Intervention Effect of Shaoyaotang on Intestinal Mucosal Immune Barrier in Rats with Ulcerative Colitis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To investigate effect of Shaoyaotang on intestinal mucosal immune barrier induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) in rats with ulcerative colitis.Method: Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,mesalazine group (0.067 mg·kg-1),low,medium and high-dose Shaoyaotang groups (1.8,3.6,7.2 g·kg-1).In the TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis model,saline,mesalazine,peony soup were administered by gavage for 7 days.Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to detect the histopathological changes of colon tissue.The number of CD4+T lymphocytes and the expression of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in intestinal mucosa were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.Result: Compared with normal group,the scores of intestinal mucosal injury and the pathological scores in model group increased significantly (P+T lymphocytes and SIgA in the intestinal mucosa of model group decreased significantly (PP+T lymphocytes and SIgA in the intestinal mucosa of rats in each group elevated significantly (PPP+T lymphocytes and SIgA protein in the intestinal mucosa of rats in middle and high doses Shaoyaotang groups increased significantly (PConclusion: Shaoyaotang can reduce the intestinal mucosal damage and protect the intestinal mucosal immune barrier by increasing the number of CD4+T cells and the expression of SIgA secretion in the intestinal mucosa.

Zhibai Dihuang Decoction improves sperm mitochondrial permeability transition in rats with ureaplasma urealyticum infection / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To investigate the effects of Zhibai Dihuang Decoction (ZDD) on sperm mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) in the rat model of ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) infection (UUI).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety male SD rats were randomly divide into five groups: normal control, UUI model control, ZDD, doxycycline, and ZDD + doxycycline. The UUI model was established in the latter four groups of rats by UU injection into the bladder. On the second day after modeling, the animals of the normal control and UUI model control groups were treated intragastrically with 0.9% sodium chloride solution and those in the other groups with corresponding drugs, all for 21 consecutive days. At 24 hours after drug withdrawal, epididymal samples were obtained for detection of the protein and mRNA expressions of VDAC2 and ANT4 in the sperm mitochondria by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively and determination of the contents of adenosine monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and energy charge (EC) in the sperm mitochondria by high-performance liquid chromatography.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The protein expressions of VDAC2 and ANT4 in the rat sperm mitochondria were 0.626 ± 0.074 and 0.527 ± 0.096 in the normal control group, 0.039 ± 0.011 and 0.044 ± 0.011 in the UUI model control group, 0.101 ± 0.037 and 0.127 ± 0.040 in the ZDD group, 0.236 ± 0.070 and 0.253 ± 0.054 in the doxycycline group, and 0.475 ± 0.064 and 0.367 ± 0.086 in the ZDD + doxycycline group, significantly lower in the UUI model control than in the normal control group (P<0.05 and P<0.01), but remarkably higher in the doxycycline and ZDD + doxycycline groups than in the UUI model control (P<0.01) and the ZDD group (P<0.05 and P<0.01), and the expression of VDAC2 was markedly higher in the ZDD + doxycycline than in the doxycycline group (P<0.01). The mRNA expressions of VDAC2 and ANT4 were 0.008 ± 0.001 035 and 0.026 50 ± 0.003 401 in the normal control group, 0.000 79 ± 0.000 226 and 0.001 64 ± 0.000 205 in the UUI model controls, 0.002 06 ± 0.000 861 and 0.005 04 ± 0.002 537 in the ZDD group, 0.003 34 ± 0.000 229 and 0.008 57 ± 0. 000 690 in the doxycycline group, and 0.004 85 ± 0.000 495 and 0.013 13 ± 0.000 826 in the ZDD + doxycycline group, significantly lower in the UUI model control than in the normal control group (P<0.05 and P<0.01), but remarkably higher in the ZDD, doxycycline and ZDD + doxycycline groups than in the UUI model controls (P<0.01) as well as in the doxycycline and ZDD + doxycycline groups than in the ZDD group (P<0.01) and in the ZDD + doxycycline than in the doxycycline group (P<0.01). The levels of ATP, ADP, AMP and EC in the sperm mitochondria were (203.41 ± 13.16) mg/L, (129.87 ± 14.68) mg/L, (149.05 ± 5.65) mg/L and 0.56 ± 0.01 in the normal control group, (96.22 ± 12.55) mg/L, (99.87 ± 3.28) mg/L, (212.53 ± 19. 43) mg/L and 0.36 ± 0.03 in the UUI model control group, (101.99 ± 5.97) mg/L, (104.99 ± 16.40) mg/L, (183.97 ± 12.43) mg/L and 0.40 ± 0.01 in the ZDD group, (159.44 ± 33.16) mg/L, (118.51 ± 12.99) mg/L, (160.64 ± 14.19) mg/L and 0.50 ± 0.06 in the doxycycline group, and (194.07 ± 9.36) mg/L, (121.62 ± 9.41) mg/L, (150.21 ± 12.87) mg/L and 0.55 ± 0.01 in the ZDD + doxycycline group. The levels of ATP and EC were significantly lower and that of AMP higher in the UUI model control than in the normal control group (P<0.01), while the former two were remarkably higher and the latter one lower in the doxycycline and ZDD + doxycycline groups than in the UUI model controls (P<0.05 and P<0.01). Compared with the ZDD + doxycycline group, the ZDD group showed significantly decreased ATP and EC but increased AMP, while the doxycycline group exhibited decreases in both ATP and EC (P<0.05 and P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ZDD can upregulate the decreased protein and mRNA expressions of VDAC2 and ANT4 in the sperm mitochondria and improve sperm mitochondrial permeability transition and mitochondrial energy metabolism in rats with UU infection, which may be one of its action mechanisms in the treatment of UU infection-induced male infertility.</p>

Zhibai Dihuang Decoction improves the activity of sperm mitochondrial respiratory chain complex in rats with Ureaplasma urealyticum infection / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To investigate the effect of Zhibai Dihuang Decoction (ZDD) on the sperm mitochondrial respiratory chain complex (MRCC) in rats with Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups, sham operation, UU infection model control, ZDD (crude drug at 8.56 g per kg of the body weight per day), doxycycline (DC, at 20 mg per kg of the body weight per day), and ZDD+DC. The model of UU infection was established by injecting UU into the bladder of all the rats except those of the sham operation group. After modeling, the rats were treated intragastrically with respective drugs for 21 days and then executed and their epididymides harvested for examination of sperm quality and determination of the activities of sperm MRCCs I, II, III and IV by spectrophotometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At 10 days after modeling, the UU-positive rates in the model control, sham operation, ZDD, DC and ZDD+DC groups were 92.9%, 0%, 33.3%, 26.7% and 20.0%, respectively, significantly higher in the model control than in the other groups (P<0.05). The epididymal sperm concentrations in the five groups were (0.97±0.23), (3.02±0.52), (1.21±0.35), (1.02±0.31) and (1.52±0.28) ×106 ml, the sperm motilities were (58.62±15.36), (80.45±7.21), (75.52±8.78), (68.43±10.25) and (78.25±7.67)%, and rates of grade a+b sperm were (6.15±1.02), (10.32±1.14), (10.12±1.08), (9.01+1.27) and (10.74±1.03)%, respectively, all remarkably lower in the model control than in the sham operation group (P<0.01), but markedly higher in the ZDD and ZDD+DC groups than in the model controls (P<0.05). The activities of MRCC I in the model control, sham operation, ZDD, DC and ZDD+DC groups were (31.54±16.25), (136.86±6.34), (100.68±14.41), (81.68±6.78) and (124.06±5.54) μmol/(min·mg), those of MRCC II were (9.50±3.86), (20.34±0.37), (10.88±1.04), (12.93±1.07) and (16.23±0.60) μmol/(min·mg), those of MRCC III were (5.58±1.79), (19.60±0.61), (11.34±1.35), (13.87±1.23) and (15.96±0.69) μmol/(min·mg), and those of MRCC IV were (9.54±1.34), (28.98±3.33), (17.02±2.04), (18.41±2.67) and (21.66±2.93) μmol/(min·mg), respectively, all significantly lower in the model control than in the sham operation group (P<0.01), with the activities of MRCCs I, III and IV remarkably higher in the ZDD, DC and ZDD+DC groups (P<0.01) and that of MRCC II higher in the DC and ZDD+DC groups than in the model control (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ZDD can improve the epididymal sperm quality and the activity of the sperm MRCC in UU-infected rats, which may be one of the mechanisms of ZDD acting on male infertility caused by UU infection.</p>

[Transformation Mechanism and Sources of Secondary Inorganic Components in PM2.5 at an Agriculture Site (Quzhou) in the North China Plain in Summer].

Simultaneously on-line measurements of major water-soluble inorganic ions and gaseous pollutants were performed from June 9 to July 11, 2014 at Quzhou, an agriculture site in the North China Plain using a gas-aerosol collector (GAC) and ion chromatograph (IC), aiming to track the diurnal variation rule of secondary inorganic components and gas-phase precursors as well as their interactions. The transformation mechanism and sources of fine particles (PM2.5) were also discussed. The results showed that these water-soluble ions in PM2.5 and their gas-phase precursors varied regularly. As the dominant ionic components of PM2.5 (accounting for 76.23%), the average concentrations of SO4(2-), NH4(+), NO3(-) were 26.28 µg x m(-3), 18.08 µg x m(-3) and 16.36 µg m(-3) respectively. Among the precursor gases, the NH3, generated from the discharges of local agricultural activities, displayed a significantly higher concentration at an average value of 44.85 µg x m(-3). The average fine sulfate and nitrate oxidation ratios (SOR and NOR) were SOR = 0.60, NOR = 0.30, revealing the remarkable characteristics of secondary pollution. As could be found from the relevant analysis, the NH4(+) of Quzhou showed well relations with NO3(-) and SO4(2-), and the environment here was rich of ammonia. The NH4(+) existed in the form of (NH4)2SO4 and the generation of NO3(-) was limited by the HNO3. From the analysis for the equilibrium of NH4NO3, we observed that the atmospheric environment of Quzhou was adverse to the generation and maintenance of NH4NO3 during the daytime,in contrast with the night. Integrated with the study, the results displayed that the secondary transformation was the main source of fine particles in Quzhou, and the NH3 from field and compost was the significant factor leading to the high value of S-N-A.

[Improvement and application of the method for determination of OCEC split].

Aerosol samples were collected in Beijing (BD) and Atlanta (GT) from July to August in 2011 using a Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) (0.18-18 microm, eight-stage) for organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) measurement (Sunset Laboratory Inc, USA). The laser intensity of blank filters decreased with temperature in the process of OC & EC analysis because the structure of quartz filters was changed when burned which largely affected the determination of low concentration samples' splits. It would increase the accuracy of OC & EC split to determine it manually after the change of blank filter's laser intensity was recouped. The concentrations and size distributions of OC & EC using the improved method were different from taking the moment when oxygen was introduced as the split. The split may appear before oxygen addition, when the sample was rich in metal or substances that can be decomposed after heated. The concentrations of carbonaceous components were higher at BD than those at GT. The size distributions of OC showed a bimodal pattern with peaks appeared in the particles with size of (0.56-1.0) microm and (3.2-5.6) microm. The peak concentrations of OC were (2.82 +/- 1.59) microg x m(-3) and (1.95 +/- 0.76) microg x m(-3) at BD, and (1.28 +/- 0.41) microg x m(-3) and (0.64 +/- 0.19) microg x m(-3) at GT. EC showed a bimodal pattern at BD with peaks in particles with size of (0.56-1.0) microm and (3.2-5.6) microm, while showed a trimodal pattern at GT. The peak concentrations at BD were (0.32 +/- 0.24) microg x m(-3) and (0.26 +/- 0.19) microg x m(-3). EC at GT was preferably enriched in particles with size of (0.18-0.56) microm, the mass concentrations of EC in this size accounted for 44.6%. The OC and EC were more concentrated in accumulation mode at GT than those at BD, the reason may be that the main pollution source of GT is motor vehicle emission, while there are more industrial gas emissions at BD.