Pachymic acid, a novel compound for anti-rejection: effect in rats following cardiac allograft transplantation / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Pachymic acid (PA), a natural triterpenoid, is known to significantly reduce cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in vitro through initiation of mitochondria dysfunction. However, its effect on immune cells and anti-rejection following organ transplantation remains unknown.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In this study, we investigated PA as a treatment to control acute rejection occurred in rats which had accepted cardiac transplantation. We measured apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBLs), and CD4(+) lymphocyte, as well as the number of CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocytes and the effect of PA on acute rejection in rats 7 days after cardiac transplantation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PA treatment might decrease allograft rejection, protect PBLs from apoptosis, and reduce the percentage of CD8(+) lymphocyte. PA neither regulated the number nor the apoptosis rate of CD4(+) lymphocyte.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Our findings indicated that PA has an anti-apoptotic effect acting on PBLs through a novel mechanism involving stabilization of the PBLs mitochondrial transmembrane potential, an anti-rejection effect in rats after cardiac transplantation and an inhibiting effect to CD8(+) lymphocyte.</p>

Celecoxib plays a multiple role to peripheral blood lymphocytes and allografts in acute rejection in rats after cardiac transplantation / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used as an adjuvant to sensitize cancer cells to apoptosis. However, in rats suffering from acute rejection, celecoxib reduced apoptosis of myocardial cells. We hypothesize that celecoxib reduces myocardial apoptosis either by inducing apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) or by altering the percentage of CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocytes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>After cardiac transplantation, rats were administered intragastrically with celecoxib (50 mg/kg per day) for 3, 5 or 7 days, at which time the graft was excised and evaluated for organ rejection. In addition, PBLs were isolated from the blood to determine PBLs apoptosis, and the percentage of CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocytes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Celecoxib induced PBLs apoptosis in 3 days, but protected the cells from apoptosis at 5 and 7 days. Also, the percentage of CD4(+) lymphocytes decreased only at 3 days, but a reduction in the percentage of CD8(+) lymphocytes was not seen until 7 days after the transplant surgery. Celecoxib only decreased acute rejection at 5 days, with no discernible difference in rejection after 3 and 7 days.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results suggested that celecoxib displayed a multiple physiological function in a time-dependent manner.</p>

The study of change of heart function and myocardial histopathology after retrograde coronary venous bypass grafting / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To study the effect of heart function and histopathology after coronary vein bypass grafting.Methods 16 pigs were divided into experimental group and control group.Following 16 pig models of chronic myocardial isehemia of left ventri- cle were established,the left internal mammary artery (LIMA)-great cardiac vein (GCV) anastomasis in 8 pigs were completed 4 week later.After GCV occlusion at proximal,retrograde coronary venous perfusion was afforded.At 8 week,coronary angiography,echo- cardiography and myocardial radioisotope scanning were performed.After harvesting these hearts,histopathologic examination and electron microscope were undertaken.Results All anastomotic vessels of experimental pigs were smooth.LVEF in experimental group was significant higher than that in control group (P