[Gender differences in antidepressant effect of raw Rehmanniae Radix].

For the first time, this study evaluated the gender differences and mechanisms of the antidepressant effects of raw Rehmanniae Radix(RRR) based on the classic depression model with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of Yin deficiency and internal heat. The depression model with Yin deficiency and internal heat was established by the widely recognized and applied method of thyroxine induction of the classic depression model with Yin deficiency and internal heat(chronic unpredictable mild stress). Male and female mice were simultaneously treated with RRR. The study analyzed indicators of nourishing Yin and clearing heat, conventional antidepressant efficacy test indicators, and important biomolecules reflecting the pathogenesis and prevention and treatment mechanisms of depression, and conducted a correlation analysis of antidepressant efficacy, Yin-nourishing and heat-clearing efficacy, and biological mechanism in different genders, thereby comprehensively assessing the antidepressant effects of RRR on depression of Yin deficiency and internal heat, as well as its gender differences and mechanisms. RRR exhibited antidepressant effects in both male and female mouse models, and its antidepressant efficacy showed gender differences, with a superior effect observed in females. Moreover, the effects of RRR on enhancing or improving hippocampal neuronal pathology, nucleus-positive areas, postsynaptic dense area protein 95, and synaptophysin protein expression were more significant in females than in males. In addition, RRR significantly reversed the abnormal upregulation of nuclear factor(NF)-κB/cyclooxygenase 2(COX2)/NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3(NLRP3) pathway proteins in the hippocampus of both male and female mouse models. The antidepressant effects of RRR were more pronounced in depression female mice with Yin deficiency and internal heat syndrome, possibly due to the improvement of neuronal damage and enhancement of neuroplasticity. The antidepressant mechanisms of RRR for depression with Yin deficiency and internal heat syndrome may be associated with the downregulation of the NF-κB/COX2/NLRP3 pathway to reduce neuronal damage and enhance neuroplasticity.

Study on poly(L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate): synthesis and cell compatibility of electrospun film.

The biomedical applications of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) were limited by its high crystallinity. In this paper, the copolymerization of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) and l-lactide (LLA) was carried out to improve the flexibility of PLLA. The effects of feeding dose, reaction temperature and polymerization time were investigated, and the copolymers were characterized with (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared reflection, gel permeation chromatography differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and x-ray diffraction. The copolymers were electrospun to form porous films to study their cell compatibility. The results showed that the composition of the copolymer was nearly the same as that in the feeding dose, and the molecular weight of the copolymer decreased with increasing TMC content. The decrease in the reaction temperature and polymerization time would increase the molecular weight, but the composition deviates from the feeding dose. NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblast cells were cultured on the electrospun films. The morphology and proliferation of the cells were studied. The results implied that the cell compatibility of poly(l-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) copolymer was much better than that of the PLLA homopolymer.