Panaxdiol saponins component promotes hematopoiesis by regulating GATA transcription factors of intracellular signaling pathway in mouse bone marrow.

Background: Our research team has identified a biological active component, panaxadiol saponins component (PDS-C) isolated from total saponins of panax ginseng as a potential targeted drug for treating hemocytopenia. PDS-C possesses dual activities, namely that of promoting hematopoiesis and regulating immune function. Our study is to observe effects of PDS-C on promoting hematopoiesis in normal and aplastic anemia (AA) mice, furthermore, to explore its possible mechanism. Methods: Bone marrow nucleated cells were cultured for colony forming assay of CFU-GM, CFU-E and CFU-MK in the presence of PDS-C at different concentration. The proliferation and differentiation-related genes expression profile was analyzed with DNA membrane microarray. The mRNA expression levels and protein phosphorylated state of GATA-1, GATA-2 transcription factors and AKT-1, MAPK14 protein kinases were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot, the DNA binding activity and components of GATA-DNA complex were analyzed by EMSA and antibody gel supershift assay. Results: In response to PDS-C at 10, 25 and 50 mg/L, the bone marrow colony numbers of CFU-GM, CFU-E and CFU-MK increased significantly by 25.7%±3.1% to 42.4%±4.5% respectively in normal mice, and 29.7%±3.7% to 53.2%±7.1% in AA mice. The gene microarray profile initiated by PDS-C provided the up-regulated genes by more than 3 times, which can be classified into 11 categories according to their functions, including GATA-1, GATA-2, and AKT-1, MAPK14. The mRNA expression levels of GATA-1, GATA-2 were consistent with their gene microarray profile in PDS-C treated erythroid and megakaryocytic hematopoietic cells. Meanwhile, PDS-C could not only up-regulate expression levels of GATA-1, GATA-2 proteins, but also enhance phosphorylated activity state. Furthermore, PDS-C obviously enhanced binding activity of GATA protein with DNA in erythroid and megakaryocytic cells, and the main composition of GATA-DNA complex was GATA-2 and GATA-1. Conclusions: PDS-C displays the role to promote proliferation and induce differentiation for hematopoietic cells. Its action mechanism may involve in GATA-1, GATA-2 transcription factors, including up-regulating mRNA and protein expression, enhancing DNA binding activity, phosphorylated functional activity and up-regulating AKT-1, MAPK14 protein kinases as the upstream signaling molecule for activation GATA-1, GATA-2 respectively in hematopoietic cells.

Effect Evaluation of Strychnos nux-vomica L. with Integrative Methods for Bortezomib-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Multiple Myeloma Patients: A Self-Controlled Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect and adverse reactions of Strychnos nux-vomica in bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy (BIPN) of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: A total of 19 MM patients with BIPN were enrolled and Nux Vomica Capsule (NVC, 0.4 g, thrice daily) were orally administrated for 30 days. Comparative analysis on parameters between pre- and post-therapy, including peripheral neuropathy (PN) grade, neurotoxicity score, Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome score, total neuropathy score (TNS), coagulation function, and serum nerve growth factor (NGF) levels were conducted. The adverse events were monitored. RESULTS: In BIPN of MM patients who received NVC, PN grade was lowered, neurotoxicity score was obviously decreased (P⩽0.01), and both CM syndrome score and TNS were remarkably decreased (P<0.01). After the therapy, activated partial thromboplastin time was prolonged (P<0.01) and fibrinogen was declined (P<0.05), showing improvement in the hypercoagulable state of patients. No significant difference of NGF recovery degrees was detected between pre- and post-therapy (P>0.05). No evident adverse reactions were observed during the course of treatment. CONCLUSION: Strychnos nux-vomica L. has significantly effect with a good safety in treatment of BIPN in MM patients.

Chinese Medicine Treatment on Graft-Versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the most common complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and also an important factor affecting the survival and quality of life in patients after transplantation. Currently, immunosuppressive therapy is commonly used for GVHD, but the curative effect is not ideal. How to effectively prevent and treat GVHD is one of the difficulties to be solved urgently in the field of transplantation. In this paper, we summarize the latest progress in pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of GVHD with Chinese medicine (CM). We hope it will provide ideas and methods for exploring the mechanism and establishing a new comprehensive therapy for GVHD with CM.

Panaxdiol Saponins Component Promotes Hematopoiesis and Modulates T Lymphocyte Dysregulation in Aplastic Anemia Model Mice.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential efficacy of panaxadiol saponins component (PDS-C) in the treatment of aplastic anemia (AA) model mice. METHODS: Totally 70 mice were divided into 7 groups as follows: normal, model, low-, medium-, high-dose PDS-C (20, 40, 80 mg/kg, namely L-, M-, H-PDS-C), cyclosporine (40 mg/kg), and andriol (25 mg/kg) groups, respectively. An immune-mediated AA mouse model was established in BALB/c mice by exposing to 5.0 Gy total body irradiation at 1.0 Gy/min, and injecting with lymphocytes from DBA mice. On day 4 after establishment of AA model, all drugs were intragastrically administered daily for 15 days, respectively, while the mice in the normal and model groups were administered with saline solution. After treatment, the peripheral blood counts, bone marrow pathological examination, colony forming assay of bone marrow culture, T lymphocyte subpopulation analysis, as well as T-bet, GATA-3 and FoxP3 proteins were detected by flow cytometry and Western blot. RESULTS: The peripheral blood of white blood cell (WBC), platelet, neutrophil counts and hemoglobin (Hb) concentration were significantly decreased in the model group compared with the normal group (all P<0.01). In response to 3 dose PDS-C treatment, the WBC, platelet, neutrophil counts were significantly increased at a dose-dependent manner compared with the model group (all P<0.01). The myelosuppression status of AA was significantly reduced in M-, H-PDS-C groups, and hematopoietic cell quantity of bone marrow was more abundant than the model group. The colony numbers of myeloid, erythroid and megakaryocytic progenitor cells in the model group were less than those of the normal mice in bone marrow culture, while, PDS-C therapy enhanced proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells by significantly increasing colony numbers (all P<0.01). Furthermore, PDS-C therapy increased peripheral blood CD3+ and CD3+CD4+ cells and reduced CD3+CD8+ cells (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Meanwhile, PDS-C treatment at medium- and high doses groups also increased CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ cells, downregulated T-bet protein expression, and upregulated GATA-3 and FoxP3 protein expressions in spleen cells (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: PDS-C possesses dual activities, promoting proliferation hematopoietic progenitor cells and modulating T lymphocyte immune functions in the treatment of AA model mice.

Research Progress on Chinese Medicine Immunomodulatory Intervention for Chronic Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia: Targeting Cellular Immunity.

Chronic primary immune thrombocytopenia (CITP) is the most common acquired autoimmune disease that seriously threaten the physical and mental health of patients. Compared with Western medicine treatment, the intervention and treatment of Chinese medicine (CM) has shown certain therapeutic advantages. This paper reviewed the new pathogenesis progress on T cell immune abnormality in CITP, and CM studies on interferes effects of cellular immune regulation of CITP in recent years. Qi deficiency failing to control blood and internal obstruction of blood stasis are the two common types of CM syndromes in CITP patients, the corresponding treatments include invigorating Pi (Spleen), supplementing qi, activating blood, as well as tonifying qi and activating yang, regulating Gan (Liver) to invigorate Pi. The authors also mentioned the problems in the research field of CM for CTIP treatment, and put forward new ideas for the research in the future.

Pure total flavonoids from Citrus paradisi Macfad induce leukemia cell apoptosis in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential effect of pure total flavonoids from Citrus paradisi Macfad peel (PTFC) on the proliferation of human myeloid leukemia cells Kasumi-1, HL-60 and K562, and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: PTFC was extracted from Citrus paradisi Macfad peel and was identified by high performance liquid chromatography. The effect of PTFC on the proliferation and apoptosis of leukemia cells were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry, respectively. The effect of PTFC on the expression levels of apoptosis-related regulators was determined by Western blot assay. RESULTS: Treatment with PTFC inhibited leukemia cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner and triggered Kasumi-1 cell apoptosis. Treatment with PTFC significantly increased the levels of activated poly adenosine diphosphate-ribosepolymerase and caspase-3/-9, but reduced the levels of Mcl-1 expression in Kasumi-1 cells. However, PTFC did not obviously induce HL-60 cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: PTFC inhibited leukemia cell proliferation and induced their apoptosis by modulating apoptosisrelated regulator expression in leukemia cells in vitro.

[Apoptosis of multiple myeloid cells induced by polysaccharides extracts from Hedyotis diffusa and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis effects of polysaccharides extracts from Hedyotis diffusa (PEHD) on multiple myeloma (MM) cell line RPMI 8226 cells in vitro, so as to provide experimental theory for the clinical application in the treatment of MM. METHODS: MTT assay was used to examine the effects of PEHD on cell growth. The apoptotic cells were analyzed by flow cytometry with AnnexinⅤ/PI staining. Hoechst staining was used to observe the morphological changes of RPMI 8226 cell apoptosis. The expression levels of caspase-3,-8,-9, PARP, nucleoprotein NF-κB protein and other channel protein were assayed by Western blotting method. RESULTS: The growth of RPMI 8226 cells were suppressed after treatment with PEHD, the highest inhibition rate reached to 92.3%, the results in the doses from 1 to 4 mg/ml showed a dose-and-time-dependent manner. The proportion of apoptotic cells in 1, 2 and 3 mg/ml PEHD treatment groups for 24 h were 22.52%, 62.31% and 69.94%, respectively, and significantly higher than that of control 8.93%. After treated with PEHD, apoptotic body appeared in RPMI 8226 cells nucleus and the number of apoptotic body increased in a dose-dependent manner. With the increasing of PEHD concentration, the expression of caspase-8,-9,-3 and PARP protein increased. The expression of Mcl-1, Bcl-xl, Bid and Bim protein decreased gradually, but the expression of Bax, Bak and Bad protein increased, and the expression of p-AKT protein (60 kDa) and NF-κB obviously decreased. CONCLUSION: PEHD could inhibited the growth of RPMI 8226 cells and displayed a dose-and-time-dependent manner, its mechanism may involve cell apoptosis induction, which was associated with the activation of caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3 protein and the down-regulation of p-AKT and NF-κB protein expression.

[Construction of eukaryotic expression vectors of two mutants of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 and their expressions in human microvascular endothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To construct eukaryotic expression vectors of two mutants of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1alpha) and study their expressions in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVECs). METHODS: Site-directed mutagenesis was performed to induce the mutation of the codons for the residue Pro564 (ccc) in HIF-1alpha into gcc (Ala) in pcDNA3.1(+)-HIF-1alphato obtain single-site-mutated vector pcDNA3.1(+)-HIF-1alpha-564Ala, which was then subjected to a second site-directed mutagenesis to convert the codons for Asn803 into that of Ala (gct) to acquire double-site-mutated pcDNA3.1(+)-HIF-1alpha-564Ala-803Ala. After lipofectin-mediated transient transformation of HMVECs with the 3 recombinant plasmids including the two plasmids containing the mutations and the one without mutation, respectively, the expression levels of HIF-1alpha mRNA and protein were determined using RT-PCR, immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting. RESULTS: DNA sequence analysis demonstrated success of the two-step mutagenesis and the two plasmids of pcDNA3.1+-HIF-1alpha-564Ala and pcDNA3.1(+)-HIF-1alpha-564Ala- 803Ala were obtained, both of which could produce HIF-1alpha protein resistant to oxidation degradation in HMVECs as compared with the non-mutated one. CONCLUSION: The recombinant plasmids pcDNA3.1(+)-HIF-1alpha-564Ala and pcDNA3.1(+)-HIF-1alpha- 564Ala-803Ala have been successfully constructed with efficient expressions in HMVECs.

[Construction and expression analysis of recombinant vector pcDNA3.1+-HIF-1alpha].

OBJECTIVE: To construct the eukaryotic expression vector for human hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) gene and examine its expression. METHODS: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed on the total RNA extracted from HT29 cells to obtain the cDNA of HIF-1alpha, which was inserted into T vector pUC18. DNA sequencing was performed before the amplified products were cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1+ identified by endonuclease digestion. This recombinant vector was transfected into HEK293 cells by means of liposome and its expression examined. RESULTS: The amplified products were confirmed as the cDNA of HIF-1alpha by DNA sequencing, and pcDNA3.1+ -HIF-1alpha obtained was verified by endonuclease digestion, being capable of expression in HEK293 cells. CONCLUSION: We have successfully constructed the eukaryotic expression vector for HIF-1alpha, which can be expressed in HEK293 cells.