Synthesis and In Vitro Antitumor Activity Evaluation of Gefitinib-1,2,3-Triazole Derivatives.

In this study, 14 structurally novel gefitinib-1,2,3-triazole derivatives were synthesized using a click chemistry approach and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Preliminary cell counting kit-8 results showed that most of the compounds exhibit excellent antitumor activity against epidermal growth factor receptor wild-type lung cancer cells NCI-H1299, A549 and NCI-H1437. Among them, 4b and 4c showed the most prominent inhibitory effects. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 4b were 4.42 ± 0.24 µM (NCI-H1299), 3.94 ± 0.01 µM (A549) and 1.56 ± 0.06 µM (NCI-1437). The IC50 values of 4c were 4.60 ± 0.18 µM (NCI-H1299), 4.00 ± 0.08 µM (A549) and 3.51 ± 0.05 µM (NCI-H1437). Furthermore, our results showed that 4b and 4c could effectively inhibit proliferation, colony formation and cell migration in a concentration-dependent manner, as well as induce apoptosis in H1299 cells. In addition, 4b and 4c exerted its anti-tumor effects by inducing cell apoptosis, upregulating the expression of cleaved-caspase 3 and cleaved-PARP and downregulating the protein levels of Bcl-2. Based on these results, it is suggested that 4b and 4c be developed as potential new drugs for lung cancer treatment.

Strategies adopted by Salmonella to survive in host: a review.

Salmonella, a Gram-negative bacterium that infects humans and animals, causes diseases ranging from gastroenteritis to severe systemic infections. Here, we discuss various strategies used by Salmonella against host cell defenses. Epithelial cell invasion largely depends on a Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-1-encoded type 3 secretion system, a molecular syringe for injecting effector proteins directly into host cells. The internalization of Salmonella into macrophages is primarily driven by phagocytosis. After entering the host cell cytoplasm, Salmonella releases many effectors to achieve intracellular survival and replication using several secretion systems, primarily an SPI-2-encoded type 3 secretion system. Salmonella-containing vacuoles protect Salmonella from contacting bactericidal substances in epithelial cells and macrophages. Salmonella modulates the immunity, metabolism, cell cycle, and viability of host cells to expand its survival in the host, and the intracellular environment of Salmonella-infected cells promotes its virulence. This review provides insights into how Salmonella subverts host cell defenses for survival.

Ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor for the sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen based on a hairpin DNA probe and exonuclease I-assisted target recycling.

A novel ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor was constructed for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) based on a hairpin DNA (hpDNA) probe and exonuclease Ⅰ (Exo Ⅰ)-assisted target recycling amplification strategy. A thiolated methylene blue (MB)-labeled hpDNA as the internal control element was fixed on the surface of the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-modified gold electrode (AuE) through Au-S bonds. A ferrocene (Fc)-modified aptamer DNA (Fc-Apt) was partially hybridized with hpDNA to form a Fc-Apt/hpDNA duplex. Due to the specific recognition of Fc-Apt to CEA, the presence of CEA caused dissociation of Fc-Apt from the duplex, and further triggered the degradation process of Exo Ⅰ and recycling of CEA. Hence, the Fc tags were released from the electrode surface and the oxidation peak current of Fc (IFc) decreased while that of MB (IMB) remained stable owing to the distance between MB tags and the electrode unchanged. A linear relationship was observed between IFc/IMB and the logarithm of CEA concentration from 10 pg mL-1 to 100 ng mL-1 with a detection limit of 1.9 pg mL-1. Moreover, the developed aptasensor had been applied to detect CEA in diluted human serum with satisfactory results, indicating its great potential in practical applications.

Preventive effects of arctigenin from Arctium lappa L against LPS-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive impairments in mice.

Arctigenin (Arc) is a phenylpropanoid dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan in Arctium lappa L, which has been widely applied as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for treating inflammation. In the present study, we explored the neuroprotective effect and the potential mechanisms of arctigenin against LPS-evoked neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and memory impairments in the mice hippocampus. Daily administration of arctigenin (50 mg/kg per day, i.g.) for 28 days revealed noticeable improvements in spatial learning and memory deficits after exposure to LPS treatment. Arctigenin prevented LPS-induced neuronal/synaptic injury and inhibited the increases in Abeta (Aß) generation and the levels of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and ß-site amyloid precursor protein cleavage enzyme 1 (BACE1). Moreover, arctigenin treatment also suppressed glial activation and reduced the production of proinflammatory cytokines. In LPS-treated BV-2 microglial cells and mice, activation of the TLR4 mediated NF-κB signaling pathway was significantly suppressed by arctigenin administration. Mechanistically, arctigenin reduced the LPS-induced interaction of adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) with TLR4 and its coreceptor CD14 and inhibited the TLR4-mediated downstream inflammatory response. The outcomes of the current study indicate that arctigenin mitigates LPS-induced apoptotic neurodegeneration, amyloidogenesis and neuroinflammation as well as cognitive impairments, and suggest that arctigenin may be a potential therapeutic candidate for neuroinflammation/neurodegeneration-related diseases.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing on Sox2ot promoter leads to its truncated expression and does not influence neural tube closure and embryonic development in mice.

Sox2 overlapping transcript (Sox2ot) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), which harbors one of the major regulators of pluripotency, the Sox2 gene, in its intronic region. Sox2ot is primarily expressed in the developing neuroepithelium. However, its role in neural tube closure and embryonic development remains unclear. To investigate if Sox2ot is required for neural tube closure and embryonic development, Sox2ot promoter was deleted by CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology to prevent Sox2ot gene expression in mice. We designed 9 guide RNAs to specifically target the Sox2ot promoter and 3 gRNAs induced gene editing on the promoter of the Sox2ot gene in cells transfected with Cas9 mRNA and gRNAs. Then, these gRNAs and Cas9 mRNA were injected into mouse zygotes and implanted into pseudopregnant mice. A Sox2ot promoter-deleted mouse line was identified with complete deletion of promoter as well as deletion of exon 1 and exon 2. Sox2ot transcript was truncated with a lack of exon 1 and exon 2 in Sox2ot promoter-deleted mice. Furthermore, neural tube closure and embryonic development were checked at E9.5, E10.5, E14.5, E17.5 and after-birth (P2) and we did not find any failure of neural tube closure and aberrant embryonic development in Sox2ot promoter-deleted mice. Thus, our study demonstrated that CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in Sox2ot promoter leads to its truncated expression and does not influence neural tube closure and embryonic development.

C-phycocyanin Mitigates Cognitive Impairment in Doxorubicin-Induced Chemobrain: Impact on Neuroinflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Brain Mitochondrial and Synaptic Alterations.

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) is a common detrimental effect of cancer treatment, occurring in up to 75% of cancer patients. The widely utilized chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX) has been implicated in cognitive decline, mostly via cytokine-induced neuroinflammatory and oxidative and mitochondrial damage to brain tissues. C-phycocyanin (CP) has previously been shown to have potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and mitochondrial protective properties. Therefore, this present study was aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of CP against DOX-elicited cognitive impairment and explore the underlying mechanisms. CP treatment (50 mg/kg) significantly improved behavioral deficits in DOX-treated mice. Furthermore, CP suppressed DOX-induced neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, mitigated mitochondrial abnormalities, rescued dendritic spine loss, and increased synaptic density in the hippocampus of DOX-treated mice. Our results suggested that CP improves established DOX-induced cognitive deficits, which could be explained at least partly by inhibition of neuroinflammatory and oxidant stress and attenuation of mitochondrial and synaptic dysfunction.

Comparison of the Effects of Intraperitoneal Injection with Carbon Tetrachloride on Acute Liver Toxicity in Male and Female Kunming Mice.

BACKGROUND Acute chemical liver injury needs to be further explored. The present study aimed to compare the effects of intraperitoneal injection with carbon tetrachloride on acute liver toxicity after 24 h in male and female Kunming mice. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, female and male mice were simultaneously divided into 3 different groups. Each group was treated differently, and after 24 h, blood samples were collected to check for changes in the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), which were used to assess liver toxicity. Liver samples were used for hematoxylin-eosin staining, and periodic acid Schiff reagent staining was performed to detect the pathological changes of each group. The expression level of biomarker molecules in liver cells was also systematically analyzed. RESULTS Our results showed that, compared with male mice, female mice showed more serious damage: reduced glycogen and higher degree of necrosis, and the levels of heatshock protein 27 (HSP27), heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and B cell lymphoma/lewkmia-2 (Bcl-2) were significantly lower than in the male group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the results of Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 3 (Caspase3), and cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) were the opposite (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study showed that, compared with male mice, at 24 h after CCl4 toxicity, female mice showed more severe changes of hepatocyte necrosis and PAS-positivity, with significantly reduced expression of HSP27, HSP70, PCNA, and Bcl-2, and significantly increased expression of Bax, caspase-3, and CYP2E1.

Transcriptome analysis of differentially expressed genes and pathways associated with mitoxantrone treatment prostate cancer.

The global physiological function of specifically expressed genes of mitoxantrone (MTX)-resistant prostate cancer (PCa) is unclear. In this study, gene expression pattern from microarray data was investigated for identifying differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in MTX-resistant PCa xenografts. Human PCa cell lines DU145 and PC3 were cultured in vitro and xenografted into severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice, treated with MTX intragastrically, three times a week until all mice relapsed. Gene expression profiles of the xenografts from castrated mice were performed with Affymetrix human whole genomic oligonucleotide microarray. The Cytoscape software was used to investigate the relationship between proteins and the signalling transduction network. A total of 355 overlapping genes were differentially expressed in MTX-resistant DU145R and PC3R xenografts. Of these, 16 genes were selected to be validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in these xenografts, and further tested in a set of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and optimal cutting temperature (OCT) clinical tumour samples. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses revealed that these DEGs were closely related to cellular activity, androgen synthesis, DNA damage and repair, also involved in the ERK/MAPK, PI3K/serine-threonine protein kinase, also known as protein kinase B, PKB (AKT) and apoptosis signalling pathways. This exploratory analysis provides information about potential candidate genes and may bring new insights into the molecular cascade involvement in MTX-resistant PCa.

Protective Effects of ACY-1215 Against Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairment and Brain Damage in Mice.

Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a potential long-term side effect during cancer treatment. There are currently no effective treatments for CRCI. Reduction or inhibition of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) has been considered a possible therapeutic strategy for cognitive deficits. HDAC6 inhibition recently has been shown to reverse chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy effectively. In the present study, we examined the effect of HDAC6 inhibitor ACY-1215 (Ricolinostat) on cisplatin-induced brain damage and cognitive deficits in mice. Our results showed that ACY-1215 ameliorated behavioral deficits and dendritic spine loss and increased synaptic density in cisplatin-treated mice. Mechanistically, HDAC6 inhibitor ACY-1215 enhanced α-tubulin acetylation in the hippocampus of cisplatin-treated mice. Furthermore, ACY-1215 recovered cisplatin-induced impaired mitochondrial transport and mitochondrial dysfunction in the hippocampus. Our results suggest that inhibition of HDAC6 improves established cisplatin-induced cognitive deficits by the restoration of mitochondrial and synaptic impairments. These results offer prospective approaches for CRCI, especially because ACY1215 currently serves as an add-on cancer therapy during clinical trials.

Zerumbone Protects against Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4)-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Mice via Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and the Inflammatory Response: Involving the TLR4/NF-κB/COX-2 Pathway.

The natural compound Zerumbone (hereinafter referred to as ZER), a monocyclic sesquiterpenoid, has been reported to possess many pharmacological properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism of ZER against acute liver injury (ALI) in CCl4-induced mice models. ICR mice were pretreated intraperitoneally with ZER for five days, then received a CCl4 injection two hours after the last ZER administration and were sacrificed 24 h later. Examination of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities and the histopathological analysis confirmed the hepatoprotective effect of ZER. Biochemical assays revealed that ZER pretreatment recovered the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), restored the glutathione (GSH) reservoir, and reduced the production of malondialdehyde (MDA), all in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, administration of ZER in vivo reduced the release amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and inhibited the increased protein levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p-p65, and cyclooxygenase (COX-2). Further studies in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced Raw264.7 inflammatory cellular models verified that ZER could inhibit inflammation via inactivating the TLR4/NF-κB/COX-2 pathway. Thus, our study indicated that ZER exhibited a hepatoprotective effect against ALI through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and the possible mechanism might be mediated by the TLR4/NF-κB/COX-2 pathway. Collectively, our studies indicate ZER could be a potential candidate for chemical liver injury treatment.

[Effects of saikosaponin b_2 on inflammation and energy metabolism in mice with acute liver injury induced by LPS/GalN].

To study the effects of saikosaponin b2( SS-b2) on inflammatory factors and energy metabolism against lipopolysaccharide/galactosamine( LPS/Gal N) induced acute liver injury in mice. Mice were randomly divided into normal group( equal amount of normal saline),model group( 100 g·kg~(-1) LPS and 400 mg·kg~(-1) Gal N),low,medium,high dose group of SS-b2( SS-b25,10,20 mg·kg~(-1)·d-1) and positive control group( dexamethasone,10 mg·kg~(-1)). All of the groups except for the normal group were treated with LPS/Gal N though intraperitoneally injection to establish the acute liver injury model. The organ indexes were calculated. The levels of serum transaminases( ALT and AST) and the activities of ATPase( Na+-K+-ATPase,Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase) in liver were detected. The activity of tumor necrosis factor-α( TNF-α),interleukin-1ß( IL-1ß) and interleukin-6( IL-6) were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay( ELISA). The contents of lactate dehydrogenase( LDH) in liver were determined by micro-enzyme method. HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of the liver. Histochemical method was used to investigate the protein expression of liver lactate dehydrogenase-A( LDH-A). The protein expressions of Sirt-6 and NF-κB in the liver were detected by Western blot. According to the results,compared with the model group,there were significant changes in organ indexes in the high-dose group of SS-b2( P<0. 05). The level of ALT,AST,TNF-α,IL-1ß,IL-6 and the activities of LDH in serum of mice with liver injury were significantly reduced in the medium and high dose groups of SS-b2( P<0. 01). With the increase of the concentration of SS-b2,the range of hepatic lesions and the damage in mice decreased. The activities of Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase in liver of mice were significantly enhanced in each dose group( P<0. 01). The expression of NF-κB in liver tissues was significantly down-regulated in the medium and high dose group( P<0. 01). Meanwhile,the expression of Sirt-6 protein in the liver of mice with acute liver injury was significantly increased in each dose group( P<0. 01).In summary,SS-b2 has a significant protective effect on LPS/Gal N-induced acute liver injury in mice,which may be related to the down-regulation of NF-κB protein expression and up-regulation of Sirt-6 protein expression to improve inflammatory injury and energy metabolism.

Quercetin attenuates domoic acid-induced cognitive deficits in mice.

Domoic acid (DA) is one of the best known marine toxins, causative of important neurotoxic alterations. DA effects are documented both in wildlife and experimental assays, showing that this toxin causes severe injuries principally in the hippocampal area. Accumulating evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are involved in DA-induced cognitive functional impairment. Therefore, therapeutics targeted to improve mitochondrial function and increase oxidative stress defence could be beneficial. Quercetin, a bioflavanoid, has been reported to have potent neuroprotective effects and anti-oxidative ability, but its preventive effects on DA-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cognitive impairment have not been well characterised. In this study, we evaluated the effects of quercetin on DA-induced cognitive deficits in mice and explored its potential mechanism. Our results showed that the oral administration of quercetin to DA-treated mice significantly improved their behavioural performance in a novel objective recognition task and a Morris water maze task. These improvements were mediated, at least in part, by a stimulation of PPARγ coactivator 1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis signalling and an amelioration of mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, quercetin activated nuclear factorerythroid-2-related factor-2 (Nrf2)-mediated phase II enzymes and decreased reactive oxygen species and protein carbonylation. Furthermore, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity significantly increased in the quercetin-treated group. Taken together, these findings suggest that a reduction in mitochondrial dysfunction through the increase of AMPK activity, coupled with an increase in Nrf2 pathway mediated oxidative defence, may be one of the mechanisms by which quercetin improves cognitive impairment induced by DA in mice.

Transforaminal endoscopic decompression for thoracic spinal stenosis under local anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic spinal stenosis is a common vertebral degenerative disease, and treatment remains challenging. In recent years, transforaminal endoscopic decompression has been widely used for treating lumbar degenerative diseases. However, the efficacy of this procedure for thoracic spinal stenosis has yet to be established. Herein, we report a case of thoracic spinal stenosis treated with transforaminal endoscopic decompression under local anesthesia. CASE REPORT: An 88-year-old man presented with a 1-month history of progressive paralysis and dysesthesia in the bilateral lower extremities. A diagnosis of thoracic spinal stenosis was made, based on physical examination. A two-step percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic thoracic decompression was performed for spinal canal decompression. Over a follow-up of 1 year, a favorable outcome was noted. CONCLUSION: Transforaminal endoscopic decompression is a safe and an effective surgical approach for the treatment of thoracic spinal stenosis. For patients with thoracic spinal stenosis, accurate diagnosis and elaborate surgical planning should be highlighted, and the surgical outcome can be favorable.

The Effects of Astilbin on Cognitive Impairments in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Bioflavonoids are being utilised as neuroprotectants in the treatment of various neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Astilbin, a bioflavanoid, has been reported to have potent neuroprotective effects, but its preventive effects on amyloid-ß (Aß)-induced, Alzheimer's disease-related, cognitive impairment, and the underlying mechanisms of these effects have not been well characterised. Five-month-old APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice were randomly assigned to a vehicle group and two astilbin (either 20 or 40 mg/kg per day, intraperitoneally) groups. After 8 weeks of treatment, we observed beneficial effects of astilbin (40 mg/kg per day), including lessening learning and memory deficits and reducing plaque burden and Aß levels. Furthermore, the expressions of both the cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were significantly increased and the disturbance of AKT/GSK-3ß signalling pathway was markedly ameliorated in the hippocampus of astilbin-treated (40 mg/kg per day) group. Our data suggest that astilbin might be a potential therapeutic agent against AD.

IL-6 trans-signaling plays important protective roles in acute liver injury induced by acetaminophen in mice.

Our study was undertaken to evaluate the important role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) trans-signaling in acetaminophen (AAP)-induced liver injury. A soluble gp130 protein (sgp130Fc) exclusively inhibits IL-6 trans-signaling, whereas an IL-6/soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) fusion protein (hyper-IL-6) mimics IL-6 trans-signaling. Using these tools, we investigated the role of IL-6 trans-signaling in AAP-induced liver injury. Blockade of IL-6 trans-signaling during AAP-induced liver injury remarkably increased the levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase; lowered the level of serum sIL-6R; aggravated liver injury; inhibited the expression of phosphorylation of STAT3 (pSTAT3), proliferating cell nuclear antigen, vascular endothelial growth factor, and glycogen synthesis; and induced the expression of Caspase3, cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), and hepatocyte apoptosis in the liver of mice. In summary, our study suggested that IL-6 trans-signaling plays important protective roles by regulating the hepatocyte proliferation and apoptosis, angiogenesis, CYP2E1 expression, and glycogen metabolism during AAP-induced liver injury in mice.

The Effect of ADAM8 on the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Hepatocytes and Hepatoma Carcinoma Cells.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of ADAM8 on the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocytes and hepatoma carcinoma cells during hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. The expression of ADAM8 was significantly increased with good correlation of PCNA expression increasing and cells apoptosis decreasing during the progression of HCC in the liver of mice. Proliferation experiment in vitro showed that recombinant ADAM8 could induce the expression of PCNA in L02 cells, but not in HepG2 cells. Apoptosis experiment in vitro showed that recombinant ADAM8 did not induce or inhibit the expression of apoptosis-related factors Bcl2, Bax, and Caspase3 in L02 cells, but significantly induced the expression of Bcl2, inhibited the expression of Bax and Caspase3 in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, our study suggested that ADAM8 could promote the proliferation of normal hepatocytes and render hepatoma carcinoma cells more resistant to apoptosis to play important roles during the progression of HCC. ADAM8; Proliferation; Apoptosis.

The Protective Roles of IL-6 Trans-Signaling Regulated by ADAM9 on the Liver in Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Injury in Mice.

Our study was undertaken to evaluate the important role that a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 9 (ADAM9) regulates IL-6 trans-signaling in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury in mice. Mice were divided into four groups. Each group respectively received mineral oil injection, CCl4 injection, anti-ADAM9 monoclonal antibody (mAb) pretreatment and CCl4 injection, anti-ADAM9 mAb and recombinant mouse ADAM9 molecules pretreatment with CCl4 injection. Our results showed that anti-ADAM9 mAb pretreatment significantly aggravated liver injury, inhibited IL-6 trans-signaling, which led to downregulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), upregulation of Caspase3, cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), and hepatocytes apoptosis at 24 h after CCl4 injection. Recombinant ADAM9 molecules pretreatment reversed the impact of anti-ADAM9 mAb pretreatment in mice. In conclusion, our study suggested that ADAM9 could regulate the hepatocytes proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and CYP2E1 expression by activating IL-6 trans-signaling and play important protective roles during CCl4-induced liver injury in mice.

Relative Expression of Indicators for Wound Age Estimation in Forensic Pathology.

OBJECTIVE: In order to understand which kind of function genes play an important role for estimating wound age, the variation of difference genes' mRNA expression were compared after injury. METHODS: The mRNA expression levels of seven candidate genes (ICAM-1, NF-κB, MX2, MT1, MT2, sTnI, and Cox6c) were analyzed in contused rat skeletal muscle at different time points using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The raw Ct values were normalized relative to that of RPL32 mRNA, and converted to standard Ct values. At each time point after injury, the standard deviations (SD) of the standard Ct values were calculated by SPSS. RESULTS: The expression trends of the seven genes were all found to be related to wound age, but there were lower variation coefficients and greater reliability of s TnI and Cox6c when compared with other genes. CONCLUSION: The genes encoding structural proteins or proteins that perform basic functions can be suitable for wound age estimation.

[Expression of SFRP5 mRNA in Rat Skeletal Muscle after Contusion].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the expression of secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (SFRP5) mRNA and the time interval after skeletal muscle injury in rats by real-time PCR. METHODS: A total of ninety SD rats were randomly divided into the contusion groups at different times including 4h, 8h, 12h, 16h, 20h, 24h, 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h, 44h, 48h after contusion, incision groups at different times including 4h and 8h after incision and the control group. The samples were taken from the contused zone at different time points. The total RNA was isolated from the samples and reversely transcribed to analyze the expression levels of SFRP5 mRNA. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, the expression of SFRP5 mRNA in contusion groups were down-regulated within 48 h after contusion and reached the lowest level at 20 h, and the expression of SFRP5 mRNA gradually increased from 20 h to 48 h after contusion. The expression of SFRP5 mRNA in the incised groups were significantly lower than that of the contusion groups at 4 h after injury. At the time of 8 h, the expression levels between the contusion and incision groups showed no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that SFRP5 mRNA analysis may show regular expression and can be a marker for estimation of skeletal muscle injury age.

Effects of long-term treatment with quercetin on cognition and mitochondrial function in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Amyloid-ß (Aß)-induced mitochondrial dysfunction has been recognized as a prominent, early event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, therapeutics targeted to improve mitochondrial function could be beneficial. Quercetin, a bioflavanoid, has been reported to have potent neuro-protective effects, but its preventive effects on Aß-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cognitive impairment have not been well characterised. Three-month-old APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice were randomly assigned to a vehicle group, two quercetin (either 20 or 40 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) groups, or an Aricept (2 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) group. After 16 weeks of treatment, we observed beneficial effects of quercetin (40 mg kg(-1) day(-1)), including lessening learning and memory deficits, reducing scattered senile plaques, and ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction, as evidenced by restoration of mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species and ATP levels in mitochondria isolated from the hippocampus compared to control. Furthermore, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity significantly increased in the quercetin-treated (40 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) group. These findings suggest that a reduction in plaque burden and mitochondrial dysfunction through the activation of AMPK may be one of the mechanisms by which quercetin improves cognitive functioning in the APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mouse model of AD.