Samchuleum attenuates diabetic renal injury through the regulation of TGF­ß/Smad signaling in human renal mesangial cells.

Renal mesangial cell proliferation is a major clinical feature of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and includes glomerulosclerosis and renal fibrosis. Samchuleum (SCE) is a traditional herbal mixture that is recorded in the ancient Korean medical book, Donguibogam. The present study attempted to determine whether SCE treatment was able to improve high glucose (HG)­induced mesangial cell fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis in primary cultured human mesangial cells. Thymidine incorporation under HG induction was increased, but was decreased by SCE in a dose dependent manner. Pretreatment with SCE led to a downregulation in the expression of cyclins and cyclin­dependent kinases (CDKs), and an upregulation of the CDK inhibitors, p21waf1/cip1 and p27kip1. In addition, SCE exposure markedly suppressed the reactive oxygen species signaling pathway under HG conditions. HG enhanced the expression levels of fibrosis­promoting mediators, including collagen IV and connective tissue growth factor, which were markedly attenuated by SCE. SCE treatment inhibited HG­induced fibronectin mRNA expression and decreased the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)­ß1, Smad­2 and Smad­4, whereas Smad­7 expression increased under HG. SCE treatment induced the degradation of the extracellular matrix by blocking TGF­ß1/Smad signaling. Therefore, the present study suggested that the inhibitory effect of SCE on mesangial proliferation and renal fibrosis may be an effective therapy in the treatment of renal dysfunction leading to DN.

Hwangryunhaedoktang exerts anti-inflammation on LPS-induced NO production by suppressing MAPK and NF- κB activation in RAW264.7 macrophages.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate whether Hwangryunhaedoktang (HHT), a herbal compound, has an inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 macrophages. METHODS: The effects of HHT were evaluated by confirming nitric oxide (NO) production and expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages via the Griess assay, Western blotting, and real-time reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Western blot analyses and luciferase assays were used to evaluate whether HHT has an effect on the phosphorylation and translocation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). The secretion and expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analyses. RESULTS: HHT suppressed LPS-induced NO production and expression of iNOS in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, MAPKs activation was also attenuated via inhibition of phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2, c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 which were related to inflammatory pathway. Furthermore, HHT also effectively attenuated NF-κB activation and its translocation to the nucleus, a process that is closely linked to inflammation. LPS normally induced the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6, but the secretion and expression of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly attenuated by pretreating the cells with HHT. CONCLUSION: HHT suppressed LPS-induced NO production by blocking the activation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in RAW264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, HHT may have an anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing the LPS-induced secretion of TNF-α and IL-6. Therefore, the traditional herbal formula HHT might be a useful potential therapeutic agent for inflammation.

Application of massage for ankle joint flexibility and balance.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of calf muscle massage on ankle flexibility and balance. [Subjects and Methods] The study's subjects were 32 healthy college students, divided into two groups according to the massage methods applied. Both groups received five-minutes of massage to each calf, making a total of ten minutes. Massage group A received effleurage, tapotement and pressure, and massage group B received effleurage, friction and petrissage. The functional reaching test and the modified one leg standing test were performed to measure the flexibility and balance of the ankles both before and after the massage application. [Results] In the functional reaching test performed after the calf muscle massage intervention, both groups showed significant increases. However, no significant differences were found between the two groups. In the modified one leg standing test, massage group A showed a significant increase in flexibility and balance after the intervention only when the left foot was used for support. Massage group B showed a significant increase when each foot was used for support. A significant difference between the groups was only observed only when the left foot was used for support. [Conclusion] Calf muscle massage may be effective for enhancing the flexibility and balance function of the ankle joint. In particular, a combined application of friction and petrissage massage techniques may be more effective for increasing ankle joint flexibility. Therefore, the application of calf massage can be considered an appropriate method for improving balancing ability.

Prunella vulgaris Attenuates Diabetic Renal Injury by Suppressing Glomerular Fibrosis and Inflammation.

Diabetic nephropathy is both the most common complication and the leading cause of mortality associated with diabetes. Prunella vulgaris, a well-known traditional medicinal plant, is used for the cure of abscess, scrofula, hypertension and urinary diseases. This study confirmed whether an aqueous extract of Prunella vulgaris (APV) suppresses renal inflammation and fibrosis. In human mesangial cell (HMC), pretreatment of APV attenuated 25[Formula: see text]mM HG-induced suppressed TGF-[Formula: see text] and Smad-2/4 expression; it increased the expression level of Smad-7. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and collagen IV, fibrosis biomarkers, were significantly decreased by APV. APV suppressed inflammatory factors such as intracellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). APV inhibited activation and translocation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-[Formula: see text]B) in HG-stimulated HMCs. Moreover, APV significantly improved HG-induced ROS in a dose-dependent manner. In diabetic rat models, APV significantly decreased blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and ameliorated plasma creatinine (PCr). APV reduced the PAS positivity staining intensity and basement membrane thickening in glomeruli of diabetic rats. Fibrosis related proteins such as collagen IV and TGF-[Formula: see text]1 were also inhibited by APV. These results suggest that APV has a significant protective effect against diabetic renal dysfunction including inflammation and fibrosis through disruption of the TGF-[Formula: see text]/Smad signaling. Therefore, APV may be useful in potential therapies that target glomerulonephritis and glomerulosclerosis, which lead to diabetic nephropathy.

[A case of catheter-related bacteremia of Tsukamurella pulmonis].

Tsukamurella pulmonis is an aerobic actinomycete. We report a catheter-related bacteremia of T. pulmonis. A 39 yr-old male with ALL was hospitalized to receive bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Although the patient developed a high fever at the 7th hospital day (HD), it subsided with vancomycin treatment, and he received BMT at 9th HD. Fever resurged at 16th HD despite sustained treatment with vancomycin, meropenem, and amphotericin B, but subsided with removal of Hickman catheter (HC) at 19th HD. Three sets of blood cultures comprising one from the HC and two from venipunctures were taken at 7th, 16th, and 19th HD, and the distal tip of the HC was also cultured. The aerobic vials of all 3 HC-withdrawn blood cultures and one peripheral blood culture taken at 19HD and the HC tip culture grew long, straight, thin gram-positive rods that were positive on modified Kinyoun stain. This organism showed tiny, rough, grey colonies after 3-day incubation and grew to large flat colonies when incubation was extended. It was catalase-positive, urease-positive, and alkaline-slant/alkaline-deep on triple sugar iron agar, and hydrolyzed hypoxanthine. The sequence of 1,296 base pairs of 16S rRNA of this organism showed a 100.0% homology with the published sequence of T. pulmonis DSM 44142T. To our knowledge, this is the first report of T. pulmonis bacteremia in Korea.