Search

The article offers information on a study which explores the chemical components of Euphorbia sosoria, an annual herbaceous plant under genus Euphorbia L. which could be found in Central Asia and Xinjiang, China. The study utilizes chromatographic techniques to determine the composition of the plants. Results reveal that tha plant consist chemical and properties including diuretic, antiasthmatic, and antihypertensive.

Introduction: Septic acute kidney injury (AKI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality with no accepted method of therapy. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is induced in many diseases, however its role in Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced AKI is unknown. We aim to determine the role of GDF15 in LPS-induced AKI to assess its therapeutic potential. As GDF15 is known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects, we hypothesize that GDF15 has a protective effect in LPS-induced AKI in the mouse model. Methods: GDF15 knockout (KO), transgenic (TG) and wild-type (WT) mice received 4mg/kg injections of LPS. Renal function was determined using serum BUN and creatinine levels. Kidney tissues were stained with H&E and scored based on area of tubular damage. Apoptosis and neutrophil infiltration were also detected by the TUNEL and MPO assays, respectively. The expression of inflammatory mediators was measured by quantitative RT-PCR. Results: LPS treatment induced AKI as evidenced by the increased levels of BUN and serum creatinine. Our results show GDF15 KO mice treated with LPS had the highest levels of BUN and creatinine. In contrast, GDF15 TG mice had significantly lower BUN and creatinine levels compared to KO, indicating that GDF15 has a protective effect in LPS-induced renal injury. GDF15 KO mice generally had greater levels of tubular damage, as indicated by swollen epithelia and luminal precipitate in histological sections, compared to GDF15 TG mice. We also found that GDF15 deficiency in KO mice augmented the expression of TNF-α and MCP-1 compared to WT mice. Conclusion: Our results show that GDF15 may play a protective role in LPS-induced acute kidney injury, potentially through inhibiting the NFκB pathway. We continue to elucidate the underlying mechanism by examining other inflammatory mediators at both the mRNA and protein level and through in-vitro studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which identified the chemical compounds of essential oils from the Lavandula angustifolia Mill. and Lavandula latifolia Vil. in Xinjiang, China. It notes that essential oils are used for ulcer and scald treatment. Using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS), 17 compounds were identified which include lavandul acetate, isoterpineol, and geranoil. A table that depicts the percentage share of the plant's essential oil compounds is presented.

Introduction: To investigate antitumor activity and mechanism of flavonoids from Alpinia officinarum Hance against gastric cancer. Methods: Transplanted mouse fore-stomach carcinoma (MFC) tumor mice were divided into six groups: control group, model group, low dose (20 mg/kg), middle dose (40 mg/kg), and high dose (80 mg/kg) groups of TFAO and 5-Fu group. Mice were treated with TFAO or 5-Fu for 14 days, except those of control and model group. Tumor inhibitory rate, spleen, and thymus index were calculated. Contents of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, MMP-9, vascular endothelial growth factor, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17 in serum were detected. Effect of galangin on BGC-823 cell growth was detected. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were measured. Enzyme activity of Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 was detected. Western blot was used to detect STAT3, Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, CyclinB1, and CyclinD1 protein expression in BGC-823 cell. Results: Compared with model group, tumor weight of mice decreased significantly (p <.01) in 5-Fu group, low dose, middle dose, and high dose group of TFAO; thymus index of mice decreased significantly (p <.05) in 5-Fu group; and spleen index decreased significantly (p <.05) in low dose and middle dose groups of TFAO. Compared with model group, levels of PCNA, MMP-9, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum of mice decreased obviously (p <.01) in all administration groups; levels of VEGF in serum of mice decreased obviously (p <.01) in low dose and high dose group of TFAO and 5-Fu group; and levels of IL-17 in serum of mice decreased significantly (p <.01) in low-dose and middle-dose groups of TFAO and 5-Fu group. Galangin could inhibit BGC-823 cell growth; accelerate apoptosis; block cell cycle; increase cell Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 enzyme activity; upregulate expression of Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, and Bax; and downregulate expression of STAT3, CyclinB1, CyclinD1, and Bcl-2 protein. Conclusion: Flavonoids from A. officinarum showed antitumor activity in gastric cancer. Mechanisms may be associated with inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, tumor cell proliferation, and cancer-associated inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To investigate antitumor activity and mechanism of flavonoids from Alpinia officinarum Hance against gastric cancer. Methods: Transplanted mouse fore-stomach carcinoma (MFC) tumor mice were divided into six groups: control group, model group, low dose (20 mg/kg), middle dose (40 mg/kg), and high dose (80 mg/kg) groups of TFAO and 5-Fu group. Mice were treated with TFAO or 5-Fu for 14 days, except those of control and model group. Tumor inhibitory rate, spleen, and thymus index were calculated. Contents of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, MMP-9, vascular endothelial growth factor, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17 in serum were detected. Effect of galangin on BGC-823 cell growth was detected. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were measured. Enzyme activity of Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 was detected. Western blot was used to detect STAT3, Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, CyclinB1, and CyclinD1 protein expression in BGC-823 cell. Results: Compared with model group, tumor weight of mice decreased significantly (p <.01) in 5-Fu group, low dose, middle dose, and high dose group of TFAO; thymus index of mice decreased significantly (p <.05) in 5-Fu group; and spleen index decreased significantly (p <.05) in low dose and middle dose groups of TFAO. Compared with model group, levels of PCNA, MMP-9, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum of mice decreased obviously (p <.01) in all administration groups; levels of VEGF in serum of mice decreased obviously (p <.01) in low dose and high dose group of TFAO and 5-Fu group; and levels of IL-17 in serum of mice decreased significantly (p <.01) in low-dose and middle-dose groups of TFAO and 5-Fu group. Galangin could inhibit BGC-823 cell growth; accelerate apoptosis; block cell cycle; increase cell Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 enzyme activity; upregulate expression of Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, and Bax; and downregulate expression of STAT3, CyclinB1, CyclinD1, and Bcl-2 protein. Conclusion: Flavonoids from A. officinarum showed antitumor activity in gastric cancer. Mechanisms may be associated with inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, tumor cell proliferation, and cancer-associated inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (Jin-Yin-Hua) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine used for clearing away heat and toxic material. Aim of the study This study aims to observe the attenuation of aqueous extract of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (FL) against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its engaged mechanism. Materials and methods STZ-induced proliferative DR (PDR) for 5 month in C57BL/6 mice was used in this study. Retinal vessels were observed by immunofluorescence staining with cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) and histopathological evaluation. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) content. Cell proliferation was detected by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in choroid-retinal endothelial RF/6A cells. VEGF-induced tube formation in RF/6A cells was observed. The contents of chlorogenic acid (CGA), caffeic acid (CA), and luteolin in FL were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results Histopathological evaluation demonstrated that retinal vessels were increased in STZ-induced PDR mice, whereas FL decreased such increase. The results of CD31 staining also showed that FL decreased the increased number of retinal vessels in STZ-induced PDR mice. In addition, FL reduced the increased serum VEGF content in STZ-induced PDR mice. FL reduced VEGF-induced RF/6A cell proliferation in the concentration-dependent manner, but had no obvious effect on RF/6A cell viability without VEGF stimulation. VEGF-induced tube formation in RF/6A cells was inhibited by different concentrations of FL. CGA, CA and luteolin all inhibited VEGF-induced tube formation in RF/6A cells, and the lowest effective concentration of CGA and CA was both 0.625 μM, but of luteolin was 5 μM. Furthermore, the results of HPLC demonstrated that the amount of CGA was the highest in FL. Conclusions FL ameliorates STZ-induced PDR by inhibiting retinal angiogenesis. Phenolic acid CGA is the main compound contributing to the inhibition of FL on retinal angiogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Currently, there are almost 100 genes related to Alzheimer's disease (AD), and studies have indicated that apolipoprotein E (APO E) ε4 allele is a genetic risk factor of AD. However, there have been no reports of the distributions of APO E genotypes and allele frequencies in Uighur and Han AD patients. Methods: We analyzed APO E gene polymorphism in 209 AD cases diagnosed based on National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association and 220 non-dementia controls. We used polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism methods as the basis of this epidemiological survey. Results: In the AD and control groups, there are no statistically significant differences in APO E genotypes and allele frequency between the Uighur and Han ethnicities ( P < 0.05). In the AD group, the ε3/4 genotype (28.2%) and ε4 allele frequency (14.8%) occurred at a higher rate than in the control (13.2% and 8.0%, respectively; P < 0.05). This distinction remained true within each ethnicity; the ε3/4 genotype and ε4 allele frequency are higher in the AD groups (Uighur, 30.6% and 15.8%, respectively; Han, 25.5% and 13.8%, respectively) than in the control groups (Uighur, 14.5% and 9.4%, respectively; Han, 11.7% and 6.3%, respectively; P < 0.05). Conclusions: The distribution of APO E genotype and allele frequency does not differ between the Uighur and Han ethnicities. The APO E ε4 allele is a risk factor of AD for both populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A neutral polysaccharide Gi-A1 was isolated from the roots of Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat. It had a molecular mass of over 2000 kDa and showed [α] + 81.4° (c 1.05, H2O). Acid hydrolysis and methylation analysis indicated that Gi-A1 was mainly composed of α-D-glucose, α-L-arabinose, and α-D-galactose with a molar ratio of 8.0:1.8:1.0. It can significantly stimulate spleen cell proliferation in vitro (P < 0.01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]