Effect of Epimedium extract on osteoprotegerin and RANKL mRNA expressions in glucocorticoid-induced femoral head necrosis in rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of glucocorticoid on the expression levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) mRNAs in rat femoral head and the antagonistic effect of Epimedium, and explore the mechanism of Epimedium in preventing glucocorticoid-induced femoral head necrosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight adult SD rats were randomized into glucocorticoid group, Epimedium group and control group. In the former two groups, the rats received intramuscular injection of 12.5 mg prednisolone twice a week, and in Epimedium group, additional 1 ml/100 g aqueous Epimedium extract (equivalent to 0.1 g/ml of the crude drug) was administered intragastrically once daily. The control group received only intramuscular saline injection. After 4 weeks of treatment, osteonecrosis of the left femoral head was detected by HE staining, and the right femoral head was sampled for detection of OPG and RANKL mRNA expressions using real-time quantitative PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In glucocorticoid, Epimedium and control groups, the mortality rate of the rats was 12.5% (2/16), 6.25% (1/16), 0 (0/16), and femoral head necrosis occurred at a rate of 71.43% (10/14), 26.67% (4/15), and 0 (0/16), respectively. In glucocorticoid group, the expression level of OPG mRNA was significantly lower, RANKL expression significantly higher, and OPG/RANKL ratio significantly lower than those in Epimedium and control groups (P<0.05). OPG, RANKL and their ratios showed no significant differences between Epimedium group and the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Epimedium can prevent glucocorticoid-induced femoral head necrosis probably by antagonizing glucocorticiod-induced abnormal expressions of OPG and RANKL mRNA.</p>

Effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on lipid peroxidation and apoptosis after spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion in rabbits / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) on lipid peroxidation and apoptosis after spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rabbits.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Spinal cord I/R injury model was established according to the description of Erten et al. A total of 27 New Zealand white rabbits were divided into three groups randomly: a sham group (9 rabbits treated with sham operation but without aortic occlusion), a model group (9 rabbits treated with aortic occlusion and volume-matched saline), and a GBE group (9 rabbits treated with aortic occlusion and Ginaton (100 mg/kg) injected 30 minutes before aortic clamping and at the onset of reperfusion). The neurological outcomes were evaluated at 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion, respectively. The spinal cord malondialdehyde (MDA) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD) were then detected. Neural cell apoptosis was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl t-ransferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-fluorescence nick end labeling (TUNEL) method and the expression of bcl-2 and bax were examined histologically in the spinal cord with immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>I/R produced a significant decrease in neurological scoring. The motor scores of the GBE group were significantly higher than those of the model group at 24 and 48 hours after reperfusion (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, GBE ameliorated the down-regulation of SOD and produced a significant reduction of the MDA level (P<0.01). The positive cells for TUNEL in the model group were much more than those of the GBE group (P<0.01). The bcl-2 was up-regulated after I/R, especially in the GBE group (P<0.01). The up-regulation of bax was greatly diminished by GBE (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>GBE has protective effects against spinal cord I/R injury, and the mechanism may be that it can scavenge oxygen free radicals and inhibit the apoptosis of neural cells.</p>

Arnebia root oil promotes histological change and up-regulates bFGF and it's mRNA expression in the raw surface of the rabbits / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the molecular biological mechanism of arnebia root oil in promoting wound surface healing by observing histological change and basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF) mRNA expression in the wound surface tissues of 2 groups, as well as the wound surface healing rate.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Experimental model of incised-wound was produced on the back of 18 New Zealand albino rabbits. The wound surfaces were randomly divided into two groups, namely, experimental group and control group. The wound surfaces in the experimental group were treated by arnebia root oil and those in control group were treated by petrolatum gauze. Then raw surfaces were evaluated by the techniques of histology, histochemistry and electron microscope and the healing rates of the raw surfaces were compared between the two groups. Content of bFGF and it's mRNA expression in wound surface tissue was also measured by means of Western-blot and RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The wound surface healing rate in experimental group was higher than that in control group( P < 0.05). The fibroblast, collagen and blood capillaries were comparatively richer in experimental group as compared with those in control group, and similarly, the expression of bFGF mRNA was also significantly enhanced in the experimental group as compared with control group during the various periods of treatment. In addition, the changes in the expressions of bFGF and it's mRNA paralleled the changes of healing rates in the two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>the present results showed that amebia root oil significantly can promote the healing of raw surfaces, which may be mediated by up-regulation of bFGF expression.</p>

Clinical observation on effects of qianggu capsules in treating radius distal osteoporotic fractures / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of qianggu capsules (QGC) on the fracture healing and the bone mineral density (BMD) in radius distal osteoporosis fracture (RDOF) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Bone mineral density (BMD) of femoral neck in 65 patients with RDOF was detected after the fracture was fixed manually. They were then randomly divided into two groups. Thirty-three patients in the treated group took QC, 1 capsule (180 mg) each time, three times a day, while 32 patients in the control group took D-Cal Biocal 2 tablets (1500 mg) each time, once daily. The therapeutic course for both groups was three months. X-ray examination on the broken end of the fractured bone was taken every month to observe the bony callus formation for comparing the curative effect, and BMD of femoral neck were detected again after patients were treated for 3 months. The bony callus appeared earlier, more in volume with thicker cortex in the treated group after 2 months of treatment versus that in the control group. The fracture healing time in the treated group was 9.4 +/- 2.5 weeks and that in the control group was 12.5 +/- 2.9 weeks, showing significant difference between them (P < 0.05). BMD in the treated group before treatment was 0.621 +/- 0.085 g/cm2, which was lower than that after treatment (0.646 +/- 0.090 g/cm2) with significant difference showing between them (P < 0.05), while no significant change of BMD was found in the control group between before and after treatment, and significant difference was found in BMD between the two groups after treatment (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>QGC can promote the formation of bony callus ahead of time, increase the volume of bony callus and BMD, improve the bone structure, and thus the time of external fixation in treating RDOF could be reduced.</p>

Effect of arnebia root oil in promoting the tissue recovery of surface of wound and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) mRNA expression / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the molecular biological mechanism of Arnebia Root oil (AO) in promoting the recovery of surface of wound by observing basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) mRNA expression in the wound tissue and healing rate of the wound.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Patients in the observed group with their wound treated by AO and those in the control group treated by petrolatum gauze. The wound surface healing rate was estimated and bFGF mRNA expression was observed by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Endogenous bFGF mRNA expression existed in the wound surface of both groups, but its level in the observed group at any time point was obviously higher than that in the control group respectively, with significant difference in comparison of the gray density between the two groups (P < 0.05). The wound surface healing rate kept abreast with bFGF mRNA expression in wound tissues, so it was significantly higher in the observed group than that in the control group (P < 0.05). GAPDH gene, which was taken as a parameter for internal reference, expressed with a certain amount unchanged in different periods of healing (P > 0.05 ).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>AO shows obviously promotive action on bFGF, an important regulatory factor on wound healing, it might complete the recovery process by stimulating the increase of bFGF.</p>