Guangliang Chen

The cuprizone (CPZ)-induced toxic demyelinating model, characterized by the degeneration of oligodendrocytes, has been utilized to study multiple sclerosis-related lesions. The present study was designed to determine the effect of epimedium flavonoids (EF), the main component extracted from Epimedium sagittatum, on CPZ-induced neuropathological changes in the corpus callosum of C57BL/6 mice. Once we determined an EF-based protective effect on the corpus callosum, we sought to explore the underlying mechanism of this protection. To induce demyelination, 8-week-old mice were fed with 0.2 % CPZ for a maximum period of 6 weeks. EF treatment for a period of 3 weeks effectively decreased the breakdown of myelin, OL loss, and oligodendrocyte precursor cell accumulation in CPZ-fed mice. In addition, EF administration significantly increased the cortical expression level of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). This study provides the first in vivo evidence of EF-based protection against CPZ-induced neuropathological changes. Furthermore, our study suggests that upregulated IGF-1 may play a role in this protection.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of amlodipine, a dihydropyridine calcium‐channel blocker, alone or combined with terazosin, on urodynamics in rats with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and in female rats with detrusor instability (DI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rat model of BPH was induced by subcutaneous injection of testosterone (0.5 mg per rat for 21 days). The female rat model of DI was induced by partial bladder outlet ligation for 6 weeks. The rats were intragastrically administered with assigned drugs (amlodipine, terazosin or both combined) for 14 days in three experiments. Continuous cystometry was assessed in rats under urethane anaesthesia. RESULTS: Amlodipine at 0.5, 1 and 3 mg/kg significantly decreased the bladder index (BI), threshold pressure (TP), and micturition pressure (MP), and significantly increased intermicturition duration (IMD) in BPH rats. Moreover, amlodipine 0.5 mg/kg plus terazosin 0.4 mg/kg gave the greatest improvements in all urodynamic variables, with a greater decrease in BI, TP, MP and greater increase in IMD than with either of the drugs used alone in BPH and DI rats, and had a similar efficacy to terazosin 1 mg/kg. The combined treatment also gave a greater decrease in nonvoiding bladder contractions in DI rats. CONCLUSIONS: Amlodipine alone or combined with terazosin might have the potential to alleviate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The combined therapy appears to be more suitable for LUTS with predominantly irritative symptoms.