Efficacy of Jiangzhi Xiaoban tablet on toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B/nod-like receptor protein 3 signaling pathway in mice with atherosclerosis induced by high-fat diet.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Jiangzhi Xiaoban tablet (, JZXB) on toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)/Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) signaling pathway expression in atherosclerosis (AS) mice by establishing a mouse model of AS, and to explore its mechanism of prevention and treatment of AS. METHODS: Sixty-four male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into two groups, 12 in the normal control group and 52 in the model group (MOD). Seven weeks later, two mice in each of the above two groups were randomly sacrificed, and the whole aortic tissue of the mice was taken out for hematoxylin-eosin staining. After successful modeling, 50 mice in the modeling group were randomly divided into 5 groups: MOD, atorvastatin group (ATO), low-dose group of JZXB (JZXB-L), middle-dose group of JZXB (JZXB-M), and high-dose group of JZXB (JZXB-H), 10 mice in each group. The mice in each group were killed after 6 weeks of preventive administration. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of aorta in AS mice. The levels of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer. The levels of inflammatory factor interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of TLR4, NF-κB and NLRP3 proteins in aortic tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared with the MOD, the levels of serum TC, TG and LDL-C in the JZXB-H and ATO were significantly decreased, while the level of HDL-C was significantly increased. The levels of serum TG, LDL-C in the JZXB-M were significantly decreased, and the level of HDL-C was significantly increased. Compared with the MOD, the levels of IL-1ß were significantly decreased, aortic lesions were significantly improved, and the expression of TLR4, NF-κB, and NLRP3 proteins in the aortic tissue was significantly decreased in the JZXB-H, JZXB-M, and ATO. CONCLUSION: JZXB has inhibitory effect on atherosclerosis in mice, and its mechanism may be through regulating the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway and reducing the inflammatory response, so as to play a role in inhibiting atherosclerosis.

Herbal Textual Research on Angelicae Pubescentis Radix and Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix in Famous Classical Formulas / 中国实验方剂学杂志

By reviewing ancient materia medica， prescription and medical books， combined with modern literature， the paper made textual research on the name， origin， producing area， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing methods of Angelicae Pubescentis Radix and Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix， so as to provide a basis for the selection and use of these two herbs in the development of famous classical formulas. Through textual research， it can be found that Angelicae Pubescentis Radix and Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix were mixed together in the early history of China， but the distinction was first made during the Southern and Northern dynasties， and since then there have been constant controversies， and it is not until contemporary times that they are distinguished clearly. In the past dynasties， Duhuo and Qianghuo were used as the rectification of names， some aliases and trade names were also seen. Angelica biserrata is the mainstream origin of Angelicae Pubescentis Radix in the past dynasties， and there are many plants belonging to Angelica， Heracleum and Aralia， which are also used as this medicine. However， the origin of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix used in the past dynasties is mostly Notopterygium incisum or N. franchetii， which is relatively uniform. The producing areas of Angelicae Pubescentis Radix and Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix are mostly concentrated in the western and northwestern regions of China， among which Angelicae Pubescentis Radix is mainly produced in Hubei， Chongqing， Sichuan， Shaanxi and other places， and the border area between Hubei and Chongqing is the geo-authentic area. Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix is mainly produced in Sichuan， Gansu， Qinghai， Shaanxi and others with the western and northern Sichuan and southern Gansu as the geo-authentic areas. Angelicae Pubescentis Radix and Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix in the past dynasties were harvested in spring and autumn， especially in February and August of the lunar calendar. Angelicae Pubescentis Radix with strong main roots， few branches， firm texture and strong aroma is superior， and Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix with strong rhizomes， tightly raised knots， purple-brown skin， tight cross-section， strong aroma and silkworm-like shape is superior. The processing methods of Angelicae Pubescentis Radix and Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix are mostly cut after cutting the reeds， and the raw product is used as medicine. Based on the above research results， it is recommended that the roots of A. biserrata should be used for Angelicae Pubescentis Radix and the roots of N. incisum should be used for Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix in the development of famous classical formulas， and raw products should be used in the formulas that do not specify processing requirements.

Effect of acupuncture on TGF-β1/Smads pathway in mice with airway remodeling mic / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of acupuncture on TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway in the lung tissue of mice with airway remodeling.@*METHODS@#Thirty specific pathogen-free mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group and acupuncture group (=10). Mouse models of asthma were established in the model group and the acupuncture group, and the mice in the latter group received 7 acupuncture therapies (at bilateral Fei Shu, Da Zhui and Zu Sanli, 20 min each time) every other day, starting on the 10th day after the modeling. At 24 h after the last acupuncture, the mice were subjected to inhalation of 1% OVA for 3 days, and 24 h after the last challenge, the mice were given methacholine chloride (Mch) inhalation at different concentrations for measurement of lung resistance using a noninvasive stroke volume meter. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the lung tissues, and TGF-β1 levels in the the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum were detected using ELISA; Western blotting was used to detect the differential protein expressions in the airway smooth muscles between the two groups. The airway smooth muscle cells were isolated from the mice in the acupuncture group and treated with a TGF- β1 inhibitor (LY2157299), and the relative expressions of type-Ⅰ and Smads proteins were detected using Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#The mice in the model showed obvious tracheal fistula with airway pathologies including lumen narrowing, bronchial mucosa thickening, dissociation of the epithelial cells, and thickening of the alveolar septum and airway smooth muscles. These pathological changes were obviously milder in the acupuncture group. The asthmatic mice exhibited significantly increased lung resistance in positive correlation with Mch concentration. Serum TGF-β1 level was significantly elevated in asthmatic mice ( < 0.05); TGF-β1 levels in the serum and BALF were significantly lower in the acupuncture group than in the model group ( < 0.05). In the model group, the expressions of -SMA, TGF-β1 and Smads in the airway smooth muscles were significantly higher than those in the other two groups (both < 0.05). In cultured airway smooth muscle cells, the expressions of type-Ⅰ and Smads were significantly higher in cells treated with LY2157299 than in the control cells (>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Acupuncture can inhibit airway remodeling by inhibiting the expression of airway TGF-β1 and down-regulating the expression of Smads and -SMA to reduce airway inflammatory response. Airway expressions of type-Ⅰ and Smads proteins remain high after inhibiting TGF-β1. Acupuncture may control asthma progression through the TGF-β1/Smads pathway.