Prenatal exposure to koumine results in cognitive deficits and increased anxiety-like behavior in mice offspring.

Koumine (KM) is a major alkaloid monomer in the traditional Chinese medicine herb Gelsemium elegans Benth that has exhibited therapeutic potential in clinical applications. However, the pharmacological toxicological mechanism of this drug has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impacts of KM administration at a therapeutic dose in offspring.

Koumine exhibits anxiolytic properties without inducing adverse neurological effects on functional observation battery, open-field and Vogel conflict tests in rodents.

Koumine, an active alkaloid of neurotoxic plant Gelsemium, has been focused on its therapeutic uses, especially in central nervous system. Nevertheless, less is known about the neurological effects of koumine, which hampers its potential therapeutic exploitation. Moreover, as the anxiolytic potential of Gelsemium has raised many critical issues, its active principles on the anxiolytic and other neurological effects need to be further investigated.

A solution to the vessel shortage during free vascularized fibular grafting for reconstructing infected bone defects of the femur: Bridging with vein transplantation.

Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and clinical efficacy of bridging vein transplantation to deal with the vessel shortage during free vascularized fibular grafting for reconstructing infected bone defects of the femur.

Methods: Twelve patients (aged 15-58 years) with infected bone defects of the femur (between 6.0 and 18.

[Study on anti-oxidative effect of extracts from Cichorium endivia on HepG2 cells and its mechanism].

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of extracts from Cichorium endivia (CEE) in H2O2-induced HepG2 cell oxidative stress injury, and explore the antioxidant mechanism of CEE in HepG2 cells.

Method: The viability of H2O2-induced HepG2 cells and the intracellular ROS level were measured by MTT assay and DCFH-DA fluorescence staining assay. The antioxidant-response element (ARE)-Luciferase activity was tested in HepG2 cells stably transected by ARE reporter gene.

Study of the toxicity of 1-Bromo-3-chloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin to zebrafish.

Objective: 1-Bromo-3-chloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (BCDMH) is a solid oxidizing biocide for water disinfection. The objective of this study was to investigate the toxic effect of BCDMH on zebrafish.

Methods: The developmental toxicity of BCDMH on zebrafish embryos and the dose-effect relationship was determined.

Hepatoprotective activity of Cichorium endivia L. extract and its chemical constituents.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo hepatoprotective properties of Cichorium endivia L. extract (CEE), and to identify its chemical constituents. CEE significantly blocked the oxidative stress and cytotoxicity induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) in HepG2 cells.