Int J Med Sci
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Menopause is the leading cause of osteoporosis for elderly women due to imbalanced bone remodelling in the absence of oestrogen. The ability of tocotrienol in reversing established bone loss due to oestrogen deficiency remains unclear despite the plenitude of evidence showcasing its preventive effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of self-emulsified annatto tocotrienol (SEAT) on bone histomorphometry and remodelling in ovariectomised rats. ⋯ Only SEAT significantly increased bone formation rate and reduced RANKL/OPG ratio (p<0.05 vs untreated OVX). However, no changes in osteoclast-related parameters were observed among the groups (p>0.05). In conclusion, SEAT exerts potential skeletal anabolic properties by increasing bone formation, suppressing sclerostin expression and reducing RANKL/OPG ratio in rats with oestrogen deficiency.
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Objective: Different anesthetics have distinct effects on the interstitial fluid (ISF) drainage in the extracellular space (ECS) of the superficial rat brain, while their effects on ISF drainage in the ECS of the deep rat brain still remain unknown. Herein, we attempt to investigate and compare the effects of propofol and isoflurane on ECS structure and ISF drainage in the caudate-putamen (CPu) and thalamus (Tha) of the deep rat brain. Methods: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with propofol or isoflurane, respectively. ⋯ The ECS volume fraction in the propofol-CPu and propofol-Tha groups was much higher than that in the isoflurane-CPu and isoflurane-Tha groups, respectively. However, the ECS tortuosity in the propofol-CPu and propofol-Tha groups was much smaller than that in isoflurane-CPu and isoflurane-Tha groups, respectively. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that propofol rather than isoflurane accelerates the ISF drainage in the deep rat brain, which provides novel insights into the selective control of ISF drainage and guides selection of anesthetic agents in different clinical settings, and unravels the mechanism of how general anesthetics function.
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Identifying daily changes in circRNAs and circRNA-associated-ceRNA networks in the rat pineal gland.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new class of covalently closed circular RNA molecules that are involved in many biological processes. However, information about circRNAs in the pineal gland, particularly that of rats, is limited. To establish resources for the study of the rat pineal gland, we performed transcriptome analysis of the pineal glands during the day and night. ⋯ As circRNAs have been reported to work as miRNA sponges, we predicted 15940 interactions among 40 circRNAs, 93 miRNAs and 400 mRNAs with differential diurnal expression using miRanda and TargetScan to build a ceRNA regulatory network in the rat pineal gland. The diurnal expression profile of circRNAs in the rat pineal gland may provide additional information about the role of circRNAs in regulating changes in melatonin circadian rhythms. The analyzed data reported in this study will be an important resource for future studies to elucidate the altered physiology of circRNAs in diurnal rhythms.
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Preoperative fasting aims to prevent pulmonary aspiration and improve bowel preparation, but it may induce profound systemic catabolic responses that lead to protein breakdown and insulin-resistant hyperglycemia after operation. However, the molecular mechanisms of catabolic reaction induced by prolonged preoperative fasting and surgical stress are undetermined. In this study, anesthetized rats were randomly assigned to receive a sham operation or laparotomy cecectomy. ⋯ Similar results were found in ER stress-induced C1C12 myoblasts. The expression of Glut4 was suppressed in the stressed C1C12, but was potentiated following inhibition of ER stress and chelation of intracellular free calcium. This study provides evidence demonstrating that prolonged preoperative fasting induces ER stress and generates insulin resistance in the skeletal muscle through suppression of Glut4 and inactivation of Ca2+-ATPase, leading to intracellular calcium homeostasis disruption and peripheral insulin resistance.
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Background: Ischemic stroke is the second leading cause of death and disability worldwide, which needs to develop new pharmaceuticals for its prevention and treatment. Qingda granule (QDG), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, could improve angiotensin II-induced brain injury and decrease systemic inflammation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of QDG against ischemia/reperfusion-induced cerebral injury and illustrate the potential mechanisms. ⋯ Moreover, QDG improved growth and inhibited apoptosis of HT22 cells injured by OGD/R in vitro. Finally, QDG significantly decreased the expression of lncRNA GAS5, Bax and cleaved caspase3, whereas it increased miR-137 and Bcl-2 expression in MCAO/R-injured rats and in OGD/R-injured HT22 cells. Conclusion: QDG plays a neuroprotective role in ischemic stroke via regulation of the lncRNA GAS5/miR-137 signaling pathway.