Renji Hospital

About: Renji Hospital is a healthcare organization based out in Shanghai, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Medicine & Biology. The organization has 1112 authors who have published 714 publications receiving 15442 citations. The organization is also known as: Rénjì Yīyuàn.

L-3-n-Butylphthalide protects rats' cardiomyocytes from ischaemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis by affecting the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway

Abstract: Aims This study investigated the role of L-3-n-Butylphthalide (NBP) in cardiac protection. Methods The left anterior descending coronary arteries (LAD) of the rats were occluded for 30 min following by 2-h reperfusion to make the ischaemia/reperfusion models. Neonatal cardiomyocytes were cultured and subjected to hypoxia. L-3-n-Butylphthalide was administered intraperitoneally 2 h before the surgery and right after the reperfusion in the in vivo experiments or added to the culture medium in vitro. Haemodynamic parameters were recorded to evaluate the cardiac functions, triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) and Evens blue staining were used to determine the area of risk and infarct area, apoptotic cell numbers were counted with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining. Western blotting was used to determine the apoptotic protein levels and immune staining to determine the translocation of Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) protein. Results Our research showed for the first time that L-3-n-Butylphthalide had great effects in improving cardiac hemodynamic function and decreasing cardiac infarct areas and apoptotic cell numbers in the peri-infarct areas. The apoptotic signals investigation showed that L-3-n-Butylphthalide affected the mitochondrial pathway including Bcl-2 protein expression, inhibition of caspase 3 activation and cytochrome C releasing. Besides, Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase protein translocation was inhibited by L-3-n-Butylphthalide treatment, and this effect was mediated by endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS). Conclusion L-3-n-Butylphthalide protects cardiomyocytes from ischaemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis by antioxidant effect and affecting mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Histone acetylation regulates p21WAF1 expression in human colon cancer cell lines.

Abstract: AIM: To investigate the effect of histone acetylation on regulation of p21WAF1 gene expression in human colon cancer cell lines. METHODS: Two cell lines, Colo-320 and SW1116 were treated with either trichostatin or sodium butyrate. Expressions of p21WAF1 mRNA and protein were detected by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Acetylation of two regions of p21WAF1 gene-associated histones and total cellular histones were examined by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and Western blotting. RESULTS: Trichostatin or sodium butyrate re-activated p21WAF1 transcription resulted in up-regulated p21WAF1 protein level in colon cancer cell lines. Those effects were accompanied by an accumulation of acetylated histones in total cellular chromatin and p21WAF1 gene-associated region of chromatin. CONCLUSION: Histone acetylation regulates p21WAF1 expression in human colon cancer cell lines, Colo-320 and SW1116.

The prevalence of autoantibodies against cartilage intermediate layer protein, YKL-39, osteopontin, and cyclic citrullinated peptide in patients with early-stage knee osteoarthritis: evidence of a variety of autoimmune processes

Abstract: We studied arthritis-related autoantibodies in 136 patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and 67 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals in the Shanghai District of China. Serum antibody titers for recombinant fusion proteins of cartilage intermediate layer protein (CILP) and YKL-39 were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot. Serum antibody titers against recombinant osteopontin (OPN) and cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies were measured also using ELISA. Anti-CILP antibodies were detected in 25/136 OA patients but only 1/67 controls. Anti-YKL-39, anti-OPN, and anti-CCP antibodies were detected in 9/136, 11/136, and 7/136 of the OA patients, respectively, and 0/67 controls. There was rarely overlap of these antibodies in a single patient, suggesting distinct antigen specificity in each case. The antibodies were detected in patients with OA of grades II and III but not grade IV. The prevalence of autoantibodies to various arthritis-related proteins in early-stage knee OA supports the involvement of a specific immune response in initial cartilage degeneration in OA.

NSCs promote hippocampal neurogenesis, metabolic changes and synaptogenesis in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

Abstract: Adult neurogenesis and synaptic remodeling persist as a unique form of structural and functional plasticity in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) and subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles due to the existence of neural stem cells (NSCs). Transplantation of NSCs may represent a promising approach for the recovery of neural circuits. Here, we aimed to examine effects of highly neuronal differentiation of NSCs transplantation on hippocampal neurogenesis, metabolic changes and synaptic formation in APP/PS1 mice. 12-month-old APP/PS1 mice were used for behavioral tests, immunohistochemistry, western blot, transmission electron microscopy and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). The results showed that N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and Glutamate (Glu) levels were increased in the Tg-NSC mice compared with the Tg-PBS and Tg-AD mice 10 weeks after NSCs transplantation. NSC-induced an increase in expression of synaptophysin and postsynaptic protein-95, and the number of neurons with normal synapses was significantly increased in Tg-NSC mice. More doublecortin-, BrdU/NeuN- and Nestin-positive neurons were observed in the hippocampal DG and SVZ of the Tg-NSC mice. This is the first demonstration that engrafted NSCs with a high differentiation rate to neurons can enhance neurogenesis in a mouse model of AD and can be detected by 1H-MRS in vivo. It is suggested that engraft of NSCs can restore memory and promote endogenous neurogenesis and synaptic remodeling, moreover, 1H-MRS can detect metabolite changes in AD mice in vivo. The observed changes in NAA/creatine (Cr) and glutamate (Glu)/Cr may be correlated with newborn neurons and new synapse formation.