Isolation and Culture of Primary Neurons and Glia from Adult Rat Urinary Bladder

The lower urinary tract has two main functions, namely, periodic urine storage and micturition; these functions are mediated through central and ...

Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine

To study the efficacy and mechanism of Weiyangning pills against experimental gastric ulcer.

[Study on efficacy and mechanism of weiyangning pills against experimental gastric ulcer].

Suo Quan Wan (SQW) is a Chinese traditional prescription that has been used in clinical treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms for centuries. However, scientific basis of SQW efficacy and mechanism is still needed. This study investigated the effect of SQW on bladder function and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) expression in the bladder of rats with bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). The induced changes in bladder function in overactive bladder (OAB) rat model were observed following different periods of outlet obstruction to obtain an appropriate rat model.

Effect of the Chinese traditional prescription Suo Quan Wan on TRPV1 expression in the bladder of rats with bladder outlet obstruction.

Suo Quan Wan (SQW) has been used to treat lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in elderly patients for hundreds of years in China. β-adrenoceptors (β-ARs), particularly β-adrenoceptor (β-AR), was reported to be important in the bladder dysfunction of the elderly. The present study was conducted to explore the effect of β-AR, and particularly the β-adrenoceptor, in aging rat bladder function  and to test the therapeutic effect of SQW on LUTS in an aging rat model based on the β-adrenoceptor. Briefly, the bladder detrusor muscles of young (age, 3 months) and aging (age, 15 months) female rats were separated. A β-AR non-selective agonist, isoprenaline (ISO), subtype β-AR agonist (BRL37344A) and β-AR antagonist (SR59230A) were used to define the tension change of detrusor muscles between young and aging rats . For blank controls, 12 young rats were marked, and 48 aging female rats were randomly divided into four groups as follows: Model, SQW high, SQW middle and SQW low. Following oral administration of SQW for 6 weeks in aging rats, urodynamic and bladder detrusor tests were used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of SQW. The expression of β-AR mRNA was investigated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Using ISO and BRL37344A , maximum relaxation (E), intrinsic activity (IA), and log (50% effective concentration) (PD) were significantly decreased in aging rats compared with that in young rats (P<0.05). Significant changes were also observed in the β-AR antagonist experiment, which blocked ISO-induced relaxation, with significant decreases observed in E, IA and PD, and a significant increase observed in PA for the aging rats compared with the young controls (P<0.05). SQW was demonstrated to enhance bladder control, storage and contraction ability. Furthermore, SQW was able to increase the sensitivity and expression of β-AR in an aging rat. In conclusion, the decrease in β-AR sensitivity in aging rats and the expression resulted in bladder detrusor dysfunction. In addition, the therapeutic effect of SQW against LUTS relies on the former's effect on the urethral sphincter, bladder detrusor and β-AR.

Effect of Suo Quan Wan on the bladder function of aging rats based on the β-adrenoceptor.

To investigate the effect of patchouli alcohol on inhibiting Helicobater pylori urease activity, and its effect on expression levels of related genes, and lay the foundation for further research on the effect of patchouli alcohol on H. pylori colonization and infection. H. pyloriwas cultured and identified by gram staining, rapid urease test (RUT) and PCR method. Then agar dilution method was used to detect the bacterial survival after 1 h intervention by different concentrations of patchouli alcoholin the acidic (pH 5.3) and neutral (pH 7.0) conditions; berthelot method was used to detect urease activity and RT-qPCR method was used to detect the expression changes of ureA, ureB, ureE, ureH, ureI, and nixA related urease genes. The results showed that the survival rate of H. pyloriwas not significantly changed but the urease activity was obviously decreased after intervention by different concentrations of patchouli alcohol; meanwhile, the expression levels of ureA, ureB, ureE, ureH, ureI, and nixA were decreased to different degrees. Therefore, patchouli alcohol could inhibit H. pylori urease activity in both acidic and neutral conditions, and the mechanism may be related to down-regulation of urease gene expression.

[Mechanism of anti-Helicobacter pylori urease activity of patchouli alcohol].

Suo Quan pill(SQP), a well-known and classical traditional Chinese medicine compound, consists of three traditional Chinese medicine: Alpinia oxyphylla Miq., Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm., Dioscorea opposite. Its effect was summarized as supplementing kidney-yang and shrinkaging urination. This study evaluated the effects of the serum of rats treated with Suo Quan pill on embryonic stem cells(ES cells). Cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis of ES cells were evaluated with flow cytometry. Nanog mRNA expression was verified by fluorescence quantitative PCR and Nanog protein in ES cells was determined by Western blot. The serum of SQP-treated rats not only promoted ES cells proliferation and Nanog expression in ES cells, but also inhibited H202 stimulated cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the serum of rats containing SQP affected the cell cycle distribution of ES cells, reducing the percentage of cells in G0/G1phase and increasing the percentage of cells in G2/M phase, increasing the proliferation index of ES cells. These results illustrate that the enhanced effect of SQP on ES cells proliferation is in part due to the increased expression of Nanog in ES cells, the accelerated cell cycle period and the inhibited apoptosis of ES cells.

Effect of the serum of rats treated with Suo Quan pill on embryonic stem cells.

To elucidate the mechanism of patchouli alcohol (PA) in treatment of rat models of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).

Inhibitory effects of patchouli alcohol on stress-induced diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

Hepatic fibrosis is the main pathological basis for chronic cirrhosis, and activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary cells involved in liver fibrosis. Our study analyzed anti-fibrosis long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in activated human HSCs (hHSCs). We performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and bioinformatics analysis to determine whether lncRNA expression profile changes between hHSCs activation and quiescence. Eight differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and three pairs of co-expression lncRNAs-mRNAs were verified by quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). A total of 34146 DE lncRNAs were identified in this study. Via gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, we found several DE lncRNAs regulated hHSC activation by participating in DNA bending/packaging complex, growth factor binding and the Hippo signaling pathway ( < 0.05). With lncRNA-mRNA co-expression analysis, three lncRNAs were identified to be associated with connective tissue growth factor (), fibroblast growth factor 2 () and netrin-4 (). The quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) results of the eight DE lncRNAs and three pairs of co-expression lncRNAs-mRNAs were consistent with the RNA-seq data and previous reports. Several lncRNAs may serve as potential targets to reverse the progression of liver fibrosis. This study provides a first insight into lncRNA expression profile changes associated with activated human HSCs.

Key Anti-Fibrosis Associated Long Noncoding RNAs Identified in Human Hepatic Stellate Cell via Transcriptome Sequencing Analysis.

Patchouli alcohol (PA), a natural tricyclic sesquiterpene extracted from  (Blanco) Benth. (Labiatae), has been found to exhibit anti- and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of PA against induced gastritis  and , and determined the underlying mechanism. In the  experiment, a C57BL/6 mouse model of gastritis was established using  SS1, and treatments with standard triple therapy or 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg PA were performed for 2 weeks. Results indicated that PA effectively attenuated oxidative stress by decreasing contents of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malonyldialdehyde (MDA), and increasing levels of non-protein sulfhydryl (NP-SH), catalase and glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulphide (GSSG). Additionally, treatment with PA significantly attenuated the secretions of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), keratinocyte chemoattractant and interleukin 6 (IL-6). PA (20 mg/kg) significantly protected the gastric mucosa from -induced damage. In the  experiment, GES-1 cells were cocultured with  NCTC11637 at MOI = 100:1 and treated with different doses of PA (5, 10, and 20 μg/ml). Results indicated that PA not only significantly increased the cell viability and decreased cellular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, but also markedly elevated the mitochondrial membrane potential and remarkably attenuated GES-1 cellular apoptosis, thereby protecting gastric epithelial cells against injuries caused by . PA also inhibited the secretions of pro-inflammatory factors, such as monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-6. Furthermore, after PA treatment, the combination of NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) and cysteine-aspartic proteases 1 (CASPASE-1), the expression levels of NLRP3 inflammasome-related proteins, such as thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), pro-CASPASE-1, cle-CASPASE-1, and NLRP3 and genes ( and ) were significantly decreased as compared to the model group. In conclusion, treatment with PA for 2 weeks exhibited highly efficient protective effect against -induced gastritis and related damages. The underlying mechanism might involve antioxidant activity, inhibition of pro-inflammatory factor and regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome function. PA exerted anti- and anti-gastritis effects and thus had the potential to be a promising candidate for treatment of -related diseases.

Unraveling the Novel Protective Effect of Patchouli Alcohol Against -Induced Gastritis: Insights Into the Molecular Mechanism  and .

Neutrophil infiltration typically occurs in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-induced acute gastritis; however, this immune response fails to eradicate H. pylori in vivo. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are generated by neutrophils, cause severe damage to gastric mucosa. Patchouli alcohol (PA) has been reported to have effective anti-oxidative and anti-H. pylori activities, and we investigated its effects on H. pylori-induced neutrophil recruitment and activation in this research. In neutrophil recruitment experiment, H. pylori was injected into rat air pouch to explore the effects of PA (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) on acute inflammatory response. The results revealed that PA significantly reduced the weight of exudate and the number of neutrophils in the air pouch. Meanwhile, remarkable decrements in TNF-α and IL-8 levels in exudates were observed. In neutrophil activation experiment, rat neutrophils were isolated and activated by using 50 μg/mL H. pylori water-soluble surface protein with or without the treatment of PA (5, 10 or 20 μmol/L). Results indicated that PA not only significantly inhibited the production of ROS, but also reduced the gene and protein expressions of p22/p47-phoxes, and the binding of p22/p47-phoxes. Furthermore, the influence of PA on the neutrophil activation genes of H. pylori (h-nap and sabA) was investigated, and the results showed that expressions of h-nap and sabA were remarkably decreased after PA treatment. In conclusion, PA reduced the recruitment and activation of neutrophils induced by H. pylori, as shown by its inhibition of pro-inflammatory factor generation, p22/p47-phoxes function and H. pylori neutrophil activation-related gene expression.

Effect of patchouli alcohol on Helicobacter pylori-induced neutrophil recruitment and activation.

Diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD) is one of the most common and bothersome complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). This study aimed to investigate the functional, structural, and molecular changes of the bladder at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks after DM induction by streptozotocin (STZ) in male C57BL/6 mice.

Time-dependent functional, morphological, and molecular changes in diabetic bladder dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

 To investigate the effects of Suo Quan Wan (SQW), a traditional Chinese herbal formula, on the overactive bladder (OAB) of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mouse models, particularly on its function of mediating the gene and protein expression levels of myosin Va and SLC17A9.  After 4 weeks high-fat diet (HFD) feeding, C57BL/6J mice were injected with streptozotocin (100 mg/kg) for four times. After 3 weeks, the diabetic mice were treated with SQW for another 3 weeks. Voided stain on paper assay, fasting blood glucose (FBG) test, and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were conducted. Urodynamic test, tension test [α,β-methylene ATP, electrical-field stimulation (EFS), KCl, and carbachol] and histomorphometry were also performed. Western blot analysis and qPCR assays were used to quantify the expression levels of myosin Va and SLC17A9.  The diabetic mice exhibited decreased weight but increased water intake, urine production, FBG, and OGTT. No significant changes were observed after 3 weeks SQW treatment. Urodynamic test indicated that the non-voiding contraction (NVC) frequency, maximum bladder capacity (MBC), residual volume (RV), and bladder compliance (BC) were remarkably increased in the diabetic mice, whereas the voided efficiency (VE) was decreased as a feature of overactivity. Compared with the model mice, SQW treatment significantly improved urodynamic urination with decreased NVC, MBC, RV, and BC, and increased VE. Histomorphometry results showed that the bladder wall of the diabetic mice thickened, and SQW effectively attenuated the pathological alterations. The contract responses of bladder strips to all stimulators were higher in the DSM strips of diabetic mice, whereas SQW treatment markedly decreased the contraction response for all stimuli. Moreover, the protein and gene expression levels of myosin Va and SLC17A9 were up-regulated in the bladders of diabetic mice, but SQW treatment restored such alterations.  T2DM mice exhibited the early phase of diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD) characterized by OAB and bladder dysfunction. SQW can improve the bladder storage and micturition of DBD mice by mediating the protein and gene expression levels of myosin Va and SLC17A9 in the bladder, instead of improving the blood glucose level.

Hong-ying Cao

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Dongguan & Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Cooperative Academy of Mathematical Engineering for Chinese Medicine

Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine

Isolation and Culture of Primary Neurons and Glia from Adult Rat Urinary Bladder

Hong-ying Cao

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,Dongguan & Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Cooperative Academy of Mathematical Engineering for Chinese Medicine

Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine

Isolation and Culture of Primary Neurons and Glia from Adult Rat Urinary Bladder

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Dongguan & Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Cooperative Academy of Mathematical Engineering for Chinese Medicine