Cardioprotective effect of sevoflurane preconditioning on ROS production in rat heart with ischemia-reperfusion

AIM: To investigate the effects of sevoflurane preconditioning on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO), the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD), glutathione peroxide(GPx) and catalase(CAT) in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI). METHODS: Sixty rats were randomly allocated to 8 groups. Following 2% sevoflurane preconditioning for 30 min, the left anterior descending artery was ligated for 30 min and then reperfused for 120 min in vivo. The infarction size of the hearts was measured with the staining of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazoliumchloride. The myocardial apoptotic index was measured by the method of TUNEL. The ROS fluorescent probe dihydroethidium was used for the measurement of ROS. The myocardium was homogenized for the measurement of NO, SOD, GPx and CAT. To evaluate the effects of ROS and NO on the cardioprotection of sevoflurane preconditioning, ROS scavenger N-(2-mercaptopropionyl) glycine (2-MPG) or NOS inhibitor N^ω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) were employed to block their actions. RESULTS: Compared with control group, the production of ROS was induced by sevoflurane preconditioning before ischemia-reperfusion injury (12.0±0.8 vs 2.6±0.5, P<0.05) and decreased after ischemia-reperfusion injury (16.2 ±0.9 vs 24.9±1.3, P<0.05). 2-MPG decreased the elevation of ROS caused by sevoflurane preconditioning before ischemia-reperfusion injury (5.1±0.7 vs 12.0±0.8, P<0.05). No difference of ROS production between treating with 2-MPG+Sevo+IRI and with IRI (24.9±1.4 vs 24.9±1.3, P>0.05) was observed. Compared with control group, sevoflurane preconditioning also induced the generation of NO (34.5±3.2 vs 15.9±1.4, P<0.05) and the activity of SOD(1.5±0.5 vs 0.6±0.2, P<0.05), GPx(22.8±2.5 vs 12.7±2.2, P<0.05) and CAT(15.5±1.8 vs 11.2±1.4, P<0.05). 2-MPG blocked the increase in NO production and inhibited the activity of SOD,GPx,CAT. L-NAME also attenuated the activity of SOD,GPx,CAT. CONCLUSION: Sevoflurane preconditioning protects the rat heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury by reducing the infarction size and apoptosis. Production of ROS at sub-injury dose induced by sevoflurane preconditioning stimulates the myocardium to create SOD,GPx,CAT and NO, thus inhibiting the further formation of ROS and protecting the heart under the condition of ischemia-reperfusion.     

不同预处理液对切花菊‘优香’的保鲜效果

以切花菊‘优香’(Chrysanthemum×morifolium‘Youxiang’)为试材,以蔗糖、柠檬酸、水杨酸、Ca Cl2和8-羟基喹啉的不同组合液为预处理液,测定5种不同组合的预处理液以及不同预处理时间(2、4 h)对‘优香’保鲜效果的影响。结果表明:5种不同组合的预处理液在增大‘优香’花径、维持切花水分平衡、延长瓶插寿命、增加清除自由基能力等方面均优于对照(蒸馏水);预处理4 h的保鲜效果优于预处理2 h;预处理B(100 mg·L-18-HQ+50 mg·L-1CIT+75 mg·L-1SA+2 g·L-1Ca Cl2+4%蔗糖)和E(100 mg·L-18-HQ+75 mg·L-1SA+2 g·L-1Ca Cl2+4%蔗糖)的保鲜效果最好。预处理的方法有利于提高‘优香’的观赏品质;使用预处理液B和E处理4 h后,‘优香’的瓶插期分别可达30、29 d。     

Effects of carbon monoxide on hypoxia inducible factor-1 expression in hypoxia preconditioned mice

AIM:To study the effect of carbon monoxide (CO) on hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) expression and on hypoxic tolerance duration in hypoxia preconditioned mice. METHODS:Mice were injected with normal saline (NS) or hemin intraperitoneally. Western blot was used to detect HIF-1α in hippocampus. The tolerant duration of each hypoxic run was recorded. RESULTS:After 1 and 2 runs of hypoxia exposure, there were no significant differences in HIF-1α expression and hypoxic tolerance duration between N and hemin injection groups. After 3 and 4 runs of hypoxia exposure, the content of HIF-1α was lower and hypoxic tolerance duration was shorter (P＜0.05) in hemin injection groups than that in NS injection groups. CONCLUSION:CO could decrease the expression of HIF-1α, and decrease hypoxic tolerance duration in hypoxia preconditioned mice. The mechanism may be that CO binds to hemoprotein and inhibits hemoprotein oxygen sensor.     

Effects of sevoflurane preconditioning on myocardial dysfunction in lipopolysaccharide-challenged mice

AIM:To investigate the effects of sevoflurane(Sevo) preconditioning on myocardial dysfunction in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-challenged mice. METHODS:Forty male BALB/c mice were randomly allocated to 4 groups:control group, LPS group, Sevo+LPS group and Sevo group. Following pretreatment with or without 2% Sevo for 30 min and washing out for 10 min, all mice received intraperitoneal injection of LPS or normal saline(NS). The mice received an echocardiographic evaluation by a high-resolution in vivo imaging system 12 h after administration of LPS or NS. The mice were then killed and the hearts were removed for histological analysis. Serum levels of lactic dehydrogenase(LDH), creatine kinase-MB(CK-MB) were measured with an automatic biochemical analyzer. The myocardium was homogenized for detecting the activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) and the content of nitric oxide(NO). RESULTS:Echocardiographic evaluation demonstrated that LPS resulted in an increase in lert ventricular end-diastolic volume and significant decreases in stroke volume,cardiac output and ejection fraction. The alteration of cardiac functions was inhibited by the pretreatment with Sevo. LPS caused significant elevation of LDH and CK-MB in serum samples and severe pathological damage of the hearts. Compared with LPS group, serum levels of LDH and CK-MB were reduced and pathological damage was attenuated in Sevo+LPS group. Sevo preconditioning also significantly attenuated the increases in iNOS and NO induced by LPS. CONCLUSION:Sevo preconditioning protects against myocardial impairment and myocardial dysfunction in LPS-challenged mice. Inhibition of iNOS activity and of NO production by Sevo preconditioning may contribute to the beneficial role in the process of cardioprotection during endotoxemia.     

Improving seed germination and seedling growth of Omphalea oleifera (Euphorbiaceae) for restoration projects in tropical rain forests

To improve the restoration of tropical rain forests, we tested the germination of seeds of Omphalea oleifera collected from soil (S) and from trees (T) in the 2001 dry season (Spring), at the beginning of a dry season (2005a, winter) and in the rainy season (2005b, winter). All seeds had high water content (WC, 31–33%), and the lipid content varied from 14 to 46%. Seedlings from seeds collected in 2001 were subjected to moderate water stress as a preconditioning treatment for severe stress. T-seeds collected in the dry season had high WC, rapid and high germination percentage; S and T-seeds collected in winter (2005) had also high WC but were dormant. GA₃ (250 ppm) broke this dormancy. S-seeds collected in the dry season or at the beginning of it had relatively low WC and low and delayed germination. Some 2001 S-seeds produced albino seedlings. The critical water content for maintaining ecological longevity in these seeds was ∼15%. Seeds collected in 2005b that were dehydrated for 20 days in a moist and fresh atmosphere lost their viability, showing recalcitrant behavior. T-seeds with the lowest lipid content (2005a) after dehydration maintained low germination (15 ± 18%). In all samples the seed size varied widely and was not predictive of seed WC. Embryos taken from dehydrated seeds had two to four times higher WC than the seeds, but germination did not take place. Laboratory and field germination of dormant seeds showed that viability may be maintained for at least 2–3 months on a moist substrate (soil or agar). Moderate water stress at the seedling stage reduced the efficiency of biomass production. Response to this water stress was expressed more in physiological traits than in morphological characters, consequently biomass allocation was maintained and plants retained most of their morphological characteristics (root:shoot ratio, leaf area ratio, specific leaf area, leaf weight ratio). Moderate water stress did not increase the tolerance of seedlings to severe stress, causing leaf shedding and plant death. For restoration purposes we recommend that T-seeds be germinated immediately avoiding dehydration. The use of S-seeds could result in unhealthy seedlings. Seed recalcitrance and the response to moderate water stress restrict germination and establishment to small gaps, where this species naturally grows. We suggest that before introducing O. oleifera in restoration programs, a plant cover should be built to reduce soil water deficit. It is necessary to improve methods to increase potential seed longevity in storage.     

Involvement of 26S proteasome LMP2 subunit in development of tolerance against oxidative stress in vascular endothelial cells

AIM: To observe the expression of 26S proteasome LMP2 subunit in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) under oxidative stress, and to evaluate its role in the development of tolerance against oxidative stress in VECs. METHODS: The cell model of H₂O₂ preconditioning-induced oxidative tolerance was established in VECs. The expression of LMP2 was detected by cellular immunofluorescent labeling and Western blotting. The LMP2 anti-sense and sense oligonucleotides were transfected into VECs by Lipofectamine^TM 2000. The damages of VECs were evaluated by detecting the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the culture medium. RESULTS: H₂O₂ (500 μmol/L for 3 h) induced oxidative stress in VECss in a dose- and the activity of time-dependent manner, characterized by the increase in the concentration of MDA and LDH in the culture medium. Pretreatment with H₂O₂ (10 μmol/L for 24 h) up-regulated the expression of LMP2. Meanwhile, the capacity of cellular tolerance against oxidative stress induced by H₂O₂ was increased as the concentration of MDA and the activity of LDH in the culture medium significantly decreased. Compared with H₂O₂ group, up-regulation of LMP2 by IFN-γ pretreatment (20 μg/L for 48 h) increased the tolerance of VECs against H₂O₂ injury, and the MDA conentration and the activity of LDH in the culture medium also significantly decreased. Transfection with LMP2 antisense oligonucleotide partly inhibited the increased expression of LMP2 induced by IFN-γ in VECs and abolished the tolerance against H₂O₂. CONCLUSION: The 26S proteasome LMP2 subunit is associated with the development of the tolerance against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in VECs.     

基于MPI的地下水数值模拟并行算法研究

地下水数值模拟是研究分析各种地下水问题的重要手段。针对传统地下水数值模拟串行算法在处理海量数据模型时计算时间长、运行效率低的特点,在分布式存储系统上利用消息传递标准MPI,设计了一种采用Cholesky预条件子,粗粒度、低通信开销的PCG并行算法。通过在具有4个处理核心的Linux集群环境中的测试可知,该程序运行所获得的加速比会随着处理核心数的增加而不断增大,并在4个处理核心数的时候获得最大加速比2.21,说明所设计的PCG并行算法具有较好的加速效果和可扩展性。     

Sevoflurane preconditioning inhibits brain injury in hypoxic mice

AIM: To observe the effects of sevoflurane preconditioning on brain injury in hypoxic mice and its possible mechanism. METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control (C) group, hypoxia (H) group, 2% sevoflurane preconditioning for 30 min + hypoxia (S1+H) group, 2% sevoflurane preconditioning for 60 min+hypoxia (S2+H) group and 4% sevoflurane preconditioning for 30 min + hypoxia (S3+H) group. The hypoxia model was established by continuous inhalation of (6.5±0.1)% O₂ for 24 h. The sevoflurane preconditioning treatments, S1, S2 and S3, were conducted by inhalation of 2% sevoflurane for 30 min, 2% sevoflurane for 60 min and 4% sevoflurane for 30 min, respectively, with the carrier of (21.0±0.5)% O₂, followed by washout for 15 min and then hypoxia treatment. The histological changes of the hippocampal CA1 area were observed under light microscope and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was measured by colorimetric method. Furthermore, the protein levels of erythropoietin (EPO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in brain tissue homogenate were examined by ELISA, and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured by microplate reader. RESULTS: After hypoxia for 24 h, cell edema or pyknosis in the hippocampal CA1 area was observed in H group. Sevoflurane preconditioning reduced hypoxic injury, and the cell ultrastructure under TEM was significantly improved in S2+H group. Compared with C group, the serum LDH activity and the levels of EPO, VEGF and MDA in brain tissues were significantly increased in H group, while the activity of SOD and GPx decreased. After sevoflurane pretreatment, the serum LDH activity and the levels of EPO and VEGF in brain tissues were lower than those in H group, and the most significant difference was observed in S2+H group. Moreover, the MDA content and SOD activity decreased, and the GPx activity increased in the sevoflurane preconditioning groups. CONCLUSION: Sevoflurane preconditioning attenuates brain injury in hypoxic mice by regulating antihypoxic protein synthesis and reducing oxidative stress.     

预处理对冬油菜遗传转化外植体褐化的影响

以甘蓝型冬油菜下胚轴和子叶为外植体,研究4℃低温处理幼苗、分化培养基添加MES以及预培养等对遗传转化中外植体褐化的影响.结果表明,幼苗在冰箱中4℃处理12h,下胚轴的褐化频率较低,但延长处理时间反而加重外植体的褐化.对于子叶来说,预培养可以明显降低子叶的褐化,提高外植体的幼苗再生率.