[Effect of electroacupuncture on the expressions of TRPV1, P2X3 receptors in bladder of rats with interstitial cystitis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Ciliao" (BL 32) and "Huiyang" (BL 35) on the pain, urodynamic and the expressions of transient receptor poteintial vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and P2X3 receptors in bladder of rats with interstitial bladder (IC), and to explore the possible mechanism on EA for IC. METHODS: A total of 24 Wistar female rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group and an EA group, 8 rats in each group. In the model group and the EA group, IC model was established by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide by 150 mg/kg at once. EA was applied at "Ciliao" (BL 32) and "Huiyang" (BL 35) in the EA group for 20 min, with continuous wave, 30 Hz in frequency, once a day for 3 consecutive days. Mechanical pain threshold of bladder and urodynamic indexes (first urination time, bladder effective volume and urination pressure) were observed after model establishment and after intervention, the expressions of TRPV1 and P2X3 receptors in the bladder were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: After model establishment, the mechanical pain threshold of bladder was decreased in the model group and the EA group compared with that in the blank group (P<0.01). After intervention, the mechanical pain threshold of bladder in the model group was lower than the blank group (P<0.01), and that in the EA group was higher than the model group (P<0.01). The urodynamic of the rats in the blank group was normal, obvious abnormal contraction during the filling period of bladder was found in the rats of the model group, while no abnormal contraction during the filling period was found in the rats of the EA group. After model establishment, in the model group and the EA group, the first urination time was earlier than the blank group (P<0.01), while bladder effective volume and urination pressure were lower than the blank group (P<0.01). After intervention, in the model group, the first urination time was earlier than the blank group (P<0.01), while bladder effective volume and urination pressure were lower than the blank group (P<0.05); in the EA group, the first urination time was later than the model group (P<0.05), while bladder effective volume and urination pressure were higher than the model group (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the protein expressions of TRPV1 and P2X3 receptors in bladder were up-regulated in the model group (P<0.01); compared with the model group, the protein expressions of TRPV1 and P2X3 receptors in bladder were down-regulated in the EA group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: EA can relieve bladder pain and improve urodynamic in IC rats. The mechanism may be related to the down-regulation on the expressions of TRPV1 and P2X3 receptors and the further inhibition on the abnormal input of bladder signal.

[Efficacy and safety of Tonglin Powder in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and safety of oral Tonglin Powder in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled study on 100 BPH patients, aged 40－85 years, treated with Tonglin Powder (treatment group, n=50) or terazosin (control group, n=50), all for 3 months. Then we obtained the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life score (QoL), prostate volume, postvoid residual urine volume (PVR), urine routine indexes, and liver and kidney function indexes from the patients and compared them between the two groups before and after treatment. RESULTS: The baseline data of the patients in the treatment and control groups were as follows, IPSS (22.24±7.33) vs (21.40±8.24), QoL 4 (2－6) vs 4 (2－6), prostate length 45 (30－65) vs 45 (39－65) mm, prostate width 35 (21－54) vs 36 (26－57) mm, and PVR 10 (5－100) vs 10 (10－100) ml, none with statistically significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, the patients of the treatment group, in comparison with those of the control, showed remarkable decreases in IPSS (11.60±6.49 vs 15.38±7.34, P=0.008) and QoL (2 ï¼»0－5ï¼½ vs 3 ï¼»1－6ï¼½, P=0.01). No statistically significant differences were observed between the treatment and control groups in prostate length (47 ï¼»38－67ï¼½ vs 47.5 ï¼»38－67ï¼½ mm), prostate width (36 ï¼»26－57ï¼½ vs 36.5 ï¼»31－57ï¼½ mm), and PVR (10 ï¼»8－100ï¼½ vs 10 ï¼»8－70ï¼½ ml) (P>0.05). The Nimodipine method of evaluation showed that the excellence rate of therapeutic effectiveness was significantly higher in the treatment than in the control group (40% vs 8%, P<0.001), and so was the total effectiveness rate (82% vs 64%, P=0.043). CONCLUSIONS: Tonglin Powder can effectively improve the symptoms of BPH, such as difficult urination, and hence the patient's quality of life.

Improving the fermentation production of the individual key triterpene ganoderic acid me by the medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum in submerged culture.

Enhanced ganoderic acid Me (GA-Me, an important anti-tumor triterpene) yield was attained with the medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum using response surface methodology (RSM). Interactions were studied with three variables, viz. glucose, peptone and culture time using a Central Composite Design (CCD). The CCD contains a total of 20 experiments with the first 14 experiments organized in a fractional factorial design, with the experimental trails from 15 to 20 involving the replications of the central points. A polynomial model, describing the relationships between the yield of GA-Me and the three factors in a second-order equation, was developed. The model predicted the maximum GA-Me yield of 11.9 mg·L−1 for glucose, peptone, culture time values of 44.4 g·L−1, 5.0 g·L−1, 437.1 h, respectively, and a maximum GA-Me yield of 12.4 mg·L−1 was obtained in the validation experiment, which represented a 129.6% increase in titre compared to that of the non-optimized conditions. In addition, 11.4 mg·L−1 of GA-Me was obtained in a 30-L agitated fermenter under the optimized conditions, suggesting the submerged culture conditions optimized in the present study were also suitable for GA-Me production on a large scale.