Similarities and differences between Ginkgo biloba and Panax notoginseng in treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease / 中国中药杂志

Ginkgo biloba and Panax notoginseng are both herb medicines for cerebrovascular disease, and play an active role in treating ischemic cerebrovascular disease(ICVD). Their mechanisms of action include antioxidant stress, nerve protection, vascular protection. According to the comparative study of literatures, G. biloba has a certain protective effect from the early stage of free radical formation throughout the whole process of causing cell inflammation and apoptosis in antioxidant stress; while P. notoginseng has mainly anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis effects. In the nerve protection and repair of nerve damage caused by glutamate, both could promote neurogenesis, repair damaged axons and protect nerve cells. In addition, G. biloba could also relieve neurotoxicity caused by glutamate damage, while P. notoginseng have a unique effect in repairing blood-brain barrier(BBB) and blood vessel regeneration. In clinic, they are used as auxiliary drugs in combination with thrombolytic therapy, and play curative effects in alleviating inflammation, eliminating edema, improving the cure rate and the prognosis. For cerebral diseases caused by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, G. biloba could reduce inflammation and improve cognition. In addition, G. biloba could protect neurocyte by adjusting the secretion of dopamine in vivo, and has a certain effect on antidepressant diseases, which however needs further studies.

Study on specific chromatograms of Crocus sativus and authenticity identification / 中草药

Objective: To establish the method for the specific chromatograms analysis of Crocus sativus, so as to distinguish the active constituents between saffron and gardenia. Methods: HPLC with ZorBax XDB-C18 column was used, the mobile phase was a linear gradient of methanol containing 0.5% acetic acid and water containing 0.5% acetic acid in 45 min, the detection wavelength was set at 254 nm and the flow-rate was 1.0 mL/min. Results: Multi batches of samples were analyzed to establish the specific chromatograms. Eight marked peaks were separated. The methodological evaluation showed that the method had a good repeatability. The active constituents between saffron and gardenia could be significantly distinguished by this method. Conclusion: The method is simple, rapid, and accurate with good reproducibility and can be used for the quality control and identification of C. sativus.

X-ray evaluation of alpha-calcium sulfate hemiydrate/biphasic bioceramics bone for repairing bone defects of rabbit radius / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Alpha-calcium sulfate hemiydrate/biphasic bioceramics (α-CSH/BCP) as a bone repair material has been widely used in the clinic, but there are stil some deficiencies. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of α-CSH/BCP on the repair of bone defects of the radius in rabbits. METHODS:The unilateral radius of 18 adult New Zealand white rabbits was selected to establish bone defect models, and then these rabbit models were randomized into three groups that were treated with α-CSH,α-CSH/BCP, BCP materials, respectively. At 4, 8, 12 weeks after implantation, bone samples were taken for gross and X-ray observations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Gross observation: At 12 weeks of implantation, the bone defect was completely repaired in the α-CSH/BCP group, and the defected radius recovered basicaly; in the α-CSH group, bone defects were visible; and in the BCP group, there was stil some material for filing and coverage. (2) X-ray observation: In the α-CSH group, the degradation of implanted materials was faster than new bone formation, and bone defects were visible; in the α-CSH/BCP group, bone defects were healed, cortical bone remodeling was good, and the bone marrow cavity was re-canalized; in the BCP group, the implanted materials were stil visible, and bone defects were not repaired. These findings indicate that the α-CSH/BCP bone repair material can significantly promote the repair of bone defects of rabbit radius, with a better repair effect than α-CSH or BCP alone.

Silencing of HER2 Receptor and Growth Inhibition of SKBR3 Breast Cancer Cells by Lentiviral-mediated RNAi / 中国生物工程杂志

HER2, a member of epidermal growth factor receptor family proteins, is overexpressed in about 30% of human breast cancer. Increased levels of HER2 are associated with poor patient prognosis and enhanced metastasis. RNA interference (RNAi) is developed recently as a new technique which can inhibit gene expression specifically in mammalian cells. On the basis of previous study,in which two target sequences with favorable RNAi effect on HER2 were identified, a series of dual promoter siRNA-expressing vectors containing two opposing U6 and H1 promoters were constructed. After transfection of HER2-overexpressing SKBR3 breast cancer cells with the siRNA-expressing vectors, downregulation of HER2 was identified quantitatively. Subsequently, the siRNA-expressing cassettes were subcloned into lentiviral vectors by LR recombination reaction and lentivirus was prepared successfully. The results from infection of SKBR3 cells with siRNA-expressing lentivirus demonstrated that lentiviral-mediated RNAi could downregulate HER2 expression efficiently through fluorescent quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR), western blot, and FACS analysis. Furthermore, cell growth was inhibited in cell proliferation assay after treatment with siRNA lentivirus.A new tool for clarifying the function of HER2 in cancer metastasis and developing the gene therapy drug was offered.