To study the effect of dracorhodin perchlorate on high glucose-induced connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression in human mesangial cells (HMC), and its mechanism of prevention and treatment on renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy (DN).

To study the mobilization efficiency effect on bone marrow stem cells by Panax notoginseng on acute myocardial infarction in experimental rats.

To provided a reliable and sensitive method and a series of specific absorption spectra data of different carotenoids and bacteriochlorophylla in anxoygenic phototrophic bacteria, and reveal mechanism of regulation of photosynthetic pigments by light and oxygen in Rhodobacter azotoformans 134K20.

Using cDNAs prepared from the leaves and stems of Polygonum sibiricum Laxm. treated with NaHCO3 stress for 48 h as testers and cDNAs from unstressed P. sibiricum leaves and stems as drivers library, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed to construct a cDNA subtracted library, which contained 2 282 valid sequences including 598 ESTs in the stems forward SSH library and 490 ESTs in the stem reverse SSH library, 627 ESTs in the leaf forward SSH library and 567 in the leaf reverse SSH library. According to the functional catalogue of MIPs and the comparison of the reverse and forward SSH libraries of the stem and leaf, the responses to NaHCO3 stress were different between leaf and stem, except for the same trend in cell rescue defense and transport facilitation. The trend in the metabolism, energy, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, transcription, and signal transduction was opposite. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the expression of 12 putative stress related genes in the NaHCO3-treated leaves and stems was different from that in the untreated leaves and stems. This indicated that different mechanisms might be responsible for reactions of leaf and stem in P. sibiricum. The results from this study are useful in understanding the molecular mechanism of saline-alkali tolerance in P. sibiricum.

To investigate the effects of rosiglitazone on porcine preadipocytes during the induced differentiation process, we isolated subcutaneous adipose from two-days-old piglets using collagenase-digestion method and cultured preadipocyte cells in the control and experimental medium, respectively. The control group was under the conditions of 10% fetal calf serum in DMEM/F-12 (1:1), insulin (50 nmol/L), dexamethasone (100 nmol/L) and 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (0.25 mmol/L), while the experimental medium was added with 100 nmol/L rosiglitazone. The expression changes of genes associated with adipogenesis between the two different conditions were measured by using qRT-PCR. The results revealed that, in the experimental group, the expression levels of PPARalpha, PPARgamma, C/EBPalpha, FABP4, FASN and GPAT were up-regulated to the maximum at 48 h, 48 h, 48 h, 108 h, 60 h and 24 h after induction, respectively, and the change folds of these genes were 1.7, 48, 3.3, 487.5, 5.8 and 3.6, respectively. While, in the control group, the expression levels of these six genes were up-regulated to the maximum at different time points (84 h, 96 h, 48 h, 96 h, 36 h and 36 h, respectively) after induction, and the change folds of these genes were also different (2.1, 11, 1.6, 216.5, 3.5 and 2.8, respectively). In addition, a good correlation among the expression changes of GPAT and PPARalpha, FASN were all observed at P&0.05 in the experimental group and at P&0.01 in control group. These results indicated that the expression of PPARgamma, C/EBPalpha, FABP4, FASN and GPAT were strongly up-regulated, and the expression of PPARalpha was down-regulated under the effects of rosiglitazon. These results suggest that rosiglitazone has a promotive effect on PPARgamma and C/EBPalpha. Here, we present three tentatively conclusions. First, PPARgamma and C/EBPalpha might be the key transcriptional factors for preadipocytes differentiation. Second, the phospholipids biosynthesis might appear more earlier during the process of adipogenesis. Third, PPARalpha might play an important role in the regulation of phospholipids biosynthesis.

To research the protective effect of puerarin on secondary spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats.

To study the effects of hydroquinone (HQ) on expression of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Rad6B in human L-02 hepatic cells.

To observe the effect of Huoxue Injection (HXI, a Chinese herbal preparation consisted of red sage, chuanxiong, safflower and red peony root) on the expressions of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and the adherence of monocytes to endothelial cells in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) injured by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL).

To explore the effects of hydroquinone (HQ) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, antioxydase activities and the expression of human 8-oxo-guanine DNA glycosylase (hOGG1) mRNA in human A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell strains.

The effect of triptolide on the DNA methylation level of MMP-9 gene and the mRNA expression of tissue inhibitors of met-alloproteinases (TIMPs) were examined in human fibrosarcoma HT-1080 cells to explore the molecular mechanisms involved in the anticancer activity of triptolide.

To investigate the effects of Hydroxy Safflor yellow A (HSYA) on the growth of blood vessel of transplantation tumor of gastric adenocarcinoma cell line BGC-823 in nude mice and its underlying mechanism of antagonizing tumor angiogenesis.

To observe the effect of Migu capsule and Strengthening Spleen prescriptions on the expression of vitamin D receptor on small intestine and calf muscle of the rat, while observing whether the Chinese medicine complex prescriptions of different effect such as invigorating the kidney and strengthening the spleen had selectivity to expression of the VDR mRNA.

To investigate the effects of extracts of Solanum lyratum (ESL) on the apoptosis of Human stomach cancer SGC-7901 cells.

To investigate the effect of RNA interference mediated angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2) gene silencing on human endometrial carcinoma cell line Ishikawa.

To explore the role of sorafenib in reversing multidrug resistance (MDR) in hepatoma BEL-7402/FU cells and its possible mechanisms.

To observe the effect of grape seed extract (GSE) on breast cancer cell MCF-7 about the of proliferation and the gene expression of survivin, and to investigate the molecular biological mechanism of inhibition by GSE.

To investigate the effects of Astragalus membranaccus (As) on cardiac function and SERCA2a gene expression in left ventricular tissues of rats with chronic heart failure.

To explore the effect of chronic high dose of insulin on lipolysis in porcine adipocytes and the underlying molecular regulation mechanisms, we cultured primary porcine adipocytes and incubated them with different concentrations of insulin (0, 200, 400, 800, 1600 nmol/L) for 24-96 h in the absence or presence of specific protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor or extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) inhibitor. Then, we measured the glycerol release into the culture media as an indicator of the lipolysis, and observed the lipid accumulation morphology by phase-contrast microscopy. Further, we analyzed the gene expressions of perilipin A and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma 2 (PPAR gamma 2) with semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The results showed that chronic high dose of insulin stimulated lipolysis in differentiated porcine adipocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and significantly attenuated the lipolytic response to isoprenaline. Meanwhile, the protein and mRNA expressions of PPAR gamma 2 and perilipin A were significantly reduced. In addition, both PKA and ERK inhibitors significantly suppressed insulin-stimulated lipolysis, however, only ERK inhibitor reversed the insulin-induced down-regulation of perilipin A. These findings imply that chronic high dose of insulin stimulates lipolysis in porcine adipocytes by repressing perilipin A, which is involved in ERK pathway.

RT-PCR was used to detect expression level of VP16 mRNA and IFN-gamma mRNA in Herpes simplex virus type-1 infected mice brains at 4th day, 7th day, 10th day, 14th day, 21st day post infection and investigate the effects of the Gardenia extracts-T9 on viral replication and host immunity. The results showed that expression of VP16 mRNA in Gardenia extracts-T9 high dose and low dose group were both lower than that in virus control group at same time point. Relative VP16 mRNA expression in low dose group decreased at 21st day and relative VP16 mRNA expression in high dose group decreased continuously. Relative expression of IFN-gamma mRNA in high dose and low dose groups were both higher than that in virus control group at all time point except the 4th day. IFN-gamma mRNA in low dose group increased from the 4th day till the 14th day, and after the 14th day, the expression decreased slightly. Relative IFN-gamma mRNA in high dose group maintained increasing from 4th day till 21st day. Base on these results, we conclude that Gardenia extracts-T9 might exert the inhibition effect of viral replication by upregulating expression of IFN-gamma mRNA.

To investigate the molecular mechanism of TFE (total flavone of epimedium) in the treatment of osteoporosis, and then provide experimental evidence for modernization and further development of TFE as an traditional Chinese medicine.