OBJECTIVEThe purpose of the present study was to observe the changes in CD4+CD25+Nrp1+Treg cells after irradiation with different doses and explore the possible molecular mechanisms involved.

METHODSICR mice and mouse lymphoma cell line (EL-4 cells) was used. The expressions of CD4, CD25, Nrp1, calcineurin and PKC-α were detected by flow cytometry. The expressions of TGF-β1, IL-10, PKA and cAMP were estimated with ELISA.

RESULTSAt 12 h after irradiation, the expression of Nrp1 increased significantly in 4.0 Gy group, compared with sham-irradiation group (P<0.05) in the spleen and thymus, respectively, when ICR mice received whole-body irradiation (WBI). Meanwhile the synthesis of Interleukin 10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) increased significantly after high dose irradiation (HDR) (> or = 1.0 Gy). In addition, the expression of cAMP and PKA protein increased, while PKC-α, calcineurin decreased at 12h in thymus cells after 4.0 Gy X-irradiation. While TGF-β1 was clearly inhibited when the PLC-PIP2 signal pathway was stimulated or the cAMP-PKA signal pathway was blocked after 4.0 Gy X-irradiation, this did not limit the up-regulation of CD4+CD25+Nrp1+Treg cells after ionizing radiation.

CONCLUSIONThese results indicated that HDR might induce CD4+CD25+Nrp1+Treg cells production and stimulate TGF-β1 secretion by regulating signal molecules in mice.

Animals ; Calcineurin ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cyclic AMP ; metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; radiation effects ; Immunosuppression ; Interleukin-10 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; physiology ; Male ; Mice ; Neuropilin-1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phosphoinositide Phospholipase C ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; genetics ; metabolism ; Whole-Body Irradiation ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVETo construct one lentiviral vector containing mouse SRY-related silencing group--box gene 9 (SOX9) and to transfect murine bone mesenehymal stem cells (mBMSCs) in vitro and observe the expression of target gene.

METHODSRNA inteference target sequence was designed in connectin with mice SOX9 gene sequence. The double strands DNAoligo containing interference sequence were synthesized and cloned into lentivirus vector. The siRNA lentiviral vector with SOX9 gene silencing was constructed and identified, which was transfected into rat bone mesenehymal stem cells. The expression of target gene was detected by immunofluorescence, RT-PCR and Western blot.

RESULTSLenti-SOX9-siRNA-EGFP was recombined successfully and transduced efficiently into mBMSCs. The expression of SOX9 gene silencing was confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blot.

CONCLUSIONMouse SOX9 gene silencing by RNA interference and Lentiviral vector can transfected successfully into mBMSCs. Meanwhile,SOX9 gene may be silenced in SOX9 transduced mBMSCs. This will provide target cells for the following study about SOX9 gene respairing cartilage injury.

Animals ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Gene Silencing ; Genetic Therapy ; Genetic Vectors ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; metabolism ; Mice ; SOX9 Transcription Factor ; genetics ; Transduction, Genetic

OBJECTIVETo assess the beneficial and adverse effects of Wendan Decoction (温胆汤, WDD) for the treatment of schizophrenia.

METHODSFive electronic databases were searched until May 2014, including the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the Chinese Scientist Journal Database, PubMed, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing WDD against placebo, antipsychotic drugs, or WDD combined with antipsychotic drugs against antipsychotic drugs alone were included. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment, and data analyses were conducted according to the Cochrane standards.

RESULTSThirteen RCTs (involving 1,174 patients) were included and the methodological quality was evaluated as generally low. The pooled results showed that WDD combined with antipsychotic drugs were more effective in clinical comprehensive effect, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores compared with antipsychotic drugs alone. However, WDD had less effectiveness compared with antipsychotics in clinical comprehensive effect; and WDD was not different from antipsychotic drugs for PANSS scores. The side effects were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONSWDD appears to be effective on improving symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. However, due to poor methodological quality in the majority of the included trials, the potential benefit from WDD needs to be confirmed in rigorous trials and the design and reporting of trials should follow the international standards.

Antipsychotic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Publication Bias ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Schizophrenia ; drug therapy

Liriope (Liliaceae) species have been used as folk medicines in Asian countries since ancient times. From Liriope plants (8 species), a total of 132 compounds (except polysaccharides) have been isolated and identified, including steroidal saponins, flavonoids, phenols, and eudesmane sesquiterpenoids. The crude extracts or monomeric compounds from this genus have been shown to exhibit anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activities. The present review summarizes the results on phytochemical and biological studies on Liriope plants. The chemotaxonomy of this genus is also discussed.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Liriope Plant ; chemistry ; Medicine, Traditional ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Phenols ; pharmacology ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; Sesquiterpenes ; pharmacology

Objective:To investigate the effect of total ginsenoside ginseng root on the learning and memory impairment and anxiety of hindlimb suspension rats by detecting the performance of rats in the water maze， elevated plus maze， and the expression of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal （HPA） axis， inflammatory factors and tryptophan pathway related factors through the intervention of ginsenosides in hindlimb suspension rats. Method:The Wistar male rats were divided into normal group， hindlimb suspension model group， Huperzine A group （0.1 mg·kg^-1）， and total ginsenoside ginseng root low and high dose groups （100， 200 mg·kg^-1）， with 8 rats in each group. Except for the normal group， the rats in the other groups maintained a -30° hindlimb suspension state for 24 h. The normal group and the model group received intragastric administration of 10 mL·kg^-1 pure water . After 28 days of continuous administration， the water maze and elevated plus maze behavioral tests were performed. After the tests， blood was taken from the abdominal aorta， and the rat brain cortex was peeled off on ice， quenched with liquid nitrogen， and stored at -80 ℃ for later use. LC-MS/MS was used to detect neurotransmitter levels of dopamine， acetylcholine， glutamate， γ-aminobutyric acid and tryptophan pathway metabolites （tryptophan， 5-hydroxytryptamine， 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid， kynurenine， 3-hydroxykynurenine， and kynurenine） in rat brain cortex. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） kit was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-10 （IL-10， the HPA axis-related hormone corticotropin （ACTH）， and the level of corticosterone （CORT）. Result:Compared with the normal group， the escape latency in the water maze significantly increased， the number of crossings was significantly reduced， and the number of open-arm entry and the percentage of open-arm entry were significantly reduced in the elevated plus maze in model group （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the content of dopamine， acetylcholine， glutamic acid， and γ-aminobutyric acid in the cortex decreased， kynurenine and kynurenic acid showed an upward trend， 3-hydroxykynurenine， 5-hydroxytryptamine， 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid showed a downward trend， and the levels of IL-6， IL-10， ACTH， and CORT in the serum significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group of rats， total ginsenoside ginseng root low and high dose groups group reduced the avoidance latency in the water maze， and increased the number of crossings and the number of open arms of the elevated plus maze， dopamine， acetylcholine， glutamate， and γ-aminobutyl content increased， while kynurenine and kynurenic acid showed a downward trend， 3-hydroxykynurenine， serotonin， and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid showed an upward trend， and IL-6， IL-10， ACTH， and CORT factor levels were down-regulated（P<0.05， P<0.01）. Conclusion:Hindlimb suspension for 28 days in simulated microgravity can impair the learning and memory ability of rats and cause anxiety-like behaviors. Total ginsenoside ginseng root can improve their learning and memory impairment and anxiety-like behaviors. The mechanism may be mainly related to inhibiting body inflammation and regulating HPA axis imbalance.