ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE To study the effects of cy cloastragenol （CAG） on carbon tetrachloride （CCl4）-induced hepatic fibrosis（HF）and glycolysis in mice. METHODS Male ICR mice were randomly divided into blank group ，model group ，CAG low-dose，medium-dose and high-dose groups （60，120，240 mg/kg），with 6 mice in each group. Except that blank group was given olive oil intraperitoneally ，the mice in other groups were intraperitoneally injected with 10％CCl4-olive oil solution （5 mL/kg） three times a week for 8 weeks to induce HF model. From the 4th week after modeling ，mice in each drug group were given corresponding drug solution intragastrically （10 mL/kg），and mice in blank group and model group were given 0.5％ sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution intragastrically （10 mL/kg），once a day for 4 weeks. During the experiment ，the body weight of mice were weighted ；after last gastrogavage ，the liver weight was weighted and liver indexes of mice were calculated. The changes of hepatic injury indexes [aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）]， related indexes of HF [hematoxylin-eosin （HE）staining score ，Masson and Picrosirius red staining collagen volume fraction ，collagen Ⅰ，α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）] and related indexes of glycolysis [lactic acid （LD），hexokinase（HK），phosphofructokinase（PFK）， pyruvate kinase （PK）] were all detected. RESULTS Compared with model group ，the collagen deposition and fibrosis of mice in each drug group were reduced ，and the body weights of mice （except for CAG low-dose group ）were increased to some extent （P＜0.05）. Liver indexes ，serum levels of ALT and AST ，HE staining score of liver histopathology ，Masson and Picrosirius red staining collagen volume fraction ，protein expression of collagen Ⅰ and α-SMA，serum content of LD ，the levels of HK ，PFK and PK in serum and hepatic tissues （except for hepatic tissue of CAG low-dose group ）were all decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS CAG can improve HF in mice induced by CCl 4，and reduce the levels of key enzymes and products of glycolysis.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>A novel bHLH-like gene, designated SmbHLH1, was isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza, in order to identify a bHLH gene in related to danshinone biosysnthesis.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>SmbHLH1 was isolated by RT-PCR,and Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the gene expression level.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The full length of SmbHLH1 cDNA has an open reading frame of 999 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence of SmbHLH1 has 332 amino acid residues which forms a 36 kDa polypeptide with a calculated pI of 5.4. SmbHLH1 gene was expressed at high level in root, but low level in stem, leaf and flower of S. miltiorrhiza. The transcripts of SmbHLH1 was suppressed when the plants were treated with exogenous MeJA, Yeast + Ag+. The transcripts of SmbHLH1 constitutively accumulated in response to exogenous ABA and low concentration of salicylic acid.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SmbHLH is a new member of the S. miltiorrhiza bHLH family, and its possible roles in brassinosteriods signaling responses.</p>