[Effects of Yiqi Huayu Recipe on gene expression pattern of normal and apoptotic chondrocytes in cervical intervertebral disc in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of Yiqi Huayu Recipe on the gene expression pattern in normal and apoptotic chondrocytes in the cervical intervertebral disc of rats.


METHODS
The intervertebral disc endplates of rats were digested enzymatically. The apoptosis of the chondrocytes was induced by anti-Fas antibody. BiostarR-40s microarray chips were used to investigate the gene expression pattern in chondrocytes in the normal control, apoptosis and Yiqi Huayu Recipe groups. The results were scanned with Scan Array 4000 and analyzed with GenePix Pro 3.0, and then subjected to standardization and ratio analysis.


RESULTS
In the apoptosis group, 30 kinds of genes expressed in cervical intervertebral disc chondrocytes were screened out, in which 10 were up-regulated (ratio>2) and 20 down-regulated (ratio<0.5) as compared with the normal control group. On the other hand, in the Yiqi Huayu Recipe group, 97 kinds of genes expressed in cervical intervertebral disc chondrocytes were screened out, in which 44 were up-regulated (ratio>2) and 53 down-regulated (ratio<0.5) as compared with the apoptosis group.


CONCLUSIONS
There are some signal transduction pathways that control the apoptosis of the intervertebral disc chondrocytes. Yiqi Huayu Recipe regulates the gene express of the apoptotic chondrocytes in intervertebral disc. The study gives a further understanding to the mechanism of the cervical spondylosis and enriches the theories of qi and blood of traditional Chinese medicine.
Wang
Yong-Jun
YJ
Spinal Research Institute, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China. yjwang88@hotmail.com
Sun
Peng
P
Zhou
Quan
Q
Liu
Mei
M
Hu
Zhi-Jun
ZJ
Zhou
Chong-Jian
CJ
Shi
Qi
Q
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases