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Mitochondrial membrane potential （MMP） is one of the most sensitive indicators of cell damage and one of the potential targets of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） intervention in the cardiac function. Cardiovascular diseases， with complex mechanisms of the occurrence and development， often involve the myocardium and other organs and present slow development and high mortality， seriously affecting the quality of life of patients. The TCM treatment of cardiovascular diseases is praised for small side effects， low drug resistance， and holistic treatment and can effectively relieve symptoms and improve prognosis. In recent years， the research on the occurrence mechanism of cardiovascular diseases from mitochondrial function has gained increasing attention. MMP is closely related to the functioning mechanism of mitochondria. Studies have shown that TCM regulates MMP to treat cardiovascular diseases by modulating energy metabolism， improving mitochondrial structure and function， and inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis， thus protecting the heart function， improving the cure rate， and reducing the mortality of patients. This paper systematically reviews the studies about the mechanisms of TCM regulation of MMP in cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis， heart failure， myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury， diabetic cardiomyopathy disease， and pulmonary artery hypertension. Most of Chinese medicine compound prescriptions， Chinese medicinal herbs， effective fraction， and active components can protect mitochondrial function by regulating MMP. However， relevant clinical trials and TCM theoretical studies of MMP remain to be carried out to provide more ideas for TCM treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of Geju Hugan tablets on the liver of mice with alcohol-induced liver injury， and explore the underlying mechanism based on nuclear factor-κB p65 （NF-κB p65） and B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）/Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax） signaling pathways. MethodAccording to the body weight， 60 SPF-grade male ICR mice were randomized into normal， model， Compound Yiganling tablets （0.16 g·kg-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （0.2， 0.4， 0.8 g·kg-1， respectively） Geju Hugan tablets groups. The drugs were administrated at the corresponding doses by gavage， and the normal and model groups with equal volume of pure water once a day for 28 consecutive days. On day 29， the mice in other groups except the normal group were administrated with liquor （53% Vol） by gavage twice a day at the doses of 20， 10 mL·kg-1 and with the interval of 6 h. Samples were harvested on day 30. The histopathological changes in the liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， and the ultrastructural changes in hepatocytes were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of malonaldehyde （MDA）， reduced glutathione （GSH）， and triglycerides （TG） in the liver tissue and the levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） in the serum. Western blotting was employed to determine the protein levels of NF-κB p65， phosphorylated p-inhibitor kappa B alpha （p-IκBα）， Bcl-2， and Bax in the liver tissue. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increases in the ALT， AST， MDA， and TG levels， a decrease in the GSH level， and increases in the liver injury scores evaluated based on the HE， oil red O， and transmission electron microscopy （P<0.01）. Moreover， the model group showed up-regulated expression of NF-κB， p-IκBα， and Bax （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated expression of Bcl-2 （P<0.05） in the liver tissue. Compared with the model group， Geju Hugan tablets of all the doses lowered the ALT， AST， MDA， and TG levels and elevated the GSH level （P<0.01）. The liver injury scores assessed based on HE staining and transmission electron microscopy in the medium- and high-dose Geju Hugan tablets groups were lower than those in the model group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， medium- and high-dose Geju Hugan tablets down-regulated the protein levels of NF-κB， p-IκBα， and Bax （P<0.01） and all doses of Geju Hugan tablets up-regulated the protein level of Bcl-2 （P<0.01）. ConclusionGeju Hugan tablets protect mice from alcohol-induced liver injury by down-regulating NF-κB signaling pathway to alleviate inflammation in the liver tissue and down-regulating the expression of Bax and up-regulating the expression of Bcl-2 to inhibit hepatocyte apoptosis.
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Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic and progressive arterial disease. It is an important cause of the occurrence and development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. With the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), TCM has many advantages in the therapy of AS, with less adverse reactions. Studies have shown that TCM can resist AS, and the mechanism mainly belongs to regulating lipid metabolism, anti-lipid peroxidation, anti-inflammation, anticoagulation, and protecting the structure and function of vascular endothelial cells. The mechanism of TCM for AS is warranted to be studied systematically, and the chemical components need to be further clarified.
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Objective To study the pharmacological function of the aconitine in treating adjuvant arthritis(AA).Methods Fifty rats were randomly divided into the control group, AA model group, methotrexate group(0.5 mg/kg), and aconitine groups of different dosages (25, 100μg/kg). Except the control group, each group was injection of intradermal Freund's complete adjuvant (0.1 ml) into right hindpaw of rats to establish adjuvant arthritis model. On the 10th day after model onset, the aconitine were administered by gavage with 25, 100μg/kg once daily, and the methotrexate group was administered with 0.5 mg/kg methotrexate twice per week, and all groups were treated for 19 days. After the last administration, the foot swelling was measured by toe volume meter, arthritis index was calculated by 5-grade scoring method, spleen and thymus index were calculated, and the pathological changes of right ankle joint were observed by HE staining.Results After the model establishment, compared with the model group, the degree of swelling of the ankle at 20 days (668.7 ± 144.5μl, 566.9 ± 179.3μl vs. 912.1 ± 200.5μl), 24 days (833.1 ± 144.0μl, 803.9 ± 213.4μlvs.1069.5 ± 164.6μl) and 28 days (736.4 ± 115.0μl, 835.7 ± 170.1μlvs. 1107.2 ± 215.8μl) in the aconitine groups significantly decreased (P<0.05 orP<0.01). After the model establishment, compared with the model group, arthritic index scores at 18 days (3.1 ± 0.7, 3.2 ± 0.4vs. 3.8 ± 0.6), 24 days (3.1 ± 0.5, 3.4 ± 0.5vs.3.9 ± 0.3), 28 days (2.7 ± 0.6, 3.2 ± 0.9 vs. 4.0 ± 0.0) in the aconitine groups significantly decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the spleen index (3.5 ± 0.4, 3.3 ± 0.4, 4.0 ± 0.6vs.4.9 ± 0.5) respectively in the low and high dose group of aconitine and methotrexate group (P<0.01).Conclusion Aconitine has a certain degree therapeutic effect on AA rats.
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Objective To investigate the effects of artesunate combined with arsenic trioxide (ATO) on the proliferation and apoptosis of NB4 cells.Methods The NB4 cells were treated with different concentrations of artesunate and arsenic trioxide respectively for 48 h.The cell proliferation was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) method.The cells were divided into 4 groups:control group,artesunate group,arsenic trioxide group,and the combination of artesunate and arsenic trioxide group.The cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry (FCM).The protein expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by Western blot.Results The MTT results showed that compared with the control group,the proliferation inhibition rates of 0.25,0.50,1.00,2.00,4.00 μmol/L artesunate group (19.26％ ± 3.59％,36.53％ ± 2.67％,61.32％ ± 2.50％,70.30％ ± 3.15％,86.92 ± 0.02％) significantly increased (P＜0.05);the proliferation inhibition rates of 1,2,4,8,16 μmol/L arsenic trioxide group (12.69％ ± 2.43％,64.26％ ± 2.02％,85.10％ ± 2.67％,92.06％ ± 2.21％,93.67％ ± 3.36％) significantly increased (P＜0.05);and the proliferation inhibition rate (40.17％ ± 5.49％ vs.32.23％ ± 3.52％) of combination of artesunate and arsenic trioxide group significantly higher than the arsenic trioxide group (P＜0.05).Compared with the arsenic trioxide group,the percentage of G0/G1 phase cells (74.20％ ± 1.43％ vs.66.14％ ± 1.78％),the apoptosis rate (58.00％ ± 2.41％ vs.34.57％ ± 1.22％),and the expression level of Bax protein (1.35 ± 0.09 vs.1.13 ± 0.09) in the combination of artesunate and arsenic trioxide group significantly increased (P＜0.05),the expression level of Bcl-2 protein (0.45 ± 0.09 vs.1.03 ± 0.10) in the combination of artesunate and arsenic trioxide group significantly decreased (P＜0.05).Conclusions Artesunate can significantly enhance the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induced by arsenic trioxide on NB4 cells.The possible mechanism of proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of NB4 cells by artesunate combined with arsenic trioxide may be related to reduce the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and increase the expression of apoptotic protein Bax.
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Objective To observe the effects of Jieyu-Chufan capsule(JCC) on the behavior and the monoamine neurotransmitter content of cerebral in depression mouse model and explore its mechanism. Methods The ICR male mouse were randomly divided into seven groups according to their weights(the model group, the low, middle and high doses group, Baiyoujie group, the amitriptyline group, the normal control group). The low, middle and high doses group were given JCC with 1.250, 2.500, 5.000 g/kg separately by intragastric administration. Baiyoujie group was given 0.014 g/kg Baiyoujie by gavage. The amitriptyline group was given 0.050 g/kg amitriptyline by gavage. The model group and the normal control group received the same volume of distilled water intragastrically. The drugs were administrated once a day. The brepharoptosis and movement conditions of mouse were observed after 22 days. The monoamine neurotransmitter content of each group was measured after 25 days. Results Compared to the model group, the number of mouse with brepharoptosis decreased in the high dose group after 1, 2, 6 hour with reserpine injection (P<0.05 or P<0.01);the number of mouse came out from the circle increased after 4 hours with reserpine injection (P<0.05 or P<0.01);the content of NA (880.45 ± 428.81 ng/g, 875.98 ± 449.33 ng/g vs. 299.92 ± 267.08 ng/g) and DA (2 305.99 ± 530.37 ng/g, 2 169.99 ± 278.19 ng/g vs. 1 439.34 ± 357.33 ng/g) in the middle and high dose group increased (P<0.01);the content of 5-HT (781.43 ± 135.10 ng/g vs. 492.01 ± 192.80 ng/g) in the middle group increased (P<0.01). Conclusions JCC showed an antidepression influence in depression mouse model induced by reserpine. The mechanism may be related to regulating the level of monoamine neurotransmitter in the nervous centralis .
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Objective To study the effect of black granule capsules(BGCs) on growth of transplanted mouse hepatocarcinoma cells, cell proliferation cycle and apoptosis.Methods KM mouse were subcutaneously inoculated with Hepatocarcinoma cells (H22) and randomly divided into the model control group, the positive control group, the low, medium and high does of BGC group after 24h. The positive control group received intraperitoneal injection with 30 mg/kg cyclophosphamide. Mice of BGC groups were intragastricaly with different dosage of BGC (400, 800, 1 600 mg/kg). The model control group received intragastricaly with normal saline. The drugs were administrated once a day for seven days. The tumor inhibition rate was calculated at 24 h after the last administration. Flow cytometry was used to detect changes of cell cycle and apoptosis in harvested H22 tumor cells.Results The group of high does showed significant inhibitory effect on the growth of transplanted H22 tumor cells withthe inhibitory rate 38.78% (male) and 43.57% (female). Compared with model control group, groups of different dosages decreased time of G0-G1 phase (58.06% ± 9.65%, 55.10% ± 5.89%, 61.36% ± 15.95%vs. 74.47% ± 2.63%), increased tiem of Sphase (33.96% ± 11.90%, 32.67% ± 4.04%, 33.89% ± 9.82%vs. 14.37% ± 4.92%), and increased the apoptosis rate (31.12% ± 1.85%, 31.89% ± 2.16%, 40.64% ± 0.55%vs.21.75% ± 2.64%).Conclusion BGC has antitumor effect on mouse hepatocarcinoma H22 tumor cells, and its mechanism was to regulate cell proliferation cycle and induce the apoptosis.
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The epoxy chloropropane Kelch sample related protein-1(Keap1)-nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor(Nrf2)/antioxidant response element(ARE)signal pathway is of critical importance in cellular antioxidant response. The induction of down?stream phaseⅡmetabolic enzymes and antioxidant protein/enzyme offers cellular protection under oxidative stress. Research of Nrf 2 protein has gained much attention in recent years. This article reviewes Keap1-Nrf2/ARE signal pathway in three perspectives:the ba?sic structure including the structure of Nrf2,Keap1 and ARE,their involvement in anti-oxidative actions including the basic function of Keap1-Nrf2/ARE signal pathway and the downstream activation of phaseⅡmetabolic enzymes and antioxidant protein/enzyme,as well as their regulation mechanisms,such as decoupling,degradation,the latch and the hinge.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Saposhnikovia divaricata extract combined with arsenic trioxide (ATO) on the proliferation and apoptosis in chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells. MethodsSaposhnikovia divaricata extract was prepared.Cultured K562 cells were treated with different concentration of Saposhnikovia divaricataextract or/and ATO for 48h. Cell proliferation was determined using the MTT assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle were detected using flow cytometry.ResultsThe MTT assay showed that Saposhnikovia divaricata extract of 750,1 000,1 250,1 500 μg/ml had a significantly proliferation inhibitory effect compared with control group, the inhibitory rates were 23.29% ± 3.31%, 48.30% ± 2.50%, 79.62% ± 3.41% and 88.94% ± 0.06%, respectively (allP<0.05); Saposhnikovia divaricata extract of 500 μg/ml combined with ATO of 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml significantly increased inhibitor rates compared with ATO of 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml (64.99% ± 5.18%vs. 44.48% ± 3.31%,38.59% ± 3.88%vs.26.30% ± 5.03%; allP<0.05). FCM showed that Saposhnikovia divaricata extract of 500 μg/ml combined with ATO of 2.0, 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml significantly increased apoptotic rate compared with ATO group of 2.0, 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml (33.97% ± 0.59%vs.20.97% ± 2.17%, 13.53% ± 0.47%vs.9.77%±0.64%、6.63%±&0.40%vs.4.00%±0.46%; allP<0.05 ). Cell cycle results showed that Saposhnikovia divaricata extract of 500μg/ml combined with ATO of 2.0,1.0, 0.5μg/ml significantly increased the rate of S phase compared with ATO group of 2.0, 1.0, 0.5 μg/ml (60.25 ± 2.59%vs.55.61 ± 1.28%, 60.89 ± 1.53%vs.37.96 ± 1.02%, 47.76 ± 0.87%vs.39.90 ± 0.92%; allP<0.05).ConclusionsSaposhnikovia divaricataextract could obviously inhibit the proliferation of K562 cells and enhance the apoptotic effect of ATO. ATO could induce a G2/M phase arrest, while Saposhnikovia divaricata extract combined with ATO could induce a S phase arrest in K562 cells.
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Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a distinctive subtype of acute myeloid leukemia with a distinct biology and clinical presentation. Its molecular biology characteristic is a aberrant chromosomal translocation of the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene on chromosome 15 and the retinoic acid receptor α(RARα) gene on chromosome 17. This translocation generates PML-RARα fusion protein, which plays an important role in the genesis, development, diagnosis and therapy of APL. The PML protein has a close relationship with PML-RARαfusion gene. This article mainly summarizes the character, the function of PML protein and the degradation pathway of PML-RARα.