ABSTRACT
The bark of Pinus massoniana is a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of various health disorders. Previous studies have demonstrated that P. massoniana bark extract (PMBE) may induce the apoptosis of hepatoma and cervical cancer cells. However, whether PMBE is able to inhibit the migration of lung cancer cells requires further investigation. In the current study, the effects of PMBE on the viability of human lung cancer A549 cells were detected using an MTT assay. The migration of lung cancer cells following exposure to PMBE were quantified using wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. The expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 were determined using western blotting. The results revealed that PMBE significantly inhibited the growth of the lung cancer cells. In addition, the wound closure rate and the migration of the lung cancer cells were suppressed by PMBE. Furthermore, the expression levels of MMP-9 were reduced. These findings indicated that PMBE is able to restrict the migration and invasion of lung cancer cells, and that PMBE may serve as a novel therapeutic agent for patients with metastatic lung cancer in the future.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine whether oxymatrine has a protective effect against acute pancreatitis (AP) in a rat model of L-arginine-induced AP. AP was induced by two intraperitoneal injections of L-arginine (250 mg/100 g) at a 1-h interval. Oxymatrine (50 mg/kg) was administered every 6 h after the induction of AP. Oxymatrine significantly reduced the plasma amylase, D-lactic acid and tumor necrosis factor alpha concentration, serum diamine oxidase and lipase activity, and pancreatic myeloperoxidase activity, which were increased in AP rats (P < 0.05). In addition, the pancreatic CD45 expression and the expression of claudin-1, but not zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin, in the intestinal tissues were significantly reduced after the induction of AP. However, oxymatrine increased the expression of claudin-1 and CD45, but did not alter the expression of ZO-1 and occludin. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that oxymatrine is potentially capably of protecting against L-arginine-induced AP and attenuating AP-associated intestinal barrier injury by up-regulation of claudin-1.