Cuscuta chinensis seeds water extraction protecting murine osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells against tertiary butyl hydroperoxide induced injury.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cuscuta chinensis (C. chinensis) is a well-known traditional Chinese herb that has been used to treat heart disease, diabetes, liver injury, cancer, and aging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Murine osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with various concentrations of C. chinensis water extraction at different time intervals. The antioxidant effect of C. chinensis on MC3T3-E1 cells was evaluated using MTT and TUNEL assays. The effect of C. chinensis on cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry with propidium iodide. Lipid peroxidation was measured by the HPLC method. The cellular redox status was determined from the reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione ratio (GSH/GSSG) and the enzymes involved in glutathione metabolism, including glutathione reductase (GR), Glutathione S-transferase (GST), and Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). The changes in relative mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm) in the MC3T3-E1 cells were analyzed with rhodamine 123 staining. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the levels of cytochrome c (cyto c), Bax, Bcl-2, caspase 3, Sirt3, and IDH2 expressions. RESULTS: The C. chinensis water extraction protects tertiary butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP)-treated MC3T3-E1 cells from death in a dose-dependent manner. C. chinensis treatment significantly inhibited the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), GR, GST, and G6PD. The release of cyto c from mitochondria was reduced by C. chinensis, which increased the expression of antiapoptotic IDH2, Sirt3, and Bcl-2 and decreased the expression of Bax, cyto c, and caspase 3. CONCLUSIONS: C. chinensis modulated the oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in MC3T3-E1 cells, probably due to its antioxidant activity and functioning via mitochondria-dependent pathways.

Effects of Bai-Hu decoction on fever induced by lipopolysaccharide.

This study was designed to investigate the antifebrile effect and mechanisms of Bai-Hu decoction (BHD), a traditional Chinese medical (TCM) prescription. The rabbits used in this study received an intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) after being orally administered with BHD, ibuprofen, or saline, and their rectal temperatures were monitored by a copper-constantan thermocouple. Concentrations of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in serum and hypothalamus were assayed using the commercially available rabbit IL-1ß and TNF-α enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits following the manufacturer's instructions. The BHD treatment group exhibited a significant fall in body temperature in both peaks compared with the LPS group (p<0.05). BHD reduced the concentrations of IL-1ß and TNF-α in serum, and of TNF-α in hypothalamus to control the febrile responses at 1 hour. Besides the levels of IL-1ß in hypothalamus and serum, the concentration of TNF-α in hypothalamus was decreased remarkably in the BHD group than in the LPS group at 3 hours. The main findings, the partial mechanisms of BHD in reducing biphasic fever elicited by LPS, were that treatments with the crude extract of BHD could remarkably reduce the increased concentrations of IL-1ß and TNF-α, not only in serum but also in hypothalamus. The results indicated that BHD would be a valuable candidate for further investigation as a traditional antifebrile and anti-inflammatory natural drug.