Establishment of allergic rhinitis model in mice induced by modified OVA and aluminum adjuvant

Objective:In order to further study allergic rhinitis,the feasibility of the improved method of establishing mouse allergic rhinitis model by OVA combined with aluminum adjuvant was explored.Methods:16 BALB/c mice(SPF grade)were randomly divided into the control group and the OVA model group.In the OVA model group,mice were given intraperitoneal injection of OVA solution for sensitization(100μg/ml)at weeks 1,2,and 3,and each mouse was injected intraperitoneally with 0.2 ml.On the 22nd to 28th days,the mice were given an OVA solution(100 mg/ml)for nasal stimulation,10μl per mouse,and 5μl per nostril for 7 consecutive days.The general behavior,body weight,and survival rate of the mice were observed on days 22-28,respectively.After 15 minutes of challenge on days 25 and 28,the number of sneezing and sniffing within 15 minutes was recorded.On day 29,spleen and thymus indexes of mice were evaluated,and blood was collected from the orbit to isolate serum,the IgE level was measured,and the histological changes of the nasal mucosa of the mice were observed.Results:OVA can cause significant weight loss in mice,and the weight of mice in the OVA model group is significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).On the 25th and 28th days,the number of sneezes in the OVA model group was significantly higher than that in the control group[(19.27±4.89)vs(4.45±1.25);(19.78±4.92)vs(4.52±1.28);P<0.05].The number of nasal scratching in the OVA model group was significantly higher than that in the control group[(23.14±7.17)vs(13.52±7.64);(23.75±7.35)vs(13.60±7.71);P<0.05].The spleen index of the OVA model group was significantly higher than that of the control group[(8.64±1.49)mg/g vs(4.04±0.65)mg/g,P<0.05],and the thymus index of the OVA model group was significantly lower than that of the control group[(0.75±0.54)mg/g vs(1.87±0.65)mg/g,P<0.05].The IgE level of the OVA model group were significantly higher than that of the control group[(932.86±352.34)μg/ml vs(99.82±0.97)μg/ml,P<0.05].The nasal mucosal tissue lesions in the model group were obvious.Conclusion:In this experiment,a modified OVA-aluminum adjuvant was used to successfully establish the mice model of allergic rhinitis.

Antihypertensive Effects of Extract from Flower Buds of Coreopsis tinctoria on Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Objective To provide experimental evidence for the antihypertensive activity of the flavonoids in flower buds of Coreopsis tinctoria（CT-F）and to investigate the underlying mechanism.Methods The spontaneously hypertensive rats（SHRs）were divided into model,captopril（positive control）,and CT-F groups,and the Wistar-Kyoto rats were set as control group,eight in each group.The blood pressure of SHRs,the activity of angiotensin II（Ang-II）in plasma,nitric oxide（NO）,malondialdehyde（MDA）and thoracic aorta media thickness in SHRs were measured by tail-cuff method,radioimmunity method,nitrate reductase method,thibabituric acid（TBA）method,and the hematoxylin-eosin staining method.Q-PCR analysis was performed to determine the relative quantity of angiotensin-converting enzyme（ACE）,ACEII,angiotensin type 1receptor（AT1R）,and TGF-β1 mRNA in left ventricle.Results CT-F could lower the systolic blood pressure of SHRs dramatically（P〈0.01）.The levels of MDA in serum and Ang II in plasma of SHRs treated with CT-F decreased markedly（P〈0.05,0.01）,the level of NO in serum increased significantly（P〈0.01）.In addition,thoracic aorta media thickness in SHRs treated with CT-F was thinner than that of the model group（P〈0.05）.The mRNA expression of ACE,AT1R,and TGF-β1 in left ventricle was markedly decreased（P〈0.05）,while that of ACE II was increased（P〈0.05）.Conclusion CT-F is effective to lower the blood pressure of SHRs,and its antihypertensive effect is probably associated with lowering the oxidative stress by reducing MDA,ameliorating aorta remodeling,dilating vessel by increasing NO and decreasing Ang-II,and regulating the expression of rennin-angiotensin System-related various genes.

Anti-flu Effect of Compound Yizhihao Granule and Its Effective Components

Objective To research the anti-influenza effect of active ingredients in Compound Yizhihao Granule （CYG）. Methods The cytotoxicity and cytopathic effects （CPE） were observed under the phase-contrast microscope, besides 50% toxicity concentration （TC50） and 50% inhibitory concentration （IC50） were also calculated using Reed-Muench method, then the antiviral activity in vitro according to Selection Index （SI = TC50/IC50） was evaluated. In PR8 virus-infected mice, survival time, death rate, and lung index were observed in order to evaluate the protective effect. Besides, the effective ingredients were determined using HPLC method, and their contents were calculated by external standard method. Results CYG could inhibit the influenza virus-induced CPE, with ICso of 4.6 mg/mL （equal to herbal extracts 262.2 μg/mL）, and no direct cytotoxic effect at this concentration. PR8-infected mice were ig given CYG, the lung index and mortality were significantly reduced, and survival time was obviously prolonged. HPLC analysis indicated CYG contained many kinds of antivirus active components, including rupestonic acid, epigoitrin, and adenosine. Conclusion CYG is an effective natural anti-influenza medicine, its antiviral effect should be the synergic effect of a variety of antiviral active ingredients.