Protective effect of Sika Deer bone polypeptide extract on dexamethasone-induced osteoporosis in rats

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis attacks approximately 10% of the population worldwide. Sika Deer (Cervus nippon), one of China's precious traditional medicinal animals, has been widely recorded in ancient Chinese medical books and claimed for centuries to have numerous medical benefits including bone strengthening. This study aimed to find the use of Sika Deer bone in treating osteoporosis according to traditional records and to investigate the protective effect of Sika Deer bone polypeptide extract on glucocorticoidinduced osteoporosis (GIOP) in rats. RESULTS: Sika Deer bone polypeptide extract could increase serum Ca2+ and BGP, decrease serum P3+, ALP, PTH, and CT, but had no effect on serum NO in rats with GIOP. The immunohistochemical iNOS results of the rats' distal femur were negative in each group. Besides the model group, the eNOS color reaction in osteoblasts was strongly positive in the other three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Sika Deer bone polypeptide extract can improve pathological changes in the microstructure and stimulate the expression of eNOS in osteoblasts. The protective effect on bone might be mediated by eNOS-dependent NO generation.

Effect of anti-androgen and progesterone on development of regrowth antlers in 6 year old sika deer / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the effects of anti-androgen drugs and melengestrol acetate (MGA) on development of regrowth antlers in 6 year old sika deer, twenty healthysika deerwith similar body weight and antler weightwere randomly divided into five groups by using single factor test design: flutamide (=4), bicalutamide (=4), progesterone acetate (CPA, =4), melengestrol acetate (MGA, =4), control(=4). All deer were fed with same diets and were housed outside together in an opened fence of 15 m×30 m with free access to water and feed. Treatment groups were injected subcutaneously sustained-release agents of the four drugs respectively when two-branched antlers were harvested. The control group had no special treatment. In the experiment period of 60 d, blood sampleswere collected for 4 times for each deer. The concentration of testosterone in plasma was tested and analyzed to compare the changes between different groups. Development of regrowth antlers was observed. At the end of the experiment, regrowth antlers were weighted and analyzed. The resultsshowed that the weights of regrowth antlers in treatment groups were significantly greater than those from control group and the weight gain (as compared with the control group) was 100.50%, 64.46%, 87.16% and 117.46% respectively in flutamide group, bicalutamide group, progesterone acetate group and melengestrol acetate group. For plasma testosterone concentration, it was not significantly different in the early stage (in the first 35 d), but at the end of the experimen, it was significantly higher than that of earlier stage (<0.01) in various groups. Testosterone concentration of flutamide treated group was significantly lower than that of the other groups (<0.01), while the level inbicalutamide and MGA treated groups was significantly higher than that in other groups (<0.01). The results showed that both anti-androgen drugs and MGA treatment promoted the development of regrowth antlers and increased the weight of regrowth antlers, where the effect was most significant by MGA treatment. From the morphological observation of the antlers, it was found that anti-androgen and MGA treatments prolonged the growth period of regrowth antlers through delaying the ossification of antlers. However, plasma testosterone concentration was not affected by the treatments.

Analysis of Differential Proteins of Sika Deer Antler at Rapid Growth and Ossification Stages / 分析化学

Differential proteomics analysis of Sika deer antlers at rapid growth stage (60 d) and ossification stage ( 90 d) was performed by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation ( iTRAQ ) , ultra high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry technologies. A total of 127 differential proteins were identified. Compared with the ossification stage, 80 differential proteins were significantly up-regulated and 47 differential proteins were significantly down-regulated at the rapid growth stage. These differential proteins were mainly distributed in the regions of extracellular matrix, nucleosome, haptoglobin-hemoglobin complex, actin filament, endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment, endoplasmic reticulum lumen, and endometrium, etc. The up-regulated differential proteins were mainly involved in the regulations of oxygen transport in the blood, nerve growth and regeneration, cartilage and bone development and ATP synthesis compared with ossification stage, and the down-regulated differential proteins were mainly involved in the endochondral ossification process. The changes of protein expression at different growth stages were closely related to antler rapid growth and ossification. Therefore, the results of this study provided a basic data for discovering the molecular mechanisms of antler rapid growth and ossification, and it was of great significance for further study of the pharmacological basis and clinical application of antlers.

Protective effect of Sika deer velvet antler protein on cisplatin-induced kidney injury / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To investigate the protective effect of Sika deer velvet antler protein (SVPr) against renal toxicity in mice and its mechanism.METHODS Forty ICR mice were randomly divided into 5 groups:normal control group (ig distilled water),model group (ig distilled water for 7 d,on the 7th day,ip cisplatin 25 mg·kg-1 to establish the model,afterwards ig distilled water for 3 d) and SVPr 5,10 and 20 mg· kg-1 groups (ig SVPr for 7 d,cisplatin 25 mg· kg-1 was provided 2 h after the last administration,then ig SVPr for 3 d).Testing kits were adopted for the measurement of renal indexes in mice,such as blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr);oxidative stress indictors of super oxide dismutase (SOD),catalase (CAT),glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA);inflammation indictor levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).Caspase 3,Bax and Bcl-2 were detected via Western blotting,and renal pathological changes were observed by HE staining.RESULTS SVPr (5,10 and 20 mg·kg-1) significantly reduced the levels of SCr,BUN,MDA,TNF-α and IL-6,and the expressions of caspase 3 and Bax (P＜0.05),but increased the activities of SOD,CAT and GSH,and the expression of Bcl-2 (P＜0.05).The renal pathological changes were improved.CONCLUSION SVPr can reduce renal toxicity induced by cisplatin in mice,and the mechanism is probably related to inhibiting oxidative stress or inflammatory reaction and improving cell apoptosis.

Effects of IGF-1 on the expression of Col Ⅰ in sika deer antler chondrocytes / 中国兽医学报

This study aimed to use the sika deer as a model to study the influence of IGF-1 on the expression of Col Ⅰ in antler chondrocytes.The chondrocytes were separated from sika deer antlers,cultured and were treated with recombinant human IGF-1 protein (rIGF-1),both rIGF-1 and PQ401,and transfected with IGF-1 over-expression plasmid or IGF-1 siRNA,respectively.The expression of Col Ⅰ which,a well-known marker for chondrocytes dedifferentiation,was detected by real-time PCR.The results showed that administration of rIGF-1 to antler chondroctyes resulted in an obvious decrease of Col Ⅰ mRNA levels,while PQ401 pretreatment could dramatically attenuate the effects of rIGF-1 on the expression of Col Ⅰ mRNA.After transfection with IGF-1 over-expression plasmid,the expression of Col Ⅰ mRNA was obviously reduced in antler chondrocytes compared with control.Conversely,knockdown IGF1 with specific siRNA could increase the expression of Col Ⅰ in antler chondrocytes.These results indicate that IGF-1 may play an important role in process of antler chondrocyte dedifferentiation.

Origin Determination of Sika Deer Bones by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism / 中国药师

Objective: To establish a method of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) to determine the origin of sika deer bones.Methods: The DNA in the bone samples was extracted after decalcification, and then amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).The origin of the samples was further identified using RFLP analysis.Results: The bone samples of sika deer and red deer could be distinguished from those of pig, bovine and dog by PCR.And the samples of sika deer and red deer could be further distinguished by RFLP through the analysis of the length of restriction enzyme XbaI.Conclusion: A RFLP method is established to determine the origin of sika deer bones.

Sudden death caused by diaphragmatic rupture following rib fracture in a female sika deer (Cervus nippon) at a zoo

A one-year-old female sika deer died suddenly with no preliminary signs during exhibition at a zoo. At necropsy, the carcass was emaciated and had dried fur. Examination of the thoracic cavity revealed a diaphragmatic rupture measuring 2 cm in diameter and a fracture in the middle of the right eighth rib. The liver and lungs had irregular circular discolorations caused by diaphragmatic rupture and subsequent herniation. Dark-brown-colored ascitic fluid, hydrothorax, and yellowish hydropericardium were also observed. The cause of death was determined to be diaphragmatic rupture caused by a rib fracture, which led to respiratory imbalance and circulatory disorders.

Retrospective study of the medical status of 34 Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanu) at the Taipei Zoo from 2003 to 2014 / 대한수의학회지

The Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanus) is an endemic subspecies in Taiwan. The original wild deer has been extinct since the late 1960s. The largest captive population is located at the Taipei Zoo. Except for infectious disease outbreaks, no systemic medical research has been reported for this subspecies. This study was conducted to analyze the medical status of the captive Formosan sika deer population, including the hematological and serum chemistry characteristics. To accomplish this, medical records for 34 Formosan sika deer from January 2003 to January 2014 were acquired and analyzed. The most common illness and cause of death was trauma, followed by gastrointestinal and respiratory disease, respectively. The hematologic and serum chemical values of healthy adults were quite different from those of sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis). This study provides a closer medical understanding of this subspecies and the results will facilitate its management.

Identification of single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the prion protein gene in sika deer (Cervus nippon laiouanus)

Polymorphisms of the prion protein gene (PRNP) havebeen detected in several cervid species. In order toconfirm the genetic variations, this study examined theDNA sequences of the PRNP obtained from 33 captivesika deer (Cervus nippon laiouanus) in Korea. A total ofthree single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at codons100, 136 and 226 in the PRNP of the sika deer wereidentified. The polymorphic site located at codon 100 hasnot been reported. The SNPs detected at codons 100 and226 induced amino acid substitutions. The SNP at codon136 was a silent mutation that does not induce any aminoacid change. The genotype and allele frequencies weredetermined for each of the SNPs.

Cloning of ribosomal protein L27 cDNA from Jilin Shuangyang sika deer / 中草药

Object To develop the gene resources of Jilin Shuangyang sika deer,a rare animal in China and reveal the pharmacological functions of deer medicinal material on the molecular level. Methods A cDNA plasmid library of spleen cells derived from Shuangyang sika deer was set up. Some housekeeping genes were cloned and analyzed. Results One of the cDNA sequences and it's deduced amino acid sequence in deer share high homology with a group of cDNA sequences encoding ribosomal protein L27 in human,rat,Canis and mouse and their corresponding amino acid sequence respectively. It has the completed open reading frame as well. Conclusion A novel full-length cDNA encoding Shuangyang sika deer ribosomal protein L27 is discovered. This sequence has been deposited in Genbank under accession number AF373231.