Hyperbaric Oxygen and Ginkgo Biloba Extract Ameliorate Cognitive and Memory Impairment via Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Pathway in Rat Model of Alzheimer＇s Disease

Background： Hyperbaric oxygen （HBO） and Ginkgo biloba extract （e.g., EGB 761） were shown to ameliorate cognitive and memory impairment in Alzheimcr＇s disease （AD）. However, the exact mechanism remains elusive. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible mechanisms of HBO and EGB 761 via the function of nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB） pathway. Methods： AD rats were induced by injecting β-amyloid 25-35 into the hippocampus. All animals were divided into six groups： Normal. sham. AD model, HBO （2 atmosphere absolute： 60 min/d）, EGB 761 （20 mg·kg^-1 ·d ^-1）, and HBO/EGB 761 groups. Morris water maze tests were used to assess cognitive, and memory capacities of rats： TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling staining and Western blotting were used to analyze apoptosis and NF-κB pathway-related proteins in hippocampus tissues. Results： Morris water maze tests revealed that EGB 761 and HBO significantly improved the cognitive and memory ability of AD rats. In addition, the protective effect of combinational therapy （HBO/EGB 761 ） was superior to either HBO or EGB 761 alone. In line. redticed apoptosis with NF-κB pathway activation was observed in hippocampus neurons treated by HBO and EGB 761. Conclusions： Our results suggested that HBO and EGB 761 improve cognitive and memory capacity in a rat model of AD. The protective effects are associated with the reduced apoptosis with NF-κB pathway activation in hippocampus neurons.

Cloning and Expressional Studies of the Voltage-dependent Anion Channel Gene from Brassica rapa L.

The voltage-dependent anion channel （VDAC） plays an essential role in the permeability of mltochondrial membrane. In the present study, we isolated a novel VDAC gene （brvdac） based on the assembly of expressed sequence tag sequences from Brassica rapa L. and explored its differential expression patterns In growth, tissues, abiotlc stress, and stress recovery. Results of a tissue-specific expression study in young seedlings Indicated that, of all tissues tested, brvdac expression was the highest in the leaves. Under cold, drought, and salt stresses, brvdac expression showed a transient Increase, and then returned to normal levels when the stress was removed. When plants were exposed to heat shock, there was no Increase in brvdac expression, whereas during recovery a quick and considerable increase in expression was observed. These observations indicate that dissimilar modulations of brvdactranscription may occur when plant cells encounter heat shock and the other three types of stress. In addition, phylogenetic analysis Implied that an earlier duplication of vdac probably occurred before the divergence between monocotyledons and dicotyledons.

Brassica napus L. Homeodomain Leucine-Zipper Gene BnHB6 Responds to Abiotic and Biotic Stresses

A homeodomain leucine-zipper （HD-Zip） gene BnHB6 （GenBank accession No. AY336103） was isolated from oilseed rape （Brassica napus L.） following drought treatment through rapid amplification of cDNA ends （RACE）. The full-length cDNA of BnHB6 was 1 611 bp and contained a 936-bp open reading frame encoding 311 amino acids. Sequence analysis indicated that BnHB6 belonged to the HD-Zip I subfamily. High-stringency Southern boltting analysis showed that BnHB6 appeared in rape as a single copy but had homologous genes. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） analysis revealed that BnHB6 was expressed in several tissues tested under control conditions, but that expression was significantly upregulated in shoots by mannitol, NaCI, cold treatment, anaerobic culture, wounding, H2O2, abscisic acid （ABA）, and salicylic acid （SA） treatments, but not by ultraviolet treatment. Further RT- PCR analysis revealed that BnHB6 was a late-responsive gene, the expression of which was not activated by NaCI, cold treatment, H2O2, ABA, and SA at an early time point （20 min） of treatment in the shoot. However, after a certain period of treatment, the induced expression culminated and then declined until the next peak occurred. Tissue-specific analysis revealed that BnHB6 was expressed at certain levels in the roots, shoots, and flowers, and the roots were found to respond to the osmotic stimuli more rapidly than shoots to increase the expression of BnHB6. The present study implies that BnHB6 plays a positive role as a regulator of biotic and abiotic stresses on growth during seedling establishment.

Molecular cloning, characterization, and promoter analysis of the isochorismate synthase （AalCS1） gene from Artemisia annua

Isochorismate synthase(ICS) is a crucial enzyme in the salicylic acid(SA) synthesis pathway. The full-length complementary DNA(cDNA) sequence of the ICS gene was isolated from Artemisia annua L. The gene, named AaICS1, contained a 1710-bp open reading frame, which encoded a protein with 570 amino acids. Bioinformatics and comparative study revealed that the polypeptide protein of AaICS1 had high homology with ICSs from other plant species. Southern blot analysis suggested that AaICS1 might be a single-copy gene. Analysis of the 1470-bp promoter of AaICS1 identified distinct cis-acting regulatory elements, including TC-rich repeats, MYB binding site(MBS), and TCA-elements. An analysis of AaICS1 transcript levels in multifarious tissues of A. annua using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR) showed that old leaves had the highest transcription levels. AaICS1 was up-regulated under wounding, drought, salinity, and SA treatments. This was corroborated by the presence of the predicted cis-acting elements in the promoter region of AaICS1. Overexpressing transgenic plants and RNA interference transgenic lines of AaICS1 were generated and their expression was compared. High-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) results from leaf tissue of transgenic A. annua showed an increase in artemisinin content in the overexpressing plants. These results confirm that AaICS1 is involved in the isochorismate pathway.

Mechanism of acupuncture on anti-neuronal apoptosis and the regulation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in heroin relapse rats

Objective:To explore the mechanism of acupuncture intervention on anti-neuronal apoptosis in heroindependent rats based on the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.Methods:A total of 30 SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group,a model group and an acupuncture group,10 rats in each one.In the model group and the acupuncture group,the heroin relapse rat model was established by intramuscular incremental injection of heroin.In the model group,no any intervention was applied.In the acupuncture group,after modeling,acupuncture was applied at"Bǎihuì(百会GV20)"and"Dàzhuī(大椎GV14)".Transmission electron microscope(TEM)was adopted to observe neuronal apoptosis in the rats.The effect of acupuncture on anti-neuronal apoptosis was compared.Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and western blot methods,the mRNA and protein expressions of PI3 K and AKT were detected in ventral tegmental area(VTA).Results:It was found that edema was presented in VTA neuronal cytoplasm and organelles basically disappeared in the heroin relapse rats,nuclear chromatin aggregation,condensation and increased neuronal apoptosis were presented as well.After acupuncture at"Bǎihuì(百会GV20)"and"Dàzhuī(大椎GV14)",a small amount of mitochondria,rough endoiplasmic reticulum and glycogen granules were visible in the cytoplasm of VTA neurons.The nuclear membrane structure was clear and the chromatin in the nucleus was basically normal.The fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and western blot methods were adopted to detect mRNA and protein expressions of PI3K and AKT.It was found that the mRNA and protein expressions of PI3K and AKT in the brain of the rats in the model group were lower than those in the normal group(all P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the mRNA and protein expressions of PI3K and AKT in the acupuncture group were increased(all P<0.05),tending to the levels as the normal group.Conclusion:The effect of acupuncture on anti-brain cell apoptosis in heroin relapse rats may be related to the inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.