ABSTRACT
Endotoxin,which is also called lipopolysaccharide (LPS),is a unique element of Gram-negative bacteria.Liver is the main site for removing bacteria and endotoxin.Meanwhile,it is also the most vulnerable organ.Liver injury initially occurs in the hepatic sinu-soids.This article mainly introduces the impact of LPS on Kupffer cells,hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells,oxidant/antioxidant balance in the hepatic sinusoids,and liver blood flow.It is believed that the function of hepatic sinusoids in LPS-induced liver injury should not be ig-nored,and the hepatic sinusoids would play an important role in the prevention and treatment of LPS-induced liver injury.
ABSTRACT
Herb combination has been very popular in traditional medical prescriptions such as Traditional Chinese Medicine [TCM]. Persistent efforts and attempts have been made to dissect the action mode of TCM in recent years, which has provided certain evidence for inter-herbal interactions. However, the interactions among different components in a single herb have been largely neglected. In this experimental study, the interactions among different components of a single herb were explored. The effect of three main sesquiterpenes [germacrone, curdione, furanodiene] isolated from Curcuma WenyujinY.H. Chenet C Ling on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell proliferation alone or in combination with a fixed-dose-combination was investigated. Furanodiene significantly inhibited cancer cell proliferation while germacrone and curdione showed no effect. Germacrone enhanced furanodiene's anti-proliferative effect. Curdione showed no effect on furanodiene's anti-proliferative effect but partly reversed the anti-proliferative effect of germacrone and furanodiene combined. The morphological and mitochondrial membrane potential [delta [PSI]m] changes showed similar results. However, they demonstrated complicated interactions on the expression of apoptotic-related proteins and key signal transduction proteins. Unpredictable and complex interactions among different components in Curcuma WenyujinY.H.Chenet C Ling may exist. The intra-herb interactions should be taken into consideration when attempts are made to interpret the art of TCM formulation or other similar recipes
Subject(s)
Humans , Sesquiterpenes, Germacrane , Furans , Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring , Cell Proliferation , Herb-Drug Interactions , Medicine, Chinese TraditionalABSTRACT
The effects of Sinomenine on experimental arrhythmia were studied. The result showed that Sinomenine could shorten the arrhythmetic period induced by picrotoxin in rabbit and protect rat against arrhythmia induced by BaCl_2. Sinomenine was found to recover the arrhythmia induced by BaCl_2-Ach into sinus rhythm in mice, Beside these Sinomenine also showed significant antagonising to ischemic arrhythmia.