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OBJECTIVE@#Identifying novel strategies to prevent particulate matter (PM)-induced lung injury is crucial for the reduction of the morbidity of chronic respiratory diseases. The combined intervention represented by herbal formulae for simultaneously targeting multiple pathological processes can provide a more beneficial effect than the single intervention. The aim of this paper is therefore to design a safe and effective medicinal and edible Chinese herbs (MECHs) formula against PM-induced lung injury.@*METHODS@#PM-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory response and apoptosis A549 cell model were used to screen anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic MECHs, respectively. A network pharmacology method was utilized to rationally design a novel herbal formula. Ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer was utilized to assess the quality control of MECHs formula. The excretion of magnetic iron oxide nanospheres of the MECHs formula was estimated in zebrafish. The MECH formula against PM-induced lung injury was investigated with mice experiments.@*RESULTS@#Five selected herbs were rationally designed to form a new MECH formula, including Citri Exocarpium Rubrum (Juhong), Lablab Semen Album (Baibiandou), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Baizhu), Mori Folium (Sangye) and Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma (Yuzhu). The formula effectively promoted the magnetic iron oxide nanospheres excretion in zebrafish. The mid/high dose formula significantly prevented PM-induced lung damage in mice by enhancing the activity of SOD and GSH-Px, reducing the MDA and ROS level and attenuating the upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α), down regulating the protein expression of NF-κB, STAT3 and Caspase-3.@*CONCLUSION@#Our findings suggest that the effective MECHs formula will become a novel strategy for preventing PM-induced lung injury and provide a paradigm for the development of functional foods using MECHs.
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BACKGROUND:Mesenchymal stem cells have a extreme prospect in orthopedics, which show great potential especially in the treatment of articular cartilage defect disease. Bone marrow is the main source of mesenchymal stem cells, and the iliac puncture is a conventional way to obtain bone marrow, but is restricted by the limited resources and strict technical requirements. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore new effective and convenient sources of mesenchymal stem cells. OBJECTIVE:To explore the feasibility of autologous mesenchymal stem cells derived from the joint drainage fluid after knee arthroscopy.METHODS: We selected eight patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery to collect joint drainage fluid by pre-made sterile blood bag before the wound closure. Precipitation with hydroxyethyl starch and density gradient centrifugation method were performed to isolate and culture mesenchymal stem cells from the joint drainage fluid. Cell morphology, growth curve, surface marker identification were observed and detected using flow cytometry. Then, adipogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation of cells were induced and identified by oil red O, toluidine blue staining, and alizarin red staining, respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The cultured cells were spindle-shaped, adherently grew and had good proliferation ability, which were positive for CD44, CD90, CD105 and CD73, but not for CD45. Under standard inductions, the cultured cells were induced to differentiate into osteoblasts, adipocytes and chondrocytes. Therefore, these cells were confirmed as mesenchymal stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells were successfully isolated from the joint drainage fluid of eight patients and had no difference in cell morphology, proliferation and phenotypes. To conclude, the joint drainage fluid is an ideal source of mesenchymal stem cells with the guaranteed quality and quantity.
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Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of different acoustic power of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in treating human pancreatic xenograft models. Methods Human pancreatic cancer cells (YY-1) were implanted subcutaneously in nude mice to establish animal models. The tumor bearing mice were divided into low-power HIFU treatment group (200 W,n=10), high-power HIFU treatment group (300 W,n=10) and blank control group (n=10). The change of tumor volume, the tumor growth rate and side effects were recorded. The apoptosis rate of tumor cells of each group was determined by TUNEL method. Results The tumor volume and the tumor growth rate of the low-power group and the high-power group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P0.05). Compared with the low-power group, the incidence of side effects in the high-power group was significantly higher (P0.05). Conclusion For the treatment of human pancreatic xenograft tumor in nude mice models, HIFU with low power is effective and safer.
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Objective To study the efficiency of the treatment of experimental hepatocellular carcinoma in rats with arsenic trioxide and to elucidate the possible mechanism.Methods Wistar rats were fed with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) to induce HCC, then treated with As2O3. The histological changes in liver tissue were observed under microscope, and the cellular dynamic parameters were studied by flow cytometry. Results Treatment with As2O3 caused HCC cells death via both apoptotic and non-apoptotic mechanisms when the dose was high (5 mg/kg), the necrosis was seldom and apoptosis was common when the dose was appropriate (1 mg/kg). Proliferation index (PI) decreased sharply in high-dose (5 mg/kg) group (P＜0.01), but not in other two (1 mg/kg, 0.2 mg/jg) groups (P＞0.05). However, S phase fraction (SPF) decreased dramatically in all three groups (P＜0.01). Although apoptosis of HCC cells was common in all three groups, it reached the top only when the dose (1 mg/kg) was appropriate (P＜0.001), and it was obviously accompanied with accumulation of cells in G2/M (G2/M restriction). Conclusion These date demonstrate that arsenic trioxide induces apoptosis of rat HCC cells, and it is closely associated with G2/M restriction when apoptosis reaches the top. The data also suggest that arsenic trioxide can inhibit cell proliferation, which is dose-dependent and time-dependent. The fact that continuous intermittent i.p. injection of arsenic trioxide can also be effective may afford a novel way to use the drug more safely.