[Study on anti- fibrotic mechanism of Fuzheng -Huayu formula to suppress autophagy in mice].

Objective: To determine whether the anti-hepatic fibrosis effect of Fuzheng-Huayu formula is related to suppress autophagy in mice. Methods: C57 mice were randomly divided into normal group (N group) and model group. The model group was induced by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride to induce liver fibrosis in mice, and the normal group was injected with equal volume of olive oil. After 1 week, the model group was randomly divided into model (M) group, rapamycin (Rapa) group, rapamycin plus chloroquine (Rapa+CQ) group, rapamycin plus salvianolic acid B (Rapa+Sal B) group, rapamycin plus Fuzheng -Huayu formula (Rapa+FZ) group. Each drug group was administered corresponding drugs by gavage on a daily basis, and N group and M group were given the equal amount of drinking water by gavage. After 5 weeks, the mice were sacrificed, and HE and Sirius red staining were used to observe the inflammation and collagen deposition on liver tissue in each group. The hydroxyproline content was determined by alkaline hydrolysis method. Western blotting was used to detect changes in the expression of autophagy in liver tissue and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3II/I (LC3II/I), p62, α-smooth muscle actin (ɑ-SMA) and type I collagen expression. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the immunofluorescence localization of ɑ-SMA and LC3B in liver tissues of each group. ). A t-test was used to compare the two independent samples. LSD or Dunnett's T3 test were used to compare the mean of multiple samples. Results: There was no significant difference in N and M groups in terms of body weight. The body weight of the mice in each drug group decreased significantly (F = 14.041, P < 0.001). The liver/spleen /body weight ratios of each drug group and M group were significantly higher than the N group (F = 26.992, 6.589, P < 0.001). The expression of p62 protein in the liver tissue of mice in each drug group was lower than M group, and the difference between Rapa group and Rapa+Sal B group (F = 3.085, P = 0.039, 0.003) was statistically significant, while that of Rapa + Sal B group was lower. Compared with group M, the expression of LC3B II in Rapa group was significantly higher (F = 7.514, P = 0.01). Immunofluorescence staining showed that LC3B and α-SMA CO-stained cells were absent in the liver of mice in N group, and co-stained cells were found in the liver of mice in M group. The co-stained cells in the liver of mice in each drug group were significantly higher than M group, and the co-stained cells in Rapa+FZ group were fewer. Compared with the N group, the collagen deposition of M group and each drug group was significantly increased; the collagen deposition of each drug group was lower than that of the M group. There was no statistically significant difference between each drug group. Compared with N group (77.75 + 48.79), hydroxyproline in liver tissue of mice in M group was significantly increased (293.48 + 84.43) (F = 3.015, P = 0.005), and the content of hydroxyproline in liver tissue of mice in each drug group was lower than M group, but the difference was not statistically significant (F = 0.750, P = 0.573). Compared with the N group, the expressions of α-SMA and type I collagen in the M group were significantly increased (F = 27.718, 18.893, P < 0.01). The expression of α-SMA in Rapa group and Rapa+Sal B group was similar to M group, while Rapa + CQ group and Rapa + FZ group were significantly lower than Rapa group and M group (P < 0.01). The expression of type I collagen in Rapa + CQ group was significantly higher than Rapa group (P = 0.017), while the expression of type I collagen in Rapa + FZ group was significantly lower than M group (P = 0.013). Conclusion: Autophagy of hepatic stellate cells was observed in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis model. Rapamycin can promote autophagy in hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells. Fuzheng-Huayu formula and Salvianolic Acid B might antagonize the effect of rapamycin on autophagy.

[Correlation of liver stiffness measured by FibroTouch and FibroScan with Ishak fibrosis score in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

Objective: To investigate the correlation of liver stiffness measured by FibroTouch (FT) and FibroScan (FS) with Ishak fibrosis score in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Methods: A total of 313 patients with chronic hepatitis B who visited Department of Liver Cirrhosis in Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2014 to May 2016 were enrolled. All the patients underwent liver biopsy, and FT and FS were used to determine liver stiffness measurement (LSM). Serum biochemical parameters were measured, and the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) in a multi-parameter model of liver fibrosis and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index were calculated. The consistency between the results of four noninvasive examinations and Ishak fibrosis score was compared. The t-test was used for comparison of LSM determined by FT and FS. Pearson correlation analysis was used investigate the correlation between LSM determined by FT and FS; Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and Knodell score with LSM determined by FT and FS; the correlation between LSM determined by FT and FS and fibrosis stage was analyzed by partial correlation analysis adjusted by Knodell score for liver inflammatory activity; Spearman correlation analysis was used for APRI, FIB-4, and fibrosis stage. Based on the Ishak fibrosis score, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the values of four noninvasive methods in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Results: There was no significant difference in LSM measured by FT and FS in all patients (15.75±9.42 kPa vs 15.42±10.52 kPa, P > 0.05) and Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between them (r = 0.858, P < 0.01); serum ALT and AST levels and liver inflammatory activity were correlated with LSM determined by FT and FS. There was a significant positive correlation between LSM determined by FT and FS and fibrosis stage (r = 0.501 and 0.526, both P < 0.001), and APRI and FIB-4 were also positively correlated with fibrosis stage (r = 0.236 and 0.218, both P < 0.001). Based on the Ishak fibrosis score, in the diagnosis of fibrosis stages F3, F4, F5, and F6, the areas under the ROC curve were 0.915/0.856/0.839/0.816 for FT, 0.933/0.883/0.849/0.856 for FS, 0.618/0.630/0.608/0.638 for APRI, and 0.614/0.624/0.595/0.649 for FIB-4, and FT and FS had a significantly larger areas under the ROC curve than APRI and FIB-4. Conclusion: LSM determined by FT or FS has a good correlation with the Ishak fibrosis score, so FT and FS have a significantly better diagnostic performance for liver fibrosis than APRI and FIB-4.

Modulation of growth and angiogenic potential of oral squamous carcinoma cells in vitro using salvianolic acid B.

BACKGROUND: Our previous studies showed that Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) inhibited 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced oral carcinogenesis in hamsters and such anti-cancer effects might be related to the inhibition of angiogenesis. This study was aimed to further investigate the anti-proliferative effect of Sal B on the most common type of oral cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the possible mechanisms of action with respect to angiogenesis inhibition. METHODS: Two well-characterized oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, CAL27 and SCC4, and premalignant leukoplakia cells were treated with different concentrations of Sal B. Cytotoxicity was assessed by MTT assay. cDNA microarray was utilized to evaluate the expression of 96 genes known to be involved in modulating the biological processes of angiogenesis. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was conducted to confirm the cDNA microarray data. RESULTS: Sal B induced growth inhibition in OSCC cell lines but had limited effects on premalignant cells. A total of 17 genes showed a greater than 3-fold change when comparing Sal B treated OSCC cells to the control. Among these genes, HIF-1α, TNFα and MMP9 are specifically inhibited, expression of THBS2 was up-regulated. CONCLUSIONS: Sal B has inhibitory effect on OSCC cell growth. The antitumor effect can be attributed to anti-angiogenic potential induced by a decreased expression of some key regulator genes of angiogenesis. Sal B may be a promising modality for treating oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Radioimmunoassay for hypocretin-2.

OBJECTIVE: To develop radioimmunoassay for hypocretin-2 (Hcrt-2). And search for its presence in certain rat tissues. METHODS: Anti-Hcrt-2 serum has been raised in New Zealand white rabbits immunized with a conjugate of synthetic Hcrt-2 with bovine serum albumin. Radioiodination of Hcrt-2 was performed by chloramine T method, followed by purification of radoiodinated material on Sephadex G-25 column. RESULTS: The obtained antibody did not cross react with hypocretin-2, hypothalamic hormones, pituitary hormones, neuropeptides or gut hormones. The assay was performed with a double antibody system. Hcrt-2 was extracted from the tissues with acid acetone. The dilution curve of acid acetone extracts of rat hypothalamus in the radioimmunoassay system was parallel to the standard curve. The recovery of tissue Hcrt-2 was about 85 % and the intra-assay and inter-assay variation were 5.6 % and 8.0 %, respectively. Hcrt-2 was found in the hypothalamus, cerebrum, brain stem and testes. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained data suggest that the assay system developed is suitable to measure Hcrt-2 in tissues and that Hcrt-2 is mainly found in the hypothalamus.

Effects of orexin A on thyrotropin-releasing hormone and thyrotropin secretion in rats.

Effects of orexin A on secretion of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and thyrotropin (TSH) in rats were studied. Orexin A (50 microg/kg) was injected iv, and the rats were serially decapitated. The effects of orexin A on TRH release from the rat hypothalamus in vitro and on TSH release from the anterior pituitary in vitro were also investigated. TRH and thyroid hormone were measured by individual radioimmunoassays. TSH was determined by the enzyme-immunoassay method. The hypothalamic TRH contents increased significantly after orexin A injection, whereas its plasma concentrations tended to decrease, but not significantly. The plasma TSH levels decreased significantly in a dose-related manner with a nadir at 15 min after injection. The plasma thyroid hormone levels showed no changes. TRH release from the rat hypothalamus in vitro was inhibited significantly in a dose-related manner with the addition of orexin A. TSH release from the anterior pituitary in vitro was not affected with the addition of orexin A. The findings suggest that orexin A acts on the hypothalamus to inhibit TRH release.

Nociceptin stimulates thyrotropin secretion in rats.

Effects of nociceptin on thyrotropin (TSH) and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) secretion in rats were studied. Nociceptin (150 microgram/kg) was injected intravenously and rats were serially decapitated after the injection. The effects of nociceptin on TRH release from the hypothalamus and TSH release from the anterior pituitary in vitro were also investigated. TRH and thyroid hormones were measured by individual radioimmunoassays. TSH was determined by enzyme immunoassay. TRH contents in the hypothalamus decreased significantly after nociceptin injection, whereas plasma TRH concentrations showed no changes. Plasma TSH concentrations increased significantly in a dose-related manner. The TRH release from the hypothalamus was enhanced significantly in a dose-related manner with the addition of nociceptin. The TSH release from the anterior pituitary in vitro was not affected by the addition of nociceptin. The plasma thyroxine and 3,3',5-triiodothyronine levels did not change significantly after nociceptin administration. The inactivation of TRH by plasma or hypothalamus in vitro after nociceptin injection did not differ from that of controls. The findings suggest that nociceptin acts on the hypothalamus to stimulate TRH and TSH secretion.

Economy in the use of muscle relaxants. Vecuronium after pancuronium.

Vecuronium is an intermediate duration, non-depolarising muscle relaxant. When used during prolonged procedures, it may be given by intermittent injection, by continuous infusion or by a single very large dose at the start of anaesthesia. It may also be used to maintain relaxation after the initial use of a long-acting agent, such as pancuronium. This study demonstrates that the effect of a dose of vecuronium used in this fashion is increased when interaction with pancuronium takes place. The clinical and theoretical implications of this observation are discussed.