Characteristics of bone remodeling in female ovariectomized rat models of osteoporosis undergoing Erzhi pill extract intervention / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Some studies have shown that Erzhi Pill can improve the bone density, bone shadow area, bone mineral content and serum estradiol level of ovariectomized rats, but the possible mechanism has not been explored. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Erzhi Pill on bone remodeling in an ovariectomized rat model of osteoporosis. METHODS: A rat model of post-menopausal osteoporosis was established, and the extracts of Erzhi Pills of 6, 9, and 12 g/kg per day were administered intragastrically. Administration in each group began at the 13th week after surgery, and the samples were taken at 16, 20, and 24 weeks after surgery. The bone tissue morphology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, the percentage of trabecular bone was measured by Motic 6.0 system, and the bone density of the rat right tibial bone was detected by a bone densitometer. Expressions of osteoprotegerin, nuclear factor κB receptor activating factor ligand (RANKL), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and osteocalcin mRNAs in the first lumbar vertebrae were detected by qPCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The trabecular bone had a better morphological structure, and the number of trabeculae, bone miner density, and bone tissue osteoprotegerin level were significantly increased in a dose-depended manner after treatment with Erzhi Pill, whereas the mRNA levels of RANKL and TRAP decreased in a dose-depended manner after treatment with Erzhi Pill (P < 0.05). Therefore, the alcohol extract of Erzhi Pill can improve the status of hightransformation osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats, promote the expression of osteoprotegerin and inhibit the expression of RANKL, so as to inhibit the activity of osteoclasts and ultimately improve the bone remodeling in female osteoporotic rats.

Simulation and experiment of temperature uniformity of Erzhi Pills during hot air drying process / 中草药

Objective: To explore the law of temperature change in hot air drying process, and provide a theoretical basis for improving the drying efficiency and uniformity of Erzhi Pills (EP). Methods: Heat and mass transfer models were established to simulate the temperature distribution of the drying process of EP with no hole bottom and screen hole bottom based on COMSOL Multiphysics. The drying process of EP layer at 60, 80 and 100 ℃ was studied. The effective water diffusion coefficient (Deff) of EP layer was calculated by Fick’s second law plate model. A probe temperature sensor was used to monitor the temperature changes of the intermediate surface and interior of EP layer during the drying process to verify the drying model. Results: The surface and internal temperature of EP layer showed a trend of first sharp rise and then slow rise in the drying process of different hot air temperature. The inner temperature range of the drying model with no hole bottom and screen hole bottom was 55.3-56.0 ℃ and 57.5-57.7 ℃ respectively. The uniformity of drying temperature of EP can be improved by using drying plate with screen hole. The Deff range of the two model experiments were 0.76 × 10-7-2.82 × 10-7 m2/s and 1.15 × 10-7-3.94 × 10-7 m2/s, respectively. The experimental results showed that the model could well reflect the temperature variation of EP layer drying process within a certain drying temperature range. Conclusion: The change of drying temperature was directly reflected through the reliable hot air drying model of EP layer. The study provides reference for the optimization of EP drying process.

Study on preventive and therapeutic effects of Erzhi Pills on mice with Parkinson's disease induced by MPTP / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this study was to investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of Erzhi Pills on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine( MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease( PD) in mice,and explore its possible mechanism of action. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with MPTP( 30 mg·kg-1,0. 01 m L·g-1) once daily to induce PD for 8 days. In the treatment group,Erzhi Pills were given by intragastric administration( 2. 5 g·kg-1,once daily for 30 days). The normal group received an equal volume of normalsaline. In terms of behavior,the limb movement coordination ability of the mice was detected by climbing,hanging and swimming experiments. The spatial learning and memory ability of the mice was detected by Morris water maze test. The content of MDA,as well as the activity of GSH-PX and SOD were determined in mice serum. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of TH,MAOB and apoptosis-related factors CHOP and caspase-12 in brain tissues. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of TH in section of brain tissues in mice. The results showed that in behavioral aspects,as compared with the model group,the scores of limb movement ability as well as scores of spatial learning and memory ability were significantly improved in the treatment groups( P<0. 05). In terms of serological indicators,as compared with the model group,the activities of SOD and GSH-PX were significantly increased in the serum of treatment groups,and the content of MDA was significantly decreased( P<0. 05). The results of Western blot showed that as compared with the model group,the protein levels of TH in the brain tissues of the mice in treatment group were significantly up-regulated,while the protein levels of MAOB and apoptosis-related factors CHOP and caspase-12 were significantly down-regulated( P<0. 05). The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the number of TH positive cells in the brain tissues of the mice in the treatment group was significantly increased as compared with the model group( P<0. 05). In summary,Erzhi Pills have a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on MPTP-induced PD mice,which can significantly improve the limb motor coordination ability and spatial learning and memory ability of PD mice. Its mechanism may be related to down-regulating the expression of apoptosis-related factors CHOP and caspase-12,reducing the dopaminergic neuron damage and inhibiting dopaminergic neuronal apoptosis.

Metabolomics study of Erzhi pills on acute hepatic injury induced by CCl4 in rats / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To observe the plasma metabolic changes of rats after acute hepatic injury induced by CCl4 and the regulating action of Erzhi pills (EZW, traditonal Chinese medicines) on abnormal metabolism, and to find the potential biomarkers. And to explore the mechanisms of Erzhi pills in treatment of acute hepatic injury induced by CCl4. METHODS: Endogenous metabolites in plasma were determined with RRLC-Q-TOF/MS. RESULTS: Nine potential metabolic biomarkers were identified qualitatively. Two metabolic pathways were identified using ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). CONCLUSION: Changed metabolites can be recovered by Erzhi pills in different degrees, and the treatment effect of Erzhi pills may be related with the regulation of two metabolic pathways. Unique pathway analysis may be effective in drug-target identification, which helps to further understand mechanism of drug action, and improve research efficiency.

Effect of Modified Erzhi Pills on Free Radicals and Immunity in D-galactose-induced Aging Rats / 广州中医药大学学报

Objective To observe the effect of Modified Erzhi Pills (MEP) on free radicals and immunity in D-galactose-induced aging rats.Methods Sixty SD rats were randomized into 5 groups: normal group, model group, high-, middle-and low-dosage MEP groups (treated with gastric gavage of MEP 11.5, 7.0 and 3.5gkg-1d-1 respectively). Except the normal group, the rats in other groups received intraperitoneal injection of D-galactose (300mgkg-1d-1) to induce sub-acute aging rat models. After treatment for 2 months, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde(MDA)levels in whole blood were detected, and the serum level of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and spleen index were examined.Results SOD level decreased, MDA increased, and IL-2 level and spleen index were decreased in the model group(P

Study on process of Erzhi Pills / 中成药

Objective: To Study the process of Erzhi Pills with orthogonal L 9(3 4) design. Methods: Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid were adopted as markers of Erzhi pills and determined by HPLC with ODS Column, methanol (88∶12) as mobile phase and detection wavelength at 220nm.Results: It showed that the opitmum choice was: 5 times of 75% aclcohl adding amount, 2 hour of each extraction for three times.