ABSTRACT
Mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene have been implicated in the onset of cystic fibrosis and other clinical respiratory disorders. In the present study, we investigated the role of CFTR variations, poly-T, TG-repeats, and M470V in susceptibility to bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis in a Chinese population in Jiangsu province, China. A total of 72 bronchial asthma patients, 68 chronic bronchitis patients, and 117 healthy subjects were included in this study. The Tn-TGm haplotype was sequenced and the CFTR variant M470V was detected using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). We found that the frequency of T5-TG12-V470 in chronic bronchitis patients was 0.07%, which was notably higher than that in healthy subjects (0.01%) and bronchial asthma patients (0.04%). Thus, the presence of the T5-TG12 haplotype of the CFTR gene is likely to play a role in the development and progression of respiratory conditions, such as chronic bronchitis.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the regulatory effect of Bushenfang on the serum testosterone (T) level of naturally aging rats and its mechanism, in order to provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the clinical treatment of late onset hypogonadism (LOH) in males. METHODS: Thirty-two 18-month-old male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups of equal number, naturally aging model and low-, medium- and high-dose Bushenfang groups, and another eight 4-month-old rats were taken as normal controls. The rats of the aging model and normal control groups were treated with normal saline, while those of the low-, medium- and high-dose Bushenfang groups received intragastrically Bushenfang at 3.25, 7.50 and 15.00 g/kg, respectively, all for 3 weeks. Then the rats were sacrificed, the histomorphologic changes of the testis observed by HE staining, the serum T level measured by radioimmunoassay, and the expressions of the StAR protein, P450scc and 3beta-HSD I determined by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The number of Leydig cells was obviously increased after Bushenfang treatment. The levels of serum T were significantly higher in the low-, medium- and high-dose Bushenfang groups ([6.74 +/- 1.56] nmol/L, [8.50 +/- 1.99] nmol/L and [12.41 +/- 2.91] nmol/L) than in the model group ([3.48 +/- 0.75] nmol/L) (P < 0.05). The three Bushenfang groups also showed a remarkable elevation in the mRNA expressions of StAR (0.74 +/- 0.29, 0.83 +/- 0.32 and 1.35 +/- 0.50), P450scc (0.72 +/- 0.36, 1.023 +/- 0.30 and 1.41 +/- 0.37) and 3beta-HSD I (0.58 +/- 0.14, 0.72 +/- 0.07 and 0.85 +/- 0.18), as compared with the models (StAR: 0.44 +/- 0.09; P450scc: 0.33 +/- 0.05; 3beta-HSD I: 0.34 +/- 0.02), with significant differences in the StAR expression between the high-dose Bushenfang and the model groups, as well as in P450scc and 3beta-HSD I expressions between the medium- and high-dose Bushenfang and the model groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Bushenfang could improve the pathological status of testicular injury and increase the expression of testosterone synthetase, which might be the mechanism behind its regulatory effect on the serum T level of aging rats.
