Houttuynia cordata Thunb. volatile oil exhibited anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and inhibited nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-α production in LPS-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro.

Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (HC) is a medicinal herb that generally used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating allergic inflammation. The present study investigated the inhibitory effect of the volatile oil from HC Thunb. on animal models of inflammation and the production of inflammatory mediators in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, xylene-induced mouse ear edema, formaldehyde-induced paw edema and carrageenan-induced mice paw edema were significantly decreased by HC volatile oil. HC volatile oil showed pronounced inhibition of prostaglandin (PG) E2 and malondialdehyde production in the edematous exudates. In vitro exposure of mouse resident peritoneal macrophages to 1, 10, 100 and 1000 µg/mL of HC volatile oil significantly suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated production of NO and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in a dose-dependent manner. Exposure to HC volatile oil had no effect on cell viability and systemic toxicity. Furthermore, HC volatile oil inhibited the production of NO and TNF-α by down-regulating LPS-stimulated iNOS and TNF-α mRNA expression. Western blot analysis showed that HC volatile oil attenuated LPS-stimulated synthesis of iNOS and TNF-α protein in the macrophages, in parallel. These findings add a novel aspect to the biological profile of HC and clarify its anti-inflammatory mechanism.

[High-performance liquid chromatography-based determination of plasma and renal tissue cisplatin levels after subcutaneous cisplatin implantation in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a method for determining plasma and renal tissue concentrations of cisplatin (DDP) after subcutaneous DDP implantation in mice. METHODS: DDP was extracted from the plasma and tissue of mice receiving subcutaneous DDP implantation and reacted with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC). The product Pt (DDTC)(2) extracted by diethyl ether was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with the mobile phase of water and methanol at the ratio of 25:75 and the flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The derivatives of DDP and nickel chloride were detected at the wavelength of 254 nm. RESULTS: The linear range of DDP was 0.1-10 microg/ml (r=0.9998 for plasma and 0.9993 for kidney). The intra-day and inter-day RSD was below 10%, and the minimum concentration detectable was 50 ng. CONCLUSION: The method is accurate and effective for determining plasma and tissue DDP levels after subcutaneous DDP administration and can be used in pharmacokinetic study of DDP.

[Protecting effect of brevifolin and 8,9-single-epoxy brevifolin of Phyllanthus simplex on rat liver injury].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of protecting liver of brevifolin and 8,9-single-epoxy brevifolin of Phyllanthus simplex. METHOD: Rats were administered with CCl4 (ip) or alcohol (ig) to establish acute or chronic liver injured model, respectively. ALT, AST and TBIL in serum were measured using colorimetric analysis to evaluate liver function. MDA content or SOD activity in serum and liver tissue was measured by thiobarbituric acid chromatometry and xanthine oxidase methods, respectively. The hemorheological parameters were observed. RESULT: Brevifolin and 8,9-single-epoxy brevifolin reduced the increase of ALT induced by CCl4, but they did not influence the increase of AST. And it could inhibit the pathologic increase of serum TBIL induced by alcohol. They could ameliorate the MDA increase or SOD decrease in serum and liver tissue in rats with liver injury, and decrease abnormal changed hemorheological parameters. CONCLUSION: Brevifolin and 8,9-single-epoxy brevifolin show protective effective against acute and chronic liver injuries, and the mechanism is relevant to antagonizing the lipid peroxidation of free radical and improving the blood circulation.