Protective mechanism of Panax notoginseng saponins on rat hemorrhagic shock model in recovery stage.

To explore protective mechanism of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on rat hemorrhagic shock model in recovery stage. 72 Wistar rats were selected and divided into control group, model group and PNS group with 24 rats in each group. 200 mg/kg PNS was injected intravenously at 60 min of hemorrhagic shock stage in PNS groups. Changes of endotoxin, MPO, IL-6, SOD, MDA and TNF α were observed at 30 and 120 min of recovery stage by ELISA; water content of lung and intestine was detected; HE staining was applied to observe morphological change of intestinal mucosa, kidney, liver and lung; western blot was used to detect intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) level in lung tissue and intestine tissue. At 30 min and 120 min of recovery stage, MDA, MPO, endotoxin, TNF α and IL-6 levels significantly increased in model group compared with control group, however SOD level significantly decreased, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05); PNS dose-dependently decreased MDA, MPO, endotoxin, TNF α and IL-6 levels, and increased SOD level, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05); In results of water content detection, water content in lung tissue and intestine tissue was significantly higher than in control group, however, after being treated with PNS, the water content was significantly decreased; HE staining showed the morphologic change of lung tissue cells; Western blot showed that in lung tissue and intestine tissue, ICAM-1 level in model group was significantly higher than in control group, and it was lower in PNS group than in model group. PNS can increase SOD activity, decrease levels of MDA, endotoxin and MPO, decrease expression of TNF α and IL-6, and decrease water content in lung tissue and intestine tissue. Thus, PNS is protective to rat hemorrhagic shock model by anti oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory pathways, and ICAM-1 may play an important role in the mechanism.

Eight-year survival of AIDS patients treated with Chinese herbal medicine.

Treatment of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) currently relies on the use of antiretroviral drugs. Little is known about Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) outcomes in patients living with AIDS. We conducted a cohort study to investigate long-term survival among CHM-treated AIDS patients. Patients were poor farmers who contracted HIV-1 infection when selling blood in the 1990s. Symptoms of AIDS included recurring respiratory tract infections with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia, swollen lymph nodes and weight loss. 385 patients with AIDS were included and 165 of them used a 16-herb formula for 14 days to 9 months. The eight-year survival rate was 87% for the CHM users and 34% for the non-users (increased survival probability for CHM user, 9.6; 95% CI = 6.0-15.4; p < 0.0001). Survival probability further increased 14.6-fold (95% CI = 8.2-26.1), when excluding the users who received CHM for less than three months. Zero deaths were found in patients who used CHM for six to nine months. All the survivors regained their body weight and none of them experienced a relapse of AIDS or any severe adverse events. After the CHM treatment for an average of 3.6 months, the plasma HIV load was 74.7% lower (paired t-test, p = 0.151) and the number of blood CD4+ lymphocytes increased from 253 to 314 (paired t-test, p = 0.021). Without life-long medication, CHM may be beneficial for long-term survival of AIDS patients.