Histamine bidirectionally regulates the intrinsic excitability of parvalbumin-positive neurons in the lateral globus pallidus and promotes motor behaviour.

Background And Purpose: Parvalbumin (PV)-positive neurons are a type of neuron in the lateral globus pallidus (LGP) which plays an important role in motor control. The present study investigated the effect of histamine on LGP neurons and motor behaviour.

Experimental Approach: Histamine levels in LGP as well as its histaminergic innervation were determined through brain stimulation, microdialysis, anterograde tracing and immunostaining.

Receptor and Ionic Mechanism of Histamine on Mouse Dorsolateral Striatal Neurons.

The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is the critical neural substrate that plays a role in motor control and motor learning. Our past study revealed a direct histaminergic projection from the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) of the hypothalamus to the rat striatum. However, the afferent of histaminergic fibers in the mouse DLS, the effect of histamine on DLS neurons, and the underlying receptor and ionic mechanisms remain unclear.

Diversity-oriented synthesis of marine sponge derived hyrtioreticulins and their anti-inflammatory activities.

Diversity-oriented synthesis is aimed to increase the chemical diversity of target natural products for extensive biological activity evaluation. Indole ring is an important functional group in a large number of drugs and other biologically active agents, and indole-containing natural products have been frequently isolated from marine sources in recent years. In this paper, a series of indole-containing marine natural hyrtioreticulin derivatives, including 19 new ones, were designed, synthesized through a key Pictet-Spengler reaction, and evaluated for their inflammation related activity.

The biodegradation of cefuroxime, cefotaxime and cefpirome by the synthetic consortium with probiotic Bacillus clausii and investigation of their potential biodegradation pathways.

Cephalosporin residues in the environment are a great concern, but bioremediation options do exist. Bacillus clausii T reached a removal rate of 100% within 8 h when challenged with a mixture of cefuroxime (CFX), cefotaxime (CTX), and cefpirome (CPR). The co-culture of B.

The application of SVR model in the improvement of QbD: a case study of the extraction of podophyllotoxin.

In order to make a further optimization of process design via increasing the stability of design space, we brought in the model of Support Vector Regression (SVR). In this work, the extraction of podophyllotoxin was researched as a case study based on Quality by Design (QbD). We compared the fitting effect of SVR and the most used quadratic polynomial model (QPM) in QbD, and an analysis was made between the two design spaces obtained by SVR and QPM.

[Extraction Optimization of Rhizome of Curcuma longa by Response Surface Methodology and Support Vector Regression].

Objective: To optimize the optimal microwave-assisted extraction method of curcuminoids from Curcuma longa.

Methods: On the base of single factor experiment, the ethanol concentration, the ratio of liquid to solid and the microwave time were selected for further optimization. Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Central Composite Design-Response Surface Methodology (CCD) algorithm were utilized to design and establish models respectively, while Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) was introduced to optimize the parameters of SVR models and to search optimal points of models.

[Chromatographic Fingerprinting Study of Zhenyuan Granules Dry Extract by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS/MS].

Objective: To establish a novel, accurate and valid fingerprint method of Zhenyuan granules dry extract by using HPLC-DAD method, to study herbs belonging of fingerprint peaks and to identify some of the chromatographic peaks by HPLC-MS/MS analysis, for providing the basis for scientific evaluation of the quality.

Methods: The sample solutions were analyzed by an Agilent SB C18 (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 µm) column, and gradiently eluted with acetonitrile (containing 0.

Feature selection for the identification of antitumor compounds in the alcohol total extracts of Curcuma longa.

Antitumor activity has been reported for turmeric, the dried rhizome of Curcuma longa. This study proposes a new feature selection method for the identification of the antitumor compounds in turmeric total extracts. The chemical composition of turmeric total extracts was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (21 ingredients) and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (22 ingredients), and their cytotoxicity was detected through an 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay against HeLa cells.

A novel approach to active compounds identification based on support vector regression model and mean impact value.

Traditionally, active compounds were discovered from natural product extracts by bioassay-guided fractionation, which was with high cost and low efficiency. A well-trained support vector regression model based on mean impact value was used to identify lead active compounds on inhibiting the proliferation of the HeLa cells in curcuminoids from Curcuma longa L. Eight constituents possessing the high absolute mean impact value were identified to have significant cytotoxicity, and the cytotoxic effect of these constituents was partly confirmed by subsequent MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assays and previous reports.

Identification of antitumor constituents in curcuminoids from Curcuma longa L. based on the composition-activity relationship.

Using orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS), based on the Simca-p11.5 software, and canonical correlation analysis (CCA), performed on MatLab r2010 software, the correlation between curcuminoids extracted from Curcuma longa L. and the antitumor activity on HeLa cells was investigated to identify the significantly active constituents.

Adrenoreceptor-coupled signal-transduction mechanisms mediating lymphocyte apoptosis induced by endogenous catecholamines.

Our previous work has shown that lymphocytes synthesize catecholamines (CAs) and the endogenous CAs accelerate apoptosis of concanavalin A (Con A)-activated lymphocyte. Here, we explored the involvement of adrenoreceptors (ARs) and signal molecules coupled to the ARs in the endogenous CA-mediated modulation of lymphocyte apoptosis. Pargyline, an inhibitor of CA degradation, up-regulated the expression of cleaved caspase-3 protein and increased the number of apoptotic cells.

[Effect of the endogenous catecholamines synthesized by lymphocytes on T cell proliferation].

Aim: To provide further evidence for the synthesis of catecholamines (CAs) in lymphocytes and to investigate the effect of the endogenous CAs synthesized by lymphocytes on function of the lymphocytes themselves and the receptor mechanisms involved in the effect.

Methods: RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of TH mRNA in the lymphocytes from the mesenteric lymph nodes of rats. Different concentrations of pargyline, an inhibitor of monoamine oxydase, and antagonists of alpha1-, alpha2-, beta1-, and beta2-adrenergic receptor (AR) were added to the lymphocyte cultures, and then proliferative response of the lymphocytes to mitogen concanavalin A (Con A) were measured via methyl-thiazole-tetrazolium (MTT) assay.

[Stability of physical state on compound hawthorn dropping pills].

Objective: To evaluate the stability of physical state with accelerate test and dropping in process before and after on compound hawthorn dropping pills.

Method: Scanning electron microscope, TG-DTA, FT-IR and XRD were used.

Result: The active components presented amorphous, tiny crystal and molecular state in dropping pills, and it had no obvious reaction between PEG 4000 and active components.

Effect of endogenous catecholamines on apoptosis of Con A-activated lymphocytes of rats.

Our previous studies show that lymphocytes express tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and synthesize catecholamines (CAs) including dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine, and that the lymphocytes-derived endogenous CAs affect function of lymphocytes via autocrine/paracrine pathways. Over recent years, induction of apoptosis has been suggested to be a possible mechanism underlying the endogenous CAs-mediated lymphocyte proliferation, differentiation and activation. However, direct effect of the lymphocytes-synthesized CAs on lymphocyte apoptosis is less known.

Immunoregulatory role of endogenous catecholamines synthesized by immune cells.

It has been well known that catecholamines (CAs) in the body, including norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E) and dopamine (DA), are synthesized and secreted by neurons and endocrine cells and mainly modulate visceral activities such as cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive functions. The studies over the past nearly 30 years have shown that CAs can also regulate immune function. The immunomodulation of CAs is generally considered as a role mediating the regulation of nervous and endocrine systems.

[Effect of acetylcholine on the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells].

Aim: To investigate the effect of acetylcholine (ACh) on the cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells and to explore the receptor mechanisms involved in the effect.

Methods: The effector cells (i. e.

Effect of catecholamines on IL-2 production and NK cytotoxicity of rats in vitro.

Aim: To explore effects of exogenous and endogenous catecholamines on function of lymphocytes and primary mechanisms mediating the effects.

Methods: Splenocytes of rats were exposed to norepinephrine (NE), alpha- or beta-adrenoceptor antagonists plus NE, or alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (alpha-MT), and then concanavalin A (Con A)-induced interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity were determined by MTT assay and LDH assay, respectively.

Results: Optical density (OD) values of NE-treated groups, which reflected IL-2 production, were 0.

Inhibitor studies of isopentenyl pyrophosphate biosynthesis in suspension cultures of the yew Taxus chinensis var. mairei.

Some metabolic inhibitors, mevastatin (MVS), chlorocholine chloride (CCC), sodium pyrophosphate (NaPP) and D,L-glyceraldehyde (DLG), were respectively added into the suspension cultures of the yew Taxus chinensis var. mairei at the late phase of cell growth to study isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) biosynthesis. The content of total taxanes decreased in the cases of MVS, NaPP and DLG addition, regardless of the inhibitor concentration, whereas it increased in the case of CCC addition.