[Preventive and therapeutic effects of safflower water extract on systemic scleroderma in mice and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To study the preventive and therapeutic effects of safflower water extract on systemic scleroderma (SSc) in mice and its mechanism. METHODS: Sixty BALB/C mice were randomly divided into the control group, model group, prednisone group and safflower low, middle, high dose groups, 10 mice in each group.The control group was injected with normal saline, and the other five groups were subcutaneously injected with bleomycin hydrochloride with 100 µl at the concentration of 200 µg /ml on the back, once a day for 28 days to establish the SSc models.At the same time, the control group and model group were treated with normal saline (10 ml/kg), the prednisone group was treated with prednisone 4.5 mg/kg (10 ml/kg), and the low, middle, and high dose safflower groups were treated with safflower at the doses of 1.5, 3, 6 g/kg (10 ml/kg), and all groups were treated for 28 days.After 28 days, all mice were decapitated. The blood samples and back skin of the BLM injection part were collected.After that, all the tissue slices were taken to measure the dermal thickness, and the content of hydroxyproline (HYP) in the skin tissues was detected by hydrolysis method.The contents of tissue growth factor (CTGF) and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß ) in the skin tissues and the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) in serum were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the dermal thickness of the model group was increased(P＜0.05), the contents of CTGF, TGF-ß and HYP in the skin tissues and the levels of IL-6 and IL-17 in the serum of the model group were increased(P＜0.05); compared with the model group, the dermal thickness in the prednisone group and safflower groups was decreased (P＜0.05), the levels of CTGF, TGF-ß and HYP in the skin tissues and the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-17 in the prednisone group and safflower groups were decreased (P＜0.05). CONCLUSION: Safflower water extract can improve skin condition (or dermal thickness) in SSc mice, and its mechanism may be related to reducing immune inflammatory response.

[Protective effects of azithromycin on adriamycin-induced nephropathy with albumin overload in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To study the protective effects of azithromycin on renal damage induced by doxorubicin and albumin in mice. METHODS: Forty male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into blank control group (Ctrl group), renal damage model group (ADR+BSA group), azithromycin treated group (Azm group) and prednisone acetate positive control group (Pdn group) in accordance with random number table method. Mice in ADR+BSA, AZM and Pdn group were injected intravenously with 9.8 kg-1 doxorubicin five days a week, 10 kg-1 serum albumin was injected intraperitoneally, and normal saline was administered to the control group for 4 weeks to establish renal damage model. After that, AZM group was given daily. 62.5 kg-1 azithromycin was intragastrically administered. The Pdn group was given 12.5 kg-1 prednisone acetate daily, the other two groups were given the same amount of normal saline. After 6 weeks, the urine volume was collected and recorded for 24 hours to detected urine protein amount and endogenous creatinine clearance rate (Ccr). Serum biochemical indicators and serum immune factors were detected. RESULTS: Compared with the Ctrl group, the 24 h urine protein level of the ADR+BSA group was increased significantly (P＜0.05), and the Ccr was decreased significantly (P＜0.05). After the azithromycin treatment, the 24 h urine protein was decreased significantly (P＜0.05), while the Ccr was increased significantly (P＜0.05) compared with ADR+BSA group. CONCLUSION: Azithromycin has a protective effects on the renal damage induced by doxorubicin and albumin in mice.