| Literature DB >> 18045504 |
Qiutao Gao1, Jun Li, Jerry Ka Hei Cheung, Jinao Duan, Anwei Ding, Anna Wing Han Cheung, Kuijun Zhao, Winnie Zhuoming Li, Tina Tingxia Dong, Karl Wah Keung Tsim.
Abstract
This article exemplifies a systematic approach to revealing the complexity of Chinese herbal medicine formulae through three levels of scientific research: standardization of herbs, verification of ancient formulae and mechanism studies. We use Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) as an example for this approach. Among thousands of traditional Chinese medicine herbal formulae, almost all of which consist of multiple herbs, DBT is one of the simplest. Containing only two herbs, namely Radix Astragali (RA) and Radix Angelicae Sinensis (RAS), DBT is traditionally used to treat ailments in women. The weight ratio of RA to RAS in DBT was prescribed to be 5:1 as early as in 1247 AD. In addition to advanced chemical analysis of herbal constituents, DNA genotyping techniques have been developed for reliable standardization of RA and RAS. Chemical evaluation shows that main active constituents in DBT, including astragaloside IV, calycosin, formononetin and ferulic acid, were most abundant after extraction at the RA to RAS ratio of 5:1, whereas other tested RA to RAS ratios only gave sub-optimal levels of the active constituents. Biological evaluation indicates that bioactivities of DBT, e.g. immuno-modulatory, oesteotropic and estrogenic effects are also best exerted at the RA to RAS ratio of 5:1. Correlation analysis demonstrates statistically significant relationship between the tested chemical constituents and tested bioactivities. Up- and down-regulation of expression of some genes as potential biomarkers has been detected by using gene chip technology. This systematic approach on the basis of herbal standardization, chemical and biological verification and mechanism studies, as exemplified in this article, will be useful to reveal the complexity of not only DBT but also other Chinese medicine herbal formulae.Entities:
Year: 2007 PMID: 18045504 PMCID: PMC2140262 DOI: 10.1186/1749-8546-2-12
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Chin Med ISSN: 1749-8546 Impact factor: 5.455
Figure 1The authentic sources of . (a) A. membranaceus and (b) A. membranaceus var. mongholicus are the sources for RA. (c) H polybotrys is a common substitute for RA. (d) A. sinensis is the source for RAS. (e) A. acutiloba and (f) A. gigas are also sold as raw materials for RAS in the markets.
Figure 2Determination of the active constituents in . (a) Amounts of total saponin, total isoflavonoid and total polysaccharides were determined in RA collected from various regions in China. (b) Amounts of ferulic acid and ligustilide were determined in RAS collected from various regions and countries. The roots of A. sinensis collected from Gansu, Yunnan, Sichuan and Shanxi, China were used. The roots of A. acutiloba from Hokkaido, Japan and A. gigas from Sokcho, Korea were used. Values are in g/100 g of dry herbal materials with means ± SEM, n = 10. (c) RAS from Gansu, China and RA from Shanxi, China should be used for DBT preparation.
Figure 3Chemical constituents in . (a) The amounts of astragaloside IV, calycosin, formononetin in DBT of various ratios of RA to RAS. (b) The amounts of Ligustilide, ferulic acid and total polysaccharides in DBT of various ratios of RA to RAS. Values are in mg/g of dry material (normalized by each herb weight) with means ± SEM, n = 5, each with triplicate samples.
Figure 4Biological activities of . RA, RAS and DBT of various RA to RAS ratios were tested for MG-63 cell proliferation (MTT assay), MG-63 cell differentiation (ALP assay), estrogenic response (estrogen promoter) and anti-platelet aggregation activity. The values are means ± SD, n = 5, each with triplicate samples.
Biological evaluation of DBT (in vitro studies)
| Findings | Model | Treatment | Reference |
| The 5:1 ratio | Cultured human MG-63 osteosarcoma cells | Dong | |
| The 5:1 ratio | Cultured MCF-7 cells | Dong | |
| The ratios 5:1 and 7:1 | ADP induced-platelet aggregation in blood from adult New Zealand white rabbits | Dong | |
| Cultured T-lymphocytes and macrophages | Gao |
Biological evaluation of DBT (in vivo studies)
| Findings | Model | Treatment | Reference |
| Kunming mice, male, RBC, Hb | Normal mice in 4 groups: | Wu BC | |
| Kunming mice, RBC, Hb, WBC, Plt, reticulocyte, nucleated cells of bone cavity, weight of pancreas and thymus | Mice in 5 groups: | Li YK | |
| Wister rats (male), amplitudes of LVSP and ± dp/dtmax, arterial pressure, Na+-K+-ATP activity, level of MDA production, cAMP content | Rats in myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury; i.v. | Wu DZ | |
| Kunming mice, ICR mice, Balb/c mice, RBC, WBC, reticulocytes and BMNC | Mice in 4 groups: normal, model, | Ning L | |
| Rats, myocardial mitochondrial status, RBC glutathione status | Rats in 5 groups: | Mak DH | |
| Kunming mice, GM-CFU | Zhang YH | ||
| The decoction-containing serum showed promoting actions to CFU-E. | Kunming mice, CFU-E | Zhang YH |
Figure 5Correlation coefficients between the data of 57 chemicals and the four bioassays. (a) Fifty-four peaks in typical HPLC fingerprints of DBT. In the HPLC fingerprint of 203 nm, astragaloside IV and other 16 peaks had a retention time between 70 to 120 min. In the HPLC fingerprint of 254 nm, ferulic acid, calycosin, formononetin, ligustilide and other 32 peaks had a retention time between 0 to 70 min. The 54 peaks are numbered, where astragaloside IV (1), ferulic acid (19), calycosin (33), formononetin (50) and ligustilide (53) are identified and served as standards. (b) The correlation coefficients between the data of 57 chemicals with the four bioassays. The correlation coefficient is in Y-axis and the peak number is in X-axis. Individual chemical markers are indicated by arrowheads and denoted by astragaloside IV (A), ferulic acid (B), calycosin (C), formononetin (D), ligustilide (E), total saponins (F), total flavonoids (G) and total polysaccharides (H). All correlations were tested to be statistically significant (P < 0.05).
Genes regulated by DBT, RA and RAS in cultured MG-63 cells
| Total | 8064 |
| Control | 606 |
| 883 | |
| 403 | |
| 660 | |
| 172 | |
| 1062 | |
| 473 |
*Significant changes of gene expression are defined as regulation, which can be either up-regulation when fluorescent signal in the sample was 200% greater than that of control, or down-regulation when the signal was 50% less than that of control.