Aquaporins: Important players in the cardiovascular pathophysiology.

Aquaporin is a membrane channel protein widely expressed in body tissues, which can control the input and output of water in cells. AQPs are differentially expressed in different cardiovascular tissues and participate in water transmembrane transport, cell migration, metabolism, inflammatory response, etc. The aberrant expression of AQPs highly correlates with the onset of ischemic heart disease, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, heart failure, etc.

Cloning and Immunosuppressive Properties of an Acyl-Activating Enzyme from the Venom Apparatus of (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae).

Venom injected into the host plays vital roles in facilitating successful parasitization and development for parasitoid wasps, especially those devoid of polydnavirus, and the abundant venom proteins appear to be most likely involved in parasitization success. Previously, we found the four most abundant venom proteins, including 4-coumarate:CoA ligase-like 4 (4CL4-like), in the (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) venom apparatus. In this study, we cloned, expressed 4CL4-like (Tb4CL4-like) in , and investigated its immunosuppressive properties.

Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neurotoxicity and Neuroinflammation in Primary Mesencephalic Cultures.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation triggers and accelerates the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). L., a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used for the treatment of cerebrovascular disease.

Endothelium-independent vasorelaxant effect of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol on isolated rat thoracic aorta.

Aim: Ginsenosides are considered to be the major pharmacologically active ginseng constituents, whereas 20(S)-protopanaxadiol [20(S)-PPD] is the active metabolite of ginsenosides in gut. In this study we investigated the effect of 20(S)-PPD on isolated rat thoracic aortas as well as its vasorelaxant mechanisms.

Methods: Aortic rings with or without endothelium were prepared from Wistar rats and suspended in organ-chambers.

One step isolation and purification of liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Risch. using high-speed counter-current chromatography.

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) technique in semi-preparative scale has been successfully applied to the separation of bioactive flavonoid compounds, liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin in one step from the crude extract of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Risch. The HSCCC was performed using a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-acetonitrile-water (2:2:1:0.6:2, v/v).