Cannabis Use Associates With Reduced Proviral Burden and Inflammatory Cytokine in Tissues From Men With Clade C HIV-1 on Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) tissue reservoirs remain the main obstacle against an HIV cure. Limited information exists regarding cannabis's effects on HIV-1 infections in vivo, and the impact of cannabis use on HIV-1 parenchymal tissue reservoirs is unexplored. METHODS: To investigate whether cannabis use alters HIV-1 tissue reservoirs, we systematically collected 21 postmortem brain and peripheral tissues from 20 men with subtype C HIV-1 and with suppressed viral load enrolled in Zambia, 10 of whom tested positive for cannabis use. The tissue distribution and copies of subtype C HIV-1 LTR, gag, env DNA and RNA, and the relative mRNA levels of cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, and TGF-ß1 were quantified using PCR-based approaches. Utilizing generalized linear mixed models we compared persons with HIV-1 and suppressed viral load, with and without cannabis use. RESULTS: The odds of tissues harboring HIV-1 DNA and the viral DNA copies in those tissues were significantly lower in persons using cannabis. Moreover, the transcription levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and IL-6 in lymphoid tissues of persons using cannabis were also significantly lower. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that cannabis use is associated with reduced sizes and inflammatory cytokine expression of subtype C HIV-1 reservoirs in men with suppressed viral load.

The Chinese herbal medicine Fufang Zhenzhu Tiaozhi ameliorates diabetic cardiomyopathy by regulating cardiac abnormal lipid metabolism and mitochondrial dynamics in diabetic mice.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an important complication leading to the death of patients with diabetes, but there is no effective strategy for clinical treatments. Fufang Zhenzhu Tiaozhi (FTZ) is a patent medicine that is a traditional Chinese medicine compound preparation with comprehensive effects for the prevention and treatment of glycolipid metabolic diseases under the guidance of "modulating liver, starting pivot and cleaning turbidity". FTZ was proposed by Professor Guo Jiao and is used for the clinical treatment of hyperlipidemia. This study was designed to explore the regulatory mechanisms of FTZ on heart lipid metabolism dysfunction and mitochondrial dynamics disorder in mice with DCM, and it provides a theoretical basis for the myocardial protective effect of FTZ in diabetes. In this study, we demonstrated that FTZ protected heart function in DCM mice and downregulated the overexpression of free fatty acids (FFAs) uptake-related proteins cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1). Moreover, FTZ treatment showed a regulatory effect on mitochondrial dynamics by inhibiting mitochondrial fission and promoting mitochondrial fusion. We also identified in vitro that FTZ could restore lipid metabolism-related proteins, mitochondrial dynamics-related proteins and mitochondrial energy metabolism in PA-treated cardiomyocytes. Our study indicated that FTZ improves the cardiac function of diabetic mice by attenuating the increase in fasting blood glucose levels, inhibiting the decrease in body weight, alleviating disordered lipid metabolism, and restoring mitochondrial dynamics and myocardial apoptosis in diabetic mouse hearts.

Micro-/Nano-Structures on Biodegradable Magnesium@PLGA and Their Cytotoxicity, Photothermal, and Anti-Tumor Effects.

The size and structural control of particulate carriers for imaging agents and therapeutics are constant themes in designing smart delivery systems. This is motivated by the causal relationship between geometric parameters and functionalities of delivery vehicles. Here, both in vitro and in vivo, the controlling factors for cytotoxicity, photothermal, and anti-tumor effects of biodegradable magnesium@poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid (Mg@PLGA) particulate carriers with different sizes and shell thicknesses are investigated. Mg@PLGA microspheres fabricated by microfluidic emulsification are shown to have higher Mg encapsulation efficiency, 87%, than nanospheres by ultrasonic homogenization, 50%. The photothermal and anti-tumor effects of Mg@PLGA spheres are found to be dictated by their Mg content, irrelevant to size and structural features, as demonstrated in both in vitro cell assays and in vivo mice models. These results also provide important implications for designing and fabricating stimuli-responsive drug delivery vehicles.

Efficacy and Safety of Qingpeng Ointment for Subacute and Chronic Eczema: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Qingpeng ointment for the treatment of subacute and chronic eczema. METHOD: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on Qingpeng ointment for subacute and chronic eczema were searched on PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Journal from their inception to 30 November 2020. Quality assessment and data analysis were performed by Review Manager 5.3. RESULTS: A total of 26 RCTs were included. Qingpeng ointment could significantly improve the total efficacy rate (TER) (RR = 2.60, 95% CI: 2.11 to 3.21, P < 0.00001), reduce the total symptom score (TSS) (SMD = -2.35, 95% CI: -3.74 to -0.97, P = 0.0009), and decrease visual analogue scale (VAS) for pruritus (MD = -3.86, 95% CI: -4.41 to -3.31, P < 0.00001) compared with the placebo. The TER of Qingpeng ointment was similar to that of topical corticosteroid (TCS) (RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.88 to 1.03, P = 0.25), and the TSSs between Qingpeng ointment and medium or low potency TCS were not significantly different (SMD = -0.05, 95% CI: -0.22 to 0.12, P = 0.54). However, Qingpeng ointment was not superior to TCS in reducing VAS score (SMD = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.00 to 0.96, P = 0.05). In addition, Qingpeng ointment combined with TCS performed better than TCS alone in all three outcomes. For safety, nothing but skin irritative reactions occurred in the Qingpeng ointment group, and its incidence of skin irritative reactions was similar to those of the placebo (RR = 1.47, 95% CI: 0.61 to 3.55, P = 0.40) and TCS (RR = 1.82, 95% CI: 0.79 to 4.22, P = 0.16). The combined therapy did not increase the risk of skin irritative reactions (RR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.27 to 1.78, P = 0.44). CONCLUSION: Qingpeng ointment is an effective and safe treatment for subacute and chronic eczema. It is also an add-on treatment to TCS for eczema. However, due to the suboptimal quality of the included studies, more large-sample and high-quality RCTs are needed to improve the evidence quality.

The herbal agent plantamajoside, exerts a potential inhibitory effect on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Plantamajoside (PMS), a major component of Plantago asiatica L, has several pharmacological properties, including anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects. However, the effects of PMS on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have yet to be determined. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of PMS on HCC and elucidate the underlying mechanism. All assays were conducted using 5 groups, namely control, sorafenib, and PMS 100, 50, and 25 µg/ml groups. Cell proliferation was determined by the MTT assay. Cell migration was evaluated with the wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were evaluated via flow cytometry. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis and western blotting were used to further investigate the mechanism of action of PMS. Sorafenib and PMS both significantly attenuated the proliferation and migration of HCC cells, and markedly promoted cell apoptosis. PMS induced cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. The efficacy of PMS increased in a dose-dependent manner. Further study evaluated the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ), nuclear factor (NF)-κB and cyclooxygenase (Cox-2) using RT-qPCR analysis and western blotting. The results demonstrated that PMS promoted the expression of PPARγ and suppressed the expression of NF-κB and Cox-2. In conclusion, PMS was shown to affect cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis and cell cycle distribution. Furthermore, PMS promoted the expression of PPARγ and inhibited the expression of NF-κB and Cox-2, which may be the mechanism underlying its biological effects. Based on the results of the present study, PMS appears to be a promising agent for HCC therapy.

In Vitro and In Vivo Effects of the Polymyxin-Vorinostat Combination Therapy Against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Pathogens.

With the stagnancy of antibiotics development, polymyxins have become the last defense for treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria, whereas the effect of polymyxin monotherapy is limited by resistance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of polymyxin B (PMNB)-vorinostat (SAHA) combination therapy against Gram-negative pathogens in vitro and in vivo. The antibacterial activities of PMNB and SAHA were evaluated by susceptibility testing. The synergistic effect was assessed by checkerboard tests and time-killing kinetics experiments. Cellular morphology studies and reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay were conducted to explore potential mechanisms. Also, Galleria mellonella models were made to evaluate the antibacterial effects in vivo. PMNB-SAHA had the synergistic effect against all tested isolates, reducing >2 log10 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL at 40 minutes, and showed more powerful antibacterial effects than PMNB alone in the 24-hour window. Cellular morphology study showed the change of membrane and disruption of integrity. ROS assay showed more oxidative stress in combination than PMNB or SAHA monotherapy. In animal models, PMNB-SAHA showed a higher survival rate than that of monotherapy. This study is the first to report the synergistic antibacterial effect of PMNB-SAHA therapy against MDR Gram-negative bacteria. Further clinical research is needed to confirm the results.

Correction: Fabrication of red blood cell membrane-camouflaged Cu2-xSe nanoparticles for phototherapy in the second near-infrared window.

Correction for 'Fabrication of red blood cell membrane-camouflaged Cu2-xSe nanoparticles for phototherapy in the second near-infrared window' by Zhou Liu et al., Chem. Commun., 2019, 55, 6523-6526.

Nucleus-targeting ultrasmall ruthenium(iv) oxide nanoparticles for photoacoustic imaging and low-temperature photothermal therapy in the NIR-II window.

Nucleus-targeting NPs based on RuO2 (RuO2NPs) were developed by controlling the size and the surface charge of nanoparticles (NPs). This study not only demonstrates a facile approach for the fabrication of ultrasmall CS-RuO2NPs with good biocompatibility and excellent photothermal properties but also their unique potential for the nucleus-targeted low-temperature PTT.

Synergistic effect of linezolid with fosfomycin against Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and in an experimental Galleria mellonella model.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSES: Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections is challenging owing to widespread multidrug resistance. There is now considerable interest in the potential of combination therapies. Although linezolid/fosfomycin combination appears to be a promising treatment option based on in vitro data, further preclinical work is needed. In this study, the Galleria mellonella system was employed to study the in vivo efficacy of this combination in order to determine whether it should be explored further for the treatment of S. aureus infections. METHODS: The antimicrobial activity of linezolid and fosfomycin alone and in combination was assessed versus four S. aureus. Synergy studies were performed using the microtitre plate chequerboard assay and time-kill methodology. The in vivo activity of linezolid/fosfomycin combination was assessed using a G. mellonella larvae model. RESULTS: The combination of linezolid and fosfomycin was synergistic and bacteriostatic against four tested strains. Treatment of G. mellonella larvae infected with lethal doses of S. aureus resulted in significantly enhanced survival rates when low-dose of combination has no significant differences with high-dose combination (P > 0.05), G. mellonella hemolymph burden of S. aureus suggest that combination therapy with rapid and sustained bacteriostatic activity compared monotherapy. CONCLUSION: This work indicated that linezolid combination with fosfomycin has synergistic effect against S. aureus in vitro and in an experimental G. mellonella model, and it suggests that high-dose of linezolid and fosfomycin may not necessary.

Fabrication of red blood cell membrane-camouflaged Cu2-xSe nanoparticles for phototherapy in the second near-infrared window.

Cu2-xSe nanoparticles (Cu2-xSeNPs) were camouflaged with a red blood cell membrane (RBC) to create nanoparticles with improved biocompatibility, longer blood retention times, excellent absorption properties, superior photothermal conversion efficiency (67.2%) and singlet oxygen production capabilities for the synergistic photothermal and photodynamic therapy of cancer in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window.

BSA-based Cu2Se nanoparticles with multistimuli-responsive drug vehicles for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy.

Functionalized-nanoparticles have been developed as novel therapeutic delivery platform for simultaneous drug loading and therapy over the past decade. Rationally-designed biocompatible nanosystem simultaneously with multistimuli-responsive property and synergistic therapeutic potential are highly desirable for modern biological applications. Herein, Cu2Se nanoparticles (Cu2SeNPs) with suitable size have been functionalized by bull serum albumin (BSA) through a simply, facile and controllable method. As a result, Cu2SeNPs modified by BSA (BSA-Cu2SeNPs) showed excellent biocompatibility and stability. The strong absorbance of BSA-Cu2SeNPs at near infrared region imparts them with high photothermal efficiency. Then loading doxorubicin (DOX, anticancer drug) on the surface of BSA-Cu2SeNPs, and consequently, a novel multifunctional nanosystem of BSA-Cu2SeNPs-DOX is designed. The BSA-Cu2SeNPs can achieve high DOX loading capacity (approximately 157 µg DOX per mg of Cu2Se). Furthermore, a rational and precise release of DOX from the BSA-Cu2SeNPs-DOX could be easily realized under the stimulates of the pH and temperature, which remarkably improved antitumor efficacy of combined chemotherapy and photothermal therapy triggered by 808 nm NIR laser. Thus, the BSA-Cu2SeNPs-DOX could serve as an ideal nanoplatform for cancer diagnosis and treatment in future. The results of cell experiments show that the BSA-Cu2SeNPs-DOX exhibited favorable selective cellular uptake cells. Under the NIR laser irradiation, BSA-Cu2SeNPs-DOX could induce the excessive expression of ROS, eventually leading to the death of U251 cells. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that the nanosystem of BSA-Cu2SeNPs-DOX showed excellent synergistic therapeutic effect and multistimuli-responsive drug vehicle, which will exert huge potential for future clinical application.

Molecular Mechanisms of Increased Heart Rate in Shenxianshengmai-treated Bradycardia Rabbits.

BACKGROUND: The molecular mechanisms of Shenxianshengmai (SXSM), a traditional Chinese medicine, on bradycardia have been incompletely understood. The study tried to investigate the gene expression profile and proteomics of bradycardia rabbits' hearts after SXSM treatment. METHODS: Twenty-four adult rabbits were randomly assigned in four groups: sham, model, model plus SXSM treatment, and sham plus SXSM treatment groups. Heart rate was recorded in all rabbits. Then, total RNA of atria and proteins of ventricle were isolated and quantified, respectively. Gene expression profiling was conducted by gene expression chip, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to confirm the results of gene expression chip. We used isobaric tags for elative and absolute quantitation and Western blotting to identify altered proteins after SXSM treatment. RESULTS: There was a constant decrease in the mean heart rate (32%, from 238 ± 6 beats/min to 149 ± 12 beats/min) after six weeks in model compared with that in sham group. This effect was partially reversed by 4-week SXSM treatment. Complementary DNA microarray demonstrated that the increased acetylcholinesterase and reduced nicotinic receptor were take responsibility for the increased heart rate. In addition, proteins involved in calcium handling and signaling were affected by SXSM treatment. Real-time RT-PCR verified the results from gene chip. Results from proteomics demonstrated that SXSM enhanced oxidative phosphorylation and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in ventricular myocardium to improve ATP generation. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term SXSM stimulates sympathetic transmission by increasing the expression of acetylcholinesterase and reduces the expression of nicotinic receptor to increase heart rate. SXSM also restored the calcium handling genes and altered genes involved in signaling. In addition, SXSM improves the ATP supply of ventricular myocardium by increasing proteins involved in TCA cycle and oxidation-respiratory chain.

A Novel, Multi-Target Natural Drug Candidate, Matrine, Improves Cognitive Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease Transgenic Mice by Inhibiting Aß Aggregation and Blocking the RAGE/Aß Axis.

The treatment of AD is a topic that has puzzled researchers for many years. Current mainstream theories still consider Aß to be the most important target for the cure of AD. In this study, we attempted to explore multiple targets for AD treatments with the aim of identifying a qualified compound that could both inhibit the aggregation of Aß and block the RAGE/Aß axis. We believed that a compound that targets both Aß and RAGE may be a feasible strategy for AD treatment. A novel and small natural compound, Matrine (Mat), was identified by high-throughput screening of the main components of traditional Chinese herbs used to treat dementia. Various experimental techniques were used to evaluate the effect of Mat on these two targets both in vitro and in AD mouse model. Mat could inhibit Aß42-induced cytotoxicity and suppress the Aß/RAGE signaling pathway in vitro. Additionally, the results of in vivo evaluations of the effects of Mat on the two targets were consistent with the results of our in vitro studies. Furthermore, Mat reduced proinflammatory cytokines and Aß deposition and attenuated the memory deficits of AD transgenic mice. We believe that this novel, multi-target strategy to inhibit both Aß and RAGE, is worthy of further exploration. Therefore, our future studies will focus on identifying even more effective multi-target compounds for the treatment of AD based on the molecular structure of Mat.

A Single Dose of Docosahexaenoic Acid Increases the Functional Recovery Promoted by Rehabilitation after Cervical Spinal Cord Injury in the Rat.

Task-specific rehabilitation has been shown to promote functional recovery after acute spinal cord injury (SCI). Recently, the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has been shown to promote neuroplasticity after SCI. Here, we investigated whether the combination of a single bolus of DHA with rehabilitation can enhance the effect of DHA or rehabilitation therapy in adult injured spinal cord. We found enhanced functional improvement with DHA in combination with rehabilitation compared with either treatment alone in a rat cervical lateral hemisection SCI model. This behavioral improvement correlated with a significant sprouting of uninjured corticospinal and serotonergic fibers. We also observed that the greatest increase in the synaptic vesicle protein, synaptophysin, and the synaptic active zone protein, Bassoon, occurred in animals that received both DHA and rehabilitation. In summary, the functional, anatomical, and synaptic plasticity induced by task-specific rehabilitation can be further enhanced by DHA treatment. This study shows the potential beneficial effects of DHA combined with rehabilitation for the treatment of patients with SCI.

Protective effects of Huanglian Wendan Decoction aganist cognitive deficits and neuronal damages in rats with diabetic encephalopathy by inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokines and repairing insulin signaling pathway in hippocampus.

Huanglian Wendan decoction (HLWDD) has been used for the treatment of symptom of "Re", one of major causes in diabetes and metabolic disorders, according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. The present study aimed at investigating the cerebral protective effects of HLWDD on diabetic encephalopathy (DE), one of the major diabetic complications. The effects of HLWDD and metformin were analyzed in the streptozocin (STZ) + high-glucose-fat (HGF) diet-induced DE rats by gastric intubation. In the present study, the effects of HLWDD on cognition deficits were investigated after 30-day intervention at two daily dose levels (3 and 6 g·kg-1). To explore the potential mechanisms underlying the effects of HLWDD, we detected the alterations of neuronal damages, inflammatory cytokines, and impaired insulin signaling pathway in hippocampus of the DE rats. Based on our results from the present study, we concluded that the protective effects of HLWDD against the cognitive deficits and neuronal damages through inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokines and repairing insulin signaling pathway in hippocampus of the DE rats.

Facile Fabrication of Near-Infrared-Responsive and Chitosan-Functionalized Cu2 Se Nanoparticles for Cancer Photothermal Therapy.

Photothermal therapy has attracted much interest for use in cancer treatment in recent years. In this study, Cu2 Se nanoparticles as a novel photothermal agent modified by chitosan (CS-Cu2 SeNPs) were successfully synthesized through a facile route at room temperature. The as-synthesized CS-Cu2 SeNPs exhibited good water solubility and significant stability. CS-Cu2 SeNPs can efficiently convert near-infrared (NIR) light into heat and exhibit excellent thermostability. In vitro experiments showed that CS-Cu2 SeNPs had selective cellular uptake between cancer and normal cells and expressed clear anticancer activity on A375 and HeLa human cancer cells. In addition, the anticancer activity was increased to about 400 % by combination with a laser at 808 nm, which acted through induction of apoptosis with the involvement of intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. CS-Cu2 SeNPs irradiated with a laser effectively triggered the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction that promoted cell apoptosis. Therefore, the developed CS-Cu2 SeNPs could be used as a novel phototherapeutic agent for the photothermal therapy of human cancers.

Combination of electroacupuncture and grafted mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing TrkC improves remyelination and function in demyelinated spinal cord of rats.

This study attempted to graft neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) receptor (TrkC) gene modified mesenchymal stem cells (TrkC-MSCs) into the demyelinated spinal cord and to investigate whether electroacupuncture (EA) treatment could promote NT-3 secretion in the demyelinated spinal cord as well as further enhance grafted TrkC-MSCs to differentiate into oligodendrocytes, remyelination and functional recovery. Ethidium bromide (EB) was microinjected into the spinal cord of rats at T10 to establish a demyelinated model. Six groups of animals were prepared for the experiment: the sham, PBS, MSCs, MSCs+EA, TrkC-MSCs and TrkC-MSCs+EA groups. The results showed that TrkC-MSCs graft combined with EA treatment (TrkC-MSCs+EA group) significantly increased the number of OPCs and oligodendrocyte-like cells differentiated from MSCs. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that the oligodendrocyte-like cells differentiated from TrkC-MSCs formed myelin sheaths. Immunofluorescence histochemistry and Western blot analysis indicated that TrkC-MSCs+EA treatment could promote the myelin basic protein (MBP) expression and Kv1.2 arrangement trending towards the normal level. Furthermore, behavioural test and cortical motor evoked potentials detection demonstrated a significant functional recovery in the TrkC-MSCs+EA group. In conclusion, our results suggest that EA treatment can increase NT-3 expression, promote oligodendrocyte-like cell differentiation from TrkC-MSCs, remyelination and functional improvement of demyelinated spinal cord.

Electroacupuncture Promotes the Differentiation of Transplanted Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Preinduced With Neurotrophin-3 and Retinoic Acid Into Oligodendrocyte-Like Cells in Demyelinated Spinal Cord of Rats.

Transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) promotes functional recovery in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and in a murine model of MS. However, there is only a modicum of information on differentiation of grafted MSCs into oligodendrocyte-like cells in MS. The purpose of this study was to transplant neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and retinoic acid (RA) preinduced MSCs (NR-MSCs) into a demyelinated spinal cord induced by ethidium bromide and to investigate whether EA treatment could promote NT-3 secretion in the demyelinated spinal cord. We also sought to determine whether increased NT-3 could further enhance NR-MSCs overexpressing the tyrosine receptor kinase C (TrkC) to differentiate into more oligodendrocyte-like cells, resulting in increased remyelination and nerve conduction in the spinal cord. Our results showed that NT-3 and RA increased transcription of TrkC mRNA in cultured MSCs. EA increased NT-3 levels and promoted differentiation of oligodendrocyte-like cells from grafted NR-MSCs in the demyelinated spinal cord. There was evidence of myelin formation by grafted NR-MSCs. In addition, NR-MSC transplantation combined with EA treatment (the NR-MSCs + EA group) reduced demyelination and promoted remyelination. Furthermore, the conduction of cortical motor-evoked potentials has improved compared to controls. Together, our data suggest that preinduced MSC transplantation combined with EA treatment not only increased MSC differentiation into oligodendrocyte-like cells forming myelin sheaths, but also promoted remyelination and functional improvement of nerve conduction in the demyelinated spinal cord.

Electro-acupuncture promotes the survival and differentiation of transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells pre-induced with neurotrophin-3 and retinoic acid in gelatin sponge scaffold after rat spinal cord transection.

In the past decades, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a promising cell candidate have received the most attention in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, due to the low survival rate and low neural differentiation rate, the grafted MSCs do not perform well as one would have expected. In the present study, we tested a combinational therapy to improve on this situation. MSCs were loaded into three-dimensional gelatin sponge (GS) scaffold. After 7 days of induction with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and retinoic acid (RA) in vitro, we observed a significant increase in TrkC mRNA transcription by Real-time PCR and this was confirmed by in situ hybridization. The expression of TrkC was also confirmed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Differentiation potential of MSCs in vitro into neuron-like cells or oligodendrocyte-like cells was further demonstrated by using immunofluorescence staining. The pre-induced MSCs seeding in GS scaffolds were then grafted into the transected rat spinal cord. One day after grafting, Governor Vessel electro-acupuncture (GV-EA) treatment was applied to rats in the NR-MSCs + EA group. At 30 days after GV-EA treatment, it found that the grafted MSCs have better survival rate and neuron-like cell differentiation compared with those without GV-EA treatment. The sustained TrkC expression in the grafted MSCs as well as increased NT-3 content in the injury/graft site by GV-EA suggests that NT-3/TrkC signaling pathway may be involved in the promoting effect. This study demonstrates that GV-EA and pre-induction with NT-3 and RA together may promote the survival and differentiation of grafted MSCs in GS scaffold in rat SCI.

[Establishment of transformation system of Lonicera macranthoides mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens].

OBJECTIVE: Based on the system of regeneration,the genetic transformation system of Lonicera macranthoides was established. METHODS: Tissue culture method of seedlings, Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation method of explants, report gene was detected by gus staining and PCR. RESULTS: The efficient transformation time was 8 minutes of infection. The good transformation rate was gained with the kanamycin 35 mg/L and cefotaxime 600 mg/L. The concentration of kanamycin had a leading effect on bud differentiation between two antibiotics, and bud induction rate reached extremely significant difference. Results of gus staining and PCR proved that the gus gene was integrated into Lonicera macranthoides genome. CONCLUSION: The genetic transformation system of Lonicera macranthoides leaves mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHAlO5 was established for the first time.