ABSTRACT
Antler bone calcium (AB-Ca) and bioactive peptides (ABPs) were extracted from antler bones (Cervus elaphus) to maximize their value. In this study, 0.14 g calcium was obtained from 1 g antler bone. The peptide-calcium chelate rate was 53.68 ± 1.80%, and the Gly, Pro, and Glu in ABPs were identified to donate most to the increased calcium affinity through the mass spectrometry. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that calcium predominantly interacted with amino nitrogen atoms and carboxyl oxygen atoms, thereby generating a peptide-calcium chelate. The peptide-calcium chelates were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. A Caco-2 cell monolayer model showed that ABPs significantly increased calcium transport. Furthermore, the D-gal-induced aging mouse model indicated that the ABPs + AB-Ca group showed higher Ca and PINP levels, lower P, ALP, and CTX-1content in serum, and considerably higher tibia index and tibia calcium content. Results showed that ABPs + AB-Ca increased bone formation and inhibited bone resorption, thereby providing calcium supplements for ameliorating senile osteoporosis (SOP).
Subject(s)
Antlers , Deer , Aging , Animals , Antlers/chemistry , Caco-2 Cells , Calcium/analysis , Calcium, Dietary/analysis , Disease Models, Animal , Humans , Mice , Oxygen/analysis , Peptides/analysis , Peptides/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), which is caused by Enterovirus 71 (EV71), have erupted in recent years. Andrographolide sulfonate (Trade name: Xiyanping injection) has been recommended to treat severe HFMD in China because of its conventional antithermic and antitoxic activities, but its actual mechanism has not been revealed clearly until now. To explore its therapeutic efficacy and mechanism, a Xiyanping injection treatment mouse model was established. Based on the therapeutic model, routine clinical parameters and histopathologic changes were investigated, in the same time, viral loads, immune cells, inflammatory molecules and cell signaling pathways were determined. Xiyanping injection treatment protected mice from lethal EV71 challenge in a therapeutic regimen-dependent manner, which may mostly depend on its direct immunomodulatory activities on neutrophil and T lymphocyte. Reduced inflammatory molecular production of neutrophil and elevated T lymphocyte activity may result from its marked inhibition of some signaling pathways. Taken together, Xiyanping injection was an effective treatment for severe HFMD by improving hosts' immunity.
Subject(s)
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , Diterpenes/therapeutic use , Enterovirus A, Human/immunology , Enterovirus Infections/drug therapy , Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/drug therapy , Animals , China , Disease Models, Animal , Humans , Immunomodulation , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , Models, Biological , MortalityABSTRACT
The release of growth hormone (GH) from the pituitary gland is primarily inhibited by somatostatin (SRIF) from the hypothalamus via interactions with five types of SRIF receptors (SSTRs). However, the inhibition mechanism of SRIF on GH has not been fully examined. In this study, we repressed the hypothalamic SRIF in young male mice by stereotaxic injection of the lentiviral-shRNA against SRIF to investigate the role of hypothalamic SRIF on hormone secretion in the GH/IGF-1 axis. We found that the reduction of SRIF in hypothalamus was associated with an increase in the protein, but not the mRNA level, of the GH in the pituitary where SSTR 2 and SSTR 5 act importantly. Interestingly, the level of blood circulatory SRIF, GH, IGF-1 and the body weight were not significantly influenced by the downregulation of hypothalamic SRIF. Our findings provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the inhibition of SRIF on GH secretion.