We investigated the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) in a non-clinical student sample. The Chinese FFMQ demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and the test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the five-factor model. Four of these facets (describing, acting with awareness, non-judging and non-reacting) were shown to have incremental validity in the prediction of depression and anxiety. Our findings suggest that the Chinese version of the FFMQ has acceptable psychometric properties and is a valid instrument for the assessment of mindfulness.
BACKGROUND: Our previous studies on Asterothamnus centrali-asiaticus Novopokr. (ACN) and Arenaria kansuensis Maxim. (AKM) had led to the isolation of some phytochemical constituents and evaluation of anticonvulsant effect based on their extracts. ACN and AKM have been widely used in traditional Tibetan herbs for neuropsychiatric diseases and cardiopulmonary disorders.PURPOSE: The purpose is to investigate structure-activity relationships of flavonoids isolated from ACN and AKM, for binding to the benzodiazepine site (BZ-S) of γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor complex, and to search for anticonvulsant compounds without undesirable effects such as myorelaxation and sedation.
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The affinities of these flavonoids for the BZ-S of GABAA receptors were determined by [3H]flunitrazepam binding to mouse cerebellum membranes in vitro. And the anticonvulsant, myorelaxant and sedative effects were determined by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizure and electrogenic seizure protection, rotarod test and locomotor activity test, respectively.
RESULTS: Fifteen and thirteen flavonoids were isolated from ACN and AKM, respectively. Structure-activity relationships analysis indicated that 6-and/or 8-OMe flavones exhibited the most potent binding affinity to GABAA receptors. Furthermore, 2',4',5,7-tetrahydroxy-5',6-dimethoxyflavone (DMF, IC50 value of 0.10 μM), a flavone isolated from ACN, presented high anticonvulsant activity against chemical-induced seizures and electrogenic seizures, without myorelaxation and sedation.
CONCLUSION: This study suggested that these flavones, especially DMF, are new BZ receptor ligands and prospective therapeutic candidates for seizures.
[This study used a matrix game to explore adolescents' and young adults' flexibility of theory of mind (ToM) and to examine whether prediction could promote a person's ToM reasoning when the opponent's level of ToM changed during the course of the game. A total of 202 participants of different ages (13, 16, 19, and 24 years) were presented with the task. Results showed that the ToM flexibility in prediction and decision making was not significantly different across the age groups. A person's flexibility of ToM was better when the opponent's level was stable than when the level changed. It was even more difficult for a person to adapt when the opponent changed from a higher-order to lower-order level. The results showed prediction to be a kind of information clue that would prompt people to think further. It is both feasible and discriminative to explore even higher levels of ToM with matrix games.]
AIM: Fructus phyllanthi tannin fraction (PTF) from the traditional Tibetan medicine Fructus phyllanthi has been found to inhibit lung and liver carcinoma in mice. In this study we investigated the anticancer mechanisms of PTF in human lung squamous carcinoma cells in vitro.METHODS: Human lung squamous carcinoma cell line (NCI-H1703), human large-cell lung cancer cell line (NCI-H460), human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) and human fibrosarcoma cell line (HT1080) were tested. Cell viability was detected with MTT assay. Cell migration and invasion were assessed using a wound healing assay and a transwell chemotaxis chambers assay, respectively. Cell apoptosis was analyzed with flow cytometric analysis. The levels of apoptosis-related and metastasis-related proteins were detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence.
RESULTS: PTF dose-dependently inhibited the viability of the 3 human lung cancer cells. The IC50 values of PTF in inhibition of NCI-H1703, NCI-H460, and A549 cells were 33, 203, and 94 mg/L, respectively. PTF (15, 30, and 60 mg/L) dose-dependently induced apoptosis of NCI-H1703 cells. Treatment of NCI-H1703 and HT1080 cells with PTF significantly inhibited cell migration, and reduced the number of invasive cells through Matrigel. Furthermore, PTF dose-dependently down-regulated the expression of phosphor-ERK1/2, MMP-2 and MMP-9, up-regulated the expression of phosphor-JNK, but had no significant effect on the expression of ERK1/2 or JNK.
CONCLUSION: PTF induces cell apoptosis and inhibits the migration and invasion of NCI-H1703 cells by decreasing MPPs expression through regulation of the MAPK pathway.
AIM: Fructus phyllanthi tannin fraction (PTF) from the traditional Tibetan medicine Fructus phyllanthi has been found to inhibit lung and liver carcinoma in mice. In this study we investigated the anticancer mechanisms of PTF in human lung squamous carcinoma cells in vitro. METHODS: Human lung squamous carcinoma cell line (NCI-H1703), human large-cell lung cancer cell line (NCI-H460), human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) and human fibrosarcoma cell line (HT1080) were tested. Cell viability was detected with MTT assay. Cell migration and invasion were assessed using a wound healing assay and a transwell chemotaxis chambers assay, respectively. Cell apoptosis was analyzed with flow cytometric analysis. The levels of apoptosis-related and metastasis-related proteins were detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: PTF dose-dependently inhibited the viability of the 3 human lung cancer cells. The IC50 values of PTF in inhibition of NCI-H1703, NCI-H460, and A549 cells were 33, 203, and 94 mg/L, respectively. PTF (15, 30, and 60 mg/L) dose-dependently induced apoptosis of NCI-H1703 cells. Treatment of NCI-H1703 and HT1080 cells with PTF significantly inhibited cell migration, and reduced the number of invasive cells through Matrigel. Furthermore, PTF dose-dependently down-regulated the expression of phosphor-ERK1/2, MMP-2 and MMP-9, up-regulated the expression of phosphor-JNK, but had no significant effect on the expression of ERK1/2 or JNK. CONCLUSION: PTF induces cell apoptosis and inhibits the migration and invasion of NCI-H1703 cells by decreasing MPPs expression through regulation of the MAPK pathway.
Erigeron breviscapus and erigeron multiradiatus, belonging to compositae, have been widely used as "meiduoluomi" in traditional Tibetan medicine for treatment of heat-clearing and detoxicating. However, it is difficult to distinguish them because of similarity of morphology. Therefore, the chemotaxonomy method was established. FTIR fingerprint spectra of E. breviscapus and E. multiradiatus samples from 13 geographical origins were studied. The results demonstrated that they could be divided into 2 classes with principal component analysis (PCA). The classification was well correlated to their gene, geographical origins and weather. In the same class, the chemical components are similar to each other, which can be considered as the criterion for evaluating their quality. The results showed that their infrared spectra characteristic of the same species was similar in the range of 4 000-450 cm(-1), but varied significantly for different species. The method is rapid and simple, and could be applied to evaluate the quality of this traditional medicine.
In this study, a green, simple, and sensitive method was developed for the analysis of aliphatic aldehyde s from fried meat by using a modified gas purge-microsyringe extraction (GP-MSE) system in combination with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. The modified GP-MSE system possessed two gas channels and showed better recoveries for compounds with diverse density in comparison with one gas channel GP-MSE system. Target compounds in fried meat were effectively extracted without the traditional solvent extraction and lipid removing process, while the HPLC sensitivity of aldehyde s was enhanced by introducing 2-(12-benzo[b]acridin-5(12H)-yl)-acetohydrazide (BAAH) with excellent fluorescence property into the molecules. Parameters influencing the extraction efficiency and HPLC sensitivity were optimized. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.30 to 0.45 μg/kg, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 1.0 to 1.5 μg/kg. The recoveries of the target compounds were in the range of 86.9 to 95.6%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of aldehyde s in fried meat samples. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, octanal, nonaldehyde, and decanal were all found in fried meat samples with concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 17.8 mg/kg.
To differentiate three medicinal Hippopahe species of seabuckthorn, a combined genetic and chemical identification method was established in this study. ITS2 and psbA-trnH were tested for identification of 3 species of seabuckthorn. Detection of the kimura 2-parameter (K2P) distance, the neighbor-joining (NJ) tree and the barcoding gap were used to assess the identification efficiency. ¹H-NMR based metabolic method was applied to acquire the profile of metabolites. PCA was used to analysis the metabolite data. The results indicated that DNA barcode combined ¹H-NMR based metabolic method is a powerful tool for the identification of 3 medicinal Hippopahe species of seabuckthorn. The finding demonstrated that different genetic variation and chemical constituents existed among 3 medicinal Hippopahe species of seabuckthorn. The combined identification method will improve the reliability of species discrimination and could be applicable to much other ethnic medicine which has various origins in China.
The advent of the Internet, with sophisticated algorithmic search engines, has made accessing information as easy as lifting a finger. No longer do we have to make costly efforts to find the things we want. We can “Google” the old classmate, find articles online, or look up the actor who was on the tip of our tongue. The results of four studies suggest that when faced with difficult questions, people are primed to think about computers and that when people expect to have future access to information, they have lower rates of recall of the information itself and enhanced recall instead for where to access it. The Internet has become a primary form of external or transactive memory, where information is stored collectively outside ourselves.Owing to Internet search, we are more likely to encode “where” aspects of memory rather than “what.”
Owing to Internet search, we are more likely to encode “where” aspects of memory rather than “what.”
Our previous study isolated a natural high-methoxyl homogalacturonan (HRWP-A) from Hippophae rhamnoides and showed antitumor activity in vivo. In this study, the immunomodulatory activity and mechanisms of action of HRWP-A were further investigated. Results showed that HRWP-A could recover the body condition and activated macrophage in Cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressed mice. Further, we investigated the possible mechanism underlying the effects of HRWP-A on mouse peritoneal macrophages. qPCR and western blot revealed that HRWP-A upregulated the expression of TLR4 mRNA in vitro. This process was accompanied by a clear increase in MyD88 expression and p-IκB-α, but these effects were largely abrogated by pretreatment with anti-TLR4 antibodies. The effects of HRWP-A on macrophage NO, IL-1β and IL-6 production were also inhibited by anti-TLR4 antibodies and were greatly influenced by the NF-κB inhibitor PDTC. Moreover, HRWP-A failed to induce the production of NO, IL-1β and IL-6 in peritoneal macrophages prepared from C3H/HeJ mice, which have a point mutation in the Tlr4 gene, suggesting the involvement of the TLR4 molecule in HRWP-A-mediated macrophage activation. These results may have important implications for our understanding of the structure-activity relationship of immunopotentiating polysaccharides from medicinal herbs.
Our previous study isolated a natural high-methoxyl homogalacturonan (HRWP-A) from Hippophae rhamnoides and showed antitumor activity in vivo. In this study, the immunomodulatory activity and mechanisms of action of HRWP-A were further investigated. Results showed that HRWP-A could recover the body condition and activated macrophage in Cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressed mice. Further, we investigated the possible mechanism underlying the effects of HRWP-A on mouse peritoneal macrophages. qPCR and western blot revealed that HRWP-A upregulated the expression of TLR4 mRNA in vitro. This process was accompanied by a clear increase in MyD88 expression and p-IκB-α, but these effects were largely abrogated by pretreatment with anti-TLR4 antibodies. The effects of HRWP-A on macrophage NO, IL-1β and IL-6 production were also inhibited by anti-TLR4 antibodies and were greatly influenced by the NF-κB inhibitor PDTC. Moreover, HRWP-A failed to induce the production of NO, IL-1β and IL-6 in peritoneal macrophages prepared from C3H/HeJ mice, which have a point mutation in the Tlr4 gene, suggesting the involvement of the TLR4 molecule in HRWP-A-mediated macrophage activation. These results may have important implications for our understanding of the structure-activity relationship of immunopotentiating polysaccharides from medicinal herbs.
<br>Display Omitted<br>• Mercuric chloride-human serum albumin adduct causes hormesis in N9 microglia cells. • Hormesis was implemented through ERK/MAPKs and JAK/STAT3 signaling pathways. • 15 ng/mL of Hg-HSA was close to a NOAEL for N9 cells and this dose may be beneficial. • Hg2+ could form stable coordination structures in both Asp249 site and Cys34 site of HSA.<br>Mercury chloride (HgCl2), a neurotoxicant that cannot penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Although when the BBB are got damaged by neurodegenerative disorders, the absorbed HgCl2, mainly in form of Hg (II)-serum albumin adduct (Hg-HSA) in human plasma, can penetrate BBB and affect central nervous system (CNS) cells. Current study planned to evaluate the effect of Hg-HSA on the physiological function of N9 microglial cells. At low dosage (15 ng/mL) of Hg-HAS, the observed outcomes was: promoted cell propagation, Nitric Oxide (NO) and intracellular Ca2+ levels enhancement, suppressed the release of TNF-α and IL-1β and inhibited cell proliferation. At high dosage (15 μg/mL) we observed decline in NO and intracellular Ca2+ levels, and increment in the release of TNF-α and IL-1β. These biphasic effects are similar to hormesis, and the hormesis, in this case, was executed through ERK/MAPKs and JAK/STAT3 signaling pathways. Study of quantum chemistry revealed that Hg2+ could form stable coordination structures in both Asp249 and Cys34 sites of HSA. Although five-coordination structure in Asp249 site is more stable than four-coordination structure in Cys34 site but four-coordination structure is formed easily in-<b>vivo</b> in consideration of binding-site position in spatial structure of HSA.
Fatty acids in Herpetospermum seed oil from supercritical CO2 extraction were analyzed by HPLC fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) with pre-column derivatization and GC-MS. After derivatizing 39 kinds of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids used 1-[ 2- ( p-toluenesulfonate ) ethyl]-2-phenylimidazole [ 4,5-f] 9,10-phenanthrene ( TSPP ) as pre-column derivatization reagent. All the fatty acid derivatives were separated with a good baseline resolution in conjunction with a gradient elution. The external standard method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of 39 fatty acids was developed and applied for the determination of the free fatty acid contents in Herpetospermum seed oil samples obtained from supercritical CO2 extraction coupled with orthogonal tests, ultrasound-assisted extraction and microwave-assisted reflux extraction. The mass percent of oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid and the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids and all fatty acids in 9 orthogonal test samples were contrasted. The results indicated that the mass percent of oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid in Herpetospermum seed oil are up to 34.65% ( 147. 14 mg/g), 22.85% (97.03 mg/g), 20. 86% ( 88. 56 rag/g), respectively, and ratio of unsaturated fatty acids and all fatty acids is 79%. Furthermore, by GC-MS method, the acid catalysis and alkaline catalysis of the methyl esterifying reaction were discussed for the analysis fatty acids in Herpetospermum seed oil, and the optimum GC-MS conditions were obtained. Simultaneously, the characteristics of HPLC and GC-MS methods were discussed about analyzing fatty acids.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: 'Ershiwuwei Shanhu' pill (ESP), a classical and famous prescription of traditional Tibetan medicine, has a long history of empirical clinical use for the treatment of cerebrovascular and neurological diseases, but the absence of scientific evidence for its effect restricted its clinical application and further development.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The methodology of plasma pharmacochemistry was adopted to analyze the potentially bioactive components in ESP extracts. A method based on UPLC-DAD/Q-TOF-MS was established to identify herb components in ESP extracts and analyze the absorbed components of ESP and their metabolites in rat plasma, brain, heart, liver and kidney samples after oral administration of ESP extracts.
RESULTS: A total of 61 herb components were detected and identified in ESP extracts, while 35 absorbed components-including 19 prototype compounds and 16 metabolites-were discovered as potentially bioactive components in rat plasma and tissues by comparative analysis of the UV and MS chromatograms of ESP extracts, blank biosamples and dosed biosamples.
CONCLUSIONS: The potentially bioactive components of ESP extracts identified from rat plasma and tissues provide useful information for further study of the pharmacology and mechanism of action of ESP.
‘Ershiwuwei Shanhu’ pill (ESP), a classical and famous prescription of traditional Tibetan medicine, has a long history of empirical clinical use for the treatment of cerebrovascular and neurological diseases, but the absence of scientific evidence for its effect restricted its clinical application and further development. The methodology of plasma pharmacochemistry was adopted to analyze the potentially bioactive components in ESP extracts. A method based on UPLC-DAD/Q-TOF-MS was established to identify herb components in ESP extracts and analyze the absorbed components of ESP and their metabolites in rat plasma, brain, heart, liver and kidney samples after oral administration of ESP extracts. A total of 61 herb components were detected and identified in ESP extracts, while 35 absorbed components—including 19 prototype compounds and 16 metabolites—were discovered as potentially bioactive components in rat plasma and tissues by comparative analysis of the UV and MS chromatograms of ESP extracts, blank biosamples and dosed biosamples. The potentially bioactive components of ESP extracts identified from rat plasma and tissues provide useful information for further study of the pharmacology and mechanism of action of ESP.
The ITS2 barcode was used toidentify Tibetan medicine "Dida", and tosecure its quality and safety in medication. A total of 13 species, 151 experimental samples for the study from the Tibetan Plateau, including Gentianaceae Swertia, Halenia, Gentianopsis, Comastoma, Lomatogonium ITS2 sequences were amplified, and purified PCR products were sequenced. Sequence assembly and consensus sequence generation were performed using the CodonCode Aligner V3.7.1. The Kimura 2-Parameter (K2P) distances were calculated using MEGA 6.0. The neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic trees were constructed. There are 31 haplotypes among 231 bp after alignment of all ITS2 sequence haplotypes, and the average G±C content of 61.40%. The NJ tree strongly supported that every species clustered into their own clade and high identification success rate, except that Swertia bifolia and Swertia wolfangiana could not be distinguished from each other based on the sequence divergences. DNA barcoding could be used as a fast and accurate identification method to distinguish Tibetan medicine "Dida" to ensure its safe use.
Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis Rousi, Hippophae gyantsensis (Rousi) Y. S. Lian, Hippophae neurocarpa S. W. Liu & T. N. He and Hippophae tibetana Schlechtendal are typically used under one name “Shaji”, to treat cardiovascular diseases and lung disorders in Tibetan medicine (TM). A complete set of infrared (IR) macro-fingerprints of these four Hippophae species should be characterized and compared simply, accurately, and in detail for identification. In the present study, tri-step IR spectroscopy, which included Fourier transform IR (FT-IR) spectroscopy, second derivative IR (SD-IR) spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation IR (2D-IR) spectroscopy, was employed to discriminate the four Hippophae species and their corresponding extracts using different solvents. The relevant spectra exhibited the holistic chemical compositions and variations. Flavonoids, fatty acids and sugars were found to be the main chemical components. Characteristic peak positions, intensities and shapes derived from FT-IR, SD-IR and 2D-IR spectra provided valuable information for sample discrimination. Principal component analysis (PCA) of spectral differences was performed to illustrate the objective identification. Results showed that the species and their extracts can be clearly distinguished. Thus, a quick, precise and effective tri-step IR spectroscopy combined with PCA can be applied to identify and discriminate medicinal materials and their extracts in TM research.
Objectives: Meconopsis integrifolia (M. integrifolia) is one of the most popular members in Traditional Tibetan Medicine. This study aimed to investigate the anticancer effect of M. integrifolia and to detect the underlying mechanisms of these effects. Methods: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and trypan blue assay were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of M. integrifolia. Changes in cell nuclear morphology and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level were observed by fluorescent microscopy. Apoptosis ratio, DNA damage and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) loss were analyzed by flow cytometry. Western blotting assay was adopted to detect the proteins related to apoptosis. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the release of cytochrome C. Results: The obtained data revealed that M. integrifolia could significantly inhibit K562 cell viability, mainly by targeting apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase. Collapse in cell morphology, chromatin condensation, DNA damage and ROS accumulation were observed. Further mechanism detection revealed that mitochondrion might be a key factor in M. integrifolia-induced apoptosis. Conclusions: M. integrifolia could induce mitochondria mediated apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase with little damage to normal cells, suggesting that M. integrifolia might be a potential and efficient anticancer agent that deserves further investigation.
OBJECTIVES: Meconopsis integrifolia (M. integrifolia) is one of the most popular members in Traditional Tibetan Medicine. This study aimed to investigate the anticancer effect of M. integrifolia and to detect the underlying mechanisms of these effects. METHODS: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and trypan blue assay were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of M. integrifolia. Changes in cell nuclear morphology and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level were observed by fluorescent microscopy. Apoptosis ratio, DNA damage and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) loss were analyzed by flow cytometry. Western blotting assay was adopted to detect the proteins related to apoptosis. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the release of cytochrome C. RESULTS: The obtained data revealed that M. integrifolia could significantly inhibit K562 cell viability, mainly by targeting apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase. Collapse in cell morphology, chromatin condensation, DNA damage and ROS accumulation were observed. Further mechanism detection revealed that mitochondrion might be a key factor in M. integrifolia-induced apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: M. integrifolia could induce mitochondria mediated apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase with little damage to normal cells, suggesting that M. integrifolia might be a potential and efficient anticancer agent that deserves further investigation.
<br>Display Omitted<br>• The effect of organic sample solvents in SCX mode were systematically studied. • Organic sample solvents affect the separation efficiency in SCX mode seriously. • Elution strength of organic solvents affect efficiency of later-eluted analyte. • Retention of organic solvents affected efficiency of earlier-eluted analyte. • The results can be used for the optimization of SCX methods.<br>This study investigated the influence of organic sample solvents on separation efficiency of basic compounds under strong cation exchange (SCX) mode. The mixtures of acidic aqueous solution and organic solvent such as acetonitrile, ethanol, methanol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were tested as sample solvents. For later-eluting analytes, the increase of sample solvent elution strength was responsible for the decrease of separation efficiency. Thus, sample solvents with weak elution strength could provide high separation efficiencies. For earlier-eluting analytes, the retention of organic sample solvents was the main factor affecting separation efficiency. Weakly retained solvents could provide high separation efficiency. In addition, an optimized approach was proposed to reduce the effect of organic sample solvent, in which low ionic solvent was employed as initial mobile phase in the gradient. At last, the analysis of impurities in hydrophobic drug berberine was performed. The results showed that using acidic aqueous methanol as sample solvents could provide high separation efficiency and good resolution (<b>R</b> > 1.5).
Context: Pain-relieving plaster (PRP) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that has been widely used with satisfactory results in the treatment of some diseases related to inflammation, such as bruises, chronic arthritis. Objective: The mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory actions of PRP are investigated in this study for the first time. Materials and methods: The anti-inflammatory effects of PRP extracts were evaluated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or calcium ionophore A23187-treated murine peritoneal macrophages (PMs). Tumor necrosis factor-αÎł (TNF-αÎł), interleukin-1βÎø (IL-1βÎø), prostaglandin E<sub>2</sub> (PGE<sub>2</sub>), and leukotrienes B<sub>4</sub> (LTB<sub>4</sub>) were evaluated by ELISA assays. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX). Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κÎðB)--DNA-binding activity was determined by gel mobility shift assay. Results: PRP extracts were found to inhibit the production of TNF-αÎł, IL-1βÎø, and PGE<sub>2</sub>, reduce the expressions of COX-2 at the mRNA and protein levels induced by LPS, and reduced the production of LTB<sub>4</sub> induced by A23187. Furthermore, PRP extracts significantly attenuated LPS-induced NF-κÎðB--DNA-binding activity. Discussion and conclusion: The anti-inflammatory effects of PRP possibly are related to reduction of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-αÎł and IL-1βÎø), inducible inflammatory enzyme (COX-2), and its metabolite PGE<sub>2</sub> via NF-κÎðB signal pathway. Moreover, PRP extracts also notably inhibited the production of LTB<sub>4</sub>, indicating that PRP inhibited the 5-LOX pathway, which may be the other mechanism for its anti-inflammatory action.
Fucoxanthin is a natural carotenoid that had never been previously demonstrated to have anti-tumor effect on human gastric adenocarcinoma SGC-7901 or BGC-823 cells. Here it was found to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis through JAK/STAT signal pathway in these cells; the mechanism by which this occurred was investigated. We find that fucoxanthin significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells by propidium iodide (PI) dye staining and flow cytometry. Fucoxanthin (50 or 75 μM) induced SGC-7901 cells cycle arrest at S phase, while BGC-823 cells arrest at G2/M phase. RT-PCR and western blot analysis revealed that the expressions of Mcl-1, STAT3 and p-STAT3 were obviously decreased by fucoxanthin in a dose-dependent manner. Synthetic siRNA targeting Mcl-1 was transfected into cells which had no effect on expressions of STAT3. After pretreatment with AG490 (50 μM) which led to blocking of the JAK/STAT signal pathway, the reductive expressions of Mcl-1, STAT3 and p-STAT3 caused by fucoxanthin were inhibited. This is the first analysis of effects on SGC-7901 and BGC-823 cells by fucoxanthin. Fucoxanthin can induce cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in these cells. These effects involved downregulation of Mcl-1, STAT3 and p-STAT3. This work is significant for better understanding of mechanisms leading to human gastric adenocarcinoma formation and informing exploitation of anti-tumor marine drug, and for providing Mcl-1 and STAT3 as potential therapeutic targets for gastric adenocarcinoma.
Ischemic stroke is a primary cause of death and long-term disability all over the world. This disease is resulted from ischemia and hypoxia in brain tissues because of insufficient blood supply and causes a series of physiochemical metabolism disorders and physiological dysfunction. Its high disability ratio has bright huge burdens to society, governments and families. However, there is not efficacious medicine to treat it. In this study, a right middle cerebral artery occlusion was established in rats to observe the multi-path and multi-aspect intervention effects of Tibetan patent medicine Ruyi Zhenbao pills in reducing injuries to Nissl bodies, cerebral edema and inflammatory reactions and preventing cellular apoptosis, in order to lay a foundation for defining its therapeutic mechanism in acute ischemic stroke.;
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