Feifei Wu

Deer antler base as a traditional Chinese medicine: a review of its traditional uses, chemistry and pharmacology.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCEnDeer antler base (Cervus, Lu Jiao Pan) has been recorded in the Chinese medical classics Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing 2000 years ago and is believed to nourish the Yin, tonify the kidney, invigorate the spleen, strengthen bones and muscles, and promote blood flow. In China, deer antler base has been extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat a variety of diseases including mammary hyperplasia, mastitis, uterine fibroids, malignant sores and childrens mumps.nnnAIM OF THE REVIEWnWe provide an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the traditional uses, chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and clinical trials of deer antler base in order to explore its therapeutic potentials and future research needs.nnnBACKGROUND AND METHODSnThe pharmacological value of deer antler base was ignored for many years while researchers concentrated on the pharmacological value of velvet antler. However, more recently, scientists have carried out a great number of chemical, pharmacological and clinical studies on deer antler base. The present review covers the literature available from 1980 to 2012. All relevant information on deer antler base was collected from ancient Chinese herbal classics, pharmacopoeias, formularies, scientific journals, books, theses and reports via a library and electronic search by using PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, and CNKI (in Chinese).nnnKEY FINDINGSnBoth in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies have demonstrated that deer antler base possess immunomodulatory, anti-cancer, anti-fatigue, anti-osteoporosis, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-stress, anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, hematopoietic modulatory activities and the therapeutic effect on mammary hyperplasia. Although the mechanism of actions is still not clear, the pharmacological activities could be mainly attributed to the major bioactive compounds amino acids, polypeptides and proteins. Based on animal studies and clinical trials, deer antler base causes no severe side effects.nnnCONCLUSIONSnDeer antler base has emerged as a good source of traditional medicine. However, further investigations are needed to explore individual bioactive compounds responsible for these in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects and its mechanism of actions. Further safety assessments and clinical trials in humans need to be performed before it can be integrated into medicinal practices. The present review has provided preliminary information for further studies and commercial exploitations of deer antler base.

Protective effects of aqueous extract from Acanthopanax senticosus against corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCEnAcanthopanax senticosus, classified into the family of Araliaceae, has been known for thousands of years as a remedy and is used to treat various diseases in traditional Chinese medicine system including hypertension, ischemic heart disease and hepatitis.nnnAIM OF THE STUDYnThis study aimed to examine the protective effects of aqueous extract from Acanthopanax senticosus (ASE) on corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity and its possible mechanisms, using PC12 cells as a suitable in vitro model of depression.nnnMATERIALS AND METHODSnIn this paper, PC12 cells were treated with 200 μM of corticosterone in the absence or presence of ASE in varying concentrations for 24 h. Then, cell viability was measured by MTT assay. The release amount of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was quantified using LDH assay kit. Apoptosis of PC12 cells was measured by Annexin V-FITC and PI labeling. The intracellular Ca(2+) content was tested by fluorescent labeling. The mRNA level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was examined by real-time RT-PCR, and the expression of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) was determined by western blotting.nnnRESULTSnThe results showed that treatment with 200 μM of corticosterone could induce cytotoxicity in PC12 cells. However, different concentrations of ASE (50, 100, 200, and 400 μg/mL) significantly increased the cell viability, decreased the LDH release, suppressed the apoptosis of PC12 cells, attenuated the intracellular Ca(2+) overloading, up-regulated the BDNF mRNA level and CREB protein expression compared with the corresponding corticosterone-treated group.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe present results suggest that ASE exerts a neuroprotective effect on corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells, which may be one of the acting mechanisms that accounts for the in vivo antidepressant activity of ASE.

Anti-depressant effects of aqueous extract from Acanthopanax senticosus in mice.

In this paper, the anti‐depressant effects of Acanthopanax senticosus extract (ASE) were studied using animal models of depression including the forced swimming and tail suspension tests. The anti‐depressive mechanism of ASE was explored by monitoring the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters including 5‐hydroxytrylamine (5‐HT), norepinephrine (NE), and dopamine (DA), as well as cAMP response element‐binding (CREB) protein expression in the whole brain of mice following the tail suspension test. Our results showed that intragastric administration of ASE at a dose of 2000u2009mg/kg for seven days significantly reduced the duration of immobility in both the forced swimming test and the tail suspension test. These results indicate that ASE possesses antidepressant‐like properties. Pre‐treatment with 2000u2009mg/kg of ASE for seven days significantly elevated the levels of 5‐HT, NE, and DA in the whole brain of mice. Moreover, ASE at doses of 1000 and 2000u2009mg/kg significantly up‐regulated the level of CREB protein. Taken together, these findings suggest that the anti‐depressive mechanism of ASE may be mediated via the central monoaminergic neurotransmitter system and CREB protein expression. Therefore, administration of ASE may be beneficial for patients with depressive disorders. Copyright

Chicken egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) developed against fusion protein LTB–STa–STb neutralizes the toxicity of Escherichia coli heat‐stable enterotoxins

To obtain a recombinant enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) fusion enterotoxin protein LTB–STa–STb (Bab) that can express the immunogenicity of the haptens STa and STb and induce their corresponding neutralizing antibodies.

Effect of Red Pepper (Capsicum frutescens) Powder or Red Pepper Pigment on the Performance and Egg Yolk Color of Laying Hens

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of red pepper (Capsicum frutescens) powder or red pepper pigment on the performance and egg yolk color of laying hens. In Exp. 1, 210, thirty-wk old, Hy-line Brown laying hens were fed one of seven diets containing 0.3, 0.6, 1.2, 2.0, 4.8 or 9.6 ppm red pepper pigment or 0.3 ppm carophyll red. Each diet was fed to three replicate batteries of hens with each battery consisting of a row of five cages of hens with two hens per cage (n = 3). In Exp. 2, 180, thirty-wk old, Hyline Brown laying hens, housed similarly to those in Exp. 1, were fed an unsupplemented basal diet as well as treatments in which the basal diet was supplemented with 0.8% red pepper powder processed in a laboratory blender to an average particle size of 300 μm, 0.8% red pepper powder processed as a super fine powder with a vibrational mill (44 μm) and finally 0.8% red pepper powder processed as a super fine powder with a vibrational mill but mixed with 5% Na2CO3 either before or after grinding. A diet supplemented with 0.3 ppm carophyll red pigment was also included (n = 3). In both experiments, hens were fed the red pepper powder or pigment for 14 days. After feeding of the powder or pigment was terminated, all hens were fed the basal diet for eight more days to determine if the dietary treatments had any residual effects. In Exp. 1, there were no differences in egg-laying performance, feed consumption or feed conversion ratio due to inclusion of red pepper pigment in the diet. Average egg weight was higher (p<0.05) for birds fed 1.2, 2.4 or 9.6 ppm red pepper pigment than for birds fed the diet containing 0.3 ppm red pepper pigment. On d 14, egg color scores increased linearly as the level of red pepper pigment in the diet increased. In Exp. 2, feeding red pepper powder did not affect egg-laying performance, feed consumption or feed conversion ratio (p>0.05). However, compared with the control group, supplementation with all of the red pepper powder treatments increased egg weight (p<0.05). All the red pepper powder treatments also increased (p<0.05) the yolk color score compared with the control. The results of the present study suggest that both red pepper powder and pigment are effective feed additives for improving egg yolk color for laying hens.