Effect of Jieyuwan on depression-like behaviors and expression of BDNF in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of WKY rats

AIM:To investigate the mechanism of depression and its development, and to study the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats treated with Jieyuwan. METHODS:Adult male WKY rats were used as an animal model of endogenous depression. Wistar rats of the same strain were selected as control group. WKY rats were randomly divided into model group, citalopram group and Jieyuwan group. After intragastric administration for 21 d, the changes of depression-like behaviors were observed by sucrose preference test and forced swimming test. Immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to detect the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. RESULTS:WKY rats showed significant depression-like behaviors, and the expression of BDNF was significantly decreased in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (P<0.01). The reduction of neuronal axons in hippocampus was also observed. After drug treatment, the depression-like behaviors of WKY rats were significantly attenuated, and the expression of BDNF and the number of axons were increased (P<0.01). CONCLUSION:Jieyuwan effectively attenuates the depression-like behaviors of WKY rats, and BDNF is a key factor in its antidepressant effect. Our findings further confirm the involvement of BDNF in the development of depression.     

Undernutrition in the parental and first generation provokes an organ‐specific response to oxidative stress on neonates of second filial generation of Wistar rats

Undernutrition induces an increase of the oxidative stress that can predispose offspring to various diseases in adulthood through epigenetic reprogramming. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of intergenerational undernutrition on protein oxidation and antioxidant defence response on liver, heart and brain of the second‐generation neonates (F₂) of undernourished rats. For this purpose, both parents in parental (F₀) and first generation (F₁) were fed with a low‐nutrient diet. Body mass and length decreased (p < 0.05) in F₀, F₁ and F₂ being the F₁ males who exhibited a greater mass loss. A decrease in plasma albumin concentration was observed in F₂ neonates (p < 0.05) and also a mass loss of liver, heart and brain (p < 0.05), although proportionally to body length reduction. Undernutrition increased levels of protein oxidation in liver and heart (p < 0.05) but not in brain (p > 0.05) while catalase activity increased only in brain (p < 0.05). In summary, intergenerational undernutrition modifies the antioxidant status through an organ‐specific response, on F₂ neonate rats, where the brain increased catalase activity to prevent a severe oxidative damage and support the vital functions of this key organ to maintain vital functions.     

加味生脉补心丹对2型糖尿病大鼠心肌损伤的保护作用

目的 探讨加味生脉补心丹（以下简称BXD）对自发性非肥胖2型糖尿病Goto-kakisaki （GK）大鼠心肌损伤的保护作用。方法 8~9周龄雄性Wistar大鼠8只作为空白组，另将40只糖尿病模型GK大鼠按随机数字表将大鼠分为5组，分别为：模型组、西药组（格列齐特缓释片组）、BXD低剂量组、BXD中剂量组、BXD高剂量组。各组大鼠按治疗方法给药10周后处死，腹主动脉采血检测空腹血糖（FPG）、糖化血红蛋白（HbAlc）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-Px）、丙二醛（MDA），取左心室行心肌组织HE染色、PAS染色观察病理改变，免疫组化测定心肌凋亡相关蛋白Bax、Bcl-2的表达。结果 与空白组比较，模型组FPG、HbAlc显著升高（P<0.01），SOD、GSH-Px均显著降低（P<0.01），MDA显著升高（P<0.01）；HE染色可见心肌组织水肿坏死、纤维溶解断裂；PAS染色可见大量糖原物质沉积；免疫组化示心肌组织Bax表达增多、Bcl-2表达减少（P<0.01）。与模型组比较，BXD低剂量组FPG降低（P<0.05），西药组和BXD中、高剂量组FPG均显著降低（P<0.01）；西药组HbAlc显著降低（P<0.01），BXD高剂量组HbAlc降低（P<0.05）；西药组与BXD高剂量组SOD、GSH-Px均显著升高（P<0.01）、MDA含量均降低（P<0.05）；西药组、BXD高剂量组Bax表达显著减少（P<0.01），西药组及BXD中剂量组、高剂量组Bcl-2表达显著增多（P<0.01）。结论 BXD对GK大鼠心肌损伤具有保护作用，其机制可能是通过增强抗氧化能力、抑制心肌细胞凋亡，从而起到心肌保护作用。     

加味大柴胡汤对阻塞性黄疸老年大鼠TRPC1表达的影响

目的 探讨加味大柴胡汤在临床上辅助治疗老年阻塞性黄疸的理论机制。方法 通过结扎胆总管的外科手术方法建立阻塞性黄疸老年大鼠模型，实验分为假手术组、模型组、加味大柴胡汤组，予以相应干预，分3、7、10 d共3个时间段，每组10只SPF级老年SD大鼠，在各时间段取老年大鼠肝组织及心脏血，检测AST、ALT及TBA；采用钙离子试剂盒检测老年鼠肝组织匀浆钙离子浓度；采用Western Blot法检测老年鼠肝组织TRPC1蛋白的表达，采用Tunel法观察肝细胞凋亡情况。结果 造模成功后各时间点模型组、加味大柴胡汤组与假手术组比较，ALT、AST、TBA和Ca²⁺浓度均升高，且模型组上升更明显（P<0.01），模型组、加味大柴胡汤组的TRPC1的蛋白含量也均高于假手术组（P<0.01），且加味大柴胡汤组肝细胞的凋亡率低于模型组（P<0.01）。结论 梗阻性黄疸老年大鼠TRPC1表达明显升高，加味大柴胡汤下调TRPC1的表达，可能是其降低钙超载，减少肝细胞凋亡的机制之一。     

过氧化氢和甲醛对SPF级大鼠和小鼠繁殖室消毒效果观察

目的比较观察过氧化氢和甲醛对SPF级大鼠和小鼠繁殖室内表面、台面以及空气的消毒效果,选择消毒效果良好的消毒剂。方法采用空气落下菌检测法和表面细菌拭子检测法,对过氧化氢和甲醛熏蒸SPF级大鼠和小鼠繁殖室的消毒效果进行检测观察。结果SPF级大鼠和小鼠繁殖室分别经过氧化氢和甲醛熏蒸消毒后,进行空气落下菌的检测,过氧化氢和甲醛对大鼠繁殖室和小鼠繁殖室空气的杀菌率分别为100%、97.5%和100%、100%;将墙壁、地面和笼架表面的菌落数进行检测,过氧化氢和甲醛对大鼠繁殖室墙壁、地面和笼架的杀菌率分别为100%、99%、100%和95%、100%、99%,对小鼠繁殖室墙壁、地面和笼架的杀菌率均为100%。结论过氧化氢蒸汽消毒是比较理想的消毒方法,很好地控制了SPF级大鼠和小鼠繁殖室环境微生物,安全性高且消毒效果明显。     

Effects of Intragastric Lycopene on Oxidative Stress of Blood after Exercise SD Rats

The experiment was conducted to study the effects of intragastric lycopene on oxidative stress blood after exercise SD rats.Thirty two SD rats with similar weight(233.40 g±6.21 g) and good health for SPF were randomized into one control groups and three trial groups with 8 rats per group.The control group was gastric fed with edible oil,the trial Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ groups were gastric fed with edible oil intragastric with 10,20,40 mg/(kg·BW) lycopene,respectively.The pre-experiment period lasted for 10 d,and the experiment period lasted for 42 d.Swimming train six days a week and train six weeks,then that blood were collection for determination of oxidative stress after swimming train 11 hours SD rats.The results showed that lycopene concentration of plasma was increased at first and decreased subsequently,after 4 h lycopene concentration of plasma in SD rat was peak.With the increase of intragastric lycopene doses,glutathione peroxidase,total antioxidant enzyme activity and total antioxidant capacity of plasma showed a trend of rising; malondialdehyde content of plasma showed a trend of decrease with the increase of supplemental lycopene dose after exercise SD rats.Therefore,the antioxidant capacity of blood after exercise SD rats and doses of intragastric lycopene were dose dependent,antioxidant capacity of blood after exercise SD rats showed a trend of rise with the increase of lycopene dose.     

Effect of rhynchophylline on TGF-β1/Smad pathway for processing ventricular remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats

AIM: To investigate the effect of rhynchophylline (Rhy) on blood pressure, cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). METHODS: Spontaneously hypertensive rats were randomly divided into model group, high dose (10 mg·kg^-1·d^-1) and low dose (2.5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1) group of rhynchophylline, captopril group (17.5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1). Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as normal control. Respectively, systolic blood pressure was measured by tail cuff every 2 weeks. After 10 weeks, heart weight index and left ventricular weight index were calculated. The myocardial hydroxyproline and plasma angiotensin Ⅱ were detected. Moreover, basic myocardial histopathological changes and myocardial collagen fibres were observed by HE staining and Masson staining, respectively. The protein expression of TGF-β₁ and Smad3 in the myocardium was measured by the methods of immunohistochemistry and Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with SHR model group, Rhy significantly reduced blood pressure (P<0.05), the levels of HYP in the myocardium (P<0.05) and the levels of AngⅡ in the plasma (P<0.01). The pathological damages of the myocardial tissues and collagen deposition were attenuated. The protein expression of TGF-β₁ and Smad3 was significantly reduced by the treatment with Rhy (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Rhynchophylline reduces blood pressure and adjusts to improve ventricular remodeling of SHR. The mechanism may be involved in the TGF-β₁/Smad pathway and reducing AngⅡ content.     

Antidiabetic properties of aqueous barks extract of Parinari excelsa in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

The aqueous extract of the Parinari excelsa barks at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg/day for 7 days has a significant antihyperglycemic effect on alloxan-induced diabetic rats. At the same dose the acute oral administration of aqueous extract of the P. excelsa barks (100 and 300 mg/kg) induced a significant decrease of blood glucose on glucose-loaded normoglycaemic rats. Our results seem to confirm the rational bases for its use in traditional medicine.     

Detection of cigarettes and other tobacco products by giant African pouched rats (Cricetomys gambianus)

If the illicit tobacco trade were eliminated, governments could gain at least $31.3 billion a year, and more than 164,000 premature deaths a year could be avoided after 2030 (Joossens, Merriman, Ross, and Raw, 2009). Dogs have been used successfully in tobacco control programs, and there is a good chance that rats could also play an important role. In the present experiment, giant African pouched rats were trained to respond to filters that had been stored together with cigarettes (i.e., soaked) and to not respond to filters that had been soaked with noncigarette items. Generalization to untrained types of tobacco was then tested. The sensitivity of 4 rats trained on filters soaked with 1 of 7 types of cigarettes ranged from 86% to 100% (mean, 95%). There was very little evidence of generalization when the rats were tested on tobacco leaves and snuff but good evidence of generalization when the rats were tested on cigarettes that had been soaked with strong-smelling additives. These findings suggest that rats may be a valuable asset in the global effort to control illicit cigarette trade.     

乳酸链球菌素及大黄组方对子宫内膜炎大鼠结肠的影响

为研究乳酸链球菌素(Nisin)及大黄组方对患子宫内膜炎大鼠生殖系统内分泌调控与结肠炎症因子的影响,进一步揭示子宫内膜炎与结肠之间的关系,构建子宫内膜炎模型,建模前后用ELISA试剂盒检测各组大鼠子宫中髓过氧化物酶(MPO)、催产素(OXT)和检测患子宫内膜炎大鼠结肠中白介素1β(IL-1β)、肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)以及结肠菌群的变化情况来确定治疗效果。结果表明:1)造模前后,空白对照组中MPO和OXT的浓度无显著性差异;造模24h,Nisin组、大黄组方中和高剂量组中MPO的浓度显著降低;大黄组方高剂量组和阳性对照组中OXT的浓度显著高于阴性对照组和空白对照组,阴性对照组显著降低;造模48h,阴性对照组中OXT的浓度显著降低,且显著低于其他各组;造模72h,阴性对照组中MPO显著升高,OXT的浓度显著降低,大黄组方高剂量组和阳性对照组可显著降低子宫中MPO的浓度和显著增加OXT的浓度。2)在结肠中,患子宫内膜炎大鼠在0~72h阶段,阴性对照组中IL-1β和TNF-α的浓度显著升高,大黄组方高剂量组、Nisin组及阳性对照组中IL-1β和TNF-α的浓度显著降低。3)Nisin及大黄组方高剂量组显著增加结肠中乳酸杆菌和双歧杆菌的数量,显著减少大肠杆菌和肠球菌的数量。研究发现Nisin和大黄组方高剂量组可降低子宫内膜炎大鼠子宫中MPO和OXT的浓度,患子宫内膜炎大鼠使结肠中IL-1β和TNF-α的浓度升高,Nisin、大黄组方高剂量组和阳性对照组可降低IL-1β和TNF-α的浓度,还可以调节结肠中菌群结构。