Background: Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress have significant effects on cognitive deficiency in the pathophysiological development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the present study, we studied the influences of Ampelopsin (AMP) on proinflammatory cytokines (PICs, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α), and products of oxidative stress 8-isoprostaglandin F2α (8-iso PGF2α, a product of oxidative stress); and 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG, a key biomarker of protein oxidation) in the hippocampus using a rat model of AD. Methods: ELISA was used to examine PICs and oxidative stress production; and western blotting to examine NADPH oxidase (NOXs). The Spatial working memory tests and Morris water maze were utilized to assess cognitive functions. Results: We observed amplification of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α as well as 8-iso PGF2α and 8-OHdG in the hippocampus of AD rats. AMP attenuated upregulation of PICs and oxidative stress production. AMP also inhibited NOX4 in the AD rat hippocampus. Notably, AMP mostly improved learning performance in AD rat and this was linked to signal pathways of PIC and oxidative stress. Conclusion: AMP plays a significant role in improving the memory deficiency in AD rats via inhibition of signal pathways of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, suggesting that AMP is likely to prospect in preventing and relieving development of the cognitive dysfunctions in AD as a complementary alternative intervention.

Background. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between extracellular matrix 1 (ECM1) gene polymorphism and progression of liver fibrosis in the Chinese population. Methods. A total 656 patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and 298 healthy individuals of the Chinese Han population were recruited for a retrospective case-control study. Of the disease group, 104 cases had chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 266 had LC, and 286 had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Subjects were frequency-matched according to age and gender. Polymorphisms of the ECM1 gene were examined using the MassARRAY SNP genotyping method. Results. There were no associations between genotype and allele frequencies of ECM1 rs3737240 and rs13294 loci with the risk of CHB and CHB-related HCC. After adjustment for age, sex, smoking status, and drinking habits, the GT genotype was dramatically related to a reduced risk of chronic HBV infection in both non-HCC (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.49-0.94) and total chronic HBV infection patients (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.56-1.00). Haplotype analyses revealed twelve protective haplotypes against total chronic HBV infection and four against non-HCC chronic HBV infection. Conclusion. ECM1 gene polymorphism in rs3834087 and rs3754217 loci is associated with a reduced risk of chronic HBV infection but not with liver fibrosis development and the occurrence of HCC.