Improvement in the neural stem cell proliferation in rats treated with modified "Shengyu" decoction may contribute to the neurorestoration.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: "Shengyu" decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to treat diseases with deficit in "qi" and "blood". The modified "Shengyu" decoction (MSD) used in the present study was designed to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the basis of the "Shengyu" decoction, in which additional four herbs were added. Many ingredients in these herbs have been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of brain injury. The present study was performed to evaluate the neurorestorative effect and the underlying mechanisms of MSD on the rat brain after a TBI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TBI was induced in the right cerebral cortex of adult rats using Feeney's weight-drop method. Intragastrical administration of MSD (1.0 ml/200 g) was begun 6h after TBI. The neurological functions and neuronal loss in the cortex and hippocampus were determined. The levels of nerve growth-related factors GDNF, NGF, NCAM, TN-C, and Nogo-A and the number of GFAP(+)/GDNF(+), BrdU(+)/nestin(+), BrdU(+)/NeuN(+) immunoreactive cells in the brain ipsilateral to TBI were also measured. Moreover, the influences of MSD on these variables were observed at the same time. RESULTS: We found that treatment with MSD in TBI rats ameliorated the neurological functions and alleviated neuronal loss. MSD treatment elevated the expression of GDNF, NGF, NCAM, and TN-C, and inhibited the expression of Nogo-A. Moreover, MSD treatment increased the number of GFAP(+)/GDNF(+), BrdU(+)/nestin(+), and BrdU(+)/NeuN(+) immunoreactive cells in the cortex and hippocampus. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that MSD treatment in TBI rats could improve the proliferation of neural stem/progenitor cells and differentiation into neurons, which may facilitate neural regeneration and tissue repair and thus contribute to the recovery of neurological functions. These effects of modified "Shengyu" decoction may provide a foundation for the use of MSD as a prescription of medicinal herbs in the traditional medicine to treat brain injuries in order to improve the neurorestoration.

Endogenous nitric oxide in Pseudomonas fluorescens ZY2 as mediator against the combined exposure to zinc and cefradine.

A better understanding on the mechanism involved in bacterial resistance to combined exposure to antibiotics and heavy metals is helpful in implementing practices to mitigate their ecological risk and spread of resistance genes in microbial population. Pseudomonas fluorescens ZY2, a strain isolated from swine wastewater, was chosen to study its growth (bacterial density OD600), the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and NO synthases (NOS) under Zn, cefradine or Zn + cefradine treatments. Using Zn and cefradine as representative heavy metal and antibiotic in this investigation, respectively, the resistance of P. fluorescens ZY2 to toxic chemical exposure was investigated. Bacterial densities of treatment groups significantly increased over the time of incubation, but less than the control. ROS, NO and NOS initially increased, but then decreased after the initial 8 h of culturing, and were positively related to Zn concentrations. Moreover, the formation of ROS, NOS, and NO was activated by cefradine at Zn of up to 160 mg/L, but inhibited at Zn of 200 mg/L whether cefradine was added or not. Zn concentration affected ROS and NO concentrations between treatments and also was closely related to the variation of the relative bacterial density. For P. fluorescens ZY2, the mediation of endogenous NO to overcome ROS in response to the combined exposure of Zn and cefradine was suggested as a co-resistance mechanism, which would be beneficial to evaluate the ecological risk of heavy metals and antibiotics.

Combined toxic effects of heavy metals and antibiotics on a Pseudomonas fluorescens strain ZY2 isolated from swine wastewater.

A Pseudomonas fluorescens strain ZY2, isolated from swine wastewater, was used to investigate the synergistic effects of five heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr(VI) and Hg) on bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Results indicate that the combined effects of antibiotic type, heavy metal type and concentration were significant (p < 0.01). Cross-resistance to Hg and antibiotics was the most noticeable. Moreover, the resistance to Hg and cefradine or amoxicillin, and Cr and amoxicillin were synergistic for low heavy metal concentrations, and turned antagonistic with increasing concentrations, while the resistances to Cr or Cu and cefradine, Pb or Cu and amoxicillin, Cu and norfloxacin showed reverse effects. In addition, resistance to Zn and amoxicillin were always synergetic, while resistance to Pb and cefradine or norfloxacin, Cr or Hg and norfloxacin as well as all the heavy metals and tetracycline were antagonistic. These results indicate that bacterial resistance to antibiotics can be affected by the type and concentration of co-exposed heavy metals and may further threaten people's health and ecological security severely via horizontal gene transfer.

The neuroprotective effect of modified "Shengyu" decoction is mediated through an anti-inflammatory mechanism in the rat after traumatic brain injury.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: "Shengyu" decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to treat diseases with deficit in "qi" and "blood" induced frequently by profound loss of blood or by long sores with heavy pus, in which a potential anti-inflammatory effect is implied. The modified "Shengyu" decoction (MSD) used in the present study was designed on the basis of the "Shengyu" decoction, additional four herbs were added in. Many ingredients in these herbs have been demonstrated to be anti-inflammatory and thus MSD may be used for the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). To evaluate the neuroprotective effect and the underlying mechanisms of MSD on the rat brain after TBI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TBI was induced in the right cerebral cortex of male adult rats using Feeney's weight-drop method. The rats were administered a gavage of MSD (0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 ml/200 g) 6h after TBI. The neurological functions, brain water content, contusion volume, and neuron loss were determined. The levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-10 and the number of GFAP- and Iba1-positive cells in the brain ipsilateral to TBI were also measured. Moreover, the influence of MSD on these variables was observed at the same time. RESULTS: The neurological deficits, brain water content, and neuron loss were significantly reduced after 1.0 or 2.0 ml/200 g of MSD treatment but not after 0.5 ml/200 g. In addition, treatment with MSD (1.0 ml/200 g) significantly increased the level of IL-10 and reduced the level of TNF-α and IL-1ß and the number of GFAP- and Iba1-positive cells after TBI. However, the contusion volume of brain tissue and the expression of IL-6 were not significantly changed. CONCLUSION: MSD may be a potential therapeutic for the treatment of TBI because MSD alleviated secondary brain injury induced by TBI. In addition, MSD inhibited the inflammatory response through reducing the expression of inflammatory cytokines and the activation of microglial cells and astrocytes in the brain tissue of rats after TBI. Therefore, a potential anti-inflammatory mechanism of the "Shengyu" decoction was confirmed, which may be one of the main reasons of "Shengyu" decoction used to treat diseases with obvious inflammatory responses.