RESUMEN
Herb-partitioned moxibustion can effectively mitigate visceral pain, a major symptom in inflammatory bowel disease, but the analgesic mechanism is still unclear. Moreover, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, substance P, and neurokinin-1 are involved in formation of central hyperalgesia. Thus, we postulated that the analgesic effect of herb-partitioned moxibustion may be associated with these factors. Accordingly, in this study, we established an inflammatory bowel disease visceral pain model in rat by enema with a mixed solution of 5% trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid and 50% ethanol. Bilateral Tianshu (ST25) and Qihai (CV6) points were selected for herb-partitioned moxibustion. Our results showed that herb-partitioned moxibustion improved visceral pain and down-regulated extracellular signal-regulated kinase, substance P, and neurokinin-1 protein and mRNA expression in dorsal root ganglia. These results indicate that down-regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, substance P, and neurokinin-1 protein and mRNA may be a central mechanism for the analgesic effect of herb-partitioned moxibustion.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of artesunate (ART) on cell differentiation and cell cycle distribution of the prostate cancer cell line PC-3 in vitro. METHODS: PC-3 cells were cultivated with ART from logarithmic growth phase. After 48-hour treatment, the cell cycles were detected by flow cytometry (FCM), and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in cell culture supernatant. The change of cellular morphology was observed under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). RESULTS: In comparison with the blank control group, the rate of G(0)/G(1) plus S stages of PC-3 cells was significantly decreased in the high-dose ART group. The PC-3 cell was arrested in G(2)/M by ART. The rates of G(2)/M of the high-dose ART group and the medium-dose ART group were obviously higher than those of the blank control group and the cisplatin group (P<0.05). The levels of PSA in the three ART groups were significantly lower than that of the normal control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). In the ART groups, TEM showed that some vacuoles appeared in endochylema, cell polarity was enhanced, cell nucleus leaned to one side of the cell, and microvilli increased on the other side of the cell. CONCLUSION: ART can induce PC-3 cell cycle arrest and differentiation in vitro.