Early CALP2 expression and microglial activation are potential inducers of spinal IL-6 up-regulation and bilateral pain following motor nerve injury.

Previous work from our laboratory showed that motor nerve injury by lumbar 5 ventral root transection (L5-VRT) led to interleukin-6 (IL-6) over-expression in bilateral spinal cord, and that intrathecal administration of IL-6 neutralizing antibody delayed the induction of mechanical allodynia in bilateral hind paws. However, early events and upstream mechanisms underlying spinal IL-6 expression following L5-VRT require elucidation. The model of L5-VRT was used to induce neuropathic pain, which was assessed with von Frey hairs and the plantar tester in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Calpain-2 contributes to neuropathic pain following motor nerve injury via up-regulating interleukin-6 in DRG neurons.

Motor nerve injury by L5 ventral root transection (L5-VRT) initiates interleukin-6 (IL-6) up-regulation in primary afferent system contributing to neuropathic pain. However, the early upstream regulatory mechanisms of IL-6 after L5-VRT are still unknown. Here, we monitored both the activity of calpain, a calcium-dependent protease suggested as one of the earliest mediators for cytokine regulation, and the expression of IL-6 in bilateral L4-L6 dorsal root ganglias (DRGs) soon after L5-VRT.

The up-regulation of IL-6 in DRG and spinal dorsal horn contributes to neuropathic pain following L5 ventral root transection.

Our previous works have shown that pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays an important role in neuropathic pain produced by lumber 5 ventral root transection (L5-VRT). In the present work we evaluate the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6), another key inflammatory cytokine, in the L5-VRT model. We found that IL-6 was up-regulated in the ipsilateral L4 and L5 dorsal root ganglian (DRG) neurons and in bilateral lumbar spinal cord following L5-VRT.

Activation of p38 signaling in the microglia in the nucleus accumbens contributes to the acquisition and maintenance of morphine-induced conditioned place preference.

Several lines of evidence have suggested that activated glia contributes to morphine-induced reward (conditioned place preference, CPP). Compared to well-defined roles of astrocyte in morphine CPP, the role of microglia in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) remains poorly characterized. The aim of the present study was to investigate the distinct role of microglia in morphine-induced CPP.

[Role of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in reduction of graft-versus-host disease by effecting CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in rats].

The study was purposed to investigate the effects and mechanism of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on graft-versus-host desease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The model of GVHD in rat had been established by allo-HSCT with donor derived T cells. The occurence of GVHD in recipients was observed in condition with or without donor derived MSC co-transplantation.

The effects and the mechanism of YSEC-CM on the growth of yolk sac hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells.

To explore the distinct background of bone marrow and embryonic yolk sac hematopoiesis performance, serum free murine yolk sac endothelial cell and bone marrow endothelial cell conditioned medium were compared for their effects on the development profiles of yolk sac hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. The mRNAs expression techniques were applied to understand the cytokine and receptor genes expression and the possible mechanisms. The results suggested that the differential gene expressions were existed between the hematopoietic cells of yolk sac and bone marrow and between the microenvironment of yolk sac and bone marrow.

[Analysis of the different effects of murine bone marrow endothelial cell conditioned medium on the growth of embryonic and adult hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in vitro].

In the present study, the effects of murine bone marrow endothelial cell conditioned medium (mBMEC-CM) on the growth of yolk sac and bone marrow hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) were investigated. Nonadherent cells of yolk sac and bone marrow were collected for semisolid culture assay of CFU-GM and HPP-CFC after being cultured in DMEM with 10% FBS, 10% mBMEC-CM and/or FL (5 ng/ml), TPO (2 ng/ml) for 24 hours. The number of CFU-GM and HPP-CFC was counted by day 7 and 14 respectively.

[Osteogenic differentiation of murine yolk sac mesenchymal stem cells in vitro].

Objective: To investigate the potential of yolk sac mesenchymal stem cells in osteogenic differentiation.

Methods: Murine yolk sacs were harvested on day 8.5 postcoitus, yolk sac cells were obtained after the yolk sacs were digested by 0.

[Effects of murine bone marrow endothelial cell conditioned medium on the growth of yolk sac hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors].

Objective: To investigate the effects of murine bone marrow endothelial cell conditioned medium (mBMEC-CM) on the growth of yolk sac hematopoietic progenitors.

Methods: The serum-free mBMEC-CM was obtained from subcultures of murine endothelial cell line derived from bone marrow which was established in our laboratory. The murine yolk sacs were harvested on day 8.