Neuronal maturation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus via chronic oral administration of Artemisa annua extract is independent of cyclooxygenase 2 signaling pathway in diet-induced obesity mouse model

Recently, we reported that Artemisia annua (AA) has anti-adipogenic properties in vitro and in vivo. Reduction of adipogenesis by AA treatment may dampen systemic inflammation and protect neurons from cytokine-induced damage. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess whether AA increases neuronal maturation by reducing inflammatory responses, such as those mediated by cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2). Mice were fed normal chow or a high-fat diet with or without chronic daily oral administration of AA extract (0.2 g/10 mL/kg) for 4 weeks; then, changes in their hippocampal dentate gyri were measured via immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence staining for bromodexoxyuridine, doublecortin, and neuronal nuclei, markers of neuronal maturation, and quantitative western blotting for COX-2 and Iba-1, in order to assess correlations between systemic inflammation (interleukin-6) and food type. Additionally, we tested the effect of AA in an Alzheimer's disease model of Caenorhabditis elegans and uncovered a potential benefit. The results show that chronic AA dosing significantly increases neuronal maturation, particularly in the high-fat diet group. This effect was seen in the absence of any changes in COX-2 levels in mice given the same type of food, pointing to the possibility of alternate anti-inflammatory pathways in the stimulation of neurogenesis and neuro-maturation in a background of obesity.

Is optimal cutting temperature compound essential embedding solution treatment to cryo-sectioning of brain tissue?

We tested a set of conditions for obtaining optimal tissue quality in preparation for histology in samples of mouse brain. C57BL/6J mice were sacrificed and perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde, after which the brains were removed and dehydrated in 30% sucrose solution. The brains were then divided into four groups according to freezing temperature and usage of optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound. Next, we stained the sectioned brain tissues with Harris hematoxylin and eosin Y and immunohistochemistry was performed for doublecortin. The best quality tissue was obtained at -25℃ and by not embedding with the OCT compound. When frozen at -25℃, the embedded tissue was significantly damaged by crystals, while at -80℃ there were no meaningful differences between qualities of embedded- and non-embedded tissues. Overall, we identified a set of conditions to obtain quality frozen brain sections. Our developed protocol will help resolve matters associated with damage caused to sectioned brain tissue by crystal formation during freezing.

Anti-adipogenic effect of Artemisia annua in diet-induced-obesity mice model

Obesity has increased continuously in western countries during the last several decades and recently become a problem in developing countries. Currently, anti-obesity drugs originating from natural products are being investigated for their potential to overcome adverse effects associated with chemical drugs. Artemisinic acid, which was isolated from the well-known anti-malaria herb Artemisia annua (AA) L., was recently shown to possess anti-adipogenic effects in vitro. However, the anti-adipogenic effects of AA in animal models have not yet been investigated. Therefore, we conducted daily oral administration with AA water extract in a diet-induced obesity animal model and treated 3T3-L1 cells with AA to confirm the anti-adipogenic effects in the related protein expressions. We then evaluated the physiology, adipose tissue histology and mRNA expressions of many related genes. Inhibition of adipogenesis by the AA water extract was observed in vitro. In the animal model, weight gain was significantly lower in the AA treated group, but there were no changes in food intake volume or calories. Reductions in lipid droplet size and mRNA expression associated with adipogenesis were also observed in animal epididymal fat. This study is the first to report that AA has an anti-obese effects in vivo.

Application of Bioactive Natural Materials-based Products on Five Women's Diseases

Women's health has been threatened by various diseases mainly including heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis, depression, and autoimmune disease. But development of medication for these diseases has been restricted by high development costs and low success rates. Herein the attempt to develop valid bioactive materials from a traditional natural material has been made. Resveratrol has been reported to be effective in treatment of breast cancer and heart disease. Goji berry has received attention as a natural based therapeutic material to treat a diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis. Leonurus family has been reported to be effective particularly in pregnant women due to high contents of vitamin as well as stimulation of uterine contraction. Annona family has effects such as anti-anxiety, anticonvulsant and recently it is proposed to be as a therapeutic material to cure depression based on its strong antidepressant effect. Shiraia bambusicola has been utilized to cure angiogenesis-related disease from ancient China and furthermore recently it was proved to be effective in rheumatoid arthritis. Getting an understanding of utilization of these traditional natural materials not only enhances the interest in development of therapeutic materials for preventing and treating various women's diseases, but also makes it possible to develop novel therapeutic materials.

The Effect of Antidepressant Treatment on Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Responsiveness in Patients with Major Depression / 대한정신약물학회지

Many studies have reported reduced beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness in major depression, but there were few studies to see the effect of antidepressant treatment on beta-adrenergic receptor function in depressed patients. This study examined beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness in patients with major depression before and after antidepressant treatment. After careful psychiatric interviews by two experienced psychiatrists, twenty depressed patients (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores>18) were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of double-blind treatment with either milnacipran or sertraline. Twenty normal control subjects who had no previous history of major medical and psychiatric illness were matched with the patients considering age, sex and body mass index. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) were performed to assess clinical change of depression in the patients before and after treatment. We measured the lymphocyte cyclic AMP ratio (ratio of isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP/ basal cAMP), beta-adrenergic receptor density (Bmax) and receptor affinity (Kd) in all subjects. Depressed patients showed much lower HAM-D scores (25.7+/-4.8 vs. 14.3+/-9.1, p=0.002), MADRS scores (34.3+/-5.7 vs. 21.5+/-13.1, p=0.005) and HAM-A scores (31.4+/-7.9 vs. 22.1+/-13.5, p=0.040) after 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment than those before treatment. There were statistically significant differences in the means of Bmax and Kd between control subjects and patients before treatment. Contrary to our expectation, there was no statistically significant difference in the means of cAMP ratio between the two groups. Lymphocyte Bmax (4.90+/-3.08 vs. 8.13+/-3.08, p=0.027) and Kd (63.61+/-6.52 vs. 70.89+/-9.40, p=0.029) in the patients increased after antidepressant treatment. This result suggests that antidepressant treatment increases beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness in depressed patients.