Microcystin-LR exposure interfered maintenance of colonic microenvironmental homeostasis in rat.

Microcystin-leucine arginine (MCLR) is a phycotoxin produced by cyanobacteria. As a hepatotoxin, increasing evidence suggests that it has some negative effects on the mammal gastrointestinal tract, but further studies are warranted. In this study, we investigated the effects of MCLR on the intestinal epithelial microenvironment by oral administration of MCLR.

Effect of Endogenous Arginine-Vasopressin Arising from the Paraventricular Nucleus on Learning and Memory Functions in Vascular Dementia Model Rats.

The hippocampus is a key structure for encoding and processing memory and for spatial orientation, which are among the cognitive functions most sensitive to cerebral ischemia, hypoxia, and vascular dementia (VD). Since hippocampal formation is one of the principle forebrain targets for arginine-vasopressin (AVP) innervations arising in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), we explored the contributions of AVP to VD pathogenesis. To this end, we randomly assigned pathogen-free, male Wistar rats to one of seven groups in a VD model and tested AVP treatment effects on spatial learning and memory using the Morris water maze.

Ameliorative effect of berberine on renal damage in rats with diabetes induced by high-fat diet and streptozotocin.

Berberine (BBR) is one of the main constituents in Rhizoma coptidis and it has widely been used for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. The aims of the study were to investigate the effects and mechanism of action of berberine on renal damage in diabetic rats. Diabetes and hyperglycaemia were induced in rats by a high-fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of 40 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ).

[Effects and mechanism of berberine on the hypertensive renal injury rats induced by enriched high fat-salt-fructose diet].

Objective: To study the effects of berberine on hypertensive renal injury model in rats fed by enriched high fat-salt-fructose diet .

Methods: hypertensive renal injury model was esteblished by feeding enriched high fat-salt-fructose diet for 8 weeks. On the basis of animal blood pressure, hypertensive rats were randomly divided into model group (10 rats, distilled water), captopril group (10 rats,25 mg/kg), berberine high dose group (10 rats, 300 mg/kg) and low dose group (10 rats, 100 mg/kg).