Echinacoside regulates prohibitin expression and inhibits MPP -induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y ceils / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effeet of Eehinaeo- side ( ECH ) regulating the expression of prohibitin (PHB) on MPP+ -induced apoptosis of SH-SY5Y eells and the underlying mechanism.Methods SH-SY5Y eells were seleeted and divided into control group, MPP+ group, MPP+ + ECH group, NC + MPP + group, NC + MPP+ + ECH group, PHB-RNAi + MPP + + ECH group.Cell survival rate was determined by CCK-8 assay.Cell morphology was observed using an inverted phase contrast mieroscope; the apoptotie eells were observed by Hoechst33342 fluorescence staining, whereas apoptotie rate, reactive oxygen speeies eon- tent, and mitochondrial membrane potential were ana¬lyzed by flow eytometry.The relative protein expres¬sions of PHB, Akt, p-Akt, Bel-2, Bax, and cleaved- easpase3 were determined by Western blot.Results Compared with eontrol group, the eell survival rate of MPP+ group signifieantly deereased.The growth state of the eells beeame significantly worse.Intracellular ROS content inereased, mitoehondrial membrane po tential decreased, apoptosis-related protein expression increased and the apoptotic rate increased.Compared with MPP+ group, MPP+ + ECH group significantly increased cell viability.The growth status of cells was significantly improved.Intracellular ROS content de¬creased, mitochondrial membrane potential increased, apoptosis-related protein expression decreased, and the apoptotic rate decreased significantly.The expression levels of PHB and p-Akt significantly increased.Com¬pared with NC + MPP+ + ECH group, p-Akt level de¬creased and the cell apoptotic rate increased in PHB- RNAi +MPP+ + ECH group.Conclusions Echino- side can reduce MPP + - induced apoptosis of SH-SY5Y cells, which may be realized by upregulating PHB ex¬pression and phosphorylation of Akt to protect mito¬chondrial function.

Bear bile powder (熊胆粉) induces apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells via mitochondrion-dependent pathway / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of Bear Bile Powder(, BBP) on the growth and apoptosis of HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and investigate the possible molecular mechanisms mediating its anti-cancer activity.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HepG2 cells were treated with 0.4-1.0 mg/mL of BBP for 24, 48 and 72 h. The viability of HePG2 cells was determined by MTT assay. Cellular morphology was observed via phase-contrast microscopy. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis with Annexin-V/propidium idodide and 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethyl-benzimidazol-carbocyanine iodide (JC-1) staining was performed to determine cell apoptosis and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, respectively. Activation of caspase-9 and -3 was evaluated by a colorimetric assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The treatment with 0.4-1 mg/mL of BBP for 24, 48, or 72 h respectively reduced cell viability significantly by 7%-60%, 20%-90% or 25%-98%, compared with the untreated control cells (P<0.01). In addition, BBP treatment induced morphological changes in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, after treated with 0, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 mg/mL of BBP, apoptosis cells (including early and late apoptotic cells) were 18.0%±1.3%, 34.9%±2.2%, 33.9%±2.8%, 37.4%±2.8% and 46.0%±2.5%, respectively (P<0.05); and the percentage of cells with reduced JC-1 red fluorescence were 6.6%±0.8%, 8.5%±0.8%, 13.5%±1.6%, 17.6%±2.3% and 46.7%±3.6%, respectively (P<0.01). Finally, BBP treatment significantly and dose-dependently induced activation of both caspase-9 and caspase-3 in HepG2 cells (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>BBP could inhibit the growth of HepG2 hepatocellular cancer cells through mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis, which may, in part, explain its anti-cancer activity. BBP may be a potential novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.</p>

Application of serum pharmacology in evaluating the antitumor effect of Fuzheng Yiliu Decoction from Chinese medicine / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the feasibility of serum pharmacology in evaluating the antitumor effect of Chinese medicine (CM) of Fuzheng Guben (supporting the healthy energy and strengthening the body's resistance to pathogens), the effects of Fuzheng Yiliu Decoction (FYD), a typical prescription of Fuzheng Guben, on proliferation and apoptosis of hepatoma cells in vitro were observed by two methods with serum pharmacology and traditional pharmacology, respectively.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HepG2 cells were treated with FYD-containing serum or crude FYD extract in vitro. The proliferation rate was determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis rate was performed by flow cytometry. And the levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in FYD-containing serum were detected by radioimmunoassay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>FYD-containing serum remarkably inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of hepatoma cells at least by promoting the production of IL-2 and TNF-α in vivo. On the contrary, crude FYD extract promoted the proliferation and did not induce cell apoptosis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results by serum pharmacology were accordant with those of our previous animal and clinical trials which indicates that serum pharmacology is a reasonable and feasible method for the evaluation of the antitumor effect of herbs of Fuzheng Guben.</p>

Fuzheng Yiliu Granule inhibits the growth of hepatocellular cancer by regulating immune function and inducing apoptosis in vivo and in vitro / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the inhibitory effect of Fuzheng Yiliu Granule (FYG) on hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and investigate the mechanism mediating its bioactivity.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>H22 tumor-bearing ICR mice were treated with FYG [3.6 g/(kg·d)] for 5 days. Tumor volume and tumor weight, percentages of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), and natural killer (NK) cells in peripheral blood, tumor apoptosis and serum levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were evaluated. FYG-containing serum was prepared from SD rats treated for 7 days [high dose 3.6 g/(kg·d); middle dose 1.8 g/(kg·d); low dose 0.9 g/(kg·d)]. Cell cycle, cell viability, and apoptosis were evaluated after HepG2 cell line was cultured in FYG-containing serum for 48 h. The levels of IL-2 and TNF-α in FYG-containing serum were also determined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>FYG produced a potent antitumor effect (P<0.01) and induced marked apoptosis of the tumor tissue (P<0.05). Mice treated with FYG had higher percentages of CD3(+) and CD4(+) (P<0.05), and more NK cells (P<0.01) in the peripheral blood than those in the animals treated with normal saline. Mice receiving FYG had the highest serum levels of IL-2 and TNF-α (P<0.01). High-dose FYG-containing serum significantly decreased HepG2 cell viability, inhibited cell proliferation (P<0.05), and induced apoptosis (P<0.01). In addition, the levels of IL-2 and TNF-α of high-dose-containing serum were higher than the blank serum (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>FYG could inhibit HCC growth by regulating immune function and inducing apoptosis of tumor cells in vivo and in vitro.</p>

Effective components of Chinese herbal compound decoction and Maillard reaction / 中国结合医学杂志

This paper intends to explore the color changes considered to be Maillard reaction during the process of Chinese herbal medicine. The Maillard reaction products (MRPs) are often in substantial proportions of Chinese herbal compound decoctions but their effects are often neglected. By considering the effects of MRPs in studies of effective components on Chinese herbal compounds, a new perspective is established in future researches of Chinese herbal compound decoctions.