Glycyrrhizin acid and licorice flavonoids are the component of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch root that has been used for various medicinal purposes in traditional oriental medicine for thousands of years. Macrophages as a principal component of immune system play an important role in the initiation, modulation and final activation of immune response against pathogens. In the present study, glycyrrhizin acid and licorice flavonoids was investigated the anti-inflammatory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophage cell line of RAW264.7. Well-grown RAW264.7 cells were collected and randomly divided into the blank control group, the LPS(1 mg x L(-1)) group, the dexamethasone (5 mg x L(-1)) with LPS group, the glycyrrhizin acid (400, 80, 16 mg x L(-1)) with LPS group and the licorice flavonoids (200, 40, 8 mg x L(-1)) with LPS group. RAW264.7 cells were cultured in 24-well plates, pre-incubated for 4 h with different concentrations of dexamethasone, glycyrrhizin acid, or licorice flavonoids. Then cells were stimulated for 20 h with LPS. The supernatant of culture medium was collected from each well and determinated the concentrations of cytokines by means of BioPlex mouse cytokines assay. Compared with the control group, the LPS group could significantly induced relatively high levels of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor( GM-CSF), macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1α), macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta (MIP-1β), regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted factor (RANTES), tumor necrosis factor alpha ( TNF-α), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (KC), eotaxin, interleukin(IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 (p40), IL-12 (p70), IL-13, and IL-17 secretion (P < 0.05). The glycyrrhizin acid significantly inhibited IL-1β, IL-3, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 (p40), IL-12 (p70), IL-13, Eotaxin and TNF-α secreted by LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells (P < 0.05). The expression levels of IL-6 and Eotaxin were observably decreased in the licorice flavonoids with LPS group (P < 0.05). The data presented here suggested that the glycyrrhizin acid and licorice flavonoids modulate various cytokines secreted by macrophages and were important anti-inflammatory constituent of Licorice.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Cytokines ; genetics ; immunology ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Glycyrrhiza ; chemistry ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; pharmacology ; Lipopolysaccharides ; immunology ; Macrophages ; drug effects ; immunology ; Mice

To study the anti-inflammatory activity of glycyrrhizin acid, ligustrazine and puerarin. In the study, the liquichip-based high-throughput synchronous detection technique for 23 inflammatory factors, uniform design, comprehensive weight method were adopted to study the effect of different combined administration of glycyrrhizin acid, ligustrazine and puerarin in inhibiting the expression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264. 7 cells and multiple inflammatory cytokines. In the study, the uniform design table U₉ (9³) was adopted to design doses of glycyrrhizin acid, ligustrazine and puerarin. The liquichip technique was used to detect the effect of different combined administration of glycyrrhizin acid, ligustrazine and puerarin on the 23 cytokines expressed in LPS-induced mouse macrophage RAW264. 7 inflammation model. The traditional Chinese medicine component optimization software and the improved least angle regression algorithm were used to analyze the dose-effect relationship among the three components and the cytokine inhibition rate and produce the regression equation. The comprehensive weight method was applied to get the optimal dose ratio of glycyrrhizic acid, ligustrazine and puerarin with highest efficacy of 25:2:13 and verify the optimal dose ratio. The verification results were consistent with the prediction trend, indicating the accuracy of the mathematical model for predicting the experiment. The experimental results showed the multi-target and multi-level efficacies of glycyrrhizic acid, ligustrazine and puerarin and the high anti-inflammatory activity of their combined administration, which provides powerful basis for subsequent drug development.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Cytokines ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; pharmacology ; Isoflavones ; pharmacology ; Lipopolysaccharides ; immunology ; Macrophages ; drug effects ; immunology ; Mice ; NF-kappa B ; genetics ; immunology ; Pyrazines ; pharmacology ; RAW 264.7 Cells

Objective To compare and analyze clinical and pathological data of autopsyconfirmed invasive fungal disease (IFD) in elderly patients in order to achieve a better understanding of the clinical and pathological characteristics of IFD.Methods A total of 18 cases of IFD were diagnosed by autopsy from 1984 to 2014 at Beijing Hospital.Clinical and pathological data of IFD,including risk factors,clinical manifestation,X-ray and pathological characteristics,were analyzed retrospectively.Results The 18 cases were all male wvith an average age of (83.7±7.2) years and each patient had at least one risk factor for IFD.Of them,14 patients (77.8％) suffered malignancies of various origins.With respect to the pathogens,Mucor (6 cases) was the most common one,followed by Aspergilla (4 cases),Mycotoruloides (4 cases) and Cryptococci (2 cases).The lung was the most frequently implicated organ wvith 13 cases (72.2％),followed by the gastrointestinal tract.Vascular erosion was an important pathological characteristic of fungal infection,whose presentations included vasculitis,hemorrhage and embolism in tissues and organs.14 patients died from fungal infection-related causes,of which.massive hemorrhage as a result of vascular erosion by fungal infection was responsible for four patients' deaths.Conclusions Malignancies are an important risk factor for invasive fungal disease in elderly patients.Vascular erosion is a significant character of fungal infection.

Objective: To develop ~(99)Tc~m labeled dopamine transporter(DAT) imaging agent ~(99)Tc~m-(2?-[N,N~(,)-bis(2-mercaptoethyl)ethylenediamino]methyl,3?-(4-chlorophenyl)tropane(TRODAT-1) for evaluating changes of DAT in patients with Parkinson disease(PD). Methods: The SD rats were divided into control group(n=5),PD models group(n=22)and generalized cerebral infarction models group(n=5).~() Unilateral smashing and injecting autothrombo into carotid artery of SD rats were used.~(99)Tc~m-TRODAT-1 distributing in normal rat striatum was observed.The uptakes in sound side and smashed side of PD rats striatum and in two sides of multiple infarction rats striatum were compared. Results:~(99)Tc~m-TRODAT-1 distribution in normal rats striatum exhibited a obvious uptake in striatum.And PD rats results exhibited that the uptake was less in normal striatum than in smashed striatum obviously.The result of multiple infarction rats is same as normals rats. Conclusion: ~(99)Tc~m-TRODAT-1 might betaked specificly.Its imaging can provide a beneficial evidence for PD disease early diagnose.

Ketamine is a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist and comes into being a new problem of drug abuse. It can cause a certain extent of hallucination, which makes ketamine be abused in the casinos. The paper reviews the pharmacological and toxicology characteristic of Ketamine, the possible physiological mechanism and the methods for detecting Ketamine abuse.
Anesthetics, Dissociative/toxicity* ; Cerebral Cortex/drug effects* ; Humans ; Illicit Drugs ; Ketamine/toxicity* ; Mental Disorders/chemically induced* ; Receptors, Dopamine/drug effects* ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/drug effects* ; Substance Abuse Detection/methods* ; Substance-Related Disorders/prevention & control*

Objective To investigate the effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation combining with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene therapy on myocardium rebuilding,angiogene- sis,and heart function improvement in rats with myocardial infarction.Methods SD rat MSCs were isola- ted,cultured in vitro,labeled with BrdU and transfected by Ad.VEGF gene.Four weeks after left anterior descending artery was ligated to created rat myocardial infarction,cardiac function was examined with echocar- diography,rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=10 in each group):GroupⅠ:MSCs/Ad.VEGF implantation;GroupⅡ:MSCs implantation;GroupⅢ:Ad.VEGF injection;GroupⅣ:Control.MSCs dif- ferentiation was observed 4 weeks after transplantation.Immunohistochemistry and angiogenesis were observed. Echocardiography was performed to detect the effects on heart function.Results MSCs labeled with BrdU could be identified in host hearts in groupⅠandⅡ,most of them positively stained with cTnT antibody. Echocardiography indicated that the improvement of the LVEF value in groupⅠwas more significant than that in the other three groups (P＜0.01,respectively).Some cells were incorporated into the coronary capillaries in the infarcted region.The capillary density in groupⅠwas higher than that in the other three groups (P＜0.01,respectively).Conclusion MSCs implantation combining with VEGF gene therapy can obviously re- pair damaged myocardium and enhance the angiogenesis in ischemic heart tissue.

Background: As a traditional Chinese medicine, Cordyceps sinensis (CS) possesses a variety of immunoregulatory properties. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential of CS in a mice model of multiple sclerosis (MS)?experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Methods: Female C57BL/6 mice were immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein35–55 to induce EAE, followed by an instant intragastric feeding with a low dosage of CS (low?CS group, n = 5), high dosage of CS (high?CS group, n = 5), or the same volume of normal saline (control group, n = 5).All the mice were observed for clinical assessment. Over the 30 days of CS treatment, flow cytometry was used to detect the frequency of helper T?cell (Th) subsets, Th1 and Th17, and CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in the spleen and lymph nodes. Meanwhile, pathological changes in brain were determined using both hematoxylin?eosin and luxol fast blue staining. Data were analyzed using the one?way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Over the 15 and 30 days of CS treatment, the clinical assessment for EAE demonstrated that both high?CS group (2.51 ± 0.31 and 2.26 ± 0.39 scores, respectively) and low?CS group (2.99 ± 0.40 and 2.69 ± 0.46, respectively) had lower disease severity scores than those of control group (3.57 ± 0.53 and 3.29 ± 0.53, all P < 0.01, respectively). Meanwhile, after 15 and 30 days, the high?CS group (19.18 ± 1.34 g and 20.41 ± 1.56 g, respectively) and low?CS group (18.07 ± 1.18 g and 19.48 ± 1.69 g, respectively) had a lower body weight, as compared with control group (16.85 ± 1.15 g and 18.22 ± 1.63 g, all P < 0.01, respectively).At 30 days post?CS treatment, there was a lower Th1 frequency in the lymph nodes (2.85 ± 1.54% and 2.77 ± 1.07% vs. 5.35 ± 1.34%, respectively; P < 0.05) and spleens (3.96 ± 1.09% and 3.09 ± 0.84% vs. 5.07 ± 1.50%, respectively; P < 0.05) and less inflammatory infiltration and demyelination in the brain of CS?treated mice than that of control group. Conclusions: Our preliminary study demonstrated that CS efficiently alleviated EAE severity and EAE?related pathology damage and decreased the number of Th1s in the periphery, indicating its effectiveness in the treatment of murine EAE. Thus, our findings strongly support the therapeutic potential of this agent as a new traditional Chinese medicine approach in MS treatment.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of electro-acupuncture to improve the bladder function after acute spinal cord injury in rats and its possible mechanism.

METHODSSixty healthy adult male SD rats of SPF grade, with body weight of 220 to 250 g, one week after feeding adaptation, were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group, electro-acupuncture group, electro-acupuncture control group with 15 rats in each group. Sham operation group underwent no stimulation, and the moderate damage model of spinal cord injury were made in other three groups according to modified Allens method. The model group were not treated, electro-acupuncture group were treated with electro-acupuncture on Zhibianxue and Shuidaoxue, and electro-acupuncture control group were treated with electro-acupuncture on 0.5 inch next to Zhibianxue and Shuidaoxue. The frequency of 2/100 Hz, current of 1 mA, stimulation time of 15 min, once a day, left and right alternately stimulate every time, for a total of 7 times. The changes of residual urine volume and urine output in rats at the 1st and the 7th days after operation were observed. And 7 d later, the rats were sacrificed and the injured spinal cord were taken out to observe the apoptosis, and to detect the changes of Bcl-2, Bax, Bad content.

RESULTSAfter modeling,the rats of three groups showed different bladder dysfunction. In electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group, the residual urine volume of the 7th day after operation was significant lower than the 1st day after operation (P < 0.001), and there was statistically significant difference on the 7th day after operation between two groups (P < 0.001). Compared with model group, the urine output of electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group was significantly increased on the 7th day after operation, and there was sig- nificant difference between electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group (P < 0.001). Electro-acupuncture can inhibit apoptosis of spinal cord neurons by TUNEL detection. Postoperative at 7 d, the rate of nerve cell apoptosis in electro -acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group was significant increased than model group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), and there was significant difference between electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group (P < 0.005). Compared with model group, the positive expression rate of Bax, Bad decreased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), and Bcl-2 increased (P < 0.01) in electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group,there was significant difference between electro-acupuncture group and electro-acupuncture control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONElectro-acupuncture can obviously promote the repair of acute spinal cord injury,its mechanism may be through increasing Bcl-2, inhibiting the expression of Bax, Bad, which inhibits the apoptosis of spinal cord neurons.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Electroacupuncture ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Neurons ; cytology ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; pathology ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Urinary Bladder ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVEComparing with the classic immuno-supressors, to probe in the in vitro effect of Cordyceps Sinensis (CS) on the differentiation, maturation and function of dentritic cells (DCs), and further to explore its mechanism.

METHODSMice myeloid DCs were cultured respectively with extraction of Bailing Capsule (CSE), a Chinese medical preparation made of CS, Rapamycin and Tacrolimus, and the effect of various drugs on phenotype of DCs was analyzed with flow cytometer. Then, using as the stimulator, the DCs cultured with different drugs were mixed and cultured with heterogenous lymphocytes for observing the stimulating capacity of DCs on cell proliferation.

RESULTSCSE showed no in vitro effect on phenotype markers and co-stimulation molecules of DCs, the difference between CSE and Tacrolimus was insignificant, while Rapamycin could reduce the two parameters. CSE showed a marked suppressive effect on DCs in stimulating leucocyte proliferation in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONCSE could affect the stimulating capacity of DCs on cell proliferation, which is probably by means of inhibiting the function of antigen presentating cells to block the presentation of extrinsic signal, and make the low immune response condition, thus to obtain the effect of immunosuppression.

Animals ; Capsules ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Cordyceps ; chemistry ; Dendritic Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; immunology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; pharmacology ; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of ketoconazole on the activity of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2 and 3A4 in hepatic microsomes of healthy adults.

METHODSHuman hepatic microsomes obtained from healthy adults were randomly divided into control group and ketoconazole-treatment groups at different concentrations. After 15 min of culture, the substrates (testosterone for CYP3A4 and phenacetin for CYP1A2) were added and incubated for another 20 min. The metabolites (6-testosterone and acetaminophen) were then measured with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to assess the activities of CYP3A4 and 1A2.

RESULTSSignificant difference was found between the groups in the quantity of 6-testosterone and the relative activity of CYP3A4 (P<0.05). The IC(50) of ketoconazole for CYP3A4 was 0. 16 mg/L. Both the quantity of 6-testosterone and the relative activity of CYP3A4 were reduced gradually with the increment of ketoconazole concentration. Significant differences were found between the ketoconazole groups and the control group in both the quantity of acetaminophen and the relative activity of CYP1A2 (P<0.05). Ketoconazole at low doses reduced CYP1A2 activity and but increased the activities at high doses (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONIn the range of maximum clinical blood concentration, ketoconazole can inhibit the activity of CYP3A4, but not that of CYP1A2, in the hepatic microsomes in healthy adults.

Adult ; Antifungal Agents ; pharmacology ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2 ; metabolism ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A ; metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Humans ; Ketoconazole ; pharmacology ; Male ; Microsomes, Liver ; drug effects ; enzymology