Abstract
Pharmacological effects of the medicinal plant Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. 1868 (Araliaceae) are related to presence of over 150 secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, sterols, polysaccharides, terpenoid saponins and terpenoid acids, though the main biologically active substances of A. elata are saponins and flavonoids. Some clinical tests and experimental studies have proved the influence of A. elata on the organism through increase in physical work capacity, exerting an anti-stress effect against a broad range of harmful factors, including stress from cold, immobilization, ultraviolet radiation and low pressure. The literature also reports the anti-ulcer, anti-secretory, antifungal, anti-tumour, and antimicrobial activity of preparations from this plant. In our laboratory experiment, we determined that ethanolic tincture of A. elata has no effect on the intensity of growth of body weight of young rats against the background of excessive content of fat in their diet. Excessive fat-feeding of male rats leads mostly to disorders in the functioning of the liver and development of steatosis. This was accompanied by reduction in relative mass of the liver, increase in activity of hepatic enzymes, dysproteinemia, increase in the level of bilirubin and decrease in the level of urea. Additional use of 0.1% ethanol led to impaired functioning of the kidneys, reduction of their relative mass, signs of dehydration, increase in the level of creatinine and total calcium in the blood. Use of ethanolic tincture of A. elata mitigates negative excess of fat, is accompanied by normalization of indices of mass of the organs, less notable dysproteinemia, impairment in the level of creatinine, glucose, urea, cholesterol, bilirubin and total calcium. Ethanolic tincture of A. elata has a low immunosuppressive action, against the background of a high fat diet it leads to increase in the amount of typical Escherichia сoli, decrease in Еnterococcus spp. and Enterobacter spp., significant decrease and in high concentrations (0.1% ethanolic tincture of A. elata) elimination of bacteria of Clostridium and Klebsiella genera, and also various yeast fungi in the intestine. In the examined male rats, against the background of excess of fat in the diet, no serious changes in the composition of the normal gut microbiota (Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., Proteus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Candida spp.) was observed, nor were any lactose-negative enterobacteria (Citrobacter genus) found. Perspectives of further research include determining histological, histochemical and immune-histological changes in the organs of laboratory animals under the effect of ethanolic tincture of A. elata following excessive accumulation of fat.
Highlights
IntroductionThe widely known medical plant Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. 1868 (commonly called Japanese anjelica tree, known as Manchurian aralia tree Aralia mandshurica Rupr. et Maxim.) of the Araliaceae family is a tree or bush (up to 10 m in height), distributed in the North-East regions of China, Japan, Korea and the Far East of the Russian Federation
The widely known medical plant Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. 1868 of the Araliaceae family is a tree or bush, distributed in the North-East regions of China, Japan, Korea and the Far East of the Russian Federation
The weight of the rats given a high fat diet in the experiment changed insignificantly compared with the control, and addition of fructose to the diet led to reliable increase in the body weight already in the third week of the experiment compared both with the control group and animals which received excessive content of fat in the fodder (Ozkan & Yakan, 2019)
Summary
The widely known medical plant Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. 1868 (commonly called Japanese anjelica tree, known as Manchurian aralia tree Aralia mandshurica Rupr. et Maxim.) of the Araliaceae family is a tree or bush (up to 10 m in height), distributed in the North-East regions of China, Japan, Korea and the Far East of the Russian Federation. Roots of A. elata are used in classic pharmacology of many countries They are processed into alcoholic tinctures and tablets, or included in the composition of some complex preparations. Arfazetin is a mixture of different types of plants, including root of Aralia (15%); it is recommended as a hypoglycemic preparation (Shikov et al, 2016). Pharmacological effects of the plant are related to the presence of over 150 secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, sterols, polysaccharides, terpenoid saponins and terpenoid acids (Guo et al, 2009; Wang et al, 2011; Clement & Clement, 2015). The main biologically active substances of A. elata are saponins and flavonoids (Zhang & Song, 2012; Zhang et al, 2013, 2018; Wang et al, 2014). Complex spectral analysis has distinguished new triterpene saponins (congmusaponin I, II, III, congmuyenoside V, congmuyenoside VI), their inhibiting activity towards enzymes α-glucosidase, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and neuroprotective effects have been determined (Zhang et al, 2018a, b)
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