[Effects of Nourishing yin clearing heat ([Chinese characters: see text]) Chinese herbal medicine on vascular endothelial growth factor the epiphyseal cartilage of growth retardation].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the effects of Nourishing yin clearing heat ([Chinese characters: see text]) Chinese herbal medicine on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in growth retardation induced by Decamethasone and observe its mechanisms.


METHODS
Thirty one-month-old New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into normal group, dexamethasone-treated group and Nourishing yin clearing heat ([Chinese characters: see text]) Chinese herbal medicine-treated group. The rabbits in dexamethasone group and Nourishing yin clearing heat ([Chinese characters: see text]) Chinese herbal medicine-treated group received dexamethasone (5 mg/kg x d). The rabbits were sacrificed at the 6th and 12th week after administration, and then rabbit tibia articular was removed. (1) Using TUNEL stain to detect apoptotic index. (2) Using immunohistochemical stain to detect the positive index of the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the epiphyseal cartilage of growth. (3) Using fluorescent quantitative PCR to detect the expression intensity of VEGF mRNA in each group.


RESULTS
At the 6th and 12th week after administration, there were significant difference in apoptotic index and cell proliferation index between dexamethasone group and normal group (P<0.01, dexamethasone group more than normal group). Immunohistochemical stain and fluorescent quantitative PCR indicated that the expression of VEGF and VEGF mRNA in dexamethasone group was significantly decreased as compared with that in normal group (P<0.01), and also obviously lower than Chinese herbal medicine-treated group (P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
VEGF has 2. an important role during the growth retardation induced by Dexamethasone. Nourishing yin clearing heat ([Chinese characters: see text]) Chinese herbal medicine can reduce the growth retardation induced by Dexamethasone through increasing the VEGF expression in growth plate chondrocytes and then increase angiogenesis.
Shen
Huan-si
HS
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071, China.
Chen
Chao-wei
CW
Li
Yu-mei
YM
Chen
Yong-qiang
YQ
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects*; D006132:Growth Plate / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D003907:Dexamethasone