ABSTRACT
To study the anti-radiation effect and mechanism of ethanol extracts from Spatholobus suberectus and its active component catechin, ICR mice were exposed to 6Gy irradiation and randomly divided into normal group, model group, positive control group (amifostine, 43.6 mg•kg⁻¹, iv 30 min before irradiation), SSD group (10, 20, 40 g•kg⁻¹) and catechin group (50, 100, 200 mg•kg⁻¹). The mice were administered the appropriate drugs once a day after irradiation for 28 consecutive days. Blood samples were collected from the tail end and the number of peripheral blood cells was counted before irradiation and on day 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 using a microcell counter. Changes of thymus and spleen index of mice on day 7 were observed. The serum SOD, GSH-Px activity and MDA level were detected by the colorimetric method. The colony forming ability of bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells on day 7 was detected by semi solid culture method. The HE staining was adopted to observe the pathological changes. The apoptosis of bone marrow cells was detected by flow cytometry. The expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax of bone marrow cells were measured separately by western-blotting and immunohistochemistry method. SSD and catechin can both significantly revert the irradiated-induced decline in hematological parameters (RBC, WBC, PLT, Hb), improve thymus and spleen index, significantly enhance serum SOD and GSH-Px activity and decrease the MDA level. The proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells in bone marrow were promoted, the apoptosis of bone marrow cells was significantly up-regulated and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax was significantly reduced in SSD and catechin group. SSD and catechin have significant anti-radiation effect and its mechanism may be related to hematopoietic promoting, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects.
ABSTRACT
The present study was designed to evaluate the anti-fatigue activity and the behavioral and biochemical effects of Kai-Xin-San (KXS) extracts on fatigued rats. The rats were randomly divided into six groups: untreated control (UC), running control (RC), RC treated with 13 mg/kg/day modafinil and RC treated with KXS at dosages of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg/day, respectively. The treatments were administered orally. Anti-fatigue activity was assessed using the treadmill running test and serum biochemical parameters were determined using an autoanalyzer and commercially available kits. Furthermore, the standardization of the KXS extracts was ensured using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fingerprint. The extracts were shown to increase exhaustive running time in the treadmill running test and reverse the fatigue-induced reduction in hepatic/muscle glycogen and testosterone, in addition to reducing the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), serum urea nitrogen (SUN), blood lactic acid (BLA) and ß-endorphin levels in the serum of the fatigued rats. Moreover, the extracts enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the serum of the fatigued rats. The results of this preliminary study indicated that KXS exhibits anti-fatigue activity. This was reflected in the effects on the biochemical markers for fatigue.
ABSTRACT
Recent studies suggest that the behavioral effects of chronic antidepressant treatment are mediated by stimulation of hippocampal neuronal plasticity and neurogenesis. The present study was designed to examine the effects of 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose (DISS), a bioactive component of Polygala tenuifolia Willd, on the expressions of four plasticity-associated genes: cell adhesion molecule L1 (CAM-L1), laminin, cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in hippocampus, all of which are involved in neuronal plasticity and neurite outgrowth. We confirmed that chronic stress in rats caused a reduction in sensitivity to reward (sucrose consumption) and a decrease in mRNA levels of CAM-L1, laminin, and BDNF, together with a decrease in protein levels of phosphorylated CREB and BDNF. Repeated administration of DISS for 21 days at doses of 5, 10 and 20mg/kg reversed stress-induced alterations in sucrose consumption and these target mRNA and protein levels. In conclusion, increased expressions in the hippocampus of three noradrenergic-regulated plasticity genes and one neurotrophic factor may be one of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the antidepressant action of DISS in chronic mild stress (CMS) rats.
Subject(s)
Antidepressive Agents/pharmacology , Coumaric Acids/pharmacology , Depressive Disorder/drug therapy , Depressive Disorder/physiopathology , Hippocampus/drug effects , Stress, Psychological/physiopathology , Sucrose/analogs & derivatives , Animals , Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use , Appetite Regulation/drug effects , Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/genetics , Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/metabolism , Coumaric Acids/therapeutic use , Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein/genetics , Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein/metabolism , Depressive Disorder/etiology , Disease Models, Animal , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Hippocampus/physiology , Laminin/genetics , Nerve Growth Factors/drug effects , Nerve Growth Factors/metabolism , Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules/genetics , Neuronal Plasticity/drug effects , Neuronal Plasticity/physiology , RNA, Messenger/drug effects , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Reward , Signal Transduction/drug effects , Signal Transduction/physiology , Stress, Psychological/complications , Sucrose/pharmacology , Sucrose/therapeutic useABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Hematopoietic growth factor (HGF) is indispensable to hematopoiesis in the body. The proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic cells must rely on the existence and stimulation of HGF. This study investigated the effect of catechin, an active component extracted from Spatholobus suberectus Dunn (SSD), on bioactivity of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating activity (GM-CSA), burst-promoting activity (BPA) and megakaryocyte colony-stimulating activity (MK-CSA) in spleen condition medium (SPCM) of mice to clarify the hematopoietic mechanism of catechin and SSD.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Spleen cells of mice were separated and spleen condition medium (SPCM) was prepared from spleen cell culture. Bone marrow cells of mice were separated and cultured in a culture system including 10% (v/v) SPCM (induced by catechin in vivo or ex vivo) for 6 days. Granulocyte-macrophage colony forming units (CFU-GM), erythrocyte burst-colony-forming units (BFU-E) and megakaryocyte colony-forming units (CFU-Meg) formation were employed to assay the effects of different treatment on the bioactivity of GM-CSA, BPA and MK-CSA in SPCM.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>SPCM induced by 100 mg/L catechin ex vivo could promote the growth of CFU-GM, BFU-E and CFU-Meg, which indicated that catechin could stimulate the production of GM-CSA, BPA and MK-CSA in SPCM. SPCM prepared at the fourth day of spleen cell culture showed the best stimulating activity. The bioactivity of GM-CSA, BPA and MK-CSA in the SPCM prepared after intraperitoneally injecting catechin into mice was also increased. The number of CFU-GM, BFU-E and CFU-Meg gradually increased as the dose of catechin increased and the time of administration prolonged. CFU-GM, BFU-E and CFU-Meg of the high-dose catechin group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.01) and reached the maximum at the seventh day after administration.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This study suggests that catechin extracted from the active acetic ether part of Spatholobus suberectus Dunn can regulate hematopoiesis by inducing bioactivity of GM-CSA, BPA and MK-CSA in SPCM of mice. This may be one of the mechanisms for the hematopoietic-supportive effect of catechin and Spatholobus suberectus Dunn.</p>
