Effect of electroacupuncture on lung dysplasia in rats with intrauterine growth restriction induced by maternal food restriction / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the protective effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Zusanli" (ST 36) in pregnant rats on lung dysplasia of newborn rats with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) induced by maternal food restriction.@*METHODS@#Twenty-four female SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a control+EA group, a model group and a model+EA group, 6 rats in each group. From the 10th day into pregnancy to the time of delivery, the rats in the model group and the model+EA group were given with 50% dietary restriction to prepare IUGR model. From the 10th day into pregnancy to the time of delivery, the rats in the control+EA group and the model+EA group were treated with EA at bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36), once a day. The body weight of offspring rats was measured at birth, and the body weight and lung weight of offspring rats were measured on the 21st day after birth. The lung function was measured by small animal lung function detection system; the lung tissue morphology was observed by HE staining; the content of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in lung tissue was detected by ELISA.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control group, the body weight at birth as well as the body weight, lung weight, lung dynamic compliance (Cdyn) and PPARγ at 21 days after birth in the model group were significantly decreased (@*CONCLUSION@#EA at "Zusanli" (ST 36) may protect the lung function and lung histomorphology changes by regulating the level of PPARγ of lung in IUGR rats induced by maternal food restriction.

Discovery of novel low-molecular-weight HIV-1 inhibitors interacting with cyclophilin A using in silico screening and biological evaluations.

Cyclophilin A has attracted attention recently as a new target of anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) drugs. However, so far no drug against HIV-1 infection exhibiting this mechanism of action has been approved. To identify new potent candidates for inhibitors, we performed in silico screening of a commercial database of more than 1,300 drug-like compounds by using receptor-based docking studies. The candidates selected from docking studies were subsequently tested using biological assays to assess anti-HIV activities. As a result, two compounds were identified as the most active. Specifically, both exhibited anti-HIV activity against viral replication at a low concentration and relatively low cytotoxicity at the effective concentration inhibiting viral growth by 50%. Further modification of these molecules may lead to the elucidation of potent inhibitors of HIV-1.