Effect of dangua recipe on glycolipid metabolism and VCAM-1 and its mRNA expression level in Apo E(-/-) mice with diabetes mellitus / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of Dangua Recipe (DGR) on glycolipid metabolism, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and its mRNA expression level of transgenic Apo E(-/-) mouse with spontaneous atherosclerosis, thus revealing its partial mechanism for curing diabetes mellitus (DM) with angiopathy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Diabetic model was prepared by peritoneally injecting streptozotocin (STZ) to Apo E(-/-) mouse. Totally 32 modeled mice were stratified by body weight, and then divided into 4 groups referring to blood glucose levels from low to high by random digit table, i.e., the model group (MOD, fed with sterile water, at the daily dose of 15 mL/kg), the DGR group (fed with DGR at the daily dose of 15 mL/kg), the combination group (COM, fed with DGR at the daily dose of 15 mL/kg and pioglitazone at the daily dose of 4.3 mg/kg), and the pioglitazone group (PIO, at the daily dose of 4.3 mg/kg), 8 in each group. Another 8 normal glucose C57 mouse of the same age and strain were recruited as the control group. All interventions lasted for 12 weeks by gastrogavage. The fasting blood glucose (FBG), body weight, food intake, water intake, skin temperature, the length of tail, and the degree of fatty liver were monitored. The hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), and LDL-C were determined. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) was determined by radioimmunoassay. Nitrogen monoxidum (NO) was determined by nitrate reductase. The kidney tissue VCAM-1 level was analyzed with ELISA. The expression of VCAM-1 mRNA in the kidney tissue was detected with real time quantitative PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the body weight and food intake decreased, water intake increased in all the other model groups (P < 0.05). Besides, the curve of blood glucose was higher in all the other model groups than in the control group (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the body weight increased; levels of HbAlc, TC, LDL-C, ET-1, and VCAM-1 were significantly lower; and skin temperature was higher in the DGR group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with the PIO group, body weight, the increment of body weight, FBG, TC, and LDL-C were lower (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); food intake and water intake increased more and the tail length was longer in the DRG group (P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in the level of NO among groups. The degree of fatty liver in the model group was significantly severer than that in the control group (P < 0.05). It was obviously alleviated in the DGR group (P < 0.05) when compared with the model group and the PIO group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). But it was severer in the PIO group than in the model group (P < 0.01). The degree of fatty liver in the combination group ranged between that of the DGR group and the PIO group (P < 0.05). The level of VCAM-1 mRNA expression was significantly lower in the DGR group than in the model group, the PIO group, and the combination group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>DGR had effect in lowering blood glucose and blood lipids, and fighting against fatty liver of transgenic Apo E(-/-) mouse with spontaneous atherosclerosis. DGR played an effective role in preventing and treating DM with angiopathy by comprehensively regulating glycolipid metabolism and promoting the vascular function.</p>

PEG-mediated covalent binding of VEGF to decellularized aortic valves promotes adhesion and proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To improve the biological properties of decellularized aortic valves by polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated covalent incorporation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>PEG crosslinking of decellularized aortic valves were completed via a Michael-type addition reaction, followed by covalent incorporation of VEGF through another Michael-type addition reaction between the unsaturated propylene acyl of PEG and the thiol groups on cysteine residues of VEGF. The effect of VEGF incorporation was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immune fluorescence assay. The endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were seeded on decellularized aortic valves with or without these modifications, and after 10 days of culture, the valves were examined for DNA content and by hematoxylin-eosin staining and scanning electron microscopy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Immune fluorescence and ELISA showed that the maximal VEGF incorporation on the decellularized aortic valve reached 908.94∓0.27 pg. Compared with the unmodified valves and the valves with PEG crosslinking, decellularized aortic valves with covalent incorporation of VEGF significantly promoted the adhesion and proliferation of EPCs, which formed a confluent cell monolayer on the valve surface.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PEG-mediated covalent incorporation of VEGF in the decellularized aortic valves improves the adhesion and proliferation of the seeded EPCs to facilitate the construction of tissue-engineered heart valves.</p>