Roots Of Angelica Sinensis Research Articles

Pharmacological effects of Radix Angelica Sinensis (Danggui) on cerebral infarction

Radix Angelica Sinensis, the dried root of Angelica sinensis (Danggui), is a herb used in Chinese medicine to enrich blood, promote blood circulation and modulate the immune system. It is also used to treat chronic constipation of the elderly and debilitated as well as menstrual disorders. Research has demonstrated that Danggui and its active ingredients, as anti-arthrosclerotic, anti-hypertensive, antioxidant anti-inflammatory agents which would limit platelet aggregation, are effective in reducing the size of cerebral infarction and improving neurological deficit scores.

Polysaccharides from the root of Angelica sinensis promotes hematopoiesis and thrombopoiesis through the PI3K/AKT pathway

BackgroundDozens of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulas have been used for promotion of "blood production" for centuries, and we are interested in developing novel thrombopoietic medicines from these TCMs. Our previous studies have demonstrated the hematopoietic effects of DangGui BuXue Tong (DBT), a formula composed of Radix Angelicae Sinensis and Radix Astragali in animal and cellular models. As a step further to identify and characterize the active chemical components of DBT, we tested the hematopoietic and particularly, thrombopoietic effects of polysaccharide-enriched fractions from the root of Radix Angelicae Sinensis (APS) in this study.MethodsA myelosuppression mouse model was treated with APS (10 mg/kg/day). Peripheral blood cells from APS, thrombopoietin and vehicle-treated samples were then counted at different time-points. Using the colony-forming unit (CFU) assays, we determined the effects of APS on the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and megakaryocytic lineages. Using a megakaryocytic cell line M-07e as model, we analyzed the cellular apoptosis progression with and without APS treatment by Annexin V, Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Caspase 3 assays. Last, the anti-apoptotic effect of APS on cells treated with Ly294002, a Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinse inhibitor (PI3K) was also tested.ResultsIn animal models, APS significantly enhanced not only the recovery of platelets, other blood cells and their progenitor cells, but also the formation of Colony Forming Unit (CFU). In M-07e cells, we observed the anti-apoptotic effect of APS. Treatment by Ly294002 alone increased the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis. However, addition of APS to Ly294002-treated cells significantly reduced the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis.ConclusionsAPS promotes hematopoiesis and thrombopoiesis in the mouse model. This effect likely resulted from the anti-apoptosis activity of APS and is likely to involve the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Angelica sinensisModulates Immunohematopoietic Response and Increases Survival of Mice Infected withListeria monocytogenes

The effects of a dry extract of the roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (ASE) on the growth and differentiation of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM) in normal and Listeria monocytogenes-infected mice were studied. Myelosuppression concomitant with increased numbers of spleen CFU-GM was observed in infected mice. Prophylactic administration of ASE (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg) stimulated marrow myelopoiesis in a dose-dependent manner and reduced spleen colony formation to control values. The dose of 50 mg/kg ASE was the optimal biologically active dose in infected mice, and this dose schedule significantly increased survival of mice infected with a lethal dose of L. monocytogenes, with survival rate up to 30%. Investigation of the production of colony-stimulating factors revealed a dose-dependent increased colony-stimulating activity in the serum of infected mice, with higher response produced by the 50 mg/kg dose. Notably, no effects were observed with the 100 mg/kg dose, compared with infected nontreated controls. Further studies to investigate the production of factors such as inteferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α demonstrated increased levels of both cytokines in mice infected with L. monocytogenes and treated with 50 mg/kg ASE. We propose that ASE indirectly modulates immune activity and probably disengages Listeria-induced suppression of these responses by inducing a higher reserve of myeloid progenitors in the bone marrow in consequence of biologically active cytokine release (colony-stimulating factors, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α).

Determination of trace elements in Chinese medicinal plants by instrumental neutron activation analysis

Roots of Astragalus membranaceus, Angelica sinensis, Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Codonopsis pilosula, which were often used as herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, were analyzed by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). The samples were collected in Gansu, northwest of China and irradiated at the 15 MW heavy water reactor in China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE). The induced activities were counted by a well calibrated low background γ-spectrometer equipped with a high efficiency coaxial high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The concentrations of eighteen trace elements (Ca, Fe, Na, Zn, Ba, Rb, Ce, Cr, La, Co, Th, Cs, Sb, Sc, Sm, Hf, Eu and Tb) in the herbs were determined. Possible links between pharmacological action of the herbs and content of some elements were also discussed in this paper. The measured results were compared with the reported values in literature.

New Multi-herb Mixture, HT005, Induces Longitudinal Bone Growth in Male Rats

Objectives : It was investigated new herbal prescription HT005 supported by traditional Korean medicine has a activity on the longitudinal bone growth of rats. HT005 were consisted of the root of Angelica sinensis, the fruit of Alpinia oxyphylla, the root of Astragalus membranaceus, the stem of Eleutherococcus senticosus, and the root of Dioscorea japonica, and Poria cocos. Method : To investigate the effect on longitudinal bone growth in adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats, the longitudinal length of growth plate was measured directly by the tetracycline fluorescent labeling method and chondrocyte staining method. HT005 administered orally for four days, and the tetracycline was injected twice on the growth plate of the animals for fluorescent dying. The rate of longitudinal bone growth was measured the length between the tetracycline bands which fixed on the 3rd day and 5th day after injection. Cresyl violet was also used to stain the chondrocytes in the growth plate. The length of growth plate after administration was compared. Expression of IGF-1 and BMP-2 in the growth plate was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Results : HT005 showed a significant longitudinal bone growth which was at the dose of 100 mg/kg and (p (p (p at the dose of 10 mg/kg compared to the control group by cresyl-violet staining method. Both the number and intensity of BMP-2 and IGF-1 positive cells were increased in the hypertrophic zone of growth plate. There was a significant correlation between BMP-2 and IGF-1 expression and heights of chondrocytes in growth plate. Conclusions : Treatment of HT005 on Sprague-Dawley rats markedly increased the longitudinal bone growth. Therefore, HT005 may be an alternative herbal source to growth hormone as it promotes bone growth in children afflicted by growth retardation.

Altered Expression of Genes Profiles Modulated by a Combination of Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix in Obstructed Rat Kidney

The decoction of a combination of two Chinese herbs, Astragali Radix (the roots of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus) and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (the roots of Angelica sinensis), here named as A&A, has been demonstrated to have renoprotective effects in several animal models and may be considered as a complementary therapeutic medicine for chronic kidney disease. In this study, genomic approaches were employed to identify expression signatures in the obstructed kidney, which may be linked to the molecular actions associated with anti-fibrotic effects of A&A. Ninety-six male Wistar rats were divided randomly into sham, SAA (sham + A&A), UUO (unilateral ureteral obstruction), and UAA (UUO + A&A) groups. The rats in the SAA and UAA groups were administered A&A (14 g/kg) by oral gavage once daily; the ones in the sham and UUO groups were given equal volumes of water. Eight rats from each group were sacrificed at days 3, 7, and 10 after the operation, respectively. Changes in gene expression in the kidneys were determined using Affymetrix RAE-230A GeneChips. The differential expression of known genes between UAA and UUO was confirmed by RT-PCR. The results revealed that 40, 65, and 104 genes were upregulated and 30, 36, and 40 genes downregulated in UUO compared with the sham group at days 3, 7, and 10, respectively. Compared to the UUO group, eight genes were upregulated and two genes were downregulated at day 3 in the UAA group, and two genes were upregulated at day 10. These genes included transient receptor protein 3 (TRP3), bone marrow stromal cell antigen 1 (BST-1), peroxisomal biogenesis factor 6 (PEX6), xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH), cytochrome P450 subfamily I member A1 (CYP1A1), serine/cysteine proteinase inhibitor clade E member1 (PAI-1), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), and five ESTs. Among these genes, differential expression of PAI-1, FGF23, and CYP1A1 were further confirmed by RT-PCR. These data provide the evidence that the anti-fibrotic effects of A&A are mediated through multiple pathways in obstructive nephropathy, and novel mechanisms may be involved in the increasing degeneration of ECM, decreasing ROS reaction, and regulation of the calcium-phosphate metabolism.

Structural features of pectic polysaccharide from Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels

The structure of the pectic polysaccharide (ASP3) isolated from roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels was investigated using partial acid hydrolysis, enzymic digestion combined with methylation analysis, and further supported by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy techniques. The results indicated that ASP3 contained a backbone of linear homogalacturonan fragments as “smooth regions” and rhamnogalacturonan fragments as “hairy regions” with repeating unit of [→ 4)-α- d -Gal p A-(1 → 2)-α- l -Rha p -(1 →]. A total of 58.8% rhamnopyranose residues in the backbone were substituted at O -4 position by the side chains. The side chains contained mainly β-1,6- and β-1,4-galactopyranan bearing 3,6- and 4,6-substituted β- d -galactopyranose residues as branched points and short α-1,5-arabinofuranan possessing 3,5-substituted α- l -arabinofuranose residues as branching points. In addition, β-1,6-galactopyranan side chains were highly branched with α-1,5-arabinofuranan carrying 3- O -substituents (1,3,6-Gal) and terminated by the α-arabinofuranose residues which form arabinogalactan.

Neuroprotection by herbal formula FBD and its active compounds

FBD, a Chinese herbal formula, composed of Fu Ling [the sclerotium of the fungus of Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Polyporaceae)], Bai Zhu [the rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz.(Compositae)], and Danggui [the root of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (Umbelliferae)], has been found beneficial in treating brain ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). In this work, oral pretreatment with supercritical CO2 extract (FBD-CO2, 37. 5 mg/kg) twice daily for 3.5 days, significantly attenuated brain infarction (p < 0.05), blocked neuron specific enolase (NSE) efflux (p < 0.05) in mice subjected to repetitive 10 min of common carotid artery occlusion following 24 h reperfusion, whether coupled with aqueous extract (FBD-H2O, 150 mg/kg) or not. Except atractylenolide I and pachymic acid, atractylenolide II, III, levistolid A, and ferulic acid isolated from FBD-CO2 alone protected neuron-like PC12 cells obviously and concentration-dependently against I/R-like insults (p < 0.05 ~ 0.01) induced by sodium dithionite (10 mM), monosodium glutamate (2 mM), KCl (0.2 M), or hydrogen peroxide (0.2 mM) at 1-100 μM. Even though at sub-active concentrations (< 1 μM), the combination of the six components contained in FBD-CO2 (10 μg/mL), protected markedly PC12 cells (p < 0.01), in a synergistic fashion. Moreover, intraperitoneal treatment with dual doses of 37. 5 mg/kg FBD-CO2 and 1. 2 mg/kg combination reduced both infarct size (p < 0.01 and p > 0.05, respectively) and NSE efflux (p < 0.05 and p > 0.05, respectively). Therefore, neuroprotection by FBD on I/R induced neuronal injury originated partially from the synergies of its compounds atractylenolide II, atractylenolide III, levistolid A and ferulic acid.

Aqueous extracts of FBD, a Chinese herb formula composed of Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala, and Angelica sinensis reverse scopolamine induced memory deficit in ICR mice

Herb formula FBD is composed of fu ling [or poria, or the sclerotium of the fungus of Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Polyporaceae)], bai zhu [white atractylodes rhizome, or the rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz.(Compositae)], and dang gui [or dong quai, Chinese angelica root, or the root of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (Umbelliferae)], the three Chinese medicinal plants used traditionally to improve cognitive disorders. The present study aimed to observe the effects of dual doses of aqueous extracts of FBD (200 and 600 mg/kg) administered orally for 6 days on memory deficit induced by scopolamine, 4 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.) in male imprinting control region (ICR) mice. Aqueous extracts of FBD markedly ameliorated scopolamine induced memory deficit in passive step-through avoidance test and passage water maze test, significantly inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in cortex and hippocampus, and circulating butyrylcholinesterase activity. Moreover, cortical AChE activity in vitro was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner by aqueous extracts of FBD at 50–200 μg crude herb/mL, in which dang gui extract exerted a stronger anti-AChE activity than that of fu ling or bai zhu. In contrast, no acute toxicity was observed within 14 days, after administration with FBD extracts at the maximal tolerable dose of 69 g/kg. These results suggested that FBD might be a potential and safe herbal agent for Alzheimer’s disease, and its nootropic action was mediated, in part, via enhancing the cholinergic nervous system.

Bioactivity-Guided Fractionation and GC/MS Fingerprinting of Angelica sinensis and Angelica archangelica Root Components for Antifungal and Mosquito Deterrent Activity

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the chloroform extract from the roots of Angelica sinensis led to isolation and characterization of (Z)-ligustilide using direct-bioautography with Colletotrichum species. The structure of (Z)-ligustilide was confirmed by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy and GC/MS. (Z)-Ligustilide deterred the biting of two mosquito species more effectively than DEET. Three different A. sinensis accessions and one Angelica archangelica root oil were evauated by GC and GC/MS, and the dominant component in A. sinensis was 61-69% (Z)-ligustilide. Two other prominent compounds in A. sinensis oils were 5.7-9.8% (E)-3-butylidene phthalide and 1.5-2.3% (Z)-3-butylidene phthalide. The main constituents that comprised A. archangelica oil were monoterpene hydrocarbons such as 24.5% alpha-pinene, 13.8% delta-3-carene, 10.1% beta-phellandrene, 8.8% p-cymene, 8.4% limonene, and 6.3% sabinene. Phthalides and monoterpene hydrocarbons were determined to be good systematic markers or chemical fingerprints for A. sinensis and A. archangelica root oils. Chemical fingerprinting by GC/MS of A. sinensis also confirmed the misidentification of one A. archangelica sample sold in the Chinese market.

Bio-assay guided isolation and identification of anti-Alzheimer active compounds from the root of Angelica sinensis

Activity-directed fractionation and purification processes were employed to identify the anti-Alzheimer active compounds from the root of Angelica sinensis. In this study, the ability of Angelica root to inhibit the aggregated amyloid β-peptide (agg Aβ 1-40) induced damage of differentiated PC-12 cells (dPC-12), a well-known cell model for Alzheimer disease, was investigated. Air-dried roots of A. sinensis were extracted with methanol and then separated into ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water layers. Among them, only the ethyl acetate layer showed strong activity and therefore, subjected to separation and purification using various chromatographic techniques. Four compounds showing potent activity were identified by comparing spectral data (UV, NMR, and ESI-MS) with literature values to be Z-ligustilide, 11-angeloylsenkyunolide F, coniferyl ferulate and ferulic acid. They were found to significantly inhibit Aβ 1-40 toxicity on dPC-12 cells at lower concentrations (1–10 μg/ml), but at high concentrations (>50 μg/ml) they were toxic to the dPC-12 cells, except 11-angeloylsenkyunolide F. DPPH scavenging activity of the extracts and isolated compounds have also been carried out to find the possible mechanism of the activity.

Angelica sinensis and Its Alkylphthalides Induce the Detoxification Enzyme NAD(P)H: Quinone Oxidoreductase 1 by Alkylating Keap1

The roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (Dang Gui; Apiaceae) have a long history in traditional Chinese medicine as a remedy for women's disorders and are often called "lady's ginseng". Currently, extracts of A. sinensis are commonly included in numerous dietary supplements used for women's health and as antiaging products. In the present study, we examined the potential chemopreventive activity of A. sinensis extracts by measuring the relative ability to induce the detoxification enzyme, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). The lipophilic partitions showed strong NQO1 induction with concentrations to double the enzyme activity (CD) of 5.5 +/- 0.7 (petroleum ether) and 3.9 +/- 0.5 microg/mL (chloroform). Fractionation led to the isolation of phenolic esters and alkylphthalides, especially Z-ligustilide, the main lipophilic compound, which showed strong NQO1 inducing properties (CD = 6.9 +/- 1.9 microM). Transcription of many detoxifying enzymes is regulated through the antioxidant response element (ARE) and its transcription factor Nrf2, which is repressed under basal conditions by Keap1. However, exposure to electrophilic inducers that alkylate Keap1 results in higher concentrations of free Nrf2 and ARE activation. The ARE reporter activity was therefore analyzed in HepG2-ARE-C8 cells after incubation with lipophilic extracts of A. sinensis or ligustilide for 24 h. Under these conditions, both the extract and the ligustilide increased ARE-luciferase reporter activity in a dose-dependent manner. Incubation of ligustilide with GSH and subsequent LC-MS-MS analysis revealed that ligustilide as well as oxidized ligustilide species covalently modified GSH. In addition, using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and LC-MS-MS, it was demonstrated that the lipophilic extracts, ligustilide, and monooxygenated ligustilide alkylated important cysteine residues in human Keap1 protein, thus activating Nrf2 and transcription of ARE regulated genes. These observations suggest that A. sinensis dietary supplements standardized to ligustilide have potential as chemopreventive agents through induction of detoxification enzymes.

Assessment of 1H NMR Spectroscopy for Specific Metabolite Fingerprinting of Angelica sinensis

The 1H NMR fingerprints of fractionated non-polar extracts (CSPD A) from the roots of Angelica sinensis of six different specimens were assigned by comparison with the 1H NMR spectra of the isolated pure compounds. The 1H NMR fingerprints showed exclusively characteristic resonance signals of the major constituents of the plant. The 1H NMR fingerprint established for an authentic sample of A. sinensis can be used for authenticating A. sinensis species.

Protective effects of Angelica sinensis extract on amyloid β-peptide-induced neurotoxicity

The protective effects of alcohol extract from the root of Angelica sinensis (AS) on beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta)-induced toxicity and the mechanism of these effects were investigated. Abeta is a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease; it decreased viability of Neuro 2A cells in a concentration-dependent manner with IC(50) of 14.9 microM. AS extract resulted in dose-dependent anti-Abeta toxicity according to MTT assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) analysis revealed a significant production of hydrogen peroxide, decreased glutathione (GSH) levels and increased lipid peroxidation (TBARS value) in the Abeta-treated Neuro 2A cells. The Abeta-treated cells also showed a significant decline in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsim) and increase in the mitochondrial volume, and portions of the cytoplasm were sequestered by a membrane-bound vacuole. The malfunctions of Neuro 2A cells caused by Abeta were attenuated using AS extract. The AS extract protected cell viability against Abeta-induced oxidative damage (ROS, TBARS, and GSH contents) and rescued the DeltaPsim levels in a dose-dependent manner: the dosages of 25, 50, 100, and 200 microg/ml recovered 77%, 87%, 102%, and 105% of DeltaPsim, respectively. AS extract also recovered the enlarged mitochondria mass with dosages from 25 to 200 microg/ml. The results of this study demonstrated that AS extract possessed the activity to prevent the neurotoxicity induced by Abeta-associated oxidative stress, implying that AS has a potential role in the prevention of Alzheimer's diseases.

Habitat Niche-Fitness and Radix Yield Prediction Models for Angelica sinensis Cultivated in the Alpine Area of the Southeastern Region of Gansu Province, China

Dried root of Angelica sinensis has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicinal prescriptions. Researches on better knowledge of appropriate habitats for cultivation of this species are required to encourage the potential ecological sustainable industry. From 2001 to 2004, transplanting trials on the regulation of fertilizers and planting density were conducted for collection of habitat factor data at four sites of four counties in the southeastern region of Gansu Province, China. Introducing the niche theory into the research, habitat niche-fitness (HNF) is defined as the degree of similarity of an actual habitat state to the optimum habitat. A new model of HNF is constructed to evaluate the adaptive extent of A. sinensis. The results showed that the model of HNF notably outperforms the proportional similarity index and the geometric parallelism formula both in mathematical justification and biological principle testing. With HNF as a surrogate for composite environmental factors, a radix yield model was constructed. Evaluation of the present model by the sampled subplots specified for data validation proved that the model could be well used for predicted of radix yield across a wide-spread area. The radix yield prediction model and its uses are recommended within the limitations of the data used in the study area. Beyond this range, validation of the radix yield prediction model will be necessary.

Macrophage Activation by an Acidic Polysaccharide Isolated from Angelica Sinensis (Oliv.) Diels

This study was designed to identify and characterize the mechanism of macrophage activation by AAP, an acidic polysaccharide fraction isolated from the roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. As a result, AAP significantly enhanced nitric oxide (NO) production and cellular lysosomal enzyme activity in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, L-NAME, a specific inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), effectively suppressed AAP-induced NO generation in macrophages, indicating that AAP stimulated macrophages to produce NO through the induction of iNOS gene expression and the result was further confirmed by the experiment of the increase of AAPinduced iNOS transcription in a dose-dependent manner. To further investigate, AAP was shown to strongly augment toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA expression and the pretreatment of macrophages with anti-TLR4 antibody significantly blocked AAP-induced NO release and the increase of iNOS activity, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) secretion.

A new procedure for the preparative separation and isolation of Z‐ligustilide from the roots of Angelica sinensis

A new procedure for the separation and isolation of Z-ligustilide from the roots of Angelica sinensis (AS) was developed, and the storage conditions for Z-ligustilide were optimized. Using the present procedure, Z-ligustilide was enriched by decomposing the Z-ligustilide dimers yielding Z-ligustilide and dissolving the polar impurities in hot water. Then, the crude Z-ligustilide was further purified by a semipreparative HPLC system. The spiked and nonspiked samples were used for the evaluation of the proposed procedure. Recoveries obtained varied from 86.2 to 90.7% and RSDs from 4.0 to 6.6%. The yield and purity of the isolated Z-ligustilide were found to be 4.57 mg/g and 99.6%, respectively. The results of stability tests have shown that the presence of oxidant contributes to Z-ligustilide degradation, therefore argon was chosen as a shielding gas for storage. The overall procedure is efficient and convenient which is considered suitable for the preparative separation of Z-ligustilide from AS.

The stability of Z-ligustilide and its relevance for the biological evaluation of Angelica botanicals

Originating from traditional Chinese medicine, Angelica species are commonly used herbals [1]. Phthalide monomers such as cis-3-butylidene-4,5-dihydro-phthalide (Z-ligustilide, 1) are often associated with the active principle in botanical preparations [2, 3]. Because pure 1 is known to undergo rapid chemical degradation [4, 5], the purpose of this study was to elucidate whether the observed bioactivity may be attributed to 1 by itself, or associated with its degradation products. Therefore, a three-prong approach was taken, which involved: 1) the isolation of pure 1, 2) careful stability monitoring, and 3) the evaluation of biological activity using a quinone reductase (QR) assay. The use of an optimized liquid-liquid chromatography protocol employing 2-step FCPC/HSCCC permitted the isolation of high-purity 1 (99.4 by GC, 99.6% by qHNMR), from the roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. (Apiaceae). When the stability of 1 was monitored by GC-MS and [q]NMR to evaluate the impact of different storage conditions, 1 was found stable when stored in organic solutions at temperatures -30o C or below. However, once dried, 1 undergoes significant degradation within 24 hours, even when kept in the dark at -30° C. Interestingly, 1 of high-purity, when subjected to biological testing, showed no measurable activity in the QR assay, while chemically degraded samples exhibited significant activity (CD value: 6.5–11.7µM±0.4–1.2) in the same assay. Our results demonstrate that the storage conditions can have a profound impact on the quality of phthalide-containing herbals as well as on the biological activities attributed to the phthalide class of compound.

Chemopreventive activity of Angelica sinensis root extracts and its alkylphthalides

Chemopreventive activity of Angelica sinensis root extracts and its alkylphthalides

Dang-Gui Buxue Tang Protects against Oxidant Injury by Enhancing Cellular Glutathione in H9c2 Cells: Role of Glutathione Synthesis and Regeneration

In order to investigate the biochemical mechanism of Dang-Gui Buxue Tang (DBT) involved in its cardioprotective action, the effects of DBT and related preparations on the cellular level of reduced glutathione (GSH) and on susceptibility to menadione-induced toxicity were examined in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Treatment with herbal extract prepared from the fresh root of Astragalus membranaceus (RAM) or Angelica sinensis (RAS) alone and their combinations (D1:1-D10:1) in varying ratios of RAM to RAS (1:1 to 10:1, respectively) increased cellular GSH in a concentration-dependent manner, with the effect produced by the D5:1 extract, an authentic formula of DBT, being the most potent. The enhancement of cellular GSH was found to correlate positively with the degree of cytoprotection against menadione toxicity. Both GSH-enhancing and cytoprotective effects of DBT were largely abolished by GSH depletion as a result of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO)/phorone treatment. The DBT-induced increase in the cellular GSH level and the associated cytoprotection were also suppressed by the treatment with BSO, an inhibitor of GSH synthesis, or 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, an inhibitor of GSH regeneration. The results indicate that DBT treatment protects against oxidant injury in H9c2 cells, and that the cytoprotective action is causally related to the increase in cellular GSH level, which is likely mediated by the enhancement of GSH synthesis and regeneration.