Comparative absorption kinetics of seven active ingredients of Eucommia ulmoides extracts by intestinal in situ circulatory perfusion in normal and spontaneous hypertensive rats

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. (E. ulmoides) is a valuable and nourishing medicinal herb in China that has been used in the treatment of hypertension. Given the fact that most traditional Chinese medicine is mainly used to treat disease, investigating the pharmacokinetics of traditional Chinese medicines in the pathological state is more useful than that in the normal state. However, the differences in the absorption kinetics of active ingredients of E. ulmoides extract between pathological and physiological conditions have not been reported. Therefore, in this study, the rat intestinal in situ circulatory perfusion model was used to investigate the differences in absorption kinetics of seven active ingredients of E. ulmoides extract in normal and spontaneously hypertensive rats, namely, genipinic acid, protocatechuic acid, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, (+)-pinoresinol di-O-β-D -glucopyranoside and (+)-pinoresinol 4′-O-β-D -glucopyranoside. Our results indicate that the pathological state of spontaneous hypertension may change the absorption of active components of E. ulmoides extracts, and these findings may provide a reference for improving the rational use of E. ulmoides in the clinic.     

Studies on oral bioavailability and first‐pass metabolism of withaferin A in rats using LC–MS/MS and Q‐TRAP

Withaferin A (WA) is one of the major bioactive steroidal lactones with extensive pharmacological activities present in the plant Withania somnifera. The absolute oral bioavailability of WA remains unknown and human‐related in vitro data are not available. Therefore, in the present study, the absolute oral bioavailability of WA in male rats and the in vitro screening of absorption factors by Q‐trap and LC–MS/MS analysis were conducted to explore possible clinical properties of WA. The developed and validated analytical methods were successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic studies and in vitro measurement of WA. The oral bioavailability was determined to be 32.4 ± 4.8% based on intravenous (5 mg/kg) and oral (10 mg/kg) administrations of WA in male rats. The in vitro results showed that WA could be easily transported across Caco‐2 cells and WA did not show as a substrate for P‐glycoprotein. Moreover, the stability of WA was similar between male rat and human in simulated gastric fluid (stable), in intestinal microflora solution (slow decrease) and in liver microsomes (rapid depletion, with a half‐life of 5.6 min). As such, the first‐pass metabolism of WA was further verified by rat intestine‐liver in situ perfusion, revealing that WA rapidly decreased and 27.1% remained within 1 h, while the content of three major metabolites (M1, M4, M5) identified by Q‐trap increased. This perfusion result is consistent with the oral bioavailability results in vivo. The first‐pass metabolism of WA might be the main barrier in achieving good oral bioavailability in male rats and it is predicted to be similar in humans. This study may hold clinical significance.     

The impact of blood on liver metabolite profiling – a combined metabolomic and proteomic approach

Metabolomics has entered the well‐established omic sciences as it is an indispensable information resource to achieve a global picture of biological systems. The aim of the present study was to estimate the influence of blood removal from mice liver as part of sample preparation for metabolomic and proteomic studies. For this purpose, perfused mice liver tissue (i.e. with blood removed) and unperfused mice liver tissue (i.e. containing blood) were compared by two‐dimensional gas chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC‐TOFMS) for the metabolomic part, and by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) for the proteomic part. Our data showed significant differences between the unperfused and perfused liver tissue samples. Furthermore, we also observed an overlap of blood and tissue metabolite profiles in our data, suggesting that the perfusion of liver tissue prior to analysis is beneficial for an accurate metabolic profile of this organ. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chromatographic Processing Scheme for Continuous Harvesting of rec-Prourokinase from Serum Free Medium Cell Cultures

Continuous perfusion cell culture, using albumin containing medium, offers the potential advantages of higher recombinant Prourokinase (r-ProUK) yields, higher initial product purity and increased throughput compared to batch culture technology using medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum. We have characterized the production of r-ProUK in medium supplemented with a lipid rich bovine serum albumin (Albumax) in a perfusion system. The results of these studies showed that it was necessary to modify the r-ProUK batch recovery scheme to process r-ProUK from a perfusion system. To accommodate large volumes of perfusate harvested over a ten to fourteen day production cycle, cation exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) resins were identified that had increased product binding capacity, better flow characteristics and wider pH ranges which allowed caustic cleaning. The mobile phase composition, pH and ionic strength were modified to improve r-ProUK yields from the identified resins, and procedures were developed to eliminate r-ProUK degradation products. Strategies were defined for processing continuous harvest, which contained four to seven times the amount of r-ProUK of batch harvests.     

Superparamagnetic iron oxide particles and positive enhancement for myocardial perfusion studies assessed by subsecond T1-weighted MRI

Superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIOs) are usually referred to as T₂ MR contrast agents, reducing signal intensity (SI) on T₂-weighted MR images (negative enhancement). This study reports the original use of SPIOs as T₁-enhancing contrast agents, primarily assessed in vitro, and then applied to an in vivo investigation of a myocardial perfusion defect. Using a strongly T₁-weighted subsecond MR sequence with SPIOs intravenous (IV) bolus injection, MR imaging of myocardial vascularization after reperfusion was performed, on a dog model of coronary occlusion followed by reperfusion. Immediately after the intravenous bolus injection of 20 μmol/kg of SPIOs, a positive signal intensity enhancement was observed respectively, in the right and left ventricular cavity and in the nonischemic left myocardium. Moreover, compared to normal myocardium, the remaining ischemic myocardial region (anterior wall of the left ventricle) appeared as a lower and delayed SI enhancing area (cold spot). Mean peak SIE in the nonischemic myocardium (posterior wall) was significantly higher than in the ischemic myocardium (anterior wall) (110 ± 23% vs. 74 ± 22%, Mann-Whitney test < 1%, n₁ = 6, n₂ − n₁ = 0, U > 2). In conclusion, the T₁ effect of SPIOs at low dose, during their first intravascular distribution, suggests their potential use as positive markers to investigate the regional myocardial blood flow and some perfusion defects such as the “no-reflow phenomenon”.     

Determination of space‐dependent coefficients from temperature measurements using the conjugate gradient method

In this article, we consider coefficient identification problems in heat transfer concerned with the determination of the space‐dependent perfusion coefficient and/or thermal conductivity from interior temperature measurements using the conjugate gradient method (CGM). We establish the direct, sensitivity and adjoint problems and the iterative CGM algorithm which has to be stopped according to the discrepancy principle in order to reconstruct a stable solution for the inverse problem. The Sobolev gradient concept is introduced in the CGM iterative algorithm in order to improve the reconstructions. The numerical results illustrated for both exact and noisy data, in one‐ and two‐dimensions for single or double coefficient identifications show that the CGM is an efficient and stable method of inversion.     

Angiostatin抑制转移性肿瘤血液灌注和间质液输运的数值模拟

数值研究抗血管生成因子Angiostatin对转移性肿瘤微循环内血液灌注和间质液输运的抑制效应.肿瘤微血管网生成数学模型包括angiostatin的抑制效应、促血管生成因子的趋化效应和内皮细胞自身的扩散效应,血液灌注、间质液输运和跨壁流体交换分别采用Poiseuille、Darcy和Starling定律来描述.结果表明:angiostatin能抑制转移性肿瘤内外微血管网的生长速率、毛细血管芽的分叉、融合与增殖;进一步angiostatin可改善转移性肿瘤微环境内血液灌注和间质液输运的特性,从而增加微血管内外流体对流和物质交换的能力,降低肿瘤内药物输运困难,结果与实验相符,可为临床抗血管生成治疗肿瘤提供有益信息.     

Blood oxygenation monitoring using hyperspectral imaging after flap surgery

In this paper, we present a new method for the assessment of skin flap perfusion based on the non-invasive monitoring of skin blood oxygenation using hyperspectral imaging. This method consists of generation of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin maps in skin flap from hyperspectral image using an analytic model based on Beer–Lambert law. The results obtained on a fasciocutaneous sural flap have revealed that the oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin maps facilitate the visualization of some differences between different areas of the flap, an aspect that clinical examination fails to do. In conclusion, the proposed method could provide a new option for a more accurate assessment of flap survival.     

兔VX2移植肝癌及隔离灌注模型建立方法探究

应用开腹瘤块包埋法建立了兔移植肝癌模型,探讨了改良动脉插管技术及提高隔离灌注模型建立的成功率.采用的方法是将实验兔建立移植肝癌模型10d后,按动脉插管方法随机分为3组：A组为直视下儿科静脉留置针插管;B组为显微镜下儿科静脉留置针插管;C组为直视下硬膜外麻醉导管插管.建模成功后经肝动脉灌注奥沙利铂,隔离灌注模型建立前测量肿瘤生长大小,常规病理观察肿瘤,比较插管成功率.研究结果表明：肿瘤生长良好,应用儿科静脉留置针插管成功率明显高于硬膜外麻醉导管,显微镜下插管较直视下无统计学意义,奥沙利铂浓度外周静脉显著低于流出道.由此认为采用儿科静脉留置针插管操作简单,成功率高,建立隔离灌注模型外周血药物泄漏少,阻断较完全,是一种实用的隔离灌注建立方法.     

脑动静脉畸形供血动脉内压力测量准确性的分析

对脑动静脉畸形供血动脉内压力测量的准确性进行了定量的分析,分析结果认为,以介入导管方法测量脑动脉畸形患者供血动脉内压力时,导管的影响可以导致测量结果偏低,这一结论支持了脑动静脉畸形患者低压灌注的程度一般不易于导致部分脑组织缺血的观点。