Effects of sand treatment in Uyghur medicine on caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax, and the apoptotic expression in the cartilage of rabbit knee osteoarthritis model / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of sand treatment on cysteine aspartate-specific proteinase-3 (Caspase-3), B-cell leukemia-lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein gene (Bax) in the articular cartilage of rabbit knee osteoarthritis (OA), and the apoptotic protein expression, thus providing theoretical evidence for sand treatment in Uyghur medicine.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The OA animal model was established by fixing right hind limbs with gypsum in 22 New Zealand rabbits. Of them, 2 original model rabbits were taken as the control group, while the rest 20 were randomly divided into a free running group and a sand treatment group, 10 in each group. The healthy side of the free running group was taken as the normal control group. The sand treatment was given to those in the sand treatment group for 20 days. The expressions of Caspase-3, Bcl-2, and Bax in the cartilage cells of rabbit knee joint were measured by immunohistochemical assay. The cell apoptosis of chondrocytes was detected using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal control group, the positive cell number, the optical density (OD), the protein expressions of Caspase-3, Bax, and TUNEL were higher in the free running group and the sand treatment group (P < 0.01). Besides, they were obviously higher in the free running group than in the sand treatment group (P < 0.01). The positive cell number of Bcl-2 and OD value in the free running group and the sand treatment group were both lower than those of the normal control group (P < 0.01). The positive cell number was obviously higher in the sand treatment group than in the free running group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sand treatment could inhibit the expressions of Caspase-3, Bax/Bcl-2, and TUNEL in the articular cartilage of rabbits' knee OA, which might be partial mechanisms for anti-inflammation of sand treatment.</p>

Effects of vitamin C and E on the ultrastructure in liver, kidney and brain of fluorosis rats / 中国地方病学杂志

Objective To observe the effects of vitamin C (VC) and E (VE) on the uhrastrueture of liver, kidney and brain tissue of fluorosis rats. Methods One hundred and twenty Wistar rats were chosen as the experimental animals and were divided into 9 groups randomly. The control group were given distilled water and the fluoride exposed group were given distilled water containing sodium fluoride 150 mg/L. The throe VC-fluoride exposed groups were given VC orally in a dose of 50,100,150 mg·kg-1.d-1, respectively, and the three VE-fluoride exposed groups were given VE of 25,50,75 mg·kg-1·d-1, respectively. The VC-VE-fluoride exposed group were given VC of 100 mg·kg-1·d-1and VE of 50 mg·kg-1·d-1at the same time of high fluoride water intake. The rats were sacrificed after 9 months and the ultrastructure changes on liver, kidney and brain tissues of each group were observed under transmission electron microscope(TEM). Results The uhrastrueture of liver, kidney and brain showed pathologic changes in the rats that drank water containing high eoneentrations of sodium fluoride. ①Edema of hepatocytes, smeared mitochontria and nuclear matrix, lipid droplet in eytoplasm of hepatocytes, margination of nueleohs as well as obvious swelling of liver sinusoidal endothelial were observed in fluoride exposed group. ② There were marginafion of heterochromatin, expansion of cell space and endoplasmic reticulum in the kidney after the exposure to excess fluoride.③Signifieant changes were found on glial eells on the brain, including cell swelling, increase and marginafion of heterochromatin in the fluoride exposure group. There were no significant uhrastrueture changes in the VC or VE intervention group, while the VC-VE-fluoride exposure group was almost the same as the control group. Conclusions Fluoresis may cause damage on liver, kidney and brain in rats. VC and VE, alone or combined, have protective effects, and the combined supplementation was stronger than single supplementations.