Kaempferitrin prevents bone lost in ovariectomized rats

BackgroundPodocarpium podocarpum (DC.), an edible and medicinal plant popularly used for the treatment of bruises and fracture in Chinese folk medicine, has been proved to possess significant antiosteoporotic effect in our latest research.PurposeOur study aimed to investigate the in vitro and in vivo antiosteoporotic effect of kaempfertrin (KN), a principal flavonoid in P. podocarpum obtained through bio-guided isolation.MethodsAn ovariectomized (OVX) rat model of osteoporosis as well as in vitro osteoblast and osteoclast cell lines were employed to evaluate the antiosteoporotic potency of KN.ResultsKN significantly improved the bone mass and microarchitecture in OVX rats, with little estrogen-like side effect compared with estradiol valerate. KN also exhibited stimulatory effect on osteoblastic cells and inhibitory action on osteoclastic cells, which down-regulated the phosphorylation level of I-κB.ConclusionKN possessed significant antiosteoporotic activity. Combined with its limited estrogen-like side effect, KN can be regarded as an idealistic antiosteoporotic candidate for human osteoporosis diseases.     

Risk of diabetes in stroke patients who used Bu Yang Huan Wu Tang: A nationwide propensity-score matched study

BackgroundThe utilization of traditional Chinese medicine is a common therapeutic approach for stroke patients in Chinese population, but little is known about the effect of Bu Yang Huan Wu Tang (BYHWT) on post-stroke diabetes.PurposeWe aimed to evaluate the risk of diabetes in stroke patients who used BYHWT.Study designA retrospective cohort study based on a real-world database was conducted.MethodsNewly diagnosed stroke patients receiving inpatient care from 2000 to 2004 were identified using a large-scale insurance database in Taiwan. Propensity score matching was used to select eligible stroke patients who did (n = 9849) and did not (n = 9849) receive BYHWT. These two groups were followed up until the end of 2009 to track incident diabetes. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate the adjusted hazard rations (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for post-stroke diabetes associated with BYHWT during the follow-up period.ResultsStroke patients who used BYHWT had a reduced incidence of diabetes (14.1% vs. 19.0%, p < 0.0001) and reduced risk of diabetes (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.72 to 0.83) compared with the control group. The association between BYHWT and reduced risk of post-stroke diabetes was significant across sexe, age group, and stroke subtype. Additionally, the use of BYHWT was associated with a reduced risk of post-stroke diabetes even after excluding the initial three months of diabetes cases in the sensitivity analysis.ConclusionsStroke patients who received BYHWT therapy had a reduced risk of diabetes, and a positive effect was observed in various subgroups. However, future clinical trials will be necessary to validate the present findings and identify the biochemical mechanism involved.     

Efficient genetic manipulation in the developing brain of tree shrew using in utero electroporation and virus infection

<正>Tree shrews(also named banxrings),the small mammals native to Southeast Asia,are featured by moderate size,easy breeding,high reproductivity and close genetic background to primates(Xu et al.,2012;Xiao et al.,2017).Tiee shrews possess both conserved and unique features compared to primates,and thus will become a suitable animal model with modest cost-effciency(Yao,2017).     

Effect of pristimerin on apoptosis through activation of ROS/ endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated noxa in colorectal cancer

BackgroundPristimerin, a natural quinonemethid triterpenoid found in different spp. of Celastraceae and Hippocrateaceae families, has been reported to exhibit potent antitumor activities against colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanisms underlying pristimerin-induced apoptosis in CRC is not clear.PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of pristimerin-induced apoptosis against CRC in vitro and in vivo.MethodsCell viability and cell apoptosis analyses were conducted to assess the effects of pristimerin on CRC. Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of proteins affected by pristimerin in vitro and in vivo. HCT116 colon cancer xenografts and APC^min/+ mouse models were used to evaluate the anti-CRC effect of pristimerin in vivo.ResultsOur data showed that pristimerin induced apoptosis by regulating proapoptotic proteins of which Noxa showed higher expression. Pristimerin triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling activation. Pristimerin significantly elevated the expression of ER stress-related proteins, resulting in activation of the IRE1α and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signal pathway through the formation of the IRE1α-TRAF2-ASK1 complex. Pristimerin exhibited apoptosis-inducing activities in HCT116 colon cancer xenografts and APC^min/+ mice.ConclusionBoth in vitro and in vivo data demonstrated that pristimerin induced Noxa expression and apoptosis through activation of the ROS/ER stress/JNK axis in CRC. Thus, pristimerin may be a promising antitumor agent for CRC.     

Genetic diversity of two endemic and endangered Plantago species

Plantago algarbiensis and Plantago almogravensis are two endangered and endemic species from Portugal. Due to the rarity and endangered nature of these species as well as the lack of molecular data, their genetic variation was evaluated using ISSR and RAPD markers. P. algarbiensis species showed higher genetic variability (73.9% of polymorphism) than P. almogravensis (61.2%). The two species revealed a high level of genetic diversity, with a Nei's genetic diversity of 0.1965 and 0.2309 and a Shannon's diversity index of 0.2975 and 0.3520, for P. almogravensis and P. algarbiensis, respectively. A low level of genetic differentiation was observed (Gst = 0.1873) among the species. However, the cluster and PCA analyses, based on genetic similarity, revealed two main, clearly separate clusters, which directly corresponded to the plants isolated from each species. In situ and ex situ measures should be applied in order to preserve both species but, based on these results, P. almogravensis population should be a priority for conservation.     

Effect of paeoniflorin on acute lung injury induced by influenza A virus in mice. Evidences of its mechanism of action

BackgroundInfluenza often leads to acute lung injury (ALI). Few therapeutics options such as vaccines and other antiviral drugs are available. Paeoniflorin is a monoterpene glucoside isolated from the roots of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. that has showed good anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. However, it is not known whether paeoniflorin has an effect on influenza virus-induced ALI.PurposeTo investigative the protective effect and potential mechanism of paeoniflorin on ALI induced by influenza A virus (IAV).Study design and methodsThe anti-influenza activity of paeoniflorin in vitro was investigated. Influenza virus A/FM/1/47 was intranasally infected in mice to induce ALI, and paeoniflorin (50 and 100 mg/kg) was given orally to mice during 5 days, beginning 2 h after infection. On day 6 post-infection, body and lung weights, histology and survival were observed, and the lungs were examined for viral load, cytokine and cellular pathway protein expression.ResultsResults showed that paeoniflorin (50 and 100 mg/kg) reduced IAV-induced ALI. It reduces pulmonary oedema and improves histopathological changes in the lung, and also diminishes the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the lung. It was shown that paeoniflorin (50 and 100 mg/kg) alleviated IAV-induced ALI, as evidenced by improved survival in infected mice (40% and 50%, respectively), reduced viral titer in lung tissue, improved histological changes, and reduced lung inflammation. Paeoniflorin also improves pulmonary fibrosis by reducing the levels of pulmonary fibrotic markers (collagen type IV, alpha-smooth muscle actin, hyaluronic acid, laminin, and procollagen type III) and downregulating the expression levels of type I collagen (Col I) and type III collagen (Col III) in the lung tissues. Additionally, paeoniflorin inhibits the expression of αvβ3, TGF-β1, Smad2, NF-κB, and p38MAPK in the lung tissues.ConclusionThe results showed that paeoniflorin (50 and 100 mg/kg) protected against IAV-induced ALI, and the underlying mechanism may be related to the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine production and lung collagen deposition through down-regulation of activation of αvβ3/TGF-β1 pathway in lung tissue.     

重组GIP蛋白的原核优化表达及其生物活性的研究

葡萄糖依赖性促胰岛素多肽或抑胃肽(glucose-dependentinsulinotropicpolypeptideorgastricinhibitorypeptide,GIP)是由42个氨基酸组成的胃肠调节肽,在高血糖背景下能够刺激胰岛素释放,能够抑制胃酸分泌、促进神经细胞增生,具有广泛的临床应用价值.化学提取或人工合成GIP,成本过高,不宜规模化生产,故应用基因工程技术研制重组人GIP(rhGIP)并探讨其生物活性有积极的现实意义.人工合成具有大肠杆菌偏爱密码子的编码GIP成熟肽的cDNA序列,利用pET32a( )系统进行原核表达;在小规模发酵条件下,进行优化诱导表达和目的蛋白的亲和纯化;通过检测SD大鼠胃酸分泌和血糖浓度,对纯化后的rhGIP进行生理活性研究;通过形态学观察和培养基中NO含量测定,检测rhGIP对PC12细胞NO自由基生成量的影响;应用Aβ25-35加入培养基造成PC12细胞神经损伤模型,分别以高、中、低剂量rhGIP作用于此模型,通过MTT(2-(4,5-dimethylthia-zol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide)法测定PC12细胞的活性.结果显示,成功克隆了人GIP基因,诱导表达的rhGIP占细胞总蛋白质的35%,部分可溶,部分以包涵体形式存在.经过诱导表达的重组蛋白质分子质量约为26ku,与理论值相符.纯化后的rhGIP具有免疫活性.优化诱导表达条件为表达菌生长密度A600值0.50,IPTG浓度0.5mmol/L,温度37℃,诱导表达时间4h.裂解上清液经固定化金属亲和层析一步法层析后,表达的水溶性rhGIP融合蛋白的最后得率为1.2mg/L菌液,纯度为85%.纯化后的rhGIP能够使SD大鼠胃液pH值增高,其抑制胃酸分泌作用与生理盐水对照组比较差异有显著性(P<0.05),而rhGIP组和标准品GIP组比较差异无显著性.在高血糖背景下,注射rhGIP15min后,大鼠血浆血糖浓度较基础血糖显著降低(P<0.05),30min时与单独注射葡萄糖的模型对照组比较,差异无显著性,而rhGIP组和标准品GIP组其差异不显著.在rhGIP对神经细胞的营养和对PC12细胞免受神经损伤和缺氧损伤影响的研究中发现,用rhGIP培养PC12细胞32h后,rhGIP组NO含量极显著低于正常对照组(P<0.01),细胞存活较多,神经突起延伸较好,中、高剂量rhGIP组均较神经损伤和缺氧损伤组活性显著升高(P<0.05),且细胞活性呈剂量依赖关系,rhGIP组与标准品GIP组差异不显著,与正常对照组亦无显著差异.研究结果表明,已得到高效表达的rhGIP融合蛋白,该蛋白质具有免疫活性,具有抑制胃酸分泌和降低大鼠血浆血糖浓度的生理活性,并且对神经细胞有营养和保护作用.     

Isolation and characterization of RARE-1, a Ty1/copia-like retrotransposon domesticated in the genome of Rhizophora apiculata

Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are predominant mobile elements that play important roles in plant genome evolution. Here, we isolated the first putative complete Ty1/copia-like retrotransposon of 6303 bp in mangrove Rhizophora apiculata, named RARE-1. RARE-1 was homologous to the soybean retroelement 1 (SORE-1) and exhibited abundant cis-regulatory motifs involved in various stress responses in its LTRs. Using the sequence-specific amplification polymorphism (S-SAP) technique, we obtained a total of 112 bands for two R. apiculata populations from Hainan, China and Ranong, Thailand. The Hainan population showed slightly higher S-SAP polymorphism but fewer unique bands than the Ranong population. Moreover, the Hainan population also had significantly more copies of RARE-1 than the Ranong population as revealed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Our results suggested that RARE-1 might have been domesticated in the R. apiculata genome, as a result of the long-term evolution of mangroves under the extreme environment.