Alterations of reproductive hormones and receptors of male rats at the winter and summer solstices and the effects of pinealectomy.

BACKGROUND: Photoperiodic changes mediate certain physiological or pathological alterations in organisms. Solstices represent either the longest or shortest photoperiod of a year. OBJECTIVES: Intact and pinealectomized rats were used to investigate the potential changes of reproductive hormones in the hypothalamus-pituitary-testis (HPT) axis including GnRH, FSH, LH, testosterone and melatonin, and their receptors at summer solstice (SS) and winter solstices (WS). METHODS: The levels of reproductive hormones in HPT axis and the binding characteristics of their receptors were examined using radioimmunoassay and radioreceptor assay techniques, respectively. RESULTS: The results indicate that in the intact male rat, GnRH, LH and testosterone are higher at the SS than at the WS. However, FSH exhibited no significant seasonal changes. In the testis, Bmax and Kd of LH receptors are higher at the WS than at the SS while those of FSH receptors are higher at the SS than at the WS. In addition, the melatonin in HPT axis appeared significant differences between WS and SS. Bmax and Kd of melatonin receptors in the hypothalamus and pituitary also showed higher at the WS than at the SS. Moreover, reproductive hormone production lost their seasonal rhythms after pinealectomy. CONCLUSION: The most important discovery in this study is that we first reported that pinealectomy had profound effects on the binding characteristics of melatonin with its subtype receptors. Especially at the hypothalamus, the dominated melatonin receptors shifted from MT1 to MT2 after pinealectomy at the two solstices.

[Relationship of the A1166C polymorphism of ATI R gene with TCM syndrome and efficacy of Chinese hypotensor in patients with essential hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the polymorphic distribution of the A1166C, the angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R) gene, in the Chinese people with essential hypertension (EH), and to study the relationship of A1166C with the TCM syndrome types and the efficacy of hypotensor. METHODS: Blood pressure (BP), body weight index (BWI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), cholesterol (Ch), concentration of triglyceride, levels of serum plasma Ang II , endothelin (ET) and calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) in 206 patients with EH and 86 health subjects of Chinese nationality were determined. DNA of peripheral white blood cells were extracted by salting out method and the polymorphism of AT1R gene A1166C was assessed by PCR and limited enzymatic segmentation. The 206 EH patients were differentiated into different types according to TCM syndrome differentiation, and the gene distribution appeared in each TCM syndromes was compared. Qingxin Capsule (QC) or captopril was used respectively to treat 34 and 32 patients with hypertension of Yin-deficiency and excessive Yang type to observe the relationship between the hypotensive effect of treatment and the distribution of gene types. RESULTS: (1) No significant difference was found in BWI, FBG, blood lipid or serum related hormones, only the difference in systolic and diastolic pressure was shown between the hypertension group and the control group. (2) The rate of AT1R AC plus CC gene type in EH patients was 0.126, which was significantly higher than that in the normal control group (0.047, P < 0.01). The frequency of C allele distribution was obviously higher than that in the normal control group (0.068 vs 0.023, P<0.05). No significant difference was found in AT1R gene types or frequency of allele distribution between different sexes (male and female). (3) Analysis on relationship between gene types and clinical phenotype showed that no significant difference was found in systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, blood glucose, blood lipid, plasma Ang II, ET, or CGRP between patients with AA gene type and with AA plus CC gene type by t test (P > 0.05). (4) Analysis on relationship between gene type and TCM syndrome type showed that the distribution of AA gene type and AA plus CC type was insignificantly different in patients with various TCM syndrome types. (5) Analysis on relationship between gene type and hypotensive effect of treatments showed that both QC and captopril were effective to patients with hypertension of different gene types. The hypotensive effect of either was similar in spite of what gene types the patients with. CONCLUSION: A1166C gene type is related to EH in the Chinese, C allele might a susceptible gene to hypertension, while TCM syndrome type of EH patients might not be related to whether C allele was borne. The hypotensive effect of QC or captopril was not related to whether C1166 allele was borne. No significant difference of blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipid, plasma Ang II, ET, or CGRP in patients with different gene types, which suggested the effect of gene types on hypertension might not be by path of glucose or lipid metabolism, ET, CGRP or plasma Ang II system.

[Clinical study on effect of qingxin capsule in treating patients with hypertension of mild or moderate degree].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of qingxin capsule (QXC) in treating patients with hypertension of mild or moderate degree, and to explore its mechanism in lowering blood pressure. METHODS: Adopting randomized double-blind double-simulated positive controlled clinical trial design, 98 patients were randomly divided into three groups, they were treated by QXC (n = 34), captopril (n = 32) and QXC plus captopril (n = 32), respectively for 12 weeks. Changes of blood pressure, clinical symptoms, quality of life (QOF), plasma levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), angiotensin II (Ang II) and endothelin (ET) in patients before and after treatment were observed, and the adverse reactions to the treatment were recorded. RESULTS: The markedly effective rate in lowering blood pressure of QXC, captopril and QXC plus captopril was 44.1%, 53.1% and 75.0% respectively, the markedly effective rate in ameliorating symptoms was 56.0%, 47.0% and 50.0% respectively. In respect of reducing symptomatic scores, QXC > captopril > QXC + captopril, in respect of ameliorating QOF, QXC was superior to captopril (P < 0.05). Single or combined use of QXC and captopril could increase the plasma CGRP level. QXC could also reduce the plasma levels of Ang II and ET, showing statistical significance in comparing the levels before and after treatment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: QXC can safely and effectively lower blood pressure of patients with mild or moderate degree of hypertension. QXC alone or combined with captopril could improve clinical symptoms and raise QOF in patients more potently than that of captopril alone. The mechanism of QXC might be related with its inhibition on the activity of circulatory renin-angiotensin system and adjustment on ET/CGRP imbalance.