ABSTRACT
Alismatis Rhizoma Decoction [ARD] is a classical Traditional Chinese Medicine [TCM] formula for treatment of vertigo with its long history of successful clinical effect. Since vertigo is a symptom of hyperlipidemia, this study aimed at evaluating the hypolipidemic effect of ARD in hyperlipidemic mice induced by high fat diet [HFD] and investigated the rationality of formula combination of Alismatis Rhizoma [AR] and AtractyJodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma [AMR]. Compared with control group, hyperlipidemic mice in AR and ARD groups displayed a reduction of the following parameters: body weight, liver and serum total cholesterol, triglyceride concentration, liver and spleen coefficients, activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and alanine aminotransferase [ALT]; whereas the serum HDL-cholesterol levels were significantly elevated in both AR and ARD groups. AR and ARD treatments significantly down regulated the expressions of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutharyl-coenzyme A reductase [HMG-CoA reductase] and sterol regulatory element binding factor-2 [SREBF-2]. These findings clearly provided evidences that the suppression on biosynthesis of cholesterol in liver may in part contribute to the hypolipidemic effects of ARD and AR. Since no significantly hypolipidemic effect of AMR was observed, the more prominent effect of ARD than that of AR indicated synergistic effects of AR and AMR, and confirmed the rationality of ARD formula
ABSTRACT
Objective To study the expression of gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GnRH receptor) in the stomach of Sprague-Dawley rat exposed to light stress. Methods We established illumination stressed models that the rats were exposed to continuous light(totally 64 rats, 32 rats for experiment and control group, respectively). Then,stomachs were taken from the rats when the rats exposed to continuous light for 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks and their control groups, respectively.The localization and the expression of GnRHR and GnRHR mRNA in stomachs mucous membrane were detected using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and real-time PCR. Results Immunoreactivity was displayed mostly in the parietal cells in gastric gland. There were not differences of this distribution in all groups of constant illumination and their control. The immunoreactive materials were distributed on membrane and in cytoplasm of all positive cells, but not in nuclei. The level of GnRHR in rats exposed to continuous illumination were higher from one week to four weeks compared with that in control(P<0.05), and the level of GnRHR reached the peak when rats were exposed to constant illumination for two weeks (P<0.01). The quantity of GnRH mRNA in rats exposed to continuous illumination were higher from three weeks to four weeks compared with that in control(P<0.05). Conclusion The expression of GnRHR in digestive tract was effected by illumination stress.GnRH might regulate digestive function by interaction with GnRHR, suggesting that GnRH may be acted as a hormone, not only responded to normal physiological function of digestive tract but also responded to stress activity.