[Study of Yiqi Huayu Bushen recipe and its decomposed formulas in regulating gene expressions in degenerated cervical intervertebral discs of rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the gene expression changes in the degenerated cervical intervertebral discs of rats, and to study the function of Yiqi Huayu Bushen Recipe, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, and its discomposed formulas in regulating gene expressions in the degenerated cervical intervertebral discs.


METHODS
The rat model with degenerated cervical intervertebral discs caused by imbalance between the dynamic and static forces was established. The mRNA was extracted from the cervical intervertebral discs of rats in the normal control and experiment groups, and the cDNA probes were obtained by inverse transcript. The cDNA probes were hybridized with the gene chips. The gene expression pattern was gained with a laser scanner. Image analysis, standardized ratio value and cluster analysis were used to investigate the differential of gene expressions between the control and experiment groups.


RESULTS
Cluster analysis showed that the gene chips of No.1 (Yiqi Huayu group), No.2 (Yiqi Bushen group) and No.3 (Huayu Bushen group) were in one class, while the gene chips of No.4 (untreated group) and No.5 (Yiqi Huayu Bushen group) were in the other. The gene expression of No.4 was different from the others mostly, and the gene expressions of No.2 and No.3 were similar. There were 96 genes expressed differently in three cases and among them 77 genes were already known and the expression of 48 genes were up-regulated (ratio>1.0), and 29 down-regulated (ratio<0.5). There were 25 genes expressed differently between the untreated group and the herb-treated groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The gene expressions of the degenerated rat intervertebral discs are changed. Yiqi Huayu Bushen Recipe and its discomposed formulas have the effect of regulating the expressions of related genes, such as PI(3)K, PTK, ERK3, and PH1B1.
Wang
Yong-Jun
YJ
Institute of Spine, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China. yjwang88@hotmail.com
Shi
Qi
Q
Li
Chen-Guang
CG
Zhou
Quan
Q
Hu
Zhi-Jun
ZJ
Liu
Mei
M
Zhou
Chong-Jian
CJ
D000818:Animals; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000378:metabolism*; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000235:genetics*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D000097767:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase 11
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D018631:ras Proteins; D000097767:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase 11; C102548:Mapk4 protein, rat; C418731:Agap2 protein, rat