Nramp1 gene expression in different tissues of Meishan piglets from newborn to weaning.

Natural resistance-associated macrophage protein gene 1 (Nramp1) plays an important role in the innate immune response of swine, and is believed to influence disease resistance. In this study, a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique was used to investigate Nramp1 expression in 12 different tissues in newborn and 7-, 14-, 21-, 28-, and 35-day-old Meishan piglets. Results indicated that Nramp1 was expressed to varying degrees in all sample tissues, although expression differed among growth stages. For example, Nramp1 was highly expressed in the spleen, but minimally expressed in heart, liver, and muscle tissues among the various piglet age classes. Overall, Nramp1 expression increased with age, reaching significant levels in 21- and 28-day-old animals. Nramp1 was expressed in all 12 tissues tested; however, expression in spleen, lung, kidney, and thymus tissues was highest among newborns, which is consistent with this gene's role in innate immunity improvement. Before and after weaning, Nramp1 was highly expressed in digestive (stomach) and intestinal (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) tissues, further indicating a genetic role in both immune regulation to compensate for weaning stress and enhanced development of intestinal immunity.

Protective effect of interleukin-10 and recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor-2 on ventilation-induced lung injury in rats.

A rat model of ventilation-induced lung injury (VILI) during anesthesia was generated to investigate the potential role and possible mechanism of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor-2 (rhKGF-2) in protecting anesthetized rats against VILI. A total of 50 male SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (N = 10 each): control, VILI, IL-10, rhKGF-2, and IL-10 + rhKGF-2. The VILI (model) group was generated via ventilation, with a tidal volume of 20 mL/kg. Rats in the IL-10 and rhKGF-2 groups received 8 mg/kg IL-10 and 5 mg/kg rhKGF-2, respectively, prior to ventilation. The rats in the IL-10 + rhKGF-2 group received both 8 mg/kg IL-10 and 5 mg/kg rhKGF-2 72 h before ventilation. The total number of nucleated cells and neutrophils in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid was quantified, and the pathological changes in the pulmonary tissues examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The transcript and protein levels of surfactant protein C (SP-C) in lung tissues were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. The SP-C mRNA expression in both IL-10 and rhKGF-2 groups was similar to that in the VILI group. However, this was significantly elevated in the combined treatment group (P < 0.05), indicating that IL-10 and rhKGF-2 could synergistically protect the lung tissue from VILI via the enhancement of SP-C mRNA expression in lung tissues. The protein assay showed a decreased level of infiltration and activation of inflammatory cells, in addition to increased expression of SP-C, thereby confirming the efficacy of this treatment in preventing VILI during anesthesia.

Anticancer activity of Bombyx batryticatus ethanol extract against the human tumor cell line HeLa.

Anticancer activity of Bombyx batryticatus ethanol extract (BBE) against HeLa cells was studied using cell viability, DNA fragmentation, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analyses. The BBE inhibited the growth and induced apoptosis of HeLa cells. The MTT assay indicated that the BBE induced cytotoxicity in HeLa cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. When HeLa cells were treated for 48 h, the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value for the BBE was 1.564 mg/mL. The microscopy results showed that HeLa cells were severely distorted and showed slow growth; some cells became round in shape when treated with 5 mg/mL BBE for 24 h. The DNA ladder results revealed excessive DNA fragmentation in HeLa cells treated with 7 mg/mL BBE for 36 h. The proapoptotic activity of the BBE was attributed to its ability to modulate the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax genes. The mRNA and protein expression levels of Bax were remarkably higher whereas those of Bcl-2 were lower than those in the control cells; this led to an increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in cells treated with the BBE for 36 h. The results suggest that the BBE might play an important role in tumor growth suppression by inducing apoptosis in human cervical cancer cells via the regulation of the Bcl-2- and Bax-mediated apoptotic pathways.