OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Angelica sinensis, Salvia miltiorrhiza and Ligustrazine on function of peritoneal macrophages during peritoneal dialysis.

METHODSPeritoneal macrophages of mice were cultured in culture medium (control), peritoneal dialysate (PD), drugs contained PD containing Angelica, Salvia and Ligustrazine combined (PD-ASL) or separated (PD-A, PD-S, PD-L) with concentration of 2 micrograms/ml, 10 micrograms/ml and 100 micrograms/ml, separately for 24 hrs. The nitric oxide (NO) content, methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) reducing capacity (MTT-RC) and phagocytosis capacity of macrophages were determined and compared.

RESULTSNO content and MTT-RC of macrophages cultured in PD group were significantly lower than those of the control (P < 0.01), as compared with those in drug contained PD groups, the NO content in the PD-L group and the MTT-RC in the PD-ASL group were higher significantly (P < 0.01). The phagocytosis capacity and NO content in the PD-ASL group were raised along with the increased concentration of drug in PD.

CONCLUSIONAdministering Chinese herbal medicine during peritoneal dialysis has important significance in improving the defense function of peritoneal macrophages, reducing the incidence of peritonitis and enhancing the therapeutic effect of peritoneal dialysis.

Angelica sinensis ; Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Macrophages, Peritoneal ; cytology ; immunology ; Male ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; adverse effects ; Phagocytosis ; drug effects ; Phytotherapy ; Pyrazines ; pharmacology ; Salvia miltiorrhiza

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of commercial peritoneal dialysate (CDS) on function of macrophage. METHODS: Cultured peritoneal macrophages were divided into two experimental groups and their controls.(1) Macrophages were cultured in conditioned culture medium containing 50%CDS (0.139 mol/L glucose) for 24 h. (2)Macrophage were exposed to CDS containing 0.139mol/L glucose for 10, 30 and 60 min respectively, and then cultured in CDS-free medium for 24 h. The nitric oxide (NO) production and MTT in two groups were measured. In each control group, CDS was replaced by same amount of culture medium. RESULTS: NO production and MTT reduction ability (related to cell viability) of experimental groups were remarkably lower than those of controls and the NO production and MTT reduction in 60min CDS-exposed group were lower than that of 10 min and 30 min CDS-exposed group. CONCLUSION: Dialysate may have detrimental effects on viability and other function of macrophage and these effects may related to time length of CDS exposure.

OBJECTIVETo study the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 3p in breast cancers and precancerous lesion.

METHODSLOH at 11 microsatellite loci was detected in 41 cases of breast cancers and 12 cases of precancerous lesion by polymerase chain reaction and silver stain. The expressions of ER, PR, FHIT and hMLH1 were detected in breast cancer by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSLOH on 3p was detected in 97% of breast cancers. D3S1295, D3S1029 and D3S1038 located at 3p14, 3p21-p22 and 3p25 were identified as the loci with most frequent LOH (53.1%, 43.6% and 52.5%). LOH of D3S1038 and expression of hMLH1 protein correlated with several clinicopathological features. LOH of D3S1295 had significant negative correlation with the expression of FHIT. In breast precancerous lesions, LOH on 3p was detected in 41.7% lesions. D3S1295 and D3S1029 were also identified as the most frequent LOH locus (27.3% and 16.7%). The smallest common LOH region seems likely lie between 3p14 and 3p25.

CONCLUSIONSThe smallest LOH region indicates the existence of breast tumor related genes and some of them affect gene expression.

Acid Anhydride Hydrolases ; metabolism ; Adult ; Aged ; Breast Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3 ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Precancerous Conditions ; genetics ; pathology ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Receptors, Progesterone ; metabolism

Content and type of triacylglycerols(TAGs) in edible oils are closely related with our health,it is of significance to develop a fast and high-efficiency method for the determination of TAGs. In this manuscript, a fast and direct method for qualitative analysis of TAGs was established using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTICR-MS). 2,5-DHB was employed as matrix and dichloromethanewas used as solvent for dissolving edible oils. With laser power of 15%,laser frequency of 100 Hz and 100 laser shots, repeatability was evaluated using relative standard deviation (RSD) and less than 10% was obtained. Different kinds of edible oils could be directly distinguished from each other using MS and MS/MS results. With confidence level of 95%, principal component analysis(PCA) results show that 34 different kinds of edible oils were clearly classified. Using this method 5% doped canola in olive was identified directly,indicating that MALDI-FTICR-MS has the potential for rapid analyzing and screening edible oils.

Objective To compare the expression of CD 49f splicing isoforms in different human stem cells and colon cancer cell lines , and construct lentiviral vectors overexpressing specific isoform .Methods The expression of CD49f isoforms in different cells was detected by RT-PCR and real-time PCR.The lentiviral vectors overexpressing CD49f isoforms were constructed by molecular cloning method .The overexpression of CD49f in colon cancer cell line HT29 was confirmed by FCM, Western blot and real-time PCR, the invasive ability was examined by transwell assay.Results CD49f splicing isoform B was highly expressed in H 9 human embryonic stem cell line , while iso-form A expressed in epithelial cells .Both isoform A and B were expressed in mesenchymal cells .CD49f isoforms A and B were also expressed in colorectal cancer cell lines , while HT29 and HCT116 showed higher expression of iso-form A than isoform B , HCT8 and LoVo showed higher expression of isoform B than isoform A .Overexpression of CD49f isoform B greatly increased the invasive ability of HT 29 cells, while isoform A showed no effect .Conclusions The expressions of CD49f splicing isoforms A and B in different types of cells are significantly different , which sug-gests that CD49f isoforms play different biological functions in cells .

Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), a glycohormone widely used in treatment of infertility, is a heterodimer composed of an alpha-and a beta-subunit. The heterodimer could be dissociated during production and storage with an impact on its bioactivity. A CE-SDS method for quantitative analysis of hCG subunit dissociation was established in this study by optimization of a variety of method conditions including sample preparation buffer compositions, incubation temperature, separation voltage, and capillary temperature. This method was validated for good sensitivity, linearity, precision, and accuracy for both α-and β-subunit. CE-SDS also showed much better precision and accuracy than SDS-PAGE. The method was successfully used in both recombinant hCG (r-hCG) produced by cell culture and hCG (u-hCG) derived from urine. The CE-SDS method was used in the study of hCG development and stability. Therefore, it is an useful tool for the quality control of hCG.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading around the world,posing a severe challenge to public health security and economic development in China and beyond. The pivotal process of SARS-COV-2 invasion is that the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Coronavirus spike protein binds with the angioten-sin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor on host cells. Therefore, RBD is closely related to our major anti-epidemic strategies such as rapid pathogen detection and development of vaccines and antiviral drugs. In this study, we aim to compare the anti-RBD IgG by immunizing mice with the recombinant RBDs of novel Coronavirus spike protein, and evaluate the antibody titers and duration elicited by RBD produced from different host cells and used in different doses, which can be used for vaccine evaluation, drug development, and pathogen detection. SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry analysis showed that the molecular weight of bRBD (produced by insect cells) and hRBD (produced by mammalian cells) were slightly different, which are mainly caused by different glycosylation modification. Flow cytometry revealed that the binding rates of bRBD and hRBD to HEK293-ACE2-overexpressing cells were 88. 5% and 92. 7%, respectively, indicating that both antigens have favorable bioactivity. Balb/ c mice are immunized intramuscularly with 10 μg and 20 μg per mouse of RBD proteins, which were mixed with Quick Antibody adjuvant previously, and blood samples collected from the tail at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after the primary immunization. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that both RBD immunization with 10 μg or 20 μg could induce a rapid immune response to produce IgG antibodies. The antibody titers reached the peak at 4-6 weeks post first immunization, and persisted over a long time up to 6 months. No significant difference was observed in the induced antibody titers by bRBD and hRBD as well as their different doses. Virus Neutralization Assays showed that specific antibodies induced by RBD-immunized mice could inhibit the infection of ACE2-positive cells by SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus. These results suggest that both RBD proteins through commendable adjuvant inoculation can rapidly induce an effective humoral immune response and generate specific neutralizing antibodies. It is expected to be helpful for rapid preparation of antibodies against the future various RBD mutants during the pandemic.

A bioassay method for inhibiting platelet aggregation in vitro was established to quantify the pharmacological effects of Compound Danshen Tablets and support its quality control. The inhibition of platelet aggregation in rabbit plasma in vitro by Compound Danshen Tablets was used as the experimental system. The titer was calculated by using the method of dose-response parallel lines. As a result, a bioassay for the inhibition of platelet aggregation in vitro by Compound Danshen Tablets was established. Linearity was good in the concentration range of 0.128 g·mL^-1 to 0.205 g·mL^-1, and the titer of standard Compound Danshen tablets was 7 659 U·g^-1 according to the titer definition. This in vitro assay was simple, reliable, reproducible and convenient. The activity of Compound Danshen Tablets in inhibiting platelet aggregation was quantified by potency assay and the quality of different batches was evaluated. The method can be applied for the quality control of Compound Danshen Tablets.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease driven by antigens and mediated by T cells. Collagen II (CII) and fibrinogen (Fib) are the two main antigens in the pathogenesis of RA. The antigen produced after citrulline modification (Cit) is also one of the inducements to induce the body to produce a pathogenic anti-citrulline protein antibody (ACPA). To provide a reference for RA-related research, this study intends to establish an RA animal model by using CII, Cit-CII, Fib, and Cit-Fib antigens, emulsification with complete Freund's adjuvant and immunization with DBA/1 mice, respectively, to compare the pathological characteristics of RA models induced by different antigens from the aspects of pathology, imaging and serum biochemistry. Animal welfare and experimental process are in accordance with the regulations of the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. The results showed that the CII, Cit-CII, and Cit-Fib induced mice all had symptoms such as joint redness and swelling, and toe deformation and the clinical score and incidence rate were higher than those of the normal group. The CII group had the most serious lesions, with a incidence rate of 100%, and the Cit-CII and Cit-Fib groups had mild symptoms, with a incidence rate of 25% and 37.5%, respectively; pathological and imaging examination results showed that the joints of mice in CII-induced group showed severe synovial inflammation, cartilage and bone destruction, while those in Cit-CII and Cit-Fib group showed only slight inflammatory infiltration, joint cavity stenosis and bone destruction; the results of serum antibody detection showed that CII, Cit-CII and Cit-Fib groups all produced high levels of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies, among which, Cit-Fib group > Cit-CII group > CII group > Fib group, and both Cit-CII and Cit-Fib groups produced high levels of citrullinated epitope-specific antibodies, while the total IgG level was the highest in CII group; serum ELISA and RT-PCR analysis of joint tissue showed that the expression of pro-inflammatory factors and bone destruction-related molecules increased most significantly in the CII-induced group, followed by Cit-Fib and Cit-CII. The above results showed that among the four different antigens, the symptoms and conditions of arthritis in RA mice induced by CII were the most serious, and IgG instead of anti-CCP antibody was its typical immunological feature, and CII could be the first choice for the model of RA mice; Cit-Fib has certain immunogenicity, can partially induce the symptoms and conditions of RA arthritis in mice, and produce high-level anti-CCP antibody and anti-Cit-Fib antibody, which is more suitable for the study of citrulline-related RA; although Cit-CII has certain immunogenicity, the incidence, and severity of RA arthritis induced by Cit-CII in mice are low.

The scientific basis of acupuncture on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for treating ischemic stroke (IS) is discussed. MSCs transplantation has great potential for the treatment of tissue damage caused by early stage inflammatory cascade reactions of IS, but its actual transformation is limited by various factors. How to improve the homing efficiency of MSCs is the primary issue to enhance its efficacy. As such, the possible mechanisms of acupuncture and MSCs transplantation in inhibiting inflammatory cascade reactions induced by IS are explored by reviewing literature, and a hypothesis that acupuncture could promote the secretion of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) from ischemic foci to regulate SDF-1α/CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) axis, thereby improving the homing efficiency of MSCs transplantation, exerting its neuroprotective function, and improving the bed transformation ability, is proposed.
Humans ; Ischemic Stroke ; Chemokine CXCL12 ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; Inflammation