ABSTRACT
Objective Licorice (Glycyrrhizae Radix or Liquiritiae Radix) is traditionally used to treat various diseases including inflammation and gastric ulcers. Licorice is rich in flavonoid compounds and possesses anti-inflammatory activities. To investigate the protective effects of licorice flavonoids (LFs) in both acetic acid-induced and dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mouse model and its underlying mechanism. Acute UC was induced by intra-rectal acetic acid (4% v/v) after pretreatment with LFs (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, p.o.), 0.9% saline (20 mL/kg, p.o.) or Sulfasalazine (SASP) (600 mg/kg, p.o.) for 10 d. Quantitative analysis of chemical components of LFs was also conducted by HPLC. Our results showed that pre-treatment with LFs significantly reduced the wet weight/length ratio of colon, percentage of affected area, macroscopic and histological damage scores in acid-induced UC mice. LFs also significantly decreased the oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines, upregulated nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway and downregulated nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. At last, LFs also showed obvious antiulcer effect on the DSS-induced UC model. The major components of LFs were licochalcone A, glabrone, licoflavone, and licoflavone B. This study demonstrates that the protective effect of LFs may at least in part be due to its anti-oxidant activity through Nrf2 pathway and anti-inflammatory activity through NF-κB pathway.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: As reported, the use of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound combined with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate in rabbit articular cartilage defect repair is ideal, which can promote the healing of defect site. However, the conclusion has not been further confirmed.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound combined with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate in repairing articular cartilage defects in rabbits.METHODS: Sixty rabbits were anesthetized using 20% urethane solution injection at a dose of 4mL/kg, and a model of articular cartilage defect (3 mm in diameter and 3 mm in depth) was made on the femoral ankle of each rabbit. Then, there were three groups in this study: model group with no intervention, sodium hyaluronate group with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate, and observation group with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate combined with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound. Gross observation, hematoxylin-eosin staining, safranin O staining and Wakitani scores were compared among groups after repair.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) At 5 weeks after repair, in the model group, the defect size was reduced with uneven surface that was lower than the surrounding tissues; in the sodium hyaluronate group, there was a clear boundary between the defect and surrounding cartilage tissues; in the observation group, the defect was completely repaired. (2) After 2 and 5 weeks, the Wakitani scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the other two groups (P < 0.05). (3) After 5 weeks, in the observation group, the cells around the defect site arranged regularly, and in the sodium hyaluronate group, there were a large amount of cartilage-like cells in few cartilage regions. In the model group, there were irregularly arranged capillary blood vessels after 2 and 5 weeks. (4) After 5 weeks of repair, cartilage tissues with normal structure were found in the defect site in the observation group, and deeply stained proteoglycan and cartilage lacunae were observed in the sodium hyaluronate group, while in the model group, the deep layer stained white was observed at 2 and 5 weeks after repair. To conclude, low-intensity pulsed ultrasound combined with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate can achieve the ideal repair effect on rabbit articular cartilage defects.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: As reported, the use of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound combined with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate in rabbit articular cartilage defect repair is ideal, which can promote the healing of defect site. However, the conclusion has not been further confirmed.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound combined with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate in repairing articular cartilage defects in rabbits.METHODS: Sixty rabbits were anesthetized using 20% urethane solution injection at a dose of 4mL/kg, and a model of articular cartilage defect (3 mm in diameter and 3 mm in depth) was made on the femoral ankle of each rabbit. Then, there were three groups in this study: model group with no intervention, sodium hyaluronate group with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate, and observation group with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate combined with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound. Gross observation, hematoxylin-eosin staining, safranin O staining and Wakitani scores were compared among groups after repair.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) At 5 weeks after repair, in the model group, the defect size was reduced with uneven surface that was lower than the surrounding tissues; in the sodium hyaluronate group, there was a clear boundary between the defect and surrounding cartilage tissues; in the observation group, the defect was completely repaired. (2) After 2 and 5 weeks, the Wakitani scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the other two groups (P < 0.05). (3) After 5 weeks, in the observation group, the cells around the defect site arranged regularly, and in the sodium hyaluronate group, there were a large amount of cartilage-like cells in few cartilage regions. In the model group, there were irregularly arranged capillary blood vessels after 2 and 5 weeks. (4) After 5 weeks of repair, cartilage tissues with normal structure were found in the defect site in the observation group, and deeply stained proteoglycan and cartilage lacunae were observed in the sodium hyaluronate group, while in the model group, the deep layer stained white was observed at 2 and 5 weeks after repair. To conclude, low-intensity pulsed ultrasound combined with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate can achieve the ideal repair effect on rabbit articular cartilage defects.
ABSTRACT
Objective Ovalitenin A (1-(4-methoxybenzofuran-5-yl)-3-phenyl-2-propen-1-one) is a chalcone isolated from Millettia pulchra. The aim of the study was to investigate the antitumor effect of ovalitenin A on apoptosis in vitro and in vivo and to identify the mechanism involved. Methods The effect of ovalitenin A in human cervical cancer HeLa cells was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, morphological observation, flow cytometric measurement, Western blotting, and xenograft model. Results Ovalitenin A inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo and induced the apoptosis evidenced by characteristic apoptotic morphological changes, phosphatidylserine externalization, and activation of caspase-3. In addition, ovalitenin A induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and up-regulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Furthermore, ovalitenin A decreased protein level of COX-2 and induced the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Conclusion These data suggest that ovalitenin A has the potential of anticancer properties for the treatment of cervical cancer.