柴越汤对抑郁症大鼠HPA轴的调节作用

目的:探讨柴越汤对慢性应激抑郁模型大鼠下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺(HPA)轴的作用及可能的机制,为临床用药提供理论依据。方法:将筛选合格的60只雄性Wistar大鼠适应性饲养1周后,随机分成正常组、抑郁模型组、阳性组、中药治疗组(包括柴越汤组、小柴胡汤组和越鞠丸组)。除正常组外,其余各组接受孤养结合慢性轻度不可预见性不同应激源的刺激21d制备抑郁模型。造模后按临床等效剂量给予药物干预,持续给药21 d,给药期间,各造模组大鼠均继续给与刺激。通过体重变化、糖水消耗和敞箱实验进行行为学评价,海马组织形态学变化、大鼠血浆促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH),皮质酮(CORT)的变化,脑内海马糖皮质激素受体(GR)和盐皮质激素受体(MR)蛋白表达的变化,探讨柴越汤的抗抑郁作用机制。结果:与模型组比较,各给药组均可显著提高大鼠体重、增加大鼠糖水消耗比率和行为学得分(P0.05),逆转抑郁模型大鼠过高的血浆ACTH和CORT水平,上调大鼠的海马GR蛋白的表达,而对MR蛋白无影响,在中药组中以柴越汤效果更好。结论:柴越汤对抑郁症具有良好的疗效,拆方后小柴胡汤组、越鞠丸治疗抑郁症疗效较柴越汤略有下降。其作用机制可能通过增强海马GR蛋白的表达,降低血浆ACTH含量和血清CORT含量而起到抗抑郁作用。     

Research progress on effects of intergenerational transmission on allergic disease susceptibility in offspring北大核心CSCD

过敏性疾病是由机体对抗原所产生的异常免疫反应引发的疾病,近年来儿童过敏性疾病的患病率呈上升趋势,已经成为当今社会迫切解决的公共卫生问题之一。最近临床数据和研究表明,代际传递因素与儿童患过敏性疾病的易感性有关,母代在孕前或孕期遭受一些不利因素可能会使其子代患过敏性疾病的易感性增强。因此识别早期危险因素(即母代危险因素)对于儿童过敏性疾病的预防具有重要意义。目前在代际传递背景下影响子代过敏性疾病易感性的研究取得了一定的进展,关于其分子生物学机制已有初步探究,该文针对母代遭受不利因素对子代患过敏性疾病的易感性的影响进行综述,以期在代际传递背景下为儿童过敏性疾病的预防提供新的方法和思路。     

慢性心力衰竭患者下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴节律变化与心功能的相关性分析

目的:探讨慢性心力衰竭(CHF)患者下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴(hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis,HPA)水平及变化与心功能的关系。方法:连续入选108例CHF患者(非重症CHF组49例,重症CHF组59例),以及同期住院的非CHF患者43例。测定患者血浆总胆红素、白蛋白、肌酐、氨基末端利钠肽前体(N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide,NT-proBNP)、C反应蛋白(C-reactive protein,CRP)、游离三碘甲状腺原氨酸(free triiodothyronine,FT3)、游离甲状腺素(free thyroxine,FT4)、促甲状腺激素(thyroid-stimulating hormone,TSH)水平,计算肾小球滤过率(glomerular filtration rate,GFR)。测定同1天0:00、8:00及16:00的血浆促肾上腺皮质激素(adrenocorticotropic hormone,ACTH)和皮质醇(cortisol,COR)水平,计算患者昼夜COR比值(RCOR8:00/COR0:00)及日间COR比值(RCOR8:00/COR16:00)。比较3组间上述指标的差异。结果:与较非CHF组相比,CHF组0:00血浆ACTH及0:00、16:00血浆COR水平显著升高,RCOR8:00/COR0:00及RCOR8:00/COR16:00均下降(P<0.05)。重症CHF组0:00、8:00血浆ACTH以及0:00、8:00、16:00血浆COR水平均高于非重症CHF组及非CHF组(P<0.05)。重症CHF组RCOR8:00/COR0:00低于非重症CHF组,非重症CHF组低于非CHF组(P<0.05)。结论:CHF患者HPA慢性持续性激活;COR随心功能状态动态变化,可作为反映CHF病情的指标,并对病情评估及预后判断具有较高价值。     

Temporal control of glucocorticoid neurodynamics and its relevance for brain homeostasis,neuropathology and glucocorticoid-based therapeutics

Glucocorticoids mediate plethora of actions throughout the human body. Within the brain, they modulate aspects of immune system and neuroinflammatory processes, interfere with cellular metabolism and viability, interact with systems of neurotransmission and regulate neural rhythms. The influence of glucocorticoids on memory and emotional behaviour is well known and there is increasing evidence for their involvement in many neuropsychiatric pathologies. These effects, which at times can be in opposing directions, depend not only on the concentration of glucocorticoids but also the duration of their presence, the temporal relationship between their fluctuations, the co-influence of other stimuli, and the overall state of brain activity. Moreover, they are region- and cell type-specific. The molecular basis of such diversity of effects lies on the orchestration of the spatiotemporal interplay between glucocorticoid- and mineralocorticoid receptors, and is achieved through complex dynamics, mainly mediated via the circadian and ultradian pattern of glucocorticoid secretion. More sophisticated methodologies are therefore required to better approach the study of these hormones and improve the effectiveness of glucocorticoid-based therapeutics.     

慢性不可预见性应激对大鼠神经递质及下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺皮质轴的影响

目的探讨慢性不可预见性应激(chronic unpredictable stress,CUS)对大鼠神经递质和下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺皮质轴(hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis,HPA)的影响。方法 16只SD雄性大鼠随机数字表法分为正常对照组和模型组。模型组大鼠给予慢性不可预见性的应激,检测其体质量增长量;通过蔗糖偏嗜实验观察大鼠行为学的改变;采用高效液相-电化学法测定海马多巴胺(dopamine,DA)、5-羟色胺(5-hydroxytryptamine,5-HT),高效液相-荧光法测定谷氨酸(glutamic acid,Glu)、γ-氨基丁酸(γ-aminobutyric acid,γ-GABA);用放射免疫法检测血浆及下丘脑促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素(corticotropin-releasing hormone,CRH)、促肾上腺皮质激素(adrenocorticotropic hormone,ACTH)、皮质酮(corticosterone,CORT)。结果与正常对照组相比,模型组大鼠体质量增长量显著降低,糖水消耗量明显下降,DA、γ-GABA显著降低,5-HT、Glu有升高的趋势,ACTH显著降低,CORT质量浓度明显增高。结论 CUS会导致大鼠行为学的改变,HPA轴的紊乱。     

Moxibustion upregulates hippocampal progranulin expression

In China, moxibustion is reported to be useful and has few side effects for chronic fatigue syndrome, but its mechanisms are largely un-known. More recently, the focus has been on the wealth of information supporting stress as a factor in chronic fatigue syndrome, and largely concerns dysregulation in the stress-related hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In the present study, we aimed to determine the effect of moxibustion on behavioral symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome rats and examine possible mechanisms. Rats were subjected to a combination of chronic restraint stress and forced swimming to induce chronic fatigue syndrome. The acupointsGuanyuan (CV4) and Zusanli (ST36, bilateral) were simultaneously administered moxibustion. Untreated chronic fatigue syndrome rats and normal rats were used as controls. Results from the forced swimming test, open ifeld test, tail suspension test, real-time PCR, enzyme-linked immunosor-bent assay, and western blot assay showed that moxibustion treatment decreased mRNA expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus, and adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone levels in plasma, and markedly increased progranulin mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus. These ifndings suggest that moxibustion may relieve the behavioral symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, at least in part, by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and upregulating hippocampal progranulin.     

The effects of water immersion and restraint stress on the expressions of apelin,apelin receptor (APJR) and apoptosis rate in the rat heart

Apelin has been identified as an endogenous ligand of the orphan G-protein-coupled apelin receptor (APJR). These receptors are widely expressed in the central nervous system and periphery and play a role in the regulation of fluid and glucose homeostasis, feeding behavior, vessel formation, cell proliferation and immunity. We aimed to investigate whether water immersion and restraint stress have effects on apelin and APJR expression and apoptosis in heart tissue of male Wistar rats. The cardiac tissues were obtained from control, water immersion and restraint stress (WIRS) and apelin antagonist (F13A) + WIRS groups of rats and embedded in paraffin wax. Immunohistochemical staining methods were used to localize apelin, APJR and TUNEL immunopositive cells. H-SCORE was used for semi-quantitative determinations. Apelin protein levels were determined by Western blot in the cardiac tissues and plasma corticosteroid levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Apelin immunolocalization was found especially in endothelial cells and mast cells and faintly in cardiomyocytes, APJR immunostaining was shown in endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes, and TUNEL reaction was observed in endothelial cells and in some fibroblasts. Apelin expression was significantly increased in the WIRS and F13A + WIRS groups compared to the control group. The APJR reaction was similar in all groups. The number of TUNEL-positive cells was significantly higher in the F13A + WIRS group than that of the control group. Our study showed that WIRS for 6 h increased plasma corticosterone levels and cardiac apelin expression in rats. The increased levels of apelin inhibited stress-induced apoptosis in heart. These results may be important for the therapeutic approach to a variety of stress-related heart disease.     

Immunomodulatory Effects of Sex Hormones: Requirements for Pregnancy and Relevance in Melanoma

Similarities between the pathologic progression of cancer and the physiologic process of placentation (eg, proliferation, invasion, and local/systemic tolerance) have been recognized for many years. Sex hormones such as human chorionic gonadotropin, estrogens, progesterone, and others contribute to induction of immunologic tolerance at the beginning of gestation. Sex hormones have been shown to play contributory roles in the growth of cancers such as breast cancer, prostrate cancer, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer, but their involvement as putative mediators of the immunologic escape of cancer is still being elucidated. Herein, we compare the emerging mechanism by which sex hormones modulate systemic immunity in pregnancy and their potentially similar role in cancer. To do this, we conducted a PubMed search using combinations of the following keywords: “immune regulation,” “sex hormones,” “pregnancy,” “melanoma,” and “cancer.” We did not limit our search to specific publication dates. Mimicking the maternal immune response to pregnancy, especially in late gestation, might aid in design of better therapies to reconstitute endogenous antitumor immunity and improve survival.     

Treatment of abdominally obese men with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) on the neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous system perturbations found in abdominal obesity. DESIGN: Treatment for 6 months with citalopram and for 6 months with placebo using a double-blind, cross-over design, with a 2-month wash-out period between treatment periods. SUBJECTS: Sixteen healthy men, 45-60 years, moderately obese and with an abdominal fat distribution. MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometry, three different depression rating scales, serum lipids, testosterone, IGF-I, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), pituitary stimulation with corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), arithmetic stress test, and excretion of cortisol and metoxycatecholamines in urine, collected during 24 h. RESULTS: Cortisol concentrations in the morning were low before treatment, indicating a perturbed function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. After treatment with citalopram morning cortisol concentrations rose to normal. Cortisol concentrations after stimulation with CRH or stress were elevated by citalopram treatment, but urinary cortisol excretion was unchanged. The glucose concentrations after OGTT (120 min) tended to be reduced, with unchanged insulin concentrations, whilst other metabolic values did not change during treatment. Heart rate after administration of CRH, and during laboratory stress test, decreased by treatment with citalopram. Diurnal urinary excretion of metoxycatecholamines tended to decrease. Neither body mass index nor waist/hip circumference ratio decreased. Depression scores were within normal limits before treatment and did not change. CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study indicate improvements in the regulation of neuroendocrine-autonomic systems as well as metabolism in abdominal obesity during treatment with an SSRI.