Amygdalin Ameliorates Liver Fibrosis through Inhibiting Activation of TGF-β/Smad Signaling / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of amygdalin on liver fibrosis in a liver fibrosis mouse model, and the underlying mechanisms were partly dissected in vivo and in vitro.@*METHODS@#Thirty-two male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, including control, model, low- and high-dose amygdalin-treated groups, 8 mice in each group. Except the control group, mice in the other groups were injected intraperitoneally with 10% carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-olive oil solution 3 times a week for 6 weeks to induce liver fibrosis. At the first 3 weeks, amygdalin (1.35 and 2.7 mg/kg body weight) were administered by gavage once a day. Mice in the control group received equal quantities of subcutaneous olive oil and intragastric water from the fourth week. At the end of 6 weeks, liver tissue samples were harvested to detect the content of hydroxyproline (Hyp). Hematoxylin and eosin and Sirius red staining were used to observe the inflammation and fibrosis of liver tissue. The expressions of collagen I (Col-I), alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), CD31 and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)/Smad signaling pathway were observed by immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively. The activation models of hepatic stellate cells, JS-1 and LX-2 cells induced by TGF-β1 were used in vitro with or without different concentrations of amygdalin (0.1, 1, 10 µmol/L). LSECs. The effect of different concentrations of amygdalin on the expressions of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) dedifferentiation markers CD31 and CD44 were observed.@*RESULTS@#High-dose of amygdalin significantly reduced the Hyp content and percentage of collagen positive area, and decreased the mRNA and protein expressions of Col-I, α-SMA, CD31 and p-Smad2/3 in liver tissues of mice compared to the model group (P<0.01). Amygdalin down-regulated the expressions of Col-I and α-SMA in JS-1 and LX-2 cells, and TGFβ R1, TGFβ R2 and p-Smad2/3 in LX-2 cells compared to the model group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Moreover, 1 and 10 µmol/L amygdalin inhibited the mRNA and protein expressions of CD31 in LSECs and increased CD44 expression compared to the model group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Amygdalin can dramatically alleviate liver fibrosis induced by CCl4 in mice and inhibit TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, consequently suppressing HSCs activation and LSECs dedifferentiation to improve angiogenesis.

Pathological Mechanism of HSOS in Rats Induced by Different Doses of Monocrotaline / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the pathological changes of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome （HSOS） induced by different doses of monocrotaline （MCT） in rats， investigate the dose and duration of modeling， and elucidate the mechanism. MethodA total of 72 male SD rats were randomized into normal group （n=12）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose MCT groups （n=20 per group， 80，120，160 mg·kg-1， respecctively）. In the model groups， different doses of MCT were intragastrically administered to induce the HSOS in rats. After 48 h and 120 h separately， rats in each group were sacrificed and sampling was performed. The survival rate of rats in each group was calculated， and the body weight， liver weight， and and serum liver function indexes of the rats were examined. The histopathological changes of the liver were observed based on scanning electron microscopy， hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining， and Sirius red （SR） staining. Glutathione S-transferase （GST） activity， total superoxide dismutase （T-SOD） activity， and malondialdehyde （MDA） content of liver tissue homogenate were measured with microplate method. The expression of liver tissue-related indexes was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction （PCR）， Western blot， and immunohistochemistry. ResultThe activity of serum alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） in MCT groups rose with the increase in MCT dose （P<0.05， P<0.01） compared with that in the normal group. With the extension of modeling time， the activity of serum ALT and AST in the low-dose group decreased （P<0.01）， while the activity of them in the medium-dose and high-dose groups increased （P<0.01）. HE staining showed that hepatocyte necrosis， inflammatory cell infiltration， and erythrocyte accumulation in MCT groups. Electron microscopy demonstrated that fenestrae of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells widened and the sieve plates disappeared. Morever， the injury was worsened with the increase in MCT dose. In addition， the expression of CD44 in MCT groups was significantly reduced compared with that in the normal group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. SR staining showed that no positive staining was found in model groups after 48 h， while collagen deposition in portal areas and liver sinusoids could be seen in model groups after 120 h. MCT groups showed increase in MDA content and GST activity and decrease in T-SOD activity compared with the normal group， particularly the medium-dose and high-dose groups （P<0.01）， and the changes were dose-dependent after 120 h （P<0.01）. The protein expression of CD68 （pro-inflammatory macrophage marker） was raised with the increase in dosage， which was consistent with the results of immunohistochemistry （P<0.01）， while CD163 （anti-inflammatory macrophage marker） protein and mRNA expression was significantly decreased with the increase in dosage （P<0.01）. Western blot results showed that the expression of phosphorylated nuclear factor-κB/nuclear factor-κB （p-NF-κB/NF-κB） and phosphorylated protein kinase B/protein kinase B （p-Akt/t-Akt） was significantly increased in medium-dose and high-dose MCT groups （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The protein expression of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） in liver tissues in MCT groups was significantly increased over time and with the increase in dose， and the mRNA expression of α-SMA， collagen type I α1 （Col1a1）， and collagen type Ⅳ α1 （Col4a1） showed the same trend （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The results of TUNEL staining showed that apoptotic cells were increased with the rise of MCT dose， while B-cell lymphoma-2（Bcl-2） /Bcl-2 associated X protein （Bax） was remarkably decreased （P<0.01）. ConclusionHSOS in rats induced by intragastric administration of different doses of MCT was aggravated with the increase of dosage. In the low-dose （80 mg·kg-1） MCT group， the liver healed spontaneously over time. However， liver damage caused by MCT of 120 mg·kg-1 and 160 mg·kg-1 aggravated over time， and even fibrosis and death occurred. The pathological mechanism of MCT-induced HSOS in rats may be that MCT triggered intense oxidative stress in liver tissue， thus activated pro-inflammatory macrophages to secrete large amounts of inflammatory factors， and further activated the NF-κB/Akt signalling pathway， leading to severe cell damage and death.

Exploring Research on Processing Method of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To investigate the effects of black bean juice with different stewing times on the appearance character and the content changes of effective components of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata. Method::HPLC was employed with Agilent ZORBAX Extend-C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm), a gradient mobile phase of methanol (A)-water (B) was eluted (0-30 min, 5%-100%A; 30-40 min, 100%A), the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1, the injection volume was 10 μL and the column temperature was 35 ℃, detection wavelength was set at 280 nm. The contents of stilbene glycoside, emodin, emodin methyl ether, emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside and emodin methyl ether-8-O-glucoside in samples prepared at different processing times were simultaneously determined by HPLC. Result::The content of stilbene glycoside decreased gradually with the increase of stewing time, compared with 8 h, its content decreased by 76% at 64 h. The contents of emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside and emodin methyl ether-8-O-glucoside increased first, and then decreased, reaching the highest value at 24 h, and then decreased to the level similar to the content of 8 h after 40 h, and then fluctuated slightly. The contents of emodin and emodin methyl ether increased first, and then decreased, reached the maximum when stewed for 32 h, then decreased slowly and tended to be stable. Conclusion::The stewing time has significant influence on the content of various components in Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata, and the changing trend is different, the processing time of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata shall be standardized. At the same time, it is not sufficient to take stilbene glycoside and anthraquinones as the indicator ingredients for this decoction pieces, the quality control indicators such as polysaccharides shall be considered.

Analysis on Bidirectional Regulation of Purging and Astringency About Raw and Steamed Products of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Their Active Components / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To elucidate the characteristics of bidirectional regulation of raw and steamed products of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and their active components, in order to provide scientific basis for clinical rational use of this decoction pieces. Method:Mice were randomly divided into the blank group(distilled water, 10 mL·kg-1), raw rhubarb group(1.62 g·kg-1), steamed rhubarb group(0.972 g·kg-1), raw rhubarb anthraquinone group(0.22 g·kg-1), steamed rhubarb anthraquinone group(0.19 g·kg-1), raw rhubarb tannin group(0.17 g·kg-1) and steamed rhubarb tannin group(0.027 g·kg-1). Each group was divided into 3 batches of 10 mice. Mice in each group were given the corresponding dose by continuous gavage for 7 days, the diarrhea index(EI) of mice in each group was recorded every day. The serum levels of motilin(MTL), vasoactive intestinal peptide(VIP) and epinephrine(EPI) were measured on day 1,3,7. Result:Compared with the blank group, EI of the rhubarb group increased significantly on the 3rd day(Pth day of administration(Prd day(Pth day(Pst day of administration, on the 3rd day of administration, the MTL level in the steamed rhubarb anthraquinone group increased significantly(PPPth day of administration, the MTL levels of the raw and steamed rhubarb tannin groups increased to the level in the blank group, the VIP level of the raw rhubarb anthraquinone group increased significantly(PPConclusion:The combined anthraquinone and hydrolyzable tannin in rhubarb can promote gastrointestinal motility and diarrhea. The effect of astringent intestines is caused by the monomer tannin produced by digestion and decomposition of condensed tannin, which may be one of the mechanisms of bidirectional regulation of rhubarb decoction pieces.