Abstract Objective Oral ulcers are a lesion in the oral mucosa that impacts chewing or drinking. Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acids (EETs) have enhanced angiogenic, regenerative, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of 1-Trifluoromethoxyphenyl-3-(1-Propionylpiperidin-4-yl) Urea (TPPU), a soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor for increasing EETs level, on the healing of oral ulcers. Methods The chemically-induced oral ulcers were established in Sprague Dawley rats. The ulcer area was treated with TPPU to evaluate the healing time and pain threshold of ulcers. The expression of angiogenesis and cell proliferation-related protein in the ulcer area was detected using immunohistochemical staining. The effects of TPPU on migration and angiogenesis capability were measured with scratch assay and tube formation. Results Compared with the control group, TPPU promoted wound healing of oral ulcers with a shorter healing time, and raised pain thresholds. Immunohistochemical staining showed that TPPU increased the expression of angiogenesis and cell proliferation-related protein with reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in the ulcer area. TPPU enhanced cell migration and tube-forming potential in vitro. Conclusions The present results support the potential of TPPU with multiple biological effects for the treatment of oral ulcers by targeting soluble epoxide hydrolase.

ABSTRACT Chilling stress inhibits germination and early seedling growth of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of osmopriming with CaCl2 on the germination and early seedling growth of S. miltiorrhiza under chilling stress (10 ℃). Seeds were soaked in different concentrations of CaCl2 solutions (0, 50, 100, and 150 mM) at 20 ℃ for 24 h in darkness, rinsed, and air-dried. The effects of seed priming were evaluated on germination and survival during subsequent exposure to chilling stress (10 ℃) for 14 d. An unprimed control treatment was sown under optimal temperatures (25 ℃). Results indicated that germination percentage, germination potential, and seedling vigor index of unprimed seeds decreased from 69.2%, 12.4, and 0.092 to 28%, 3.6, and 0.022, respectively, when subjected to chilling stress. Higher malondialdehyde (MDA) content and lower chlorophyll contents (including total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b) were detected in S. miltiorrhiza seedlings. Osmopriming with 100 and 150 mM CaCl2 effectively lessened the negative effects of chilling stress. Germination percentage, germination potential, and seedling vigor index of primed seeds reached 42% and 48%, 6.36 and 8.78, and 0.037 and 0.047, respectively. Meanwhile, CaCl2 priming significantly triggered superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase antioxidant enzyme activity, enhanced the accumulation of osmoregulation substances (soluble protein, accumulation sugars, and proline), increased the photosynthetic pigment content (total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids), and decreased the MDA content. The most effective concentration of CaCl2 priming was 150 mM.

ABSTRACT Objectives: Our study aimed to investigate the associations of glucose tolerance status with insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and other clinical laboratory parameters of acromegalic patients before and after the patients underwent transsphenoidal adenomectomy (TSA) by conducting a single-center, retrospective study. Subjects and methods: A total of 218 patients with acromegaly who had undergone TSA as the first treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Serum IGF-I, growth hormone (GH) and glucose levels were measured before and after surgery. Results: The follow-up levels for random GH, GH nadir, and the percentage of the upper limit of normal IGF-I (%ULN IGF-I) were decreased significantly. The percentages of normal (39.0%), early carbohydrate metabolism disorders (33.0%) and diabetes mellitus (28.0%) changed to 70.2%, 16.5% and 13.3%, respectively, after TSA. %ULN IGF-I at baseline was higher in the diabetes mellitus (DM) group than in the normal glucose tolerance group and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) /impaired fasting glucose (IFG) groups before TSA, and the DM group exhibited a greater reduction in %ULN IGF-I value after surgery. The follow-up %ULN IGF-I value after surgery was significantly lower in the improved group, and Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that the reductions in %ULN IGF-I corresponded with the reductions in glucose level. Conclusion: This study examined the largest reported sample with complete preoperative and follow-up data. The results suggest that the age- and sex-adjusted IGF-I level, which reflects altered glucose metabolism, and the change of it are associated with improved glucose tolerance in acromegalic patients both before and after TSA.