Research Progress of Gypsum Ustum and Application of Calcium-containing Hemostatic Materials / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Mineral medicine is an indispensable part of traditional Chinese medicine and has a long history of application. Among them， mineral-based hemostatics have been widely applied for the treatment of various hemorrhagic diseases with extensive clinical experience and established efficacy. Gypsum Fibrosum （GF）， a commonly used mineral medicine in clinical， can clear away heat， and relieve anxiety and thirst. Gypsum Ustum （GU） is the processed product of GF after calcining at high temperature. It is mainly composed of anhydrous calcium sulfate （CaSO4） with the functions of moisturizing， promoting muscle growth， astringent sores and hemostasis. GU is often used externally to treat ulcer， itching， eczema， water and fire scalds， trauma bleeding， etc. Studies on the mechanism of hemostasis have shown that Ca2+ （coagulation factor Ⅳ） is involved in many key processes of the internal and external coagulation cascades and can prevent bleeding by regulating platelet activation and aggregation， and promoting the production of insoluble fibrin and the ultimate formation of a blood clot. GF and GU both contain Ca2+ which provide an important material basis of hemostatic effect for both compounds， but GU has a significant hemostatic effect， while GF has no hemostatic effect. After processing， the taste and efficacy of the GF have been obviously changed which reflects the characteristics of processing， but the processing mechanism of GU has not been fully clarified. Therefore， based on studies of GF before and after calcining， this paper focused on these aspects including calcining process， crystal form comparison， element content， efficacy comparison， and summarized various aspects of Ca2+ involved in hemostasis. In addition， the hemostatic properties of other calcium-containing mineral medicines and new calcium-containing hemostatic materials such as calcium alginate， mesoporous calcium silicate and nanogel hemostatic materials were also discussed. The paper aimed to provide a reference for elucidating processing mechanism and clinical dialectical use of GU， also to promote development of new calcium-containing hemostatic materials.