Effect of electroacupuncture at different acupoints on hormones and neurotransmitters of hypotha- lamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in rats under simulated weightlessness / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the change pattern of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and related neurotransmitters under simulated weightlessness.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 40 clean-grade male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a tail-suspension group, an electroacupuncture (EA) at Neiguan (PC 6) group, an EA at Sanyinjiao (SP 6) group, 10 rats in each group. Rats in the tail-suspension group, EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6) group and EA at "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) group were treated with tail suspension to simulate weightlessness effect. Rats in the normal group were treated with normal diet. Rats in the tail-suspension group were treated with tail suspension for 28 d. During the time of tail suspension, rats in the EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6) group were treated with EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6), 30 min per treatment, once every two days for 14 treatments, while rats in the EA at "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) group were treated with EA at "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6), 30 min per treatment, once every two days for 14 treatments. Samples were all collected after 4 weeks. The contents of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) , adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (CORT) in as well as 5-hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT), dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) were measured by using radioimmunoassay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal group, in the tail-suspension group the content of ACTH in pituitary was significantly decreased (P< 0.05), and the content of 5-HT in hypothalamus was significantly decreased (P < 0.01); the content of CRH and 5-HT in hypothalamus was significantly decreased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) in the EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6) group; the content of CRH and 5-HT in hypothalamus was significantly decreased (P < 0.01), and the content of CORT in serum was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in the EA at "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) group. Compared with the tail-suspension group, the content of ACTH in hypothalamus was significantly decreased (P< 0.05) in the EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6) group; the content of CRH, ACTH and CORT was significantly decreased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) in the EA at "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) group. Compared with the EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6) group, the content of CORT was decreased (P < 0.05) in the EA at "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EA can regulate the content of 5-HT in hypothalamus in tail-suspension rats, inhibit the hyperactivity of the HPA axis, in which EA at "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) had more significant effects than "Neiguan" (PC 6), but no obvious effects on NE and DA were observed.</p>

Matrine effects on JM cells by inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study effects of matrine on JM cell strain.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Morphologic changes were observed under light microscope with Wright-Giemsa staining, fluorescence microscope with Hoechst 33,258 staining and electron microscope. Alteration of cell cycle of different dose treating groups at the fourth day and 0.8 mg.mL-1 treatment group at the first, second, third, fourth day was analyzed by Flow cytometry. DNA ladder was detected with gel electrophoresis.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>From the third day after treatment of matrine, typical apoptosis features of cells were observed under light microscope and electron microscope in all test groups, and the features were more prominent with the time prolonging. At fourth day, flow cytometry analysis showed that there were sub-G1 peaks in all groups. From 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 to 0.8 g.L-1 treatment groups, the rate of apoptotic cells to total cells were 3.1%, 2. 5%, 13.3%, 40.4%, 48.6%, respectively, and what in the control group was 1.4%; the rate of S phase cells to total cells was 28.9%, 26.1%, 27.7%, 0.9%, 14.2%, what in the control group was 30.4%; the rate of G1 phase cells to total cells was 63. 2%, 67.5%, 68.1%, 75.2%, 83.6%, what in the control group was 41.8%; From the first, second, third to fourth day, the rate of apoptotic cells to total cells of 0.8 mg.mL-1 treatment group were 3.0%, 3.7%, 9.1%, 48.6%, respectively; the rate of S phase cells to total cells was 28.6%, 17.5%, 19.1%, 14.2%; the rate of G1 phase cells to total cells were 45.5%, 77.3%, 77.2%, 83.6%. Gel electrophoresis displayed "DNA ladder" in 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 g.L-1 groups, while 0.1 and 0.2 g.L-1 groups didn't show such result.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Matrine can repress DNA synthesis and arrest JM cell strain at G1 phase, sequentially inhibiting the proliferation of the cell. Besides, this alkaloid can induce the apoptosis of JM cells.</p>