Cyasterone inhibits IL-1β-mediated apoptosis and inflammation via the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in rat chondrocytes and ameliorates osteoarthritisin vivo / 中国天然药物

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent global joint disease, which is characterized by inflammatory reaction and cartilage degradation. Cyasterone, a sterone derived from the roots of Cyathula officinalis Kuan, exerts protective effect against several inflammation-related diseases. However, its effect on osteoarthritis remains unclear. The current study was designed to investigate the potential anti-osteoarthritis activity of cyasterone. Primary chondrocytes isolated from rats induced by interleukin (IL)-1β and a rat model stimulated by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) were used for in vitro and in vivo experiments, respectively. The results of in vitro experiments showed that cyasterone apparently counteracted chondrocyte apoptosis, increased the expression of collagen II and aggrecan, and restrained the production of the inflammatory factors inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-5 (ADAMTS-5), metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) induced by IL-1β in chondrocytes. Furthermore, cyasterone ameliorated the inflammation and degenerative progression of osteoarthritis potentially by regulating the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. For in vivo experiments, cyasterone significantly alleviated the inflammatory response and cartilage destruction of rats induced by monosodium iodoacetate, where dexamethasone was used as the positive control. Overall, this study laid a theoretical foundation for developing cyasterone as an effective agent for the alleviation of osteoarthritis.

Study on the Heart Protective Effect of Panax quinquefolium Extract Based on Zebra Fish Model / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To study the heart protective effect of Panax quinquefolium extract of Zebra fish. METHODS ：The drug dosage of P. quinquefolium extract and the optimal modeling dose of terfenadine were determined by tolerance test ；24 hours post fertilization （24 hpf），Zebra fish were divided into control group （0.5％ dimethyl sulfoxide ），model group （2.5 μg/mL terfenadine），positive control group （2.5 μ g/mL terfenadine + 30 μ g/mL resveratrol） and different mass concentration P. quinquefolium extract groups （2.5 μg/mL terfenadine+5，10，25 μg/mL P. quinquefolium extract，by raw material ）. 48 h after incubation，the heart rate and sinus venous-bulbus arteriosus （SV-BA）interval of Zebra fish were used as indexes ，and the heart injury repair rate was calculated to investigate the heart protection of P. quinquefolium extract. Another 24 hpf Zebra fish were divided into blank control group ，model group ，positive control group ，20 batches of P. quinquefolium extract from different producing area groups （5 μg/mL，by raw material ），with same administration route and 48 h of incubation. The heart rate ，SV-BA interval of heart was determined ，heart injury repair rate and heart injury relative repair rate were calculated ；the heart protective effect of P. quinquefolium extract was further validated. RESULTS ：Compared with blank control group ，heart rate was decreased significantly（P＜0.01），while SV-BA interval was increased significantly in model group （P＜0.01）. Compared with model group，heart rate of Zebra fish was increased significantly in positive control group and 5，10，25 μg/mL P. quinquefolium extract groups（P＜0.01），while SV-BA interval of Zebra fish was shortened significantly in 5，10 μg/mL P. quinquefolium extract groups （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）；heart injury repair rate of Zebra fish in 5 μg/mL P. quinquefolium extract group reached 73.77％. In validation test ，compared with model group ，heart rate was increased significantly （P＜0.01），while SV-BA interval of Zebra fish was decreased significantly in 20 batches of P. quinquefolium extract groups （P＜0.01）；heart injury repair rate ranged 70.45％-85.78％，and heart injury relative repair rate ranged 75.48％-98.12％. CONCLUSIONS ：P. quinquefolium extract has good heart protective effects.

Effect of Tiaowei Xiaozhi Pills on Gastric Juice Secretion and Gastrointestinal Function in Rats Model of Damp Stagnation Syndrome / 中药新药与临床药理

Objective To observe the effect of Tiaowei Xiaozhi Pills on gastric juice secretion and gastrointestinal function in rats model of damp stagnation syndrome. Methods The damp stagnation syndrome model was established in rats. The gastric juice,pepsin and gastrointestinal function were determined. Results Tiaowei Xiaozhi Pills in the dosages of 700 mg/kg and 350mg/kg can diminish the amount of gastric juice and pH level and increase pepsin level. Tiaowei Xiaozhi Pills in the dosages of 700 mg/kg,350 mg/kg,175 mg/kg can also improve gastrointestinal function in model rats. Conclusion Tiaowei Xiaozhi Pills have improvement on gastrointestinal function in rats model of damp stagnation syndrome.