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Prunella vulgarisplants (full-bloom stage) were subjected to short-term (15 days) UV-B radiation in a growth chamber. UV-B radiation was effective at enhancing morphological and biomass characteristics and decreasing chlorophyll contents ofP. vulgaris. Treatment ofP. vulgariswith artificial UV-B radiation significantly increased peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) activities compared to the control treatment. UV-B radiation significantly increased the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline in leaves ofP. vulgariscompared to those of control plants. In addition, the contents of total flavonoids, rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid and hyperoside significantly increased under UV-B radiation. The total phenolic levels also increased under UV-B treatment. These results demonstrated that short-term UV-B radiation can enhance production of secondary metabolites inP. vulgaris, resulting in increased spica yield compared to that of control plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The level of miR-410-3p was significantly reduced after HIBD. • Overexpressed miR-410-3p increased the number of PC12, SY5Y cells and neurons post OGD. • MiR-410-3p overexpression prevented the neurons apoptosis and promoted neurons viability. • MiR-410-3p overexpression improved long-term motor and cognitive function. Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is major cause of neonatal death or long-term neurodevelopmental disabilities, which becomes a major practical problem currently in clinic. Whereas, its pathophysiology and underlying molecular mechanism is not clear. MicroRNAs are involved in the normal growth and development of neuronal cells. Herein, the objective of this research was to examine the roles of miR-410-3p in neurological deficits, neuronal injury and neuron apoptosis after hypoxic-ischemic and to explore its associated mechanisms. We established the hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) model and oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) model. Zea-longa score and TTC staining were used to detect the acute cerebral dysfunction after HIBD. QPCR verification exhibited notable downregulation of miR-410-3p expression at 24 h in rats after HIBD as well as that in PC12, SY5Y cells and primary cortical neurons post OGD. To further determine the function of miR-410-3p, lentivirus-mediated overexpression virus was applied in vivo and in vitro. Behavioral tests, including Morris water maze, open field test, Y maze test, neurological severity score and rotating rod test, were performed to evaluate long-term behavioral changes of rats at 1 month post HIBD. The results showed that the number of cells together with the axonal length were reduced post OGD. While the increase of cells number and the axonal length was measured after upregulating miR-410-3p. Meanwhile, miR-410-3p overexpression inhibited neuron apoptosis and enhanced neuronal survival. In addition, long-term motor and cognitive functions were remarkably recovered in HIBD rats with miR-410-3p overexpression. Together, miR-410-3p exerts a critical role in protecting neuronal growth as well as promoting motor and cognitive function recovery in neonatal rats subjected to HIBD. The current study therefore provides critical insights to develop the activator of miR-410-3p for the clinical treatment of HIBD in future clinic trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are characterized by the ability of self‑renewal and capacity to proliferate and produce new nervous tissue. NSCs are capable of differentiating to three lineages of neural cells, including neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. Furthermore, hippocampal NSCs transplantation can improve the neurological deficits associated with expression of cytokines. Therefore, to compare the properties of NSCs of tree shrews and rats in vitro, NSCs from tree shrews (tsNSCs) and rats f(rNSCs) were isolated. Nestin was used as a marker to identify the cultured NSCs. Neuronal nuclei protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were utilized to demonstrate the differentiation of NSCs towards neurons and astrocytes, respectively, in vitro. Furthermore, the expression of neurotrophin 3 (NT3), brain‑derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell‑derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and transforming growth factor (TGF)β1 was also investigated in tsNSCs and rNSCs. The expression of all of the aforementioned proteins was detected using immunofluorescence methods. The results demonstrated that, after 5 days of culture, the average number of neurospheres in the cultured tsNSCs was significantly lower compared with rNSCs (P=0.0031). Additionally, compared with the rNSCs, tsNSCs exhibited an enhanced differentiation ability towards neurons. Furthermore, the expression of NT3 in the tsNSCs was higher compared with rNSCs (P<0.01), while the expression of BDNF was lower (P=0.045). However, no significant differences were observed in the expression level of GDNF and TGFβ1 between rNSCs and tsNSCs. Therefore, these results indicate that tsNSCs exhibit specific characteristics that are different from rNSCs, which provides novel information for the understanding of NSCs obtained from tree shrews. Overall, the results of the current study provide evidence to support the increased application of tree shrews as models for diseases of the central nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]