Melatonin alleviates hypoxia-induced injury of PC12 cells by inhibiting SOX2 expression / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of melatonin (MT) on hypoxia-induced injury of PC12 cells and its mechanism.Methods:PC12 cells cultured in vitro were divided into the control, the hypoxic, and three groups of hypoxic cells combined with different doses (low, medium, and high) of MT at 12.5, 25, and 50 μmol/L, respectively. Cell viability was measured by MTT. The expression of cysteine-containing aspartate 3 (cleaved caspase-3) and SOX2 proteins was detected by Western blot. The expression of SOX2 mRNA was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected by the kit. The combined treatment group with the most significant effect was selected as the hypoxia+MT group, and then the effects of hypoxia+MT, hypoxia+siRNA-NC, hypoxia+siRNA-SOX2, hypoxia+MT+pcDNA, and hypoxia+MT+pcDNA-SOX2 on cell viability, apoptosis, protein expression level of cleaved-caspase-3, protein and mRNA levels of SOX2, SOD activity, and MDA levels, respectively, were investigated.Results:Compared with the control group, cell survival rate and SOD activity in the hypoxia group were significantly decreased, while cell apoptosis rate, cleaved caspase-3 protein expression level, MDA content, SOX2 mRNA, and protein expression level were significantly increased (all P<0.05). The effects of low, medium, and high levels of MT and the low expression of SOX2 could ameliorate the above changes induced by hypoxia (all P<0.05), while the overexpression of SOX2 could alleviate the effects of MT on the viability, apoptosis, and oxidative stress of hypoxia-induced PC12 cells (all P<0.05). Conclusions:MT can reduce hypoxia-induced injury to PC12 cells by inhibiting the expression of SOX2.

Mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine on animal model of Parkinson's disease / 中国中药杂志

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common degenerative disease of the central nervous system, but no drug has been found to be surely able to protect neurons so far, delay onset or slow progression of the disease. Currently there are a variety of Chinese formulas, single herb medicines, active fractions and monomers showed prophylactic and therapeutic effect on PD animal models. The mechanisms include protection of substantia nigra cells, improvement of neurotransmitter content, anti-oxidation, immune regulation, enhancement of Western medicine efficacy, reduction of side effects, etc. All these mechanisms may play integrated effect and slow disease progression. In particular, Chinese medicine compound may have some advantages in neuroprotective treatment of PD, because a variety of active ingredients can exert multi-links, multi-levels and multi-targets integrated regulation effect on human body. However, the level and standard of Chinese medicine studies on PD animal still need to be improved.

Study on Extraction Technique of Tiannian Capsules / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To optimize the extraction technique of tiannian capsules. METHODS:The extraction technique was selected by orthogonal method,with the contents of radix astragali and polycose,as well as the recovery of dry ointment as indicators,the influential factors for the extraction of effective ingredients that included the amount of adding water,length of decocting time and frequencies of decocting were studied.RESULTS:The optimal extraction technique is that medicinal herb is decocted in water 6 times as much as the herb for 3 times with 1 h per time.CONCLUSION:The optimized extraction technique is scientific,economic and practicable,which can be a guideline for manufacturing.