Therapeutic effect of a traditional Chinese medicine formulation on experimental choroidal neovascularization in mouse.

AIM: To investigate therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine formulations, Hexuemingmu (HXMM) on laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and follow-up effect in mice. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice of 8-week-old were used and CNV was induced with 577 nm laser photocoagulation. Animals were randomly divided into groups and different doses of HXMM were administered daily. One, four, and eight weeks after the intervention, the electroretinogram (ERG), fundus fluorescence angiography, choroidal flat mount and immunofluorescence staining were preformed to evaluate the function and CNV formation. The expression levels of angiogenic proteins were determined by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. An analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to test the differences among the groups. RESULTS: The results showed that HXMM effectively increased amplitude of ERG of mice (P<0.05), alleviated fundus CNV leakage (P<0.05), and reduced the area of neovascularization and the expression of angiogenic proteins (P<0.05) after laser-induced CNV. CONCLUSION: HXMM can protect the retinal function of mice after laser-induced CNV, and inhibit the CNV development.

Ganoderma lucidum Rhodiola compound preparation prevent D-galactose-induced immune impairment and oxidative stress in aging rat model.

Aging is an irreversible process. This research aims to study the anti-aging effects of GRCP, a compound preparation made by Ganoderma lucidum and Rhodiola rosen, in aging rats. Rats were subcutaneously injected with 400 mg/kg of D-galactose daily, and aging could be induced after 8 weeks. The aging rats were treated with GRCP. This experiment was divided into 6 groups. Rats were randomly divided into the model group, positive control group, low-dose GRCP group (25 mg/kg body weight), medium-dose GRCP group (50 mg/kg body weight), and high-dose GRCP group (100 mg/kg body weight), healthy and normal rats were used as blank controls. After the end, the results show that the use of GRCP at a dose of 100 mg/kg is the best treatment for improving aging rats. Rats gained weight, spleen and thymus indexes, and splenocyte proliferation improved, and inflammatory cytokine levels decreased. Besides, biochemical indicators show that GRCP can improve the antioxidant enzyme activity and reduce the content of lipofuscin and TGF-ß in aging rats (P < 0.05). GRCP can also inhibit the activation of the MyD88/NF-κB pathway in rat hippocampus. These results seem to suggest that GRCP can be used as a potential natural supplement or functional food to prevent aging.

Schekwanglupaside C, a new lupane saponin from Schefflera kwangsiensis, is a potent activator of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase.

Schefflera kwangsiensis Merr. ex H.L. Li (Araliaceae) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine for pain management in the clinic. In the present study, we isolated a previously undescribed lupane saponin, designated as schekwanglupaside C (Sch C) from the ethanolic extract of S. kwangsiensis. The structure of Sch C was determined by comprehensive spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses and chemical degradation. In primary cultured cortical neurons, Sch C altered the pattern of spontaneous Ca2+ oscillation (SCO) with a slight increase in the frequency of SCO right after addition and a gradual decrease in the frequency and amplitude of SCO, that dynamic change mimicked by an activator of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA). The IC50 values for Sch C suppression of the frequency and amplitude of SCO were 1.75 and 2.51 µM, respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Sch C is a potent SERCA activator (EC50 = 1.20 µM). Given the pivotal role of SERCA in the progression of neuropathic pain and neurodegenerative diseases, Sch C represents a new drug lead compound to develop the treatment of neuropathic pain and Alzheimer's disease.

Ribes diacanthum Pall (RDP) ameliorates UUO-induced renal fibrosis via both canonical and non-canonical TGF-ß signaling pathways in mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ribes diacanthum Pall (RDP), a folk medicine, has been widely used in Mongolia to treat urinary system diseases. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the effectiveness of RDP on unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced renal interstitial fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 mice were randomly divided into six groups: sham group, sham plus RDP (40 mg/kg) group, UUO model group, and UUO model plus RDP (10, 20 or 40 mg/kg) groups. After surgery, aqueous extract of RDP were administrated intragastrically (i.g) daily for a week and ipsilateral kidneys were collected seven days after surgery. Levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr) were detected to reflect the kidney injury. Hematoxylin & eosin and Masson's trichrome staining were used to evaluate the kidney morphological changes and fibrosis, respectively. ELISA was used to examine the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Immunohistochemistry, western blot and PCR were used to examine the expression levels of key proteins involved in transforming growth factor (TGF-ß)/Smad and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. RESULTS: RDP treatment attenuates the level of BUN and kidney fibrosis in UUO mice, decreases the expressions of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, Interleukin-1α, TGF-ß1, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I, fibronectin, and vimentin, while increases the expressions of E-cadherin and hepatocyte growth factor. Moreover, RDP administration significantly decreases the levels of p-Smad2/3, p-ERK1/2, p-p38 and p-JNK, while increases the expression level of Smad7 in UUO models. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that RDP ameliorates renal fibrosis through TGF-ß/Smad and MAPK pathways in a UUO mouse model.

Ginseng Protein Reverses Amyloid Beta Peptide and H2 O2 Cytotoxicity in Neurons, and Ameliorates Cognitive Impairment in AD Rats Induced by a Combination of D-Galactose and AlCl3.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is one of the most widely used herbal medicines worldwide. The present study evaluated the neuroprotective effects of ginseng protein (GP) and its possible mechanisms in a cellular and animal model of AD. The results demonstrated that GP (10-100 µg/mL) significantly improved the survival rate of neurons and reduced the cells' apoptosis and the mRNA expression of caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2. In addition, GP (0.1 g/kg) significantly shortened the escape latency, prolonged the crossing times and the percentage of residence time; reduced the level of Aß1-42 and p-tau, the activity of T-NOS and iNOS, and the content of MDA and NO, improved the activity of SOD, the concentration of cAMP and the protein expression of p-PKA/PKA and -CREB/CREB. The results demonstrated that GP significantly inhibited Alzheimer-like pathophysiological changes induced by Aß25-35 or H2 O2 in cells or those induced by D-gal/ Al in animals. These neuroprotective effects of GP may be associated with the cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway. Also, in combination with our previous studies, these results indicate that the anti-AD mechanism of GP was likely to activate the CREB pathway through multiple channels. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.