OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of "olfactory three needles" on cognition, learning and memory abilities, as well as hippocampal microglia (MG) phagocytic activity in vascular dementia (VD) rats, and explore the mechanisms of acupuncture in regulating MG activation and improving remyelination, so as to ameliorate VD. METHODS: Among 38 SD rats meeting experimental requirements, 9 rats were randomly assigned to a sham-operation group, and the remaining rats underwent permanent bilateral common carotid artery ligation to establish VD model. Eighteen successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group and an electroacupuncture (EA) group, with 9 rats in each one. In the EA group, EA was performed at "olfactory three needles" ("Yintang" [GV24⁺] and bilateral "Yingxiang" [LI20]), at disperse-dense wave, the frequency of 2 Hz/15 Hz and the current intensity of 1 mA, for 15 min per intervention, once daily. One course was composed of 7 days, and 2 courses were required, with the interval of 2 days. The novel object recognition test was employed to assess the cognition of rats, and the Morris water maze was adopted to observe learning and memory abilities. Luxol fast blue (LFB) staining was performed to evaluate myelin sheath loss in the hippocampus, the Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2) and proteolipid protein (PLP) in the hippocampus; and the immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the positive expression of PLP, sex determining region Y-box 10 (SOX10), ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1)⁺ TREM2⁺ and Iba1⁺ lysosome-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1)⁺ in the hippocampus. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operation group, the rats in the model group exhibited the prolonged escape latency on day 3 and 4 (P<0.05, P<0.01), the increase of the total distance traveling (P<0.01) and the decrease of the recognition index (RI) and platform crossing frequency (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the rats in the EA group showed the shortened escape latency on day 3 and 4 (P<0.05), the decrease of total distance traveling (P<0.01) and the increase of RI and platform crossing frequency (P<0.05, P<0.01). When compared with the sham-operation group, the rats of the model group presented uneven staining, sparse arrangement of myelin sheath fibers, unclear contours, and prominent vacuole-like changes in the hippocampal CA1 region. When compared with the model group, the EA group showed more dense staining, the increase of myelin sheath fibers with more orderly alignment, and fewer vacuolar changes in the hippocampal CA1 region. Compared with the sham-operation group, the model group exhibited the increase of TREM2 protein expression and the decrease of PLP protein expression in the hippocampus (P<0.01), whereas the EA group showed the up-regulation of TREM2 and PLP protein expression when compared with the model group (P<0.01, P<0.05). The positive expression of the hippocampal PLP, SOX10, and Iba1⁺LAMP1⁺ in the model group was reduced in comparison with the sham-operation group (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the positive expression of Iba1⁺ TREM2⁺ was elevated (P<0.05). In the EA group, the positive expression of PLP, SOX10, Iba1⁺TREM2⁺, and Iba1⁺ LAMP1⁺ was higher compared with that in the model group (P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSION "Olfactory three needles" can improve the learning and memory, and cognitive functions of VD rats, and its mechanism may be associated with the up-regulation of TREM2 and LAMP1 to adjust MG phagocytic activity and intracellular degradation, and promote remyelination.
Animals ; Dementia, Vascular/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Microglia/metabolism* ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy/instrumentation* ; Acupuncture Points ; Humans ; Remyelination ; Memory ; Hippocampus/cytology* ; Cognition ; Electroacupuncture ; Needles

Objective:To study the effect of Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe on transplanted tumors in breast cancer mice through in vivo experiments, in order to explore the efficacy and mechanism of Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe on breast cancer patients. Methods:45 BaL B/c female mice were selected to establish the transplanted tumor model of breast cancer. All the transplanted tumor models of breast cancer mice were randomly divided into five groups: the control group (intragastric administration of normal saline), the low, medium and high dose group of Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe (intragastric administration of different doses of Sanjie Xiaoliu Decoction), and the paclitaxel group (intraperitoneal injection of paclitaxel). After 24 days of continuous administration, the diet and activities of mice were observed; the body weight, weight and volume changes of transplanted tumor mice were recorded, and the tumor inhibition rate was calculated. Western blot was used to detect the expression of epithelial mesenchymal transformation related proteins (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin) in the transplanted tumor tissues of mice in each group.Results:(1) The food intake and activity status of mice treated with Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe were less affected by the transplanted tumor of breast cancer. (2) The volume and weight of transplanted tumor in the treat groups were smaller than those in the control group (all P<0.01), and the volume of transplanted tumor in the middle dose group of Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe was smaller than that in the low dose group ( P<0.05). The tumor inhibition rates among the treatment groups were: Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe medium dose group 52.4%, paclitaxel group 40.3%, Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe low dose group 39.5%, Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe high dose group 34.1%. (3) The results of Western blot showed that the expression level of E-cadherin in the transplanted tumor tissue of the treat groups was higher than that in the control group, and the expression levels of N-cadherin and Vimentin were lower than that in the control group, with statistically significant difference (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe can improve the weakness and reduced consumption of breast cancer mice, which can inhibit the tumor mass growth in mice to a certain extent. Its mechanism may be that Sanjie Xiaoliu Recipe can inhibit the epithelial mesenchymal transformation of breast cancer and the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer.

Aim The potentiality as a differentiation inducer of the new steroidal drug(NSC67657) had been studied.Then the expression differences of protein between treated and untreated HL60 cell line could be analysed.Method Firstly,the expression patterns of C/EBP alpha gene and protein were observed between treated and untreated HL60 cell line.Then the proliferation of HL60 cell line could be investigated by MTT.At the same time cellular chemical staining could be employed to investigate which direction HL60 cell line would be induced by NSC67657.Then the flow cytometry(FCM) could be employed to detect the profile of differentiation of HL60 cell line induced in different time and at different drug concentrations,by which the most suitable drug concentration and inducing time could be found. Following that,the information of cellular cycle and ultramicrostructure could be analysed by FCM and electronmicro scope,by which whether the apoptosis had happened or not under the drug treatment could also be found. Finally,the protein of these two group HL60 cell lines could be separated by modified two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE).Results The expression of C/EBP alpha gene and protein could be promoted under the treatment of NSC67657.Then the proliferation of HL60 cell line was inhibited significantly.From cellular chemical staining,the monocytic differentiation could be easily found and the perfect inducing time and drug concentration were defined as 10 ?mol?L-1NSC67657 and constantly inducing HL60 cell line within 5 days.The cellular number of G0~G1 was increased and hardly any apoptosis which might be happened during drug inducing ability could be seen.The protein of HL60 cell lines were separated by modified 2-DE technology.Then there were 14 protein spots which could only be found in the differentiated gels,on the other hand,20 protein spots could only be found in the undifferentiated gels,which would have been analyzed by MALDI-TOF.Conclusions HL60 cell line could be induced to monocyte by NSC67657 which could also stimulate the C/EBP? in the early stage.2-DE could separate the protein directly which expressed differentially,from which some proteins essential in cellular differentiation might be found.