Electroacupuncture improves learning and memory functions in a rat cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury model through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activation.

Electroacupuncture has been widely used to treat cognitive impairment after cerebral ischemia, but the underlying mechanism has not yet been fully elucidated. Studies have shown that autophagy plays an important role in the formation and development of cognitive impairment, and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway plays an important role in autophagy regulation. To investigate the role played by the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the electroacupuncture treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rat models, we first established a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion through the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery using the suture method. Starting at 2 hours after modeling, electroacupuncture was delivered at the Shenting (GV24) and Baihui (GV20) acupoints, with a dilatational wave (1-20 Hz frequency, 2 mA intensity, 6 V peak voltage), for 30 minutes/day over 8 consecutive days. Our results showed that electroacupuncture reduced the infarct volume in a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, increased the mRNA expression levels of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related factors Beclin-1, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and PI3K, increased the protein expression levels of phosphorylated Akt, Beclin-1, PI3K, and mTOR in the ischemic cerebral cortex, and simultaneously reduced p53 mRNA and protein expression levels. In the Morris water maze test, the latency to find the hidden platform was significantly shortened among rats subjected to electroacupuncture stimulation compared with rats without electroacupuncture stimulation. In the spatial probe test, the number of times that a rat crossed the target quadrant was increased in rats subjected to electroacupuncture stimulation compared with rats without electroacupuncture stimulation. Electroacupuncture stimulation applied to the Shenting (GV24) and Baihui (GV20) acupoints activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and improved rat learning and memory impairment. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China (approval No. 8150150901) on March 10, 2016.

[Investigation of the potentially effective components of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae based on "in vitro to in vivo" translation approach].

The study aims to investigate the effective components of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae (SZR) in nourishing the heart and tranquilizing the mind. A method of ultra high liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with Q Exactive high resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) was developed. Based on the UV spectra, retention time and MS spectra, 25 compounds of SZR extract were identified or tentatively characterized, including 12 flavonoids, 8 triterpenoids saponins, 2 fatty acid and 3 alakoids. The study illuminated the major chemical components. Twenty bioactive components were determined in rat urine after oral administration of SZR extract by "in vitro to in vivo" translation approach, including 16 prototype compounds and 4 metabolites. Spinosin, swertisin, jujuboside A and B were considered as the effective and active constituents in SZR of the sedative and hypnotic effects, which emodies characteristics of multiple components. It was beneficial exploration for searching the effective and active constituents of SZR in nourishing the heart and tranquilizing the mind.

High-performance size-exclusion chromatography studies on the formation and distribution of polar compounds in camellia seed oil during heating.

Camellia seed oil (CSO) is rich in oleic acid and has a high number of active components, which give the oil high nutritional value and a variety of biological activity. The aim of the present study was to determine the changes in the content and distribution of total polar compounds (TPC) in CSO during heating. TPC were isolated by means of preparative flash chromatography and further analyzed by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). The TPC content of CSO increased from 4.74% to 25.29%, showing a significantly lower formation rate as compared to that of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and soybean oil (SBO) during heating. Furthermore, heating also resulted in significant differences (P<0.05) in the distribution of TPC among these oils. Though the content of oxidized triacylglycerol dimers, oxidized triacylglycerol oligomers, and oxidized triacylglycerol monomers significantly increased in all these oils, their increased percentages were much less in CSO than those in EVOO, indicating that CSO has a greater ability to resist oxidation. This work may be useful for the food oil industry and consumers in helping to choose the correct oil and to decide on the useful lifetime of the oil.

Blending of soybean oil with selected vegetable oils: impact on oxidative stability and radical scavenging activity.

BACKGROUND: Soybean oil may protect against cancer of the breast and prostate. It may also exert beneficial influence in combination with other oils. Here, blends (20%, v/v) of sea buckthorn oil (SEBO), camellia oil (CAO), rice bran oil (RBO), sesame oil (SEO) and peanut oil (PEO) with soybean oil (SBO) were formulated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oxidative stability (OS) and radical scavenging activity (RSA) of SBO and blends stored under oxidative conditions (60°C) for 24 days were studied. By blending with different kinds oils, levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decreased, while monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content increased. Progression of oxidation was followed by measuring peroxide value (PV), p-anisidine (PAV), conjugated dienes (CD) and conjugated trienes (CT). RESULTS: Inverse relationships were noted between PV and OS at termination of storage. Levels of CD and CT in SBO, and blends, increased with increase in time. The impact of SEO as additives on SBO oxidation was the strongest followed by RBO, CAO, SEBO and PNO. CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative stability of oil blends was better than SBO, most likely as a consequence of changes in fatty acids and tocopherols' profile, and minor bioactive lipids found in selected oils. The results suggest that these oil blends could contribute as sources of important antioxidant related to the prevention of chronic diseases associated to oxidative stress, such as in cancer and coronary artery disease.