Neuroprotective effect of Da Chuanxiong Formula against cognitive and motor deficits in a rat controlled cortical impact model of traumatic brain injury.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Da Chuanxiong Formula (DCXF) is one of the famous herb pairs that contains dried rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. and Gastrodia elata Bl. in the mass ratio of 4:1.

A traditional Chinese formula composed of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Gastrodiae Rhizoma (Da Chuanxiong Formula) suppresses inflammatory response in LPS -induced RAW 264.7 cells through inhibition of NF-κB pathway.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Da Chuanxiong Formula (DCXF) which origins from Jin Dynasty is a famous classical 2-herb Chinese medicinal prescription. It is composed of dried rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong (Chuanxiong Rhizoma, CR) and Gastrodia elata (Gastrodiae Rhizoma, GR) at the ratio of 4:1 (w/w). It has been used to treat headache which is caused by wind pathogen and blood stasis for thousands of years in China.

In vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory effects of Zao-Jiao-Ci (the spine of Gleditsia sinensis Lam.) aqueous extract and its mechanisms of action.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Zao-Jiao-Ci (ZJC), as the spine of Chinese Honey locust (Gleditsia sinensis Lam.), is traditionally used as Chinese medicine to reduce inflammation.

Aim Of The Study: The present study aimed to investigate an anti-inflammatory effect of ZJC aqueous extract both in vitro and in vivo, as well as its underlying mechanisms.

Seropharmacological study on osteogenic effects of post-absorption ingredients of an osteoprotective herbal formula.

Objective: To further investigate the {ptin vitro} effects of an osteoprotective herbal formula "ELP" (Herba Epimedii, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi and Fructus Psoraleae) using seropharmacological approach.

Methods: Rats were fed with ELP or its individual component herbs for 2 days. The serum containing the postabsorbed ingredients of the herbal items were collected for cell culture using UMR106 cell, RAW264.

Combined therapy using bevacizumab and turmeric ethanolic extract (with absorbable curcumin) exhibited beneficial efficacy in colon cancer mice.

Turmeric is commonly used as a medicinal herb and dietary supplement. Its active ingredient, curcumin, has been shown to possess antitumor effects in colorectal cancer patients. However, poor absorption of curcumin in intestine impedes its wide clinical application.

Multitargeted combination effects of a triherbal formulation containing ELP against osteoporosis: in vitro evidence.

Objectives: An anti-osteoporotic herbal formula ELP containing Epimedii Herba (E), Ligustri Lucidi Fructus (L) and Psoraleae Fructus (P) was studied to investigate the herb-herb interaction (or the possible synergistic effect) among each component and to identify the principal herbs in different modes of action.

Methods: Rat osteoblast-like UMR-106 cells proliferation, rat MSCs-derived osteoblastogenesis and RANKL-induced RAW 264.7 osteoclastogenesis were adopted to investigate the bone-forming activity and bone-degrading activity of the herbal extracts.

The aqueous extract of rhizome of Gastrodia elata Blume attenuates locomotor defect and inflammation after traumatic brain injury in rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has an incident rate of 200-300 people per 100,000 annually in the developed countries. TBI has relatively high incidence at an early age and may cause long-term physical disability. Patients suffered from severe TBI would have motor and neuropsychological malfunctions, affecting their daily activities.

Cocoa tea (Camellia ptilophylla) water extract inhibits adipocyte differentiation in mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

Cocoa tea (Camellia ptilophylla) is a naturally decaffeinated tea plant. Previously we found that cocoa tea demonstrated a beneficial effect against high-fat diet induced obesity, hepatic steatosis, and hyperlipidemia in mice. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-adipogenic effect of cocoa tea in vitro using preadipocytes 3T3-L1.

Identification of Target Genes Involved in Wound Healing Angiogenesis of Endothelial Cells with the Treatment of a Chinese 2-Herb Formula.

Angiogenesis is vitally important in diabetic wound healing. We had previously demonstrated that a Chinese 2-herb formula (NF3) significantly stimulated angiogenesis of HUVEC in wound healing. However, the molecular mechanism has not yet been elucidated.

Characteristics of stem cells derived from rat fascia: in vitro proliferative and multilineage potential assessment.

Fascia‑derived stem cells (FDSCs) were previously isolated from the fascia of the gluteus maximus of the rat. However, the use of FDSCs as a cell source for musculoskeletal tissue engineering has not been compared with that of adipose‑derived stem cells (ADSCs) and bone marrow‑derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and self‑renewal stem cell markers, proliferative capacity and multilineage differentiation potential of these stem cells in vitro.

Er-Miao-San, a traditional herbal formula containing Rhizoma Atractylodis and Cortex Phellodendri inhibits inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages through inhibition of NF-κB pathway and MAPKs activation.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Er-Miao-San (EMS) is a traditional Chinese herbal formulation that contains combinations of Rhizoma Atractylodis (RA) and Cortex Phellodendri (CP). It exhibits analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities and have been used for the treatment of various "Bi Zheng" for thousand years in China. The aims of the present study were to investigate the anti-inflammatory activities of EMS and elucidate the underlying mechanisms with regard to its molecular basis of action for the best combination.

Application of Chinese herbal medicines to revitalize adult stem cells for tissue regeneration.

It has been established in the recent several decades that adult stem cells play a crucial role in tissue renewal and regeneration. Adult stem cells locate in certain organs can differentiate into functional entities such as macrophages and bone cells. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are two of the most important populations of adult stem cells.

In Vivo Study on the Pharmacological Interactions between a Chinese Herbal Formula ELP and Antiresorptive Drugs to Counteract Osteoporosis.

Antiresorptive drugs, alendronate and raloxifene, are effective in lowering bone mineral density (BMD) loss in postmenopausal women. However, long-term treatment may be associated with serious side effects. Our research group has recently discovered that a Chinese herbal formula, ELP, could significantly reduce BMD loss in animal and human studies.

Computerized quantification of bone tissue and marrow in stained microscopic images.

Stained histological images assist physicians to identify different types of tissues or cells and their architectures. They can be applied on the diagnosis of various diseases and the assessment of treatment effects. Osteoporosis is an aging disease that reduces the density of bones and increases the risk of bone fracture.

MR T1ρ as an imaging biomarker for monitoring liver injury progression and regression: an experimental study in rats with carbon tetrachloride intoxication.

Objectives: Recently it was shown that the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1ρ value increased with the severity of liver fibrosis in rats with bile duct ligation. Using a rat carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) liver injury model, this study further investigated the merit of T1ρ relaxation for liver fibrosis evaluation.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats received intraperitoneal injection of 2 ml/kg CCl(4) twice weekly for up to 6 weeks.

The effects of an antiosteoporosis herbal formula containing epimedii herba, ligustri lucidi fructus and psoraleae fructus on density and structure of rat long bones under tail-suspension, and its mechanisms of action.

An innovative anti-osteoporosis herbal formula containing epimedii herba, ligustri lucidi fructus and psoraleae fructus (ELP) has been previously shown its bone protecting effects in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats and also in post-menopausal osteopenic women. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of ELP against bone loss during physical inactivity or weightlessness. A hindlimb unloading tail-suspended rat model was used for studying the effects of ELP on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone micro-architecture.

Organic nitrate maintains bone marrow blood perfusion in ovariectomized female rats: a dynamic, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study.

This study investigated the effects of nitrate on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone marrow perfusion in ovariectomized (OVX) female rats, and also the effects of nitrate on in vitro osteoblastic activity and osteoclastic differentiation of murine monocyte/ macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into OVX + nitrate group (isosorbide-5-mononitrate, ISM, 150 mg/kg/ day b.

Pro-bone and antifat effects of green tea and its polyphenol, epigallocatechin, in rat mesenchymal stem cells in vitro.

Green tea has been demonstrated recently as a potent bone supportive agent. Our previous studies showed that green tea and its polyphenolic constituents can promote bone-forming osteoblast activities and inhibit the bone-resorpting osteoclast formation. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether green tea and its components can regulate the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation in pluripotent rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

Inflammatory tumour microenvironment is associated with superior survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy with few treatment options. As the status of the tumour immune microenvironment can affect progression of established tumours, we evaluated potential immune mechanisms associated with survival in HCC.

Methods: Immune gene expression profiles were analyzed in tumour and non-tumour liver tissues from resected HCC patients using quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry.

MAD2 expression and its significance in mitotic checkpoint control in testicular germ cell tumour.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a common characteristic in testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT). A functional mitotic checkpoint control is important for accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis. Mitotic arrest deficient 2 (MAD2) is a key component of this checkpoint and inactivation of MAD2 is correlated with checkpoint impairment.

Epstein-Barr virus infection alters cellular signal cascades in human nasopharyngeal epithelial cells.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection is a critical event in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumorigenesis. EBV-encoded genes have been shown to be involved in immune evasion and in the regulation of various cellular signaling cascades. To elucidate the roles of EBV in NPC development, stable infection of EBV in nasopharyngeal epithelial cell lines was established.

Stable expression of EBERs in immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cells confers resistance to apoptotic stress.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is closely associated with the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The EBV-encoded RNAs (EBERs) are the most abundant EBV transcripts (about 10(7) copies per cell) in EBV infected cells. However, the cellular function of EBER expression, particularly in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells, remains poorly understood.

Establishment and characterization of a human first-trimester extravillous trophoblast cell line (TEV-1).

Objective: Research into the biology of human trophoblast invasion has been hampered by a lack of in vitro models. The aim of this study was to establish and characterize a human extravillous trophoblast cell line from the first-trimester placenta.

Methods: Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6/E7 genes were stably expressed in primary cultures of first-trimester placenta via a retroviral vector (pLXSN-E6/E7).

MAD2-induced sensitization to vincristine is associated with mitotic arrest and Raf/Bcl-2 phosphorylation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Mitotic arrest deficient 2 (MAD2) is thought to be a key component of the mitotic checkpoint, which ensures accurate chromosome segregation. Reduced expression of MAD2 protein is associated with mitotic checkpoint abrogation and chromosomal instability in certain types of human cancers. To explore the possibility of developing a novel strategy for the treatment of cancer based on selective killing of mitotic checkpoint-defective or -competent cells, here we have investigated the effect of MAD2 expression on cellular sensitivity to checkpoint-targeting anticancer drugs.

Loss of heterozygosity and mutations are the major mechanisms of RB1 gene inactivation in Chinese with sporadic retinoblastoma.

We investigated sequence alternation, promoter methylation, and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the RB1 gene as possible mechanisms of its inactivation in retinoblastoma. In 42 Chinese patients with sporadic retinoblastoma, the promoter and entire coding region of RB1 were examined for sequence changes. Status of methylation of the CpG-rich island at the 5'end was determined by methylation specific PCR assay.