when added at 0 h, 2 h, 4 h after virus infection, were also tested.

CONCLUSIONThis study suggested that the AP3 exerted an obvious inhibitory effect to RSV in HeLa cell culture. This study furnished a reliable evidence for development of a new antiviral drug.

Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; drug effects ; Time Factors

The purpose of study was to explore the possible functions of Bcl-xL in the glucosamine sulfate-induced apoptosis of chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells. Light microscopy and Wright-Giemsa staining were used to investigate the morphologic evidences for apoptosis of K562 cells induced by glucosamine sulfate (GS); immunofluorescence was used to observe the translocation of cathepsin D and cytochrome C during the apoptosis; Western blot was performed to detect the expression of Bcl-xL, Bid, Bax in K562 cells treated by GS. The results showed that many vacuoles were observed in the cytoplasma of the K562 cells treated by GS; fluorescent signals of cathepsin D and cytochrome were fransformed from granules to disperse form by using immunofluorescence; the expression of Bcl-xL was found down-regulated in K562 cells treated by GS, but not in the cells pre-treated with pepstatin A; the significant changes were not detected in expression of Bax and Bid protein before or after apoptosis. It is concluded that Bcl-xL protein may mediate relationship between cathepsin D and mitochondia pathway, Cathepsin D may play an important role in the GS inducing apoptosis of K562 cells through downregulation of Bcl-xL expression.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; physiology ; BH3 Interacting Domain Death Agonist Protein ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Cathepsin D ; metabolism ; Cytochromes c ; metabolism ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Glucosamine ; pharmacology ; Humans ; K562 Cells ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism ; bcl-X Protein ; metabolism ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo observe wet cupping therapy (WCT) on local blood perfusion and analgesic effects in patients with nerve-root type cervical spondylosis (NT-CS).

METHODSFifty-seven NT-CS patients were randomly divided into WCT group and Jiaji acupoint-acupuncture (JA) group according a random number table. WCT group (30 cases) was treated with WCT for 10 min, and JA group (27 cases) was treated with acupuncture for 10 min. The treatment efficacies were evaluated with a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Blood perfusion at Dazhui (GV 14) and Jianjing (GB 21) acupoints (affected side) was observed with a laser speckle flowmetry, and its variations before and after treatment in both groups were compared as well.

RESULTSIn both groups, the VAS scores significantly decreased after the intervention (P<0.01), while the blood perfusion at the two acupoints significantly increased after intervention (P<0.05); however, the increasement magnitude caused by WCT was obvious compared with JA (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSWCT could improve analgesic effects in patients with NT-CS, which might be related to increasing local blood perfusion of acupunct points.