Acanthopanax senticosus

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the gastroprotective effects of Acanthopanax senticosus leaves (ASLs) extrusion on acute gastric mucosal lesion in rats induced by compound 48/80 (C48/80). METHODS: Rats were divided into six groups: normal; C48/80-induced gastric lesion control; gastric lesion positive control (famotidine 4 mg/kg); gastric lesion administered with two levels of extruded ASLs (ASLE, 40 and 200 mg/kg); and gastric lesion treated with ASLs (ASL 200 mg/kg). Mucus secretion/damage was determined by immunohistological staining. Immunofluorescence and western blotting were performed to determine gastric mucosal Bax and Bcl-2 expression. Gastric mucosal oxidative-stress-related enzymes and malondialdehvde were determined. RESULTS: C48/80-induced mucus depletion and inflammation in the gastric mucosa were significantly attenuated by ASLs. The increased serum serotonin and histamine concentrations in C48/80-treated rats were also attenuated by ASLs. Gastric mucosal Bax protein expression was increased and Bcl-2 expression was decreased after C48/80 treatment, and ASLs ameliorated Bax and Bcl-2 expression. The extrusion process significantly augmented the effects of ASLs in a dose-dependent manner. ASLEs at 200 mg/kg normalized mucus damage/secretion, C48/80-induced increases of mucosal myeloperoxidase activity (index of inflammation), xanthine oxidase, and malondialdehyde content (index of lipid peroxidation). The effects of ASLs on Bax and Bcl-2 expression were also enhanced by extrusion. Furthermore, these effects of ASLEs at 200 mg/kg were similar to those of famotidine, a histamine H2-receptor antagonist commonly used to treat gastric ulcers. CONCLUSION: ASLEs prevented acute gastric mucosal lesion progression induced by C48/80, possibly by inducing mucus production, and reduced inflammation and oxidative stress in gastric mucosa through an anti-apoptotic mechanism.

Combination therapy had become very popular currently for the diabetes mellitus and its complications, because of long term unreasonable drug use and adverse reaction to human body. In this study, a polysaccharide (ASP) from the roots of Acanthopanax senticosus was evaluated as an adjuvant with metformin for antidiabetic therapy in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The result identified ASP plus metformin had a more beneficial promotion for relieving the symptoms of diabetes and reversing liver and kidney damage to normal level than only metfomin administration to diabetic rats. The blood glucose, blood lipid (TC and TG), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), AST, ALT, ALP, total bilirubin, creatinine and urea levels in diabetic rats were decreased by combination of ASP and metformin. Furthermore, the body weight, liver glycogen formation, antioxidant substance (GSH) and antioxidant enzyme (SOD and GPX) levels increased evidently in diabetic mice treated with both ASP and metformin. In particular, sometimes ASP plus metformin could significantly reverse the pathophysiologic parameters of diabetic rats to normal level than only metformin administration. Therefore ASP could be developed to a new adjuvant combined with metformin for diabetes mellitus therapy in the future.

Acanthopanax senticosus HARMS (AS) is used as a Chinese herbal medicine and as a health supplement in Japan. However, little is known about the interaction between AS and other drugs. In this study, we investigated the effect of AS extract on intestinal drug transporter (P-glycoprotein, or P-gp) and peptide transporter activities in Caco-2 cells. Caco-2 cells were cultured on a culture dish and a permeable membrane for 1-3 weeks. The apical-to-basolateral (A-to-B) transport of digoxin, a P-gp substrate, was significantly increased by the addition of AS extract in a concentration-dependent manner. In contrast, the A-to-B transport of cephalexin, a peptide transporter substrate, was significantly decreased by the addition of AS extract in the same manner. The effects of AS extract addition on the kinetics of the uptake of rhodamine 123, a P-gp substrate, and Gly-Sar, a peptide transporter substrate, were investigated. V (max) for rhodamine 123 uptake was significantly increased by AS extract addition compared with the control, whereas that for Gly-Sar uptake was significantly decreased. On the other hand, K (m) and K (d) for rhodamine 123 and Gly-Sar uptake were not affected. We conducted further investigations to clarify the effect of AS extract addition on P-gp activity. When AS extract was added to the apical side, B-to-A transport of rhodamine 123 was significantly decreased compared with the control. Furthermore, the amount of intracellular rhodamine 123 was increased by AS extract addition compared with the control. These results suggest that P-gp and peptide transporter activities are suppressed by AS extract addition in a non-competitive manner.

High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with solid phase extraction method was developed for determination of isofraxidin in rat plasma after oral administration of Acanthopanax senticosus extract (ASE), and pharmacokinetic parameters of isofraxidin either in ASE or pure compound were measured. The HPLC analysis was performed on a Dikma Diamonsil RP(18) column (4.6 mm x 150 mm, 5 microm) with the isocratic elution of solvent A (acetonitrile) and solvent B (0.1% aqueous phosphoric acid, v/v) (A : B = 22 : 78) and the detection wavelength was set at 343 nm. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.156-15.625 microg/ml. The limit of detection was 60 ng/ml. The intra-day precision was 5.8%, and the inter-day precision was 6.0%. The recovery was 87.30+/-1.73%. When the dosage of ASE is equal to pure compound caculated by the amount of isofraxidin, it has been found to have two maximum concentrations in plasma while the pure compound only showed one peak in the plasma concentration-time curve. The determined content of isofraxidin in plasma after oral administration of ASE is the total contents of free isofraxidin and its precursors in ASE in vitro. The pharmacokinetic characteristics of ASE showed the priority of the extract and the properities of traditional Chinese medicine.

41. Zhongguo Yao Li Xue Bao. 1984 Dec;5(4):278-81. Effect of aqueous extracts of Acanthopanax senticosus on parathion toxicity in mice. Ferguson PW, Medon PJ, Watson CF.

The purpose of this prospective randomized study was to investigate the effects of the extract of Acanthopanax senticosus (AS extract), a widely used oriental herb, on bone remodeling and bone mineral density in Korean postmenopausal women. A total of 81 postmenopausal women with osteopenia or osteoporosis, an age of less than 65 years, were enrolled in the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: (1) the control group (n = 40), calcium intake (500 mg per day), and (2) the treatment group (n = 41), calcium (500 mg per day) plus AS extract (3 g per day). After treatment with AS extract for 6 months, the AS extract group showed a significant increase in serum osteocalcin levels compared with the control group (P = 0.041). However, no significant changes in bone mineral density were observed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). AS extract was generally well tolerated, and no differences were observed between the two groups in terms of adverse events. This study suggests that AS extract supplementation may have beneficial effects on bone remodeling in Korean postmenopausal women and that it has no significant adverse events.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between epilepsy and depression is bidirectional. One condition exacerbates the other. However, there are no current guidelines for treating depression in epilepsy patients. In some cases, seizures worsen when antidepressants (AD) are prescribed or when they are discontinued due to adverse events. The Shugan Jieyu capsule, composed of Acanthopanax senticosus and Hypericum perforatum, is a widely used herbal medicine for treating depression. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness and safety of Shugan Jieyu capsules (SJC) in relieving depression in patients with epilepsy. METHODS: We searched English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese databases in October 2023 to collect all relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs). The primary outcomes were the depression scale scores and seizure frequency. The secondary outcomes were quality of life (QoL) and adverse events. RESULTS: Nine RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with AD, SJC showed significant differences in the improvement of depression (SMD: 3.82, 95% CI: 3.25, 4.39) and reduction in seizure frequency (MD: 0.39 times/month, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.50). SJC showed more beneficial results than antiepileptic drugs (AED) in terms of antidepressant effects (SMD: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.69, 1.51) and QoL (MD: 11.75, 95% CI: 10.55, 12.95). When patients were prescribed AED, the additional administration of SJC improved depression symptoms (SMD: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.28, 1.63). The SJC treatment group had a lower incidence of side effects than the control group. However, the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that SJC may be effective in treating depression in patients with epilepsy. Additionally, SJC has the potential to help reduce seizure frequency in epilepsy patients with depression. © 2024. The Author(s).

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Aidi injection is one of the most commonly used Chinese patent medicines for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is made from an extraction of Mylabris Phalerata, Radix Astragalus, Radix Ginseng, and Acanthopanax Senticosus. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Aidi injection in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy for stage IIIB/IV NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed following the PRISMA (the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Trials were combined using Review Manager 5.3 and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis(CMA) 2.0. Dichotomous data were expressed as risk ratio (RR) and continuous outcomes as weighted mean difference (WMD), with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) respectively. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing Aidi injection plus platinum-based chemotherapy versus platinum-based chemotherapy, with efficacy and safety outcomes were selected. Disease Control Rate (DCR) was the primary outcome, Objective Response Rate (ORR), survival rate, quality of life (QOL), and toxic effects were the secondary outcomes. RESULTS: 42 RCTs recruiting 4081 patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC were included, with overall low-moderate methodological quality. Compared with platinum-based chemotherapy alone, Aidi injection plus platinum-based chemotherapy can increase relative benefit of DCR (RR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.09-1.16, P < 0.00001), ORR (RR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.18-1.36, P < 0.00001), improve 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rates (RR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.02-1.28, P = 0.03; RR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.05-1.64, P = 0.02; and RR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.32-2.67, P = 0.0005, respectively), QOL (RR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.61-2.01, P < 0.00001), and reduce severe (grade 3 and 4) toxicities by 36% (RR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.58-0.70, P < 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: From the available evidence, compared with platinum-based chemotherapy alone, Aidi injection plus platinum-based chemotherapy improves the clinical efficacy and alleviates the toxicity of chemotherapy in patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC. However, considering the intrinsic lim

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate new research conducted over the past few years (2009-2016) assessing the effectiveness of potentially curative and/or preventive methods of alcohol hangover. METHODS: Data were retrieved by a 4-stage systematic search process. A search of the online Pubmed and Scopus databases were performed, using a combination of keywords: "Alcohol," "Ethanol," and "C2 H5 OH," in combination with the terms "Hangover," "Treatment," and "Prevention." The search comprised studies listed between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2016. Findings were synthesized using a systematic approach. Quantitative analysis was not done because of the heterogeneity of the included studies. RESULTS: Six controlled human studies were identified (placebo controlled-3, controlled studies with a comparator intervention-3). Of the interventions, the use of polysaccharide rich extract of Acanthopanax senticosus, red ginseng antihangover drink, Korean pear juice, KSS formula, and the After-Effect© were associated with a significant improvement of hangover symptoms (p < .05). The highest improvement was observed for the following symptoms: tiredness, nausea/vomiting, and stomachache. None of the methods were effective for all the symptoms. CONCLUSION: The available evidence suggests that several products are capable of significantly improving some, but not all, of the symptoms related to alcohol hangover. Therefore, further research is necessary to develop clinically effective hangover treatments. © 2017 The Authors Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of Andrographis paniculata in the symptomatic treatment of uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection. METHODS: Systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Mean difference in the reduction in symptom severity scores between treatment and control groups was calculated to obtain an overall estimate of effect. RESULTS: Four studies met our inclusion criteria and were reviewed. A total of 433 patients reported in three trials were included in the statistical analysis. Andrographis paniculata fixed combination with Acanthopanax senticosus was more effective than placebo. The mean difference was 2.13 points (95% CI 1.00-3.26 points, P=0.0002) on the symptom severity score. The difference in effects between A. paniculata and placebo was 10.85 points (95% CI 10.36-11.34 points, P<0.0001) in favour of A. paniculata. CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests that A. paniculata extract alone or in combination with A. senticosus extract may be more effective than placebo and may be an appropriate alternative treatment of uncomplicated acute upper respiratory tract infection.