Search

Objective: To explore the mechanism of Yiqi Huayu Bushen Recipe (YHBR), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, in treating cervical syndrome (CS) with qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency in rats., Methods: A total of 30 three-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group, untreated group and YHBR group; there were ten rats in each group. The rat model of cervical syndrome with qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency was established by combining disease and syndrome models. After one-month YHBR treatment in YHBR group, all rats were sacrificed. Serum, plasma and cervical intervertebral discs were detected and observed by radio-immunology, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, etc., Results: Compared with those in the normal control group, rats in the untreated group showed obvious signs of deficiency in vital energy, such as tiredness, ptosis, few movement, bluish-purple tongue and tail and weight loss; the weight of uterus and appendages, and the ratio of cyclic adenosine monophosphate/cyclic guanosine monophosphate were decreased; hemorheological parameters and the expression of alpha-granular membrane protein (CD62p) were increased; the content of serum estradiol was decreased. YHBR could improve the above indexes except for the weight of uterus and appendages. HE staining showed annulus fibrosus with cracks, diminish of pulposus nucleus, and decrease in the height of intervertebral disc and the thickness of end-plate in the untreated group; and YHBR could improve the changes of cervical intervertebral discs, but no obvious changes in end-plate. Type II collagen protein (Col2a1)was distributed in every part of the annulus fibrosus in normal control group, but was decreased in untreated group; YHBR could increase Col2a1 expression in annulus fibrosus as compared with the untreated group. The expressions of Col2a1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) mRNAs were decreased in untreated group as compared with the normal control group (P<0.01); the expressions of Col2a1 and TIMP-1 mRNAs were higher and matrix metalloproteinase-13 mRNA was lower in the YHBR group than those in the untreated group (P<0.05, P<0.01)., Conclusion: YHBR may improve the condition of cervical syndrome with qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency by regulating immune system, coagulation system and endocrine system, and delay the degeneration of cervical intervertebral disc by regulating extracellular matrix and metalloproteases in intervertebral disc.

Objective: To research the action mechanism of Yiqi Huayu Bushen Recipe (YHBR), a compound of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, in treating cervical syndrome (CS) with kidney deficiency in rats., Methods: A total of 30 three-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group, CS with kidney deficiency model group (untreated group) and YHBR group, with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the normal control group received no treatment, while rats of the other two groups underwent resection of both cervical muscles and ovaries to establish the model of CS with kidney deficiency. Three months after surgery, rats in the YHBR group were intragastrically administered YHBR for one month. Another one month later, all rats were sacrificed. The content of serum estradiol (E2) was detected by radio-immunoassay; contents of plasma cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were tested, and the ratio of cAMP/cGMP was also calculated. Hemorheology was detected by Weissenberg's method; expression of alpha-granular membrane protein (CD62p) was detected by flow cytometry; HE staining was used to detect the histopathology of cervical intervertebral disc degeneration; type II collagen protein was detected by immunohistochemistry and aggrecan-1 (Agc1), type II procollagen gene, Col2a1, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) mRNAs were detected by fluorescent quantization polymerase chain reaction., Results: Compared with the untreated group, rats in the YHBR group showed an obvious increase in serum E2 content (P<0.05), and an increase in plasma cAMP and cGMP content without significant difference; hemorheological parameters and percentage of CD62p expression were significantly decreased in the YHBR group (P<0.05, P<0.01). YHBR could improve the degeneration of cervical intervertebral discs, decrease the Miyamoto scores (P<0.05), and increase the type II collagen. The expressions of Agc1, Col2a1 and TIMP-1 mRNAs were significantly increased and MMP-13 mRNA significantly decreased in YHBR group (P<0.05, P<0.01)., Conclusion: YHBR may improve CS with kidney deficiency and delay the degeneration of cervical intervertebral disc by regulating the immune-metabolism system, coagulation system and endocrine system.

Objective: To establish a rat model of cervical syndrome with qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency., Methods: A total of 30 three-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal group, cervical syndrome group and cervical syndrome with qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency group (combined group), with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the normal group received no treatment, rats in cervical syndrome group underwent resection of cervical muscles and ligaments as unbalanced dynamic and static animal model, and rats in combined group underwent resection of both cervical muscles and ovaries, swimming and irregular diet, and injection of adrenal cortex hormone and adrenaline two and a half months after resection as combined model. The qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency were determined by observing behaviors and physical signs of the rats, detecting the contents of plasma cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), the hemorrheology, the expression of alpha-granular membrane protein (CD62p) and the serum estradiol (E(2)) content. The aggrecan-1, type II procollagen gene (Col2a1), matrix metalloproteinases-13 (MMP-13) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) mRNAs in cervical intervertebral discs were detected by histopathology, immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The cataplasia of the intervertebral discs was determined by detecting the histopathology, the expressions of type II collagen and type X collegen proteins, and the expressions of aggrecan-1 (Agc1), type II procollagen gene (Col2a1), matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) mRNAs., Results: Compared with those in the normal group and cervical syndrome group, the rats in the combined group were noted with obvious signs of deficiency of vital energy, such as depression, tiredness, ptosis, obvious weight loss and blue tail. And the ratio of cAMP/cGMP was decreased; the reducing viscosity was significantly up-regulated; the expression of CD62p was increased; the content of serum E(2) was decreased; the intervertebral disc structure was destructed; the cervical intervertebral disc was more seriously deteriorated. There exhibited a decrease in type II collagen protein expression, an increase in type X collagen protein expression, as well as decreases of Agc1, Col2a1 and TIMP-1 mRNA expressions in intervertebral disc, and the expression of MMP-13 mRNA was noted an increase., Conclusion: The rat model of cervical syndrome with qi-deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency is established. Qi deficiency, blood stasis and kidney deficiency can aggravate cervical intervertebral disc degeneration.

Objective: To establish a rat model of cervical syndrome (CS) with kidney deficiency., Methods: A group of 30 three-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group, CS group and CS with kidney deficiency group (combined group), with 10 rats in each group. Rats in the normal control group received no treatment, rats in the CS group underwent only resection of cervical muscles and ligaments as unbalanced dynamic and static animal model, and rats in combined group underwent resection of both cervical muscles and ovaries as kidney deficiency model. Serum and cervical intervertebral discs were collected. Kidney deficiency was determined by observing the morphologic changes of uterus and appendages, detecting the weight of uterus and appendages and the content of serum estradiol (E(2)). The degeneration of intervertebral discs was determined by detecting the histopathology, the expressions of type II collagen and type X collagen proteins, and the expressions of aggrecan-1 (Agc1), type II procollagen gene (Col2a1), matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) mRNAs., Results: Compared with those in the normal control group and CS group, the rats in the combined group were noted with the uterus atrophied, the caliber of oviduct thinned, the weight of uterus and appendages diminished obviously, the content of serum E(2) decreased, cervical intervertebral disc degenerated more seriously, type II collagen protein expression decreased, type X collagen protein expression increased, Agc1 and Col2a1 mRNA expressions in intervertebral disc decreased, and the MMP-13 mRNA expression increased., Conclusion: The rat model of CS with kidney deficiency is established. Kidney deficiency can aggravate cervical intervertebral disc degeneration.