Pineal mechanism of danggui shaoyao powder on anti-aging / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study whether Danggui Shaoyao Powder (DSP) is by way of improving pineal function to realize its anti-aging effects.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty aged rats were randomly divided into the sham operated group (A), the pinealectomized group (B), the sham medicated group (C), the pinealectomized and medicated group (D). The medication given was gastric perfusion of DSP for 3 weeks. Learning and memory ability of rats was observed using Morris water maze and the serum melatonin (MLT) concentration of the rats was measured by radio-immunoassay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average escape latency in Group B was significantly longer than that in other groups (P <0.05). The times of passing through the platform and the percentage of swimming distance in Group C were significantly higher than those in other groups (P <0.05). The serum MLT was higher at daytime than at night in Group C and D (P <0.05); that at daytime in Group C was higher than Group A (P <0.05) and also higher in Group D than Group B; that at daytime was higher in Group C than Group D; that at night markedly decreased in Group D as compared with Group B (P <0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DSP could increase the melatonin secretion and improve learning and memory ability. Since its effects reduced after pinealectomy, it could be deduced that improving pineal function should be one of the action mechanisms for anti-aging.</p>

Effects of dahuang zhechong pill on expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase in rats' hepatic stellate cells / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effects of Dahuang Zhechong Pill (DZP) on the gene expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in rats' hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) that secreted into the culture base.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HSC were isolated from the liver of normal rats and incubated with DZP-contained drug serum. The expression of MMP-1 in the HSC was detected by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The activity of MMP-2 was examined by zymography.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>DZP-contained drug serum could obviously promote the gene expression of MMP-1 in HSC. In the meantime, it could obviously increase the content and activity of MMP-2 synthesized by HSC (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The anti-fibrosis action of DZP was correlated to the promotion of HSC's gene expression of MMP-1 and increasing of the contents and activity of MMP-2.</p>

Effect of supplemented danggui shaoyao powder and its disassembled prescriptions on lymphocytes proliferation in aged rats / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of supplemented Danggui Shaoyao San (DSS) and its disassembled prescriptions on function of lymphocyte in aged rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rats aged 18 months were administered with decoction of DSS and its disassembled prescriptions separately in groups for 3 weeks to prepare drug containing serum. Samples of ConA induced rats splenic lymphocytes proliferation was treated respectively with prepared drug serum, for testing their effect on lymphocyte proliferation using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) method, and isoprel (ISO) and propranolol were taken as the controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The A value of lymphocyte proliferation in the drug serum treated groups was significantly different from that in the control groups (P < 0.01), which could be reduced markedly after treatment with ISO, but could restore to the level before ISO treatment by adding drug serum or propranolol.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DSS and/or its disassembled prescriptions could raise the lymphocyte proliferation in aged rats significantly, it also shows antagonizing effect against the inhibition of ISO on lymphocyte proliferation.</p>