Abstract: Apoptosis induced by high shear stress has been reported for the dysfunction of various vascular endothelial cells. We investigated the protective effects of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) and salvianolic acid B (SAB) from Chinese medicine on the shear-induced early and late stages of apoptosis in cultured rat cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (rCMECs) under pathological high shear stress. Near-confluent cultures of rCMECs were pretreated with TMP or SAB and their combinational dosages, and exposed to high shear stress generated by a rheometer. Apoptotic death rate of rCMECs was assessed by immunofluorescence microscopy of Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI). We found that early…and late stage apoptosis occurred at 3.0 Pa for a short duration of 450 sec but did not occur at 1.5 Pa. SAB inhibited the cells from apoptosis at concentrations from 10 μM to 20 μM in a dose-dependent manner, while effect of TMP at 0.37 mM and 0.73 mM did not significantly differ. Moreover, the combined use of TMP and SAB had synergistic anti-apoptotic effects (P<0.01). The results indicate that the anti-apoptotic effect of TMP and SAB on rheologically induced endothelial injury is likely involved in their efficacy.
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Abstract: A systematic review was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of herbal medications (HM), as either monotherapy or adjunct to orthodox medications (cholinesterase inhibitors and nootropic agents, OM) for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sixteen studies testing different HM were included. Out of the 15 HM monotherapy studies, 13 reported HM to be significantly better than OM or placebo; one reported similar efficacy between HM and OM. Only the HM adjuvant study reported significant efficacy. No major adverse events for HM were reported and HMs were found to reduce the adverse effects arising from OM. Imbalance in ethnicity among participants was…observed; gender distribution was unclear. Heterogeneity in diagnostic criteria, interventions and outcome measures hindered comprehensive data analysis. Studies comparing HM with OM suggest that HM can be a safe, effective treatment for AD, either alone or in conjunction with OM. Methodological flaws in the design of the studies, however, limited the extent to which the results could be interpreted. Among various HMs, the safety and tolerability of EGb761 was best established. Further multi-center trials with large sample size, high methodological qualities and standardized HM ingredients are necessary for clinical recommendations on the use of HM in treating AD.
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Abstract: The study was conducted to investigate the effect of Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) on TNF-α-stimulated adhesion molecule expression i.e. vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and E-selectin in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) under laminar shear stress (LSS) condition. Exposure of HAECs to LSS (12 dynes/cm2 for 6 h decreased the TNF-α-induced protein expression of adhesion molecules i.e. VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-selectin. Pre-treatment of HAECs with Sal B (10 μg/ml) then exposed to LSS (12 dynes/cm2 ) for 6 h significantly inhibited VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-selectin expression stimulated by TNF-α. Moreover, combined Sal B and LSS treatment…inhibited the adhesiveness of monocytic U937 cells to TNF-α-stimulated HAECs. We further examined the molecular mechanisms and found that the combination of Sal B and LSS treatment dramatically inhibited TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation evidenced by IκBα degradation and p65 nuclear translocation in HAECs. This study provides the first biomechanopharmacological evidence that Sal B has a combination effect with LSS to reduce the expression of three adhesion molecules, leading to reduced monocyte adhesion to HAECs, at least in part, by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. Data from this study thus support the potential clinical application of Sal B in vascular inflammatory diseases.
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