Toxicological evaluation of Yulangsan polysaccharide in Wistar rats: A 26-week oral gavage study

Although numerous studies have proven the medicinal values of Yulangsan polysaccharide (YLSP), the toxicity of this active ingredient is unknown. In the acute toxicity study, a single oral administration of 24 g/kg YLSP caused neither toxicological symptoms nor mortality, and the LD₅₀ was estimated >24 g/kg. In the chronic toxicity study, we administered doses of 0, 0.6, 1.2 and 2.4 g/kg YLSP in rats by oral gavage for 26 weeks followed by a 3-week recovery period. There was no mortality or remarkable clinical signs observed during this 26-week study. Additionally, there were no toxic differences in the following parameters: body weight, food consumption, hematology, clinical biochemistry, organ weight, and macroscopic findings. There were no adverse effects on histopathology observed in males or female rats treated with YLSP. Based on the results, the no-observed-adverse-effect-level of YLSP in rats is greater than 2.4 g/kg when administered orally for 26 consecutive weeks.     

丹参对持续癫痫幼鼠脑损伤保护作用的实验研究

目的 探讨丹参对持续癫痫发作诱发幼鼠脑神经元损伤是否具有保护作用。方法 皮下及腹腔注射贝美格针诱发健康幼龄鼠癫痫持续状态发作。光镜下观察神经元病变情况；电镜观察海马神经元超微结构的改变。结果 持续癫痴组幼鼠脑组织光镜下可见明显的神经元病变。电镜下可见海马区神经元的超微结构病变。丹参治疗组神经元病变均轻于持续癫痴组；而正常对照组未见类似病变。结论 丹参在组织、细胞和亚细胞水平对持续癫病幼鼠脑神经元损伤具有一定的保护作用，为临床有效防治小儿惊厥性脑损伤提供了可靠的实验依据。     

Prevention of Descending Pneumonia in Rats with Perflubron-delivered Tobramycin

OBJECTIVES: Patients undergoing emergent endotracheal intubation are at increased risk for developing pneumonia. Although numerous strategies have been investigated to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), the incidence of VAP and its associated mortality remains high. This investigation tested the hypothesis that LiquiVent (Alliance Pharmaceutical, San Diego, CA-LV) delivered antibiotics (via spray-dried microspheres-SDM) would improve survival in a rat model of descending gram-negative pneumonia. METHODS: Wistar rats (n = 49) were randomized to receive prophylaxis with 1). nothing (controls); 2). intramuscular (IM) tobramycin, 3). intratracheal LV plus SDM shells (vehicle), 4). intratracheal LV plus SDM shells plus IM tobramycin, or 5). intratracheal LV plus SDM containing 1 mg/kg of tobramycin. All interventions were given 24 hours before a bacterial challenge with 10(8) colony-forming units of intratracheal Klebsiella pneumoniae. Mortality at ten days was the sole outcome measure. Survival in individual groups was compared with controls by Fisher's exact test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: All animals in the control group died of pneumonia within ten days of bacterial inoculation (0% survival). Prophylaxis with either IM tobramycin or SDM vehicle plus IM tobramycin provided no protection (0% survival). This is in sharp contrast to the cohort receiving pretreatment with tobramycin-containing SDM delivered via LV, in which 60% of the animals survived to study completion (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prophylaxis with SDM containing antibiotics delivered in low-dose LV provided significant protection in a rat model of descending gram-negative pneumonia. These data support the hypothesis that perfluorocarbon-delivered intratracheal antimicrobials may be useful in the prevention of VAP.     

Dorsal and ventral dopaminergic innervation of the spinal cord: Functional implications

Several studies have demonstrated that a descending dopaminergic pathway innervates the dorsal and the intermediate gray matter of the spinal cord and have suggested that this pathway is involved in pain modulation and in the control of autonomie functions. Other studies have also demonstrated the presence of dopamine (DA) and DA metabolites as well as of DA receptors in the ventral cord. There is also evidence for the implication of DA in the control of motor functions at the spinal level. The occurrence of a dopaminergic innervation in the ventral horn has been, however, disputed until recently. But recent work has demonstrated that the motoneural cell groups in the ventral horn (lamina IX) are a target for descending dopaminergic fibers. In addition, the possibility that DA is a mediator of primary afferent fibers has also been postulated. Finally, the occurrence of dopaminergic cell bodies has been suggested in the spinal cord. This indicates that DA is probably implicated in a complex manner in spinal functions. In the present paper the possible involvement of DA in sensory and in motor functions at spinal level will be discussed in view of neurochemical observations made in polyarthritic rats, in which pain-related behavior and reduction of locomotor activity associated with a marked decrease in mobility, are observed.     

大白鼠尾动脉吻合实验的方法与体会

报告了960次大白鼠尾动脉吻合实验,采用端端吻合法800次,即刻通畅率96.5％,套叠吻合法160次,即刻通畅率100％。作者认为利用大白鼠尾动脉作吻合训练,具有节省动物、可多次操作、无需无菌条件、操作简单易行等优点,并介绍了操作方法和注意点。     

Natural killer cell activity and autologous mixed lymphocyte response of splenic,mesenteric lymph node,and colonic lymphocytes during DMH-induced colon carcinogenesis in the rat

Twoin vitro models of immune surveillance were used to examine the immune status of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, mesenteric lymph nodes, and spleen during the early stages of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMN)-induced colon tumorigenesis. DMH-and vehicletreated Fischer rats were sacrificed at one of three time points; one week, two months, or five months after cessation of treatment. Colonic, lymph node, and splenic natural killer cell cytolytic activity toward YAC-1 tumor targets and T-cell response to autologous la-induced balstogenesis were measured at each time point. We found little change in natural killer cell activity or T-cell proliferation induced by autologous Ia gene products at these time periods.This investigation was supported in part by grant CA26917 from the National Cancer Institute, Department of Health and Human Services.     

还原型谷胱甘肽在预防糖尿病大鼠勃起功能障碍中的研究

目的探讨还原型谷胱甘肽(GSH)在预防糖尿病大鼠勃起功能障碍中的作用。方法通过腹腔注射链脲佐菌素65mg/kg建立糖尿病大鼠模型,然后随机分成DM组和DM+GSH组,DM+GSH组每天肌肉注射GSH200mg/kg。10周后观察大鼠勃起功能,并获取海绵体组织检测其谷胱甘肽、一氧化氮合酶(NOS)与丙二醛(MDA)水平,用TUNEL法检测细胞凋亡。结果成功建立糖尿病大鼠模型。与未注射GSH的DM组相比,DM+GSH组和正常对照组(C组)勃起功能更好,勃起率分别是20%,62.5%和100%。GSH水平DM+GSH组和C组明显比DM组高,其3组含量每克蛋白分别是(75.83±15.62)、(61.47±8.65)和(35.03±12.29)mg(P<0.05);NOS水平在DM+GSH组每毫克蛋白为(133.9±31.9)U,与正常对照组每毫克蛋白为(142.2±31.2)U相当,但较DM组每毫克蛋白为(58.4±18.9)U高(P<0.05);MDA含量在DM组每毫克蛋白为(3.71±0.62)nmol,明显高于正常对照组和DM+GSH组(P<0.05),这两组每毫克蛋白为(2.08±0.34)nmol和(2.44±0.28)nmol;细胞凋亡率在DM组、DM+GSH组和C组的分别是(22.6±3.6)%、(10.8±1.7)%和(7.2±2.1)%(P<0.05)。结论还原型谷胱甘肽对糖尿病大鼠阴茎组织有较好的抗氧化作用,能减少细胞凋亡,对延缓糖尿病性ED的发生有一定的作用。     

Iron deficiency down-regulates the Akt/TSC1-TSC2/mammalian Target of Rapamycin signaling pathway in rats and in COS-1 cells

Iron deficiency (ID) is one of the most commonly known forms of nutritional deficiencies. Low body iron is thought to induce neurologic defects but may also play a protective role against cancer development by cell growth arrest. Thus, ID may affect cellular pathways controlling cell growth and proliferation, the mechanism of which is still not fully understood. The serine/threonine protein kinase Akt and its downstream target, the mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR), is known to play a crucial role in the regulation of cell growth and survival. Therefore, we hypothesized that Akt/mTOR pathway could be influenced by ID. Three-week-old male Wistar-strain rats were divided into 3 groups and the 2 groups had free access to a control diet (C group) or an iron-deficient diet (D group). The third group (PF group) were pair-fed the control diet to the mean intake of the D group. After 4 weeks, rats were killed and their brains were sampled. In separate experiments, COS-1 cells were cultured with or without the iron chelator deferoxamine. Western blots of brain samples and COS-1 lysates were used to analyze the expression and phosphorylation state of Akt, TSC2, mTOR, and S6 kinase proteins implicated in the Akt/mTOR pathway. Using 2 different ID models, we show for the first time that iron deficiency depresses Akt activity in rats and in COS-1 cells, leading to a decrease in mTOR activity.     

碱性成纤维细胞生长因子在实验性硬脑膜重建中的应用

[目的] 探讨碱性成纤维细胞生长因子( bFGF)在实验性自体筋膜硬脑膜重建中的应用价值.[方法]取 SD大鼠 35只,分成 5组.其中 A组 3只,直接将背部筋膜覆盖在硬膜外, B组 5只,采用自体筋膜硬脑膜重建模型,通过免疫组织化学方法观察这两组大鼠自体筋膜硬脑膜移植的愈合过程及细胞因子 bFGF在其中的表达; C组、 D组、 E组各 9只,分别进行自体筋膜硬脑膜重建, D组加用外源性 bFGF, E组仅用明胶海绵,通过脑脊液漏研究、免疫组织化学方法研究外源性 bFGF对自体筋膜重建硬脑膜愈合过程的影响并用 RT- PCR方法研究内源性 bFGF mRNA的表达情况.[结果] 大鼠自体筋膜移植硬脑膜部位 bFGF表达明显; C、 D、 E组大鼠重建硬脑膜抵抗脑脊液漏压力值( mmH2O)分别为 311± 75, 497± 153, 338± 88,Ⅰ型胶原纤维表达值分别为 4.9± 0.8, 10.9± 1.6, 5.3± 0.9, D组均好于对照组( P< 0.05);内源性 bFGF mRNA的表达没有明显变化.[结论] 在自体筋膜移植硬脑膜的愈合过程中 bFGF可能起了重要的作用;外源性 bFGF处理的大鼠其移植筋膜愈合要好于对照组.