Influence of Hypericum perforatum Extract on Piglet Infected with Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome Virus

To study the influence of Hypericum perforatum extract (HPE) on piglets infected with porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV), enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and cytopathic effect (CPE) were used to determine in vitro whether HPE could induce swine pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) to secrete IFN-gamma, and whether PRRSV titers in PAMs were affected by the levels of HPE-induced IFN-gamma. HPE (200 mg kg(-1)) was administrated by oral gavage to piglets infected with the PRRSV in vivo to observe whether HPE affected the viremia, lung viral titers, and weight gain of piglets infected with PRRSV. The results showed that HPE was capable of inducing PAMs to produce IFN-gamma in a dose dependent manner and HPE pretreatment was capable of significantly reducing PRRSV viral titers in PAMs (P<0.01). Administration of HPE to the PRRSV-infected animals significantly (P<0.05) reduced viremia over time as compared with the PRRSV-infected animals. But there was not significant decrease in lung viral titers at day 21 post-infection between the HPE-treated animals and the PRRSV-infected control piglets. There were no significant differences in weight gain over time among the HPE-treatment animals, the normal control, and the HPE control animals. The PRRSV-infected animals caused significant (P<0.01) growth retardation as compared with the HPE controls and the normal piglets. It suggested that HPE might be an effective novel therapeutic approach to diminish the PRRSV-induced disease in swine.

大兴安岭阿尔山沼泽鼓藻类中国新记录

大兴安岭阿尔山是我国沼泽分布最集中的地区之一,其中鼓藻类植物十分丰富。2004年7月,2005年8月、10月和2006年5月,作者先后4次在该地区采集标本共260号,在对标本鉴定过程中,发现有中国新记录鼓藻10个分类单位,隶属于4个属,包括8种2变种:厚皮鼓藻加厚变种Cosmarium pachydermumvar.incrassatum、穿孔鼓藻C.perforatum、伸长鼓藻C.protractum、具齿角星鼓藻Staurastrum denticulatum、不等角星鼓藻S.dispar、分叉角星