Effect of licorice flavonoids on kainic acid-induced seizure in mice / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of licorice flavonoid (LF) on kainic acid (KA)-induced seizure in mice and its mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Male adult ICR mice were injected with 25 mg/kg KA to induce temporal lobe seizure. LF was administrated 7 d before seizure induction (pre-treatment) or 24 h after seizure induction (post-treatment) for 7 d. Acute seizure latency, seizure stage and duration were observed and compared between LF- and vehicle-treated mice. From d2 on, mice with status epilepticus were video-monitored for spontaneous seizures, 10 h/d for 6 w. Immunohistochemical analysis of BrdU and Timm staining was conducted to detect the neurogenesis and mossy fiber sprouting, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No significant difference was observed in acute seizure latency, seizure stage and duration between LF-and vehicle-treated mice. KA-induced acute seizure resulted in spontaneous seizure in mice, and the seizure frequency was increased with time. Pre- and post-treatment with LF decreased seizure frequency from w3 after modeling [(0.58±0.15)/d, (0.38±0.38)/d vs (1.23±0.23)/d, P <0.05]. Furthermore, KA-induced seizure resulted in robust neurogenesis and mossy fiber sprouting, while treatment with LF both pre- and post- KA injection significantly inhibited neurogenesis (15.6±2.6, 17.1±3.1 vs 28.9±3.5, P <0.05) and mossy fiber sprouting (1.33±0.31, 1.56±0.42 vs 3.0±0.37, P <0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>LF has no significant anti-seizure effect. However, it can decrease epileptogenesis through inhibition of neurogenesis and mossy fiber sprouting.</p>

Non-apoptotic programmed cell death induced by extract of Spatholobus suberctus in human lung cancer A549 cells / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The goal of study is to explore the cytotoxic activity and its underlying mechanisms of the extract of Spatholobus suberctus in human lung cancer A549 cells.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The inhibitory effects of the extract on proliferation of human lung cancer cell line A549 was measured by MTT cell viability assay and growth curve. Cell cycle was analyzed using flow cytometry. Apoptotic morphological changes was observed by HE staining technique and AO/PI double-staining confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). Employing agarose gel electrophoresis and Annexin V-PI assay, we examed the presence of cytoplasmic histone-associated DNA fragments, and membrane phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization as well as caspase-3 activation.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The extract of S. suberctus shows strong cytotoxic power on A549 cells during 24 hours and IC50 is 25.54 mg x L(-1). The cells in S-phase increase while the cells in G0-G1 and G2-M decrease. These changes recovered after 48 hours. The nucleus became pyknosis between 8 to 12 hours and many vacuoles and granules in cytoplasm can be seen. Membrane phosphatidylserine externalization occurs in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner afer 12 hours. Caspase-3 activity has no more changes in a converse dose-dependent manner. No cytoplasmic histone-associated DNA fragments was detected by agarose gel electrophoresis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The extract of S. suberctus shows a direct anti-tumor activity. The drug acts quickly and causes S delay in one cell cycle. The main cell death feature appears to be non-apoptotic programmed cell death.</p>

The effect of combination of glycine and methylprednisolone on Kupffer cells of liver after hemorrhagic shock in rats / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of combination of glycine and methylprednisolone (MP) on Kupffer cells in liver of rats suffered from hemorrhagic shock.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty Wistar rats were bled to establish the shock model and subsequently resuscitated with shed blood and normal saline. Just prior to resuscitation, the rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups: sham group, shock group, shock + glycine group, shock + MP group and shock + glycine + MP group. The intracellular calcium concentration and the level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) in the culture medium of Kupffer cells were determined after stimulation with different concentrations (1, 10, 100 and 1000 ng/ml) of lipopolysaccharide (LPS).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Concentration of intracellular calcium and production of TNF-alpha by isolated Kupffer cells stimulated by LPS were elevated significantly in the rats with hemorrhagic shock, which were totally prevented by glycine + MP compared with other groups (P < 0.005).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The combination of glycine and MP prevents the increase of intracellular calcium of Kupffer cell, suppress Kupffer cell activation, decrease the production of TNF-alpha of Kupffer cell and block systemic inflammatory responses more effectively than single administer of glycine or MP.</p>