Na Liu

Bio: Na Liu is an academic researcher from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Neural stem cell. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 40 citations.

Quality evaluation of traditional Chinese drug toad venom from different origins through a simultaneous determination of bufogenins and indole alkaloids by HPLC.

Abstract: A simple and efficient HPLC method has been developed to evaluate the quality of traditional Chinese medicine toad venoms. The major bioactive ingredients, including 10 bufogenins and 4 indole alkaloids in the drug, were separated and quantified on a phenyl-hexyl column with a UV detector. A total of 27 toad venom samples from two species, Bufo bufo gargarizans CANTOR and Bufo melanostictus SCHNEIDER, from the different drug production regions of China, were analyzed. The chromatograms showed significant differences with respect to the samples from different origins. These toad venom samples can be distinctly classified into 4 groups by cluster analysis using the contents of the 14 main constituents, including toad venom samples from B. bufo gargarizans from north China, median China and south China, and samples from B. melanostictus from south China. Toad venom samples from B. bufo gargarizans from median China were considered to be of the highest quality.

Directional induction of neural stem cells, a new therapy for neurodegenerative diseases and ischemic stroke

Abstract: Due to the limited capacity of the adult mammalian brain to self-repair and regenerate, neurological diseases, especially neurodegenerative disorders and stroke, characterized by irreversible cellular damage are often considered as refractory diseases. Neural stem cells (NSCs) play a unique role in the treatment of neurological diseases for their abilities to self-renew and form different neural lineage cells, such as neurons and glial cells. With the increasing understanding of neurodevelopment and advances in stem cell technology, NSCs can be obtained from different sources and directed to differentiate into a specific neural lineage cell phenotype purposefully, making it possible to replace specific cells lost in some neurological diseases, which provides new approaches to treat neurodegenerative diseases as well as stroke. In this review, we outline the advances in generating several neuronal lineage subtypes from different sources of NSCs. We further summarize the therapeutic effects and possible therapeutic mechanisms of these fated specific NSCs in neurological disease models, with special emphasis on Parkinson's disease and ischemic stroke. Finally, from the perspective of clinical translation, we compare the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of NSCs and different methods of directed differentiation, and propose future research directions for directed differentiation of NSCs in regenerative medicine.

Arenobufagin, a natural bufadienolide from toad venom, induces apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells through inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway

Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a deadly form of cancer without effective chemotherapy so far. Currently, only sorafenib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, slightly improves survival in HCC patients. In searching for natural anti-HCC components from toad venom, which is frequently used in the treatment of liver cancer in traditional Chinese medicine, we discovered that arenobufagin, a bufadienolide from toad venom, had potent antineoplastic activity against HCC HepG2 cells as well as corresponding multidrug-resistant HepG2/ADM cells. We found that arenobufagin induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in HCC cells, with decreasing mitochondrial potential, as well as increasing Bax/Bcl-2 expression ratio, Bax translocation from cytosol to mitochondria. Arenobufagin also induced autophagy in HepG2/ADM cells. Autophagy-specific inhibitors (3-methyladenine, chloroquine and bafilomycin A1) or Beclin1 and Atg 5 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) enhanced arenobufagin-induced apoptosis, indicating that arenobufagin-mediated autophagy may protect HepG2/ADM cells from undergoing apoptotic cell death. In addition, we observed the inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway by arenobufagin. Interestingly, inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin or siRNA duplexes augmented arenobufagin-induced apoptosis and autophagy. Finally, arenobufagin inhibited the growth of HepG2/ADM xenograft tumors, which were associated with poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, light chain 3-II activation and mTOR inhibition. In summary, we first demonstrated the antineoplastic effect of arenobufagin on HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. We elucidated the underlying antineoplastic mechanisms of arenobufagin that involve cross talk between apoptosis and autophagy via inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. This study may provide a rationale for future clinical application using arenobufagin as a chemotherapeutic agent for HCC.

Efficacy and safety of gemcitabine-oxaliplatin combined with huachansu in patients with advanced gallbladder carcinoma.

Abstract: Efficacy and safety of gemcitabine-oxaliplatin combined with huachansu in patients with advanced gallbladder carcinoma

Alkaloids--secrets of life

Abstract: Alkaloids--secrets of life , Alkaloids--secrets of life , کتابخانه دیجیتال جندی شاپور اهواز

DNA methods for identification of Chinese medicinal materials

Abstract: As adulterated and substituted Chinese medicinal materials are common in the market, therapeutic effectiveness of such materials cannot be guaranteed. Identification at species-, strain- and locality-levels, therefore, is required for quality assurance/control of Chinese medicine. This review provides an informative introduction to DNA methods for authentication of Chinese medicinal materials. Technical features and examples of the methods based on sequencing, hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are described and their suitability for different identification objectives is discussed.