ABSTRACT
This study investigated the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the pathogenesis of triptolide-induced renal injury in vivo.Rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=5 in each):triptolide group in which the rats were intraperitoneally injected with triptolide solution at a dose of 1 mg/kg of body weight on day 8; control group in which the rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of 0.9％ physiological saline on day 8; vitamin C group in which the rats were pretreated with vitamin C by gavage at a dose of 250 mg/kg of body weight per day for 7 days before the same treatment as the control group on day 8; triptolide+vitamin C group in which the rats were first subjected to an oral administration of vitamin C at a dose of 250 mg/kg of body weight per day for 7 days,and then to the same treatment as the triptolide group on day 8.All the rats were sacrificed on day 10.Blood samples were collected for detection of plasma creatinine (Pcr) and plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) concentrations.Both kidneys were removed.The histological changes were measured by haematoxylin-eosin (HE)staining.The production of ROS was determined by detecting the fluorescent intensity of the oxidation-sensitive probe rhodamine 123 in renal tissue.Renal malondialdehyde (MDA) content was measured to evaluate lipid peroxidation level in renal tissue.TUNEL staining was performed to assess apoptosis of renal tubular cells.Renal expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2,Bax,Bid,Bad,Fas and FasL,as well as corresponding encoding genes were assessed by Western Blotting and real-time PCR.The results showed that triptolide treatment promoted the generation of a great amount of ROS,up-regulated the expression of Bax,Bid,Bad,Fas and FasL at both protein and mRNA levels,as well as the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2,and caused the apoptosis of renal tubular cells and renal injury.However,pretreatment with an antioxidant,vitamin C,significantly reduced the generation of ROS and effectively inhibited the triptolide-induced apoptosis of renal tubular cells and renal injury.It was concluded that ROS plays a critical role in triptolide-induced apoptosis of renal tubular cells and renal injury.The protective administration of vitamin C may help alleviate triptolide-induced renal injury and nephrotoxicity.
ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to assess whether Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) micro-spectroscopy could produce distinct spectral information on protein of old myocardial infarction (OMI) and to set them as molecular markers to diagnose atypical OMI. Paraffin-embedded heart samples were derived from victims dying of OMI. In combination with histological stain, FTIR and infrared micro-spectroscopy, the characteristics of OMI were analyzed morphologically and molecularly. The most relevant bands identified were the amide A, B, I and, II showing crucial spectral differences between apparent normal region and OMI region, including the peak position blue shift and the increased intensity of OMI, moreover relative increase in alpha-helix and decrease in beta-sheet of protein secondary structures in OMI. Comparing to single spectral band, the I1650/I1550 ratio was increased and rationally used as a molecular marker for diagnosing OMI. These novel preliminary findings supported further exploration of FTIR molecular profiling in clinical or forensic study, and were in accordance with histopathology.
ABSTRACT
Noncompaction of ventricular myocardium (NVM) is a rare cardiomyopathy. For the past few years, there have been more clinical reports and related scientific researches on NVM. It is one of the hottest topics in the field of clinical cardiovascular science. NVM is rare, but usually leads to fatal results, such as sudden unexpected death. Most forensic medical examiners in China have not recognized the importance of this disease. There are no good forensic pathological methods yet to identify this disease. Furthermore, NVM is easily to be confused with other types of heart diseases. As a result, we should be very careful about NVM, and understand the importance of making right diagnosis of NVM. This review focuses on NVM's pathological features, clinical diagnostic methods, and differential diagnosis from other cardiac disease. The key points on how to make right forensic pathological diagnosis of NVM have also been summarized.