Anwulignan alleviates liver damages in exhausted mice by activating NRF2 / 药学学报

Excessive exercise makes the body consume more oxygen and produce excessive free radicals. The increased free radicals lead to oxidative stress injury and dysfunctions in liver tissue. Our previous study showed that Anwulignan, an active monomer in Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils. (Schisandra), had anti-fatigue effects in mice. However, whether Anwulignan has a protective effect on liver damage in exhausted mice and the mechanism underlying remain elusive. An exhaustive swimming mice model was used to study the protective effects of Anwulignan on liver damage. The involvement of the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (NRF2)/antioxidant responsive element (ARE) antioxidative pathway in Anwulignan-mediated anti-fatigue was analyzed using NRF2 inhibitor ML385 in HepG2 cells treated with H2O2. Animal welfare and experimental process follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Beihua University. Anwulignan significantly lowered serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, reduced liver tissue damages, increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT), and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) contents in the livers of exhausted mice, demonstrating a strong antioxidant effect. Furthermore, Anwulignan up-regulated the NRF2/ARE antioxidant pathway in liver tissue, increased B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression, and decreased Bcl-2-like protein 4 (Bax) and caspase3 expression. In HepG2 cells, Anwulignan improved the cell viability and SOD activity, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA contents, up-regulated the expression of the NRF2/ARE signaling pathway and Bcl-2, and decreased Bax and caspase3 expression in the cells. Furthermore, pretreated ML385 partly abolished all these effects of Anwulignan. Anwulignan protects the liver from damage in the exhausted mice by its antioxidant effects and related to its activation of the NRF2 pathway.

Effect of Schisandra chinensis lignans on neuronal apoptosis and p-AKT expression of rats in cerebral ischemia injury model / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of Schisandra chinensis lignans (SCL) on neuronal apoptosis and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway of rats in the cerebral ischemia injury model, and study its possible mechanism.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Rats were orally administered SCL high, middle and low dose groups (100, 50, 25 mg x kg(-1)) for 14 days. The cerebral ischemia injury model was established by using the suture-occluded method to rate the neurological functions. The cerebral infarction area was observed by TTC staining. The pathological changes in brain tissues were determined by HE staining. Bcl-2 and Bax expressions were detected by immunohistochemical assay. The protein expressions of p-AKT and AKT were assayed by Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Compared with the model group, SCL high, middle and low dose groups showed reduction in the cerebral infarction area to varying degrees, improve the pathological changes in brain tissues, promote the expression of apoptin Bcl-2 and p-AKT, and inhibit the expression of apoptin Bax.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SCL shows a protective effect on rats with cerebral ischemia injury. Its mechanism may be related to the increase in p-AKT ability and antiischemic brain injury capacity and the inhibition of nerve cells.</p>

Observation on therapeutic effect of Rhubarb and sanchi powder in treating patients with hemorrhagic fever in nephrotic syndrome complicated with digestive tract bleeding / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the therapeutic effect of rhubarb and Sanchi Powder (RSP) in treating patients with hemorrhagic fever in nephrotic syndrome (NS) complicated with digestive tract bleeding.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty patients clinically diagnosed as hemorrhagic fever in NS complicated with digestive tract bleeding were randomized into 2 groups. Fine ground rhubarb (3g) and SP (2g) were given orally to the patients in the treated group 3 - 4 times daily. Dicynonum (2g) was given by intravenously dripping to the patients in the control group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the treated group, 17 patients were cured, 5 markedly effective and 6 effective, with the markedly effective rate of 70.97% and the total effective rate of 90.32%. The corresponding number in the control group was 10, 3, 6, 44.83% and 65.52%, respectively, significant difference was shown in comparison between the two groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The average hemostatic time was (2.32 +/- 0.82) h, the platelet count was (8.84 +/- 1.13) x 10(9) /L, and the platelet aggregation rate was obviously improved in the treated group, which were significantly different to those in the control group [(4.15 +/- 0.69) h, (6.22 +/- 0.89) x 10(9)/L, respectively, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>RSP has the action of promoting vasoconstriction, shortening the bleeding time and blood arresting, it can increase the platelet count and improve the platelet aggregation.</p>