ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine the therapeutic effect of curcumin on dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) and to explore the related mechanism. Sixty mice were randomly divided into 6 groups. A group was the normal control group; B group was the model group; C group was the 1.5 mg/kg dexamethasone group based on the B group; and D, E and F groups were 15, 30, and 60 mg/kg curcumin groups, respectively, based on the B group. The mice were killed 7 days after treatment; the expression of TNF-α and MPO in colon tissue was determined with ELISA, and colon p-p38MAPK and p38MAPK mRNA expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR, respectively. In the C, D, E, and F groups, TNF-α and MPO levels significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the expression of p-p38MAPK also significantly decreased (P < 0.01). The expression of p38MAPK mRNA in the C, D, E, and F groups decreased (P < 0.01), and there was a statistically significant difference between the E and F groups (P < 0.01). Curcumin had a therapeutic effect, which probably played a role in UC treatment by inhibiting the p38MAPK signaling pathway, thereby reducing the release of TNF-α.
Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology , Colitis, Ulcerative/drug therapy , Curcumin/pharmacology , p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Animals , Colitis, Ulcerative/chemically induced , Colitis, Ulcerative/enzymology , Colon/drug effects , Colon/enzymology , Colon/pathology , Dextran Sulfate , Drug Evaluation, Preclinical , Female , Gene Expression/drug effects , Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor/metabolism , Interleukin-3/metabolism , Intestinal Mucosa/enzymology , MAP Kinase Signaling System , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/metabolism , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism , p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/geneticsABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of Fas/FasL, Bcl-2/Bax, and Caspase-8 mRNA expressions in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The apoptosis percentage was measured by flow cytometry, the immunohistochemical assay was performed for the determination of Fas, FasL, Bcl-2, and Bax expressions, and a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was performed to detect Caspase-8 mRNA expression. Flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis percentage of the rat liver in the experimental group increased, which increased more obviously with the extension of modeling time. Immunohistochemistry showed that with increasing hepatic steatosis, Fas and FasL protein staining intensified and the number of positive cells increased; the number of positive cells for Bcl-2 and Bax gradually increased on the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks in the experimental group, whereas the Bcl-2/Bax ratio decreased. The real-time PCR assay showed that Caspase-8 mRNA expression increased with increasing hepatic steatosis and inflammation, exhibiting a progressively rising trend. Hepatocyte apoptosis could promote NAFLD progression; Fas, FasL, and Caspase-8 mRNA activation were important contributing factors to NAFLD. The upregulation of Bax and Bcl-2 expression might be one important mechanism of the apoptosis in NAFLD.
Subject(s)
Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/biosynthesis , Caspase 8/biosynthesis , Fas Ligand Protein/biosynthesis , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/genetics , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/biosynthesis , bcl-2-Associated X Protein/biosynthesis , Animals , Apoptosis/genetics , Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/genetics , Caspase 8/genetics , Fas Ligand Protein/genetics , Flow Cytometry , Gene Expression Regulation , Hepatocytes/metabolism , Hepatocytes/pathology , Humans , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/physiopathology , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics , RNA, Messenger/genetics , Rats , bcl-2-Associated X Protein/geneticsABSTRACT
Cassava brown leaf spot surveys were conducted in the main cassava plantation areas of China between 2007 and 2012 in order to understand the distribution of the disease. Cassava plants were damaged by the disease to different degrees in most of the survey sites. Samples were collected and seven strains were isolated from lesions. The mycelium-breaking plus black light induction method was applied for sporulation. Microconidia were formed by means of fragmentation on artificial medium plates. When the leaf was stabbed and inoculated with conidia solution, similar symptoms were formed 14 days later. Morphological characteristics of the specimens and conidia were similar to descriptions of Passalora henningsii infection. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rDNA were obtained with primer pair ITS1/ITS4 and deposited in GenBank, which differed by three base pairs from that of the P. henningsii isolate (AF284389). The ITS sequences of related species were downloaded from the NCBI database, and phylogenetic analysis showed that the sequences originating from our strains clustered in the same clade as the AF284389 isolate. Biological characteristics were evaluated in two strains from different sites, which indicated that the optimum conditions for mycelia growth were a temperature of 26° to 28°C, carrot agar medium, pH 6, and continuous dark; cassava leaf juice added to malt extract and cassava leaf juice added to potato dextrose agar were the best media for conidia production. The optimal and lethal temperatures for macroconidia germination were 26° to 28°C, and 60°C for 10 min, respectively.