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A facile approach is employed for the preparation of hierarchically porous structures monolithic ordered macroporous-mesoporous silica materials (OMS) using the commercially available and cheap polyurethane (PU) foam as monolithic template, triblock copolymer P123 (EO20PO70EO20) as structure-directing agent and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as silica source, then monolithic ordered macro porous-mesoporous carbon materials (OMC) is synthesized by using monolithic ordered macroporous-mesoporous silica materials as hard template and ionic liquids as the carbon source. The silica and carbon monoliths possess uniform pore sizes (3.74-3.84 nm) and ordered mesostructure.

A new system for the controlled release of rose perfume is presented. Mesoporous SBA-15 and KIT-6 materials as controlled-release agent are synthesized via hydrothermal method. Rose perfume was introduced into the pores of SBA-15 and KIT-6 via the incipient wetness impregnation method. This silica reservoir maintained a slow release of rose perfume over more than 10h. Rose perfume release was controlled by configurational diffusion in the SBA-15 and KIT-6 pores having free diameters of less than 12 nm. The release of rose perfume was tuned by adapting pore diameter and temperature. By fitting the release data, the results show that the release actions of rose perfume in SBA-15 and KIT-6 are consistent with Korsmeyer-Peppas model and First-order’model respectively.

To investigate and compare the effects of Compound Chaihu Shugan Decoction (CHSGD, "treatment from Gan") and Dingxian Pill (DXP, "treatment from the sputum") on the metabolism path of glutamate in the pentylenetetrazol-kindled seizure rats' hippocampus, thus exploring the molecular mechanism of "heterotherapy for homopathy".A chronic kindling seizures rat model was established by intraperitoneal injecting pentylenetetrazol (PTZ). Totally 24 fully kindled seizure rats were randomized into four groups, i.e., the model control group, the Sodium Valproate (VPA) group, the DXP group, and the CHSGD group. They were respectively treated with normal saline, VPA, CHSGD, and DXP, respectively. Rats in the control group were treated with normal saline by peritoneal injection and by gastrogavage. After intragastric administration for 4 successive weeks, the glutamate (Glu) levels in the hippocampus were detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The expressions of glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) proteins were detected by Western blot. The activity of glutamine synthetase (GS) was detected by using GS detection kit.Compared with the control group, the content of Glu in the model group significantly increased, and the expression of GLT-1 and the activity of GS significantly decreased (P0.01). Compared with the model group, the content of Glu in each medication group significantly decreased, and the protein expression of GLT-1 as well as the activity of GS significantly increased (P0.01). But when compared between the CHSGD group and the DXP group, the content of Glu was lower and the activity of GS was higher in the CHSGD group than in the DXP group (P0.01), while there was no statistical difference in the expression of GLT-1 between the two groups (P0.05).CHSGD ("treatment from Gan") and DXP ("treatment from the sputum") could both decrease the level of Glu and raise the expression of GLT-1 and the activity of GS, indicating that CHSGD and DXP both could regulate the metabolism path of Glu to affect the level of the Glu in the brain. But the effects of CHSGD were superior to those of DXP in decreasing the content of Glu and up-regulating the activity of GS, suggesting that there were some different effects targets between the two compounds on the metabolism path of Glu, which may be one of possible molecular mechanisms for treating epilepsy by heterotherapy for homopathy.

Saikosaponin a (SSa), a main constituent of the Chinese herbBupleurum chinenseDC., has been demonstrated to have antiepileptic activity. Recent studies have shown that SSa could inhibit NMDA receptor current and persistent sodium current. However, the effects of SSa on potassium (K+) currents remain unclear. In this study, we tested the effect of SSa on 4AP-induced epileptiform discharges and K+currents in CA1 neurons of rat hippocampal slices. We found that SSa significantly inhibited epileptiform discharges frequency and duration in hippocampal CA1 neurons in the 4AP seizure model in a dose-dependent manner with anIC50of 0.7 μM. SSa effectively increased the amplitude ofITotalandIA, significantly negative-shifted the activation curve, and positive-shifted steady-state curve ofIA. However, SSa induced no significant changes in the amplitude and activation curve ofIK. In addition, SSa significantly increased the amplitude of 4AP-sensitive K+current, while there was no significant change in the amplitude of TEA-sensitive K+current. Together, our data indicate that SSa inhibits epileptiform discharges induced by 4AP in a dose-dependent manner and that SSa exerts selectively enhancing effects onIA. These increases inIAmay contribute to the anticonvulsant mechanisms of SSa.

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of the Chinese compound prescription Chaihu Shugan Tang (CHSGT) on the excitability in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus (different brain regions) of pentetrazole (PTZ)-kindled chronic epileptic rats. METHOD To establish the model of chronic kindling rats intraperitoneal injected with pentylenetet. Fully kindled rats were randomized into control and experimental groups for intragastric administration of normal saline (control, model), Sodium Valproate and CHSGT at the high, medium and low doses for 4 consecutive weeks. The content of 2-NBDG, the glutamate (Glu) and the aspartate (Asp) in different brain regions of rats were detected by fluorescence imaging techniques and HPLC assay respectively. RESULT CHSGT at the high, medium and low doses all significantly decreased the content of 2-NBDG, the Glu and the Asp in different brain regions of chronic epileptic rats (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION CHSGT can inhibit the excitability in different brain regions of PTZ-induced epileptic rats, by decreasing the level of excitatory neurotransmitter maybe one of its antiepileptic mechanisms.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, yet its treatment remains unsatisfactory. Saikosaponin a (SSa), a triterpene saponin derived from Bupleurum chinensis DC., has been demonstrated to have significant antiepileptic activity in a variety of epilepsy models in vivo. However, the electrophysiological activities and mechanisms of the antiepileptic properties of SSa remain unclear. In this study, whole-cell current-clamp recordings were used to evaluate the anticonvulsant activities of SSa in the hippocampal neuronal culture (HNC) models of acquired epilepsy (AE) and status epilepticus (SE). Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were used to evaluate the modulation effects of SSa on NMDA-evoked current and sodium currents in cultured hippocampal neurons. We found that SSa effectively terminated spontaneous recurrent epileptiform discharges (SREDs) in the HNC model of AE and continuous epileptiform high-frequency bursts (SE) in the HNC model of SE, in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC(50) of 0.42 µM and 0.62 µM, respectively. Furthermore, SSa significantly reduced the peak amplitude of NMDA-evoked current and the peak current amplitude of I(NaP). These results suggest for the first time that the inhibitions of NMDA receptor current and I(NaP) may be the underlying mechanisms of SSa's anticonvulsant properties, including the suppression of SREDs and SE in the HNC models of AE and SE. In addition, effectively abolishing the refractory SE implies that SSa may be a potential anticonvulsant candidate for the clinical treatment of epilepsy.