OBJECTIVETo investigate the regulating effects of serum containing total anthraquinone in rheum on the expression of AQP4 in cultured LoVo cells in vitro.

METHODSixteen SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups respectively treated with 0, 1.4, 2.5, 4.5 g x kg(-1) x d(-1) of total anthraquinone in rheum by intragastric administration. After 7 days of treatment, the rats were anesthetized and celiotomized to prepare the serum containing total anthraquinone in rheum. LoVo cells cultured in vitro were treated with different concentrations of total anthraquinone in rheum for 24 h. The expression levels of protein and mRNA of AQP4 IN LoVo cells were decided by Western blot and semiquantive RT-PCR.

RESULTWestern blot and semiquantive RT-PCR showed that serum containing total anthraquinone in rheum prepared from rats treated with 4.5 g x kg(-1) x d(-1) of total anthraquinone in rheum could inhibit the expression of mRNA and protein levels of AQP 4 in LoVo cells (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSerum containing total anthraquinone in rheum can inhibit both the transcription and translation of AQP4 gene, indicating that the regulation mechanism of rhubarb on the expression of AQP4 can be related to the cathartic effect of rhubarb.

Animals ; Anthraquinones ; blood ; pharmacology ; Aquaporin 4 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rheum ; chemistry

This is an in vitro study to explore the effects of cryopreservation and resuscitation on the biological characteristics of osteoblasts at different times. Osteoblasts taken from the crania of newly born SD rats were cultured. Comparative studies were made on the cells' proliferation, the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and the number of live cells among fresh cultured osteoblasts and cells after the inception of cryopreservation and resuscitation at time-periods of one, three, six months respectively. The results showed that there were no significant differences among four groups in cell proliferation and in activity of ALP (P > 0.05). Yet, after cryopreservation and resuscitation, there were significant differences between the six-month group and the other three groups (P < 0.05). The results also showed, after cryopreservation and resuscitation, there were no significant differences between the control group and the one-month and three-month groups, respectively (P > 0.05). These findings indicated that the live cells might decrease in number after the osteoblasts were cryopreserved for too long a period, but after cryopreservation and resuscitation, the cells still retained the original biological characteristics of osteoblasts.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Cryopreservation ; methods ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skull ; cytology ; Time Factors ; Tissue Engineering ; methods

Steroid-induced femoral head necrosis is claimed to be an ischemic femoral head disease. But there is no discussion on the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the idiopathic disease. The concentration of NO indirectly in serum with steroid induced avascular necrosis of femoral head (ANFH) and in controls are studied in this article.