RESUMO
Four qi theory is an important part of property theory of traditional Chinese medicine. Current researches mainly focus on two aspects of cold and heat properties, which are not only important elements of treating diseases, but also are factors of causing adverse reaction. In this article, through the study on the toxicity mechanism of cold and hot properties, authors put forward to the control measures of toxic and side effects of traditional Chinese medicine with cold and hot properties, and pointed out that the importance of controlling toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine with cold and hot properties lies in the modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine.
RESUMO
Objective To compare the effect of 4 different cold and hot properties of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on body temperature and related factors of yeast induced fever rats,and discuss the thermoregulatory mechanism of cold and hot properties of TCM.Methods 108 male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group,a yeast-induced group,a R.palmatum treated group,a C.chinensis treated group,a Euodia ruticarpa treated group,and a Alpinia officinarum Hance treated group,with 18 rats in each group.Pyrexia model was induced by injecting yeast suspension subcutaneously on rat.At the 4h,8h and 12h after injection of yeast,the rats were sacrificed,and the blood and hypothalamus were collected.The levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2),cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in hypothalamus and plasma were detected by ELISA assay.Results At the 4h after injection of yeast,the temperature of rats in the model group began to rise,and it reached the peak at 8h,while RheumpalmatumL and Coptis chinensis could significantly reduce the body temperature of yeast-induced rat (P＜ 0.01 or P＜ 0.05).At 8h,the levels of PGE2 and cAMP in hypothalamus increased significantly [respectively (31.55 ± 9.88) pg/mg and (0.17±0.03) pmol/mg] compared with the normal group,while the level of AVP (0.14±0.02) pmol/ml in plasma reduced (P＜0.05).Compared with model group,at 8h RheumpalmatumL and Coptis chinensis could significantly lowered PGE2 [respectively (113.65± 18.60) pg/mg and (127.72 ± 15.75) pg/mg,P＜ 0.01 or P＜0.05],and cAMP [respectively (0.69±0.08) pmol/mg and (0.74±0.10) pmol/mg,P＜0.05] in hypothalamus,and increased AVP levels [respectively (1.08 ± 0.12) pmol/ml and (0.91 ±0.01) pmol/ml,P＜0.05 or P＜0.01] in plasma.Euodia ruticarpa and Alpinia officinarum had no significant effect on both body temperature and the levels of inflammatory factors.Conclusion The two cold property traditional Chinese medicines,R.palmatum and C.chinensis,could significantly reduced the body temperature of yeast-induced rats,which may be related to its effective regulation on levels of PGE2 and cAMP in hypothalamus and AVP in plasma,however,the two hot property traditional Chinese medicine,Euodia ruticarpa and Alpinia officinarum Hance,had no related effects.