Effects of Alismatis Rhizoma and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae Decoction on Hyperuricemia in Rats.

Shupin Cheng,Hanxiao Sun,Xiaomeng Li,Yiping You,Jinyao Chen,Jiuming Yan,Lishi Zhang,Zihao Peng

doi:10.1155/2019/4541609

Shupin Cheng, Hanxiao Sun + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/4541609

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Abstract

The combination of Alismatis Rhizoma (AR) and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae (RSG), as Chinese herb medicine, has been used for their uric acid-lowering effect. However, the effects and mechanism of the combination of the two medicines have not been fully reported. Therefore, to explore the effects of AR-RSG combination decoction on the treatment of chronic hyperuricemia (HUA) in rats as well as the underlying mechanisms, in this study, at the first stage, a long-term HUA rats model was established by gavage of oteracil potassium plus adenine; allopurinol was used as the positive control, and the uric acid-lowering effects of AR or RSG decoction alone with low and high dose were evaluated, respectively. Serum uric acid (UA) and xanthine oxidase (XOD) were determined mainly, and pathological analysis of the kidney and liver was carried out after sacrifice of the animals. And then, at the second stage, four dose groups of AR-RSG combination treatment were investigated in HUA rats. In addition to the indicators measured at the first stage, the expression of urate anion exchanger 1 (URAT1) in rat kidney was determined by immunohistochemistry. We discovered that the UA levels of the model group in both stages were significantly and steadily higher than those of control groups. AR and RSG alone or in combination possess ability to decrease serum UA level of HUA rats, with effects more marked in the combination groups. The uric acid-lowering mechanism of AR-RSG combination may be related to its inhibiting activity of XOD, improving kidney damage and downregulating the expression of URAT1 in kidney.

Highlights

Hyperuricemia (HUA) refers to an abnormal state in which the fasting serum uric acid value is higher (7.0 mg/dL) under normal diet [1,2,3]
Lu et al has analyzed the role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used for HUA and gout and found that Alismatis Rhizoma (AR) and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae (RSG) were frequently used in the treatment of HUA and gout [13]
Adenosine deaminase (ADA) kit and xanthine oxidase (XOD) kit were purchased from Nanjing Jiancheng Bioengineering Research Institute (Nanjing, Jiangsu, China)

Summary

Introduction

Hyperuricemia (HUA) refers to an abnormal state in which the fasting serum uric acid value is higher (7.0 mg/dL) under normal diet [1,2,3]. The medications used for lowering uric acid are mainly western pharmaceuticals, which if used in long term may cause adverse outcomes. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat gout for almost a thousand years and shows promising curative effect, and some of them are even as effective as western medicines [12]. A recent meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled clinical trials showed that the efficacy of TCM is similar to that of western pharmaceuticals in treating HUA [12]. TCM, with natural sources and mild effects, may be more promising on long-term maintenance of serum uric acid (UA) level. Lu et al has analyzed the role of TCM used for HUA and gout and found that Alismatis Rhizoma (AR) and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae (RSG) were frequently used in the treatment of HUA and gout [13]

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