Direct osteogenesis and immunomodulation dual function via sustained release of naringin from the polymer scaffold.

Many traditional Chinese medicine monomers, such as naringin (NG), can regulate the local immune microenvironment to benefit osteogenesis. However, the rapid release of NG from scaffolds severely influences the osteogenesis-promoting effect. Herein, NG was loaded into mesoporous bioglass (MBG) to achieve sustained release through physical adsorption and the barrier role of mesoporous channels, then MBG loaded with NG was added to poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) to fabricate composite scaffolds by selective laser sintering (SLS) technology. The results showed that the NG-MBG/PLLA scaffolds could continuously and slowly release NG for 14 days compared with NG/PLLA scaffolds, and the cumulative release amount for the NG-MBG/PLLA scaffolds was 44.26%. In addition, the NG-MBG/PLLA scaffolds can promote the proliferation and osteogenesis differentiation of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs). Meanwhile, the composite scaffolds decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level of RAW264.7 under the stimulation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and significantly suppressed interleukin-6 (IL-6) and enhanced arginase-1 (Arg-1) protein expressions. Moreover, calcium nodule and alkaline phosphatase production of mBMSCs in a macrophage-conditioned medium for the NG-MBG/PLLA group also evidently increased compared with the PLLA and MBG/PLLA groups. These NG sustained-release composite scaffolds with osteo-immunomodulation function have great application prospects in the clinic.

[Effects of Yanggan Lidan Granule on insulin resistance in guinea pigs with induced cholesterol gallstones].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Yanggan Lidan Granule (YGLDG), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on insulin resistance in guinea pigs with induced cholesterol gallstones. METHODS: Eighty guinea pigs were randomly divided into normal control group, untreated group, YGLDG group and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) group, with 20 guinea pigs in each group. Except the normal control group, gallstones were induced by high-cholesterol diet in the guinea pigs. The guinea pigs in the normal control group and the untreated group were administered with normal saline. UDCA and YGLDG were given to the guinea pigs in the corresponding groups for seven weeks. Eight guinea pigs of each group were used to measure the glucose infusion rate (GIR) by using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp technique. At the end the guinea pigs were killed and their gallstone formation was observed. RESULTS: The gallstones in guinea pigs were identified as cholesterol stones by qualitative analysis through infrared spectrum. The incidence rate of cholelithiasis of the untreated group was 82.35% . The GIR of guinea pigs in the untreated group was obviously lowered down as compared with the normal control group. Compared with the untreated group, the GIRs of the YGLDG group and the UDCA group were obviously increased, especially in the YGLDG group. CONCLUSION: YGLDG may improve insulin resistance in guinea pigs with cholesterol gallstones by elevating GIR obviously.

[Analysis on therapeutic effect of Western and Chinese drug in treating intrahepatic cholestasis pregnancy].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Yinchenghao decoction (YCHD) and S-adenosy-L-methionine (SAM) in treating intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and improving prognosis of perinatal newborn babies. METHODS: Sixty in-patients of ICP were randomly divided into two groups, the group A treated with YCHD and the group B treated with SAM. The symptom of itching and serum biochemical indexes, including glycocholic acid, bilirubin and transaminase, were observed after 3 weeks treatment, and the prognosis of perinatal newborn babies between the two groups was compared after delivery. RESULTS: After treatment, the symptom of itching, serum levels of glycocholic acid, bilirubin and transaminase improved significantly (P < 0.05) in both groups, and the prognosis of newborn in the two groups was similar (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both YCHD and SAM could effectively treat ICP. The former is rather cheaper, so it is more feasible for spreading.