• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.287-293
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• 2009

The dried roots of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and Sanchi (Panax notoginseng) have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for promoting blood circulation as well as various other bodily functions. Here we investigated the effects of a mixture of aqueous extracts of Danshen and Sanchi, named PASEL, on blood pressure and vascular contractility in rats. Orally administered PASEL (62.5 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg, for 5 weeks) lowered the blood pressure of spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) but this was not observed in normal Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKR). We then investigated the effects of PASEL on the arterial contraction of the small branches of cerebral arteries (CAs) and large conduit femoral arteries (FAs) in rats. PASEL did not affect high-K (KCI 60 mM)- or phenyleprine (PhE)-induced contracture of FAs. The myogenic response, a reactive arterial constriction in response to increased luminal pressure, of small CA was dose-dependently suppressed by PASEL in SHR as well as control rats. Interestingly, the KCI-induced contraction of small CAs was slowly reversed by PASEL, and this effect was more prominent in SHR than control WKR. PASEL did not inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity. These results demonstrated that the antihypertensive effect of PASEL might be primarily mediated by altering the arterial MR, not by direct inhibition of L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels or by ACE inhibition.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.207-214
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• 2008

In recent years, the combined use of Herbal medicines and Western drugs has been increasing. Though certain problems may occur when both types of medicines are taken together, they havenot been adequately analyzed. It was reported that anticoagulation was enhanced in addition tobleeding when patients took long-term warfarin therapy in combination with Salvia miltiorrhiza(danshen), and laxative herbs accelerate intestinal transit and interfere with the absorption. Herbal constituents, curcumin, ginsenosides, piperine, catechins and silymarin were found to beinhibitors of P-glycoprotein. St John's wort induces the intestinal expression of P-glycoprotein. Anthraquinone, quercetin and coumarins were found to be a potent inhibitor of P-450. Glycyrrhizin or liquorice extracts, Garlic and St John's wort are a potent inducer of CYP3A4. This review provides a critical overview of interactions between herbal medicines and other drugs. Hence, it is necessary to study the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions of many herbal medicines between western drugs.

• CELLMED
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.17.1-17.8
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• 2014

Herbal remedies are commonly used by patients worldwide. Because these herbal preparations share the same metabolic and transport proteins with prescribed medicines, the potential for a drug-herb interaction is substantial and is an issue of significant concern. This review paper summarizes drug-herb interactions involving inhibition or induction of cytochrome P450 enzymes, drug transporters as well as modulation of drug pharmacodynamics. An increasing number of in vitro and animal studies, case reports and clinical trials evaluating such interactions have been reported, and implications of these studies are discussed in this review. The most commonly implicated drugs in the interaction include anticoagulants, antiplatelets, immunosuppressants, anti-neoplastics, protease inhibitors, and some antidepressants. Pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic interactions of five commonly used herbal remedies (danshen, garlic, Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and St John's wort) with these drugs are presented, with focus of discussion being the potentials for interaction, their mechanisms and clinical implications. There is a necessity for adequate pharmacovigilance to be carried out in minimizing unanticipated but often preventable drug-herb interactions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.4301-4305
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• 2014

Tanshinone IIA is a pharmacologically active ingredient extracted from Danshen, a Chinese traditional medicine. Its molecular mechanisms are still unclear. The present study utilized computational approaches to uncover the potential targets of this compound. In this research, PharmMapper server was used as the inverse docking tool andnd the results were verified by Autodock vina in PyRx 0.8, and by DRAR-CPI, a server for drug repositioning via the chemical-protein interactome. Results showed that the retinoic acid receptor alpha ($RAR{\alpha}$), a target protein in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), was in the top rank, with a pharmacophore model matching well the molecular features of Tanshinone IIA. Moreover, molecular docking and drug repurposing results showed that the complex was also matched in terms of structure and chemical-protein interactions. These results indicated that $RAR{\alpha}$ may be a potential target of Tanshinone IIA for APL. The study can provide useful information for further biological and biochemical research on natural compounds.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.3357-3361
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• 2013

Alumina microfibers with porous structures were prepared through hydrothermal reaction, and then used to modify the surface of carbon paste electrode (CPE). After modification with alumina microfibers, the electrochemical activity of CPE was found to be greatly improved. On the surface of alumina microfibers-modified CPE, the oxidation peak current of salvianolic acid B, a main bioactive compound in Danshen with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, was remarkably increased compared with that on the bare CPE surface. The influences of pH value, amount of alumina microfibers and accumulation time were studied. Based on the strong signal amplification effects of alumina microfibers, a novel electrochemical method was developed for the detection of salvianolic acid B. The linear range was from 5 ${\mu}gL^{-1}$ to 0.3 mg $L^{-1}$, and the detection limit was 2 ${\mu}gL^{-1}$ (2.78 nM) after 1-min accumulation. The new method was successfully used to detect salvianolic acid B in ShuangDan oral liquid samples, and the recovery was over the range from 97.4% to 102.9%.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.164-173
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• 2002

목적：반응성산소기들은 장관에서 여러 종류의 질병의 발생과 관련을 가지고 있는 것으로 알려져 있어, 이들에 의한 세포손상을 방지하는 약물의 개발은 시급한 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 항산화작용을 가진 약재로 보고 된 단삼추출액이 장관상피세포에서 $H_2O_2$에 의한 세포손상을 방지할 수 있는 지를 조사하고자 하였다. 방법：장관상피세포로는 사람의 소장상피세포에서 유래한 배양세포주인 Caco-2세포를 이용하였고, 세포손상 정도는 trypan blue exclusion assay를 통해 평가하였고, 지질의 과산화는 그 산물인 malondialdehyde의 량을 측정하여 산정하였다. 결과： $H_2O_2$는 처리 시간 및 농도에 비례하여 세포손상을 유발하였으며, 이러한 효과는 단삼추출액에 의해 농도의존적으로 방지되었다. $H_2O_2$에 의한 세포소상은 $H_2O_2$제거제인 catalase와 철착염제인 deferoxamine에 의해 방지되었으나 항산화제인 N,N-diphenyl-p-phenylenamine(DPPD)에 의해 영향을 받지 않았다. $H_2O_2$는 지질의 과산화를 증가시켰으며, 이러한 효과는 단삼추출액과 DPPD에 의해 억제되었다. 단삼추출액은 $H_2O_2$에 의한 세포내 ATP 고갈을 방지하였다. $H_2O_2$는 DNA 손상을 일으켰으며, 이러한 효과는 단삼추출액, catalase 및 deferoxamine에 의해 방지되었으나, DPPD에 의해서는 변화되지 않았다. 결론 : 이상의 결과를 종합하면 단삼추출액은 장관상피세포에서 $H_2O_2$에 의한 세포손상을 방지하며, 이러한 효과는 항산화작용이 아닌 다른 작용기전에 기인할 것으로 생각된다. 또한 본 연구의 결과는 $H_2O_2$가 장관상피세포에서 지질의 과산화를 유발하여 세포손상을 일으키지 않음을 가리킨다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.536-542
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• 2016

Shuangdan oral liquid (SDO) containing radix Salviae miltiorrhizae (Chinese name Danshen) and cortex moutan (Chinese name Mudanpi) is a traditional Chinese medicine using for treating vascular diseases. Danshensu (DSS) is a main effective monomer composition derived from radix Salviae miltiorrhizae and paeonol (Pae) from cortex moutan. Although the two herbs are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, the pharmacological functions of their active compositions were not reported. Therefore, the research of DSS and Pae in mechanisms and pharmacodynamics interaction can provide scientific evidence to support clinical application. The diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats which were induced by streptozotocin (STZ) were treated with SDO, DSS, Pae, and DSS+Pae for eight weeks. The positive effects on DN animal models were investigated by detection of physiological and biochemical indexes and oxidative stress markers, within five treatments: SDO, DSS, Pae, DSS+Pae and insulin group. Compared with the model group, the DSS+Pae group improved the renal function, blood lipid metabolism and blood viscosity, increased the vitality of T-SOD or T-AOC and decreased the level of MDA or NO after the treatment. The study was successfully showed that the DSS+Pae group could delay the process of DN, especially in the renal injury part of histopathology changes. Our results suggest that the co-administration of DSS and Pae significantly may play a protective role in DN rats through decreasing the oxidative stress and improving the blood lipid metabolism mechanisms.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1081-1100
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• 2019

Objectives: This study is an overview of the meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials investigating the clinical effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture for patients with stroke. Methods: Core electronic databases were searched from their inception to 21 May 2019. A measurement tool to assess systematic reviews (AMSTAR 2) was applied to screen high-quality studies. The results of these studies were summarized, and additional meta-analysis was conducted. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to evaluate the certainty of evidence. Results: Sixteen studies met eligibility criteria. Four were excluded owing to insufficiency of AMSTAR 2 or low data reliability. The finally selected 12 studies were about pharmacopuncture using either a single herb extract, such as Dengzhan xixin, Sanch, Ginkgo biloba, or Acanthopanax, or a mixture of herbs, such as Compound danshen, Shenxiong, Xingnaojing, or Mailuoning. Most of the patients were from China, with acute ischemic stroke. All the studies using a pharmacopuncture versus a non-pharmacopuncture design reported the significant superiority of pharmacopuncture on every outcome measure. On the other hand, in a few studies, pharmacopuncture was inferior to active control in improving neurological deficit. Few studies reported adverse events. Conclusions: It is difficult to apply the results of this study directly to Korea, because the level of evidence is generally low and the clinical settings and social acceptance of pharmacopuncture therapy differ in Korea and China. Further studies are warranted to confirm the domestic applicability of evidence generated in China and to create evidence that supports the domestic situation.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.599-608
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• 2017

Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) is a pharmacologically active substance extracted from the rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (also known as the Chinese herb Danshen), and is widely used to treat atherosclerosis. The pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a nuclear receptor that is a key regulator of xenobiotic and endobiotic detoxification. Tan IIA is an efficacious PXR agonist that has a potential protective effect on endothelial injuries induced by xenobiotics and endobiotics via PXR activation. Previously numerous studies have demonstrated the possible effects of Tan IIA on human umbilical vein endothelial cells, but the further mechanism for its exerts the protective effect is not well established. To study the protective effects of Tan IIA against hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), we pretreated cells with or without different concentrations of Tan IIA for 24 h, then exposed the cells to $400{\mu}M$ $H_2O_2$ for another 3 h. Therefore, our data strongly suggests that Tan IIA may lead to increased regeneration of glutathione (GSH) from the glutathione disulfide (GSSG) produced during the GSH peroxidase-catalyzed decomposition of $H_2O_2$ in HUVECs, and the PXR plays a significant role in this process. Tan IIA may also exert protective effects against $H_2O_2$-induced apoptosis through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway associated with the participation of PXR. Tan IIA protected HUVECs from inflammatory mediators triggered by $H_2O_2$ via PXR activation. In conclusion, Tan IIA protected HUVECs against $H_2O_2$-induced cell injury through PXR-dependent mechanisms.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.185-206
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• 2021

Objectives: The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of pharmacopuncture treatment for insomnia disorder to derive clinical evidence and recommendation grades. Methods: Studies that verified effects of pharmacopuncture on primary insomnia were included. Characteristics and quality of included studies were assessed using Risk of Bias (RoB). Results: A total of 25 studies were selected. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and effective rate were primarily used for outcome measurement. Vitamin B12 was the most used pharmacopuncture material. The most frequently used acupuncture point was Anmian (Ex-HN). The volume of the acupuncture solution ranged from 0.25 mL to 2 mL. Acupuncture treatment depth was 0.5 cm to 2 cm. In three studies, the procedure was performed at 16:00. Meta-analysis of studies revealed that the effective rate of the pharmacopuncture group was significantly higher than the group using sleeping pills group (RR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.45, p=0.04, I²=69%). PSQI was decreased in the intervention group (MD=-2.19, 95% CI: -2.90 to -1.48, p<0.00001, I²=0%). Effective rates of pharmacopuncture and acupuncture groups were higher than that of the acupuncture group (RR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.17, p=0.0002, I²=0%). PSQI was decreased in the intervention group (MD=-1.87, 95% CI: -2.36 to -1.38, p<0.00001, I²=0%). Although the effectiveness rate of the pharmacopuncture group was not significantly higher than that of the acupuncture group (RR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.27, p=0.1, I²=9%), the PSQI was decreased in the pharmacopuncture group (MD=-2.10, 05% CI: -3.29 to -0.91, p=0.0005, I²=34%). The quality of clinical studies was poor. Conclusions: Based on results of this study, it is proper to use 0.5 to 2 mL of pharmacopuncture solution such as Danshen and Ciwujia with a depth of 0.5 to 2 cm at around 4 p.m. to treat insomnia disorder, focusing on Anmian (Ex-HN) and Sameumgyo (SP6).