Loss-of-function mutations or inhibition of 11 -hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11 -HSD-2) results in overstimulation of the mineralocorticoid receptor by cortisol and causes salt-sensitive hypertension. Traditionally, 11 -HSD-2 activity has been assessed by measurement of the urinary cortisol metabolite ratio (tetrahydrocortisol [THF] 5 -THF)/tetrahydrocortisone (THE). Recently, the ratio...

Haizao Yuhu Decoction (HYD) has been used for approximately 500 years and is well-known in Traditional Chinese Medicine for its efficacy in the treatment of thyroid-related diseases. In this study, a rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of liquiritin, naringin, hesperidin, peimine, liquiritigenin, glycyrrhizic acid, bergapten, nobiletin...

Eosinophils circulate in the blood and are recruited in tissues during allergic inflammation. Gap junctions mediate direct communication between adjacent cells and may represent a new way of communication between immune cells distinct from communication through cytokines and chemokines. We characterized the expression of connexin (Cx)43 by eosinophils isolated from atopic individuals using RT-P...

A high performance liquid chromatography method was studied for determination of 18 ?-glycyrrhetinic acid in Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (licorice) extract. The operating condition were C-18 reversed phase column (VP-ODS, (250×4.6 mm, 5 mm)) at room temperature, acetonitril/phosphoric acid (3/1) as mobile phase, at flow rate of 0.6ml/min (0-8min), 0.4ml/min (8-20min) and UV detection at 230 nm. The...

Since glycyrrhetinic acid was proved to suppress tumor promoter effects, several oleanane-type triterpenes which were chemically derived from oleanolic acid and hederagenin were tested in vitro and in vivo against the action of tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate. By in vitro experiment monitoring with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced stimulation of 32Pi incorporati...