Effects of Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid on enteric mucosal immune responses in mice with Bacillus dysenteriae and Salmonella typhimurium induced diarrhea / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid (HXZQ) on enteric mucosal immune responses in mice with Bacillus dysenteriae and Salmonella typhimurium induced diarrhea (BSD).</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Mice were randomly divided into four groups with 10 mice in each group: control group (control), BSD group, Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid treated BSD groups at high dosage and low dosage (HXZQ high, HXZQ low). HXZQ was administrated from the day of diarrhea induction at dosage of 5.21 g kg(-1) and 0.52 g kg (-1) respectively. Peyer's patch and periphery lymphocytes were prepared for flow cytometry, and level of TNF-alpha in periphery and enteric tissue homogenate were determined with ELISA. Student's t-test was used for statistics.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Mice in BSD group started showing continuous diarrhea at the day of induction till the fourth day when the mice were sacrificed. Diarrhea in the mice of HXZQ high and low groups lasted for 36 and 54 h respectively. There were more CD4+ and CD8+ cells in periphery, less CD4+ cells in peyer's patch in BSD mice comparing to normal mice. In peyer's patch, there were more CD8+ cells in mice in HXZQ high and low groups and more CD4+ in mice in HXZQ high group. Higher level TNF-alpha in periphery and intestinal tissue homogenate in BSD group were observed. Mice in HXZQ high group showed the decreased level TNF-alpha in periphery and enteric tissue homogenate.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The immune regulation on peyer's patch CD4+ and CD8+ cells and suppression on TNF-alpha level in enteric homogenate might partially explain the effect of HXZQ on improvement of BSD.</p>

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of cyanidin from cherries on rat adjuvant-induced arthritis / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the possible antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of cyanidin from cherries on adjuvant induced arthritis (AA) in SD rats.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Arthritis was induced by the complete Freud's adjuvant in male Sprague Dauley rats and assessed based on paw swelling. Rats were randomly divided into normal group (NM), adjuvant arthritis group (AA) and three cyanidin-treated groups in high dosage (HA), middle dosage (MA), and low dosage (LA). The morphological changes in the hind limbs were conducted under a light microscope. We detected glutathione (GSH) in whole blood and malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC) activity in serum by special kits to assess the antioxidant effects of cyanidin on AA. Moreover, the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels in paw tissues were determined by radioimmunoassay and TNF-alpha levels in serum were determined using ELISA kits specific for rat.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The cyanidin could protect against the paws swelling in AA rats. From the day 14 after AA induction, the swellings of the cyanidin treated groups at high dosage and low dosage were significantly reduced compared with the model group (P < 0.05, 0.01). Histological examination of sections through the hind limbs revealed alleviation of inflammatory reaction in the joint after the treatment. The cyanidin at high and low dosage could increase the GSH, SOD activity and T-AOC levels in whole blood or serums and decrease MDA in AA rats (P < 0.01). The cyanidin could decrease the PGE2 levels in paw tissues and the TNF-alpha levels in serum at high and low dosages (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The cyanidin could protect against the paws swelling in AA rats, and alleviate the inflammatory reaction in the joint, and the mechanism might be via the increase activity of GSH, SOD and T-AOC that improve the total antioxidative capacity and scavenge the free radicals, perhaps as a result of that the levels of the PGE2 in paw tissues and TNF-alpha contents in serum were decreased. The results suggest that the cyanidin from cherries could be one of the potential candidates for the alleviation of arthritis.</p>