Chemical Composition of the Fatty Oil from Fructus Broussonetiae and Its Effects on Rat Plasma Lipids and Adipose Tissue

Context: Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent. (Moraceae), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, has been extensively applied for many years to treat various diseases. Its fruits (Fructus Broussonetiae) have been commonly used as an important tonic for the treatment of age-related disorders with long history;recent research has proved that it contains 32% to 35% fixed oils. The fixed oil is composed mainly of unsaturated fatty acids, including linoleic acid, methyl palmitate, oleic acid and linoleic acid ester. Objective: To investigate the chemistry of the fatty oil from Fructus Broussonetiae (FOFB) and its effects on plasma lipids. Methods: The chemical composition of FOFB was examined and identified by GC-MS. Thirty male Wistar rats fed diet containing FOFB and cholesterol were studied for 28 days. The effect of dietary FOFB on plasma lipids and adipose tissue was tested. Results: Twelve compounds of FOFB were examined and identified, the major components of fatty oil, 8,11-octadecadienoic acid (83.75%), palmitic acid (10.22%), octadecadienoic acid (2.97%) and 9-octadecenoic acid (1.69%) were found. FOFB significantly exhibited the activities of decreasing the rat adipose tissue weight, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations while the rat body weight remained unchanged. Discussion: FOFB contained a large amount of PUFA which had the effect on reducing plasma lipids and adipose.

Protection of the liver against CCl_4-induced injury by intramuscular electrotransfer of a kallistatin-encoding plasmid

AIM:To investigate the effect of transgenic expression of kallistatin(Kal) on carbon tetrachloride(CCl 4)induced liver injury by intramuscular(im) electrotransfer of a Kal-encoding plasmid formulated with poly-Lglutamate(PLG).METHODS:The pKal plasmid encoding Kal gene was formulated with PLG and electrotransferred into mice skeletal muscle before the administration of CCl 4.The expression level of Kal was measured.The serum biomarker levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),malonyldialdehyde(MDA),and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α were monitored.The extent of CCl 4-induced liver injury was analyzed histopathologically.RESULTS:The transgene of Kal was sufficiently expressed after an im injection of plasmid formulated with PLG followed by electroporation.In the Kal gene-transferred mice,protection against CCl 4-induced liver injury was reflected by significantly decreased serum ALT,AST,MDA and TNF-α levels compared to those in control mice(P < 0.01 to 0.05 in a dose-dependent manner).Histological observations also revealed that hepatocyte necrosis,hemorrhage,vacuolar change and hydropic degeneration were apparent in mice after CCl 4 administration.In contrast,the damage was markedly attenuated in the Kal gene-transferred mice.The expression of hepatic fibrogenesis marker transforming growth factor-β1 was also reduced in the pKal transferred mice.CONCLUSION:Intramuscular electrotransfer of plasmid pKal which was formulated with PLG significantly alleviated the CCl 4-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory response,and reduced the liver damage in a mouse model.