Paeonol attenuates progression of atherosclerotic lesion formation through lipid regulation, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities

As an active component extracted from Chinese herb moutan cortex and roots of paeonia lactiflora pallas, paeonol possesses many biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and vascular protection activities. In this study, athero-protective effects of paeonol were investigated in apoliprotein E deficient（Apo E^–/–） mice through the entire course of atherosclerotic development. Apo E^–/– mice were divided into five groups and fed a high-cholesterol diet（HCD） for 5, 15 and 25 weeks. Then they were fed either paeonol or atorvastatin for 6 weeks. The methods, such as ELISA for serum lipid and cytokine analyses, Western blotting for protein expressions, and HE and oil-red o-staining method, were used for evaluation of thoracic aorta lesion area. The results showed that paeonol could significantly reduce body weight, blood lipid, total cholesterol（TC）, triglyceride（TG） and low density lipoprotein（LDL-C） in Apo E^–/– mice at all stages of the atherosclerosis process. Paeonol also reduced the levels of anti-inflammation factors, such as tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）, interleukin（IL）-6, oxidized LDL cholesterol（ox-LDL）, in serum. In paeonol groups, SOD was significantly increased, whereas MDA was decreased compared with the HCD group（P0.01）. Paeonol markedly attenuated the thickness of the lipid-rich plaque and down-regulated the expressions of VCAM-1 and MMP-9 in aorta of mice, suggesting that paeonol could inhibit formation of plaque and stabilize plaques. Taken together, paeonol appeared to have anti-dyslipidemia and anti-atherosclerotic effects by lipid regulation, and it could inhibit the effects of inflammation and oxidative stress on HCD-fed Apo E^–/– mice through the entire course of atherosclerotic development.

Effect of acupuncture in intervening heroin-induced brain damage via regulating ubiquitin-proteasome pathway

Objective：To observe the effect of acupuncture in regulating ubiquitin-proteasome pathway （UPP）,and discuss the action of acupuncture in intervening heroin-induced brain damage.Methods：Thirty male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were divided into a control group,a model group and an acupuncture group by using the random number table.Rats in the model and acupuncture groups received intramuscular heroin injection for successive 8 d at a progressively increased dose.Afterwards,the injection was suspended for 5 d for withdrawal.The heroin relapse rat model was established by repeating the drug addiction and withdrawal process for 3 times.The control group followed the step of the model establishment,but was given intramuscular injection of normal saline at the stage of addiction and no intervention at the stage of withdrawal;the model group was given intramuscular heroin injection at a progressively increased dose at the addiction stage and no intervention at the withdrawal stage;the acupuncture group was dealt in the same way as the model group at the addiction stage,but received acupuncture at Baihui （GV 20） and Dazhui （GV 14） at the withdrawal stage,with the needles retained for 30 min each time,1 session a day,for successive 5 d.On the 39th day,brain tissues were extracted from the hippocampus and ventral tegmental area （VTA） of the three groups of rats.The apoptosis of brain nerve cells was detected by using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick and labeling （TUNEL）.The mRNA and protein expressions of ubiquitin （Ub）,ubiquitin protein ligase （E3） and 26S were examined by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction （RT-qPCR）.Results：Compared with the model group,rat＇s hippocampus and VTA in the acupuncture group showed significantly fewer cells positively stained by TUNEL staining （P〈0.01）,and its mRNA and protein expressions of Ub,E3,26S were significantly lower （P〈0.01）.Conclusion：Reducing nerve cell apoptosis and regulating the mRNA and protein expressions of Ub,E3 and 26S in rat＇s hippocampus and VTA are possibly one of the action mechanisms of acupuncture in intervening heroin-induced brain damage.