Effect of Wubeizi ointment aqueous solution on the expression of type I and III procollagen genes in keloid fibroblasts.

We evaluated the effect of Wubeizi (WBZ) ointment on keloids. Keloid-derived fibroblast primary cultures were used to evaluate the effect of the different concentration of WBZ ointment on the expression of type I and III procollagen in keloid fibroblast primary cultures using dot blot assay. Type I and II precollagen cDNA probes labeled with non-radioactive digoxin were used for dot blot. Cell cultures were divided into 4 groups: The large dose group received 1 g/ml of WBZ, middle dose, and small dose groups received 0.5 and 0.25 g/ml of WBZ, respectively. The control group received serum-free medium without WBZ. Our results showed that type I and III procollagen mRNA expression was reduced significantly in the large dose and middle dose groups compared to the control group. Type I and III procollagen mRNA expression level in the small dose group had no statistically significant difference with the control group. However, the difference between the large dose group and the small dose group was statistically significant. We concluded that WBZ ointment aqueous solution restricted keloid fibroblast proliferation by downregulating the expression of type I and III procollagen and therefore reducing collagen deposition in keloid tissue.

Investigating dysregulated pathways in Staphylococcus aureus (SA) exposed macrophages based on pathway interaction network.

OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to identify dysregulated pathways for Staphylococcus aureus (SA) exposed macrophages based on pathway interaction network (PIN). METHODS: The inference of dysregulated pathways was comprised of four steps: preparing gene expression data, protein-protein interaction (PPI) data and pathway data; constructing a PIN dependent on the data and Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC); selecting seed pathway from PIN by computing activity score for each pathway according to principal component analysis (PCA) method; and investigating dysregulated pathways in a minimum set of pathways (MSP) utilizing seed pathway and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) index implemented in support vector machines (SVM) model. RESULTS: A total of 20,545 genes, 449,833 interactions and 1189 pathways were obtained in the gene expression data, PPI data and pathway data, respectively. The PIN was consisted of 8388 interactions and 1189 nodes, and Respiratory electron transport, ATP synthesis by chemiosmotic coupling, and heat production by uncoupling proteins was identified as the seed pathway. Finally, 15 dysregulated pathways in MSP (AUC=0.999) were obtained for SA infected samples, such as Respiratory electron transport and DNA Replication. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified 15 dysregulated pathways for SA infected macrophages based on PIN. The findings might provide potential biomarkers for early detection and therapy of SA infection, and give insights to reveal the molecular mechanism underlying SA infections. However, how these dysregulated pathways worked together still needs to be studied.

Effects of resveratrol on the proliferation, apoptosis and telomerase ability of human A431 epidermoid carcinoma cells.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of resveratrol on cell apoptosis, ability of telomerase and the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) protein expression in human A431 epidermoid carcinoma cells. A431 cells were treated with different concentrations of resveratrol, and the cell appearance was then observed under a microscope. In addition, the cell proliferation was examined using an MTT assay, and the ability of telomerase was detected using telomeric repeat amplification protocol-polymerase chain reaction-ELISA. Resveratrol significantly inhibited the ability of telomerase and decreased the expression of hTERT protein in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, resveratrol is capable of downregulating the expression of hTERT protein and inhibits the ability of telomerase of A431, which is an important mechanism of action of resveratrol with regard to inhibition of A431 cell proliferation.

The effects of Wubeizi ointment on the proliferation of keloid-derived fibroblasts.

UNLABELLED: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Wubeizi (WBZ) ointment on keloid-derived fibroblasts. The primary cells of the keloid-derived fibroblasts were cultured and the effectiveness of the WBZ ointment at different concentrations was examined by MTT colorimetric methods on keloid-derived fibroblasts. The WBZ ointment showed inhibitory effects on proliferating the keloid-derived fibroblasts (P < 0.01)in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The proportion of cells in S stage was significantly higher in each of the WBZ ointment group than in the control group (P<0.01), and the proportion of G2 + M stage cells was significantly lower than that of control group, which was statistically significant (P < 0.01).The inhibitory effects of the S and G2 + M stage increased with higher drug concentrations (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The WBZ ointment can inhibit the proliferation of the keloid-derived fibroblasts in a time- and dose- dependent manner.

Development of self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems for oral bioavailability enhancement of alpha-Asarone in beagle dogs.

A self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) for enhancement of oral absorption of a poor water-soluble drug, alpha-Asarone (ARE), is reported. Solubility of ARE was determined in various vehicles. SMEDDS consisted of a mixture of oils, surfactants, and cosurfactants that were emulsified in an aqueous medium under the gentle agitation and digestive motility. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were used to identify the efficient self-emulsification regions. The particle size distribution of the resulting microemulsions was determined using a laser scatter particle size analyzer (LSPSA). The optimized SMEDDS formulations containing Ethyl oleate (20%), Tween 80 (60%), and PEG 400 (20%) were tested for in vitro dissolution. The percentage of ARE released from the SMEDDS was significantly higher than that from the conventional tablets. Oral bioavailability of ARE in the SMEDDS via the hard capsules and the conventional tablets was evaluated in fasted beagle dogs. The bioavailability of ARE formulated in SMEDDS showed approximately 4.8-fold higher bioavailability than that in the conventional tablets. The results indicated that SMEDDS is potentially a good drug delivery system for oral delivery of the hydrophobic compound ARE.