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Objective: To observe the levels of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in blood, peritoneal fluid, ectopic endometrial tissue, and ectopic endometrial stromal cells of patients with endometriosis, and to compare expression of IL-6, LIF and VEGF expression between endometriotic and non-endometriotic patients underwent laparoscopic surgery.Methods: Thirty-one patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis in our hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were included in the observation group, and 32 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for uterine fibroids, ovarian serous cystadenoma, and ovarian teratomas, were included in the control group. The levels of LIF, IL-6 and VEGF in the blood and peritoneal fluid of the two groups of patients were detected. The levels of LIF, IL-6 and VEGF in ectopic endometrial tissue and self-paired eutopic endometrial tissue, ectopic endometrial stromal cells and self-paired eutopic endometrial stromal cells of patients in the observation group were detected. After treating the primary cultured ectopic endometrial stromal cells with LIF and IL-6 alone or in combination, the changes of VEGF mRNA of ectopic endometrial stromal cells and the VEGF levels in the supernatant were observed.Results: The levels of LIF, IL-6 and VEGF in the blood and peritoneal fluid of the observation group were all higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05), and the levels of LIF, IL-6 and VEGF in the peritoneal fluid of the observation group were significantly higher than those in the blood (P < 0.05). In the observation group, the expression levels of LIF-mRNA and IL-6 mRNA in the ectopic endometrial tissue were higher than those in the self-paired eutopic endometrial tissues (P < 0.05), while the expression level of VEGF mRNA in the ectopic endometrial tissues was lower than that in the self-paired eutopic endometrial tissues (P < 0.05). Besides, the mRNA expression levels of LIF, IL-6 and VEGF in ectopic endometrial stromal cells of the observation group were all higher than those in the self-paired eutopic endometrial stromal cells (P < 0.05). After stimulating ectopic endometrial stromal cells with LIF, IL-6 and LIF + IL-6, respectively, the VEGF levels in the supernatant were all significantly higher than that in the blank control group (P < 0.05).Conclusion: The LIF, IL-6 and VEGF levels in blood and peritoneal fluid were increased in patients with endometriosis, and increased LIF and IL-6 in ectopic endometriosis stromal cells can play a synergistic role in increasing the VEGF levels, which may be involved in the occurrence and development of endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of protein restriction with subsequent re-alimentation on compensatory growth (CG) of juvenile soft-shelled turtles ( Pelodiscus sinensis) were investigated. The turtles were fed five diets containing different crude protein content ( T1: 29.24%, T2: 31.42%, T3: 34.19%, T4: 37.16%, C: 43.31%), while the energy content remained constant for 4 weeks (restriction period) and then re-fed a diet (43.31% crude protein) for 7 weeks (re-alimentation period). During the restriction period, feed conversion ratio (FCR) significantly increased in all protein-restricted groups ( T1- T4) compared with the control group ( C). At the end of the restriction period, body mass in groups T1 and T2 was significantly lower than that in the control group. During the re-alimentation phase, weekly body mass gain in group T1 was greater than that of the control from week 5 to week 10. FCR significantly decreased in group T1 compared with the control. No significant differences in final body mass between C and T1 groups were found at the end of the re-alimentation period. These results indicated that soft-shelled turtles receiving a diet in which protein was reduced from 43.31 to 29.24% (approximate 33% reduction) for 4 weeks achieved a 6 week complete CG response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, is profoundly protective against 1-methy-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP)-induced neurotoxicity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction contributes to the neurotoxicity of MPP; while hydrogen sulfide (HS) is a pivotal endogenous antioxidant. This study is to assess the potential role of endogenous HS in the neuroprotection of ADMA against MPP-induced toxicity in PC12 cells. We showed that ADMA prevented MPP-induced inhibition of endogenous HS generation through inhibiting the down-regulation of cystathionine-β-synthetase (CBS, the major enzyme responsible for endogenous HS generation in PC12 cells) expression and activity elicited by MPP. ADMA obviously attenuated MPP-triggered accumulation of intracellular ROS, dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), release of cytochrome c (Cyt-c), and downregulation of Bcl-2 protein expression in PC12 cells. Inhibition of CBS activity by amino-oxyacetate and CBS silencing with a short hairpin RNA vector targeting rat CBS gene reversed the protective action of ADMA against MPP-caused cytotoxicity, ROS overproduction, and MMP loss in PC12 cells. These results indicate that the protection of ADMA against MPP-mediated neurotoxicity involves the melioration of MPP-induced inhibition of endogenous HS generation. Our findings suggest that modulation of HS production provide new therapeutic targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, such as Parkinson's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction contributes to the neurotoxicity of 1-methy-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP). Increasing studies have shown that hydrogen sulfide (HS) is an endogenous antioxidant gas. We have hypothesized that MPP-caused neurotoxicity may involve the imbalance of proportion to this endogenous protective antioxidant gas. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether MPP disturbs HS synthesis in PC12 cells, a clonal rat pheochromocytoma cell line, and whether disturbance of HS generation induced by MPP is an underlying mechanism of MPP-induced neurotoxicity. We show that exposure of PC12 cells to MPP causes a significant decrease in HS generation and results in remarkable cell damage. We find that cystathionine-β-synthetase (CBS) is catalyzed in PC12 cells to generate HS, and that both expression and activity of CBS are inhibited by MPP treatment. Exposure of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a donor of HS, extenuates MPP-induced cytotoxicity and ROS accumulation in PC12 cells, while inhibition of CBS by amino-oxyacetate (AOAA) exacerbates the effects of MPP. These results indicate that MPP neurotoxicity involves reduction of HS production, which is caused by inhibition of CBS. This study provides novel insights into cell death observed in neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An LC method was developed for determination of mangiferin in rat plasma and tissues after oral administration of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae extract. Analysis was performed on a Gemini C18 analytical column (250 × 4.6 mm, i.d.) with mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–water (23:77, v/ v) with 1% acetic acid and 1% tetrahydrofuran at a flow rate of 0.7 mL min−1. Spinosin was used as internal standard and UV detector was set at 320 nm. The calibration curve of mangiferin in rat plasma and tissues showed excellent linear behaviors over the investigated concentration ranges with the value of R 2 higher than 0.994. The within-day and between-day precisions for all samples were measured to be below 11.0%. The limit of quantitation was low enough for determination of mangiferin in all samples. After Rhizoma Anemarrhenae extract was orally administered to rats, the main pharmacokinetic parameters of mangiferin T max, C max, T 0.5 α , T 0.5 β , AUC0 − T and Vc were 4.20 h, 9.52 μg mL−1, 1.21 h, 1.71 h, 29.9 mg h L−1 and 0.18 L kg−1, respectively. Mangiferin was extensively distributed in most of the main tissues of rats. This validated method has been successfully applied to preliminary pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of mangiferin in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and sensitive reversed phase liquid chromatographic method with UV detection was developed and validated for determination of swertisin in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Phenomenex Gemini C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm). The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water (24:76) with 1% acetic acid and was delivered at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min−1. The detection wavelength was set at 338 nm. Standard curves were linear ( r ≧ 0.9976) in rat plasma over the concentration range of 0.102–10.2 μg mL−1. Within- and between-day precisions ranged from 2.6% to 6.8% RSD. The lower limit of quantification was 0.102 μg mL−1. The validated method has been successfully applied for the preliminary pharmacokinetic study of swertisin in rat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple, sensitive, and accurate liquid-chromatographic method with UV detection has been developed for simultaneous determination of spinosin, danshensu, and protocatechuic aldehyde in traditional Chinese Zaoren-an-shen capsules. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column. Vanillin was used as internal standard and the UV detection wavelength was 280 nm. Excellent linear behavior was observed over the concentration ranges investigated, with R values higher than 0.9997 for all the analytes. The limits of quantification for spinosin, danshensu, and protocatechuic aldehyde were 1.31, 0.74, and 0.27 μg mL−1, respectively. This validated method can be used for routine quality control of Zaoren-an-shen capsules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelsemium elegans is a flowering plant in the Loganiaceae. Because it can promote the growth of pigs and sheep, it is widely used, including in veterinary clinics, but little information is available about its biological effects. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing to characterize the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the ileums of pigs between a control group and a group fed Gelsemium elegans for 45 days. We found that Gelsemium elegans affected many inflammatory and immune pathways, including biological processes such as defense responses, inflammation and immune responses. Moreover, this study identified several important genes related to the anti-inflammatory activity of Gelsemium elegans (e.g., CXCL-8, IL1A, and CSF2), which will be beneficial for further study of the pharmacological mechanisms and clinical applications of Gelsemium elegans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]