Dioscin attenuates Bleomycin-Induced acute lung injury via inhibiting the inflammatory response in mice.

Aim: Acute lung injury (ALI), a critical illness syndrome with high morbidity and mortality, is characterized by a severe inflammatory response. Dioscin exerts protective effects against crystalline silica-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in mice. Bleomycin (BLM) is widely used to induce ALI and fibrosis in animal models. This study aims to investigate the effects of dioscin on BLM-induced ALI in mice. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were intratracheally injected with BLM to induce ALI. Lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were then harvested on day 7 for evaluation. Changes in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) expression level were measured by RT-qPCR and ELISA. Protein expressions of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were measured by western blot. Results: Dioscin protects against BLM-induced ALI by decreasing the numbers of total and inflammatory cells, lung edema, myeloperoxidase activity, and malondialdehyde content. Moreover, dioscin significantly inhibited TNF-α, IL-1ß, NF-κB, COX-2, and HMGB1 levels, and upregulated IL-10 levels. Conclusion: Our data indicate that dioscin attenuates oxidative stress, the lung inflammatory response, and acute lung injury in BLM-challenged mice.

Trade-off between thermal tolerance and insecticide resistance in Plutella xylostella.

Fitness costs associated with resistance to insecticides have been well documented, usually at normal temperature conditions, in many insect species. In this study, using chlorpyrifos-resistant homozygote (RR) and chlorpyrifos-susceptible homozygote (SS) of resistance ace1 allele of Plutella xylostella (DBM), we confirmed firstly that high temperature experience in pupal stage influenced phenotype of wing venation in insecticide-resistant and insecticide-susceptible Plutella xylostella, and SS DBM showed significantly higher thermal tolerance and lower damages of wing veins under heat stress than RR DBM. As compared to SS DBM, RR DBM displayed significantly lower AChE sensitivity to chlorpyrifos, higher basal GSTs activity and P450 production at 25°C, but higher inhibitions on the enzyme activities and P450 production as well as reduced resistance to chlorpyrifos under heat stress. Furthermore, RR DBM displayed significantly higher basal expressions of hsp69s, hsp72s, hsp20,hsp90,Apaf-1, and caspase-7 at 25°C, but lower induced expressions of hsps and higher induced expressions of Apaf-1,caspase-9, and caspase-7 under heat stress. These results suggest that fitness costs of chlorpyrifos resistance in DBM may partly attribute to excess consumption of energy caused by over production of detoxification enzymes and hsps when the proteins are less demanded at conducive environments but reduced expressions when they are highly demanded by the insects to combat environmental stresses, or to excess expressions of apoptotic genes under heat stress, which results in higher apoptosis. The evolutionary and ecological implications of these findings at global warming are discussed.

[Effect of Electroacupuncture Stimulation of "Neiguan" (PC 6) on Expression of Myocardial Chloride Channel-related Genes, PKC and PKG Proteins in Myocardial Ischemia Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of "Neiguan" (PC 6), etc. on expression levels of myocardial chloride (CL-) channel-related genes and intracellular protein kinase C (PKC) protein in myocardial ischemia (M) rats. METHODS: Seventy SD rats were randomly divided into control group (n = 10), model group (n = 15) , Neiguan (PC 6) group (n = 15), Lieque (LU 7) group (n = 15) and non-acupoint group (n = 15). The MI model was established by i. p. of isoproterenol (ISO, a sympathomimetic beta adrenergic agonist). Electroacupuncture stimulation was applied to bilateral "Neiguan" (PC 6), "Lieque" (LU 7), or non-acupoint [the mid-point between "Tianshu" (ST 25) and "Shenque" (CV 8)] for 15 min, once a day for 7 days. Quantitative RT-PCR was employed to detect the expression levels of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR, a CL-channel) mRNA and chloride channel calcium-activated 1 (CLCa 1, a member of the family of calcium-activated chloride channels, CLCa) mRNA in the left cardiac ventricle tissue, and Western blot was used to detect the expression level of myocardial PKC protein of the left ventricle. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the expression levels of myocardial PKC protein, and CLCa 1 and CFTR genes were significantly increased in the model group (P<0.05). In comparison with the model group, the expression levels of myocardial PKC protein, and CFTR mRNA and CLCa 1 mRNA in the Neiguan group, and PKC protein and CLCa 1 mRNA in the Lieque and non-acupoint groups, as well as CFTR mRNA in the Lieque group were notably down-regulated (P<0.05). No significant change was found in the expression of CFTR mRNA in the non-acupoint group (P>0.05), and no significant differences were found between Neiguan and Lieque groups in the expression levels of PKC protein (P>0.05). The effects of "Neiguan" (PC 6) were obviously superior to those of non-acupoint in down-regulating myocardial PKC protein, CLCa 1 mRNA and CFTR mRNA (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: EA stimulation of "Neiguan" (PC 6) can down-regulate the expression of myocardial PKC protein, CFTR and CLCa 1 genes in Ml rats, which may contribute to its effect in protecting rnyocardium from ischemic injury.

[Effects of acupuncture at "Zusanli" (ST 36) on eosinophil apoptosis and related gene expression in rats with asthma].

OBJECTIVE: To observed efficacy differences of acupuncture at "Zusanli" (ST 36) in rats with asthma and asthma with spleen-deficency, so as to investigate the therapeutic mechanism. METHODS: Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups according to their weight, named as an asthma with spleen-deficency group (group A), an acupuncture on asthma with spleen-deficency group (group B), an asthma group (group C), an acupuncture on asthma group (group D) and a control group. The rat models with spleen-deficiency in the first two groups were set up by TCM, then the rats of asthma model in the first four groups were induced by egg albumin, but the control group was treated by the same dose of saline. The group B and the group D were both treated with acupuncture at "Zusanli" (ST 36), once each day for 8 days, and the other groups remained unhandled. The mRNA expressions of Fas and Bcl-2 in the lung tissues were detected by hybridization in situ and apoptosis was detected by TUNEL (terminal dexynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dutp nick end labeling). RESULTS: Compared with the control group, in both the group A and the group C, the expression of Fas mRNA significantly decreased, but the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA significantly increased (all P < 0.01), and eosinophils (EOS) counts significantly increased, but EOS apoptosis rate significantly decreased (all P < 0.01). Compared with the group C, in the group A, the expressions of Fas mRNA significantly decreased, but the expressions of Bcl-2 mRNA and EOS counts significantly increased (all P < 0.01). At the same time, compared with the corresponding asthma groups, in both acupuncture groups, Fas mRNA expression obviously increased, Bcl-2 mRNA expression was significantly reduced (all P < 0.01), EOS counts remarkably decreased and EOS apoptosis rate significantly increased (all P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in the expressions of Fas mRNA and Bcl-2 mRNA between the two acupuncture groups (both P > 0.05), but compared with group B,in the group D, EOS counts significantly decreased and EOS apoptosis rate significantly increased (both P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at "Zusanli" (ST 36) can regulate the disorders of Fas mRNA and Bcl-2 mRNA expression in the state of both asthma and asthma with spleen-deficency, promote EOS apoptosis so as to inhibit the development of inflammatory reaction of asthma, showing that acupuncture at "Zusanli" (ST 36) has certain advantages on regulation of related gene of EOS in asthma with spleen-deficency.