[Basic research on the pharmacological activity of Oriental drugs. X. On the combined action of several crude drugs included in Rokusingan in the inhibitory effect on capillary permeability]

Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of Liu-Shen-Wan and its individual fractions

Liu-Shen-Wan (LSW), a famous traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of upper respiratory tract inflammation, was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. Acetic acid-elevated vascular permeability, carboxymethylcellulose sodium (CMC-Na)-induced leukocyte migration and ear edema induced by picryl chloride were used to test anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, acetic acid-induced writhing and hot-plate tests were used to determine analgesic effect. It was observed that LSW exerted significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in these models at doses of 30 and 90mg/kg crude drug in vivo. In addition, LSW potently inhibited proliferation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) stimulated by streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin at doses of 0.5-5microg/ml in vitro. LSW was then partitioned with chloroform, methanol, water and mineral fraction. Several fractions inhibited inflammation and pain in varying degrees. Among them, chloroform fraction was the most active in hot-plate and writhing tests, and exerted the remarkable inhibitory effect on human PBMC proliferation. Methanol and water fractions had more suppressive activities in vascular permeability, leukocyte migration and PC-DTH tests. These results suggest that LSW has significantly anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. The chloroform fraction is a key fraction of LSW to the overall anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, while methanol and water fractions also partly contribute to anti-inflammatory activities of LSW.

Liu-Shen-Wan, a traditional Chinese medicine, improves survival in sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture via reducing TNF-α levels, MDA content and enhancing macrophage phagocytosis

Sepsis in humans is a difficult condition to treat and is often associated with a high mortality rate. Here, we investigated putative protective effects of Liu-Shen-Wan (LSW), a well-known Chinese formula used in treating infectious diseases, against polymicrobial sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The oral administration of LSW, at the first dose of 60 mg/kg and then 30 mg/kg every 12 h, significantly improved the survival of CLP mice during a 4-day observation period. The effects of LSW on the inflammatory response (circulating tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 (IL-1) levels and malondialdehyde (MDA) content-an index of lipid peroxidation), infectious degree (peritoneal bacteria counts), and innate immunity function (leukocyte counts, macrophage phagocytosis and neutrophil respiratory burst) were further examined in rats. We demonstrated that treatment of LSW significantly decreased elevated levels of circulating TNF-alpha at 4 h and further reduced plasma MDA levels at 24 h after CLP, at first doses of 15 and 30 mg/kg and then 7.5 and 15 mg/kg every 12 h. Moreover, LSW markedly enhanced clearance of intraperitoneal bacteria associated with the increasing count of peritoneal leukocytes and enhancing phagocytic activity of macrophages partly impaired at 24 h after CLP. In contrast, LSW lightly reduced IL-1 levels at 4 h and failed to improve deactivated respiratory burst activity of neutrophils at 24 h after CLP. Thus, LSW exerts protective effects against sepsis induced by CLP, mainly by reducing plasma TNF-alpha and MDA levels and enhancing peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis, suggesting that it is a potential agent in the prevention and treatment of sepsis.

Pharmacological properties of musk

The general pharmacological properties of musk were studied. After the application of musk, inhibition of acetic acid-induced writhing, hemolytic effect and excitation of spontaneous uterine motility of rats, inhibition of spontaneous motility in isolated ileum of rabbits, and anti-inflammatory effects and potentiation of beta-adrenergic action in isolated preparations of guinea pig trachea were observed. These effects were not observed after application of muscone or allantoin, constituents of musk.