Anti-osteoarthritis activity of urtica extracts at different concentrations / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Urtica,as a traditional Chinese medicine,is famous for anti-inflammatory,detumescence and anti-rheumatic effects,but its effect on osteoarthritis remains unknown.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the therapeutic effect of different concentrations of urtica on osteoarthritis and the underlying mechanism.METHODS:(1) Eighteen rats were selected,and after their hair was shaved,the rats were divided into three groups (n=6 per group).The rat skin was painted with paraffin,urtica colloid and 0.8％ formaldehyde,respectively,and the skin rash and swelling were observed.(2) Thirty rats were selected,and the rat model of osteoarthritis was established by injecting papain,followed by equally allotted into 100,200,and 400 mg/kg urtica and positive control groups.The diameter of the rat left knee was measured at 1,2 and 3 weeks after administration to determine the severity of knee swelling.The rat model of acute pain was established with 0.6％ acetic acid solution,and then the model rats were subjected to different concentrations of urtica or normal saline (control group).(3) The frequency of rat tumbling and twisting was observed to determine the analgesic effect of urtica.The levels of interleukin-1β,tumor necrosis factor-α and matrix metalloproteinase 3 in the synovial fluid of the left knee joint were detected by ELISA at 1,2 and 3 weeks after administration.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After urtica administration,no edema or rash appeared on the rat skin surface.Compared with the control group,200 and 400 mg/kg urtica could reduce joint swelling and pain,showing no significant difference from indomethacin.Compared with the control group,200 and 400 mg/kg urtica reduced the levels of interleukin-1 β,tumor necrosis factor-α and matrix metalloproteinase 3 in the synovial fluid.These results manifest that urtica exerts the effects of anti-inflammation,analgesia,detumescence and anti-osteoarthritis.

Anti-depressant effect and mechanism of supercritical CO2 extract from Compound Chaigui Fang / 中国中药杂志

The tail suspension test (TST), forced swimming test (FST) and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model were used to evaluate the anti-depressant effect of supercritical CO2 extract from Compound Chaigui Fang (FFCGF). A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabonomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis was performed to explore the mechanism of FFCGF. Rats were conducted by CUMS procedure for 28 days and drugs were administrated at the same time. The body weight, sucrose preference, crossings and rearings in open-field tests were evaluated and the urine was collected simultaneously. The metabonomic profiles of rats' urine were analyzed by NMR and potential biomarkers were searched by multivariate statistical analysis. The results showed that administration of FFCGF significantly decreasing the immobility time in FST and TST and improving rats' body weight, sucrose preference, crossings and rearings in CUMS, which were indication that the anti-depressant effect of FFCGF was abvious. Significant differences in the metabolic profile of the CUMS treated group and the control group were observed, which were consistent with the results of behavioral tests. Decreased levels of acetic acid, succinic acid, 2-oxidation glutaric acid and citric acid and increased glycine and pyruvic acid in urine were significantly affected by the CUMS procedure and the 6 biomarkers were reversed evidently after administration of FFCGF. These changes were suggestion that the anti-depressant mechanism of FFCGF was associated with energy metabolism, lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism.

Effects of different wave-length lights on proliferation and secretion of growth factors in human retinal pigment epithelium cells / 中华实验眼科杂志

BackgroundThe study of myopia development is always the hotspot worldwide. Recently,scientist found that some growth factor secreted by retinal nerve epithelium cells and retinal pigment epithelium(RPE)cells are associated with the development of myopia. Whenever, the absorption of RPE cells to different wave-length lights is different. ObjectiveThis study was to investigate the effects of different wave-lengths lights on the proliferation of human RPE cells, and explore the influence of different wave-lengths lights on RPE cells secreting hepatocyte growth factor(HGF) ,basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF) and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β).Methods The fourth to fifth passages of human embryonic RPE cells were exposed to blue light( λ =480 nm),red light( λ =775 nm) and white light. The cells of control group were harvested in normal condition. The proliferation and growth of RPE cells were assayed by MTT,and the ultrastructure of cells was examined under the transmission electron microscopy at 48 hours after light exposure of RPE cells. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was adopted to determine the concentrations of HGF,bFGF and TGF-β in the culture medium in 12,24,48,72 hours. The expression of HGF mRNA in RPE cells was detected by RT-PCR. This study was approved by Ethic committee of Fudan University. ResultsThe A490 values of the cells exposed to blue light,red light,white light and white light were 0. 0218±0. 0014 ;0. 0353±0. 0025 ;0. 0371 ±0. 0024 and 0. 0445 +0. 0046 respectively with the significant difference among 4 groups ( F =12. 579, P＜0.05 ), and A490 value in blue light group, red light group were significantly lower than that of the control group ( t =2.043 ; t =2.024, P＜0.05 ). ELISA showed that the concentrations of HGF and TGF-β in culture medium were evidently elevated as the prolongation of light exposure in various light exposure groups in 72 hours(HGF) and 48 hours(TGF-β) compared with 12 hours with a predominating rise in the control group. The statistically significant differences were found in the concentrations of HGF and TGF-β between control group and blue light group or red light group in the( all P＜0. 05 ). The bFGF level was decreased with the time increase of various light exposure with the significant differences in 72 hours compared with 12 hours( P＜0.05 ). RT-PCR revealed the considerable difference about expression of HGF mRNA in RPE cells among these four groups( P＜0. 05 ), and the lest expression in HGF mRNA was in the blue light group compared with control group( t =3. 972,P＜0.05 ). Thinning of the chromatin, decreasing of organelle and loss of cellular membrane were seen in the blue light group, but no obvious change of ultrastructure of human embryo RPE cells was found in the ret and white light groups. ConclusionsThe irradiation of different wave-length light can effect the growth and proliferation and secretion of HGF,bFGF and TGFβ in human RPE cells in vitro,implying myopia formation is associated to exposure of different wave-length light.