Effects of hypobaria, hyperoxia, and nitrogen form on the growth and nutritional quality of lettuce.

The objectives of this research were to investigate the impact of hypobaria, hyperoxia, and nitrogen form on the growth and nutritional quality of plants. Pre-culture 20-day-old lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. Rome) seedlings grew for 25 days under three levels of total atmospheric pressure (101, 54, and 30 kPa), two levels of oxygen partial pressure (21 and 28 kPa), and two forms of nitrogen (NO3N and NH4N). The ratios of NO3N to NH4N included 3: 1, 4: 0, 2: 2, and 0: 4. The nitrogen quantity included two levels, i.e. N1, 0.1 g N kg-1 dry matrix and N2, 0.2 g N kg-1 dry matrix. The growth status of lettuce plants in different treatments differentiated markedly. Regardless of the nitrogen factor, the growth status of lettuce plants treated with total atmospheric pressure/oxygen partial pressure at 54/21 was equivalent to the treatment of 101/21. Under the hypobaric condition (54 kPa), compared with 21 kPa oxygen partial pressure, hyperoxia (28 kPa) significantly inhibited the growth of lettuce plants and the biomass (fresh weight) decreased by 60.9%-69.9% compared with that under 101/21 treatment. At the N1 level, the sequence of the biomass of lettuce plants supplied with different ratios of NO3N to NH4N was 3: 1 > 4: 0 > 2: 2 > 0: 4, and there were higher concentrations of chlorophyll and carotenoid of lettuce plants supplied with the higher ratio of NO3 to NH4. At the N2 level, the effects of different ratios of NO3N to NH4N on lettuce plants were similar to those at the N1 level. The high nitrogen (N2) promoted the growth of lettuce plants such as 54/21/N2 treatments. Both form and nitrogen level did not affect the stress resistance of lettuce plants. Hypobaria (54 kPa) increased the contents of N, P, and K and hyperoxia (28 kPa) decreased the content of organic carbon in lettuce plants. The high nitrogen (N2) improved the content of total N and the N uptake. The ratios of NO3N to NH4N were 4: 0 and 3: 1, lettuce could absorb and utilize N effectively. This study demonstrated that hyperoxia (28 kPa) inhibited the growth of lettuce plants under the hypobaric condition (54 kPa), and high level of nitrogen (0.2 g N kg-1 dry matrix) and NO3N: NH4N at 3: 1 markedly enhanced the growth, the contents of mineral elements and the nutritional quality of lettuce plants.

Design of nitrogen-phosphorus-doped biochar and its lead adsorption performance.

The surface properties of the adsorbents and the acidic environment have an influence effect on Pb adsorption. In order to further improve the adsorption performance of biochar, we herein reported an effective method to synthesize high-adsorbed biochar by co-doping with nitrogen and phosphorus. After atom doping, the N/P co-doped biochar (NP-BC) showed the enhanced adsorption capacity for lead ion (Pb2+). The adsorption kinetics, isotherm, pH value, and influencing factors were studied. The results show that the synthesized NP-BC has high Pb2+ adsorption capacity in aqueous solution, and can be maintained with various environmental interference factors including pH, natural organic matter, and other metal ions. High adsorption performance shows that the material may be well used to remove Pb2+ in various water bodies. Various characterization experiments prove that surface properties contribute to Pb2+ adsorption, and the high performance of NP-BC is mainly due to the surface complexation between functional groups and Pb2+. This work demonstrates that the surface functional groups of biochar are critical to the development of high-performance heavy metal adsorbents.

Sodium Butyrate More Effectively Mitigates the Negative Effects of High-Concentrate Diet in Dairy Cows than Sodium ß-Hydroxybutyrate via Reducing Free Bacterial Cell Wall Components in Rumen Fluid and Plasma.

The present study was aimed at investigating the effects of sodium butyrate and sodium ß-hydroxybutyrate on lactation and health of dairy cows fed a high-concentrate (HC) diet. Eighty mid-lactation dairy cows with an average milk yield of 33.75 ± 5.22 kg/d were randomly allocated to four groups (n = 20 per group) and were fed either a low-concentrate (LC) diet, a HC diet, the HC diet with 1% sodium butyrate (HCSB), or the HC diet with 1% sodium ß-hydroxybutyrate (HCHB). The feeding trial lasted for 7 weeks, with a 2-week adaptation period and a 5-week measurement period, and the trial started from 96 ± 13 d in milk. Sodium butyrate supplementation delayed the decline in milk production and improved milk synthesis efficiency and milk fat content. Additionally, it decreased the proinflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins (APPs) in plasma, the leucocytes in blood, the somatic cell count (SCC) in milk, and the gene expression of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and proinflammatory cytokines in the mammary gland, due to decreasing the contents of bacterial cell wall components (lipopolysaccharide, LPS; peptidoglycan, PGN; and lipoteichoic acid, LTA) in the rumen and plasma, compared with the HC diet. Sodium ß-hydroxybutyrate supplementation also improved milk yield, milk synthesis efficiency and milk fat content and partially reduced the adverse effects caused by the HC diet, but it had no effect on decreasing bacterial cell wall components in the rumen and plasma, compared with the HC diet. Collectively, both sodium butyrate and sodium ß-hydroxybutyrate mitigated the negative effects of HC diet on lactation and health of dairy cows, with sodium butyrate being more effective than sodium ß-hydroxybutyrate.

Efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture in treatment of cervical spondylosis: A protocol of randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cervical Spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) is the most common spinal degenerative disease. Its clinical manifestations are pain and numbness in the neck and arm and limitation of neck movement, which greatly affects the life and work of patients. Acupuncture and electroacupuncture are commonly used in China, the efficacy of acupuncture has been confirmed. Existing evidence shows that electroacupuncture seems to be better than acupuncture, but there is a lack of clinical research to directly compare the two. METHODS: This is a prospective randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of electroacupuncture and acupuncture in the treatment of CSR and to explore the safety and potential mechanism of electroacupuncture in the treatment of CSR. Approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of our hospital, the patients are randomly divided into an experimental group (electroacupuncture group) or control group (acupuncture group). The patients are followed up for 30 days after 4 weeks of treatment. Observation indexes included VAS score, Neck Disability Index, Yasuhisa Tanaka 20 Score Scale, adverse reactions and so on. Finally, the data will be analyzed by SPSS 18.0 software. DISCUSSION: This study will directly compare the advantages and disadvantages of electroacupuncture and acupuncture in the treatment of CSR. The results of this study will help to guide patients with CSR to choose appropriate treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: OSF Registration number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/9MKPN.

Efficacy and safety of Biqi capsule in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic and degenerative bone and joint disease, with KOA, cartilage degeneration, destruction and subchondral bone remodeling as the main pathological features. Its clinical symptoms are knee pain, swelling, limited activity, and long course of disease can cause joint deformities. At present, the early treatment of Western medicine is mainly the use of nonsteroidal drugs for anti-inflammation and removing pain, but because the efficacy of these drugs is unstable, the disease is easy to repeat after treatment, and the clinical effect is not good. Although Biqi capsule has advantages in the treatment of KOA, there is a lack of standard clinical studies to verify it, so the purpose of this randomized controlled study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Biqi capsule in the treatment of KOA. METHODS: This is a prospective randomized controlled trial to study the efficacy and safety of Biqi capsule in the treatment of KOA. The patients were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group according to 1:1. Among them, treatment group: Biqi capsule combined with diclofenac sodium sustained release tablets; Control group: Diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets alone. Both groups were treated with standard treatment for 2 weeks and were followed up for 30 days to pay attention to the efficacy and safety indexes. Observation indicators included: the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score (HSS), liver and kidney function, adverse reactions, and so on. SPSS 25.0 software is used for data analysis. DISCUSSION: This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of Biqi capsule in the treatment of KOA, and the results of this experiment will provide a clinical basis for Biqi capsule in the treatment of KOA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: OSF Registration number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/6HB9D.

Mechanism of Astragalus membranaceus in the treatment of laryngeal cancer based on gene co-expression network and molecular docking.

Astragalus membranaceus (HUANG QI, HQ) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers have widely concerned its antitumor effect. At present, there is still a lack of research on the treatment of laryngeal cancer with HQ. In this study, we integrated data from the weighted gene co-expression network of laryngeal cancer samples and the components and targets of HQ. A new method for dividing PPI network modules is proposed. Important targets of HQ treatment for laryngeal cancer were obtained through the screening of critical modules. These nodes performed differential expression analysis and survival analysis through external data sets. GSEA enrichment analysis reveals pathways for important targets participation. Finally, molecular docking screened active ingredients in HQ that could interact with important targets. Combined with the laryngeal cancer gene co expression network and HQ PPI network, we obtained the critical module related to laryngeal cancer. Among them, MMP1, MMP3, and MMP10 were chosen as important targets. External data sets demonstrate that their expression in tumor samples is significantly higher than in normal samples. The survival time of patients with high expression group was significantly shortened, which is a negative factor for prognosis. GSEA enrichment analysis found that they are mainly involved in tumor-related pathways such as ECM receptor interaction and Small cell lung cancer. The docking results show that the components that can well bind to important targets of HQ are quercetin, rutin, and Chlorogenic acid, which may be the primary mechanism of the anti-cancer effect of HQ. These findings provide a preliminary research basis for Chinese medicine treatment of laryngeal cancer and offer ideas to related drug design.

Efficacy of MaZiRenWan, a Chinese Herbal Medicine, in Patients With Functional Constipation in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The Chinese herbal medicine, MaZiRenWan (MZRW), has been used for more than 2000 years to treat constipation, but it has not been tested in a randomized controlled trial. We performed a trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MZRW, compared with the stimulant laxative senna or placebo, for patients with functional constipation (FC). METHODS: We performed a double-blind, double-dummy, trial of 291 patients with FC based on Rome III criteria, seen at 8 clinics in Hong Kong from June 2013 through August 2015. Patients were observed for 2 weeks and then assigned randomly (1:1:1) to groups given MZRW (7.5 g, twice daily), senna (15 mg daily), or placebo for 8 weeks. Patients were then followed for 8 weeks and evaluated at baseline and weeks 4, 8 (end of treatment), and 16 (end of follow up). Participants recorded information on stool form and frequency, feeling of complete evacuation, and research medication taken. Data on individual bowel symptoms, global symptom improvement, and adverse events were collected. A complete response was defined as an increase ≥1 complete spontaneous bowel movement (CSBM)/week from baseline (the primary outcome). Secondary outcomes included response during the follow-up period, colonic transit, individual and global symptom assessments, quality of life measured with 36-item short form Chinese version, and adverse events. RESULTS: Although there was no statistically significant difference in proportions of patients with a complete response to MZRW (68%) vs. senna (57.7%) (P = .14) at week 8, there was a statistically significant difference vs. placebo (33.0%) (P < .005). At the 16-week timepoint (after the 8-week follow-up period), 47.4% of patients had a complete response to MZRW, 20.6% had a complete response to senna, and 17.5% had a complete response to placebo (P < .005 for MZRW vs. placebo). The group that received MZRW group also had significant increases in colonic transit and reduced severity of constipation, straining, incomplete evacuation, and global constipation symptoms compared with the groups that received placebo or senna in (P < .05 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: In a randomized controlled trial of 291 patients with FC, we found MZRW to be well-tolerated and effective in increasing CSBM/week. MZRW did not appear to be more effective than senna and might be considered as an alternative to this drug. ClincialTrials.gov no: NCT01695850.

Accelerated effects of nano-ZnO on phosphorus removal by Chlorella vulgaris: Formation of zinc phosphate crystallites.

Nanoparticles have been reported to induce toxicity to aquatic organisms, however, their potential impacts on phosphorus removal from wastewater by algae are unclear. In this study, the effects of nanoparticle ZnO (nano-ZnO) on phosphate (PO43-) removal by a green alga Chlorella vulgaris were investigated. We found that PO43- removal efficiency was accelerated with high concentrations of nano-ZnO (0.04-0.15mM) but reduced with low concentrations of nano-ZnO (0.005-0.04mM) compared to the control (without nano-ZnO), suggesting that PO43- removal efficiency by C. vulgaris was related to nano-ZnO concentrations. Moreover, we observed changes of nano-ZnO morphology and detected element P on the surface of nano-ZnO by using transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), indicating that PO43- was interacted with nano-ZnO or the dissolved Zn2+ from nano-ZnO. Furthermore, we confirmed this interaction induced the formation of Zn3(PO4)2 crystallites sedimentation by employing X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which finally accelerates the removal of PO43-.

Combined effects of furanodiene and doxorubicin on the migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in vitro.

Furanodiene is one of the major bioactive components isolated from the natural product of the plant, Curcuma wenyujin Y.H. Chen et C. Ling. Furanodiene has been found to exert anticancer effects in various types of cancer cell lines, as well as exhibit antimetastatic activities. However, the antimetastatic capacity of furanodiene in combination with the common chemotherapy drug doxorubicin has not been investigated. We found that doxorubicin at a non-toxic concentration induced cell migration and cell invasion in highly metastatic breast cancer cells. Combinational treatments with furanodiene and doxorubicin blocked the invasion and migration of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in vitro. We also clarified the effects of the combination on the signaling pathways involved in migration, invasion, and cytoskeletal organization. When combined with doxorubicin, furanodiene downregulated the expression of integrin αV and ß-catenin and inhibited the phosphorylation of paxillin, Src, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), p85, and Akt. Moreover, combinational treatments also resulted in a decrease in matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Further study demonstrated that the co-treatments with furanodiene did not significantly alter the effects of doxorubicin on the tubulin cytoskeleton, represented by no influence on the expression levels of RhoA, Cdc42, N-WASP, and α/ß tubulin. These observations indicate that furanodiene is a potential agent that may be utilized to improve the anticancer efficacy of doxorubicin and overcome the risk of chemotherapy in highly metastatic breast cancer.

Gastrodia elata attenuates inflammatory response by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

Gastrodia elata (GE), which belongs to the Orchidaceae family, was found to possess anti-inflammatory activity. However, the effect of GE on inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) remains largely unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of GE on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced inflammatory response in RA-FLS and the underlying molecular mechanism was also explored. Our results demonstrated that GE significantly attenuated TNF-α-induced IL-6 and IL-8 production in RA-FLS. GE also inhibited TNF-α-induced MMP-3 and MMP-13 expression in RA-FLS. Furthermore, pretreatment with GE significantly attenuated TNF-α-induced the expression of p-p65 and IκBα degradation in RA-FLS. In conclusion, this study demonstrated for the first time that GE attenuated inflammatory response by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway signaling in RA-FLS. Thus, GE might have a therapeutic potential towards the treatment of RA.

Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Carthamus tinctorius L.

Carthamus tinctorius L. is a multifunctional cash crop. Its flowers and seeds are extensively used in traditional herbal medicine in China, Korea, Japan, and other Asian countries, for treating various ailments such as gynecological, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases as well as blood stasis and osteoporosis. More than 100 compounds have been isolated and identified from C. tinctorius. Flavonoids and alkaloids, especially the quinochalcone c-glycoside hydroxysafflor yellow A, N-(p-Coumaroyl)serotonin, and N-feruloylserotonin, are responsible for most of the pharmacological activities of C. tinctorius. In this paper, comprehensive and up-to-date information on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of C. tinctorius is presented. This information will be helpful for further explorations of the therapeutic potential of C. tinctorius and may provide future research opportunities.

Furanodiene alters mitochondrial function in doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in an AMPK-dependent manner.

Furanodiene is a bioactive sesquiterpene isolated from the spice-producing Curcuma wenyujin plant (Y. H. Chen and C. Ling) (C. wenyujin), which is a commonly prescribed herb used in clinical cancer therapy by modern practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. Previously, we have shown that furanodiene inhibits breast cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo, however, the mechanism for this effect is not yet known. In this study, therefore, we asked (1) whether cultured breast cancer cells made resistant to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX) via serial selection protocols are susceptible to furanodiene's anticancer effect, and (2) whether AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is a regulator of cellular energy homeostasis in eukaryotic cells, participates in this effect. We show here (1) that doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7 (MCF-7/DOX(R)) cells treated with furanodiene exhibit altered mitochondrial function and reduced levels of ATP, resulting in apoptotic cell death, and (2) that AMPK is central to this effect. In these cells, furanodiene (as opposed to doxorubicin) noticeably affects the phosphorylation of AMPK and AMPK pathway intermediates, ACLY and GSK-3ß, suggesting that furanodiene reduces mitochondrial function and cellular ATP levels by way of AMPK activation. Finally, we find that the cell permeable agent and AMPK inhibitor compound C (CC), abolishes furanodiene-induced anticancer activity in these MCF-7/DOX(R) cells, with regard to cell growth inhibition and AMPK activation; in contrast, AICAR (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-ß-4-ribofuranoside, acadesine), an AMPK activator, augments furanodiene-induced anticancer activity. Furthermore, specific knockdown of AMPK in MCF-7/DOX(R) cells protects these cells from furanodiene-induced cell death. Taken together, these findings suggest that AMPK and its pathway intermediates are promising therapeutic targets for treating chemoresistant breast cancer, and that furanodiene may be an important chemical agent incorporated in next-generation chemotherapy protocols.

A new hexacyclic triterpene acid from the roots of Euscaphis japonica and its inhibitory activity on triglyceride accumulation.

A new taraxerene-type hexacyclic triterpene acid named (12R,13S)-3-methoxy-12,13-cyclo-taraxerene-2,14-diene-1-one-28-oic acid (1), together with a known compound 3,7-dihydroxy-5-octanolide (2), was isolated from the roots of Euscaphis japonica. The structure of new compound 1 was elucidated on the basis of NMR, HR-ESIMS and X-ray diffraction analysis. It showed promising inhibitory activity on oleic acid induced triglyceride accumulation on HepG2 cells.

Protective effect of panax notoginseng saponins on acute ethanol-induced liver injury is associated with ameliorating hepatic lipid accumulation and reducing ethanol-mediated oxidative stress.

The aim of present study was to evaluate the effects of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) against acute ethanol-induced liver injury and further to elucidate its probable mechanisms. Mice were treated with PNS (100 or 300 mg/kg) once daily for seven consecutive days priors to ethanol gavage (4.7 g/kg) every 12 h for a total of three doses. Acute alcohol gavage dramatically significantly increased serum activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (23.4 ± 5.0 IU/L vs 11.7 ± 4.1 IU/L) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (52.6 ± 14.9 IU/L vs 31.1 ± 12.9 IU/L), and hepatic triglyceride level (4.04 ± 0.64 mg/g vs 1.92 ± 0.34 mg/g), these elevations were significantly diminished by pretreatment with PNS at dose of 100 mg/kg or 300 mg/kg. Alcohol exposure markedly induced the lipolysis of white adipose tissue (WAT), up-regulated protein expression of the phosphorylated hormone-sensitive lipase (p-HSL, p < 0.01), and total HSL (p < 0.01), and enhanced fatty acid uptake capacity in liver as indicated by increasing hepatic CD36 expression (p < 0.01), these effects were attenuated by PNS treatment. Additionally, PNS suppressed the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, reduced TNF-α and IL-6 levels, restored glutathione (GSH) level, enhanced the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in liver, and abrogated cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) induction. These data demonstrated that pretreatment with PNS protected against acute ethanol-induced liver injury, possibly through ameliorating hepatic lipid accumulation and reducing CYP2E1-mediated oxidative stress. Our findings also suggested that PNS may be potential to be developed as an effective agent for acute ethanol-induced liver injury.

Simultaneous determination of seven phenolic acids in three Salvia species by capillary zone electrophoresis with ß-cyclodextrin as modifier.

A capillary zone electrophoresis method was developed for the simultaneous determination of seven phenolic acids, including protocatechuic aldehyde (1), salvianolic acid C (2), rosmarinic acid (3), salvianolic acid A (4), danshensu (5), salvianolic acid B (6), and protocatechuic acid (7), in Danshen and related medicinal plants. A running buffer composed of 20 mM sodium tetraborate adjusted to pH 9.0, and containing 12 mM ß-cyclodextrin as modifier. Baseline separation was achieved within 17 min running at the voltage of 20 kV, temperature of 25°C and detection wavelength of 280 nm. The relative standard deviations of migration time ranged from 0.2 to 0.7% and the peak area ranged from 1.5 to 3.7% for the seven analytes, indicating the good repeatability of the proposed method. The method was extensively validated by evaluating the linearity (R(2) ≥ 0.9992), limits of detection (0.14-0.36 µg/mL), limits of quantification (0.47-1.19 µg/mL), and recovery (96.0-102.6%). Under the optimum conditions, samples of Danshen and related medicinal plants were analyzed using the developed method with high separation efficiency.

[Effects of acupuncture and "Tongxinluo" capsule on plasma lysophosphatidic acid level in patients with acute cerebral infarction].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture of Neiguan (PC 6), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc. on plasma lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) level in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI) so as to study its mechanism underlying improvement of ACI. METHODS: A total of 160 patients with ACI were randomly divided into four groups: medication (Aspirin and Panax Notoginseng Saponins for improving blood circulation), acupuncture, Tongxinluo, and acupuncture+ Tongxinluo groups, with 40 cases being in each group. Plasma LPA content was measured using biochemical method, and the therapeutic effects of the 4 groups were assessed by neurologic deficit score which were evaluated using the modified standards of the 4Th Session of Chinese National Cerebrovascular Conference issued in 1995. RESULTS: Following the treatment, plasma LPA levels and neurological deficit scores were significantly decreased in the medication, acupuncture, Tongxinluo and acupuncture+ Tongxinluo groups in com- parison with pre-treatment in each group (P<0.01), and LPA level and neurological deficit score of the acupuncture + Tongxinluo group were significantly lower than those of the other three groups (P<0. 01). Of the four 40 cases in the medication, acupuncture, Tongxinluo and acupuncture+Tongxinluo groups, 6, 7, 7 and 12 patients were basically cured, 9, 8, 9 and 18 experienced marked improvement in their symptoms, 14, 16, 15 and 6 were improved, 6, 5, 4 and 2 were invalid, 5, 4, 5 and 2 got worsened, with the effective rates(basically cured+ improvement) being 37.5%, 37.5%, 40.0% and 75.0%, respectively. The therapeutic effect of the acupuncture+Tongxinluo group was significantly superior to those of the other three groups (P<0. 01). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture can accelerate the recovery of neurological function and ameliorate clinical symptoms in ACI patients, which may be related to its effect in lowering plasma PLA. The therapeutic effect of acupuncture + Tongxinluo is relatively better than simple acupuncture and simple medication.

Herbal medicines for the prevention of alcoholic liver disease: a review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Long-term excess alcohol exposure leads to alcoholic liver disease (ALD)-a global health problem without effective therapeutic approach. ALD is increasingly considered as a complex and multifaceted pathological process, involving oxidative stress, inflammation and excessive fatty acid synthesis. Over the past decade, herbal medicines have attracted much attention as potential therapeutic agents in the prevention and treatment of ALD, due to their multiple targets and less toxic side effects. Several herbs, such as Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson (Apiaceae), Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) and Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi (Leguminosae), etc., have been shown to be quite effective and are being widely used in China today for the treatment of ALD when used alone or in combination. AIM OF THE REVIEW: To review current available knowledge on herbal medicines used to prevent or treat ALD and their underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used the pre-set searching syntax and inclusion criteria to retrieve available published literature from PUBMED and Web of Science databases, all herbal medicines and their active compounds tested on ALD induced by both acute and chronic alcohol ingestion were included. RESULTS: A total of 40 experimental studies involving 34 herbal medicines and (or) active compounds were retrieved and reviewed. We found that all reported extracts and individual compounds from herbal medicines/natural plants could be beneficial to ALD, which might be attributed to regulate multiple critical targets involved in the pathways of oxidation, inflammation and lipid metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: Screening chemical candidate from herbal medicine might be a promising approach to drug discovery for the prevention or treatment of ALD. However, further studies remain to be done on the systematic assessment of herbal medicines against ALD and the underlying mechanisms, as well as their quality control studies.

Preventive action of curcumin in experimental acute pancreatitis in mouse.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Curcuma longa (turmeric) has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for inflammatory conditions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the preventive effects of curcumin against acute pancreatitis (AP) induced by caerulein in mouse and to elucidate possible mechanism of curcumin action. METHODS: Curcumin (50 mg/kg/day) was intraperitoneally injected to Kun Ming male mice for 6 days, followed by injection of caerulein to induce AP. GW9662 (0.3 mg/kg), a specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) antagonist, was intravenously injected along with curcumin. Murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells were treated with 100 µmol/l curcumin for 2 h, and then stimulated with 0.1 µ g/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Serum amylase and transaminase levels were measured at 10 h after AP. TNF-α level in mouse serum and cell culture medium were detected by ELISA. Expression of PPARγ and NF-κB were analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: Curcumin significantly decreased the pancreas injury and reversed the elevation of serum amylase, ALT and AST activities and TNF-α level in mice with AP. Curcumin treatment inhibited the elevation of NF-κB-p65 in the nucleus of mouse pancreas AP group and RAW264.7 cells, but significantly increased the expression of PPARγ. GW9662 could abolish the effects of curcumin on serum levels of amylase, ALT, AST, TNF-α, and NF-κB level. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that curcumin could attenuate pancreas tissue and other organ injury by inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokine TNF-α. These effects may involve upregulation of PPARγ and subsequent downregulation of NF-κB.

Glial-derived neurotrophic factor regulates intestinal epithelial barrier function and inflammation and is therapeutic for murine colitis.

Although enteric glial cells (EGCs) have been demonstrated to play a key role in maintaining intestinal epithelial barrier integrity, it is not known how EGCs regulate this integrity. We therefore hypothesized that glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) produced by EGCs might be involved in this regulation. Here we investigated the role of GDNF in regulating epithelial barrier function in vivo. Recombinant adenoviral vectors encoding GDNF (Ad-GDNF) were administered intracolonically in experimental colitis induced by dextran sulphate sodium (DSS). The disease activity index (DAI) and histological score were measured. Epithelial permeability was assayed using Evans blue dye. The anti-apoptotic potency of GDNF in vivo was evaluated. The expression of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured by ELISA assay and/or RT-PCR. The expression of ZO-1, Akt, caspase-3, and NF-kappaB p65 was analysed by western blot assay. Our results showed that GDNF resulted in a significant reduction in enhanced permeability, inhibited MPO activity, IL-1beta and TNF-alpha expression, and increased ZO-1 and Akt expression. Moreover, GDNF strongly prevented apoptosis in vivo and significantly ameliorated experimental colitis. Our findings indicate that GDNF participates directly in restoring epithelial barrier function in vivo via reduction of increased epithelial permeability and inhibition of mucosal inflammatory response, and is efficacious in DSS-induced colitis. These findings support the notion that EGCs are able to regulate intestinal epithelial barrier integrity indirectly via their release of GDNF in vivo. GDNF is namely an important mediator of the cross-talk between EGCs and mucosal epithelial cells. GDNF may be a useful therapeutic approach to the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.