Effect and Mechanism of Sishenjian on Synovial Lesions in Knee Osteoarthritis Rats / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the effect and mechanism of Sishenjian on synovial lesions induced by monosodium iodoacetate （MIA） in rats with knee osteoarthritis （KOA）. MethodSixty female Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into the following six groups： normal group， model group， celecoxib group， and high-， medium-， and low-dose Sishenjian group. The KOA rat model was established by intra-articular injection of MIA. Celecoxib （18 mg·kg-1） and Sishenjian （14.4， 7.2， 3.6 g·kg-1） were administered by gavage according to the groups. All rats were euthanized after four weeks of continuous administration. The transverse diameter of the bilateral knee joints of rats was measured， and gross observation of the knee joint was performed. Pathological changes in knee joint synovial tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and picrosirius red staining. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was used to detect the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA） in synovial tissue. The levels of inflammatory cytokines in the joint synovial fluid were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to detect the expression of mRNA and proteins related to the transforming growth factor-β1 （TGF-β1）/Smad2/3 pathway in knee joint synovium. ResultCompared with the normal group， the transverse diameter of the knee joint in the model group significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the transverse diameter of the knee joint in rats of each Sishenjian group significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the normal group， the expression levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the knee joint synovial fluid of model group significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the knee joint synovial fluid of rats in each Sishenjian group significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the normal group， the expression levels of TGF-β1， Smad2/3， phosphorylation（p）-Smad2/3， type Ⅰ collagen α1 （ColⅠα1）， type Ⅲ collagen α1 （ColⅢα1）， VEGFA proteins and TGF-β1， Smad2/3， ColⅠα1， ColⅢα1 mRNA in knee joint synovium of model group significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the expression levels of TGF-β1， Smad2/3， phosphorylation （p）-Smad2/3， ColⅠα1， ColⅢα1， VEGFA proteins and TGF-β1， Smad2/3， ColⅠα1， ColⅢα1 mRNA in knee joint synovium of rats in each Sishenjian group significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionSishenjian can inhibit synovial inflammation and angiogenesis， and may become a potential drug for treating synovial lesions in KOA by regulating the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway.

Effects of Tangzhi Kangping Granules on the blood sugar and lipid in rats with disordered glucose and lipid metabolism / 中成药

AIM To observe the effects of Tangzhi Kangping Granules (Astragali Radix,Ligustri lucidi Fructus,Schisandrae chinensis Fructus,etc.) on regulating blood sugar and lipid of rats with glucose and lipid metabolism disorders.METHODS Among the seventy rats for the trial,ten rats were randomly assigned to normal control group,the other 60 rats were injected with STZ citric acid-sodium citrate solution (60 mg/kg) combined with high-fat emulsion (10 mL/kg) for 4 weeks to be the models of glucose and lipid metabolism disorders.The model rats were divided into model control group,mefformin + fenofibrate group,Xiaoke Pills + Xuezhikang group,and high,medium and low dose Tangzhi Kangping Granules groups.After 4-week intragastric administration,the rats had their levels of fasting serum glucose (GLU),triglyceride (TG),total cholesterol (TC),high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C),low density lipids (LDL-C),insulin (INS),adiponectin (ADP),leptin (Leptin),interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) measured.RESULTS Compared with the model control group,the rats in high,medium and low dose Tangzhi Kangping Granules groups displayed significantly decreased serum contents of GLU,TG and TC,lowered levels of LDL-C,ADP,Leptin,IL-6,TNF-α,and yet significantly increased levels of HDL-C and INS.CONCLUSION Tangzhi Kangping Granules,a blood sugar andlipid regulator may adjust the levels of insulin,adiponectin and leptin,and therefore improves the body's inflammatory environment to alleviate insulin resistance.