Berberine Prevents Intestinal Mucosal Barrier Damage During Early Phase of Sepsis in Rat through the Toll-Like Receptors Signaling Pathway

Guo-xun Li,Xi-mo Wang,Tao Jiang,Jian-feng Gong,Ling-ying Niu,Ning Li 대한생리학회-대한약리학회 2015 The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology Vol.19 No.1

Our previous study has shown berberine prevents damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier during early phase of sepsis in rat through mechanisms independent of the NOD-like receptors signaling pathway. In this study, we explored the regulatory effects of berberine on Toll-like receptors during the intestinal mucosal damaging process in rats. Male Sprague-Dawlay (SD) rats were treated with berberine for 5 d before undergoing cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to induce polymicrobial sepsis. The expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR 2), TLR 4, TLR 9, the activity of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), the levels of selected cytokines and chemokines, percentage of cell death in intestinal epithelial cells, and mucosal permeability were investigated at 0, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h after CLP. Results showed that the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) level were significantly lower in berberine-treated rats compared to the control animals. Conversely, the expression level of tight junction proteins, percentage of cell death in intestinal epithelial cells and the mucosal permeability were significantly higher in berberine-treated rats. The mRNA expression of TLR 2, TLR 4, and TLR 9 were significantly affected by berberine treatment. Our results indicate that pretreatment with berberine attenuates tissue injury and protects the intestinal mucosal barrier in early phase of sepsis and this may possibly have been mediated through the TLRs pathway.

Migratory Responses of Benthic Diatoms to Light and Temperature Monitored by Chlorophyll Fluorescence

Guo Ying Du,Wen Tao Li,Hongbo Li,정익교 한국식물학회 2012 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.55 No.2

As an important adaptation for survival in the sediments of intertidal flats, benthic diatoms move up and down in response to a wide range of environmental stimuli. We investigated the vertical migration of two diatoms—Cylindrotheca closterium (Agradh) Kützing (B-25) and Nitzschia sp. (B-3)—under different combinations of light intensity and temperature conditions. An imaging pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer was used to measure the minimum fluorescence (F0) in order to monitor variations in diatom biomass in surface sediments. Rapid light curves (RLCs) were applied to assess their photosynthetic activities. Both species had increased motility under higher temperatures, with the longer valved C. closterium being twice as fast as the shorter valved Nitzschia sp. The former was also influenced by exposure to light intensities of 100 or 250 μmol m−2 s−1, whereas the latter was not. Consequently, no light/temperature interaction effect was associated with the vertical migration of Nitzschia sp., perhaps because of its lower photosynthetic capacity and smaller cell size. Therefore, we conclude that motile benthic diatoms exhibit species-specific responses to light and temperature due to differences in their photosynthetic capability and morphological characteristics.

Metabolic Pathways of Hydrogen Production in Fermentative Acidogenic Microflora

( Li Guo Zhang ),( Jian Zheng Li ),( Qiao Ying Ban ),( Jun Guo He ),( Ajay Kumar Jha ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2012 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.22 No.5

Biohydrogen production from organic wastewater by anaerobically activated sludge fermentation has already been extensively investigated, and it is known that hydrogen can be produced by glucose fermentation through three metabolic pathways, including the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvic acid to acetyl-CoA, oxidation of NADH to NAD+, and acetogenesis by hydrogen-producing acetogens. However, the exact or dominant pathways of hydrogen production in the anaerobically activated sludge fermentation process have not yet been identified. Thus, a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) was introduced and a specifically acclimated acidogenic fermentative microflora obtained under certain operation conditions. The hydrogen production activity and potential hydrogen-producing pathways in the acidogenic fermentative microflora were then investigated using batch cultures in Erlenmeyer flasks with a working volume of 500 ml. Based on an initial glucose concentration of 10 g/l, pH 6.0, and a biomass of 1.01 g/l of a mixed liquid volatile suspended solid (MLVSS), 247.7 ml of hydrogen was obtained after a 68 h cultivation period at 35±1oC. Further tests indicated that 69% of the hydrogen was produced from the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvic acid, whereas the remaining 31% was from the oxidation of NADH to NAD+. There were no hydrogen-producing acetogens or they were unable to work effectively in the anaerobically activated sludge with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of less than 8 h.

Expression and Significance of MicroRNA155 in Serum of Patients with Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Guo, Ying,Li, Dongxue,Li, Jiapei,Yang, Nan,Wang, Deyun The Korean Neurosurgical Society 2020 Journal of Korean neurosurgical society Vol.63 No.4

Objective : This study aimed to investigate the changes and significance of microRNA155 levels in serum of patients with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Methods : Thirty patients with CSVD who met the inclusion criteria were selected and divided into eight patients with lacunar infarction (LI) group and 22 patients with multiple lacunar infarction (MLI) combined with white matter lesions (WML) group according to the results of head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Thirty samples from healthy volunteers without abnormalities after head MRI examination were selected as the control group. The levels of serum microRNA155 in each group were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and the correlation between microRNA155 in the serum of patients with CSVD and the increase of imaging lesions was analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. Results : Compared with the control group, the serum microRNA155 level in the LI group, MLI combined with WML group increased, the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05); serum microRNA155 level was positively correlated with the increase of imaging lesions (p<0.05). Conclusion : The change of serum microRNA155 level in patients with CSVD may be one of its self-protection mechanisms, and the intensity of this self-protection mechanism is positively correlated with the number of CSVD lesions.

Enhancement and Mechanism of Transdermal Absorption of Terpene-Induced Propranolol Hydrochloride

Ying Cui,Lingzhi Li,Li Zhang,Jianyu Li,Jun Gu,Haiying Gong,Peng Guo,Wei Tong 대한약학회 2011 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.34 No.9

For the purpose of efficient and safe transdermal administration of propranolol hydrochloride (PHCl), effects of (+)-borneol, (+)-camphor, and α-bisabolol (5 w/v%) in 66.6% ethanol solution on transdermal permeation across rat skin in vitro and their enhancement mechanism was investigated with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and PHCl-stratum corneum binding studies. Each of (+)-borneol, (+)-camphor, and α-bisabolol significantly increased the transdermal flux of PHCl through rat skin in comparison to the control. The enhancement mechanism of the terpenes is involved with disruption of the lipid bilayer and increase of PHCl partitioning coefficient to the stratum corneum. As for α-bisabolol, the protect effect of skin from dehydration and an important reason of irritation incident were observed with differential scanning calorimetry for the first time.

Baicalin attenuates TNBS-induced colitis in rats by modulating the Th17/Treg paradigm

Ying Zou,Shi-Xue Dai,Hong-Gang Chi,Tao Li,Zhi-Wei He,Jian Wang,Cai-Guo Ye,Guo-Liang Huang,Bing Zhao,Wen-Yang Li,Zheng Wan,Jin-Shan Feng,Xue-Bao Zheng 대한약학회 2015 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.38 No.10

Baicalin, a flavonoid, has a wide range ofpharmacological properties, including immunomodulation. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect ofbaicalin on the balance of T helper 17 (Th17) and regulatoryT (Treg) cells in a colitis model. The rat colitis modelwas induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid(TNBS). Baicalin (10 ml/kg, each) or mesalazine (positivecontrol) was then administered orally for 7 days. Inflammatoryand immunological responses were evaluated bypathology, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-timepolymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis, and flowcytometry. Our study showed that baicalin not only significantlyattenuated TNBS-induced colitis by reducing thedisease activity index as well as macroscopic and microscopicscores, but it also improved the weight loss andshortening of the colon. Baicalin treatment also induced asignificant decrease in the levels of inflammatory mediators,including the myeloperoxidase activity, the levels oftumor necrosis factor a, IL-1b, and Th1-related cytokinesIL-12 and IFN-c. Furthermore, the beneficial effects ofbaicalin seem to be associated with regulation of the Th17and Treg paradigm. We found that administration ofbaicalin significantly downregulated the number of Th17cells and the levels of Th17-related cytokines (IL-17 andIL-6) and retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor ct. In contrast, there was an increase in Treg cells numbers,Treg-related cytokines transforming growth factor-b andIL-10, and forkhead box P3. Our results suggest that theanti-inflammatory effect of baicalin may be linked tomodulation of the balance between Th17 and Treg cells inTNBS-induced ulcerative colitis.

Enhanced Production of Epothilone by Immobilized Sorangium cellulosum in Porous Ceramics

Guo Li Gong,Yu Ying Huang,Li Li Liu,Xue Feng Chen,Huan Liu 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2015 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.25 No.10

Berberine Prevents Intestinal Mucosal Barrier Damage During Early Phase of Sepsis in Rat through the Toll-Like Receptors Signaling Pathway

Li, Guo-Xun,Wang, Xi-Mo,Jiang, Tao,Gong, Jian-Feng,Niu, Ling-Ying,Li, Ning The Korean Society of Pharmacology 2015 The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology Vol.19 No.1

Our previous study has shown berberine prevents damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier during early phase of sepsis in rat through mechanisms independent of the NOD-like receptors signaling pathway. In this study, we explored the regulatory effects of berberine on Toll-like receptors during the intestinal mucosal damaging process in rats. Male Sprague-Dawlay (SD) rats were treated with berberine for 5 d before undergoing cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to induce polymicrobial sepsis. The expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR 2), TLR 4, TLR 9, the activity of nuclear factor-kappa B ($NF-{\kappa}B$), the levels of selected cytokines and chemokines, percentage of cell death in intestinal epithelial cells, and mucosal permeability were investigated at 0, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h after CLP. Results showed that the tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) level were significantly lower in berberine-treated rats compared to the control animals. Conversely, the expression level of tight junction proteins, percentage of cell death in intestinal epithelial cells and the mucosal permeability were significantly higher in berberine-treated rats. The mRNA expression of TLR 2, TLR 4, and TLR 9 were significantly affected by berberine treatment. Our results indicate that pretreatment with berberine attenuates tissue injury and protects the intestinal mucosal barrier in early phase of sepsis and this may possibly have been mediated through the TLRs pathway.

Constituents from Zhuyeqing Liquor with hepatoprotective effect on alcohol-induced HepaG 2 toxicity

Hong-Ying Gao,Guo-Yu Li,Hang-Yu Wang,Jian Huang,Xiao-Wei Du,Ying Han,Li-Fei Wang,Jin-Hui Wang 대한약학회 2015 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.38 No.5

An unprecedented new skeleton compound (1R,10R, 11S)-10,11-dimethyl-4-formyl-2,9-dioxa-bicyclo [5.4.0]undeca-4,6-dien-3-one (1), monoterpenoids and monoterpeneglycoside picrocrocinic ester (2), epijasminoside B (3) and 60 -O-(3-methoxyl-4-hydroxyl-coumaroyl)-epijasminoside B (4),along with 26 known compounds, were obtained fromZhuyeqing Liquor. These compounds were identified mainlyby analyzing their NMR, HR-ESI–MS and CD data. The isolatedcompounds were screened against alcohol induced HepaG2 toxicity for hepatoprotective assay. Compounds 10, 19,21 and 26 displayed the highest potency against alcoholinduced HepaG 2 toxicity with the cell viability ratio 41.21,56.91, 67.69 and 70.32 % respectively.

Structural and electronic properties of neutral boron clusters doped with two potassium atoms

Chen Guo Li,Yuan Yu Quan,Wang Chun Ping,Wang Ying Ying,Liu Ting,Huang Teng Xin,Lin Wei,Yang Jing 한국물리학회 2023 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.82 No.12

This paper reports a systematic study on the doping of two potassium atoms in small-sized neutral boron clusters. The CALYPSO software in conjunction with DFT was used to anticipate the low-energy structures, optimize their geometry, and adjust their energies. With increasing size, the structural development of the K2Bn (n=1–12) clusters was revealed, and we discovered that the majority of their ground-state structural isomers structurally inherited well from the corresponding ground-state isomers of pure B clusters. A fresh fnding was made after confrming the NPA (natural population analysis) of the low-lying K2Bn (n=1–12): every doped K atom in the structure has a positive charge. According to relative stability analysis, the most stable K2B8 cluster within the parameters of our investigation has a HOMO–LUMO gap of 3.31 eV. Strong interactions between K-4s and B-2P AO were also discovered through an additional examination of the molecular orbitals and bonds of K2B8 clusters. These interactions may be the primary cause of K2B8's exceptional stability. We hope that our research will be useful in the future for synthesizing and using doped boron-based nanomaterials.