Abstract
Sargassum species combined with Glycyrrhiza uralensis is a famous herbal pair in traditional Chinese medicine, as one of the so-called “eighteen antagonistic medicaments.” In the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, two different species of Sargassum, Sargassum pallidum and Sargassum fusiforme, are recorded but they are not clearly differentiated in clinical use. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the two species of Sargassum could result in different effects when combined with G. uralensis in Haizao Yuhu Decoction (HYD), which is used for treating thyroid-related diseases, especially goiter. HYD containing S. pallidum or S. fusiforme was administered to rats with propylthiouracil-induced goiter. After 4 weeks, pathological changes in the thyroid tissue and the relative thyroid weight indicated that HYD containing S. pallidum or S. fusiforme protected thyroid tissues from propylthiouracil damage. Neither species increased the propylthiouracil-induced decrease in serum levels of thyroid hormones. However, there were some differences in their actions, and only HYD containing S. fusiforme abated the propylthiouracil-induced elevation of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and activated thyroglobulin mRNA expression.
Highlights
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the most popular complementary and alternative medicine modalities worldwide
We investigated the differences between Hai HaoZi (HHZ) and Yang Qi Cai (YQC) coadministered with GC to rats with propylthiouracil- (PTU-) induced goiter at four times the high-dose limit in Haizao Yuhu Decoction (HYD) as specified by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia
PTU administration for 2 weeks significantly reduced the rectal temperature of all model rats (P
Summary
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the most popular complementary and alternative medicine modalities worldwide. The herb pair Sargassum and Glycyrrhiza uralensis (GanCao, GC) belongs to the “eighteen antagonistic medicaments,” which means that they are incompatible and theoretically should not be applied simultaneously. This herb pair has been used for at least 1,000 years and has been described in “Taiping Holy Prescriptions for Universal Relief,” “Summary of Surgical Medicine,” and the “Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Chinese Pharmacopoeia)” [1]. Haizao Yuhu Decoction (HYD) contains this herb pair and is widely known for its efficacy in treating thyroid-related diseases, especially goiter, and has been described in “Summary of Surgical Medicine” of the Chinese Ming Dynasty. HYD is widely used to treat mammary gland hyperplasia [2], ovarian cysts [3], and hypertrophic pharyngitis [4] based on the TCM mechanism of dissipating “phlegm” and removing mass
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