[Study on effects of baicalin, berberine and Astragalus polysaccharides and their combinative effects on aldose reductase in vitro].

Objective: To observe the activities of baicalin, berberine and Astragalus polysaccharides and their combinative effects on aldose reductase (AR) by a screening model of aldose reductase inhibitor (ARI) in vitro.

Methods: The inhibition of AR by baicalin, berberine and Astragalus polysaccharides and positive drug (Epalrestat) in different concentrations were evaluated, and their combinative effects were studied according to orthogonal t design.

Results: Baicalin and berberine had remarkable inhibitory effects on AR, the inhibitory rates were (88.

[Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of acidic fraction of Pheratima extract in asthma mice induced by ovalbumin].

Objective: To explore the effects of acidic fraction of Pheratima extract in an ovalbumin (OVA) induced asthma mouse model, and to provide the experimental evidences for the anti-asthmatic application of Pheratima extract with further purification and development.

Method: Mice model of allergic asthma was established through the OVA challenge. To investigate the inflammatory cell level and Th1/Th2 levels as well as the therapeutic effects of acidic fraction from Pheratima extract, cell count of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was performed to evaluate the secretion of eosinophils (EOS) cells, and IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IFN-y levels were detected by ELISA.

In situ STM studies of electrochemical growth of nanostructured Ni films and their anomalous IR properties.

We have extended the study of anomalous IR properties, which were initially discovered on nanostructured films of platinum group metals and alloys, to nanostructured films of nickel, a member of the iron group triad, and broadened the fundamental knowledge on this subject. Nanostructured thin films of nickel supported on glassy carbon [nm-Ni/GC(n)] were prepared by electrochemical deposition under cyclic voltammetric conditions, and the thickness of films was altered systematically by varying the number (n) of potential cycling within a defined potential range for electrodeposition. Electrochemical in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was employed to monitor the electrochemical growth of nanostructured Ni films.