Analyses on properties for physicochemistry, morphology, and structure of Saposhnikovia divaricata polysaccharides / 中草药

Objective: To extract Saposhnikovia divaricata polysaccharides (SPS) and to analyze the characteristics of their physicochemistry and structures. Methods: Two main polysaccharides, SPS0 and SPS1, were obtained by DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-200 column chromatography; UV spectrophotometer, heat stability test, IR spectrometry, Congo-red test, environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to determine the physicochemical, morphological, and structural properties of polysaccharides. Results: The uronic acid contents of SPS0 and SPS1 were 12.07% and 0.95%, respectively. IR spectrometry showed SPS0 had a specific absorption peak of -COOH. Congo-red test indicated that only SPS0 had a triple helix conformation. ESEM and AFM showed that SPS0 was neat and orderly, with a hyper branched structure, but irregular figure and fewer branches were observed in SPS1. Conclusion: SPS0 is an acidic and hyper branched polysaccharide, while SPS1 is a homogeneous polysaccharide including β-D-pyranose sugar residues with better heat stability.

Differences of bFGF gene expression in lens epithelial cells between fetuses and cataract patients / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM:To study the differences of basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF)gene expression in lens epithelial cells (LECs) between fetuses and cataract patients. METHODS: In situ hybridization was used to detect bFGF mRNA in the LECs that were cultured and in tissue sections from fetuses and in the LECs from the anterior capsule of cataract patients. Image analysis was used for the relative quantitative analysis of bFGF mRNA. RESULTS: bFGF gene existed in the LECs that were cultured and in tissue sections from fetuses and in the LECs from the anterior capsule of cataract patients. The integral absorbance for the fetal cultured cells, the fetal tissue sections and the capsule membrane cells of cataract patients were 627.1±268.7, 131.5±42.8 and 79.2±26.3 respectively. The integral absorbance of fetal cultured LECs was significantly higher than that of fetal section LECs (P<0.01). The integral absorbance of cataract LECs was significantly lower than that of fetal LECs (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The in vitro culture of LECs can improve bFGF gene expression. The bFGF gene expression in fetal LECs is significantly higher than that in cataract LECs.